MS Chapter 8

The horror game once again made me spit out a mouthful of old blood.

The reason I say “again” is naturally because it has a plethora of talented subordinates who refuse to be disciplined, and more than one of them often drives it to keep pressure-relief medication on hand.

Of course, such situations are rare; you can count them on one hand. After all, seed players who deserve special treatment during their rookie period are truly hard to come by.

In front of ordinary players, it still holds absolute authority, as the “Master God” that transcends reality and is almost akin to a deity.

The horror game is naturally feared, revered, and worshipped by almost all players.

But it never expected that another naturally rebellious one would come along and strip it of its dignity right from the start. Does it not care about its face?

Lu Qingjia heard a sound like a cat growling and grinding its teeth, and the smile on his face became even more radiant—

“Haha, don’t mind me, I’ve just heard so much about you. You are indeed as friendly as the rumors say, and your flaws are quite endearing. As a newcomer facing you, I feel no pressure at all; you are truly considerate.”

Considerate my foot, I must get him, I must get him.

The dog-like game immediately said: [Please prepare, player Lu Qingjia. The game will start in two hours.]

Generally speaking, after the selection round, players are at least given a week to rest and adjust before the horror game arranges for them to officially enter the game.

Even those who refuse to be disciplined are not usually treated this harshly; Lu Qingjia is truly the first case.

However, while the horror game was indignant, it was also genuinely looking forward to Lu Qingjia’s upcoming performance.

Because so far, this guy has been the most outstanding performer in the selection round.

Under normal circumstances, players only have to deal with one ghost during the selection round, and the danger is relatively low. Even if there is danger, the methods to avoid it are quite obvious, so the survival rate is still relatively high.

For example, the ghost that the previous player, Zhou Hang, faced, the ghostly old lady, could not directly pose a life threat to him.

If Zhou Hang hadn’t been so timid and easily deceived, he could have easily passed the selection round.

But who would have thought that this rude little brat would come out of nowhere, not only exposing the ghostly old lady and whipping her family but also snatching such a good starting weapon from the ghostly messenger.

Generally, players earn skills by defeating ghosts, but this guy is good; he just took it for himself.

When the horror game spoke, Lu Qingjia showed no sense of urgency at all. Instead, he replied, “Even if we get along well, I’m a bit flattered by your warm hospitality. Thank you so much.”

Game: “…?”

I’m messing with you!

It felt like hitting cotton; the other party no longer entangled with it, leaving a sense of frustration in the horror game that lingered for a long time.

Lu Qingjia counted the chips he had at this moment.

The true eye of the ghostly old lady, the soul-binding rope obtained from the ghostly messenger, and a large amount of points that came with a high evaluation.

These points can not only be used to purchase items before entering the game but can even be exchanged for wealth in the real world.

Lu Qingjia was not surprised by these basic rules; after all, he had done some despicable things to understand this game.

Under deliberate guidance, Lu Qingjia had heard quite a bit of complaints about his superior from his predecessor.

What a fool with no boundaries, easily provoked, lacking the aura to match his position, and instead acting like he was raising a son. Recently, he had become infatuated with a female subordinate, who was already married, yet he kept pondering about interspecies NTR, and the key was that the female subordinate’s husband was also a high-ranking official in the company.

A perfectly good company among the three major monopolies in the industry, with chaotic relationships and a frivolous atmosphere, making their reputation suffer. Whenever it came to comparing superiors, they couldn’t hold their heads high.

The bosses of the other two companies were either strong and ruthless or strategic masterminds, but they had to deal with a mentally deficient idiot.

At that time, Lu Qingjia listened to his complaints like a caring boyfriend, and through these fragmented pieces of information, he extracted quite a bit of what he wanted to know.

Of course, the aftermath was disastrous; when he approached with ulterior motives, the consequences were quite severe.

Lu Qingjia shook off the unpleasant memories, stored the soul-binding rope he obtained into the basic backpack bound to him after becoming a formal player, and then went downstairs to have breakfast with the fat guy.

At this point, the fat guy had already forgotten about the selection round, thinking he was just here to relax. As for the matter of losing weight drastically to a normal weight within a few days, he couldn’t figure it out, so he carelessly tossed it aside, planning to get a full-body check-up when he returned to the city.

