Chapter 67: Offering (10)

Chapter 67: Offering (10)

◎An Impossible Task◎

As soon as he spoke, all eyes turned to Shi Youqing’s face.

Zong Zhu Yuan, unusually, furrowed his brow, quietly observing him.

“Them?” Xia Yue asked in confusion, “Do you mean those things outside?”

Shi Youqing nodded slightly.

Xia Yue gasped in surprise, “It's hard enough for us to get out without being killed by them, and now you're talking about wiping them all out?”

“We don’t need to lift a finger,” Shi Youqing said, “The rules set against us also apply to those ghosts.”

Qiao Mingcheng’s expression changed slightly: “You’re not planning to…”

Shi Youqing nodded: “We can't leave the house at night, or we'll break the rules. This rule means that the ghosts can't enter the house at night either. Guess what happens if they come in?”

Suddenly, the surroundings fell into a deep silence.

Zongtu Yuan looked at him and laughed: “You want to use the rules to kill those ghosts? Killing one or two might be feasible, but do you have any idea how many ghosts are out there?”

Shi Youqing: “No matter how many, they are all on the same island.”

Zongtu Yuan paused, suddenly unable to laugh: “You want to turn the entire island into one house?”

“That's impossible!” Qiao Mingcheng shook his head, “We first entered here on the seventh day of the seventh month, and today is the ninth. The deadline for this instance is probably around the half of the month. Those simple wooden houses... we could manage if we just slap something together in a few days, but covering the entire island with a house… even if we had a few more months, we couldn't do it!”

An Dong and the others whispered in agreement, recognizing that while the idea sounded effective, it was in reality impossible to achieve.

Despite this, most eyes remained fixed on Shi Youqing, filled with hope that he might actually propose a feasible plan.

Shi Youqing remained silent, seemingly having only offered a suggestion, without the power to do more.

Hao Tianshuo never considered solving the ghost problem; he was only focused on surviving and finding the Black Chess piece. Given their current disadvantaged situation, he was content with just maintaining safety, so he suggested by the campfire, “As long as we don’t go out at night, it’s fine if there are ghosts outside. At worst, we’ll get a little scared… I think the space we visited during the day is the real problem.”

“But that place is too dangerous,” Xia Yue glanced at Shi Youqing, “We almost had an incident today. What if next time…”

“Stay away from that area,” Shi Youqing said coldly, “Tomorrow, start by questioning the locals to see if you can learn what happened here in the past.”

“And what about you?” Hao Tianshuo asked, “You’re not going to…”

Suddenly, a knocking sound abruptly interrupted him, persistently echoing.

Everyone fell instantly silent.

With the experience of the previous night, they all became alert, ready to enter the dream state.

In the shadows, Shi Youqing swallowed a pill and drank water, his eyes shifting as if he had an idea. He suddenly spoke softly, “The dreams here have a pattern! Based on last night’s dream, seeing rice induces hunger, representing a kind of desire... In your dreams this time, try not to pay attention to anything inside.”

After saying this, his vision went completely dark.

……

In the cabin, Luo Yanzhong awoke with a start.

Ghostly shadows still lingered outside the window.

He had just had a nightmare in which, like his son, he didn’t make it out alive, and his grandson in the hospital had to walk the final journey alone…

The dream had felt so real that Luo Yanzhong woke up in a cold sweat, beginning to replay everything from the dream.

He had fallen asleep to the sound of knocking, and in the dream, he quickly realized he was being chased by ghosts. Unable to escape, he died in despair… then his spirit returned to reality, only to watch helplessly as his grandson cried, asking about his grandfather…

Then he woke up.

Normally, he might have rushed to hug his grandson, but the overwhelming grief had numbed his emotions. He just stood there, watching everything unfold, powerless to intervene.

Could it be that in the dream, avoiding contact with loved ones was the key to survival?

Luo Yanzhong felt a mix of relief and confusion at his own numbness. Just then, a coffin in front of him shifted slightly, followed by a creaking sound.

Luo Yanzhong instantly pulled out a defensive knife, tensing his body as he focused on the coffin.

Moments later, Shi Youqing’s voice came from inside the coffin: “Mr. Luo, come here.”

He was stunned.

