Outside the villa, Lin Ye and Asuna stood in the courtyard.
A bright moon hung high in the deep sky, and twinkling stars wove a brilliant tapestry overhead. It was still more than two hours before the recommended bedtime of ten o'clock. Lin Ye was in no rush to head to his room, and as his roommate, Asuna naturally followed his lead. With six people divided into three groups, they avoided acting alone.
"Let's go see John," Lin Ye suggested.
Asuna nodded in agreement after a moment of thought, surmising that Lin Ye must have a purpose. On the west side of the villa, there was a doghouse where the German Shepherd, John, generally resided. Before long, Lin Ye spotted the kennel. John was lying on the ground, his head drooping, unsure if he was sleeping or just boredly contemplating dog life.
Tap, tap...
The sound of light footsteps caught John's attention. The German Shepherd instantly lifted his head, his bright eyes piercing through the night to see Lin Ye and Asuna. He immediately stood up, his large tail wagging vigorously and his long tongue lolling out, expressing his joy.
Is he happy just because we aren't returning from outside the villa grounds? Asuna couldn't help but wonder.
Seeing John's enthusiasm, Lin Ye waved his hand. The German Shepherd shot out with a whoosh, running toward the pair. Soon, John arrived in front of them.
"Shh..." Lin Ye made a shushing gesture. John seemed to understand immediately and didn't bark.
"Here, try this..." Under Asuna's astonished gaze, Lin Ye took out a ham sausage. He tore open the packaging, exposing the sausage to the air, broke off a small piece, and offered it to the German Shepherd. John leaned in and sniffed it, but didn't eat.
"This isn't a starch sausage, is it? German Shepherds aren't interested in that."
"How about... you try it?"
Asuna immediately shook her head, her blue hair swaying with the motion.
Lin Ye took a bite of the remaining large half of the sausage in his hand. "It tastes pretty good. Are you sure you don't want to try?" He waved the remaining section of the sausage, but Asuna shook her head again, refusing.
After finishing the sausage, Lin Ye took out a sealed plastic bag of food, causing a surprised look to cross Asuna's face. What is that? Asuna was curious, but as soon as the plastic bag was opened, she knew.
"Beef? When did you bag that?" Sitting beside Lin Ye, Asuna had absolutely no recollection of him bagging the beef from the potato beef stew.
Even recalling it now, she still had no memory of it.
"Secret. Beg me, and I might tell you." Lin Ye looked at Asuna with a teasing smile. Asuna turned her head away; how could she possibly beg someone? She guessed this likely involved one of Lin Ye's skills.
Strange Players possessed many special item skills. Even though she was only Level 1, she had skills too. Most importantly, Asuna felt that even if she did beg, this guy wouldn't tell her anyway. They were currently in a cooperative relationship, but they were far from being companions. The four old players had chosen to cooperate solely for this instance. If they met in future instances, they could very well become competitors, or even enemies.
"No interest," she said.
"Regrettable."
Meanwhile, John the German Shepherd was staring at the beef in Lin Ye's hand with eyes practically glowing, his tail wagging so hard it looked like it might fly off.
"Eat up!" After receiving Lin Ye's permission, the German Shepherd immediately began to eat. The sound of vigorous chewing filled the air, his evident enjoyment displaying his happy mood.
Lin Ye stroked the dog's head. He would eat food provided by them—food from the dining room—but refused the ham sausage brought from reality. Was this due to the source of the food, or simply because this particular German Shepherd didn't like ham sausage?
Before long, John had finished the beef in the plastic bag. He licked his chops with his large tongue, clearly unsatisfied. He lifted his eyes, staring at Lin Ye as if wanting more.
"No more," Lin Ye waved his hand. "I'll bring you food next time."
"Woof..." He barked spiritedly.
Lin Ye angrily rubbed the dog's head.
"Guests," a female voice suddenly came from behind.
Under the moonlight, the maid's silver hair was rendered with a faint lunar sheen, making her pale skin appear even cooler.
