“Cooking in someone else’s home isn’t very polite…” Zhou Qi’an didn’t particularly object and casually responded.
If his mother were absolutely certain she could kill Mr. Si, she wouldn’t have bothered seeking his opinion. Soon, his tone shifted, and he gritted his teeth while staring at the idol. “This daughter-in-law is too fierce. I can’t have her.”
He didn’t believe his mother couldn’t sense the idol’s danger. If it weren’t in a dormant state, defeating it would be uncertain.
The game specifically emphasized that only [that thing] could possibly shatter the idol during its dormancy. Otherwise, burning, smashing, or piercing it now would likely do no harm.
Mother Zhou dragged the idol out from under the bed as if moving a corpse, her fingers running over its smooth surface.
“There are many good things inside.”
Hearing this, Zhou Qi’an couldn’t shake the feeling that the idol’s belly was like a nest, harboring who knew how many filthy creatures.
Mother Zhou suddenly leaned in to listen closely, a strange smile appearing on her face.
“Just wait and see.”
Right in front of Zhou Qi’an, she carried the idol away on her back.
Faced with such an overwhelming power disparity, Zhou Qi’an didn’t dare to stop her.
In the real world, his mother was mostly normal. But in the instance, her every move was no different from a monster’s.
Her departure didn’t disturb anyone. Zhou Qi’an knew his breathing space was limited—soon, she would likely return with her ‘new daughter-in-law.’
The only comfort was that he had successfully completed the incense offering task.
Zhou Qi’an slumped into a chair at the table, rubbing his temples as he glanced at the wall.
On the schedule, a small checkmark appeared beside the last remaining incense offering task.
【A proper schedule ensures your health.】
【Congratulations, you have obtained a Health Boost Pill ×1.】
【Health Boost Pill: Used for rapid healing and recovery, increasing wound healing speed by 300%.】
A small black pill appeared in the inventory section of his interface.
At the same time, the schedule turned to ash and disappeared.
“Does this mean I don’t have to follow the schedule anymore?”
As Zhou Qi’an muttered to himself, a gust of cold wind blew in from outside, carrying a chilling howl from the distant lake that made his scalp tingle.
He walked to the window and recognized the voice as Boss Wang’s. He silently thought to himself that the man was probably doomed.
Zhou Qi’an didn’t rush to the lake to watch the commotion—who knew how dangerous it was over there? He waited until lunchtime before heading downstairs at a leisurely pace, only to find that those who had gone to the lake hadn’t returned.
The college student looked worried. “Could something have happened?”
Zhou Qi’an was speechless. Having a kind heart wasn’t bad in the real world, but in the game, one careless move could get you and others killed.
He recalled that Han Li had specifically mentioned Mr. Si taking special care of the college student.
That rabbit-headed man wasn’t a good person either—he must have seen some value in the student.
But what value?
Kindness?
Looking at it now, that seemed to be the only unique trait. Among the three newcomers, the college student was the only one who hadn’t sacrificed a relative or friend.
Zhou Qi’an frowned. Could kindness be useful in this instance?
As he was pondering, Chen Jin and Han Tiansheng returned. Though he had a bad feeling, Zhou Qi’an still asked, “Where’s Boss Wang?”
Han Tiansheng motioned for him to look behind.
Only then did Zhou Qi’an notice that Chen Jin was dragging something—a large woven snakeskin bag. Blood continuously seeped through the gaps, and after being dragged along the ground, the bottom had torn open. A small length of intestine suddenly slipped out.
“Ugh—”
The college student couldn’t hold back and vomited.
Chen Jin was unfazed. “Wang Mu entered the water and was immediately devoured by the fish in the lake.”
Usually, people catch fish. This time, the roles were reversed—it was unsettling.
The next system notification, however, immediately made things much more interesting.
