Chapter 13: Rose Earl 13

After Cha Gong was dragged away by a golden shadow, the Red Side members scattered like birds and beasts, leaderless.

Xia Qi had originally planned to run away too, but the cripple was too close to him. Without Cha Gong's protection, the tear-stained cripple rushed toward Xia Qi!

In the cripple’s eyes, Xia Qi was the Earl's favorite; clinging to him would be the safest option.

"Wah wah wah, Brother Xia, save me!" The cripple cried, hugging his leg tightly.

The cripple was still under the positive effects of the Regeneration Liquid, and even Cha Gong couldn't shake him off. Now, with Xia Qi still dizzy, he had no strength to break free.

This guy is really messed up!

Xia Qi wished he could kick this malicious and greedy teammate away.

The Earl, in his mad state, couldn’t recognize anyone, yet the cripple still clung to him. They would both end up getting killed!

Just then, nearby leaves rustled, and green leaves from a nearby wall surged toward them. As they reached Xia Qi, a bloody figure was thrown out by a dark claw.

After tossing the bloodied figure, the claw retreated into the green wall, and the butler’s voice rang out: "Deal with this one."

The bloodied figure rolled twice and came to a stop next to Xia Qi. When Xia Qi looked down, he realized it was Big Rooster.

At that moment, Big Rooster looked as if he had just crawled out of a chicken coop. His clothes were torn into strips, and his body was covered in wounds.

Big Rooster suddenly opened his eyes and, seeing Xia Qi sitting beside him, his eyes lit up as if he had found a savior.

He grabbed Xia Qi’s other leg and cried, "Brother Xia, help!"

Xia Qi, now with both legs being hugged by teammates, was speechless.

"Let go!" Xia Qi frowned and tried to kick them away.

He spoke very softly, afraid of provoking the nearby Earl.

However, it was already too late. The Earl, wielding a sharp blade, had been drawn by the cries.

Xia Qi thought, "This is it."

With a loud thud, the Earl left a dent in the ground and stiffly turned to face their direction.

Hearing the loud noise, Big Rooster finally saw an even more terrifying boss than the butler.

Big Rooster stared at the Earl, trembling, and soon the air filled with the smell of urine.

Xia Qi lifted his head, swallowed hard, and met the Earl’s blood-red gaze.

The Earl tilted his head slightly, staring blankly, and the redness in his eyes slowly faded.

Just as Xia Qi was marveling at this, the Earl suddenly moved, taking two large steps to stand before him with another loud thud.

Up close, the Earl seemed like a towering mountain, capable of crushing him instantly.

"Please give me a kiss of true love," the Earl rasped, his voice sounding like sandpaper against the wind.

Xia Qi: "..."

Another true love’s kiss? This game never ends!

"Brother Xia!" The cripple shook Xia Qi’s leg, the smell of urine becoming stronger. "I don’t want to die!"

Looking at the man’s mask revealing bright red lips and small fangs, Xia Qi furrowed his brows deeply.

If the Earl were in his normal form, Xia Qi might have kissed him to complete the task, but in his berserk form... please forgive him, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

"No," Xia Qi whispered, clearly rejecting the cripple’s suggestion.

Before the three could react, there was a loud "splat," followed by the cripple’s scream.

A meter-high fountain of blood gushed upward, splattering Xia Qi’s face and eyes, turning his vision red.

"All survivors, please note: the boss has entered a rage mode due to love turning to hate!"

Xia Qi: "!!!"

The cripple slowly collapsed, his head shattered like a watermelon, blood and brain matter everywhere.

The enraged Earl’s eyes turned blood-red again. He stomped his foot, creating another dent in the ground, and repeated, "Please give me a kiss of true love."

Xia Qi’s mouth twitched uncontrollably.

This berserk mode was a scam. In a normal MMO, berserk mode would enhance a character’s potential or fury, but why did this game reduce the boss’s intelligence? Turning the normally sane Earl into a mindless killing machine!

As Xia Qi hesitated, Big Rooster trembled violently, crying out like a dying chicken, "We’re doomed!"

