Infinite Weird Game

Chapter Two: Rose Manor (Part One) - Strange Rules

A grayish-purple sky drew back its curtain overhead, with thick, oppressive clouds blocking out the sunlight. The damp air felt sticky and clinging to the skin, giving the impression that it might condense into droplets at any moment.

Qi Si shivered, opened his eyes, and found himself standing in a Gothic manor, with the towering castle casting a monstrous shadow that enveloped him.

The castle looked quite old, its walls covered with decaying vines that resembled a fishing net, dividing it into fragmented pieces, conveying a message of disrepair and imminent collapse.

In front of the castle was a sea of ​​roses, each rose blooming vibrantly, its branches and leaves growing wildly and wildly.

The intense floral fragrance lingered around his nose, so strong and heavy that it made Qi Si feel nauseous.

A light gray, semi-transparent panel appeared in the upper left corner of the view, no different from the system interface in third-rate games commonly found on the market.

Silver-white text appeared above, which seemed to be information about this instance.

[Instance Name: Rose Manor]

[Instance Type: Team Survival (6 players)]

Main Mission: Survive for three days and break the rules.

[Pre-launch warning: Sweet talk is detestable; none of the NPCs in this instance will deceive players verbally.]

"Are we entering the dungeon already?"

Qi Si subconsciously touched the silver bracelet on his right wrist, feeling a cool sensation on his fingertips, which made him feel at ease.

He glanced at the phrase "will not deceive players verbally" on the system interface and raised an eyebrow.

He knew all too well that the truth could sometimes deceive people.

He's very good at leading people down the wrong path with a series of incomplete truths.

It's just unknown whether this instance will involve this level of rhetoric.

A gentle narration suddenly sounded in my ears, as if lamenting.

What is the most beautiful thing in the world? She spent her whole life searching for it, until her beautiful face turned into a skeleton.

A girl who loves beauty plants a garden full of roses, hoping that the vast sea of ​​flowers will pay the price for her beauty.

Looking at the roses in the garden gradually fading, she began to wonder: could the roses never wither again? Could the beauty she loved never grow old?

【Dear guests, welcome to Miss Anna's Rose Estate】

The last welcoming words were crafted with exquisite delicacy, like the murmur of a frail young girl, yet the tone conveyed a lifeless sense of decline, like an ancient cemetery after the rain, damp and decaying.

Qi Si didn't have the habit of overthinking or scaring himself.

He saw a narrow path appear before him, winding and turning deep through a sea of ​​flowers, leading straight to the dark gate of the ancient castle.

Without hesitation, he stepped forward through the wet, dusty mud and stopped in front of the stone gate covered with withered vines.

Push the door open and enter.

...

The castle's interior is simply furnished. In the center of the hall stands a long marble table with a fruit plate on it. The flickering candlelight next to the fruit plate is the only source of light in the castle.

A large, antique-style mechanical clock sits in the corner, conveying a sense of timelessness. Its surface seems to bear traces of old bloodstains, which, combined with the rust, give off a faint, bloody smell.

The empty interior and dim lighting created a gloomy and cramped feeling, with a chilling aura creeping in from the dampness, like a tomb that had never seen the light of day.

A main seat was placed at the long table facing the door, with three chairs on each side. Five people were already seated.

These five people are, of course, all players.

"Is everyone here?" The speaker was a woman in a long white trench coat, sitting in the seat furthest from the head of the table.

She lowered her eyes slightly, looking towards the castle gate, her expression filled with worry and contemplation, as if she were waiting for a late friend.

"There's still one seat available. There must be one person who hasn't arrived yet, right?" the woman asked tentatively.

The young girl sitting directly opposite her chuckled and said, "If she hasn't come by now, she's probably in grave danger."

The girl looked no more than sixteen or seventeen years old, but her words were exceptionally cruel: "The show's entertainment value is off the charts. One person was eliminated first, landing in the box immediately. What bad luck!"

The young man in black sitting next to her flinched, seemingly displeased with her attitude, but ultimately remained silent. He simply reached into the fruit bowl on the table, grabbed an apple, held it with both hands, and quietly began to eat it.