Five minutes before entering the game, Lu Qingjia returned to his room to prepare. A prop exchange window for this round of clearance was open before the game started, but it was completely empty.

Lu Qingjia was not surprised. When the time came, a feeling of weightlessness came over him, and when he opened his eyes, he found himself on a slowly moving bus.

The scenery outside the window was covered in white snow, with steep mountains, looking quite beautiful.

There were not many people on the bus; including the driver, there were only eight people. Based on the vague connections between players, Lu Qingjia quickly confirmed that, apart from the driver and a well-dressed, refined woman, the other six were all players.

The other players were also aware of this; the six exchanged glances, greeting each other.

At this moment, it was too quiet on the bus to discuss game matters, so everyone observed the environment inside and outside the bus in hopes of finding some clues.

Only Lu Qingjia stood up and approached the seat of the refined woman, smiling as he asked, “Excuse me, madam, may I sit next to you?”

The refined woman was clearly impatient with the journey, but when she looked up and saw Lu Qingjia’s face, her impatience vanished instantly. She hurriedly said, “Of course, please sit.”

The woman wore a large diamond ring on her ring finger, clearly married, but with such a handsome young man, who was well-groomed and charming, few women would treat his advances coldly.

The other players in the bus were somewhat dumbfounded, thinking this guy was quite composed, flirting with a married woman in a horror game.

Although it wasn’t uncommon for players to flirt with NPCs, shouldn’t you at least figure out the situation first? Generally, NPCs at the starting point of players are likely to have issues.

Lu Qingjia ignored the others’ scrutiny and chatted happily with the woman.

The woman’s surname was Li, and she was generally referred to as Mrs. Li. Recently, it was her and her husband’s three-year wedding anniversary, so they came to this hot spring resort for vacation.

Lu Qingjia’s eyes flickered as he continued to listen to Mrs. Li complain: “I really don’t know what he was thinking. What’s wrong with going abroad? At worst, we could go to Sanya; why come to such a cold place?”

“The hotel doesn’t even have a star rating, and the hot springs aren’t even famous locally. I can’t believe he found out about such a desolate place.”

Lu Qingjia smiled: “You can’t say that; I’m sure your husband has prepared some surprises for you.”

“Moreover, while our hotel’s hardware facilities may be lacking, we will certainly strive to make you feel at home.”

Mrs. Li’s face turned awkward upon hearing this: “Oh, so Mr. Lu is an employee of the hotel? I’m so sorry; I didn’t realize. Knowing you’re here, I’m sure the quality of your hotel staff is very high.”

Lu Qingjia replied, “You flatter me. Please let me help you with your luggage later.”

As they spoke, the bus arrived at its destination, slowly stopping in front of a European-style building covered in white snow.

Mrs. Li hurriedly said, “How can I trouble you? Let my husband handle it; he can’t even do anything right, so let him do something.”

Lu Qingjia pretended not to notice that Mrs. Li had been mentioning her so-called “husband,” who was not present, and insisted on helping her with her luggage and checking in.

Mrs. Li was polite, but she was actually quite pleased that such a handsome young man was being attentive to her, especially since there were two younger-looking women in the bus, which greatly satisfied her vanity.

After a few polite refusals, she forgot about her husband.

The resort staff had long been prepared to welcome guests. When Lu Qingjia helped Mrs. Li check in, he found that the registration method here was still stuck in the past, merely handwritten entries. All they had to do was fill out a registration form.

Let alone having an ID card scanner; since 2008, hotels across the country had already popularized a unified entry system, one person per ID.

Perhaps the game world and the real world do not share the same historical background, but it is definitely not this world, as Lu Qingjia had a brand-new smartphone equipped for the game.

However, when he was chatting with Mrs. Li on the bus, this obviously wealthy and fashionable lady was using a phone that was a popular brand from over a decade ago.

Lu Qingjia had already suspected something, and now seeing the hotel’s operational facilities and the calendar hanging behind the front desk, he was completely certain.

The game would not provide useless hints; aside from the tools bound to the player, it would not equip items that did not match the historical background.

