Lu Qingjia was blessed with good looks, thanks to the genes of his irresponsible parents. In fact, his attractive appearance was the only positive legacy they left him.
Lu Qingjia’s mother was beautiful, and the maternal genes were excellent. It was said that his grandfather was also a renowned handsome man in his time. Even today, looking at the old black-and-white photo of him wearing a military coat, one would be more impressed than by many meticulously photoshopped celebrities at first glance.
His mother was beautiful, but Old Uncle was even more handsome.
Old Uncle was five or six years younger than his mother. She had dropped out of high school after getting pregnant with Lu Qingjia’s father. In fact, the age difference between Lu Qingjia and Old Uncle was only about twelve or thirteen years.
When Lu Qingjia’s parents died in an accident, Old Uncle, who took him in, was just in his early twenties.
Even younger than Lu Qingjia is now.
The age difference was noticeable when Lu Qingjia was a child, but as he grew up, especially after the growth spurt in middle school, they no longer looked like relatives of different generations but more like brothers.
Perhaps due to excellent genes, or maybe because of diligent exercise and the nourishment of Spiritual power as a Player, Old Uncle hadn’t changed much over the years.
He had just become more mature and steady. After shedding the last trace of youthfulness, his appearance settled into the best state.
In the photo, Old Uncle looked as if time had turned back to when he first found Lu Qingjia.
He was still a somewhat naive young man, but he reached out to Lu Qingjia and said, “Jiajia, from now on, I’ll be your guardian.”
Lu Qingjia’s eyes felt hot, and his nose ached with discomfort.
Feeling a soft touch on his arm, he looked down to find the black cat comforting him with its paw.
Lu Qingjia took a deep breath, forcing himself to focus on rationality.
This was undoubtedly Old Uncle’s instance back then, a Horror Game exchange student instance.
Except for a few cases, most instances were secondary real worlds. If the information reflected in the photo was true, then when Old Uncle entered this instance, he must have taken on the role of the eldest son of this family.
Not just the photo, but the style of the room’s decoration, the collected tea sets, the usual hobbies to pass the time, and even the books on the shelf that he preferred—all gave Lu Qingjia a deep sense of familiarity.
Because in his residence, the room that had been sealed off was exactly the same.
However, he didn’t know in what form the younger son of this family, the role Lu Qingjia was now substituting, existed when Old Uncle first entered.
This also explained why Old Uncle, before his death, almost despairingly urged him not to seek revenge or get involved with the Game.
He had been trying to prevent Lu Qingjia from stepping onto a path of no return, but after entering this Game, if he discovered that the younger brother of the substituted role looked exactly like his nephew, a sense of absurdity would probably overwhelm him instantly.
As for why the ‘Trickster’ was so eager to push him into this instance that might expose the Trickster’s true identity, Lu Qingjia seemed to have some clues.
Lu Qingjia sat on the bed, stroking the cat’s fur, seemingly talking to it but also as if muttering to himself, “Because the consequences of Old Uncle’s failed mission weren’t just his own death, right?”
This could explain why Old Uncle was so afraid of him seeking revenge, because he knew his nephew’s capabilities well and knew that he would likely find the instance where he died.
However, the moment he stepped into this instance, it was marked with a curse.
The Trickster not only didn’t stop him from coming here but actively facilitated it, knowing that a death trap awaited him.
Apart from a blood relative having been here before, Lu Qingjia couldn’t think of any other more reasonable clue to trigger the curse.
The possibility he had previously speculated, that after entering the instance, all members would be collectively cursed after a certain time, was even judged by him to be less likely than the latter possibility without even verifying it.
And as expected, the initial tentative moves alone had already caused Lu Qingjia rare difficulties. If the full difficulty of this instance were unleashed, even with his current abilities, he couldn’t guarantee a 100% chance of avoiding the death line.
Because it was almost as unsolvable as Ouyang Bai’s halo rebound.
Moreover, Lu Qingjia was almost certain that the rule to temporarily avoid the death line here was to find a Player as a scapegoat.
Old Uncle and his companions must have gone through a fierce battle of wits, and in the end, he lost, entrusting his trust at the wrong time, at the cost of his life.
