Chapter 312 After Failing to Clear…

Chapter 312 After Failing to Complete the Level...

In his previous life, Su Bai was like a lone boat drifting in an endless sea of blood, swept along by repeated desperate situations, accumulating layer upon layer of ace up his sleeve amidst constant peril.

Even while struggling through such circumstances, Su Bai never doubted the authority of the "Administrator," much like how players in the real world instinctively believe that only the game's official staff can solve their problems.

But in this second life, Su Bai increasingly suspects that the "Administrator" is not as authoritative as he once thought, nor is it all-powerful.

There seems to be an invisible thread linking players to each other and to the "Administrator," connecting humans from another world, various game scenarios, and the "Administrators" who are voices without bodies, as if they were mere programs. These "Administrators" can transmit voices and game-related information to every player, implying they’re not standalone beings. After all, Su Bai has never heard of a 24/7, year-round "Administrator" customer service center hidden within this damned nightmare world.

The strange Mr. Administrator, whom Su Bai has encountered several times, is no all-powerful god. Instead, he resembles a mysterious eerie entity who is either planning something or helping someone else with their plans. Su Bai can easily tell that this peculiar Mr. Administrator, though enigmatic, is limited in what he can do, as if bound by something, even needing an ordinary human like Su Bai to do things he cannot accomplish himself.

Moreover, during the identification phase of this game, the "Administrator" did not directly blind the players but chose to block their view with thick fog.

To the new players, this might seem like a lucky break.

But to Su Bai, it suddenly dawned on him that these "Administrators" might be incapable of altering the players themselves. They can immobilize players physically through external forces but cannot blind their eyes.

Recalling the games he experienced in the nightmare world in both his previous and current lives, Su Bai gradually realized that while the "Administrator" can alter game scenarios, isolate them from the outside world, relay game info to players, and even guide eerie entities through external forces, they seem genuinely unable to make fundamental changes to the players.

Understanding this doesn’t change much, nor does it make the mental puzzle in Su Bai’s mind any clearer. However, at this moment, the "Administrator" no longer seems as mysterious or out of reach in Su Bai’s eyes. Even his strange betrothed appears more enigmatic and dangerous by comparison.

Su Bai feels as though he has arrived at a crucial door.

As long as he remains outside, Su Bai is just an ordinary human player, reborn yet still struggling within the nightmare world.

But if he can push open that door, the true identity of the Administrator, the identities of those entities forcefully aiding the white side in the nightmare world, the truth behind the red moon, and even the real intentions of Su Bai’s betrothed—all these truths might lay bare before him.

So now, Su Bai only lacks the key to open that door and the courage to push it open.

Su Bai is not a coward, but for someone who is still human, being a player with enough trump cards is far simpler and safer than exploring the truth of the world.

"Bride..."

Through the thick fog, Su Bai heard the calls from Wen Wen and Sha Linghai, but before they could finish what they wanted to say, their voices faded into nothing in the fog.

If his guess is correct, the four new players have successfully passed their tutorial level. However, their journey in the nightmare world has only just begun.

As the four players fell silent, the fog around Su Bai began to dissipate, and he was freed from constraints.

Su Bai had actually heard of some instances of player failure. He obtained this information because a few players who failed managed to survive and shared these valuable insights.

Such players are incredibly scarce, as ninety-nine percent of those who fail their tasks die at the hands of the eerie entities within the game. Only a handful survive after failing, and those who manage to leave the game scene alive are near miracles.

As Su Bai had speculated, the "Administrator" either cannot or will not directly kill players who fail to complete the level. Instead, they leave those players stranded in the game world. Since the original game has ended, the restrictions and rules of the "Administrator’s" game are likely to vanish as well, leaving the players exposed to the eerie entities without any assistance, like sitting ducks.

To make matters worse, the information Su Bai obtained emphasized that after the game ends, the eerie entities become extremely violent and ferocious, with their danger level shooting up.

However, surviving such a desperate situation requires meeting just one condition: killing the entity on a rampage after the game ends.

Since players capable of killing eerie entities are unlikely to fail in completing the level, such instances are exceedingly rare. Moreover, they almost always involve players like Su Bai, who are given harsh special missions.

It is precisely because he knows such cases exist that, although Su Bai has worked hard to play the role of the "Bride" and carefully concealed his identity, he is well aware of what he must do even if he fails his task.

The Ghost Lady appearing in this mansion is not particularly powerful among the eerie entities Su Bai has encountered. In fact, the difficulty of this beginner game doesn’t hold a candle to the No. 444 bus incident. The Ghost Lady, who also wears a wedding dress due to possession, is nowhere near as powerful as A Xi, who has been by Su Bai’s side since the No. 444 bus incident.

So, yes, Su Bai is confident he can survive even if his task fails.

As the surrounding fog completely dissipates, the ruined backyard reappears before Su Bai: the pitted and messy grassland, the completely dried-up pond filled with bones, and the cracked winding bridge and pavilion... After the game ends, the mansion boldly shows its true form under the red moon.

Similarly revealed is the eerie entity that materializes before Su Bai the next second.

Tattered wedding dress, withered pale arms, and beneath the half-white, disheveled long hair is a gaunt, aged face beyond recognition. The ugly, twisted visage no longer bears any resemblance to the West Courtyard Bride. Instead, it oozes the fury and killing intent of the Ghost Lady, who died filled with resentment and hatred, unleashed after the game ends!