Chapter 1

——Something's seriously wrong.

It didn’t take Shi Jian much observation or thought to reach that conclusion.

After all, the moment she opened her eyes, she found herself inside an ancient, eerie castle surrounded by strangers. Outside, a relentless downpour pounded against the structure, as if trying to wash the entire castle away. But Shi Jian had been in a desert — a place where not a single drop of rain fell all year round...

As her confused, beautiful eyes turned toward a rose-covered window to glimpse the outside, she noticed several of the brilliantly blooming roses had oddly turned toward her. Looking closer, the flower cores were actually bulging eyeballs, pressing right up against the glass and locking eyes with her from afar.

Shi Jian recoiled in shock, taking two steps back: ?!

“F*ck, what is that... did you guys see that? The flowers... the flowers have eyes!”

“I saw it too! What the hell is this place?! I want to go home, I want to go home! Is anyone out there?!”

...

Already on edge, the group erupted in panic. The rising chorus of screams confirmed for Shi Jian that she wasn’t hallucinating.

If she had initially thought this was a prank set up by a film crew in collusion with her agent, that illusion could no longer hold.

First of all, even the cheapest special effects studio couldn’t produce something this realistic. Second, the entertainment industry didn’t have that many actors capable of portraying such raw terror so convincingly.

Most importantly, though the others looked at her with the usual stunned admiration she was used to, none of them seemed excited to see her—no one asked for an autograph or a photo.

She was the red-hot Shi Jian!

This world must be fake!

In the eyeballs stuck to the rose petals pressed against the window, Shi Jian’s reflection was clearly visible—

A young woman with delicate, breathtaking features stood with arms crossed. She wore silk pajamas and a pair of disposable hotel slippers. She should’ve looked disheveled, but instead she exuded the presence of a luxury pajama runway model.

Beneath her high-end black silk robe were a pair of long, straight legs, the contrast making her skin appear snow-white. A thin sash wrapped around her slender waist, and from the waves of her hair to the tips of her fingers, she was flawlessly refined.

A living beauty.

...

Shi Jian was a popular actress.

She had been beautiful since childhood—born to be the center of attention. In kindergarten, she was the flag bearer. In school, she was the arts rep. She was always on stage during performances...

Naturally, she had aced her entrance exam to the Film Academy and shot to fame upon entering the entertainment industry.

For over twenty years, life had gone smoothly for Shi Jian. Applause and admiration were constants in her world.

But now... she vaguely sensed that might all be in the past.

Just before ending up in this bizarre castle, she had been soaking in the tub of a five-star desert hotel, trying to unwind after a long day of filming. Maybe it was the heavy steam and slippery tiles, but she slipped and fell.

Of course, her first reaction as she went down was to protect her face with both arms. Only after confirming that even if her arms were shattered, her face would remain unharmed did she pass out in peace.

When she opened her eyes again, she was here. Her arms weren’t shattered, just faintly aching.

While the group in the castle was panicking over the “eyeball” roses, none of them noticed that invisible on-screen bullet comments had quietly begun to scroll by.

【Anyone here? Say something.】

【I'm here, I'm always wherever there’s a new streamer.】【I just love watching new streamers panic — this is only the beginning, LOL. The veteran streamers might be skilled and full of tricks, but it’s hard to scare them anymore.】

【Damn, that new female streamer is so pretty!】

【Pretty +1. I noticed her right away. Just not sure if she can survive this instance... she looks kinda weak. Hope she lasts a while.】

...

Shi Jian, now burdened with everyone’s "hope she survives a bit longer," didn’t stare at the rose eyeballs for long. Suddenly, three claps echoed through the living room, drawing everyone’s attention.

Since being dropped here, the massive castle had been eerily empty aside from these other equally panicked strangers. No matter how loudly they shouted for someone, there had been no response — until now. A lean, middle-aged man, who looked like a butler, appeared out of nowhere at the top of the staircase.

Shi Jian was certain that spot had been empty just two seconds ago.

The man swept his eyes across the group, then spoke in a calm, emotionless voice.

"Welcome, everyone, to Rose Castle. I am the butler, surname Tang. You may call me Butler Tang."

"The master had a last-minute work matter to attend to and couldn’t return in time. However, he instructed me to take good care of you all. I hope you enjoy good food, drink, and entertainment here, and have a pleasant holiday."

"Oh, right." As if remembering something, he added:

"Each of you is a guest personally invited by the master. The master is very hospitable — but he doesn’t like rude guests. Do not leave without permission, or you’ll face the consequences."

“Enjoy good food, drink, and entertainment.” “Pleasant holiday.”

These words sounded absurd to everyone. They’d been dragged to this strange place without explanation — and now it sounded like they were being threatened not to leave.