"Lisa. Coming to see John?" Unlike Asuna's nervousness, Lin Ye appeared composed, without a trace of panic.
"Yes. But Guest, what did you feed John?" The silver-haired maid's gaze lowered to Lin Ye's hand.
"Ham sausage. Brought it from home," Lin Ye said, taking out another ham sausage and offering it to the maid. "Want to try some? The taste is actually quite nice."
Lisa shook her head and refused. "Thank you for your kindness, Guest, but I will pass. The Master actually does not like outsiders feeding John. When the Master is away, I am the one who feeds him. So, if possible, I hope the guests will not casually feed food to John."
The silver-haired maid patted John's small head, then took out the prepared dog food. It was real dog food, not fresh food.
"There is the smell of beef. Guest, did you also feed John beef?"
In that instant, the atmosphere solidified.
Asuna's heart leaped to its highest point. She even felt that the maid might transform into a Strange entity and attack in the next second. She was ready for battle.
"Beef? I don't know. I've only been here a short while. Maybe John snatched that beef from somewhere himself!"
John looked up, his eyes releasing a look of shock. He seemed to understand Lin Ye's meaning.
The silver-haired maid met Lin Ye's gaze. "So that is the case." She looked at the German Shepherd reproachfully and complained a few words. "John, you are not allowed to snatch things randomly in the future. What if you scare the guests?"
She patted the German Shepherd's back. The dog let out two whimpers of wu wu and lowered his head to continue eating the dog food.
Crunch, crunch... The crisp sound of crunching dog food rang out continuously.
"Guests, I will return first. Please pay attention to the time to return to your room. It is quite cold outside the villa at night; please take care to keep warm." The silver-haired maid, Lisa, greeted them respectfully and left.
After she left, John the German Shepherd lifted his small head, his eyes revealing a trace of resentment. It was very expressive.
Asuna almost laughed out loud when she noticed it. Catching Lin Ye's gaze, she immediately turned slightly and averted her face to prevent Lin Ye from seeing.
"Does the maid suspect you of deliberately saving leftovers and wasting food?" Asuna felt the maid must have been suspicious when she heard those words and noticed her scrutinizing gaze.
"Yes, she suspects, but she didn't confirm I did it. I think the act of wasting food must be caught in the act."
Asuna nodded as if understanding. "Another point is, if I feed the food to John, does that count as wasting it?"
Asuna thought about it and felt Lin Ye's explanation made sense.
"Aren't you afraid of something happening?" She still had some concerns.
"We have to try. We need to find the boundaries and bugs of the rules. If we players strictly follow the rules, we might end up dying without knowing why in the end." Lin Ye looked at Asuna with a smile. "Miss Asuna, you haven't experienced a rule-based Strange instance before, have you?"
"No, this is my first time."
"My suggestion is that for rules explicitly stated in rule-based instances, you must think deeply about their alternative meanings. For example, breaking the law in reality is not allowed, but is a crime that isn't discovered still a crime?"
Asuna seemed to understand a little. She still had a lot to learn.
She had considered it seriously when she first chose to become a Strange Player, but only after entering did she understand the danger involved. The 'Strange Game' was a game, but it was a 'game' where one could lose their life with a single slip-up. She couldn't afford to lose. To survive, she had to do her utmost and find every possible method.
Under the moonlight, the two walked in the courtyard for a while before returning to the villa. By this time, the villa was brightly lit.
Lin Ye and Asuna took a turn around the first floor and happened to run into Cold Frost, who was on the first floor, and the career woman beside her.
"Miss Cold, you are..."
"Checking for any changes." She looked at Lin Ye. "And you?"
"Same. There's still time before ten o'clock, seeing if anything has been added to the villa."
Since that was the case, the four of them moved together. After finishing the first floor, they went to the third floor, and finally the second floor. Throughout the journey, the four encountered no anomalies; everything was very calm.
"Well then, Miss Cold, goodnight."
"Goodnight." Cold Frost replied to Lin Ye and Asuna, then entered her guest room. Cold Frost's room number was marked 202. Lin Ye and Asuna's room was 204. Passerby and the high school student were in room 203. The three guest rooms were on the same side of the corridor.
