Chapter 25

To Xi Yu's surprise, besides the careless Wu Zhi, who managed to lose the crystal in such a short time, there was also Zhao Zhusheng, who considered himself a skilled player.

Several players accidentally gathered in the living room. Besides Xi Yu, who stayed out of it, there was a somewhat tense atmosphere.

Qian Lu sat on the broken sofa, sneering: "You really found something good? Fangfang, when you came back, I asked you, but you didn’t say anything."

Zhou Fangfang, holding her chest, seemed troubled: "After all, you didn’t go. If I told you, it would just make you feel worse."

Qian Lu's personality, as Xi Yu had expected, became more aggressive the more insecure she was. She immediately mocked loudly: "Stop pretending to be kind and setting up a good image for yourself! You’re just afraid I’ll find out and take it from you, right?"

Zhou Fangfang involuntarily took a step back upon hearing this.

Wu Zhi, frustrated, said: "Why are you making so much noise, lady? Are you blaming us for not going?"

Zhao Zhusheng, holding his lips together, had been quiet for a while before speaking: "Stop arguing with her. Whoever took the crystal, it’s best to hand it over now, or else—"

"It’s not necessarily a player who stole it. Where did you put the crystal?" Xi Yu, helpless, played detective. "Did you leave it in your room and not carry it on you?"

Wu Zhi nodded.

Zhao Zhusheng stayed silent for a moment before saying, "I left it with my clothes by the bathroom door, but I listened carefully while showering, and there was no noise."

"In the morning, Qing Yi opened my room door without permission, which means there’s a backup of the room key at the guesthouse, and the NPCs can enter and exit too," Xi Yu said frankly. "Also, just now I saw Alen rushing up from downstairs. Why don’t we ask him?"

Lily, who had been watching the scene, suddenly had a sharp gleam in her red eyes. She sat up straight. "Huh? Now you’re suspecting the employees of stealing the guests' belongings? Then I’ll have to interrogate them properly."

Without waiting for the players to urge her, she stomped toward the staff passage, kicked the door open, and angrily shouted: "Everyone, open your rooms!"

As the cold night fell, the shopkeeper Lily conducted an intense investigation.

Unfortunately, despite turning the soft belongings of the five staff members upside down, she didn’t find any trace of the two crystals.

Alen had been scolded by Qing Yi, crying pitifully, and kept explaining in a small voice: "I didn’t take your things... I’m a good kid..."

"No one takes the items and grows wings, right?" Wu Zhi didn’t believe him. "You searched the rooms, but not their bodies!"

Lily blinked her bloodshot eyes, then smiled as she picked up a gun and turned toward the employees: "Did you hear? The guests are very angry."

The five NPCs lowered their heads in defeat and began to undress.Zhao Zhusheng suddenly said, "Forget it, if I really wanted to hide something, there are plenty of places to do so. No need to carry it on me. Guess I’m just unlucky."

He then turned to look at his fellow streamers with a slight smile, "It doesn’t matter if the NPCs tricked us, but don’t let me find out it was you all causing me trouble. If that happens, don’t blame me for breaking the peace myself!"

Xi Yu remained unmoved, patting Wu Zhi on the shoulder, "A blessing in disguise."

Wu Zhi wasn’t an assertive person, so he just gave up. Moreover, he didn’t think too much about the incident in the first place.

Xi Yu then took out the metal plate with the new rules he had just found, "New discovery, but I’m not sure what it means."

Zhou Fangfang read it with confusion, "People in the Wasteland City have no right to refuse the game? Does that mean we must face every challenge?"

This caused Qian Lu, who had missed out on the moving maze, to feel even more uneasy.

Zhao Zhusheng snorted, "Who knows, there’s always a time when everything is revealed."

As the group was about to disperse, Xi Yu couldn’t help but give Zhou Fangfang a look, signaling her to come to the corner with him. He whispered, "Although the crystal is a reward from the maze, it feels very suspicious. Be careful."

Zhou Fangfang, who had been inseparable from the crystal, immediately responded, "The rules say money is life, and this crystal can be exchanged for money."

Xi Yu replied, "Better to get nothing than to take the wrong path."

Zhou Fangfang was silent for a moment, then stubbornly answered, "If I don’t take anything, I won’t be able to win against you."