However, these clues and judgments were too general, and without knowing the specific operational details, it was impossible to talk about clearing the instance or exposing the Trickster.
At this moment, Lu Qingjia’s mother called again, checking if he had returned home.
Lu Qingjia could roughly guess the source of his mother’s current irritable and neurotic state, so he was a bit more patient.
He answered, “I’m already home. What about you?”
His mother sighed in relief, “Good that you’re home. Don’t wander around. I’ll be back later. Your cousin died, and they’re making a scene now.”
Lu Qingjia comforted her and, based on his memory of the seating and facial features, asked his mother about the Players he recognized.
Since they were all likely to bear the curse, they were probably also members of his family. Indeed, his mother quickly matched the information and told Lu Qingjia the names and relationships of those Players.
She also nagged about Lu Qingjia staying at home all day without socializing, even forgetting his relatives.
After hanging up, Lu Qingjia flipped through his contact list and found that everyone actually had contact information.
Even those without phone numbers were at least in the same family WeChat group.
So he directly created a small group and added everyone to it.
He changed his profile picture to a selfie, so anyone who had seen him at the banquet should recognize him.
The feedback was quick; within ten minutes, all the Players who had met at the wedding had surfaced.
[A Player from the same instance. The rules haven’t mentioned competition yet. If we can cooperate and make money together, that’s for the best, right?] said an Extreme Game Player.
[Exactly, we certainly hope to unite against external threats. After all, most Horror Game Players cooperate. But your Extreme Game and Infinite Game—not to be biased, but due to the special screening conditions and competitive environment, stabbing teammates in the back is not uncommon. We’re willing, but what about your sincerity?]
[Hah, as if your Horror Game’s Gold-digging players and Hunter Players are vegetarians.]
It was relatively easy for Infinite Game and Extreme Game Players to form cliques, and many Players knew about the exchange student system and other Game information.
[Let’s stop with the formalities. The rules aren’t clear yet, so it’s too early to say anything. But exchanging information is possible.]
[Only if the information is of equal value.]
Lu Qingjia was impatient with this step. After all, merely clearing the instance wasn’t something he was too concerned about.
Even though this instance’s difficulty exceeded any he had experienced before.
He didn’t need the Players’ cooperation, but he also didn’t want them to act on their own and cause him trouble.
Mastering and guiding their clearing strategies was necessary, which involved absolute information asymmetry.
So he directly said, [The mission of this instance is to survive the curse. Although I can’t guarantee we’re the only Players in this Game, we all belong to the same family and share a curse. The groom who died today was because of this.]
[It wasn’t a car accident or a plot arrangement; he was just destined to die.]
[The instance’s difficulty is high, somewhat similar to ‘Final Destination,’ with countless accidents and extraordinary power intensity. Although everyone here has their own skills, I’ll only say this once.]
[Don’t be too confident in any of your survival methods. Lastly, good luck.]
The WeChat group was silent for over a minute.
Just moments ago, they were talking about exchanging information, and everyone had their own thoughts and speculations, sure to be guarded and not reveal key clues.
But Lu Qingjia spilled everything in one go, even information they hadn’t yet uncovered, making them feel as if they had stepped into thin air.
Their first reaction was whether this guy was crazy? The second was whether he was deliberately spreading false information to muddy the waters.
However, the reality was that as soon as Lu Qingjia finished speaking, the Game’s mission was released—
[Main Mission Triggered: The Mystery of the Family Curse. Mission: Survive for 15 days.]
“…”
So he wasn’t lying?
Although it was only two short sentences, the implied information was already substantial.
Lu Qingjia had just spoken, and the mission was announced, indicating that at least the general direction he mentioned was correct. Thus, there was no need to explore further, and the Game directly announced it.
In such so-called “XX Mystery” instances, the basic mission is usually to solve the mystery. But here, the mission only requires Players to survive, without any exploration demands, indicating the difficulty.
Therefore, Lu Qingjia’s earlier words weren’t an exaggeration.
