Late at night, all was quiet.
Sharing one room between three people had its benefits—Ji Heng was sleeping on the floor near the door, which unintentionally added a sense of security just by having someone guard the entrance.
Both Xia Zhi and Su Er slept deeply.
The rare sense of ease allowed Su Er to forget about the game and everything he’d gone through in recent months.
“Su Er.” A white dress rippled in the wind as Zhu Yun approached, smiling brightly. “Congratulations.”
Su Er focused on something else: “Why aren’t you wearing your school uniform?”
Zhu Yun chuckled. “The college entrance exams are over. Why would I still wear a uniform? Congratulations on becoming the top scorer in the province.”
The college entrance exams… top scorer?
Su Er stared, stunned. “Me?”
“Who else would it be?” Zhu Yun teased. “You’re a star now.”
Su Er felt like he was forgetting something important, his mind stuck for a few seconds before he finally asked, “What was my math score?”
“Perfect score.”
“And Chinese?”
“138. You were one point short of full marks on the essay.”
Su Er looked at her and shook his head. “That’s not right.”
Zhu Yun reached out to feel his forehead. “Fever? You’re talking nonsense.”
Su Er insisted, “My essay should’ve been full marks.”
The moment he said that, everything before him—starting from Zhu Yun’s smiling face—began to blur. Memory finally broke free from its cage, and Su Er’s gaze regained clarity… It had always been hard for him to even pass math. How could he possibly get a perfect score? This was like dragging his IQ through the mud.
“Wake up!”
His body was shaken hard. When he opened his eyes, he saw Xia Zhi leaning over, shaking him with effort.
Su Er winced and sat up, pressing through the headache.
Xia Zhi explained, “Ji Heng said you might be in trouble.”
Su Er turned his head and saw the floor was empty.
Xia Zhi continued, “He went to get some cold water—if that didn’t work, he was going to pour it on you.”
A moment later, Ji Heng came back into the room with a bowl of water.
Su Er looked at him questioningly. Ji Heng shook his head. “Just a hunch. I told Xia Zhi to wake you just in case.”
“A hunch?”
“He said you were smiling too sweetly in your sleep,” Xia Zhi interjected, a bit exasperated. “You’d never smile like that normally.”
Though it sounded ridiculous, she had to admit Su Er’s usual smiles tended to carry some hidden calculation.
Su Er didn’t deny it and recounted the dream in full.
“They say that once you reach Free Town, all dreams can come true. And I don’t usually have such pleasant dreams—so it probably wasn’t a coincidence.”
Discussing such a topic in the middle of the night was enough to send chills down anyone’s spine. Xia Zhi swallowed nervously. Could it be that some ghost had actually snuck into the room?
“Scent,” Ji Heng suddenly said after a long silence.
Following his gaze, Su Er looked down and noticed a faint smear of incense ash on his sleeve—about the size of a fingernail, giving off a subtle, strange fragrance.
Seeing it, Xia Zhi seemed thoughtful. “With his low physical power, it makes sense he was targeted.”
Even with impressive performance in the instances, Su Er had only joined the game recently. His physical power hadn’t had much time to improve.
Ji Heng walked to the bedside, wiped a bit of the ash from Su Er’s sleeve, and suddenly asked an unrelated question: “How long has Xu He been away from home?”
Su Er shook his head. Xia Zhi answered directly, “Just under two years.”
It was clear her afternoon investigation had been thorough.
Ji Heng gave a short laugh. “Not even two years, and he made a fortune and returned in glory…” His eyes swept over the simple furnishings of the room. “All without any initial capital.”
Xia Zhi said, “From what I gathered, Xu He made money in business. No one knows exactly what kind.”
Anyone can build something from scratch, but in horror instances, you always had to think a layer deeper.
Ji Heng looked directly at Su Er. “I have an idea.”
Su Er pulled a face—why was he copying his catchphrase?
Just as they met eyes, Ji Heng’s smile disappeared. “The one who killed the Stamp Ghost was Wang Sansi.”
Su Er raised his eyebrows slightly.