Xi Yu felt he had done all he could and didn’t argue further. He just nodded with a smile.

Because of the theft incident, the dinner, which had already been a nightmare, ended in a deadlock.

Trust among everyone had been shattered, and after quickly filling their stomachs, they all went back to their rooms.

Xi Yu, of course, was no exception.

He did some light stretches by the bed and was about to start speculating about today’s events when he suddenly heard the faint sound of wind chimes.

Moments later, the door was quietly opened.

Xi Yu, with a serious expression, stared at the head peeking through the door and asked, "Is something wrong?"

Aunt Qing immediately hushed him, walked in, and closed the door behind her, saying, "Guest, I’m really sorry… Alen did take a piece of ore. He just admitted it to me. He thought it was something fun because it was so shiny."Xi Yu: "Is that so? Then let's return it to its rightful owner."

Aunt Qing, embarrassed, took out the crystal: "But Alen refuses to say who he took it from. I saw you all arguing fiercely, and since you're a leader-like figure, why don't I just give it to you first? We can figure it out tomorrow."

Xi Yu replied word by word: "I don't care, just take it."

Aunt Qing hesitated.

Xi Yu: "I’m going to sleep. Also, don’t come into my room casually from now on."

As soon as he finished speaking, a gunshot suddenly rang out from upstairs. Aunt Qing, visibly startled, hunched her back in nervousness and quickly left, taking the crystal with her.

The eerie sound of insects crawling grew closer. Xi Yu hurriedly shut the door.

What was even more terrifying was that moments later, a loud crashing sound of wood breaking echoed through the corridor, followed by a girl’s blood-curdling scream!

...Zhou Fangfang?

Xi Yu furrowed his brows, pacing around the room but unable to find a useful weapon. He had no choice but to pick up the broken desk lamp, ready to respond to any sudden changes.

Strangely, no matter how hard he tried to turn the doorknob, the door wouldn't open.

Was Aunt Qing behind this? Or was the system preventing players from leaving?

Xi Yu desperately shook the door, listening as Zhou Fangfang's cries grew weaker, until they were finally drowned out by another gunshot, followed by complete silence.

Lily's sweet but cold voice came from behind the door: "Your companion was murdered. The ants are still nearby, so don’t come out tonight. Understand?"

Xi Yu listened carefully. The sound of her boots gradually grew fainter, until all sounds ceased.

Zhou Fangfang was dead, and it was clear that the so-called treasure was indeed an ominous object.

If Zhao Zhusheng and Wu Zhi were holding their crystals, the consequences would be unimaginable.

But there were no warning signs—how could the system plan to eliminate three out of five players on the first day?

So, were those NPCs stealing the crystals as a form of protection?

No, that wasn’t right. Aunt Qing’s behavior at the end was clearly a form of framing.Xi Yu sat on the floor beside the bed, arms crossed, and after a few minutes of deep thought, he finally realized: there had been signs all along. The so-called morning omen was a sign, and Lily's role was quite evil. The card she drew didn’t indicate luck, but rather the shadow of death! If all went as expected, there would be a second card tomorrow morning, and the game elements it represented would require a thousand times more caution!

With this thought, Xi Yu felt a bit more settled and slowly closed his eyes, ready to catch up on sleep.

As for Zhou Fangfang's tragic death…

He felt no responsibility, and there was nothing he could change, so he simply accepted it.

He remembered the system had initially notified: survival for 24 hours would earn 2 points. Zhou Fangfang’s score would undoubtedly be at the bottom…

He didn’t know how much time passed, but the light bulb in Xi Yu’s room suddenly emitted several electrical buzzing noises and went completely out in an instant!

The darkness was silent, but enough to alert his heightened senses.

There was no moonlight in the room, and no matter how much his eyes tried to adjust, he couldn’t see his hand in front of his face.

Xi Yu could only rely on his hearing, carefully standing up from the bed.

Just as he was fully alert, there was another sudden, loud knocking at the door!

So familiar was this pattern that the startled Xi Yu immediately realized: the night watchman was here!

"Guest, are you alright? A heartbreaking disaster occurred tonight," came the rough voice from outside.

Xi Yu didn’t want to remain passive anymore. He felt it was worth taking a little risk and immediately rushed over, groping to open the door!