A middle-aged man wearing glasses took charge at the opportune moment: "This is a team survival instance. We need to work together to crack the worldview—why don't we get to know each other first?"

He has an ordinary face that's hard to distinguish in a crowd, but he wears a suit and trousers, and at first glance, he looks like a reliable social elite, which inspires trust.

"My name is Shen Ming. This is my third dungeon. Once I clear this dungeon, I will become a full-fledged player. I am the general manager of a listed company. You should be able to find my information online after you leave."

The middle-aged man paused for a second, then said in a relaxed tone, "Since being chosen by the eerie game, I have invested some of my funds in the research of ghost stories, and I have achieved some success."

"Hey, you're a big shot! Looks like this dungeon is in the bag! How about I call you Brother Chen from now on?" The girl who had been gloating earlier made a complete 180-degree turn in attitude, and the others then realized that she had a sweet and cute appearance, with two dimples on her face when she smiled.

The girl tugged at her ponytail, pulling it up higher to look neat and tidy: "My name is Liu Qingye. This is my second time entering the dungeon, you can just call me Yezi. I used to be a ghost-hunting streamer, so I'm pretty brave and naturally unafraid of ghosts. You don't need to worry about me holding you back."

Two people started it, and the other players followed suit by introducing themselves.

"This is my first time, my name is Lin Chen..." The last person to speak was a young man in a hospital gown, sitting to the right of the woman who spoke first.

His face was as white as paper, looking like he was too weak to take any more medicine and his injuries were too severe to be cured.

He was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly stared at the direction of the castle gate, his eyes wide.

Following his gaze, everyone saw a person standing in the shadows of the door.

The man appeared to be in his early twenties, dressed in a white shirt and black trousers. He was tall and slender, with delicate features beneath his short, jet-black hair. His pale complexion, however, made him look more like a ghost than a human.

Upon closer inspection, one can also see bloodstains on his shirt, as if he had just been through a murder.

The newcomer, completely oblivious to being seen as a dangerous creature, introduced himself nonchalantly upon realizing he had become the center of attention: "Qise, the second copy."

When Qi Si entered, the players' introductions were already coming to an end; he only heard the young man in the hospital gown introduce himself.

Upon hearing the words "first time," he immediately realized that some of these players were probably not entering the dungeon for the first time, otherwise there would be no need to go to the trouble of mentioning the number of times.

Even in games involving life and death, which require teamwork, it doesn't mean that strangers can trust each other.

Qi Si didn't believe these people would take care of newcomers, and he didn't want to be taken for a fool and kept in the dark, becoming cannon fodder for trial and error for no reason.

So he calmly told a lie.

"Hi handsome, you can call me Ye Zi." Ye Zi greeted him quite familiarly, then looked at the bloodstains on Qi Si's clothes with curiosity and asked, "Is the blood on your clothes real? Did you just come from a murder scene?"

Qi Si stroked his fingers and smiled gently: "I'm a taxidermist. I was processing specimens before I came and haven't had time to change my clothes yet."

Ye Zi's eyes widened: "Didn't you see the countdown? Don't you know we're supposed to enter the dungeon at this time? I was already in bed an hour before the countdown ended."

Qi Si remained unfazed and retorted indifferently, "So what if I know? Every minute of my time is precious. Instead of wasting it, I'd rather do something meaningful."

Ye Zi pursed her lips, seemingly not entirely convinced by this explanation, but said no more.

The middle-aged man named "Shen Ming" took on the responsibility of leading the team and simply repeated everyone's self-introductions to Qi Si.

Qi Si sat down in the empty seat and listened attentively with his head tilted to the side.

Apart from the seasoned and capable Shen Ming and the easily startled Lin Chen, everyone else was entering the instance for the second time.

The young man in the black hoodie was named "Chang Xu." He claimed to be a policeman. He sat upright in his chair, his expressionless face revealing deep, dark eyes that gave off an indifferent feeling.

The woman in the white trench coat is named "Zou Yan." In real life, she is a psychologist with a graceful and dignified appearance. Even in the dungeon, she always has a reassuring smile on her lips, making it impossible for anyone to feel any ill will towards her.

