“Chapter 29: A Family of Six (4)”

"Chapter 29: A Family of Six (4)"

"◎Footprints◎"

"Sun Enhao was dead."

"By the time Shi Youqing arrived, the kitchen was surrounded by several people. At the forefront was Lin Lulu, who had apparently been the first to arrive. Whatever she saw had left her completely motionless, silent tears of terror falling..."

"Behind Lin Lulu stood Su Xi and Bo Huai."

"Bo Huai’s dark eyes had already met his, shaking his head in silence."

"Despite having guessed it, Shi Youqing still approached."

"The kitchen floor was almost entirely stained red with blood."

"Sun Enhao lay rigidly on the ground, his body gruesomely mangled. If not for being in a game, one would think he was brutally butchered by a murderer, slice by slice..."

"Clutched in Sun Enhao’s hand was a bloodied cleaver."

"'He killed himself with the cleaver,' Su Xi said, fighting back discomfort, 'Just a while ago, Lin Lulu discovered something upstairs and came to find me. We were talking in the garden at the entrance when we suddenly heard the screams... When we ran over, we saw him hacking at himself as if he couldn’t feel the pain. Right before collapsing, he was muttering ‘get away’...'"

"Lin Lulu snapped back to reality, her hands trembling as she covered her face and retreated. 'It’s that thing... It has to be that thing!'"

"‘What thing?’ Shi Youqing asked urgently."

"‘That sound!’ Lin Lulu’s tears streamed down her face, 'I heard it at the end of the second floor! It was like... like knocking! But there was no one in that room! The lady of the house was in the master bedroom, the old couple was downstairs! The man of the house had gone to work... There couldn’t have been anyone in that room!'"

"On the brink of losing her sanity, Lin Lulu bit her lip hard, '...Before Sun Enhao died, I heard that sound again at the kitchen door!'"

“……”

"Shi Youqing’s expression shifted subtly."

"At that moment, the others, drawn by the commotion, rushed over. They were visibly shaken at the sight in the kitchen, some staring in disbelief, others turning away, covering their mouths."

"Lin Lulu spoke with a look of despair, 'I’m next, I heard that sound... It’s the sound that’s killing people!'"

"'Don’t panic yet, Sun Enhao’s death might not be because of this,' Su Xi said soothingly, 'Ghosts don’t kill without reason. If hearing the sound meant death, wouldn’t all the players with normal hearing be doomed? Lin Lulu, listen to me... He must have broken a rule.'"

"Just then, footsteps approached, 'What’s going on here, gathering in the kitchen?'"

"Everyone turned to look."

"It was the old man!"

"Pushing through the crowd, he swaggered in, his expression unchanging even upon seeing the bloodied corpse, 'I’ll clean the kitchen; you all get back to work!'"

“……”

"With a death still unexplained, no one dared to speak up."

"After leaving the kitchen, Hao Tianshuo immediately started retching into the trash can. Finishing, he lamented, 'I shared a room with Sun Enhao... now I’m the only one left?'"

“……”

"While the old man was still cleaning the kitchen, Su Xi quickly asked, 'Who was with Sun Enhao last?'"

"Raising his hand slightly, Shi Youqing knew what she was getting at and answered directly, 'Bo Huai and I were. He picked out a lot of meat at noon, was scolded by the old lady for wasting food, and later secretly dumped the leftovers into the trash can...'"

"‘Damn it!’ Hao Tianshuo jolted, 'I don’t like garlic, and I threw it all away at lunch!'"

"Li Yuancheng also looked uneasy, apparently having done something similar."

"'However, his death wasn't because of the waste,' Shi Youqing reflected on the hint written on the white paper, carefully saying, 'It was probably because he didn’t obey.'"

"'...Didn’t obey?'"

"Feng Bin, aware of the hint, explained, 'Others also threw away food, but he was the only one who continued to waste after being admonished by the old lady—so in her eyes, his actions equated to disobedience.'"

"Su Xi frowned, 'If the rule is to obey, then we must comply with whatever the NPCs say?'"

"The atmosphere suddenly became tense."

"After all, no one knew what unreasonable demands these people might make next..."

"At this moment, Bo Huai, who had been silent, turned to Lin Lulu, 'When you were cleaning, were the other rooms unlocked?'"

"'Yeah, they either opened with a twist or were slightly ajar... I was looking for Su Xi to discuss how to get the key...'"