In an instant, a terrifying face illuminated by a flashlight was right in front of him!

Xi Yu instinctively stepped back half a step and finally saw the monster in front of him: a tall, burly man over two feet tall, with messy hair and a similarly disheveled beard. His hair was hidden in a dark, old robe, only revealing a face full of lumps, breathing heavily as he stared at Xi Yu.

The night watchman didn’t move, continuing to speak: “I came to check your safety. Looks like you made it through the day.”

Xi Yu finally calmed down, surprised to realize that behind the night watchman was not a corridor, but a completely dark, illusory space!

No wonder the NPCs said there was no night watchman at the guesthouse—it seemed he didn’t belong to the dimension of the guesthouse?

Without waiting for Xi Yu to respond, the night watchman continued, “It’s rare to have a guest who doesn’t sleep this late. How about a drink with me?”

And then, he inexplicably smiled.Accompanied by a wide, gaping mouth, Xi Yu saw the night watchman’s blood-stained teeth, which reminded him of Zhou Fangfang’s screams, one after another. He couldn’t help but feel repelled: “I don’t want to drink today, maybe ask me again tomorrow.”

“Alright, if you survive until tomorrow,” the night watchman didn’t insist, turning around and disappearing.

With his disappearance, a strong wind blew behind Xi Yu, slamming the wooden door shut!

The electric light flickered back on, and everything returned to normal.

In fact, Xi Yu understood that following this guy would lead to events happening, but the information he had was far too limited. He was worried that he wouldn’t be able to handle it and might end up making things worse, just like Zhou Fangfang, who got eliminated without even doing anything.

So, it was better to wait until tomorrow, observe from the sidelines, and gather more rules before following this demonic night watchman!

Demonic…

With that thought, Xi Yu took out the rule copper piece from his body and couldn’t help but admire the intricate demon carving on it.

At the same moment, the serious notification sound finally rang out.

[Streamer Xi Yu, accumulated score 2, remaining 8 miles]

[Please avoid death as much as possible, death results in an 8-point deduction]

The punishment for failure was so severe; it seemed that the more neutral one played, the easier it was to win.

Xi Yu pondered this, secretly wondering: How exactly can the money be increased?

A night of nightmares.

The next morning, before Qing Yi came to call, the remaining four players left the room at the same time.

The corridor was covered in the acidic, sticky slime left by the ants, and at Zhou Fangfang’s door, aside from the dried blood stains, there were shattered door panels and bones that couldn’t be pieced together. As for her flesh and the crystal, they had completely disappeared.

Qian Lu’s face looked terrible, his whole body trembling uncontrollably, huddled nearby and gagging a few times in disgust.

Xi Yu, however, remained calm, crouching down with Zhao Zhusheng to inspect and saying, “It should indeed have been the ants that killed her. Apart from the acidic liquid, there is no other way to turn the corpse into this state overnight.”

Wu Zhi muttered to himself, “Why her… Does it have something to do with the crystal? If I hadn’t lost the crystal, would I…”

Xi Yu suddenly stood up and looked at Qian Lu, saying, “I need to ask you a question. It’s very important, and you’d better tell the truth.”Qian Lu stepped back. “What do you want?”

“Did an NPC try to give you a crystal yesterday?” Xi Yu asked seriously.

Qian Lu fell silent.

Wu Zhi and Zhao Zhusheng looked at him in surprise.

Xi Yu continued, “There’s no point in hiding this from me, right? The one who stole the crystal should have been Ah Lan. He gave one crystal to his foster mother, and the other one, was he trying to force it on you?”

Since the truth had been completely revealed, Qian Lu finally spoke, “Yes, that little brat bothered me before bed. I did take it, but the more I thought about it, the more scared I got. In the end, I threw it out into the corridor. Who knew, by morning, the crystal was already gone.”

Wu Zhi scratched his head. “What the hell is going on?”

“That Qing Yi also tricked me,” Xi Yu said. “The crystal brings death, that much is certain. It looks like these NPCs not only want to harm us, but each NPC has a specific goal. From today on, be careful of the fortune-telling cards drawn by the shopkeeper, and be extra cautious of those NPCs.”