The conclusion was so abrupt that Xia Zhi froze in shock, her first instinct being that this was too ridiculous to even joke about. But before she could speak, the game responded first:
[Congratulations to player Ji Heng for solving the Stamp Ghost’s cause of death. Reward: Silver Bullet (a powerful weapon against werewolves).]
Countless questions bubbled up, nearly making Xia Zhi’s head explode. Her lips trembled a few times, and in the end, all she could manage was, “How could Wang Sansi possibly kill the Stamp Ghost…”
“It’s not about ability. It’s about identity,” Ji Heng replied, his tone serious rather than joyful. “The role a person plays determines the path they’ll take.”
Xia Zhi was baffled. “Isn’t Wang Sansi just a family mediator?”
Ji Heng shook his head.
Su Er, who had been deep in thought, suddenly stirred and let out a light ‘hm,’ then stood up and walked outside. “Wait a moment for me.”
Xia Zhi asked curiously, “Where are you going?”
Su Er thought that if she stayed, she’d inevitably keep asking questions, and Ji Heng hated endlessly explaining things. So he asked, “Coming with me?”
Xia Zhi hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
Ji Heng chose to remain alone in the room. He seemed to know where they were going, didn’t follow, but also didn’t stop them.
Xia Zhi assumed Su Er would head to where the incense burner was stored, but instead, they ended up outside the room belonging to Xu He’s parents.
Even though it was the sweltering summer, this room had its doors and windows tightly shut. Xia Zhi almost expected to find rotting corpses inside. Su Er pried open a crack in the window, revealing two emaciated, withered elderly people chained to the bed, writhing non-stop in an abnormally hyper-excited state.
“Give me... give me the medicine…” Despite the loud noise from prying the window, the old couple seemed deaf to it, repeating just those words over and over.
Xia Zhi couldn’t shake a sense of déjà vu. Her pupils shrank when she spotted needles on the floor—this was just like how addicts were often portrayed on TV.
Thinking back on all the strange things about the Xu family, a terrifying thought began to form.
The old people suddenly became aware of being watched. Their grayish eyes turned sharply toward the window.
Su Er bent down and quickly closed it again.
As they walked back, Xia Zzhi let the night breeze wash over her, gradually regaining her composure. "Xu He made his fortune from drug dealing?"
Su Er nodded. “That whole ‘any dream can come true’ line—if you strip it down, it means anything is possible in a dream.”
Some people who are disillusioned with real life choose to corrupt their souls with drugs, chasing another kind of extreme pleasure.
Xia Zhi took a deep breath. "But the mission says we need to find the right stamp to reach Free Town."
Is the game encouraging players to turn to crime?
A thought flashed through her mind, and she suddenly stopped. “If there are drug dealers, there must be anti-narcotics agents.”
“The sudden appearance of a mediator and the unattached man with no fixed residence in town…” Su Er's voice was calm. “I, Ji Heng, and Wang Sansi are most likely undercover police.”
As for the Xu family, they were clearly a drug den.
He narrowed his eyes and looked at Xiazhi. “An undercover cop wouldn’t shack up with a wife-beater, so your identity is probably…”
“A whistleblower.” Xia Zhi composed herself and started analyzing. “Because I couldn’t take the abuse anymore, and couldn’t divorce either, I secretly reported him.”
That way, not only could she escape her suffering permanently, but she might even get some compensation, living the rest of her life free from worry. The long-term abuse would have served as a perfect cover, giving her a legitimate excuse to see Wang Sansi repeatedly without raising suspicion.
No wonder Ji Heng had said so much in front of her earlier—because they were on the same team.
By now, they’d walked outside.
Ji Heng was already sitting on a small stool by the door. He seemed to be enjoying the night, but there was no reflection of the stars in his eyes.
Su Er casually wiped his hand along the doorframe and sat down nearby.
“Got an answer?” Ji Heng asked.
Su Er nodded. “Our identities are confirmed. Just one thing left.”
Ji Heng remained calm. “Wang Sansi.”
Su Er nodded, voice deep. “There was a tip-off from a whistleblower. Xu He’s parents are addicts. At the very least, there should’ve been a sting operation—but he’s still walking free.”