Plus, with Mrs. Li repeatedly mentioning her nonexistent husband, the answer was already quite clear.

This hotel was clearly an alternate space disconnected from the reality of the game world. At this moment, the game task had not yet been released, and the atmosphere around seemed relatively normal, but various signs indicated that the players were already in a chillingly terrifying situation.

After Lu Qingjia finished checking in for Mrs. Li, he sent her back to her room without speaking to the other players.

The other five players were in awe of this guy’s audacity, thinking that in a life-and-death game, he was more concerned about flirting with a married woman?

They silently exchanged opinions, feeling that it was better to keep their distance from such a reckless guy; otherwise, they might end up being dragged down.

Mrs. Li was staying in the hotel’s best luxury suite, with decent decor and equipment, and a great view. The bedroom’s floor-to-ceiling windows offered the most beautiful view of the snow.

Mrs. Li looked quite satisfied, but her husband had yet to show up, and the scattered luggage made her a bit angry.

Lu Qingjia said, “Your husband might be caught up with something. Having so much luggage piled up also affects your rest. If you don’t mind, I can help you tidy up a bit to free up some space.”

At this point, Mrs. Li began to suspect whether Lu Qingjia was genuinely interested in her, and she shyly agreed to his help.

This handsome Mr. Lu was quite efficient in his work, Mrs. Li thought.

In casual conversation, several large boxes of luggage were quickly organized. Cosmetics, jewelry, shoes, and cleaning supplies were all put in their places, and some delicate clothing was even ironed neatly and hung in the wardrobe, while overly personal items were respectfully left untouched.

In a short time, this unfamiliar space became more accommodating and convenient.

Mrs. Li couldn’t help but regret why she hadn’t been born a few years later; compared to her, most men, including her husband, were simply unworthy of her attention.

While the young woman lamented to herself, Lu Qingjia finally discovered something crucial among the cluttered luggage.

He glanced at the cleaning supplies Mrs. Li had brought and then at the brand of cleaning supplies provided by the hotel, and he had an answer in his mind.

Lu Qingjia said, “I see your husband hasn’t arrived yet. The temperature here is too low; if he walks too far outside, it might be dangerous. Could you give me his phone number?”

Mrs. Li had no objections.

After leaving her room, Lu Qingjia took out his smartphone and tried searching for a few keywords, surprisingly finding that he could still connect to the internet.

Soon, Lu Qingjia found what he wanted and edited a text message to send to a number.

[I know what happened that winter.]

At the same time, the six players, including Lu Qingjia, received a task notification from the game.

[This instance: Hot Spring Resort in a Blizzard. Task: Survive for three days.]

[The calm and beautiful hot spring resort is now trapped in a blizzard. Three days later, when the blizzard stops, the resort will have turned to ruins in a fire, with no survivors. The wronged souls trapped in a tragic cycle repeat their lives during the day, but at night—]

The hint was already quite straightforward; aside from the players, there were no living beings left.

The players sitting in the café on the first floor discussing matters suddenly felt a chill run down their spines as they glanced at the staff coming and going and the guests already checked in, which numbered at least thirty.

This meant that in the worst-case scenario, they might be facing thirty ghosts in this task?

Someone immediately lost their composure: “What the hell—this is supposed to be a low-level instance; the game isn’t giving us a way out?”

Amidst the chaos, they saw the guy who had been so attentive to the married woman come down, smiling and muttering to himself.

If anyone among them had good hearing, they would have heard Lu Qingjia say—

“Is this when the task is announced? But my clearance progress is already about 60%; you could take your time next time and wait for me to complete the task before notifying me.”

The horror game swallowed a mouthful of blood, and the grievances of being repeatedly mocked and ridiculed by a mere newcomer almost made it cry out loud.

Of course, the other players were unaware of all this.

They only saw Lu Qingjia approach the front desk and say to the two staff members, “Get your supervisor out here.”

The two front desk staff thought the guest was going to complain and immediately became nervous: “Sir, is there something we can help you with?”

Lu Qingjia displayed a standard professional smile: “It’s nothing serious; as your new boss, I just wanted to inform you.”

“He’s been fired!”

Everyone in the lobby was stunned, not knowing what this guy was up to.