Xia Qi, shaken by Big Rooster’s despair, realized he had no choice but to choose the "agree" option.

The Earl was still quite handsome in his normal form. If he were to kiss him, he’d just close his eyes and pretend the Earl was still human...

Life had its challenges, and he never imagined he’d wear Mary’s gown. Xia Qi consoled himself.

"... I agree."

Xia Qi bit his lip, answering with a pained expression.

"Survivors, please note: since the boss did not receive a true love rose, this mission fails prematurely!"

Xia Qi: "???"

Didn’t he agree? Why did it fail!

Xia Qi suddenly snapped back to reality.

The most beautiful rose is actually the True Love Rose...

The True Love Rose can be a rose or a person.

Therefore, when Cha Gong said he would hand over Xia Qi, he meant to present him as the True Love Rose to the BOSS to complete the task.

However, due to the cripple triggering the death condition, the instance prematurely entered night mode, preventing everyone from submitting the roses normally. Just now, the BOSS gave Xia Qi two additional chances, but unexpectedly, he failed both times.

There were only two options, yet both were incorrect, which doesn't align with the game rules.

Looking at the Earl's confused and furious eyes, Xia Qi suddenly had an epiphany and recalled the oddity.

It was clearly the cripple who triggered the death condition first, yet after the Earl appeared, he went straight for Cha Gong. Recalling how the Earl attacked Cha Gong relentlessly, Xia Qi was startled.

Could it be that the Earl is jealous of Cha Gong...

No wonder his choices were wrong; the Earl simply didn't believe he was sincere!

The lives of his two teammates made Xia Qi suddenly understand the crucial clue for clearing this game.

Suddenly, a fierce gust of wind brushed past Xia Qi's face, followed by a "snap," and a blood ball instantly flew into the sky.

Xia Qi turned his head to avoid the blood splatter. When he looked again, the large chicken beside him had become a headless corpse, falling heavily to the ground with a "thud."

"Warning! This instance will enter Long Night Mode. May all survivors fend for themselves!"

After the announcement, the surroundings were filled with howling winds, and darkness enveloped the world, leaving no trace of light.

The man was close, his red eyes glowing in the darkness, becoming increasingly blurred and violent...

He could no longer recognize him.

With the large chicken and the cripple out of the way, Xia Qi could stand up normally. He cautiously got up, staggering, and quickly turned to run away. The cold wind seemed to clear his mind somewhat.

Running clumsily, the Earl did not seem to chase after him.

Just as Xia Qi was secretly relieved, a loud "whoosh" sounded behind him, and the green wall was split in half. Xia Qi almost stumbled from the strong wind and dared not look back, continuing to run blindly.

As he turned another green wall, a small hand suddenly reached out and pulled him into the wall.

"Shh!"

The person forcefully pressed his head down, forcing him to squat.

"Brother Xia, it's me." A little girl's voice whispered in Xia Qi's ear.

His sister had no time to explain and quickly gestured to him, signaling him to hold his breath and crawl forward.

The two crawled carefully within the green walls, using the winding walls to move behind the Earl's blind spot.

Suddenly, someone made a sound, and with a "bang," the Earl turned heavily, holding his giant blade and looking in their direction.

"Roar—" The Earl let out a terrifying growl and took heavy steps, walking resolutely towards them.

Bang, one step.

Bang, two steps.

Bang, three steps...

"Huff."

The Earl was getting closer, making Xia Qi's scalp tingle. He could even hear the Earl's breathing clearly. Due to the Earl's immense size, his exhales sounded like cold wind blowing through a broken bellows, creating a chilling sensation.

His sister nervously gripped Xia Qi's sleeve, almost pinching five holes in it.

"Pound, pound, pound..."

Xia Qi felt his heart pounding as if it would leap out of his throat. He tried hard to suppress his fear and not make any noise.

At that moment, a man's scream echoed nearby, sounding like someone from the Red Side was in trouble.

The tall figure paused briefly, then rushed towards the sound with "pounding" steps.