Click...
Lin Ye inserted the key and twisted the lock. With a crisp sound, the door slowly opened. Lin Ye walked in. The guest room in his view was about thirty square meters, very spacious; it wouldn't feel crowded even if two more people stayed in it. Outside the transparent window, silver moonlight spilled in. The double bed was draped in a thin layer of silver gauze, and there was a faint floral fragrance in the air.
It was the scent of chrysanthemums.
Unlike the lilies in the parlor, a pot of blooming chrysanthemums was placed on the cabinet in the guest room. Asuna lit the oil lamps placed on both sides of the double bed. The orange-yellow light dispelled more of the darkness, bringing a sense of warmth to the quiet room.
"Let's inspect it! Although Miss Cold has already checked it."
Asuna nodded, and the two sprang into action. In about ten minutes, they checked the entire room inside and out but found no further clues or anomalies. Lin Ye went to the window and looked through the glass at the courtyard bathed in moonlight. The night breeze blew, causing the flowers and plants in the courtyard to sway gently.
"Let's synchronize the time!" Lin Ye and Asuna checked their watches.
"A one-hour time difference. No problems there." Asuna's mechanical watch corresponded to the villa's clock, while Lin Ye's mechanical watch was one hour fast.
"Next..."
"Let's rest!"
"Sleep directly?" Asuna was stunned.
"There's still over an hour until ten o'clock. We should seize the time to rest."
Asuna understood Lin Ye's meaning. "I understand."
"You sleep first! I'll wake you at nine-thirty."
"Mm."
Asuna walked toward the double bed, her hands unconsciously moving to her outer clothes. She subconsciously wanted to undress to sleep. Shaking her head in self-mockery, she lay directly on the bed, pulled over the quilt, and covered herself. In a Strange instance, sleeping undressed was not appropriate.
Meanwhile, Lin Ye used his x-ray vision ability to look into the adjacent room. Soon, the scene in the next room came into view. Passerby was already lying in bed resting, while the high school student was lying on the floor.
Enduring the soreness in his eyes, he used the perspective further. Lin Ye saw Cold Frost and the career woman, Linlin, in room 202. Suddenly, Cold Frost's movements stiffened. She turned her body slightly, her eyes directing toward Lin Ye's location. Separated by two walls, their gazes unexpectedly met.
This woman is so sensitive? Aside from that, Lin Ye couldn't think of any other possibility.
The next second, he ended the x-ray vision ability and rubbed his sore eyes.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, just a bit sleepy." Lin Ye sat on a chair, took out eye drops, and applied two drops to his eyes. The cold sensation soothed the soreness.
Asuna didn't ask further and closed her eyes again.
Worried about Lin Ye's hostile behavior? There was that, but right now, their greatest enemy remained the unknown Strange entity existing in this mysterious villa. Time passed minute by minute.
Asuna was shaken awake by Lin Ye while in a daze. "What's wrong? Is there a Strange entity?" Asuna shivered and immediately gripped the rapier she carried.
"It's time."
"Oh, oh!" Asuna got up understandingly, only to see Lin Ye walk to the other side and lie on the bed.
"You take care of things for a bit now. Wake me at ten o'clock."
After receiving Asuna's response, Lin Ye closed his eyes and emptied his mind. Necessary rest was mandatory. Soon, Lin Ye's breathing fell into a steady rhythm. This made Asuna somewhat envious; she could only envy someone who could fall asleep so quickly. Just moments ago, she had tossed and turned for a while before fully falling asleep.
Asuna carefully looked around the room. By now, the curtains had been covered by a layer of gauze, and the moonlight outside only entered in scattered fragments. The two oil lamps continued to burn, releasing light and heat. Asuna leaned back, closing her eyes to continue resting. Occasionally, she opened her eyes to check the time.
Finally, ten o'clock was approaching. At the exact moment the hands reached ten, the oil lamps in the room suddenly extinguished, instantly plunging the bright room into silence and darkness.