【One heir has died. Scarcity increases value—Xun the Wealthy’s favorability toward all players has increased by 10.】
【Note: When Xun the Wealthy’s favorability reaches the passing threshold (60), the player will officially be added to the inheritance list.】
“Current favorability rankings—”
【1st: Fake Son (45)】
【2nd: Fake Wife (42)】
【3rd: Fake Brother-in-Law (25)】
【4th: Another Fake Brother-in-Law (12)】
【5th: Unimportant Fake Relative (10)】
Someone muttered, “This is too…”
Completing a side quest usually increased favorability by about fifteen points, though rewards weren’t always favorability; sometimes, they were other items. But now, just one player’s death had granted an easy ten-point increase.
That was far too tempting!
As the notification faded, the atmosphere among the players grew tense.
And the system continued fanning the flames—
【Remaining heirs, keep striving to become core inheritors and ultimately claim the inheritance.】
Chen Jin had gained favorability earlier by successfully catching fish. Judging from Han Tiansheng and the college student’s situation, it was now confirmed that marginal players had no tasks.
No tasks didn’t mean absolute safety—it was essentially waiting to die.
Despite all their previous speculation, hearing the official game announcement shattered their last hope.
Even the college student couldn’t help but start thinking about how to become a core inheritor.
Xun Er emerged from the kitchen, scars covering his arms up to where he had rolled up his sleeves. His muscular frame was youthful and strong, yet his face lacked any vitality.
When his eyes returned to normal, they often held a deep, gloomy darkness.
He showed no reaction to the mangled corpse and softly asked, “Did he drown?”
Everyone was speechless. Who drowns and ends up dismembered like this?
Chen Jin had retrieved Boss Wang’s body not out of humanity but because he had seen several fish with human-like faces at the bottom of the lake.
Wang Mu had entered the water at Chen Jin’s persuasion. He had promised to use an item to ward off the fish in exchange for Wang Mu transferring all his assets to him after they returned to reality.
Wang Mu had believed him, never expecting that Chen Jin merely used him as bait to lure the fish away while he explored the lakebed alone.
As the instigator, Chen Jin worried that leaving the body in the lake would lead to corpse reanimation and potential revenge.
After all, anything was possible in this instance.
Everyone continued lying through their teeth, nodding in agreement that Wang Mu had drowned.
Chen Jin remained expressionless as he fabricated another lie. “The seaweed in the lake shredded him apart.”
Xun Er sighed softly. “That’s unfortunate. Let’s eat first—then we’ll deal with it.”
He glanced around and asked, “Where’s Aunt Su?”
Han Tiansheng replied, “She went to gather herbs. She should be back soon.”
Speak of the devil, and she appears.
Han Li returned, carrying ten strange birds. Capturing them wasn’t difficult— even the college student had almost managed to take one down— but catching ten at once was no easy feat.
Chen Jin asked, “Is this what you call gathering herbs?”
Xun Er had already answered with his actions, smiling as he stepped forward to take them. “My adoptive father drinks a broth made from bird entrails every day.”
These strange birds fed on piranhas, and their entrails reeked of a foul stench. The group suppressed their disgust, careful not to show any aversion.
Boss Wang’s corpse was left in the main hall, and lunch remained the same— fish and shrimp. At the dining table, Xun the Wealthy seemed preoccupied with the idol. “Still haven’t found it?”
Xun Er shook his head, and Xun the Wealthy slammed his chopsticks down. “Useless! Useless!”
“Find it. You must find it…”
He remained distracted throughout the meal, shifting between bursts of rage and unease, not even sparing a glance at the additional corpse.
Having been his father’s punching bag for so long, Xun Er remained calm as he stood up and silently handed him a new pair of chopsticks.
The tense meal finally came to an end, and Xun Er went to wash the dishes.
The college student clutched his stomach, looking uncomfortable, and the others weren’t doing much better.
Han Li said, “I checked while doing the herb-gathering task— there aren’t any edible wild fruits.”
The time limit for the mission was unknown, but it was clear that every meal contained trace amounts of poison. The longer they stayed, the worse their bodies would deteriorate.
Chen Jin went to dispose of the corpse, while the others, eager to know what he had discovered in the lake, offered to help.
