The staff weren’t all-knowing about the instance. For example, Mr. Si knew that Xun Er was a monster disguised in human skin, but he couldn’t recall his background or the reason behind him becoming a monster in detail. In the end, by counting the number of heads, he barely matched up the few bluish-purple monsters with the players.
It was impossible for so many monsters to have appeared out of nowhere in the instance. A few of them had familiar outlines that could be identified.
As for the last one… the long-haired monster.
The change in its aura was too great, and Mr. Si couldn’t immediately connect the dots.
Zhou Qi’an struggled to lift his head, with a few cold beads of sweat rolling down onto his wounds. He gritted his teeth, trying to relax the pain through the cool air, taking deep breaths.
This slight tilt of his head made Mr. Si finally notice traces of the old Zhou Qi’an from his face.
Taking advantage of Xun the Wealthy’s momentary daze, Zhou Qi’an didn’t hesitate and twisted the key with all his strength. The preliminary form of the door began to appear.
Xun the Wealthy roared in anger: “You!”
Mr. Si’s attention immediately shifted away from him, and a trace of unmistakable joy appeared on his face.
Did he find it?
He could already sense the aura of the treasure.
But deeper than shock was greed.
After leading so many players, it was actually a newcomer who found the way.
The statue’s dormant period was nearing its end, and when the great door fully manifested, it showed signs of awakening earlier than expected. Thousands of black mist threads formed into invisible black lines, wriggling like loaches in the mud.
The white silk had little control over these intangible things, and the black mist passed straight through the ribbon as if there was no obstruction.
Just as Zhou Qi’an encountered trouble, the door opened!
Mr. Si was the first to jump in.
Zhou Qi’an: “Damn!”
Take me with you!
As expected, it’s a rabbit. It hops faster than anyone.
Xun the Wealthy was no longer just on the edge of fury, but had already erupted like an active volcano.
The surrounding walls and the ground began to squeeze blood and flesh toward the center. Zhou Qi’an calmed his mind, ready to fight for his life, but Xun the Wealthy made an unexpected move.
He didn’t immediately stop Mr. Si, but instead turned his full fury on the college student.
The latter, luckily close enough to the offering table, jumped in without hesitation right after Mr. Si as the door opened.
Xun the Wealthy’s usual dragon-headed cane failed to locate its target, and it struck the edge of the door frame, leaving a tooth-like mark.
Han Tiansheng gave Han Li a look, and with a quick turn of his fish eyes, Han Li immediately understood. She dashed toward the door.
The five-star treasure was within reach, and she unleashed an unprecedented level of power, nearly draining herself as she released electricity to block Xun the Wealthy. Then, with Han Tiansheng right behind, they both jumped into the door.
Xun the Wealthy, chasing after the thief, quickly disappeared from the third floor.
Among the remaining two, Chen Jian didn’t care about Zhou Qi’an’s survival with the black mist wrapping around him. The monster’s instincts took over, and if time weren’t so tight, he might have gone ahead and killed him, devouring him further.
“Thanks for opening the door.”
He left a somewhat sarcastic remark before being the last player to slip through the door.
“……”
The third floor suddenly quieted down. Zhou Qi’an was pulled toward the statue by the black mist, his wrists and ankles scraping against the ground as he struggled.
This was the reason why Xun the Wealthy didn’t waste time killing him.
Zhou Qi’an had already become the statue’s “prey,” and the only difference was whether he would die sooner or later.
Naturally, he wouldn’t accept his fate so easily. Just as he was desperately trying to escape, something caught his eye, and his pupils shrank sharply.
To his side, Xun Er bizarrely appeared, half of his body bleeding dark, almost black blood, giving him a terrifying appearance and a sense of imminent weakness.
Zhou Qi’an reacted for a moment, and a malicious smile appeared on his face: “Deserved.”
In order to awaken earlier, the statue desperately absorbed nutrients. Not only was it doing this, but Xun Er was also being pulled toward the statue by a mysterious force.
