Chapter 4: Its Name is Little Bear

After a brief chaos, Yin Luo was forcibly dragged away to have his wounds bandaged. In the rush, Aunt Jing didn’t spare a single glance for the bewildered players.

Yin Luo stared at his own hand, his face full of confusion.

The blood was warm, the pain was sharp and distinct. When the knife cut, it felt like normal muscle and bone. Wasn’t that the definition of a living person?

Then why the talk about “finding all the parts of your own corpse”?

And what was the meaning of “revenge”?

He looked back distantly at the players still sitting at the dining table and narrowed his eyes.

So this was the game world?

How interesting.

……

“Identities confirmed. The six of us are all temporary guests staying at this house. The owner is naturally that ‘Pearl,’ and ‘Aunt Jing’ seems to be something like a housekeeper.” Qin Dan rapped his knuckles on the tabletop. “Regarding what just happened, does anyone have any thoughts?”

“That Pearl… why did he suddenly stab himself with a knife?” the girl with the black-framed glasses, Yan Shanque, whispered.

“Who knows? Maybe he’s mentally unstable and got triggered, or maybe he was possessed by something?” Zhang Bing said in a low voice. “But judging by that long-skirted woman’s reaction, he probably does this rarely, if not for the first time. It might be related to our mission.”

“I didn’t think we’d find the key character so easily. This instance should be pretty simple. And to think I assumed ‘Pearl’ was that beautiful woman,” Zou Zihao chuckled.

“I’ll say it again: do not underestimate any instance mission or instance world.” Zhang Bing frowned. “Setting aside everything else, you all saw how fast that woman moved to press the towel on the wound. What if she had been holding a knife? If she stabbed you, could you dodge it?”

Zou Zihao choked on his words and didn’t retort.

Wei Congxin said, “Ah? Could they be enemies?”

“How should I know? In an instance world, anything is possible. In any case, NPCs can never act outside the game’s ‘rules,’ but people are a different story.” As he said this, Zhang Bing shot a veiled glance at Lin Yujing.

Although the rewards for a novice instance were low, the difficulty of completing the mission was correspondingly reduced. Players, however, were a different variable.

The more people there were, the more complex the dynamic became.

Among everyone here, the one Zhang Bing was most wary of was Lin Yujing. Not just because his strength was an unknown, but because the actions of his type were often utterly unpredictable—illogical, lacking forewarning, and prone to influencing the instance’s progress or adding unnecessary risks.

“Alright, alright, Zhang Bing, ease up. The game just started, and the danger level hasn’t spiked yet. Why don’t we go look for clues now?” Qin Dan had to step in to mediate the atmosphere again.

“Also, that little young master ‘Pearl’ from just now is likely the core character of this entire instance—the owner of this house. Although we don’t know what makes him special, judging by the mission prompts, we’d better not offend him.”

The novices nodded repeatedly. “Got it, Brother Qin.”

“And that female housekeeper is very powerful. Even if we don’t know if she’s the boss, we still need to be careful.”

As he was speaking, he suddenly glanced at Lin Yujing, who had nothing to do, and changed the subject. “We’ve said quite a lot, but we haven’t asked for Brother Lin’s opinion yet. Let’s pool our ideas. Does Brother Lin have any thoughts?”

“None, not a single one. Brother Qin’s analysis is absolutely spot on. I have no other opinions whatsoever.” The gray-haired man had produced a lollipop from somewhere and popped it into his mouth, clapping through his words.

Among the six people present, he was the only one who truly seemed to be here as a guest.

After their discussion, and seizing the moment while the two key instance characters were absent, the group decided to first familiarize themselves with the house’s layout. Ideally, they wanted to head straight to Pearl’s bedroom to investigate.

“Will we be discovered?” Zou Zihao seemed very nervous, his palms sweating.

“Are there security cameras?” Qin Dan asked.

“No,” Zhang Bing shook his head. “A bit strange. A house this big doesn’t have a single surveillance camera.”

Wei Congxin scratched his head. “Yeah, and why are there so few people living in such a huge house? Besides that little young master and the female housekeeper, and the cook who just made the meal, we haven’t seen anyone else. Oh, there should also be a family doctor, though they haven’t shown up.”

“That only makes it more convenient for us.”

Qin Dan explained: “It’s daytime, and this is the first day of the instance. Whether instance characters or ghost entities, they are overly powerful at this point. They still possess reason and appear no different from normal people.”

“So, fewer people is actually better. If something extra were to show up later, that’s when it would get truly terrifying.”

“Brother Qin is truly experienced and clear-thinking. We novices are really lucky to have met you. Otherwise, we’d be running around like headless chickens, with only a dead end waiting for us,” Zou Zihao said with a smile, quickly stepping up to walk in front with Qin Dan and Zhang Bing.

Lin Yujing, Yan Shanque, and Wei Congxin followed behind.

Although Lin Yujing could infuriate anyone the moment he opened his mouth, perhaps because they were close in age, or perhaps it was just intuition, Wei Congxin still chose to walk next to the gray-haired man.

Yan Shanque, who had always kept a low profile, trailed quietly at the very back.