At this moment, none of them had yet faced the power of this curse. No matter how it was described, those who could enter the exchange student occasion were at least outstanding in their respective Games, and it wasn’t enough to shatter their confidence.
Lu Qingjia also obtained the clues he wanted from everyone’s attitude, without needing them to deliberately explain. On the contrary, direct or indirect questions might lead to guarded or even misleading answers.
But now it seemed that only he had received the curse. If anyone else had felt that chilling cold from within, they wouldn’t have doubted his initial straightforwardness.
Lu Qingjia talked with the Players for a while, agreeing to stay in touch, and then went to the kitchen to cook three bowls of noodles.
Thanks to his mother’s calls every few minutes, Lu Qingjia could accurately determine their location.
By the time the noodles were ready, his parents arrived home.
They hadn’t eaten much at the wedding before the incident, and after all the commotion, they were hungry.
His mother, originally full of anger and anxiety, calmed down a bit when she saw the noodles her son had made.
Controlling her expression, she sighed and said, “Let’s eat first.”
Halfway through the meal, Lu Qingjia suddenly asked, “Mom, do you remember if my brother was close with anyone back then?”
Given Old Uncle’s personality, even if he were to clear the instance, he wouldn’t ignore his anxious parents. If he and the Trickster had a protector-protégé relationship, it was possible that Lu Qingjia’s parents had met the Trickster.
Of course, searching among the younger generation of the large family was also an option, as the Trickster might have been one of the cursed young people in this family.
But since the other party had successfully cleared the instance, the remaining role either disappeared or the worldline adjusted to return to normal life. It was difficult to find clues from this alone.
Upon hearing him mention his elder brother, his mother paused with her chopsticks, looked up at Lu Qingjia, her eyes terrifying—
“Why are you asking about this? Why bring up your brother now of all times? Do you think your mother’s life is too easy?”
With that, she slammed her chopsticks on the table with such force that the bowls almost toppled. His father, eating noodles across the table, shrank his shoulders, wishing he could disappear.
But once his mother started, there was no calming her down. She grabbed Lu Qingjia’s hand with surprising strength.
“I’ve told you to listen to your mother, not to ask unnecessary questions, not to think unnecessary thoughts, and not to inquire about irrelevant things. You stay at home all day, not talking to anyone, only raising cats and dogs, that’s fine. But why don’t you listen to my advice?”
“Your brother was curious back then, and now I only have you left. If something happens to you, what will I do?”
Lu Qingjia glanced at his father, who avoided his gaze, showing no intention of intervening, probably knowing that any sound from him would only escalate the conflict.
But he couldn’t hide. His mother followed Lu Qingjia’s gaze and, like a gasoline barrel ignited, exploded.
“You’re still eating? You’ll choke to death. Why don’t you look at your son?” She sneered, her voice filled with venomous hatred, “Of course, with a son, you can rest easy.”
“Disgusting creature, how do you deserve it?” She let go of Lu Qingjia and started attacking his father, “How do you deserve my son’s life for yours?”
She continued in a frenzy, “Today, Qiangzi died, and it’s good that he’s dead, saving the next generation from suffering. I say your family should all die out.”
Lu Qingjia quickly pulled them apart, cupped his mother’s head, and made eye contact, “Mom, calm down, it’s okay, I’m here, I’m fine.”
His strong spiritual power suppressed his mother’s inner madness and anger, and after calming down, she was overwhelmed with exhaustion.
Lu Qingjia carried her to her room, laid her on the bed, and covered her with a blanket.
Returning to the living room, he saw his father alone, shoulders hunched. He was not yet fifty, but his figure was stooped, radiating desolation.
Seeing Lu Qingjia return, he sighed, “You’ve grown up, more and more like your brother.”
Lu Qingjia temporarily withheld judgment on his father and the family’s choices, and continued, “What I asked Mom earlier, do you have any memories of it?”
Unlike his mother, his father wasn’t resistant to telling Lu Qingjia everything, but he was afraid his mother would go crazy if she found out.
So he made a pact with Lu Qingjia, “Actually, with such things, it’s better to let you make the choice than to hide it. After all, everyone in our family has to go through this.”