The lid of the coffin was slowly pushed open, revealing Shi Youqing’s head. He said excitedly, “We’ve found an exit outside, come quickly!”

“What?” His eyes widened in disbelief, “Really…?”

“Hurry, Sister Li’s coffin is right next to us. If she finds us, we won’t be able to leave… There’s a mechanism on the other side of this tunnel; Zongtu Yuan and I couldn’t figure it out during the day. We thought to bring everyone together at night to try… teamwork is key! The exit and the Black Chess are just below!”

“Is that so?” Luo Yanzhong remained cautious, “Ghosts appear after dark, how have you managed till now?”

“We built a temporary home outside; as long as there’s a house, it prevents ghosts from entering at night,” Shi Youqing said anxiously, frowning, “What’s wrong with you? Don’t you trust me?”

“It’s not that,” Luo Yanzhong said, seeing his increasingly agitated expression, which seemed to be affected by the black stone, “I just didn’t expect you to be so quick… What if it’s a trap…”

“The final deadline of this game is the middle of the seventh month, not necessarily that players leave on the half-month!” the young man said quickly, “I heard Zongtu Yuan once finished a one-week game in just one day; that’s really fast. This speed is normal. Come on!”

Luo Yanzhong, who had been about to go over, stopped in his tracks.

“What’s the matter? Hurry up!”

Luo Yanzhong narrowed his eyes, “What did you just say about Zongtu Yuan?”

"Shi Youqing, puzzled, said, 'I told you he cleared the scenario quickly, and that’s true. You can ask others... Are you coming or not? If you’re not, we’re leaving. The exit is already open!'"

Luo Yanzhong decisively returned to his original spot and sat down.

“Mr. Luo…”

"'Shi Youqing never called me that,' Luo Yanzhong looked up at him, 'To be precise, he has never directly addressed me. As for Zongjin Yuan, even though they seem to know each other, I can assure you, he doesn’t really take that person seriously.'"

“……”

Luo Yanzhong knew his abilities were modest, and with age, neither his physical nor mental strength was an advantage among the young players. Being hired by players like Hao Tianshuo for a hefty fee was mainly due to his experience and particularly his attentiveness and observational skills.

This last skill might not seem significant, but in a dangerous and cooperative game, simply avoiding malicious players was already half the battle.

On the first day of the game, he had carefully noted all the players' characteristics and their relationships with each other.

Shi Youqing displayed indifference towards Zongtu Yuan, while the latter paid extra attention to Shi Youqing.

As for Zongtu Yuan's reputation, Luo Yanzhong had heard of it but did not know him personally, so he couldn't be certain if he was friend or foe. However, it was evident that their relationship was far from cordial, even though they had emerged together from beneath a coffin earlier that day…

At that time, Shi Youqing’s indifference towards Zongtu Yuan had escalated to another level. If previously it was mere aversion, the Shi Youqing who returned that afternoon displayed a macroscopic indifference towards Zongtu Yuan and everyone else.

It was as if... as if a person wouldn’t feel joy or sorrow because of the differences between one ant and another under their feet.

Although Luo Yanzhong found the Shi Youqing who returned at noon strange, his behavioral details and speech habits had not changed. Luo Yanzhong also trusted his instincts that such a Shi Youqing would never say the words he had just spoken.

“You should observe and mimic others more carefully,” Luo Yanzhong shook his head, “People are complex; you think that by mimicking his frown and smile, you can become someone else, but that’s impossible. You’re trying to play him in every detail, even your micro-expressions are similar, but your words and actions are completely incongruent with that person.”

“You, you come here now!” The youth in the coffin twisted his face in frustration, “I’m trying to save you, don’t be ungrateful!!!”

Luo Yanzhong: “Have you completely given up now?”

The figure in the coffin attempted to yell, but a cloud of dark mist enveloped the area, and Luo Yanzhong once again opened his eyes.

Before him were six coffins and a window stirred by the wind. In the gloomy room, he was alone.

This time, he was truly awake.

Luo Yanzhong’s expression was grave.

The initial nightmare had only been a prelude.

Despite having narrowly escaped death, he couldn’t muster a single smile.