Carefully bypassing the second floor where the medical room was located, the group took the stairs directly to the fourth floor.

“Let’s go. The moment we hear any movement on the second floor, we’ll prepare to come down immediately,” Qin Dan said.

“Isn’t this… a bit wrong?” Wei Congxin was feeling a bit cowardly, feeling as if they were a group of thieves.

“You’re a guest, not a prisoner. What are you afraid of?” Lin Yujing remarked casually. “If you get caught, just say you urgently need the toilet but aren’t very bright and got lost in this huge house.”

Wei Congxin: “…”

……

The villa was truly enormous. Had Zhang Bing, leading the way, not had an excellent sense of direction, the group might actually have gotten lost.

“We’ve reached the master bedroom.”

“This mission is progressing so fast. We haven’t encountered any danger along the way,” Zou Zihao’s face lit up with joy.

Qin Dan smiled. “After all, this is only the first main mission. It’s generally a guided mission, so it definitely won’t be too hard.”

“Too early for celebration. I think…” Zhang Bing, who was already standing at the bedroom door, interrupted them. “This mission probably won’t be simple.”

The others immediately followed him inside. First, a wave of cold air hit them. Then, seeing the plushies practically crammed into the room, they fell into silence.

Plushies on the floor, by the window, hanging from the ceiling. Suspenders, sitters, sprawlers—dense and packed together. It looked as if furniture had been forcibly squeezed into a world that belonged entirely to them.

It was also fortunate that this room was the size of an average person’s entire home; otherwise, with so many plushies, there probably wouldn’t even be space to put a foot down.

“So, isn’t this mission a bit too much?! Can we even find that little bear doll today? There are way too many little bear dolls here! How do we know which one is his favorite?!” Wei Congxin was on the verge of a breakdown.

“That biggest one hanging over the bed? The one closest to the desk? Or the one that looks the most expensive?”

Qin Dan hissed. “And isn’t the placement of these plushies a little strange? I keep feeling like they’re all watching us.”

“Wuwu, stop! Why is this room so cold? Even in broad daylight, it feels freezing. Don’t tell me they’ll come alive at night? Or maybe their bodies are trapping dead souls inside? That’s how it always is in horror movies,” Yan Shanque said, goosebumps rising on her arms.

The two veteran players also felt this was tricky. Clearly, they were missing some clue.

Moreover, the game mission’s wording was “find.” But how was “find” defined?

Did they just need to see it, or did they have to touch it?

Or perhaps, as long as they consciously knew which doll was Pearl’s “favorite little bear doll,” the mission would be complete?

“We can’t possibly go in and search one by one, right? Not to mention whether that would offend the house’s owner, with so many damn plushies, how long would it take us to find it?”

Zou Zihao was fed up with all these roundabout complications. “What’s the use of all this talk? We’ll just take out all the bear dolls and eliminate them one by one. We have enough time anyway.”

“Oh? You mean you’re prepared to barge into the master’s bedroom right under the nose of that female housekeeper, rummage through everything from top to bottom, and then brazenly steal the thing?” Lin Yujing added cheerily.

“Let me say this first, Brother Zou. My head isn’t as hard as her knife. I’m not as brave as you. In this task, aside from keeping watch, I’ll keep my hands out of it.” Although Lin Yujing offered no constructive ideas, he was remarkably proactive when it came to nitpicking others.

“You—!” Zou Zihao’s face was reddening with anger.

“Enough, stop fighting! Let’s head down, they’ll be back soon!”

Zhang Bing, sharp-eared and sharp-eyed, had heard footsteps from downstairs.

The group immediately rushed down.

Just as they got back to the living room and sat down, the elevator doors happened to open.

Yin Luo stepped out. His left hand was wrapped in layers of bandages, he had been forced to change his clothes, and he was dragging a rabbit plushie by its ear.

The two groups’ gazes met. Qin Dan was just about to greet him, trying to pull closer to the instance’s key character, when the little young master tilted his head and turned to leave.

Qin Dan’s face went stiff.

Little brat.

“Hey, wait. Little Pearl, can I borrow a moment of your time?” Just then, the gray-haired man who had been passive the whole time suddenly stood up, blocking the boy’s path.

His hand twitched, as if he was itching to ruffle the boy’s hair.

Yin Luo stopped and looked up at the man before him, silently acquiescing.

The gray-haired man had an aura completely different from those around him. His appearance was outstanding, his ear studs and rings glittering under the light, and Yin Luo had noticed him from the very beginning.

Who knew that this man, with his cool and aloof features, would produce a lollipop from somewhere and grin as if trying to lure a child? “Want one? Milk flavor, specialty edition. One stick equals the nourishment of a whole cow.”

Yin Luo looked at him coldly and didn’t take it.

“Tsk. As expected of a pampered little young master. Needs someone to peel it for him before he’ll eat it.” Lin Yujing sighed and deftly tore off the wrapper before handing it over. “Look, it’s my favorite little lion. Cute, right?”

“…?”

What was wrong with this person?

Yin Luo stared silently at the little white lion lollipop being offered.

The two stared at each other for a long while. Finally, the black-haired boy spoke: “I don’t want a lion. I want a tiger-shaped one.”