Just as he was saying this, Qing Yi happened to be coming downstairs with a bucket and mop.

Everyone saw her and immediately showed different expressions, but said nothing as they headed upstairs for breakfast.

Only Xi Yu noticed that the wind chimes in front of Zhou Fangfang’s door were missing. He purposely stopped and asked, “Qing Yi, what’s the meaning of these little flowers and scorpion wind chimes?”

Qing Yi seemed to have forgotten what she did last night and answered in a gentle tone, “The shopkeeper said they are good luck charms from Wasteland City, meant to protect everyone.”

Xi Yu took off his own wind chime to inspect it, noticing nothing unusual. He then hung it back up, smiled at her, and calmly left.

After a player had died, the disgusting breakfast was still impossible to get rid of.

The NPCs, however, were unaffected, especially Tour Guide Xu, who was in an unusually good mood, smiling as he said, “Today, I’ll take you to the Golden Pool. It’s the only water source in the New Desert Gobi, and the view is beautiful.”

Lily slyly winked from the counter and pulled out a stack of blank cards. “There’s a risk when you go out. Let me do a little fortune-telling for you.”

“Fortune-telling? That damn treasure chest killed Zhou Fangfang yesterday, and now I don’t even know whose hands the crystal ended up in!” Wu Zhi suddenly became angry.

“Oh dear, customers, as soon as the item went missing, I helped investigate. It’s not my fault,” Lily said as she sat down at their table, cheerfully adding, “Traveling in Wasteland City is risky, but don’t worry, when the insurance company people come on the weekend, they’ll compensate the girl’s family with a huge amount.”

After saying this irresponsible line, she scattered the paper cards and automatically drew one.

Although the players were extremely hostile toward the shopkeeper, they still had to pay attention. After all, the things on the card were something they needed to avoid today.The result was a flower, a purple bowl-shaped flower pattern, along with the letter "E" written in blood.

Qian Lu softly read aloud the hint on the card: "Who can hear its song in the wind? What does this mean?"

Lily shrugged. "It probably means you’ll see beautiful scenery when you go out. There are indeed quite a few plants growing around the Golden Pool."

"Yesterday, the card had a G, today it’s an E. This hint is really confusing..." Xi Yu pondered quietly and suddenly said, "I’ve seen this kind of flower!"

The others immediately looked over.

Qian Lu also realized, "Isn’t it right next to the wind chimes at our room's door? Get rid of it, get rid of it!"

"These are wildflowers that grow all over Wasteland City. I just wanted you to feel happy," Lily said helplessly, giving Qing Yi a cold glance. "Aren’t you going to clean?"

Qing Yi seemed to hesitate for a moment.

Lily bared her teeth and growled, "If you upset the guests again, I’ll throw all of you into the Gobi to feed the ants!"

It seemed that the shopkeeper’s orders couldn’t be defied, so Qing Yi reluctantly went downstairs. Soon after, she returned with the decorative purple bowl flowers and tossed them into the trash.

Tour Guide Xu clapped his hands and smiled, "Alright! Get ready to head out, little beauty, aren’t you coming yet?"

Qian Lu hesitated for a moment, then shook her head.

"Good luck surviving to the end," Zhao Zhusheng deliberately flashed her a smile.

Qian Lu, with her strong suspicion, was uneasy and after much inner conflict, quietly said, "I’m not going... Everything is dangerous. If Fangfang hadn’t gone out yesterday to bring back those things, she wouldn’t have died."

"The area around the Golden Pool is very safe, lots of little animals live there," Xu Lei whistled. "Stick with me, okay? If you get lost, it’ll be a hassle."

As expected, the journey was not short, but unexpectedly, after the three of them arrived with the guide, everything was calm, and there were no special events like the moving maze.

The so-called Golden Pool was actually a small oasis in the center of the Gobi. The pool was surrounded by golden, unusual dwarf trees that reflected the shimmering light, and from a distance, it indeed looked like a pool of gold.

Tour Guide Xu held up a loudspeaker and introduced, "The Golden Pool can be considered the feng shui treasure of the New Desert Gobi. Legend has it that a traveler once fished out a beautiful little fish from the Golden Pool. This little fish could talk, calling itself the Prophecy Fish, and begged the traveler to spare it, promising to answer all the traveler’s questions. Since then, every autumn during the season when the fish are fat, many residents from Wasteland City come here to fish. The most popular question for the Prophecy Fish is the next lottery number."