He didn’t refuse, fetching several iron shovels from the basement and handing one to each person, saying, “There are a few machines in the basement covered in white cloth. I don’t know what they’re for. If you have time, you can plug them in and study them.”
Without a direct task, no one was particularly interested in exploring new areas. They nodded absentmindedly in response.
After distributing the shovels, Chen Jin started assigning burial spots. “Bury the body in four locations— east, south, west, and north— as far from the villa as possible.”
The college student broke out in a cold sweat. “Is there a reason for that?”
Chen Jin replied coldly, “The farther it’s buried, the lower the chance of corpse reanimation.”
“We can bury them one by one together,” the college student suggested. “In horror movies, splitting up usually means dying faster.”
Zhou Qi’an responded, “If it feels like you’ll die faster, then you’re on the right track.”
The college student: “…”
Unfortunately, what he feared came true— he was paired with Zhou Qi’an. He had actually hoped to be with Han Li, considering she had saved his life that morning.
Zhou Qi’an said, “I’ll take the west.”
Seeing Zhou Qi’an calmly pick up a sack containing a severed head and intestines, the college student became even more terrified.
At the entrance, Mr. Si didn’t look at them, merely closing his eyes as he murmured, “On average, one person dies per day in an instance. Who do you think will be next?”
Zhou Qi’an didn’t even turn his head. “Relax— troublemakers live the longest.”
They walked deeper into the forest, veering further from the villa. The thick canopy overhead blocked out the sunlight, and the darkened woods felt eerie, as if a monster could leap out at any moment.
The college student nervously suggested, “Let’s just bury it here.”
But Zhou Qi’an kept walking. Just as the college student was about to repeat his suggestion, he noticed something ahead— a raised mound.
“There’s a grave over there!”
Zhou Qi’an had seen it too. The villa was to the east, and the farther west they went, the farther they were from it. He had deliberately chosen this direction to avoid trouble.
But it seemed fate refused to let him steer clear of danger.
Even after coming all this way, they had made a discovery.
As they cautiously approached, fallen leaves rustled around the grave mound. A gust of wind sent the leaves fluttering. Strange birds swooped across the sky, making the two of them flinch in fear.
Zhou Qi’an, braver than the college student, casually wiped the dust-covered tombstone.
The moment he saw the four large characters carved into it, the college student inhaled sharply. “It… it says—”
Xun Er’s Grave.
The tombstone was aged, and beneath it, spiders crawled among the decaying leaves.
“If Xun Er is already dead… then what has been living among us?” the college student stammered, trembling.
His question went unanswered.
Instead, he suddenly heard the sound of a shovel digging into the earth. Turning, he saw Zhou Qi’an already shoveling dirt away.
“What are you doing?!” he exclaimed in horror.
“Digging up the grave,” Zhou Qi’an replied matter-of-factly. “Don’t you want to know if Xun Er is alive or dead?”
Only opening the coffin would settle the matter.
If the coffin was empty, it meant this was either a hoax or a case of corpse reanimation. If there was a body inside, then the Xun Er they had been seeing was a fake.
The coffin had been buried shallowly, and soon, the wooden surface became visible. Its edges bore marks where nails had once secured it, but now only dark, empty holes remained.
“Hurry up and help,” Zhou Qi’an said, pausing to catch his breath. He was about to pry open the coffin lid when he caught a glimpse of the college student’s face— pale as a sheet.
Annoyed, he muttered, “Seriously? You’re scared of digging up a grave, kid?”
The college student remained frozen for a long moment before stiffly raising his arm and pointing behind Zhou Qi’an.
Zhou Qi’an was casually leaning against Xun Er’s tombstone, one arm resting on it. His eyelid twitched.
No way…
No way someone was standing behind him, right?
No way that person was… Xun Er, right?!
__
Author’s Note:
Zhou Qi’an singing while digging: Came to your little grave, dug up your little mound, lifted your little skull, just to see who you are.
The college student, on the verge of tears: …Shouldn’t you check who’s behind you first?!