What kind of logic was that?!

The already shaken crowd suddenly found a target to vent at.

A young man in a floral shirt, reeking of alcohol like he’d just come from a party, staggered toward Butler Tang first. Clearly drunk, he cursed loudly:

“Which bastard is behind this freak show?! Tell that bastard to get the hell out here! I swear he’s not getting a damn thing outta me. I was drinking, you hear? Then this shit happens. Is it that illegitimate son from the Ding family...?”

Others chimed in too. Though they hadn’t been drinking and were more clear-headed, they didn’t dare curse outright.

“This is illegal imprisonment!”

“Who the hell is your master? I don’t know anyone like that! Let us go immediately or we’re calling the cops!”

“When is your master coming back?”

Butler Tang remained unmoved, whether faced with curses or threats to call the police. As for when the master would return—

Butler Tang spread his hands, completely indifferent. “I’m not sure either.”

Someone actually had their phone on them. Shi Jian saw the person dialing 110.

Her heart lifted, waiting to hear the friendly voice of the police.

But—

“No signal. Can’t connect!” The girl holding the phone looked grim.

Shi Jian’s heart sank.

There’d be no help from the police.

“How about you call your master, then?”The girl holding the phone: ??? Was she talking to her?

No — that was Shi Jian speaking to Butler Tang.

Shi Jian figured, since the castle had chandeliers and seemed to contain plenty of modern furniture, the butler should at least have a phone, right?

Based on what he had just revealed, it was the master who decided whether they could go home. In that case...

Shi Jian suggested, “You don’t know when he’ll be back? Just call him and ask. We can’t just sit here waiting forever — we all have jobs too.”

She had filming to do tomorrow.

Butler Tang had been watching the group’s panic like ants struggling in a jar, but didn’t expect to be called out directly. He faltered slightly.

Under Shi Jian’s wide-eyed gaze and everyone else’s hopeful looks, Butler Tang eventually made a show of pulling out a phone.

But then he smiled and said, “Apologies, can’t get through. No signal. Might be because of the constant heavy rain lately.”

He used the same excuse they had.

Shi Jian: “……”

“Damn it, this is so annoying. Why are you all wasting your time arguing with him? I’m out. No time to play this cosplay crap with you. What era do you think this is, talking about some ‘master’…”

The rich kid was already impatient, and now completely lost his temper. He threw out that line, then turned and stormed toward the tightly shut front doors of the castle.

“Hey, wait—”

Butler Tang made no move to stop him. The others tried to call out, but everything happened too fast.

The moment the rich kid’s hand touched the ornate, carved doorknob — BOOM — his entire body exploded like an overinflated balloon.

A cloud of red mist spread out from where he had stood. It was the blood and flesh of his body bursting apart.

Silence filled the room.

Just seconds ago, he’d been a living, breathing person. Now, there was only a puddle of blood and scraps of fabric left behind.

This wasn’t a prank. This wasn’t a joke. People would die here!

After the stunned silence came screams and retching. Several people’s legs gave out and they collapsed to the ground.

Butler Tang looked at the horrific, gory scene in front of him, the smile on his face widening. He wore an expression of enjoyment and softly murmured with malice:

“Guests, please make yourselves at home in Rose Castle. I’ll go prepare a grand dinner for you all.”

With that, he turned and walked away.

...

“Everyone, calm down. I know you’re all scared and struggling to accept this, but we need to face reality. I’m your newbie guide — compared to you, I’m a veteran streamer. My name is Zhang Dong.”

After the butler left, a broad-shouldered man with an honest face broke the silence with a bitter smile.

Shi Jian remembered him slightly, because before the rich kid rushed to the door and got himself killed, this man had tried to stop him — he just couldn’t hold him back.

Shi Jian: What newbie guide? What veteran streamer?

The man named Zhang Dong started spilling the details like pouring beans. According to him, Shi Jian and the others had all been dragged into a large-scale horror game livestream platform. Everyone pulled in was collectively referred to as a "streamer."In this large-scale horror game livestream platform, there are all sorts of horror game instances. Streamers are randomly assigned to different instances, and they must successfully clear the game. After each session, the system calculates points based on the number of viewers in the livestream room, gifts sent by the audience, and overall performance.

The more viewers you have, the more gifts you receive, and the better you perform in the game, the more points you earn.

New streamers are usually thrown in suddenly, completely clueless and panicked. To avoid full-team wipes, the system assigns a newbie guide — typically someone like Zhang Dong, an experienced streamer.

Zhang Dong said, “This kind of job is in high demand. Newbie instances are the easiest, and guides earn pretty good points too. I was lucky to grab this one. Later, you guys can try competing for the guide role too — points are really important… Ah, sorry, I think I’m rambling a bit. Do you have any questions?”

