Chapter 13: Afterword and Relocating the Ancestral Graves

Curling his distinct, bony fingers, Song Qingxiu smiled tenderly, his voice dripping with honey: "Oh dear, you've gotten yourself all dirty, baby. Your husband will wipe you clean, so don't be angry, okay?"

With gentle, meticulous strokes, he wiped the black blood splashed across Jiang Shengsheng’s face. He then gathered her into his arms, carrying her steadily as he walked out of the hospital.

He had rid his baby of the vengeful spirits that entangled her, as well as the stalkers who lurked in the shadows, obsessively watching her. Now, his baby belonged solely to him.

Behind him, the game instance began to crumble. The ground beneath his feet disintegrated into fragments, replaced by a path of shimmering blue electronic light.

Sensing the figure in his arms fading away piece by piece, the smile on Song Qingxiu’s lips turned cold.

Before Jiang Shengsheng vanished completely, he lifted her chin and captured her lips with his: "Be a good baby and wait for your husband to find you. If you dare to provoke any other mutts..."

"Then I’ll just have to kill them all."

[Ding! Welcome, NPC Jiang Shengsheng, to the decryption game!]
[Instance "Jealousy" complete! OOC level below 10%! Perfect performance achieved!]

Clutching her waist, Jiang Shengsheng sat up on the bed, hissing in pain.

So, NPCs have to endure the agony of injuries too? This boss is truly heartless!

[Would you like to review the main plot of the instance?]
[Yes] [No]

A high-tech panel appeared before her. After a few seconds of hesitation, Jiang Shengsheng selected [Yes].

She had a vague suspicion that it had something to do with Song Qingxiu. She never expected that a player would one day become the answer to a riddle.

[Reviewing instance main plot!]

Song Qingxiu had a secret: he was in love with his cousin's girlfriend.

Every look, every smile, and her shy, adorable demeanor made his blood boil; he craved everything about her.

Standing before the floor-to-ceiling window, Song Qingxiu was completely swallowed by the night. The interplay of light and shadow made his expression dark and inscrutable: "...Matched?"

That cousin of his, who never seemed to grow up—how could he possibly be worthy of his baby?

Jealousy and greed grew wildly within his flesh, rooting deep into his bones, impossible to pull out.

At the most opportune moment, the leopard struck.

Zhang Dali: "Ah Liao, you wouldn't want to be reported, would you? Let’s split the money sixty-forty. With an extra person, it’ll be easier to get the job done!"

Liuliu: "Are you guys... drugging someone? Who are you trying to poison?" That day, Zhang Dali and Ah Liao had skipped morning study.

They were mixing hallucinogens in the dorm, just as they poured it into the communal water dispenser, they were caught by Liuliu, who had run back to the dorm after forgetting her umbrella.

Liuliu: "...Poor Song, heaven truly envies the talented..."

Monkey: "What’s so great about Song? Everyone likes him, but he’s just a pretty-boy poser! It’s good he’s dead; the prize nomination is finally mine, hahaha!"

A diary hidden in a bookshelf, a phone locked in a black box, and murderous intent buried beneath layers of jealousy and greed.

With a loud rumble, dark, heavy clouds oppressed the air outside. The man standing by the window swirled the wine in his goblet.

A flash of lightning illuminated half his face. Song Qingxiu tilted his head back, took a sip of red wine, and smiled with the satisfaction of one who had already claimed his prize: "How can the dead... ever hope to compete with the living?"

[Review complete]

She hadn't expected it to be a tragedy born of obsession. Jiang Shengsheng breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest.

It was a good thing she was just a minor game NPC; that was truly miserable.

The intense pain from the instance faded away. Jiang Shengsheng spent a few minutes clearing her mind before volunteering to continue: "Let's start."

The system did not refuse.

[Ding! Welcome, NPC Jiang Shengsheng, to the decryption game!]
[Your mission: Fully embody your role and control the mortality rate of the game instance!]

A nauseating wave of dizziness rose from her stomach. Jiang Shengsheng rubbed her temples in discomfort, and when she opened her eyes again, she was met with a pale, aged face.

[Attention! NPC, do not go OOC! Dropping below 80% character integrity will result in deletion!]
[Instance Two: A college student returning to her hometown to relocate family graves in a village filled with oddities. Die at the critical node to prompt the players to discover the truth!]

"...Hello?" Jiang Shengsheng’s face stiffened in fright, and she pulled her lips into an awkward smile. "Can I help you?"

The old woman standing beside her had a hunched spine, her skin hanging loosely over prominent cheekbones, and her cloudy eyes flashed with a momentary, ghostly light.

She wore a tattered robe, stitched together from scraps of red, blue, and yellow fabric, ragged and pilled.

The old woman gave a wheezing laugh, her voice raspy, as if being sanded down by sandpaper: "Darkness between the brows... there is no return from where you go..."

Leaving behind those cryptic words, the old woman’s figure slowly vanished from Jiang Shengsheng’s sight.

"Baby? Are you not feeling well?" Feeling her hands held by warm, large palms, Jiang Shengsheng turned her head toward the man sitting beside her and shook her head. "Did you just see a strange old woman?"

Xia Junyao shook his head, his long black hair brushing against Jiang Shengsheng’s neck. "Is my baby sleepy and confused? Drink some water; we’ll be there soon."

Observing her boyfriend Xia Junyao’s expression, she realized he wasn't lying. Jiang Shengsheng’s heart skipped a beat, a creeping sensation of horror making her skin crawl.

"Baby?" Noticing his girlfriend’s poor complexion, Xia Junyao leaned in with concern, kissing her cheeks and forehead with delicate, rapid pecks, finally sealing her lips with a kiss.

He ground his lips against hers, and Jiang Shengsheng gradually lost the will to think further. A lovely peach-blossom flush spread across her cheeks, and her bright, almond-shaped eyes shimmered with moisture.

"How long has it been, and you still haven't learned how to catch your breath, you silly baby."

Xia Junyao leaned down to kiss her again, chuckling as he patted her back to help her catch her breath.

They were seniors on the verge of graduation. A week ago, they had received a letter from the village, with the village chief asking them all to return to prepare for the relocation of their ancestors' graves.

The old, paint-chipped bus rattled along a grim, forested path.

The sky outside was pitch black.

It was exactly midnight.

Jiang Shengsheng shifted, relaxing her stiffened muscles after the long sleep. She stood up and scanned the lifeless, stagnant bus.

This time, they were traveling with a tour group.

In recent years, the government had heavily promoted rural tourism, and Stone Village had been selected. Through extensive online promotion, it had attracted a steady stream of tourists.

There were over a dozen college students returning to their hometown, including Jiang Shengsheng, a senior in the art department, and her boyfriend, Xia Junyao.

They had been together for over four years, and their relationship was very strong.

"What are those two NPCs whispering about?" A female player in the back seat glanced at the out-of-place pair and scanned the surroundings with vigilance.

The red-haired man sitting next to her curled his lips, his sharp canine teeth catching the light as he offered a rebellious, ruffian-like grin: "Why do you care about a couple of lovebirds? Are you just bored and looking for trouble?"

The female player, who wore her hair in a ponytail, was choked by his retort. She rolled her eyes in annoyance, muttering, "…Straight-up jerk."

Qi Yiqing raised a brow, unwrapping a colorful candy wrapper and clamping the plastic stick between his teeth.

As the strawberry sweetness spread, Qi Yiqing narrowed his sharp eyes with pleasure, his gaze suddenly drifting toward the girl sitting in front.

Tsk, what an unlucky NPC.

But what did that have to do with him? Only her death would yield clues; this round was a profit.