Chapter Thirteen: Rose Manor (Twelve) Death Compensation

After Ye Zi arrived, it wasn't long before Zou Yan heard the commotion and walked over as well.

The group gathered around the corpse in the pit, much like they had surrounded Shen Ming’s body on the second floor earlier. After the warning they received that morning, the players remained relatively calm.

"This corpse is likely the most important clue in the garden," Zou Yan analyzed. "If it’s as Chang Xu said, and Miss Anna needs corpses as fertilizer for her roses, I’m afraid we’ll all end up as her prey."

As she said this, she cast an intentional glance at Qi Si, as if she were certain he would be the primary target of Miss Anna’s attention.

Qi Si smiled, feigning indifference, his gaze drifting past the void to land on the second-to-last rule on the system interface.

【8. If you are forced to break certain rules in an emergency, ensure that you break as few as possible. Perhaps she will... spare you.】

Yesterday, all the players had violated the rule "Stay away from Miss Anna in the black dress," but only Shen Ming had met with misfortune, which basically confirmed Qi Si’s hypothesis.

The number of people an NPC could kill each day was limited; to survive, one simply needed to ensure they had broken fewer rules than the others.

"Based on last night’s situation, only those who broke relatively more rules died," Qi Si analyzed with a pointed tone. "I’m curious to see what would happen if we all broke the same number of rules."

Ye Zi laughed mockingly and said, "Either find a way to make a certain player break one more rule, or randomly pick a lucky soul who looks annoying and kill them. Perhaps we won’t even need Miss Anna to act; someone among us might harm a companion soon enough."

Zou Yan frowned visibly and tried to smooth things over. "It hasn't happened yet, so there's no need for us to turn on each other. In any case, this is a team instance; as long as we cooperate to solve the worldview, we will all be fine."

Ye Zi sneered at her. "What’s this act you’re putting on? People are already dead, and you’re still playing the saint?"

A senseless argument erupted for no reason. Qi Si watched the two with interest, adopting the posture of a spectator.

Chang Xu, shouldering his shovel, had no intention of interfering and continued to work, digging pits in the garden. The iron tool overturned shovelful after shovelful of floral soil, sending dirt splattering everywhere. The garden was no longer a suitable place to stand.

Qi Si said, "I'm leaving first," and turned back toward the manor, walking up the stairs.

The corridor on the second floor was silent. The corpse and the pool of blood from earlier had vanished, leaving only tiny remnants embedded in the cracks of the floor, as if the floor itself had chewed the body to nothingness.

Qi Si walked along the edge of where the blood pool had been, avoiding the filth on the floor, and returned to his guest room.

Lin Chen was already waiting inside. His face was pale, but his eyes were bright and flashing with a strange excitement, the kind born from surviving a brush with death.

Before Qi Si could speak, Lin Chen reported his findings at a rapid pace: "All the doors on the third floor are locked; I don't know what's inside. I also ran into an old woman who looked like a ghost at first glance..."

Qi Si listened to his account intently and then smiled. "Thank you for your hard work. This information is very useful; I think I have a lead."

When someone completes an order, one must give appropriate affirmation to establish a reward feedback mechanism—even if it is only verbal. By handling these details well, relationships could remain more stable.

Sure enough, after hearing Qi Si’s encouragement, Lin Chen chuckled foolishly and continued, "The layout of the third floor is very similar to the second, though the distance between the first two rooms is quite large..."

Qi Si walked to the desk, picked up pen and paper, and began to sketch. Based on Lin Chen’s description, he drew a floor plan of the third level. The lines were not perfectly neat, but they were clear enough to reflect the general layout.

Adding a few details, he suddenly thought of something, looked up at Lin Chen, and asked, "Was that old woman you saw on the third floor wearing a red dress?"

Lin Chen nodded, confused. "Yeah, a red princess dress. My eyes almost went blind..."

He was still speaking when he noticed Qi Si’s expression turn serious. His brow furrowed with visible concern. "I recall reminding you about the issue of address. How did you address her?"

Hearing this question, Lin Chen replied, puzzled, "I just called her 'Miss Anna.' Why?"

Everything was within Qi Si’s expectations, even the result of his own verbal leading. But at this moment, he looked as if he had just heard terrible news, his face turning grim. "Didn't I tell you not to use specific identifying titles casually? ...Look at Rule Nine."

Lin Chen didn't understand what had happened, but Qi Si’s expression made him panic. He instinctively looked at the system interface.

【9. Please try your best not to go to the third floor. If you do go, make sure you are not discovered by Miss Anna.】

*Not discovered by Miss Anna...*

It was known that there might be two Miss Annas. The identity of the old woman in the red dress was unknown, and since she appeared on the third floor, what if she was the other Miss Anna?