“How do we get back?” “If we die here, like him, do we die in real life too?”

Zhang Dong answered one by one, “You can go back if you earn enough points, but the requirement is extremely high — it’s really hard. Maybe let’s focus on clearing this stage first.” “If you die in the game, you die in real life too.”

The scene devolved into another round of wailing, crying, and despair.

Shi Jian also had a question. She asked Zhang Dong, “Can I go to the restroom?”

Zhang Dong, who had just been preparing to patiently comfort the pretty girl: ?

Zhang Dong had a good impression of Shi Jian — not just because of her looks. Though she looked fragile, with arms that seemed like they’d snap with a bit of force, she remained fairly composed aside from looking a bit pale, and she listened seriously.

Hadn’t several grown men just thrown up and cried right there? When Zhang Dong had first faced something like this, it had taken him ages to recover.

Zhang Dong thought: This place needs people with a strong heart. And who knows, maybe she has some hidden skills — like being a descendant of a martial arts clan. She might do great in the future.

Don’t judge a book by its cover — just because she looked like a vase didn’t mean she was weak.

Zhang Dong didn’t know Shi Jian. The streamers pulled into this horror game livestream platform came from different planes of existence, though they shared the same historical backdrop.

The seemingly calm, possibly martial arts-descendant Shi Jian, once she closed the restroom door and shut out the outside world, immediately let out a loud hurk over the sink, her legs trembling violently.

Just thinking about that man exploding before her eyes made her dry heave.

How could she not be afraid?

Her composure had all been an act. Shi Jian had only been trying to maintain her image. When Zhang Dong was talking just now, everything went in one ear and out the other — she barely registered any of it.

Rushing to the bathroom had been her last resort.

Shi Jian had no idea why this was happening to her.

Sure, she worked in the glitzy, messy entertainment industry, but she never messed around in relationships. Dating male stars? She’d be on the losing end in the looks department.

She was professional, paid her taxes on time.

Why did she have to be so unlucky?!

All her years of effort, completely wasted. Nobody even knew who she was.

A knock at the door interrupted her spiral of sadness.

Shi Jian pressed both hands to her cheeks, adjusted her lips that had been tightly pressed from sorrow, and quickly mimicked the calm, decisive corporate lawyer she'd once played among roles like “most beautiful woman alive” and “seductive national enchantress.”

She opened the restroom door and asked the person outside,

“What’s wrong? Do you need the toilet?”

No flaws in sight — still beautiful, still dazzling.

“No,” the person replied, “Brother Zhang asked me to get you. Restrooms are prone to hauntings.”The one knocking was the young girl who had tried to call the police earlier. She had a delicate and cute apple-shaped face, and she pointed toward Zhang Dong not far away.

Zhang Dong let out a breath of relief upon seeing that Shi Jian hadn't lost an arm or leg. "I almost forgot just now. Good thing nothing happened."

Shi Jian suddenly thought of something and anxiously asked, "Are we livestreaming right now? Then would there be viewers even while I was in the restroom?"

She vaguely remembered seeing the word “livestream.”

Then did the viewers see how cowardly she just looked?!

Zhang Dong thought for a moment. "The game instance just started, so usually there aren’t many viewers. But it’s possible that some with dark humor like watching newbies get scared. Still, those are usually on the public channel."

"If streamers act separately, viewers on the public channel won’t see individual streamers unless they enter that streamer's personal room. And newbie streamers’ rooms usually don’t have many viewers."

Once a viewer enters a personal room, they’ll only see that streamer’s perspective. Most viewers unfamiliar with a newcomer stay on the public channel to get the full picture — only fans of a particular streamer will enter their personal room.

Some big-name, popular streamers have audiences in the hundreds of thousands or even millions — Zhang Dong could only envy them. Livestream popularity also converts into points.

Zhang Dong assumed Shi Jian was worried about her privacy being exposed and comforted her, “Scenes like showering or using the toilet will be automatically censored by the system. Don’t worry.”

Of all the things Zhang Dong had rambled about, this was the part Shi Jian paid closest attention to.

Newbie instance just starting = low traffic = even fewer people watching a newbie streamer = her behavior in the restroom wasn't exposed.

Shi Jian: As long as no one saw, it’s fine!

Then, quietly, messages began floating across her livestream chat.

【Oh? Is the streamer talking to us?】

【First time seeing a streamer switch faces that fast.】

【Her legs were shaking so fast! Like instant noodles fluttering in the wind.】

Zhang Dong hadn’t lied to Shi Jian — he was speaking from normal experience. But because of her absolutely stunning looks, Shi Jian’s stream already had a small group of viewers who had come in from the public channel.