***
Bonus chapter! Thank you to JustSomeOne for the donation! ^^
***
Day five of the dungeon.
The sea remained shrouded in impenetrable darkness—a terrifying, oppressive void that stretched endlessly, as if daylight would never return.
The cruise ship sailed steadily through these black waters, pressing deeper into the heart of the storm.
The onboard authority systems had long since been restored. The monsters covered in eyes had been cleared away, and the ship had regained its original opulence. Yet the lively atmosphere of before was gone, replaced by an eerie silence.
The surviving passengers cowered in their rooms, locking themselves in as if only those four walls could offer the slightest sense of security.
The only exceptions were the ship’s staff and certain special guests.
Most of the players, trembling with fear, blended in among the passengers, utterly lost about what to do next.
This dungeon was too abnormal. It was only the fifth day, and yet the Evil God had already been successfully summoned.
And yet—the Evil God hadn’t appeared to slaughter them all. In fact, it didn’t seem interested in killing anyone at all. The monsters had been cleaned up by the staff.
It was as if the danger had suddenly vanished.
The players had never encountered a situation like this. They were completely disoriented, unsure of what their next move should even be.
Huddled together, they exchanged uneasy glances, their eyes filled with confusion and helplessness.
The man in the suit hesitated before speaking up. "So… do we just wait for the dungeon to end?"
"Dream on," a female player sneered. She scanned the others, her voice sharp. "Do you really think the system would just hand us free points?"
Impossible.
Even if this entire Infinite Horror Game were collapsing, the system would never give players points for nothing.
Anyone who had survived more than three scenarios knew—the system harbored nothing but malice toward them. Every dungeon was designed to push them toward death.
Free points? That could only mean one thing—
A death trap.
The players all understood this. Yet they had no direction, no clue where to even begin.
The ship’s temporary peace was nothing more than the calm before the storm—the prelude to annihilation.
***
Knock. Knock. Knock.
A soft rapping at the door shattered the silence inside the room.
Xu Jinyan, who had been idly toying with an object on the sofa, paused momentarily. He lifted his gaze indifferently toward the door before resuming his absentminded fidgeting, showing no intention of acknowledging the visitor.
Yet the knocking persisted.
The raps were gentle—slow in rhythm, almost tender in their quiet insistence.
A dangerous glint flickered in Xu Jinyan's eyes as he set the object down and rose, his right hand casually outstretched. A slender blade slid soundlessly from his sleeve into his palm, its edge glinting coldly.
The doorknob turned with a soft click, the door swinging open—
—only for his poised strike to freeze mid-motion.
There, cloaked in shadow, stood Ruan Qing.
The black hooded robe swallowed his frame whole, its darkness making the sliver of pale face revealed beneath the hood all the more startling—a face so delicately beautiful it seemed carved from porcelain, the pallor lending him an air of fragile mortality.
He smiled. "Aren’t you going to invite me in?"
Xu Jinyan stared for a breath too long before wordlessly stepping aside.
Ruan Qing moved with the unsteady gait of the gravely ill. Even at this measured pace, each step seemed liable to collapse. Noticing this, Xu Jinyan silently offered his forearm as support.
A beat of hesitation, then a murmured "Thank you" as slender fingers curled around his sleeve, using the contact to navigate toward the sofa.
Xu Jinyan’s gaze lingered where the touch had been before turning to fetch a cup of steaming water.
Ruan Qing accepted it without drinking, merely cradling the scalding liquid between bloodless hands. His voice, when it came, was quiet but direct:
"You want the Evil God’s power, don’t you?"
A question phrased as incontrovertible fact.
Xu Jinyan neither confirmed nor denied, his attention snagging on how those translucent fingers showed no reaction to the boiling heat—how the flimsy disposable cup should have burned flesh by now. His brow furrowed imperceptibly. He’d noted the abnormal body temperature earlier, but this defied all reason.
Seemingly oblivious, Ruan Qing met his eyes. "I can help you."
"Help me?" Xu Jinyan laughed, a wild and mocking sound, as if he'd heard the most ridiculous joke in the world. "With what?"
He looked Ruan Qing up and down with deliberate meaning. "You can't even protect yourself right now."
Ruan Qing ignored the taunt. His voice remained steady. "Wasn't this condition of mine your doing?"
Xu Jinyan frowned sharply, appearing genuinely confused.
Ruan Qing met his gaze and asked softly, "Didn't you give the staff the materials to suppress the Evil God?"
Xu Jinyan admitted it without hesitation. "I did provide those documents. But what does that have to do with you?"
He didn't wait for an answer before letting out a low chuckle. "Don't tell me you're trying to claim that players like us could have drawn the Evil God's identity card?"
His words essentially confirmed both his own identity and his awareness of Ruan Qing's status.