“Ha? Little tiger?”

Lin Yujing rummaged through every pocket on his body and finally found a banana-flavored, tiger-shaped candy to hand over.

“What a pity. It’s not a lollipop, and it’s not milk flavor.” The gray-haired man looked dejected, then popped the rejected little lion into his own mouth and crunched it to pieces.

Yin Luo couldn’t be bothered with his nonsense. After taking the candy, he didn’t even unwrap it, just turned it over and over in his hand.

“Alright, kid, you’ve taken my candy. Can I ask you a question now?” Lin Yujing squinted, finally showing his fox’s tail.

The watching players were first stunned, then overjoyed. They hadn’t expected this approach.

They’d been tiptoeing around the bedroom searching for ages, agonizing over it, when they should have just thought of asking “Pearl” in person.

Yin Luo didn’t even think before saying: “No.”

The players, whose faces had barely settled into expressions of hope: “…”

Lin Yujing’s eyes glinted with accusation. “Pearl, you’re so cruel. How about this? You ask me a question, and I ask you one. We only answer ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ How about it?”

Answering only “yes” or “no” might frame the answers restrictively, but given the unknown instance rules and unknown NPC personality settings, this was also the best way to determine if someone was lying.

—At least, for Lin Yujing.

Yin Luo stared at him for a good while. Just when everyone around them thought there was hope, he finally said: “Don’t call me Pearl.”

Lin Yujing immediately corrected himself. “Then what do you want me to call you?”

“Is that your question?” The black-haired boy tilted his head.

“Though I really do want to know that too, now’s not the time. I have other, more important questions.” Lin Yujing leaned in again. “So, we doing this or not? Huh? Huh?”

Qin Dan and Zhang Bing looked like the “old man on the subway looking at phone” meme. Yan Shanque, Wei Congxin, and Zou Zihao all involuntarily took a step back, putting distance between themselves and this man.

The little young master, however, adapted perfectly well, his expression unchanging. “We’ll trade. But after I answer one question, you must answer two of mine.”

The watching players were delighted, almost ready to agree on Lin Yujing’s behalf. But this guy was still being coy. “A one-for-two trade? Isn’t that my loss? This doesn’t seem fair.”

“Take it or leave it.” Yin Luo’s temperament was always volatile. Hugging his rabbit plushie tightly, he turned to leave.

“Alright, fine, let’s trade! Hey, don’t run! One for three! One for three, is that okay?”

Finally, Lin Yujing chased after him, agreeing to this unequal deal.

“First question.” Yin Luo swept his gaze over every player, memorizing their faces. “You know more about the strangeness of this house than I do.”

Everyone’s heart jolted in shock.

Zou Zihao, whose emotional state was already unstable, broke out in a cold sweat on the spot.

Even Qin Dan, who had been acting relatively casual, put away his smile.

He had to admit, the words “novice instance” had made him lower his guard.

Even after witnessing that scene at the dining table, he had focused more of his attention on the female housekeeper and the secrets of the instance world itself.

But this question from “Pearl” forced Qin Dan to reflect on whether he had been too negligent, had underestimated the boy before him.

This wasn’t just players probing instance NPCs; these instance characters were also probing the players. They weren’t just strings of pre-programmed data like in an online game. They had their own thoughts, ideas, and purposes for existing.

If they were enemies, it seemed best to deal with this little young master before he underwent an “abnormal change.”

Qin Dan thought to himself.

Lin Yujing’s expression didn’t change. “Ah, how perceptive. It seems you’ve also noticed something’s wrong with this house. The answer to that question is, of course, ‘yes.'”

The black-haired boy paused, then immediately exposed him: “You’re lying.”

“Alright, fine. Then it’s ‘no,'” Lin Yujing quickly corrected himself.

The other players were practically stunned by his shamelessness, terrified the little young master would storm off right then and there.

Yin Luo, however, didn’t get angry. His expression remained indifferent. “I’m done asking. Your turn.”

Lin Yujing said, “You still have two questions left.”

“They can wait. No one said I had to ask them all at once.” Yin Luo was confident, not worried the other party would go back on the deal.

“Alright. I definitely feel like I’m losing out here.” Lin Yujing rubbed his chin with his fingers, seeming to ponder.

He suddenly asked, “My question is: Its name is Little Bear, correct?”

“It?” Yin Luo followed the direction of his gaze and saw the red-eyed rabbit plushie he was hugging.

From the moment he had suddenly arrived in this instance world, he had felt an intuitive familiarity and closeness to this one plushie he’d brought with him. He almost never let it leave his side.

And what had happened in the medical room just now… only proved its special nature even more.

“So this is what you wanted to know.” The black-haired boy tilted his head, his tone a little strange. “Yes, its name is ‘Little Bear.'”

[Main Mission 1 Complete]

[Quest Evaluation: What a pity. Despite being such an idiotic mission, you actually completed it. Thank goodness, it turns out you really do have hands and a mouth.]

[Main Mission 2: Investigate the past of this house]

[Mission Hint: Nothing much to hint. Just survive tonight first, then we’ll talk.]