Players, Please Board the Train

”Inside the wardrobe in He Pu’s bedroom,” Xu Huo said.

”How do you know that?” Fleischer looked at him in surprise. ”Weren’t you the one who said you found nothing when you went up there yesterday?”

”He Pu came too quickly. I really didn’t have time then. I discovered this last night and got injured for my trouble.” Xu Huo pointed at his body.

”You fought He Pu?” You Qiwen was astonished.

”Of course not. If I faced He Pu head-on, do you think I could have walked away unscathed?” Xu Huo retorted.

You Qiwen’s expression turned serious. ”You completed the first task?”

Xu Huo nodded and, under the gaze of the players whose faces showed a mix of emotions, said, ”I can’t tell you how I know this, but the information is true.”

”However, completing the first task doesn’t mean clearing the dungeon. The reason I’m sharing this information is that I want to know the truth behind the guests’ disappearance.”

”Isn’t it just the people in the ancient castle killing them?” Wei Landeng frowned. ”At most, you add the Dungeon Boss exploiting game loopholes to deal with players. Isn’t that right?”

”If it were right, he wouldn’t be here now.” Liu Zhengping irritably grabbed his hair. ”I originally thought this was just a simple D-level dungeon. I didn’t expect the difficulty to be this high.””This isn’t just about high difficulty.” Fleischer said gravely, ”The Dungeon Boss simply has no intention of letting players leave alive.”

”There’s no need to be that hopeless.” Chen Nan couldn’t help but say, ”Aren’t we already aware of the bodies’ whereabouts now?”

”Knowing is one thing. With He Pu around, we don’t even have a chance to get near the bedroom. Once we take action, there’s no turning back.” You Qiwen said, ”What’s worse is that tonight is the music appreciation event.”

Sharing the same thought as Xu Huo, You Qiwen also believed that if He Pu didn’t intend to spare any players, he would definitely make his move tonight. The dungeon wouldn’t end until midnight tomorrow night, leaving players with no chance to stall for time.

”The music appreciation event is actually our last opportunity.” Xu Huo said, ”The music room is right next to He Pu’s bedroom. There are seven of us. Securing some time shouldn’t be difficult. The key is the truth behind the guests’ disappearance.”

”Let’s pool the information we’ve each uncovered,” Wei Landeng suggested. ”Maybe we can find some clues.”

”I’ll go first. I discovered that aside from the butler, Mr. Dong, all the other maids in the ancient castle started working here about five years ago. Also, He Pu isn’t very satisfied with the chef’s cooking. The chef complains to the maids, saying he personally went to consult with the previously dismissed head chef, but the dishes he learned to make still don’t please He Pu. Instead, He Pu relies on Hu Shan.”

”He Pu’s clothing, food, shelter, and transportation are almost entirely managed by Hu Shan alone. From this perspective, I think they are on the same side. At the very least, Hu Shan killed some of the players.”

”The five-year mark is strange.” Fleischer chimed in. ”Not only were the maids replaced around five years ago, but the relationship between He Pu and Mr. Dong also seems to have hit rock bottom around that time. The photos left in the study indicate they were once close, but judging by their interactions these past few days, that’s clearly not the case anymore.”

That He Pu and Mr. Dong had a poor relationship was obvious to all players. The oddity lay in the fact that despite their clearly strained relationship, He Pu still employed Mr. Dong. If he was dissatisfied with Mr. Dong, he could have simply fired him.

”Initially, I thought He Pu was being controlled by Mr. Dong,” You Qiwen said. ”Now, I’m starting to think the conflict between them hasn’t escalated to that degree. So, even though Mr. Dong has shown us some leniency, if we fight He Pu, he will definitely intervene. We would be facing three formidable enemies.”

”It’s somewhat understandable if a person’s living habits change due to illness, but a complete shift in taste preferences is strange.” Chen Tu said, ”What do you all think? Could it be related to the mutton issue?”

Liu Zhengping and Wei Landeng’s expressions immediately changed. The former said, ”You might as well say He Pu has a split personality.”

”That’s not impossible.” Chen Tu said seriously, ”Assuming He Pu didn’t eat people before, but started doing so for some reason, it could completely cause a drastic change in temperament. After all, people who eat others can’t be judged by normal human standards. It wouldn’t be strange for them to do anything.”

”Put that way, it makes sense.” Wei Landeng said, ”He Pu and Mr. Dong probably had a falling out over this matter.”

”Try submitting this answer.” Fleischer said to Xu Huo.

Xu Huo opened his game panel to submit the task, answering with the truth as deduced by the others.

”It didn’t pass.” He announced two minutes later.

The players felt momentarily dejected. Fleischer spoke again, ”It seems we’ll have to focus our efforts on He Pu himself. We do have an advantage now: we haven’t completed the first task.”

”Think about it. Who in the ancient castle would know the truth behind the guests’ disappearance? It’s He Pu, Mr. Dong, and them. If we confront him after completing the first task, He Pu would definitely just kill us.”

”But if we haven’t even completed the first task, we might actually learn the truth from He Pu’s own mouth.” You Qiwen continued, ”Because even if he tells us the truth, we still can’t clear the dungeon.”

Liu Zhengping slapped his thigh and asked Xu Huo, ”He Pu didn’t discover you, right?”

Xu Huo’s mouth twitched. ”No, he didn’t.”

What nonsense was he talking? Their words and actions were under He Pu’s control. He Pu could rescue Hu Shan, who was trapped by Mr. Dong, on the third floor. The possibility that he didn’t know Yu Shuai had moved the bodies was minuscule.

Even taking a huge step back and assuming he really didn’t know, why on earth would he engage in a confrontation with the players?

Perhaps he just wanted the sheep to listen to some music before slaughtering them, achieving a psychological suggestion for more tender meat.

It wasn’t clear whether the other players believed it, but Liu Zhengping seemed to. He heaved a huge sigh of relief. ”Thank heavens.”

Wei Landeng seemed to want to say something but held back, glancing at Fleischer without speaking.

Regardless of what the players were thinking, time quickly arrived at night. The maid brought them new formal attire, informing them they could have dinner in their own rooms because He Pu was preparing for the appreciation concert and didn’t have time to come down to eat with them.

At eight o’clock in the evening, the maid knocked on each player’s door in turn, inviting them to the third floor.

Outside the music room, Mr. Dong and Hu Shan stood on either side. Hu Shan handed each person a damp cloth, instructing them to wipe their hands before entering.

”A single chair in the music room could sell for a sky-high price. You’d better not dirty anything.”

The music room was a small twenty-seat concert hall with a stage at the front. All the necessary equipment was placed on it, including the two large pairs of speakers seen in He Pu’s room.

There were no musicians on the stage, but two rows of chairs were set up. Common instruments were placed on the chairs, including violins of various sizes, cellos, drums, and flutes. A piano stood nearby.

He Pu stood at the edge of the stage holding a conductor’s baton. Hearing the sounds, he turned around and gestured gracefully for them to take their seats.