Outside the instance, the people watching the livestream followed this E-rank player codenamed "Shi" as he walked behind the boss. The first-person perspective made the immersion so strong. The streamer was also holding a gleaming knife, making it seem as if "they" were the final killer in this instance.
Then, everyone heard that furious, enraged scream.
How to put it… it was pretty satisfying.
***
In the villa, Gu Heng leaned back against the sofa. Inside the instance, after the door in front of the streamer was shut, the conversation between the person outside and the new streamer came through the livestream.
"Putting thumbtacks at the entrance?" Gu Heng said. "Not a bad idea."
Judging by the boss's scream, it must have been pretty brutal.
"Does this mean they can clear the instance now?" Xiao Qi asked, looking up. "The boss is already this injured."
"Let's keep watching." Gu Heng's gaze fell on the livestream projected on the panel. The streamer's perspective had shifted back to the room, and he seemed to be examining something. Gu Heng casually remarked, "The person outside just warned the streamer that there were ghosts out there. That person outside is the streamer's B-rank teammate. Can he handle an A-rank ghost?"
"Was this newcomer brought into this instance by that person outside?" Ge Baiyuan said.
The way that person had spoken to the streamer just now had been a little strange.
"But this newcomer named Shi seems very impressive. Did you see that? He's checking under the bed." Xie Huai said while watching the livestream screen.
He was a very perceptive player.
Then, after watching the streamer walk around the bedroom for about fifteen minutes or so, the livestream of this upgrade instance suddenly displayed an [Instance Upgrade] notification.
The notification came out of nowhere.
Everyone in the room fell silent for a moment.
"This—"
Ge Baiyuan looked at the roulette light that had lit up again beneath the corresponding upgrade zone dungeon and was momentarily speechless.
Xie Huai, who had been keeping an eye on the dungeon’s changes ever since the streamer woke up, now looked up at Gu Heng across from him. “What do you think—has this dungeon been deliberately interfered with, or…?”
“You saw it yourself, Old Xie. This dungeon already had issues to begin with,” Gu Heng replied, his voice low and serious. “But for it to upgrade to this extent, malicious interference is more likely.”
Someone was definitely interfering.
It had risen from B-rank to S-rank…
That meant whatever was under the bed was now an S-rank ghost.
***
Inside the dungeon.
After escaping from the second floor, “Yin Chu” had completely lifted the dungeon’s restrictions by the time he made his way to the third floor.
Before fully upgrading the dungeon, his ever-dutiful system of course came forward to offer some sound “advice.”
In the void, “Yin Chu’s” system spoke with utmost respect: [Master, upgrading the dungeon may put you in danger.]
“So?”
“Yin Chu” asked back casually.
If he weren’t incorporeal at that moment, anyone could see that his expression showed no sign of genuine inquiry.
But the system simply replied with unwavering loyalty: [I suggest you detach from this body and exit the dungeon now to avoid unforeseen complications.]
As the system’s mechanical voice fell silent, a laugh of ambiguous meaning echoed through the pitch-black third-floor corridor.
With the dungeon’s upgrade, the ambient energy of the entire mansion began to shift. Starting from the building’s foundation, the changes rippled outward until every evolving scene within the dungeon had been transformed. The moment the upgrade was fully complete, “Yin Chu” selected a prime vantage point for himself, waiting to watch certain two-faced individuals unravel before the eyes of all the livestream’s viewers.
After all, in this place, whenever an ongoing dungeon was elevated from a low rank to S-rank, the full-view perspective stream was forcibly activated, allowing players outside the dungeon to study and analyze it.
At this thought, the holes in “Yin Chu’s” chest ached a little less.
Feeling the ghosts gradually reviving within this dungeon world, “Yin Chu” dismissively turned down the system’s suggestion.
“Let me see how much longer that newcomer friend of ours can keep up his calm facade.”
After the dungeon escalated from A-rank to S-rank, the few people watching the E-rank streamer's broadcast also opened the full-perspective live feed of the S-rank dungeon beneath the upgrade area—a feed automatically activated by the dungeon upgrade rules.
In "Shi's" livestream room, almost the moment the dungeon upgrade occurred, while all the viewers were inwardly exclaiming "holy shit," their fingers were already swiftly clicking open the full-perspective broadcast of the upgraded dungeon—
The next second, the scenes of all players in the upgraded dungeon appeared above their livestream panels.