Then his father told the story of their family.
He said there was an isolated, conservative ancient mountain village where the villagers worshipped a mountain god for generations.
But every three years, the mountain god required a pair of young boys and girls as offerings. In the past, people were ignorant and foolish, so it was fine. But as time entered the modern era, education spread to the countryside.
Young people, through schooling or working, saw the outside world and realized the village’s backwardness and cruelty, organizing to demand the elders stop the offerings.
This naturally caused an uproar, even leading to bloodshed. The elders in power even forbade the village’s children from leaving again.
But having seen the world’s prosperity, how could they be content to return to poverty?
So a group of young people planned an escape, which succeeded at the time, but unexpectedly, their actions angered the mountain god.
Descendants after the age of eighteen risked death, unless they had children, in which case the curse would transfer to the child, lying dormant for eighteen years, continuing the cycle of fate.
Whether paternal or maternal, as long as they were direct descendants of those young people, they were on the list.
It had been almost forty years since then, about two generations. Including both paternal and maternal lines, apart from those who attended today’s wedding banquet and had been in close contact in recent years, many had lost touch or scattered across the country.
Everyone knew this was the curse of their ancestors’ escape, and some had tried taking their descendants back to worship the mountain god, seeking forgiveness.
But without exception, they never returned, and outsiders knew there was no possibility of reconciliation.
Fortunately, this happened every three years, lasting fifteen days. As long as they survived, they could live in peace for three years, marrying and having children in the meantime.
Moreover, not every time resulted in many deaths; there were even several years when no one died. But the last time was particularly tragic, with seven deaths, including Lu Qingjia’s brother (Old Uncle).
His mother, devastated by the loss of her outstanding eldest son, became more extreme and controlling over her only remaining son.
But if she wanted to ensure her son’s survival, the best way was to arrange for him to marry and have children quickly during these three years.
However, having lost one son, she didn’t want to see her grandchild inherit this tragic fate. The pressure made her increasingly irritable, and outbursts like today’s had become common at home.
This also explained why, at the beginning of the Game, Lu Qingjia judged the original host to be a taciturn, gloomy, and depressed person.
The pain of losing his brother, his mother’s unresolved grief, the curse he bore, and the oppressive family atmosphere—it would be strange if his spirit remained normal.
Lu Qingjia used his spiritual ability while questioning his father, ensuring he spoke freely and didn’t withhold any information.
After confirming that he wouldn’t get any more useful information from his parents, Lu Qingjia decided to send them out of this Game field.
This instance was too brutal, but according to his father, the last mass death was three years ago, and the previous one was over a decade ago.
Either this instance wasn’t open to Players every time, or there were other family groups, but they didn’t communicate with his family.
Lu Qingjia took out two vials of medicine from his space, a drug bought from the Infinite City.
It could temporarily erase painful memories, bringing the spirit and mood to their best state.
Originally, this was like a drug in the Infinite City, used to escape reality. However, unlike drugs, it didn’t cause physical addiction or side effects.
But mental addiction was hard to say, as using it could forget troubles and bring happiness, something many couldn’t refuse.
Lu Qingjia fed one vial to his sleeping mother and mixed the other into water for his father to drink. Soon, his father also fell asleep.
While they rested, Lu Qingjia booked plane tickets, a hotel, packed luggage, and prepared passports.
When they woke up, he guided them with his spiritual power and tricked them, saying, “We’re running late. Let’s eat something on the way to the airport. I booked first class, so the meals should be good, and we can make up for it.”
He suggested they had a travel plan all along and sent them out the door. Three hours later, they would board a flight to a visa-free country, spending the next fifteen days there.
Given Lu Qingjia’s current “Final Destination” physique, he didn’t plan to send his parents off, and fortunately, they didn’t insist.
Although they were somewhat inexplicably led by the nose, they were in good spirits when they left.
Once they were gone, Lu Qingjia arranged the next steps. Regardless, he had to return to that small mountain village first.
But the next day, as he was about to leave with the cat, his uncle’s family came knocking.
A group of people noisily banged on the door, demanding the woman who had caused a scene at the wedding yesterday.