Having already exploited one loophole, the statue would never allow Xun Er to exploit another. When Xun the Wealthy recalled everything, Xun Er had certainly offered enough leverage. This time, it was likely to be the complete destruction of both soul and body.
But Xun Er showed an indifferent smile, his gloomy eyes just as terrifying as the statue’s when it opened its eyes.
“I told you… the sun won’t rise…”
His voice was cold, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.
Even as he neared death, he calmly gazed at the towering statue, his expression grotesque and twisted.
Zhou Qi’an had made a mistake.
Xun Er wasn’t that skilled in business; he didn’t care about profits or losses as long as he got the results he wanted.
The statue would awaken early, and Xun Er had played an undeniable role in that.
To watch Zhou Qi’an helplessly as his accomplices entered the treasure vault was enough to crush anyone’s spirit—this futile effort to create something for someone else would surely bring despair.
This was exactly what Xun Er had wanted to see.
Compared to Zhou Qi’an’s futile struggles, Xun Er didn’t resist at all as he was about to be absorbed by the statue, instead admiring his final work.
Although his body was already floating in midair, Zhou Qi’an still tried his best to grab the edge of the offering table. After much effort, his nails only left scratch marks on the edge, and his attempt to sink by using the table for leverage failed.
Xun Er watched coldly, finding it very amusing.
Zhou Qi’an suddenly forced a smile.
The smile was so dazzling that Xun Er was momentarily dazed, and only after a moment did he realize that Zhou Qi’an wasn’t looking at him.
What he was really looking at was the door.
Something was happening inside the door—golden light exploded, and the space silently twisted by itself. As the golden light became more dazzling, there was a hint of fear on the face of the statue!
Even so, the black mist showed no sign of relenting; instead, it accelerated, pulling both Zhou Qi’an and Xun Er closer to the statue.
After being momentarily distracted, Zhou Qi’an quickly regained his focus and subtly gestured with his fingers toward a spot in midair.
……
The thousand beams of golden light all originated from one place.
The plain and unremarkable small door, when opened, revealed a square space inside, seemingly limitless at first glance.
There were no obstructions around. In the blink of an eye, the ancient floor tiles stretched out as if they were endless, and with the shifting of light and shadow, the area constantly expanded.
What was special about this space was that it was visibly three-dimensional.
A part of the void split off in a distinct area, and a slender object floated in midair, its original shape almost blurred by the golden light.
This object was unaffected by any force, spinning quietly on its own.
The air rippled with its rotation, like undulating water.
“Is that… a trident?” someone said uncertainly.
A family heirloom as a trident sounded rather absurd.
But it floated inside the hexagonal column formed by the surrounding golden light, with countless starry dust swirling inside, its unique brilliance constantly shining. The stardust crowned it, and the golden trident bathed in this sacred aura.
When the college student saw it for the first time, his instinctive thought was: The golden legend.
The trident in the golden light was so mysterious, and the starry brilliance around it formed cross-shaped patterns, feeling even sharper than the fish scales in the lake.
He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should try to touch it directly.
When they were teleported in, the college student had found himself the closest to the treasure. Even Xun the Wealthy was still quite a distance away.
However, less than a few seconds after losing focus, a figure rushed toward him.
“Be……”
The college student was about to say “Be careful, this treasure doesn’t seem like something that can be taken directly,” when in the next second, he was kicked hard in the waist. Han Li, taking advantage of her speed, kicked him away and reached for the trident.
“Give it to me!”
Han Li knew the danger all too well, but for wealth, people die, and birds perish for food.
In her eyes, unprecedented excitement surged. A five-star+ item had never appeared in the game. Once she obtained it, she would undoubtedly become a brand new legend.
Three meters… two meters…
Her slender hand was about to break through the light pillar and grab the trident—
Mr. Si just quietly observed.
Xun the Wealthy sneered.
Before the college student could even close his mouth, a horrific scream echoed through the isolated space.
It hurt.