Had he not just broken the rule?

Often, when one’s thinking hits a dead end, all it takes is a little prompting from others to grasp the key.

In just a second, Lin Chen’s face went white as paper. "N-no way? Isn't Miss Anna supposed to be beautiful? Looking like that, how could she be Miss Anna?"

Qi Si flipped the notebook on the desk to a page and let his finger rest on a line of text. "Read it."

【We have all survived; she is still withering, but there is still a way... I will always love her, and I will cherish her perfection more than she does herself.】

"Withering implies ugliness. It is basically certain that the person you encountered on the third floor was Miss Anna." Qi Si reached out to brush a rose petal from Lin Chen’s shoulder and said coldly, "If you hadn't called out that title, one could claim ignorance, and perhaps you could have been saved..."

He paused and let out a cold laugh. "But now? Heh."

At this moment, Lin Chen’s mind went blank. He remembered Qi Si’s instructions before they parted, and how, after meeting the old woman, his brain seemed to overheat... Yes, he had acted as if he were possessed.

Why did he have to try to be clever? It would have been enough just to say he didn't know...

Regret, or despair? Or perhaps both?

Lin Chen didn't know what expression to make. By instinct, he gripped Qi Si’s sleeve tightly, as if it were the last straw to clutch at.

"Brother Qi, save me... I don't want to die..."

He didn't want to die; it was his powerful desire to survive that had brought him into the Weird Game, offering him a chance at a new life. He hadn't expected that chance to slip through his fingers so quickly, leaving him with nothing but deeper despair.

If only he had been a little more cautious, even just a little...

Lin Chen looked up with hope, but Qi Si only stared at him coldly, as if looking at a corpse. His heart sank, plummeting into the depths of a cold cellar.

*That’s right,* he thought, *no one has an obligation to save me.*

This was true in reality, let alone in the instances of the Weird Game. Just like when he was being pinned to the ground and beaten by those thugs, he had shouted for help, but the passersby in the distance had only quickened their pace, as if afraid of catching a plague. By the time a kind stranger managed to call the police, he could no longer open his eyes. As soon as he was sent to the hospital, he lost consciousness and entered the Weird Game...

Lin Chen’s eyes dimmed bit by bit. He let go of his grip, letting Qi Si’s sleeve slip through his fingers. He retreated step by step to the window and sat down dejectedly, only to hear the young man beside the desk sigh softly.

"I will try to see if I can save you."

"The cost of breaking a rule isn't settled until nighttime. There are still nearly ten hours left. As long as someone else breaks more rules during this time, you will be saved."

Hearing this, Lin Chen felt a flicker of joy, but after grasping the implication of the words, he stood there in a daze. What did this mean? Was he supposed to kill someone else so that he could survive?

Lin Chen swallowed hard, feeling a moment of temptation, but ultimately shook his head. "Brother Qi, let’s not do that... I’m the one who caused this trouble; how could I drag someone else into the water?"

He still possessed a sense of integrity and had always scorned self-serving behavior at the expense of others. Otherwise, he never would have died accidentally while trying to perform a heroic act, leading him into the Weird Game.

Qi Si saw through Lin Chen’s psychology clearly and barely managed not to laugh out loud. He himself had no particular kindness, but he did not dislike "good people" like Lin Chen. The reason was simple: they were convenient to use. A small favor would make them endlessly grateful, making them much easier to handle than a rationalist.

These types of people were the most suitable to serve as the "denominator" to highlight the existence of the "numerator"...

Qi Si lowered his eyes and said comfortingly in a gentle voice, "In the end, I bear some responsibility for this too; it was my fault for not making things clear to you at the start. I will go to the third floor later, so the number of rules I’ve broken will be on par with yours."

Lin Chen was stunned, babbling incoherently, "B-Brother Qi, this has nothing to do with you! It was my own carelessness! Please, don't worry about me, I’m not afraid of death..."

"Who said I intend to die for you?" Qi Si laughed, his eyes curving into crescents. "I’m a veteran player who has cleared an instance before; I still have some means of self-preservation, unlike a newcomer like you."

Lin Chen did not quite believe this. If veteran players really had means of self-preservation, how had Shen Ming died? This must just be to comfort him, but why go to such lengths for him? They had only just met...

While he hesitated, Qi Si had already walked to the door, pushed it open, and stepped halfway out of the room. He paused, looked back, and said in a peaceful tone, "Don't thank me. I was planning to go to the third floor anyway. Keep a good watch over the room, and wait for me to return."

The young man wore a smile, his arm resting casually on the doorframe, giving off a sense of reliability. Lin Chen looked at his retreating figure, opened his mouth, but in the end, didn't know what to say.

He only knew that after today, if he could truly survive, he would owe Qi Si his life.