Chapter 3

There were voices of other people outside. Shi Jian judged that there was no danger and rushed out. The doors of the nearby rooms also opened one after another.

Another person had died.

This time, Shi Jian still had some impression of the person who had died. They were the lucky one who shared a room with Zhang Dong, but now this lucky person was lying outside their room’s window.

Shi Jian looked down from the window with the crowd.

The person could no longer be called a corpse. It was as if they had been hollowed out from the inside. The entire body was just skin, limp and hanging from a rose branch. The rose branch, which didn’t look very sharp, pierced through the heart, and the face still held the fear from their final moments, with their eyes wide open in terror.

Shi Jian: "Ah!"

He turned his face away, gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and suppressed the cry for help in one breath.

"What happened?"

By now, everyone knew that people would die in this eerie castle. With the sight of the scene not directly before them, there were fewer screams and shouts, though the unease remained.

Zhang Dong sighed. He counted the people present and, relieved, said, "Looks like only one person got caught last night."

It wasn’t that Zhang Dong was particularly kind, but the more new streamers survived, the more points he, as a newbie guide, would get. Zhang Dong had already made this clear to everyone from the beginning.

Otherwise, no one would trust him. Only relationships tied to mutual benefit are the most solid.

Zhang Dong immediately took out a camera, and when he saw Shi Jian’s confused expression, he proactively explained.

"This isn’t just an ordinary camera. It can record supernatural creatures and has some hidden functions. I drew it from my newbie gift pack."

"If you manage to pass this level, you’ll get a newbie gift pack, which contains useful items. I’ve heard that most of the items drawn from the first pass of the newbie dungeon are very practical and powerful. Unfortunately, I didn’t get first place."

Shi Jian’s knowledge had grown once again, such as the fact that there were items.

Zhang Dong didn’t dwell too much on it; after all, they might not even make it through this dungeon.

Through his camera, Shi Jian could clearly see that late at night, the large eyes, as described by the fashionable woman, slipped through the gap in the door and entered Zhang Dong’s room. Zhang Dong’s roommate couldn’t resist opening his eyes, and then, as if losing his soul, opened the window and jumped out.

The lucky one who grabbed onto the leg didn’t fare any better, but left behind the image of their life.

Zhang Dong continued, "Those eyes are very sinister. You shouldn’t look at them; if you make eye contact, you’ll lose consciousness."

"Sorry, I wanted to save him, but I wasn’t capable," Zhang Dong rubbed his face, unable to hide his guilt.

"There was nothing we could do."

No one blamed Zhang Dong. Those large eyes truly left them helpless.

Everyone took a moment to calm down before they began to chatter among themselves.

...

"I saw those eyes too. Luckily, I closed my eyes and didn’t make eye contact, otherwise I’d be gone too."

"I did too… I could feel it getting closer. I had to pinch my own thigh to keep my eyes shut."

"Did anyone’s room have drafts or leaks last night? Our room seemed fine, but I don’t know where the wind or rain was coming from. I couldn’t sleep a wink all night."

"Drafts and leaks, couldn’t sleep all night."

"Who could sleep, really?"Zhang Dong didn’t sleep either. He forced himself to keep his eyes closed, holding on until dawn, then quickly gathered the remaining people.

Shi Jian, on the other hand, could sleep.

[“I can vouch, the streamer slept like a baby last night, like a little piglet.”]

[“Hahahahaha, a beautiful woman being called a little piglet? Shouldn’t she be a Sleeping Beauty?”]

[“God knows, I spent the whole night watching the streamer sleep, just wanted to see if she would wake up and keep trembling, didn’t expect her sleep quality to be so good.”]

[“Turns out good sleep quality can help avoid risks. Learned something new (?).”]

"……"

At this moment, Shi Jian felt a bit guilty.

While everyone was passionately discussing what happened the previous night, she couldn’t contribute a word since she had slept through it and didn’t know anything about it.

And in the midst of a group of people with dark circles under their eyes, Shi Jian, looking fresh and energetic, was quite out of place. Many eyes started drifting toward her, but Shi Jian casually changed the subject.

"Shouldn’t we come up with a plan?"

Zhang Dong nodded, "Yes, the more people, the more ideas. Let’s figure out how to clear this level."

Zhang Dong also noticed how good Shi Jian’s complexion was, and he couldn’t help but admire her. He couldn’t stop marveling in his heart—

This girl named Shi Jian… she's a werewolf!

Thrown into this dangerous situation, she didn’t cry or scream, stayed calm and collected!

She even managed to sleep soundly at night, ensuring she had enough energy to handle any sudden situations. Smart!

And now, she’s the first to organize everyone and think of a way out.

Zhang Dong had a special kind of admiration for Shi Jian. A pretty face wasn’t much help when it came to life and death—what mattered was mental toughness and smarts.

It wasn’t just Zhang Dong. The others also had a bit of the same thought as him.

Since Shi Jian took the lead, they needed to keep going with the plan. Shi Jian asked, “If the things in this castle want to kill us, why don’t they just kill us directly?”

Looking at the deaths of the two people who jumped out, it seemed troublesome. One tried to escape the castle, and the other made eye contact with the giant eye.

Shi Jian: Isn’t this troublesome?

Could it be that they enjoy killing one by one, slowly?

She had a feeling that the butler, Tang, had a face that clearly said he wanted them all to fail.

Zhang Dong replied, “There are restrictions. Usually, there are trigger conditions, like the reminder from Tang the butler. You can’t leave the castle without informing the master.”