The tender flesh of her palm stuck to the trident, and as she pulled, it reminded Han Li of the time when she was a child and played by sticking her lips to a frozen railing, tearing them off, only to have the skin separate.
The current situation was far worse. She felt as if her flesh was freezing every second, firmly sticking to the trident.
But that wasn’t the worst.
Her entire hand seemed to be infected by some kind of parasite, decaying rapidly.
Han Li, with a determination to cut her losses, used a small knife to sever her wrist in order to escape.
A large amount of blood loss made her stagger back a few steps. At the same time, the severed hand still stuck to the trident emitted crackling sounds, shattering into bloody ice shards right before her eyes.
The aftermath scared Han Li so much that, for a moment, she forgot the pain. Had she been just a few seconds slower, she might have been completely frozen into ice shards herself.
This scene frightened Chen Jian, who had planned to rush forward.
Mr. Si had already anticipated this and watched the scene with a mocking smile.
Xun the Wealthy laughed wildly: “Fools, a bunch of fools…”
The family heirloom left by the ancestors—even he couldn’t touch it. The Xun family’s ancestors had been virtuous for ten generations. Only those of purest goodness could touch this treasure.
Han Li gritted her teeth, wrapped her severed wrist with her clothes to stop the bleeding, and fully calmed herself.
She finally realized a logical paradox: A treasure above five stars? Its power went without saying. If Xun the Wealthy really possessed such an artifact, wouldn’t he be invincible?
This instance wouldn’t just have a difficulty level of three and a half stars.
“Unless…”
Han Li took a deep breath, “Unless Xun the Wealthy can’t use it at all and can only be protected by the treasure.”
Mr. Si suddenly glanced at the college student. Other players began to understand something. Xun the Wealthy’s priority in attacking the college student might have been because he sensed something different about him.
Mr. Si cleared his throat.
The veteran players immediately caught on: This stupid college student might actually be eligible to get the treasure.
Under normal circumstances, the staff wouldn’t break the rules and attack NPCs, so Mr. Si couldn’t intervene. He didn’t act, but if Xun the Wealthy interfered, and the college student tried to touch the artifact, it would be like sending someone to their death, unless someone helped stop Xun the Wealthy.
“Damn his ancestors,” Chen Jian cursed silently. He had never played such a frustrating instance, acting as a meat shield for two newbies.
But Xun the Wealthy had to die. Otherwise, they wouldn’t survive past the time limit. Before, the treasure had protected Xun the Wealthy, and as a countermeasure weapon, it could no longer protect a ghost.
Helping to stop Xun the Wealthy now would at least earn him a favor from Mr. Si.
Han Tiansheng’s fish-head scales flared: “Are we really…”
Chen Jian sneered and interrupted: “Otherwise, you can try to grab the treasure, and I’ll stop him for you.”
The cautionary tale was right before them. Han Li, on the brink of collapse, felt as though her blood was slowly freezing. Her injuries were no less severe than Han Tiansheng’s severed arm.
“Go ahead,” Chen Jian said coldly to the college student, pulling out an item and preparing to briefly obstruct Xun the Wealthy.
The college student felt somewhat guilty, realizing that the one who had put in the most effort hadn’t even entered the door yet.
But in this urgent situation, the thought passed quickly. He soon steadied his resolve and walked toward the artifact.
……
On the third floor, beside the statue.
Zhou Qi’an was gesturing with his fingers toward the ceiling, his gaze shifting across the surrounding walls: “Everyone’s here to watch the fun, why hide it?”
In the dim environment, a green eye lit up, followed by a second, then a third. The eyes of the multi-eyed spider looked like a cluster of large light bulbs.
It stuck to the wall, excited to see Zhou Qi’an being devoured by the statue. The multi-eyed spider certainly wouldn’t miss this moment.
Zhou Qi’an didn’t find this the least bit strange. As he was about to be dragged into the statue’s mouth, he still cheerfully greeted, “Good evening, my dear fiancé, the spider.”
Xun Er, who had been completely sidelined, had a dark expression on his face.
