Chapter 3: Find Your Complete Corpse

Probably due to the overly annoying gazes from those dolls and plushies last night, Yin Luo’s head still felt groggy and muddled when he woke up, walking on the floor like stepping on cotton.

He yawned and stuffed the red-eyed rabbit into the large hood of his casual pajamas to free up his hands.

The white fluffy doll hidden within the fuzzy white hoodie; without looking closely, one couldn’t see any hint of it.

Only then did he follow his instincts into the bathroom.

It seemed like a good day today. Outside the window, the sun was bright, the blue sky clear.

Yin Luo slowly finished brushing his teeth and started washing his face. Mid-wash, he suddenly felt something was off.

He squinted, leaned closer to the mirror, and only then noticed it seemed a little different.

This mirror… wasn’t it the same one from last night? Had it been changed?

Yin Luo immediately thought of the woman in the long skirt from last night.

He didn’t expect her to actually believe him and just go ahead and swap the mirror directly.

“Pearl, are you done washing up? Time for breakfast.”

Speak of the devil. The woman’s gentle voice sounded from outside the door.

“I know, Aunt Jing. I’ll be right down.” Yin Luo answered casually.

“It’s almost eight o’clock. Pearl, don’t keep the guests waiting.”

“Okay.”

After responding, Yin Luo suddenly realized a problem.

Just now, he had seemingly called out that woman’s name without thinking.

Even though he had no memory of her in his mind, there was no sense of unfamiliarity during their interaction, and her name had just come out naturally.

“It seems I really did forget. If I can go back, I’ll ask Mom about it.”

Yin Luo pondered as he went downstairs.

By the time he took the elevator down to the first floor, the hour hand on the brass wall clock in the living room had just reached ‘eight.’ A few lines of scarlet writing surfaced on the smooth marble tabletop.

[All players have loaded into the game. Game officially begins.]

[Instance Name: Pearl’s Bedroom]

[Number of Participants: Six]

[Game Difficulty: Novice (Special)]

[Clear Condition: Complete all main missions.]

“That name is really too casual and uncreative.”

Yin Luo thought inwardly with dissatisfaction. “Complete the main missions to clear? You haven’t even said what the main missions are yet.”

As if in response to him, the bloody text began to change. By the time he reached the restaurant door, new information was reflected on the smooth floor:

[Main Mission 1: Find Your Complete Corpse]

[Main Mission 2: Revenge]

Yin Luo halted in his steps.

“Did you sleep well last night?” Aunt Jing, who had been sitting at the dining table looking indifferent, immediately softened her demeanor upon seeing him. She got up and pulled him to sit down.

“Not bad, very quiet.”

So many people.

Even after sitting down, Yin Luo’s mind was still a bit slow to react.

Aunt Jing sat beside him, her posture elegant, but besides her, there were six more strangers.

Five men, one woman, wearing different clothes, of varying ages, with different expressions.

Yin Luo scrutinized each one before withdrawing his gaze.

So these are the players?

They didn’t seem particularly special.

What were they here for? Clearing stages? Solving puzzles? Or fighting a boss?

Did they have missions too? Would their missions be the same as his?

And, how did they get here? Would they know what this so-called “game” or “mission” truth really was?

The black-haired boy absently stirred his milk with a spoon, thinking idly.

If it were before, his physical condition would have made it hard to even keep his mind clear for long, and he’d be exhausted and drowsy after a short while.

But here, it was different.

He liked it here. He liked this feeling of his body truly belonging to him, without constraint.

But he still had to find a way back. After all, if his mom couldn’t find him, she’d worry.

Thinking of this, Yin Luo couldn’t help but sigh.

“What’s wrong, Pearl? Not feeling well?” The woman in the long dress immediately looked his way.

As soon as she spoke, the players, who were already just pretending to eat, also immediately looked over.

Pearl?

He’s Pearl?

Several players present felt a jolt.

The key Instance character actually appeared so quickly?

“I don’t feel unwell.” Yin Luo looked away and asked softly, “Aunt Jing, who are they?”

“Guests staying temporarily.” Although her words said ‘guests,’ the woman’s tone was exceptionally indifferent. Even as the few of them whispered amongst themselves, she didn’t spare them a glance.

Guests?

Was this their original identity, or an identity assigned by the game?

“Then what are they here for?” Yin Luo continued to ask.

“Pearl.” The woman in the long skirt answered gently but firmly, “Children shouldn’t be so curious.”

“Alright.” Yin Luo blinked and lowered his head.

It seemed he would have to get information from this group of players.

—Hopefully, they would be easy to push around.

And what about those two missions—’Find Your Complete Corpse’ and ‘Revenge’—exactly what did they refer to?

Corpse?

Could it be that he wasn’t alive right now?

Yin Luo sank into deep thought.

The moment the players realized the identity of the boy in the main seat, the same mechanical voice sounded in their minds again:

[Main Mission Started]

[Main Mission 1: Find the plushie Little Bear, Pearl’s favorite toy.]

[Time Limit: Before midnight.]

[Mission Hint: Such an easy mission and you still want a damn hint? Do you grown-ass people not have hands or mouths?]

[Quest Reward: Letting you survive today—does that count as a reward?]

Although this broken game’s hints were truly infuriating, the players were still extremely relieved to unlock the main mission right at the start.

Wei Congxin’s delight showed on his face. Find a little bear plushie? This sounded like it wouldn’t be too dangerous a task.

Living up to his name, Wei Congxin breathed a huge sigh of relief.

As long as he didn’t have to encounter ghosts, he was an iron-willed tough guy!

He secretly observed the boy in the main seat.

Not very old, not talkative, seemed a bit shy. He looked like a pampered and spoiled little young master. One could say there was absolutely nothing strange or eerie about him.

So, still liking little bear plushies at over ten years old? Wasn’t that a bit childish?

Wei Congxin grumbled to himself.

Using what little acting skill he had left, he pretended to focus on eating while continuing to observe this key figure.

The little young master didn’t seem fully awake yet, his movements slow.

He put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, then picked up the silver dinner knife used for cutting the sandwiches from the table and stared at it for a moment.

Just as Wei Congxin was still wondering what he was going to do, the black-haired boy, with lightning speed, brutally stabbed the knife deep into the back of his own left hand!

Fresh red blood instantly gushed out, dyeing his entire hand red, a few drops even splattering onto the boy’s porcelain-white face.

“Holy shit?!” Wei Congxin almost screamed out loud.

“Pearl!”

Aunt Jing stood up with a speed none of them could clearly see, grabbed a nearby towel to press against Yin Luo’s wound, her voice sharp with panic. “Doctor! Call a doctor!”

“Alive, huh.”

Amidst the chaos, the black-haired boy in the main seat still carried a trace of puzzlement in his eyes.