This piqued everyone’s interest, and Wu Zhi asked, "So, did they catch the Prophecy Fish?"

"That’s just a legend," Xu Lei laughed and pointed to the fishing gear rental area next to the pool. "There are free fishing rods and bait over there. You can try it too. We’ll head back at 3 p.m., so don’t leave my sight."It seems today's activity is centered around this. Could it be that fishing is just a cover for a lucky draw based on appearances here?

The three of them exchanged glances and, of course, went their separate ways.

Xi Yu was very concerned about the purple flower Lily had pulled out in the morning. After confirming that no such plants were growing nearby, he found a spot where he could observe the whole area and settled down to fish.

Zhao Zhusheng, of course, was another person who could stay calm.

Wu Zhi, however, became a little restless. He even rolled up his sleeves and tried to jump into the pool to catch fish, causing the guide to rush over and stop him.

Xi Yu silently watched them arguing in the distance.

Xu Lei was usually very lazy, but when it came to work, she was very enthusiastic. She patiently advised Wu Zhi to put his shoes back on and then sat beside him, happily chatting non-stop. Wu Zhi’s expression was somewhat strange, and in the end, he gently shook his head. Fortunately, Xu Lei didn’t insist too much and quickly found a shady spot to nap.

Fishing was incredibly boring for these young and energetic artificial humans. Although they occasionally caught small fish and shrimp, it served no real purpose.

About an hour later, Wu Zhi started to fidget, several times nearly throwing the fishing rod down.

Just as the sun passed overhead, his fishing rod suddenly shook violently, completely catching everyone’s attention. Even Xu Lei woke up from her nap and craned her neck to look.

...Could it be the Prophecy Fish?

Xi Yu immediately stood up.

But the result was somewhat unexpected: what Wu Zhi struggled to pull out of the water with great effort was actually a regular metal plate.

Zhao Zhusheng, not holding back, grabbed the fishing line and pulled it over to examine it. "What’s written on it?"

[Rule Four: In the shadows of the dark night, lies the dawn of victory.]

Dark night, shadows?

Xi Yu immediately thought of the Night Watchmen and suddenly asked, "Have you all seen what the Night Watchmen look like?"

Wu Zhi hesitated and shook his head. "I’m afraid something ominous might happen, so both times, I told him I was asleep."

Zhao Zhusheng smirked. "I’ve seen them. It was definitely ominous."

"I also opened the door for him yesterday." Xi Yu took the metal plate, read it, and then handed it back to Wu Zhi. "He invited me to drink, but I was afraid of something unexpected, so I didn’t agree. From this rule, though, it seems worth the risk.""How do you know it's not a trap? When we put in a lot of effort to find those crystals, there were also system prompts," Zhao Zhusheng muttered.

"Rules and voice prompts are not the same thing," Xi Yu said. "Your suspicion is valid, so I suggest you listen to me and let me check it out first."

Zhao Zhusheng questioned, "What are you trying to gain an advantage in this time?"

Xi Yu replied, "I'm just suggesting. You don't have to listen to me."

Zhao Zhusheng didn't respond directly.

Xi Yu, as usual, remained calm and indifferent. "None of us are in opposition right now, and it's clear that we're being targeted by NPCs. So it's best to look out for each other, and definitely don’t listen to any nonsense from the NPCs."

Wu Zhi felt guilty under his gaze.

Zhao Zhusheng smiled and looked him over. "What did Xu guide say to you just now?"

"Nothing, nothing at all," Wu Zhi instantly responded. "Anyway, we're all in the same boat. I wouldn't easily betray everyone."

Xi Yu didn’t press further and simply said, "No one should betray anyone. That’s probably the safest choice."

The fishing activity, apart from adding an extra meal for dinner, didn’t really yield anything useful, and the travel group returned to the guesthouse in the evening as planned.

The cold, dull basement room was, as usual, uninteresting.

Xi Yu, unable to sit still, saw Aunt Qing playing checkers with Alán in the corner of the living room and asked, "Where did you put Zhou Fangfang's bones?"