"'The old man assigns the rooms, so the keys should be in his room,' Bo Huai glanced at the kitchen, then at Shi Youqing, 'The NPCs stay in their rooms at night. Tomorrow morning during the prenatal music session, I’ll distract him...'"

"Feng Bin nodded, 'The male host won’t be there, leaving only the other old lady... I’ll take care of it!'"

"'Let’s do that,' Su Xi turned to Lin Lulu, 'You'll need to go in and find the key. You’re a cleaner, so if questioned, you can say you’re cleaning... Don’t be scared, the rest of us will watch the door and keep an eye on the NPCs’ movements... We all need to coordinate well in this situation.'"

"Lin Lulu nodded palely, 'Okay!'"

"Thus, the plan to open that room was tentatively set."

"Soon after, hearing the old man leave the kitchen, they quickly dispersed to their tasks."

"With Sun Enhao’s death, the task of preparing dinner fell solely on Bo Huai."

"Before leaving, he quietly handed Shi Youqing a small eagle-claw knife, 'Stay safe.'"

"Shi Youqing tucked the knife into his pocket."

"The others returned to their respective workstations, leaving only Shi Youqing, Feng Bin, and Li Yuancheng free to move around, as they worked at night."

"The three of them went to the second floor and tried the door Lin Lulu had mentioned, confirming it was indeed locked."

"The knocking sound Lin Lulu mentioned didn’t reappear."

"Having been the first to notice the anomaly and witnessing Sun Enhao's death, Lin Lulu was terrified. 'Can you guys stay on the second floor a bit longer? I’ll be done soon...'"

"Li Yuancheng immediately offered his help, 'No problem, which areas of your work zone are left? I’ll help you finish quickly...'"

"‘No, that won’t do,’ Lin Lulu suddenly shook her head, 'What if it violates the rules?'"

"Li Yuancheng paused, suddenly remembering the rule about ‘obeying.’"

"As a security guard, cleaning wasn’t his job. Would taking over the cleaner's tasks count as disobedience?"

"Embarrassed, Li Yuancheng scratched his head, 'I almost forgot. Lucky you reminded me...'"

"Shi Youqing carefully surveyed the surroundings, 'Let’s go to the piano room first.'"

"'Perfect, I haven’t cleaned the piano room yet!'"

"Soon, the four of them entered the piano room."

"Feng Bin initially wanted to discuss the search for the sixth person, but before he could speak, he saw Shi Youqing heading straight to the window."

"Seeing him standing motionless there, Feng Bin strode over, 'What’s... what is this?!'"

"Behind the curtain, Shi Youqing was intently observing the footprints in the dust, now slightly clearer."

"—They were the footprints of a child."

"As a young child, Shi Youqing used to play hide-and-seek with his mother. He liked hiding under the bed at first, but it always dirtied his clothes. Hiding in the closet would mess it up too..."

"Eventually, he found the perfect hiding spot—behind the curtains."

"The first time he hid there, his mother searched for a long time. When she finally drew back the curtain and saw him, her worried expression instantly turned into a smile, 'There you are, Youqing, you’re so clever...'"

"Perhaps influenced by these childhood memories, the sight of those footprints instinctively conjured an image in his mind:"

"A small figure hiding under the curtain, eyes peeking through the gap, waiting to be discovered..."

"'Eh? What are you looking at?'"

"Li Yuancheng leaned in, and his curiosity quickly turned into sheer horror!"

"...There are no children in this household!"

*

"Night fell, and it was time for dinner."

"At the dining table, one of the original eight seats remained vacant, casting a gloomy atmosphere."

"Shi Youqing said, 'The sixth person in this family is a child. Judging by the footprints, they should be about elementary school age, definitely not an infant.'"

"As he spoke, he looked up towards the family portrait and photo wall in the living room."

"The family portrait featured the two elderly people and the couple, and the photo wall was filled with individual and life photos of these four—there were no children at all."

"'It’s not a deceased infant that died young. A child that size should definitely have photos,' Su Xi said, massaging her temples, 'For a family of six, it couldn't be an outsider. So why are there no photos...'"

"Bo Huai commented indifferently, 'There are also no children’s utensils in the kitchen.'"

"Lin Lulu rubbed her arms, goosebumps all over, 'If it weren’t for those footprints, this house doesn’t seem like it ever had children...'"

