Players, Please Board the Train

The second floor, Xu Huo heard the other guests had returned to their rooms one after another. The time had already passed midnight, but the game hadn’t given a second prompt, indicating the dungeon should have started when he arrived at the ancient castle.

However, the game didn’t prompt the number of participating players. Counting the guests mentioned by the middle-aged butler plus the six he saw in the hall, that made a total of twelve players.

But that doesn’t mean all twelve of these players are participants in this dungeon.

The invitation from the Cheongsam Woman was different from the dungeon player invitations. When he entered, what he gave the middle-aged butler was the Cheongsam Woman’s invitation. The other party didn’t show any surprise or refuse it, which shows that even if a dungeon is about to start, the castle won’t refuse players from entering.

This is probably a characteristic of non-closed dungeons. Both non-dungeon players and dungeon players can enter the dungeon location before the time limit.

With that, among the other eleven guests, there’s a high probability that there are also players who, like him, are holding black market invitations.

The dungeon’s second task is to uncover the truth behind the guests’ disappearance. If there are non-dungeon players mixed in, this could be the truth or one part of the truth.

As for the specifics, he’ll have to wait and see tomorrow, but he had already gained an advantage by ambushing and killing the Cheongsam Woman ahead of time.

Additionally, the fact that the Cheongsam Woman was a wanted criminal was unexpected. He originally thought she was just a low-ability player lurking in the castle city. He didn’t expect her to be a wanted criminal. It was also a coincidence that let him learn a method to avoid the punishment for missing a dungeon. As expected, even the most perfect system has loopholes that can be exploited. This counted as a surprisingly good piece of news.

Xu Huo touched the ”Umbrella of Justice” by his hand and suddenly felt himself being watched by a gaze. He turned his head to look out the window and just caught a glimpse of a pair of blood-red eyes swiftly skimming past.After waiting a few seconds with no further movement, he pushed open the window and walked out onto the balcony. Those peeping eyes had already vanished. However, on the windowsill, placed sideways, was a human head. Long hair drifted outside, its face pointed in his direction, two eyes staring fixedly at him.

It wasn’t any of the players from the hall earlier.

Seeing the other party maintain this posture while extending a hand to comb through its own long hair, Xu Huo expressionlessly closed the window.

The night passed peacefully. The next morning, in the dining room, he saw all the players.

The Ma couple, the two men and one woman from the recreation room, and the six people from the hall yesterday.

The couple looked very affectionate, feeding each other as if no one else was around. The man seemed to have a bad temper.

Of the three from the recreation room, one was a tall, thin middle-aged man, one a broad-shouldered, burly man, and the long-haired woman who had displayed the human head last night.

Among the six from the hall, there was a pair of twin brothers, a gentle and refined young woman, and the Baby-Faced Man who had been in the same vehicle as him. He was talking to a handsome young man beside him, and next to that young man was a silent Dark-Faced Man. When Xu Huo sized him up, the other also looked at him and gave a slight nod.

Xu Huo coldly turned his face away.

At this moment, the middle-aged butler walked over and said in ventriloquism, ”Please wait a moment, everyone. Breakfast will be ready shortly.”

”Is Mr. He not up yet?” the refined woman asked.

”The master is not in good health and generally has breakfast in his room. He asked me to convey his apologies. Although the music appreciation meeting lasts five days, the master’s strength is insufficient, and he cannot accompany everyone at all times. Therefore, for the rest of the time, everyone is free to tour the castle,” the butler said. ”He will join everyone for dinner in the evening.”

This dungeon was slightly different from previous ones. It didn’t provide a complete story background. The game only prompted them to enter the castle at the designated time but didn’t say what they were actually there to do. Their ”purpose” for this trip was only now being stated by the butler.

The players exchanged glances. Mrs. Ma spoke up, ”What places in the castle are worth visiting?”

”As you can see, there are two large gardens in front of the castle. It’s currently the season when monthly roses are blooming. Guests who enjoy flowers can go there to admire them. You are welcome to pick some.”

”Behind the main building is a botanical garden planted with special plants from different worlds. It’s suitable for resting and leisure, and the air is very good.”

”The central courtyard is a garden maze, covering a large area. It can be seen from the second floor of the main building. However, please do not enter it casually without a guide, as it’s easy to get lost.”

Listening to the butler’s words, Xu Huo glanced at the servant carefully wiping a decorative piece nearby. After sitting down at the dining table, he asked, ”Can the rooms inside the castle be visited?”

”Of course,” the butler said. ”On the second floor, there are three recreation rooms, a piano room, a painting studio, and at the end, a large study. You may use all the items inside.”

”Where is the music appreciation meeting held?” the broad-shouldered, burly man asked impatiently.

”In the small concert hall on the third floor,” the butler answered every question. ”However, without an invitation from the master, please do not go up to the third floor casually.”

It seemed the third floor was a key location.

Speaking of the vanished guests, the most suspicious were definitely the people in the castle, with the castle owner being the most suspicious of all.

The players understood this tacitly. At this moment, the busy servants brought up breakfast. The long-haired woman took two sips of soup and then threw her spoon away, covering her mouth with a disgusted expression, ”There’s a spider in the soup!”

The Dark-Faced Man sitting next to her stirred the soup plate. Sure enough, inside was a small black spider that had been boiled to death.

”What on earth is going on with this castle? I saw spiders in my bedroom yesterday, and that was bad enough, but now there are spiders even in the food? Is this how you treat your guests?” the refined woman raised her voice to question the servant.

The servant repeatedly apologized and said, ”I’ll replace it for you immediately, madam.”

”Forget it!” the refined woman said with disgust. ”A pot of spider soup, who could drink that?”

This statement made everyone else abandon their soup plates. Immediately, the young player and the long-haired woman left the dining table.

Xu Huo stirred his soup plate. He didn’t see any spiders, but he had also noticed many corners of the castle had spiderwebs hanging, and earlier when he came out of his room, he saw the servants deliberately avoiding spider silk while cleaning.

”You’re the last one to arrive, right?” Mrs. Ma suddenly smiled and looked at him, her eyes hook-like.

Both husband and wife stared at him, but their expressions were completely opposite.

Xu Huo didn’t speak. He threw a table knife toward Mrs. Ma’s hand, which was reaching for the black umbrella. The blade steadily embedded itself right in front of her fingers, startling her into pulling her hand back instantly. She then turned to restrain Mr. Ma, who had abruptly stood up, ”Don’t cause trouble, we are guests.”

Mr. Ma, however, bulged his eyes, glaring deathly at Xu Huo. Mrs. Ma had to persuade him for quite a while before successfully calming him down. With her hand resting on her husband’s shoulder, her gaze lingered on Xu Huo’s face, ”I just like young men who are cold on the outside but warm on the inside.”

After saying this, she even threw a flirtatious glance.

Mr. Ma kissed the back of her hand, ”Behave. I can wear any kind of hat, except a green one.”

Hearing him say this, Mrs. Ma finally withdrew her gaze, and the couple started being lovey-dovey again.