"That kind of thing, I had my brother help store it. We’ll deal with it when the insurance company people arrive," Aunt Qing didn’t even look up, appearing uninterested in Xi Yu.

Xi Yu didn’t understand her change in attitude, but he didn’t say much, turning to head to the kitchen to look for the chef.

Brother Wang, who was scaling fish, seemed indifferent to the matter of the dead and answered plainly, "The bones were clean, so I packed them in a box and put it in the storage. If you're interested, you can go take a look."

Xi Yu asked, "Does a death happen every time a guest comes here?"

"The army ants are causing a ruckus, it’s unavoidable," Brother Wang finished preparing the fish expertly, tossed it into the basin, and calmly reached for another one.

Xi Yu squatted down. "Do you have better fishing gear here? I fished all day and didn’t catch anything special."

Brother Wang’s face, full of muscle, was expressionless. "If you want to buy something, talk to the manager. I only handle the cooking."Xi Yu saw that he couldn’t get much information from this NPC, so he decided to leave.

"Wait," Brother Wang unexpectedly wiped his hands, pulled out a glowing dice from his pocket, and said, "I’ve got something else good. It was left behind by a previous guest. Do you want it? I’ll sell it to you for two Gali."

Xi Yu was about to refuse when he heard the system prompt.

【Wish-fulfilling Dice: After use, you can exchange scores with the current highest-scoring player.】

【Friendly reminder: Player scores are not evenly distributed; you are behind.】

...

It was impossible not to be tempted, but with Zhou Fangfang’s tragic incident in mind, Xi Yu still held on to his reason: "No, I’ll work hard on my own."

Brother Wang stared at him intensely: "Three days left, your trip will end soon."

Xi Yu nodded: "Yes, three days can change a lot, enough to turn everything upside down. I won’t spend money on your things."

Brother Wang shrugged and put the item away, continuing to squat down and prepare the fish: "No problem, if you change your mind, you can come find me."

Xi Yu nodded and was about to step back to leave when he heard the system prompt again.

【You cannot share the information about the adventure item with other players, or 2 points will be deducted.】

In that instant, Xi Yu finally understood why Wu Zhi had been so hesitant earlier and realized that maybe every player might face this choice.

Scores vary, and you can directly exchange with the highest one. So, the last person to use the item would be the most suitable.

— The logic was like that, but...

It’s not that simple and thoughtless.

This dice must be intricately connected to the little flower on the fortune-telling card this morning!

Xi Yu was certain it was all bait, but he wasn’t sure whether Wu Zhi had fallen for it or not.

Yuntai Park. The top-level circular living area. The host dormitory.

Enthusiastic viewer Luo Xi opened the live stream again. This time, he couldn’t enjoy it alone, so he invited his iron-willed best friend, Xu Tu.Xu Tu crossed her long legs on the sofa and clicked her tongue: "I don’t understand what the company is doing this time, intentionally making things hard for the assessment department."

Luo Xi thought for a moment and replied, "Maybe there's an internal shortlist. Whether it's fair or not, we don’t have the right to protest."

"It shouldn’t be like this…" Xu Tu still didn’t get it, then suddenly smiled mischievously and said, "Should I send a gift to the little streamer to remind him? I’ve heard a lot of things about him, I'm really interested. It’d be a shame if he’s eliminated."

Luo Xi raised an eyebrow: "Only the audience can send gifts. Is it worth risking it for a low-tier match?"

"No need to risk it, I have a way." Xu Tu suddenly stood up and said, "I’ll go find Bai Qi and do a ranked live stream!"

Three hours later, Xu Tu, wearing a low-cut evening dress, was crying in the Haunted Castle game: "I just took on a little disciple, called Xi Yu, and he’s doing an assessment live stream... I’m afraid he’ll be eliminated, and if he’s out, I don’t want to keep playing... If I were an audience member, I could send him gifts to remind him. It’d be so great!"

Her loyal follower and expert streamer Bai Qi stood opposite her: "…………"

Xu Tu wiped away her tears and batted her eyelashes at him.

Bai Qi, gritting his teeth, reluctantly asked: "The audience can’t give hints on the storyline. What gifts do you want to send?"

Xu Tu immediately wiped her face dry and revealed a fairy-like smile, clearly not her first time "online extortion."