Shi Jian picked up the paper and pen on the table and started taking notes, while others added their thoughts.

The known triggers for death are:

Leaving the castle without notice.

Making eye contact with the giant, red-glowing eyeball.

Leaving the room at midnight.The first two points had already been verified. The last point was still unknown for now, but it should also be valid.

"Growl—"

A stomach growl sounded. Shi Jian looked up, and the girl with an apple-shaped face was clutching her stomach, her face flushed red. "…I’m hungry. I was working overtime when I came in and didn’t have time for dinner."

The butler, Tang, had prepared food for them, but they couldn’t eat any of it.

As a star who had been living on grass and constantly going hungry, Shi Jian wasn’t feeling hungry right now, but this reminded her of the fourth point.

"We could still starve to death."

They had no food.

Zhang Dong frowned tightly. "Drafts and leaks are one thing, but this is another."

Some people had already caught a cold, sneezing nonstop earlier. Weak physical health could lead to illness, and illness meant the risk of death. Who knew if the temperature would drop at night, or if hail would start?

Anything was possible. Even a perfectly fine room could mysteriously leak rain at night. And this was the first floor of the castle—the rain leaking here had malicious intent.

"We need to leave the castle as soon as possible. Leaving should mean clearing the dungeon."

"But we can’t leave. If we go out, we’ll die. We need the master’s approval, we have to get the master back."

"I don’t know that master. I think that butler Tang just wants to wear us down and let us die here!"

Everyone’s emotions once again turned restless.

Shi Jian knew it was time for the main character to step in.

She had acted in dozens of films and TV shows. In these critical moments, she should be the one to stand up, with a calm and collected smile on her face, and with a steady yet powerful voice, tell everyone not to panic. She had a solution. Let her use her intelligence.

This was her shining moment.

The beautiful protagonist would turn the tide, saving everyone from disaster like a savior.

She knew exactly what expression would be most touching at this moment. The lighting could give her a sacred aura.

Shi Jian stood up, and everyone looked at her.

With a calm and collected smile on her face, she spoke in a steady yet powerful voice, "There are a few chairs, so if anyone’s tired, take mine first. I’ll go grab a few more."

Without waiting for a response, she turned and left the room.

Shi Jian wanted to cry. She had no brain, only a pretty face. She couldn’t come up with a solution.

This was something the others should handle. She could just pass the chairs to the big shots and assist them.

...

Shi Jian said she was going to get chairs, and she really went to get them. There were two chairs in each room, and since their room wasn’t far from Zhang Dong’s, Shi Jian went back to fetch them.

"Hee hee hee..."

A strange, eerie laughter rang out from the woman. Shi Jian froze, her body stiffened as she was moving the chairs.

What is that?!

Shi Jian quickly looked up. On the wall beside her, there was a decorative grandfather clock. On the glass-covered mirror of the clock appeared the image of a long-haired woman without a face. The voice was coming from her."Hee hee hee, your face is really beautiful, but it will soon be mine. I’ll peel it off completely, can’t ruin it."

"Let me introduce myself. I’m the Mirror Woman." Not the ugly sidekick!

As if recalling something, the Mirror Woman added.

Shi Jian’s whole body stiffened. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

The Mirror Woman sized up Shi Jian, feeling satisfied. Good, now it seemed that Shi Jian had realized the seriousness of the situation. She was so frightened she had lost her voice.

Last time, Shi Jian's comment about the "ugly sidekick" had severely hurt her pride.

Fear and dread—that was the proper response!

In Shi Jian’s wide, frightened pupils, the faceless Mirror Woman’s laughter grew more and more unrestrained. She leisurely transformed into Shi Jian’s appearance in the mirror.

Of course, her expression and movements were different.

For the Mirror Woman to take over someone’s body, not only did she need sufficient fear, but she also had to transform into their appearance to possess them.

Mirror Woman: "Before, it was just an accident. Now, taking this face will be easy."

She had already started imagining the scene of ripping off this beautiful skin, with warm blood splashing everywhere. It would surely be a magnificent sight.

The Mirror Woman was about to tear apart the mirror and enter Shi Jian's body when she suddenly realized—

"Huh?"

"Why can't I get in?!"

The Mirror Woman's manic laughter stopped abruptly. She tried several more times, but it didn’t work. Logically, she should have been able to control Shi Jian’s body now that she had transformed into her and induced enough fear.

The Mirror Woman stared at Shi Jian in confusion.

Then she saw Shi Jian pointing at herself, as if realizing something. Her tone was incredulous. "…Are you acting like me?"

Mirror Woman: ? Shouldn’t I look exactly like Shi Jian?

Is it hard to tell?

And what is with your focus here? Where did your fear go?

Shi Jian, now irritated, didn’t back away. In fact, she moved closer to the Mirror Woman. "Are you making an international joke?"

She had only guessed, but she didn’t expect it to be true!

Her fear had disappeared when the Mirror Woman tried to imitate her.

"Come on, open your eyes and take a good look. What’s the similarity between you and me? You’ve got these double eyelids slashed like sickles, your nose looks stiff and swollen, did you get a rhinoplasty?"

"I was born with this nose, thanks."

Shi Jian rolled her eyes. "What kind of low-tier ugly wannabes are trying to copy me now? I’ve seen so many of them already."

Shi Jian was both stunning and beautiful. Countless insignificant, unknown people tried to ride her coattails to gain popularity. She hadn’t expected even a ghost would do the same.