"Li Yuancheng pondered, 'Could it be a relative’s child?'"

"Feng Bin replied, 'Unlikely. The game’s information wouldn’t be so vague. A family of six implies a familial relationship. But based on this, the child... could be the daughter of the man’s ex-wife.'"

"'Or maybe the woman’s child from a previous relationship? If the child died suddenly in an accident and the family couldn’t accept it, they might have put away all related items to avoid painful reminders...'"

"'We'll know for sure if we ask the lady of the house.'"

"Several pairs of eyes turned to Shi Youqing."

"After dinner, it would be time for the evening prenatal session."

"'I’ll try to get some information,' Shi Youqing said, eating his bowl of porridge, 'But if it was just an accidental death, the ghost wouldn’t have any resentment, right?'"

"The table fell silent at once."

"'Resentment, what do you mean?' Su Xi asked."

"Speaking honestly," he tilted his head slightly, almost subconsciously wiping his mouth with the tissue Bo Huai handed him, "ever since we moved in yesterday, I’ve felt uncomfortable, as if... as if influenced by some kind of magnetic field. When I saw those footprints, a fleeting moment of resentment emerged in my heart."

The others looked stunned, except for Lin Lulu, who watched him in shock, "So, it wasn’t just my imagination?"

"What! You felt it too?!"

"It was... when I was cleaning this afternoon," Lin Lulu bit her lip hard, "Standing behind that door, I suddenly felt that way... But I thought it was just my resentment towards the game, I didn’t dare think it was a ghost’s grudge..."

"Oh my God!" Hao Tianshuo ruffled his green hair, "I’m done for tonight!"

Feng Bin asked, "...What’s wrong with you now?"

Hao Tianshuo looked like he was about to cry, holding up two fingers, "You all are facing just one ghost, but I have to deal with two! I always bickered with Sun Enhao when he was alive. If he’s turned into a ghost, he’ll definitely take me with him!"

Su Xi said dryly, "Even if a player becomes a ghost, they can’t just kill arbitrarily. Otherwise, who would dare to offend anyone in the game? Don’t worry, as long as you don’t break the rules, you’ll be fine."

"Really? Wow! Then he’s really unlucky. He became a ghost and still can’t get rid of me..." Relieved, Hao Tianshuo let out a breath and started eating ravenously.

“……”

Half an hour later, Shi Youqing, under everyone’s watchful eyes, headed towards the piano room on the second floor.

The lights were on. In addition to the lady of the house, Su Hui, the man of the house, Tian Zikun, had also returned. They were affectionately flirting before they separated slightly when he arrived.

They appeared very loving.

The evening’s task didn’t require playing the piano but telling music-related stories. According to the man of the house, it was to let the unborn baby feel the music atmosphere and get some early influence.

Midway, Tian Zikun took out his phone to answer a call and didn’t return.

The woman looked towards the door, her expression not very pleasant.

Shi Youqing asked, "Madam?"

She snapped back to reality, seeming somewhat wilted, "You continue."

"Are you feeling unwell, madam?"

"No, it’s nothing. You saw it too, men are always like this, always putting work first. I’m pregnant, and he still can’t focus on being with me..."

"The first pregnancy does require extra care," he observed her expression closely, "But madam, don’t let this affect your mood. It’s important to stay positive."

"The woman pondered and nodded, not contradicting his earlier mention of 'the first pregnancy.'"

"Reassured, Shi Youqing pursed his lips and continued speaking."

"With ten minutes left in the session, the lady of the house, Su Hui, suddenly began acting strangely, frequently moving her legs as if in discomfort."

"'Madam, what's wrong?'"

"'I don’t know... since the start of tonight's prenatal class, my knees have felt heavy, and now they’ve even started to ache and tingle, almost as if... as if I'm holding a child!'"

“……”

"A chilling sensation instantly climbed from his feet to his spine, enveloping his whole body."

"Shi Youqing stared intently at Su Hui's legs, which showed nothing unusual."

"Yet, under the woman’s shadow on the floor, the shadow of a pair of slender, small legs was faintly swaying..."

"[Author’s Note]"

"Thanks to the angelic supporters who nourished me: +2 30 bottles; It's None of My Business 20 bottles; Chocolate Flavored Egg Waffle 3 bottles; Stranded 1 bottle;"

"I'm deeply grateful for everyone's support. I will continue to work hard!"