The most likely explanation is that someone among the undercover agents turned traitor, stalling for time under false pretenses.
Leaning against the door, Xia Zhi’s face looked a little grim. “Wang Sansi killed the Stamp Ghost. The Stamp Ghost actually represented justice?”
Her tone carried a heavy dose of sarcasm.
Su Er said softly, “Maybe a few years ago, the local police weren’t this rotten. When the higher-ups got the report and wanted to nab a drug lord, they would’ve needed local cooperation.”
The officials they saw now weren’t even of retirement age, yet all had mysteriously disappeared—likely meeting with some misfortune.
“If what we’re experiencing is something that happened at a past moment, and in reality Wang Sansi is still just a mediator, then after all these years, he’s probably turned this town into a stronghold.”
Wang Sansi helped Xu He take out the local authorities, then planted his own people in the Regulation Bureau. Earlier, the adult shop owner had said he only got the incense burner through bureau connections, which indirectly supports the theory.
Xia Zhi's brow slowly relaxed. “If that’s the case, then Xu He might just be an ordinary player who drew the identity of a drug lord.”
He was just playing a role—not necessarily possessing the cruelty of a real criminal.
“Oh?” Ji Heng let out a low chuckle. In the quiet night, the sound was lonely and eerie.
Xia Zhi involuntarily shivered. “You mean that’s not the case?”
Ji Heng said calmly, “In my experience, during role assignments, the game tends to give players roles that match their real-life traits.”
The chance that Wang Sansi or Xu He are good people in the real world was almost zero.
“Traits?” Su Er looked thoughtful, then patted Ji Heng’s shoulder affectionately. “Then our defining trait must be ‘can’t get married.’”
Ji Heng sighed. “The bachelor role is just a cover.”
Su Er completely ignored him, gazing longingly at the sky. “If I’m still single at your age, I must’ve been focused on my studies.”
Maybe even gotten a PhD—my future would’ve been bright.
A gust of cold wind blew through. The Stamp Ghost had appeared in the courtyard without anyone noticing. This time, his eyes were no longer clouded with confusion.
A silver bullet was tossed over in a graceful arc.
“This is your reward for helping me find the truth behind my death.”
Ji Heng held it in his hand and rubbed it. It was a powerful item, though sadly useless in this instance.
Xia Zhi ventured, “You got your memory back—are you going for revenge?”
“It’s not that easy.” The Stamp Ghost closed his eyes briefly. “This town’s been destroyed by drugs. Everyone’s mind has been affected.”
A cold system prompt rang out the moment he finished speaking:
[As a representative of justice, you have learned Free Town’s secret. You must find the Drug King and destroy them within three days.]
The three players’ tasks only had minor variations—Xia Zhi’s alignment was “chaos.”
Su Er shrugged. “No doubt about it—Wang Sansi and the others are evil.”
Tonight, Ji Heng had a special fondness for gazing at the sky. When the moon’s outline started to blur, he finally spoke again: “The secret’s been uncovered. The illusion is collapsing.”
Upon hearing that, Su Er looked around and noticed the plants and trees around them were slowly dissolving into nothingness. Stunned for two seconds, he quickly shrugged off his coat, ran back inside, and packed up all the little clay figures.
Just as he stood up straight, the entire world flipped upside down.
When he opened his eyes again, he had no idea where he was. His first instinct was to check the clay figures—fortunately, the yin energy infused in them had kept them from vanishing with the illusion. He let out a small breath of relief. “Everyone’s safe.”
The stun gun’s yin energy had been completely depleted. The clay army hadn’t yet served its purpose—if he’d lost them in the illusion just now, that would’ve been a huge loss.
But just as the corners of his lips lifted slightly, they dropped again the moment he looked up and saw a familiar rose. Mister Rose stood across from him with a blank expression. On his shoulder sat a small clay figure, a bright red dot at the center of its forehead.
Su Er’s heart went ice cold. After a long moment, he turned his head stiffly toward Ji Heng. “We just escaped the first layer of illusion… and now we’re in the second.”
That’s right—this all had to be an illusion.
The instance had really gone too far this time—it made an illusion inside an illusion!
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