Chapter 6: The Bride of the King of Mysteries (6)

"Then, for the next few days, you should all refrain from bathing." No one knew exactly who made the suggestion, but the proposal was immediately met with protests from the girls.

"How can we not bathe? We already smell terrible, all sticky and sour," one of them objected.

"You can bathe if you want," the person replied, nodding toward the bathroom floor. "As long as you don't mind ending up like those others, it's all the same."

The girls fell silent, their courage drained. The scene they'd just witnessed was too horrifying to bear. The memory of flesh and bone scattered across the floor lingered in their minds, as if the acid might splash onto their own skin at any moment, the corrosive hiss echoing in their ears.

"They went into the bathroom, and when the shower came on, there was no screaming, no struggle. It was as if they'd been entirely cut off from us…"

"In any case, don't touch any water on this ship," one of the men advised with a furrowed brow. "Avoid all unknown liquids. Don't eat, drink, or wash with anything you find. Or, if you don't mind, perhaps you should each stick with your assigned partner. That way, at least, we'll know immediately if something happens."

Sleep with a strange man on the very first night? That was too much to ask…

Everyone was embroiled in a debate about how to survive the night.

No one noticed that Wang Qing, in secret, filled her water bottle with liquid from the bathroom and quietly slipped back to her cabin.

**

Tang Mu knocked on Xue Fen’s door.

It was Joseph who opened it, as if he’d anticipated her arrival. He greeted her with a teasing whistle, his mischievous intent clear as day.

Tang Mu ignored him.

"Tang Mu, you’re here," Xue Fen greeted, already changed into fresh pajamas—a cartoon onesie of cream and black, which, paired with his messy flaxen hair, made him look especially young and innocent.

Joseph, on the other hand, was still in his gray suit, his wine-red tie held neatly in place with a silver clip. He hadn’t even removed his shoes. Not a strand of his hair was out of place, still perfectly styled as it had been all day.

"Yes," Tang Mu replied softly. "I didn't feel safe alone, so I thought I’d come find you."

Xue Fen looked a bit flustered. "But I’ve never shared a bed with a girl before..." The admission slipped out as soon as nerves took over. Once he realized what he’d said, his face flushed bright red, like a ripe apple.

His reaction only piqued Tang Mu’s interest. Her lips curved into a sly smile, the same playful glint Joseph had worn moments ago.

"It’s all right," she said. "A boy becomes a man through experience, after all."

Xue Fen gaped at her, speechless. "Huh?"

He was about to respond when Joseph cut in.

"Excuse me," Joseph said, holding a hand up between them as if to call a time out. "If I’m not mistaken, we’re currently stuck on a haunted ship. And every drop of water in the bathrooms is deadly. From 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m., we’re forbidden from the top deck and the cargo hold. From 11:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., we can’t leave our rooms or make a sound."

So?

Tang Mu shot him a look: If you have a point, make it.

Joseph shrugged. "So you two are flirting in a place like this? Doesn't that make me, a single adult man, feel left out?"

Ignoring Joseph’s emphasis on "single" and "adult," Tang Mu asked, "Where’s your teammate?"

"There," Joseph pointed to the narrow bed, where a plush doll lay. "That’s how she’s been for the past three minutes. I have no idea why. Still, it’s safer this way—she won’t move around and drag me to my doom."

Tang Mu glanced at the doll. It was about one-tenth the size of a real person, dressed in a leafy green school uniform with a pale green plaid skirt. Its hair was a soft brown, styled in two braids tied with star-shaped bands—youthful, cute, innocent.

Pinned to its chest was a nametag: An Xiaoyue.

Seeing Tang Mu’s curious gaze, Joseph raised his hand as if to swear an oath. "I’m not into flat-chested, childlike girls. I prefer women with elegance and presence, like Miss Tang here."

Tang Mu smiled faintly. "You needn’t tell me your preferences—I’m not interested."

Joseph’s confidence was completely deflated, but he was undeterred, continuing to pester her. "So, what should we do now? We can’t just wait for something monstrous to come find us at midnight. The others know the bathroom water is deadly. If there are veteran players here, they’ll try to eliminate the competition for a better chance at victory. But this group doesn’t seem to have many veterans."

He spoke as though he’d played many times before, which piqued Tang Mu’s curiosity.

"How many games have you played?"

"Three," he replied. "‘Haunted Temple Street,’ ‘Black Magic,’ and now this—‘Bride of the Phantom King.’"

How unfortunate—three times, all horror scenarios.

Before joining the game, Tang Mu had learned the basics: the Metaverse’s "Extreme Escape" was divided into four categories—chase-and-escape, supernatural, deduction, and suspense. Only the supernatural type involved attacks from anomalous entities. Science explained it as a matter of magnetic fields, but on a spiritual level, it was invisible forces that harmed you.

"If you’ve played three times, you must know these games well," Tang Mu said, arms folded, prompting Joseph to offer some clues.

"Of course. I know all about them." Joseph mimicked her posture, arms crossing as if to signal he expected some reward in return. No reward, no secrets.

"I can tell you, Miss Tang, but nothing comes for free." A little closeness, a drink at the bar, perhaps even more…

"I suddenly don’t feel like listening," Tang Mu interrupted.

"Fine, fine," Joseph surrendered, raising his hands. He looked at her with exasperation, as if lamenting her lack of romantic spirit.