Infinite Weird Game

Chapter Three Rose Manor (Part Two) Miss Anna

The butler arranged the tableware and dishes in front of the seats, gave a perfunctory bow, and then disappeared around the corner of the stairs without looking back.

Blood-red wine was poured into stemmed glasses and placed in front of the players; platters of various meats and vegetables were lined up on the long table, the blood still visible on the meat, which made the bright red apples that had been on the table earlier stand out even more.

Apart from Chang Xu grabbing another apple and taking a bite, no one else showed any interest in the food on the table for a while.

Shen Ming let out a breath and looked around at everyone, saying, "This is a rule-based fantasy instance. You've all seen the rules, right? As long as you strictly follow them, there won't be any problems. Therefore, I hope that everyone will bring up any ideas they have in the future and discuss them openly, instead of trying to be clever or acting on their own."

Qi Si had heard of rule-based mystery novels, a type of unconventional reasoning text that had recently become popular online. These novels typically used a serious, cautionary tone to state counterintuitive rules, thereby arousing human curiosity and subconscious fear.

Surprisingly, this bizarre game is quite up-to-date.

Ye Zi was the first to laugh and say, "No problem, no problem! We've already said it's a team dungeon, so there's no need for us to hold back any information. With a veteran like Brother Chen leading the way, this dungeon is a sure thing!"

Qi Si, intending to stir things up even more, put on a smile and sincerely agreed: "Yes, what I'm worst at is solving puzzles and word games. I'll have to rely on Brother Chen to get through this."

Shen Ming felt that Qi Si's words were sarcastic, but he couldn't retaliate, so he could only laugh awkwardly and say, "Not at all, I'm also a novice, so we all need to work together to solve the puzzles and explore the world."

"What do you think of the second rule?" Zou Yan subtly steered the conversation back on track, helping Shen Ming out of his predicament. "I couldn't bring my watch or phone in, and I'm sure you're in a similar situation. How can we determine the exact time?"

She paused, then gave a wry smile: "No one can guarantee that they can sleep soundly until dawn without waking up in the middle of the night, right?"

“I should be able to,” Lin Chen whispered. “Once I fall asleep, it’s not easy for me to wake up. Several times I’ve set five or six alarms, and I’ve still overslept and missed my morning classes…”

When he looked up, he saw Zou Yan looking at him with the eyes of someone who cares for children.

The woman, who identified herself as a psychologist, patiently explained, "I don't know if you can understand what I'm saying. In this eerie game, whether you're awake or asleep depends on the mechanics of the instance, and it's not something you can control. It's like some story-driven games where the protagonist triggers events according to a pre-programmed sequence, and all the player can do is react after the events occur."

The system crashed for a full two seconds before Lin Chen seemed to understand Zou Yan's meaning and nodded to show that he understood.

He glanced at the mechanical clock in the corner and cautiously suggested, "There's a clock here, and there might be clocks elsewhere. Why don't we sleep next to the clock?"

“I advise against it,” Shen Ming said. “Based on my past experience, unclean things tend to roam around key props at night, and spending the night next to the clock will only hasten your death.”

"I've heard that rule-breaking stories are highly subjective. Generally speaking, as long as you don't know you've broken the rules, you'll be fine for the time being. If you do wake up at night, don't think about anything and just go back to sleep."

Qi Si silently noted down these experiences, whether true or false, and nodded solemnly, indicating that Shen Ming was right.

Lin Chen rubbed his nose somewhat awkwardly.

After a few seconds of silence, and before anyone else could speak, he asked again, "I saw in the main quest that we need to 'crack the rules.' Could there be other rules besides the known ones that we need to find?"

Ye Zi explained, "The basic rules are generally the ones we were told at the beginning; otherwise, no one could play. 'Breaking the rules' is just about letting us explore and interpret the basic rules."

"For example, the first rule says 'time is the most important,' so we need to understand why time is important and what its relationship is with the world view of the dungeon."