Lin Chen sat between Qi Si and Zou Yan, and naturally leaned towards the seemingly calm and composed Zou Yan, asking timidly, "Sister Zou, I... I heard from the game that if you die in a dungeon, you will also die in real life, is that true?"

Zou Yan sighed, her gaze towards Lin Chen filled with pity: "Yes, after a player dies in the dungeon, they will die in a reasonable way within half an hour of returning to reality. Heart attack, car accident, or jumping off a building—no method can reverse the death."

"However, no matter how badly you are injured in the dungeon, as long as you can survive and clear the dungeon, you will return to reality unharmed."

After dying in the dungeon, I can still live for half an hour in reality... Qi Si stroked his chin, lost in thought.

It seems that scamming others needs to be done discreetly, preventing victims from passing on the information after returning to reality; when killing someone, remember to finish them off a few more times to prevent them from leaving the instance alive; when being killed, you also need to know how to play dead to avoid being finished off...

Lin Chen, seemingly unaware of these thoughts, nodded knowingly and hesitated before saying, "I was pulled into the game after I died. The invitation said it would give me a chance to be reborn. Is it the same for you? I... I don't see that you guys seem very scared..."

Zou Yan smiled and said, "There are many ways to enter the game. Some people are tempted by strong desires, while others inexplicably enter after having a dream. I entered the game voluntarily to cure my daughter's illness. But Xiao Lin, please don't ask others these kinds of questions again. I don't mind, but some people might get angry..."

Ye Zi interrupted, "Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore. The game has already told us all the information we need to know. Knowing more won't help; it will only affect our mood."

As she spoke, she glanced mischievously at everyone and said in a gossipy tone, "Hey, have you heard that rumor? The major guilds might be teaming up to take on the final dungeon..."

Led by Ye Zi, the players started chatting about anecdotes related to the eerie game.

The tension was quickly dispelled. If it weren't for the oppressive atmosphere of the castle's windowless stone walls and the faint smell of blood mixed with the fragrance of flowers, few would have imagined that this was a terrifying game where people could die.

Is it possible to have such a good mindset after only entering the game for the second time?

Qi Si listened with great interest to the veteran players' conversation, memorizing their opinions, some of which he didn't know if they were useful or not, without fully believing them.

If he can lie, then others can too.

—Even a seemingly insignificant name can sound fake to some people.

Other statements are unlikely to be taken seriously either.

During their enthusiastic conversation, the sound of wheels rolling suddenly came from around the corner of the castle.

Everyone fell silent without prior agreement.

From the shadows around the corner, a man in a black butler's uniform appeared like a ghost, pushing a food cart before the players.

To be fair, his features are quite handsome, but the texture of his skin is extremely unrealistic, like an inflatable doll.

Seeing that the players were all staring at him intently, the butler put on an exaggerated smile on his greasy face: "Honorable guests, Miss Anna will be here shortly. She will be having dinner with you."

"Of course, our manor has many taboos. For your safety, we hope you will read them carefully and remember them."

As soon as he finished speaking, a piece of paper covered in writing appeared out of thin air in the center of the long table.

The blood-red writing on the white paper was grotesque and twisted, as if it might burst through the paper at any moment. For a moment, no one dared to reach out and touch it.

Qi Si lowered his eyes and, the moment his gaze fell upon it, lines of text refreshed on the system interface in the upper left corner of his vision.

[1. The estate provides breakfast and dinner. Please arrive at the hall promptly at 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM for meals. Rest time is after 9:00 PM.]

2. Time is of utmost importance. If you wake up at night, please make sure you know the exact time at all times.

3. Miss Anna likes guests and has no ill intentions towards them, but please remember the correct way to address her: "Miss Anna" and not anything else.

4. Do not refuse Miss Anna's requests; try your best to fulfill all her requests. Miss Anna dislikes disobedient guests.

5. Miss Anna likes to wear red dresses, and Miss Anna in a red dress is trustworthy; if you see Miss Anna wearing black, please try to keep your distance from her.

6. Do not leave the castle at night, and do not pick roses in the manor. Be careful with the roses.

7. Only ghosts and monsters can kill humans; please believe that you are human.

8. If you have to break some rules in an emergency, make sure you break as few rules as possible; maybe she'll... let you off the hook.