Ruan Qing was genuinely curious how Xu Jinyan had seen through him—not just as a player, but specifically as a special NPC player. But he didn't ask. Instead, he shook his head slightly.
"Of course not."
"If we weren't doomed to be cannon fodder from the start, that would already be lucky enough. The Evil God? Impossible."
"But I wasn't as fortunate as you." He paused before continuing quietly, "In this instance... I'm the Evil God's vessel."
Xu Jinyan's smirk disappeared. His gaze sharpened. "What do you mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like." Ruan Qing took a sip of water, his expression calm. "The Evil God will awaken within me."
Understanding finally dawned in Xu Jinyan's eyes—why Ruan Qing had become so weak, why he'd called this his 'doing.'
The materials to suppress the Evil God's power had indeed come from him.
Stealing a god's strength required more than direct confrontation. From the moment he entered this dungeon, he'd been manipulating the staff—eroding their reverence, planting seeds of rebellion, even the desire to kill a god.
Except for the two strongest: Lin Zhiyan and Fu Ji.
This was Xu Jinyan's second time in this instance. During his first run, after learning the Evil God couldn't be summoned through rituals, he'd devised this plan.
His target wasn't the deity's true power—but the corrupted energy of the monsters that had died in the depths. That too belonged to the Evil God.
The scheme had been flawless.
But Xu Jinyan never expected that Xia Qing's "death" would drive Lin Zhiyan to summon the Evil God prematurely.
...And the summoning ritual had actually succeeded.
Xu Jinyan had no choice but to plant documents about suppressing the dungeon boss—materials he'd obtained from other instances—in the library, ensuring the staff would stumble upon them.
Given the fanatical look in their eyes, they were bound to attempt it. When the time came, he could take advantage of the chaos. The plan might still work.
But Xu Jinyan truly hadn’t expected Xia Qing to be the Evil God’s vessel.
During his first run of this dungeon, Xia Qing had died on the first night and never reappeared.
That was precisely why he’d concluded Xia Qing was a special NPC player like himself.
And if that were the case, there was no way he could’ve drawn the role of the dungeon’s final boss.
So the moment Xu Jinyan learned the "Evil God" was Xia Qing, he knew it had to be a lie.
Yet the summoning of the Evil God had undeniably succeeded—only, for some reason, the deity hadn’t manifested.
Now, everything made sense.
Special NPC players like them could never be assigned the Evil God’s role.
But the role of the Evil God’s vessel? That was all too easy.
The system’s malice toward them was palpable, practically willing them to die at the earliest opportunity. The roles they were given were never favorable.
Even he had been assigned such a role before.
Xu Jinyan’s grip tightened imperceptibly.
Suppressing the Evil God in this dungeon meant suppressing its vessel.
And in doing so, the Evil God himself might remain unharmed—while all the damage fell upon...
His gaze lingered on Ruan Qing’s pallid, nearly translucent complexion, his lips pressing into an unreadable line.
Xu Jinyan’s live stream was still running. The moment this exchange unfolded, the audience erupted.
[Bro, are you seriously buying this?! Snap out of it! He’s lying through his teeth! The Evil God’s vessel my ass—more like the vessel for the Evil God’s—ahem—something else!]
[Our streamer’s been completely hoodwinked. At this rate, he’s gonna end up counting the money while getting sold off by this con artist—might even complain the price was too low (facepalm.jpg).]
[Can’t blame him though. The wife’s too damn good—every detail and logical loophole sewn up airtight. Anyone would fall for it. Even the actual Evil God got duped next door.]
[Wife’s skills are unreal. If I weren’t watching his stream too, I’d have believed every word.]
Xu Jinyan averted his eyes. Noticing the water in Ruan Qing’s hand had gone cold, he poured a fresh cup.
“How exactly do you plan to help me?”
Ruan Qing didn't stand on ceremony as he replaced the water in his hands. Ever since being force-fed that substance by "Qi Lintian", his body had grown increasingly cold—now far below normal human temperature.
Clutching the warm cup, he spoke calmly, "I'll help you obtain what you desire during the Evil God summoning ritual two days from now."
Xu Jinyan's expression remained unchanged as he raised an eyebrow. "What do you need me to do?"
Ruan Qing slowly revealed his plan: "Continue suppressing the Evil God these next two days—prevent 'Him' from fully awakening."
"Cooperation is possible," Xu Jinyan leaned against the armrest, looking down at the seated figure. "But I have one condition."
Ruan Qing turned his gaze toward him. "What condition?"
"Form a team with me." A card materialized in Xu Jinyan's hand, which he tossed directly onto the table before Ruan Qing.
It was one of the Infinite Horror Game's rarest items—an S-class Player Binding Card.
Without hesitation, Ruan Qing picked up the card. A faint smile touched his lips as he met Xu Jinyan's eyes.
"...Assuming we survive this dungeon."