"Completing the main quest is just the basics. To get more points, you need to collect more clues and decipher the world of the dungeon."

As Ye Zi spoke, a sweet smile remained on her lips, as if she were very eager to answer the newcomer's questions.

Lin Chen blushed slightly and stammered, "I'm not expecting any reward. I've already died once, and I've finally been given a new life. I just want to live a good life..."

Zou Yan chuckled and said, "The sooner we decipher the worldview, the sooner the dungeon will end, and the fewer people will die. So, even if you just want to survive, you should try your best to decipher the worldview."

Ye Zi also scoffed at Lin Chen's words, her smile now tinged with malice: "You're already in the game, you might as well try your best to earn more points and join a powerful guild after becoming a formal player. As far as I know, the first to die in dungeons are people with your mentality—dying from their own stupidity."

Chang Xu, who had been silent all along, seemed to have been triggered by a keyword. He suddenly raised his eyes and said coldly, "You know quite a lot on your second time entering the dungeon."

Ye Zi met his gaze, narrowed her eyes, and teased, "What, are you going to interrogate me, officer?"

Chang Xu fell silent, and Shen Ming quickly changed the subject: "Let's each share our views on the rules first, so we can be prepared when the time comes..."

Qi Si had no intention of participating in the dialogue; with so little information available, saying more would only lead to more mistakes.

He grabbed an apple and carefully and attentively wiped it with a clean white napkin.

After Shen Ming turned to him seeking his opinion, he innocently put the apple to his mouth and quietly began to bite into it, revealing an attitude of not intending to pay attention to mortals.

The apples in the dungeon taste similar to those in real life, although they are crisper, but not very sweet, which isn't the type that Qi Si likes.

However, considering that he hadn't eaten fruit for a month while he was away, he ate the whole apple to replenish his vitamins.

The moment he placed the apple core on his plate, a dull tinkling of bells rang out unexpectedly in the hall, like a boulder falling into water, each chime striking his heart.

The pendulum of the mechanical clock in the corner swung slowly, striking six times at the same frequency, clean and crisp, without any echo.

It's dinnertime.

Light footsteps came from the shadows, like the dance steps of a woman on tiptoe, or like an animal bending over, waiting for its chance to strike.

Qi Si looked in the direction from which the sound came.

A slender, tall woman walked down the stairs, her long black dress trailing on the ground, making her appear as a thin, ghostly figure, crookedly embedded in the darkness, like a stroke of ink on white paper.

Undeniably, the woman is beautiful. Anyone who sees her for the first time will be amazed, but will then fall into a state of fear due to the uncanny valley effect.

Her face was pale, almost inhuman, and beneath her dark brown hair were a pair of dull, lifeless eyes. Her lips, however, were a vibrant, blood-red color, inevitably conjuring up terrible images in one's mind.

"My dear guests, welcome to my Rose Estate!" The woman's voice was high-pitched and melodious, like an operatic aria.

Her gaze swept over each player in turn, and those she looked at all felt an intense sense of being watched, as if they were being targeted by the hungriest and cruelest beast in the jungle, not knowing when a fatal blow would fall.

The woman, her skirt trailing on the ground, walked to the main seat, leaving behind a rich, intoxicating fragrance mixed with a damp, fishy smell, as if she had just come from the rain.

After taking her seat, she covered her mouth and laughed, speaking in a very soft and gentle voice: "You can call me Miss Anna."

The fragmented images connected together, and Qi Si immediately locked onto the corresponding rules on the system interface.

If you see Miss Anna dressed in black, please try to keep your distance from her.

It was too late to leave; violating the rules was a foregone conclusion.

Moreover, whether it was Qi Si's imagination or not, he always felt that Miss Anna's gaze lingered on him for a longer time, sticky and slippery like mud after rain.

It makes people very uncomfortable.