The desire for an exit from the episode, a universal longing among all players, almost ensnared Luo Rongzhong, if not for his experience with the previous night's dream. Despite recognizing the flaws in the young man's disguise, the thought of his grandson in reality might have hurriedly led him into the trap…

This dream was on an entirely different level compared to the previous night's.

Luo Rongzhong closed his eyes, sensing a chilling thought… The ghosts seemed to be evolving…

What would become of these ghosts if they couldn't find the chess piece and exit by the mid-July deadline?

*

Meanwhile, Shi Youqing returned from his dream to reality.

He was back to the day before his mother’s disappearance.

They sat across from each other, engaged in a game of chess.

Until the end, his mother, with pale eyes, asked him, “Youqing, do you prefer black or white?”

This wasn't the end; her face started to decay, transforming into an utterly decomposed corpse.

Shi Youqing watched her quietly.

Moments later, he abruptly opened his eyes, waking from a dream within a dream, gazing into the pitch-black darkness.

It was a layered dream.

Shi Youqing, not adept at interpreting dreams, couldn’t fathom the purpose of the earlier dream and had no interest in pondering over illusions. He started walking forward.

Soon, footsteps emerged behind him again.

This time, Shi Youqing didn’t run. He stood still, attentively waiting.

In the endless darkness, a distorted shadow rapidly crawled towards him, growing closer and faster, swelling into a massive form just before him.

Shi Youqing’s heart remained calm; the fear, panic, and tension from the daytime encounter with the gun had reduced them to mere trifles.

Footsteps approached from behind.

He turned, the gun feeling like an extension of his hand. As he raised it, a thunderous sound erupted.

The woman's smiling face in front of him cracked, then the skin peeled away, revealing black scales scattered on the ground.

Shi Youqing remained motionless, his gaze shifting downward as his fingertips trembled slightly.

It was a human skin, identical to his mother's.

At this moment, the black creature swiftly lifted him, scuttling forward while gently peeling the scales from his hand with its tentacles.

The creature seemed unable to speak but desperately tried to communicate, emitting odd but unintelligible sounds now and then.

After a while, Shi Youqing came to his senses. He tilted his head, looking down at the creature, and after a long pause, he asked, “Why have you become like this?”

The creature paused, making strange sounds again.

Shi Youqing didn't seem to need a response, quietly observing the bizarre form for a while, then said, “I only remember things from before and a year after my death.”

The crawling creature suddenly froze, its movements to peel off the scales becoming clumsy, followed by a series of terrifying sounds.

Shi Youqing didn't understand what it was saying, but he felt its strong aversion and tension, more precisely, its fear of him recalling something.

“I know my past twenty years were fake,” Shi Youqing spoke calmly, seemingly indifferent, his eyes half-lowered over an unfathomable abyss, “I just want to know if the mother in those twenty years was also fake.”

The creature's sounds became more horrific and piercing.

Shi Youqing looked up, about to give up on communicating, when the creature's tentacle touched his hand, writing two characters in his palm: Not fake.

Shi Youqing blinked, stunned.

For a moment, he stared at the creature, his face showing a mix of shock and confusion, as if he finally experienced human emotions.

It was then that the creature produced a strained sound: “You... Qing…”

“Shi Youqing!” At the same time, someone called him through the darkness!

Shi Youqing woke up.

Opening his eyes, he saw Guo Yalan: “Are you... okay?”

“I’m fine.” Shi Youqing shook his head, not understanding why she asked, only to realize his face was wet. He touched it, then let his hand fall, indifferent.

Because something else caught his attention, fleeting before his eyes.

The creature reappeared, wrapping around his hand, continuing to peel off the remaining scales, occasionally glancing at him as its tentacle tightly coiled around his arm.

Shi Youqing: “…”

He recalled the memory of his real first encounter with Bo Huai.

At that time – Bo Huai had clung to him in the same way.

[Author’s Note]

Thanks to the little angel who threw a grenade: 'zbht (Love Raising Little Jiao Edition)' with 1;

Thanks to the little angels for their nutrient solutions: 'Thirteen' with 13 bottles; Chu Xuan, '--Waiting for the Aurora--' with 10 bottles; 'Silver Starlight' with 3 bottles; 'Boat Boat Boat Boat Boat Boat' with 1 bottle;

I am very grateful for everyone's support and will continue to work hard!