“You took her away, so you have to hand her over.”
“I don’t care, my son died because of her. A life for a life, she can’t escape.”
Lu Qingjia had no fondness for this family. He smiled faintly and said, “You don’t even know where your son’s girlfriend of five years lives?”
“At the time, I just saw that things were about to escalate, so I pulled her out to avoid the police getting involved. After that, she left. I didn’t know her, so of course, I have no idea where she went.”
“Pah! Who knows what you’re always thinking about? You’re the most isolated in this whole family. Why isn’t it you who died?”
“Auntie, enough, enough. Don’t say such things among family.”
“We went to look for that woman, but she had already moved away. She didn’t show up at her workplace either. We suspect she just ran away.”
“We can’t let Qiangzi’s death go without an explanation. Since you took her away, you’re responsible for finding her.”
Lu Qingjia laughed. “Don’t you have any idea why my cousin died? What’s the point of finding her?”
“Never mind that. Just help us look for her.”
Lu Qingjia raised an eyebrow. Logically, if the woman had been drained of her value by his uncle’s family, an ordinary groom’s family might indeed blame her, believing she was responsible for the death.
But this family knew their own business well. While their anger was understandable, the woman had already given up everything, even the property she had previously fought for, and just ran away. Objectively speaking, they should be relieved that she had abandoned the fight.
Why were they so insistent on finding her? Weren’t they worried she might retaliate and continue the fight? After all, she bore no responsibility for the groom’s death.
If the groom’s parents were blinded by hatred, that was one thing, but what about the others?
The conclusion was that the woman must have taken something they desperately needed to recover.
Lu Qingjia set this thought aside for now and decided to return to the mountain village first.
“Alright,” he said, “but I have something to attend to. I’ll help you look for her when I get back.”
“Your cousin is dead, and instead of helping to find her, you’re leaving? Do you even have a conscience?”
“Where are you going?”
Lu Qingjia smiled. “I’m going back to my hometown.”
At this, the family looked at him as if he were crazy. Lu Qingjia added, “Oh, by the way, I’ve been having terrible luck since yesterday afternoon. I almost got killed by a steel pipe falling from the garage. Must be the year of my zodiac curse. You’d better stay away from me.”
Hearing this, they immediately took a step back, not daring to get any closer.
After sending the family away, Lu Qingjia received messages from an Extreme Player and an Infinite Player. They had also extracted information about the curse from their own families.
Thinking that Lu Qingjia, who seemed to know a lot of clues from the start, might be a good ally, they asked if he wanted to return to the mountain village together.
Lu Qingjia didn’t refuse. Since there were no coordinates for that place, he couldn’t use his Ability, and he was afraid of endangering ordinary people if they took public transportation. So, he rented a car, and the three of them, along with a cat, drove back.
They left in the morning and arrived at the small town near their destination by evening.
They still had a long mountain road ahead. The three of them left the car in the town and headed straight for the village.
The village was isolated by several layers of mountains. If they took the winding mountain road, it would be a long, arduous journey of dozens of miles.
But going straight, the distance was reduced by nearly ten times. All three Players were skilled in physical combat, so traversing mountains and rivers was no challenge. And if that failed, they still had their Abilities.
So, it didn’t take them long to reach the village before sunset.
From afar, they saw a dead cat hanging from an old locust tree at the village entrance. This was still a common rural custom—when a cat died, it wasn’t buried but instead hung from a tree.
As the three approached, Lu Qingjia suddenly felt something was off. He used a branch to turn the cat’s body over.
When the cat’s corpse flipped, they saw that it was tied to a purplish, swollen, and partially decomposed dead infant.
Players of the Infinite and Extreme Games were usually tested to their physical limits in instances, but they rarely encountered such eerie and ghostly visual shocks.
Instinctively, they stepped back.
Then they bumped into someone. Turning around, they saw an old woman who had appeared out of nowhere. Her face was like tree bark, covered in age spots, her teeth were gone, and her triangular eyes gleamed with a sinister light.
She stared at the three of them, seemingly pleased, and smiled, revealing blackened teeth. “You’ve come back, have you?”