Remembering the opening narration of the dungeon, Qi Si tentatively offered a compliment: "Miss Anna, it's a pleasure to meet you. You are even more beautiful than rumored."

Upon hearing this, Miss Anna smiled shyly and gracefully raised her hand, assuming the gesture of waiting for a kiss on the hand, a customary practice among medieval nobles.

Qi Si casually stuffed the napkin into his pocket, pretending to be rude, and quickly grabbed the former's hand, giving it a firm squeeze.

—The hand felt warm to the touch and left no dent after being subjected to force. According to common sense, the owner of the hand must be alive.

It's pointless.

Qi Si withdrew his hand with little interest, put it in his pocket, and rubbed it vigorously on the napkin several times.

Miss Anna showed only a slight surprise when her hand was grasped, but by now she had suppressed all inappropriate expressions and accepted Qis's impolite behavior with composure.

With a faint smile, she picked up the knife and fork from the plate with her well-defined knuckles and cut a piece of meat from the plate closest to her.

The wide black sleeves covered the wrists, revealing bright red nail polish, which made the hands look even paler and thinner, like the claws of a bird monster.

She used a fork to bring the blood-stained meat to her mouth, chewing and swallowing it slowly. Finally, she licked her lips with her scarlet tongue, conjuring up images of raw, blood-soaked meat.

Apart from Chang Xu, who was clearly detached and engrossed in eating, no one else dared to touch their knives and forks at this time.

They watched the woman at the head of the table eat, lost in thought, various strange speculations arising in their minds, brewing a deeper fear.

Miss Anna seemed to sense the awkward atmosphere, looked up and smiled gently: "Eat up, why aren't you eating? Is the food not to your liking?"

Qi Si was the first to look away, and obediently lowered his head, using his gleaming fork to pick up a piece of meat and put it in his mouth.

I must say, the meat dish in front of me, the ingredients of which I had no idea, tasted pretty good. The meat was tender, the sauce was flavorful, and it was on par with the average quality of many restaurants.

Qi Si squinted with satisfaction, and under everyone's watchful eyes, used his fork to scoop a large piece of meat onto his plate.

With one person setting an example, the others quickly followed suit. After all, the rule "Do not refuse Miss Anna's requests" was written on the system interface, and no one dared to challenge its authority at this time.

Dinner ended quickly in silence, with all the dishes on the long table being eaten clean. As for how many people enjoyed the feast and how many didn't taste it, only they themselves knew the answer.

Miss Anna put down her knife and fork, picked up a napkin to wipe her lips, and glanced at everyone again, her gaze lingering on Qi Si as usual.

She rose gracefully, bowed to the players, and then slowly retreated into the shadows at the stairwell.

Lin Chen, who had been holding his breath the whole time, finally breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly tugged at Qi Si's sleeve and whispered, "Brother Qi, Miss Anna seems to be wearing a black dress..."

Miss Anna, who wears a black dress, is someone the rules say you should stay away from as much as possible...

Qi Si nodded to indicate that he understood: "Yes, I saw it, a solemn and dignified formal black dress."

"Then why..."

Then why are you rushing to have close contact with her? Aren't you just asking for trouble?

“The moment she sat down, we all broke the rules. After all, sitting at the same table to eat doesn’t count as ‘keeping your distance.’” Qi Si casually stuffed his napkin into his pocket, looked up at the sky, and said, “Now that things are settled, let’s take this opportunity to see if we can find any clues.”

There was one more thing he didn't say. He suspected that Miss Anna had already set her sights on him, perhaps because his seat was the closest, or perhaps because of some similar trait—humans are always good at finding their own kind in a crowd, aren't they?

Lin Chen asked, seemingly understanding but not quite, "So, Brother Qi, did you discover anything just now?"

All the players' eyes were subtly fixed on Qi Si, clearly waiting for him to give an answer.

Of course there are.

Qi Si looked up at the ceiling: "But what makes you think I would share the clues I've painstakingly uncovered with you?"