Once the full-perspective broadcast started, most people's attention was first drawn to the person lying in the corridor. After all, the E-rank streamer they were following had walked straight to that player in the corridor after opening the bedroom door.
But within less than a second, both the streamer's broadcast and the two players' full-perspective feeds went black simultaneously.
Shi's livestream room, suddenly dark:
[? What's going on?]
[???]
[What's happening now?]
[...Did the corridor lights go out?]
[What about the sound? Why is the sound gone too?]
[Full-perspective broadcasts have night vision, folks... Their full-perspective feeds have both gone black!!]
[District 4 player Yue Cheng... what's going on?]
[Streaming glitch?]
[That person looked like they were about to die just now.]
[My condolences.]
[Praying emoji]
***
As the dungeon escalated again, more and more people outside the instance took notice of this ongoing dungeon.
A large number of idle players flooded into the upgraded dungeon.
***
In the corridor.
"Five minutes of safe time remain."
Yue Cheng's lips were moving with difficulty.
Against the wall, the boy’s neck hung limply, as if it had been twisted and broken.
“How can I help you?”
Wen Shichun knelt halfway to the ground.
He placed one hand gently behind Yue Cheng’s head, allowing the other to breathe a little easier.
Before this, he had already studied the person before him for several seconds. In theory, Yue Cheng’s current condition should have made it impossible for him to still be alive.
But the medical knowledge of the outside world could not be used to judge the injuries within this world.
However, just after he asked, Yue Cheng, on the verge of death, said, “Don’t worry about me anymore.”
The light in Yue Cheng’s eyes began to fade, losing all the brightness and vitality they had possessed before. Wen Shichun immediately understood the meaning behind his words.
Yet Yue Cheng’s fingers, gripping Wen Shichun’s sleeve, still did not loosen.
His lips continued to murmur: “The wheel.”
Wen Shichun’s gaze met Yue Cheng’s eyes. In the dimness, those eyes had lost all trace of life.
The hallway was eerily silent. He had noticed it as soon as he stepped out of the room—it felt somewhat like stepping into a different dimension, yet also somehow different.
The person resting his head in Wen Shichun’s palm suddenly stirred, as if perceiving what the one beside him was thinking. Yue Cheng spoke: “This is a safe space I created. Brother… there are four minutes left.”
After four minutes, this space would automatically explode, destroying this body of his along with it, leaving no trace behind. That way, he wouldn’t have to worry about turning into a ghost and causing his brother more trouble.
As Yue Cheng spoke, he strained to force a smile.
“Brother, after you get out… don’t be afraid.”
Wen Shichun looked at the smile the boy before him was struggling to maintain. Though it seemed very forced, and Yue Cheng’s entire face had begun to look somewhat strange, Wen Shichun could sense that this person was trying to comfort him.
Under Yue Cheng’s gaze, Wen Shichun pressed the illuminated start button for the wheel.
The golden needle of the Wheel of Fate began to spin once more—
At that moment, however, Wen Shichun’s attention was not on the wheel.
In the hallway, Yue Cheng was smiling quite happily.
At least, that was what he believed.
"Brother, is there anything else you want to ask?"
While he still had a few breaths left.
Wen Shichun looked at Yue Cheng, his ice-blue eyes seeming to soften slightly in the dim light. Then he actually asked, "You've always known my emotions?"
"Yes."
Hearing his white-haired brother's voice, Yue Cheng gently wiggled the fingers clutching Wen Shichun's sleeve, then said, "I've always known. It's my skill. So even if you have no expression on your face, Brother, I still know your true feelings."
As Yue Cheng spoke, his stiff face made a somewhat proud expression, one that wanted to be praised.
At that moment, on the projection panel, the speed of the golden pointer on the wheel had begun to slow, gradually coming to a stop.
"Thank you," Wen Shichun said.
He truly hadn't expected the other to contribute points for them to activate the wheel again.
Hearing that voice, Yue Cheng nuzzled his head against Wen Shichun's palm. The gap between his open eyes grew smaller and smaller, yet his lips continued to murmur.
"Brother..."
"My skill is perception..."
"I've always known Brother's true emotions..."
"Like right now..."
"Brother seems like he doesn't want something bad to happen to me..."
"I'm so happy..."
"Brother..."
Finally, his voice grew softer and softer...