"Whew—"

Watching the man gradually move away, his sister sighed softly and whispered to Xia Qi, "Brother Xia, follow me."

Xia Qi peeked outside the wall, finding it pitch black, impossible to see anything. He could only whisper, "Looks like we have to crawl out."

His sister nodded.

He remembered the butler hiding within the green walls and quietly reminded her, "The butler has been hiding inside the green walls."

"It's night now; he probably won't stay there anymore," his sister whispered.

Xia Qi understood immediately, saying, "That makes sense. Now that it's already night, coming out to hunt survivors is more convenient than staying in the green walls."

On the first night in the game, Xia Qi saw the butler's face outside the stained glass window.

After discussing, his sister led the way ahead.

Xia Qi had never crawled such a long distance before. Just as his knees began to ache, they finally crawled out of the Rose Garden's perimeter.

After escaping the Rose Garden, they still dared not stand up, running hunched over on the hillside.

After running for a while, they rested for a bit. His sister laughed helplessly, saying, "Now I understand what the old man meant by 'teammates' lives are used to fill clues.'"

Xia Qi fell into silence. Weren't the Lame Man and Big Rooster just like this?

Sister shook her head: "Experienced members of the red side deceive both enemies and allies to their deaths. Inexperienced ones like us are driven together by the red side, sacrificing our own. Although we've entered Long Night mode now, hmph, at least they died with some value."

Even she, who had been watching from the sidelines, knew after witnessing the deaths of the Lame Man and Big Rooster that she should let someone else clear the game.

She had once heard the old man say that players in intermediate and advanced fields would be much stronger. Now she understood that these unqualified little villains in the beginner field were there merely for gaining experience.

So, if all the players in intermediate and advanced fields are experts at using others, what kind of world would it be?

The thought made her shudder. She'd rather stay in the beginner field than enter the advanced one.

After a brief rest, they continued on their way. When they reached a hill, Sister finally sighed and said, "We're here."

Now, they stood in front of a family cemetery.

Compared to the Rose Garden, where a game of hide-and-seek was underway, the cemetery was eerily quiet. Moonlight filtered through gaps in the clouds, gently covering the tombstones and graves, creating an unexpectedly soothing illusion.

Sister led Xia Qi to a wooden cottage and skillfully opened the small door, greeting the person inside, "We'll stay another night."

"Goodbye, darling, Mom wants to take you away..." The woman inside hummed a song, not even acknowledging Sister's return as she continued her self-entertaining singing.

"Don't mind her," Sister said helplessly, waving her hand. "Come in and sit down. You must be tired after a long day."

Xia Qi stepped inside and observed the woman singing in the room.

She wore a familiar pure white lace dress, identical in material and design to the one he had worn yesterday!

"Margaret?" Xia Qi was taken aback.

"She blew her mind and went crazy. I couldn't get anything out of her." Sister found a chair to sit on and poured a glass of water for Xia Qi. "I dug this cup out of the ground, but I cleaned it thoroughly. If you don't mind, please drink up."

"Thank you." Xia Qi took a sip of water, his eyes fixed on Margaret.

Margaret sang happily, twirling around in her dress.

Sure enough, she had the same mutilated face Xia Qi had seen in the last portrait in the corridor.

"Don't be afraid; she's a ghost now and can't hurt anyone." Concerned that Xia Qi might be scared, Sister added.

Margaret stopped singing suddenly and looked up at Xia Qi.

Her lips slowly parted, revealing a look of ecstatic surprise.

Seeing Margaret's reaction, Sister was surprised. "Does she know you?"

Before Xia Qi could respond, Margaret rushed to his side like a whirlwind.

She grabbed Xia Qi's hand, admiring his beautiful dress and appearance with a pleased expression, exclaiming, "Oh my God! My daughter-in-law, you've finally come!"

Xia Qi: "..."

Although he had guessed that Margaret was the Count's mother, being called "daughter-in-law" still sent a jolt through him.

Author: That silly run under the sunset is Xia Qi's lost youth!

Xia Qi: Is it too late to have the Count kill the author now?