The sudden change immediately ramped Asuna's vigilance to the maximum. She shook Lin Ye with one hand. "It's ten o'clock."
Lin Ye opened his eyes and sat up, looking at the room shrouded in dimness. "The oil lamps went out by themselves. They extinguished the moment it hit ten."
Lin Ye gave a confirmation sound. He tried to relight the oil lamps, but no matter what, they could not be lit again. Asuna watched the whole process, realizing tonight would definitely not be a peaceful night.
"No matter what happens, stay as quiet as possible. Do not make any response to any sounds outside the door." Lin Ye warned once again.
"I know," Asuna replied again. As an old player, she knew this much and could do her best to uphold it.
Lin Ye used his x-ray vision ability to look at room 203 next door, but he saw nothing. There was only a layer of thick black fog obscuring everything, completely impenetrable. That guest room had likely become an independent space.
The villa after ten o'clock had become different from the daytime. Lin Ye lay on the bed, keeping his breathing even. If nothing unexpected happened, knocks and calls would come from outside the door in a short while. And according to the 'Reminders', what they had to do was ignore them.
Tick-tock, tick-tock.
In the silent, dim room, only the slight ticking of the mechanical watch remained. Time was flowing, unusually slow. Asuna gradually felt a trace of drowsiness. When the expected anomaly didn't arrive long after ten o'clock, her mind also gradually tended toward a relaxed state. A bit sleepy, wanting to sleep.
Her peripheral vision couldn't help but cast toward the man lying on the bed to her right. The first time in her life sleeping in the same bed as a member of the opposite sex. If her mother knew about this, she would probably be furious! Asuna couldn't help but think.
Tap... tap...
Crisp footsteps rang out. It came from the corridor outside the room. There were footsteps. Asuna's heart tightened instantly, her drowsiness vanishing completely, her brain unusually clear.
Tap... tap...
The footsteps continued to sound, drawing closer from afar. Close, closer. Asuna held her breath but discovered Lin Ye was still sleeping with his eyes closed. She carefully reached out and tugged Lin Ye to warn him of the abnormality. The next second, she felt her hand being patted lightly.
Asuna immediately realized Lin Ye was still awake. She breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, the footsteps from the corridor outside stopped abruptly. The sudden silence added a touch of eeriness instead.
Thump, thump, thump...
A knock sounded on the door. Thump, thump, thump... The knocking was rhythmic, neither heavy nor light. Neither Lin Ye nor Asuna gave any response.
Thump, thump, thump...
The third knock sounded. Followed by a descent into a long silence.
"Guest, you haven't slept yet, right?" A female voice suddenly rang out, transmitting through the door. The voice was soft and husky, sounding like the maid Lisa, but upon careful distinction, it felt unlike her.
Asuna held her breath, gripping her rapier in one hand.
"Guest, you are still awake, right?" The inquiry sounded again; she seemed to have already determined that the two inside the room were not asleep.
Lin Ye pondered whether this unknown entity would forcibly break in if they responded. The probability was high. He knew that even if he wanted to test it, he absolutely couldn't risk his life to do so.
"I am looking for you to ask some things," the soft voice continued to ring out. "You are friends invited by the Master; you must know where the Master is!"
Room 204 remained completely silent, without any sound.
"Please open the door, okay?"
"Honored guests, please open the door."
"I can... serve you in bed."
Her voice took on a tempting aura. A rich, seductive atmosphere poured in uncontrollably from outside the door, mixed with a strong floral fragrance—sweet and filling the entire guest room.
"As a maid, serving in bed is my duty."
"Guest, please open the door."
Sentence after sentence drifted in continuously. The floral scent became even stronger. Lin Ye clearly felt that as he breathed, the sweet floral fragrance was inhaled into his lungs, and a ball of fire in a certain bodily reaction was faintly ignited. Poisonous.
Lin Ye carefully turned to look at Asuna on his left. If he, a male, was affected, would the female Asuna be affected? At this moment, Asuna was blinking at Lin Ye. Sharp as she was, she detected some abnormality in Lin Ye. She was just about to speak when Lin Ye immediately signaled her with his eyes not to.
