Chapter 7: The Bride of the King of Mysteries (7)
“In most horror-based games, if an entity wants to eliminate competitors, a player must first trigger a death condition. Take just now, for example, when those girls touched the washroom water... Or my teammate, An Xiaoyue—she died simply because she said something.”
“What did she say?”
‘Why should the Wraith King marry a new bride?’
Such an ordinary sentence, nothing remarkable about it.
“What time is it now?”
“Nineteen forty-six. Why?”
“We’ll split up. Xue Fen and I will head to the upper deck. You and An Xiaoyue, go to the lowest cargo hold.”
Qiao Sir looked as if he could laugh and cry at the same time, pointing at himself as if to say, Are you serious? Just sending me off on my own? Isn’t that a little heartless?
Tang Mu ignored Qiao Sir’s protests and instructed everyone, “Meet back at the second-floor cabins at nineteen fifty-eight. We only have twelve minutes. In these twelve minutes, make sure you search for any clues that might help us clear this stage. Remember, you boys are only bound to us girls while we’re on the ship. Once you’re off, if you can’t find a way to protect yourselves, then you’re on your own.”
Qiao Sir grumbled inwardly, still unsure of Tang Mu’s intentions, but since she’d given the orders, Xue Fen was more than happy to follow.
Qiao Sir didn’t want to go to the lowest cargo hold. More accurately, he didn’t want to go alone.
“Can’t I just go with you guys?”
“No,” Tang Mu replied, glancing at her watch. “Eleven minutes left. Get moving.”
With that, Tang Mu took Xue Fen up to the deck, paying no attention to Qiao Sir’s aggrieved expression. Who cares?
Xue Fen, meanwhile, was overjoyed to see Qiao Sir rebuffed. While Tang Mu was distracted, he even hooked his finger around the hem of her crimson dress, flaunting his closeness to her in front of Qiao Sir.
Qiao Sir cursed inwardly. What a conniving little—
The passage between the upper deck and the second-floor cabins remained open. The dining table was spotless, the floor immaculate—almost as if everything had been reset. Not even a scrap or a single hair could be found; it was cleaner than any amount of scrubbing could accomplish.
“Tang Mu, there’s nothing here either,” Xue Fen reported after a thorough search. The upper deck was pristine; there was not a single clue, not even a speck of dust.
“What time is it?”
“Nineteen fifty-six.”
Four minutes to eight o’clock.
“Let’s head back downstairs,” Tang Mu said, hoping Qiao Sir’s team had found something useful.
But as she and Xue Fen walked toward the staircase, the second hand on Tang Mu’s watch suddenly spun dozens of times faster than normal.
“Four, three, two, one—”
Bang!
The passageway slammed shut.
The top deck shifted abruptly.
A strange, unsettling melody began to play.
“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight...”
“Hm, still missing two heads.”
Following the eerie music, Tang Mu saw the headless chef.
The chef slowly turned to face them, his apron torn open across his chest to reveal a gaping, blood-red maw.
“I seem to have lost two heads. Have you seen them?”
No one answered.
He asked again, “I’m missing two heads. Have you seen them?”
Still, silence.
His voice grew agitated. “I’m missing two heads! Have you seen them?!”
“Well, if you haven’t, I’ll just have to look myself... Aren’t there two right on your necks?”
He hefted his axe and advanced toward Tang Mu and Xue Fen.
As the headless chef raised his axe to strike, Tang Mu moved with lightning speed, snatching up her prepared water bottle. She twisted off the cap and splashed its contents directly into the chef’s gaping maw.
A corrosive hissing filled the air. The chef didn’t even have time to wail before his body dissolved, the scene grotesque and violent.
On the ground, a black ring and an old pocket watch appeared.
[Ding: Congratulations to player Tang Mu for obtaining Cursed Ring (F) +1. Congratulations to player Xue Fen for obtaining Old Pocket Watch (F) +1.]
[Cursed Ring: An item usable only in horror-genre instances. Grants a random clue related to the supernatural in certain scenarios.]
[Old Pocket Watch: Can adjust the time within any game instance, regardless of type. Usable three times.]
Items dropped from supernatural creatures are typically graded A through F, with higher tiers marked S, SS, SSS, and so on.
Tang Mu picked up the ring from the pile of mangled flesh and slipped it onto her right hand. The pocket watch went to Xue Fen.
“Tang Mu, killing monsters actually drops items? I thought we were goners for sure.”
But Tang Mu’s brow didn’t smooth at their victory.
“Take a look at this.”
After the chef’s body dissolved, a cluster of eggs remained. Within them, strange, unknown creatures twitched.
Xue Fen reached out to touch them.
“Don’t,” Tang Mu warned.
She picked up her now-empty water bottle, placed a few eggs inside, sealed the lid, and locked it.
In the blink of an eye—
“Tang Mu, look!” Xue Fen exclaimed.
The deck was spotless once again, as though the headless chef had never existed.
Then, the steady tapping of a cane echoed across the floorboards.
It was the Crone.
“Have you seen the chef?” she asked.
No one replied.
She muttered to herself, “That damned fool! After taking so many cursed coins from me, all he does is slack off! I’ll send him down the River of Forgetfulness tomorrow, just so he stops freeloading on my ship!”
Well, perhaps she needn’t bother anymore.
While the Crone was absorbed in her grumbling, Tang Mu swiftly stepped forward and touched the edge of the Crone’s black cloak with her ringed hand.
Ding!
A stream of information flowed into Tang Mu’s mind.
[She is merely a ferryman, once ordinary, now forever separated from her family by an accident. She loathes the Wraith King and despises everyone on this ship! Sometimes, ending a life requires only the smallest of gestures.]
...That’s it?
The ring’s ability was rather underwhelming.
At the same time, the Crone’s face, wrinkled and gnarled like tree bark, slowly turned toward them.
“Good child, go to the kitchen and find the chef for me. He promised to bring me a cup of bloodwine every night at eight, but tonight he hasn’t come...”
Mid-sentence, her tone turned menacing.
“If you can’t find him, I’ll just use your blood for my wine!”
She licked her lips. It had been so long since she’d tasted fresh blood, and she was eager to savor it again.
Tang Mu didn’t rise to the bait.
“Twenty-fifteen,” she said, pointing to the rose-gold watch on her right wrist. “You said after eight o’clock, no one is allowed on the upper deck or in the cargo hold.”
“So I’m sorry, but someone else will have to fetch your drink.”
With that, Tang Mu dragged Xue Fen down to the second-floor cabins.