"Guest, Guest, please open the door."
"Open the door, quickly."
"Satisfying the guests' needs is the maid's duty."
Thump, thump, thump... The knocking rang out continuously. The calls of the 'maid' outside the door became increasingly urgent, her words filled with a soaring sense of desperation. Thump, thump, thump... Every sound struck Lin Ye's heart; every time, it impacted his mind.
Lin Ye silently took out a piece of Dazzle Chewing Gum and immediately stuffed it into his mouth. One minute of duration, resisting Strange erosion. Whether the voice of the 'maid' outside and the sudden strong floral scent in the room were Strange erosion, Lin Ye didn't know, but this was the only Strange Item he could think of to alleviate his current symptoms.
As the gum entered his mouth, a cooling sensation quickly spread from the tip of his tongue to his whole body. Lin Ye instantly felt his brain clear, and the impulse rising in his body dissipated rapidly. It worked. The influence of the 'maid' outside was also a form of Strange erosion.
In the end, the thump, thump, thump knocking became increasingly violent, the guest room door trembling and vibrating continuously. Even Asuna, lying motionless on the bed, wondered if that door could withstand the 'maid's' pounding.
"I beg you."
"Open the door!"
"I want... I want to know where the Master is."
After the rage, it turned into sorrow and pleading. But still, there was no response. Finally, the voice temporarily vanished.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Five minutes.
"It seems the guests are truly asleep." That was a voice of resignation.
Throughout the entire process, neither Lin Ye nor Asuna made a single sound.
Tap... tap... The sound of receding footsteps rang out, echoing in the corridor. A moment later, the knocking sounded again. The door of the adjacent room, Guest Room 203, was knocked on. The 'maid' had gone to the next room.
Lin Ye noticed Asuna was just about to breathe a sigh of relief and immediately covered her mouth, signaling her not to make a sound. Only after the girl nodded vigorously did Lin Ye let go. Tonight, saying nothing was the best choice.
Meanwhile, in Room 203.
The sudden appearance of footsteps and the knocking abruptly hammered at the two people inside the room. The high school student curled up, eyes and mouth shut tight, shivering. He firmly remembered Passerby's reminder.
Passerby, on the other hand, had his nerves taut, but compared to the visit from the Strange outside, what was more unbearable for him now was hunger. A sudden hunger was rising constantly, his desire to eat growing stronger. Passerby clenched his fists tightly. He already realized the problem with his body and understood what caused his current hunger condition. Not eating dinner was basically the reason.
He ate food brought from reality, but it couldn't satisfy his hunger at all, and with the 'Strange' outside now, eating was even more impossible.
"Open the door."
"Guest, please open the door."
"I know you are still awake."
"I am here to serve in bed."
"Satisfying all the honored guest's needs is my duty as a maid."
Serve in bed? Passerby had no interest. Compared to women, he wanted to eat right now—he wanted to eat so badly! Beef, roast suckling pig, fried chicken wings—he wanted to eat them all! Eat, eat, eat, I want to eat!
The high school student sleeping on the floor opened his eyes. He swallowed. Serving in bed... a maid serving in bed! For real?
"Guest, please open the door and let me serve you. As an exchange, please tell me about the Master."
The Master's affairs? I don't know! But smelling the sweet scent in the air and hearing the seductive voice from outside the door, the high school student involuntarily propped himself up on the floor with one hand. He stood up.
The slight change immediately aroused Passerby's vigilance. He froze, shocked. What is this high school student trying to do?
Seeing the high school student stand up, Passerby subconsciously attempted to rise, only to discover his hands were weak, completely lacking his daily strength. It's over. I'm going to die. Passerby broke into a cold sweat.
The next second, he watched helplessly as the high school student walked quickly toward the door. Ignoring the need for silence, he shouted at the student, "Don't open the door!"
Click...
But it was too late. The lock sounded anyway. Passerby immediately struggled to move his hand and took out a card from his bosom.
[Name: Feign Death Card]
[Type: One-time Use Item]
[Quality: White]
[Ability: After use, enter a state of feigned death for five minutes.]
[Remark: Survival through death; many Strange entities are not interested in the dead.]
Given the current situation, this was the only way to escape this calamity. The next moment, the card cracked, the effect activated, and Passerby immediately fell into a state of feigned death.
The high school student who opened the door saw the existence outside. His eyes widened. He tried to speak, but his voice was stuck in his throat; nothing came out.
"Where... is the Master?"
"Are you... the Master?"
Soon, Guest Room 203 returned to silence.
...
Lin Ye and Asuna exchanged a glance. Judging from the sounds in the corridor, something happened in Room 203 next door; someone had opened the door. The possibility of the old player Passerby opening the door was very small. Lin Ye recalled the feeling in his body just now; even without the Dazzle Chewing Gum, he felt an old player's willpower could still overcome it. So, it was the high school student. Could Passerby, an old player, not even stop a high school student?
Lin Ye's mind flashed with many guesses. Seeing Asuna hesitate to speak, he reached out and held the girl's palm, writing on it.
—Don't speak. Outside might be an auditory hallucination scene created by the Strange.
—I understand. Asuna hadn't thought of this at all. She felt that since an accident happened next door and the Strange left, surely they would be fine talking now! Indeed, her vigilance was still slightly lacking.
—Then what should we do next?
—Sleep. Leave everything until dawn tomorrow. However, to be 100% safe, it should be until 7:30 AM; this Strange entity wouldn't appear again then.
Asuna nodded, adjusted her sleeping position, and closed her eyes. But the sounds of the night repeatedly surfaced in her mind; she had no drowsiness whatsoever. Noticing that Lin Ye had fallen asleep quickly again, she inevitably envied him once more.
After an unknown amount of time passed without any strange knocks or shouts disturbing them, Asuna finally fell asleep.
The second day. The first ray of sunlight in the early morning shone in. Guest Room 204 welcomed the light.
Asuna opened her eyes groggily. The side profile of the man lying to her right entered her vision.
Gasp...
Asuna shivered coldly, instantly waking up and hugging her body, looking at Lin Ye vigilantly. "Good morning."
"Morning..." Asuna's befuddled brain finally reacted, realizing the current situation. "Good morning!"
"Last night, later on..." The 'Strange' knocking and the sounds of mutation from Room 203 surfaced in her mind.
"Nothing happened. The Strange didn't come to find us again."
"Mm." Asuna recalled, then suddenly thought of something. "Um... last night the maid was calling about serving in bed and asking us to open the door. You..."
"Yes, I was affected. Lust was emerging."
Asuna opened her eyes wide. "Was it your own problem, or the voice's problem?"
"The voice, and the floral scent. I clearly smelled a strong floral fragrance at the time, stimulating the body together with the bewitching voice."
Asuna immediately looked at the only pot of chrysanthemums used for decoration in the room. "Was it related to that bunch of chrysanthemums?"
"It's possible. We'll dispose of it later."
"Mm." Even if it wasn't related, that thing had to be disposed of.
Asuna continued, "So you overcame it by willpower?"
"Willpower can overcome it, but I used an item—a prop that resists Strange erosion. That's precisely why I confirmed I was under the influence of a Strange power."
Asuna accepted the Dazzle Chewing Gum strip, looking at the description from the 'Strange Game', inevitably feeling a bit envious.
"It's yours."
"Eh!"
"Once taken out, it only has a validity period of 24 hours."
Seeing this, Asuna gripped the gum tightly. "I will repay you if there's a chance in the future."
"I can't pretend I didn't hear that."
This made Asuna reveal a relaxed smile.
"Let's go check next door."
"Mm."
The two packed up and opened the door. Just as they arrived in front of Guest Room 203, they saw the door to Room 202 open. Cold Frost and the career woman appeared. Seeing Cold Frost's grave expression, Lin Ye realized they had also heard the commotion last night.
Now, it remained to be seen what the situation was with the two inside Room 203.
________________________________________
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