The multi-eyed spider, which had been as excited as someone who had drunk too much, also calmed down somewhat.
The young man smiled up at it, his ice-blue pupils, the same color as his hair, seemingly blooming with snowflakes.
This calm, fearless attitude made the multi-eyed spider suddenly feel threatened!
Just as it was about to follow its instincts and escape, Zhou Qi’an moved his lips and softly called out, “Mom, save me.”
After shouting for Han Li, Tiansheng, and Mr. Si… he finally called out to his real mother.
Mom?
A hint of confusion flashed in Xun Er’s eyes.
But the multi-eyed spider shuddered and looked around, confirming that it didn’t see the vicious woman appear, and let out a long breath.
“Not good, time to leave.”
It wouldn’t be worth dying just to watch some drama.
The sense of danger grew stronger, and the multi-eyed spider decided to follow its instincts and flee. Before it could turn, however, a sharp pain suddenly pierced through its abdomen.
It felt as though it was being torn in half from the middle.
The multi-eyed spider’s large head drooped, and it saw an exceptionally long sea snake biting through its soft belly, wriggling its way out. The sea snake was covered in the stomach’s mucus, obscuring its original black-and-white pattern.
“F***… damn…”
For the first time, the multi-eyed spider cursed with genuine emotion.
Damn your mother!
In agonizing pain, it closed its many eyes, nearly passing out from the excruciating feeling.
Zhou Qi’an slightly curled the corner of his mouth, recalling the conversation from that night.
“The thing in the manor is the dowry.”
He had promised his mother that he would obtain the treasure capable of shattering the statue and emphasized that his blade would never be pointed at his family.
His mother understood this well.
When it came down to life and death, Zhou Qi’an would definitely choose to sacrifice himself to protect his family. The world was changing rapidly, and treasures in anyone’s hands were a potential hazard. But if Zhou Qi’an held it, it would be more beneficial than harmful to her.
Her personal interests had caused Zhou Qi’an’s mother to temporarily let him go, stepping back to steal the bus herself.
Before she asked for marriage, she had left a sea snake to control the multi-eyed spider in front of Zhou Qi’an, this hair, imbued with her consciousness, was far more powerful than ordinary sea snakes.
Since the statue hadn’t fully awakened yet, the sea snake, after emerging from the abdomen, bit off the small, loach-like black mist.
With the binding force gone, Zhou Qi’an plummeted straight down.
Directly beneath him was the door. Before he hit the ground, he finally glanced at Xun Er, mouthing the word: “Chandelier.”
Xun Er’s expression showed a flicker of surprise.
Zhou Qi’an had seen it… The moment he straightened up after searching the corners before going upstairs, the light from the lantern illuminated the luxurious chandelier above, as well as the half-dismembered body hanging from it.
At first, it had been unclear, but it soon became very clear.
He could even see the blood droplets hanging from Xun Er’s chin, the other struggling to control every muscle to delay the blood from falling.
For the first time, Zhou Qi’an experienced the joy of a cat catching a mouse.
As for why he hadn’t exposed him right away, his lips curled into a smile, confident that Xun Er would soon realize.
“You still have some value.”
In the final moments, Zhou Qi’an only saw one eye exposed beneath Xun Er’s disheveled hair—cold, sinister. The eyeball, which had slowly turned eerie after losing its sclera, showed no sign of weakness, instead staring at him with a deep intensity, as if it was trying to capture the final reflection.
Zhou Qi’an’s satisfaction didn’t last long.
Unlike the others who had prepared for a jump, his fall only intensified his sense of unease.
“Couldn’t be.”
If he died from this fall, it would be too ridiculous.
He imagined his face would be caught in a comically exaggerated expression before he died.
“White silk!”
The weapon known for hanging monsters had rarely had a proper use in Zhou Qi’an’s hands.
It was narrow by nature, not wide enough to support the body of an adult man. And aside from its binding function, the white silk’s primary use was to hang objects for support.
Now, with no points in space to leverage, he couldn’t hang on the statue. So, in the end, it only served as a deceleration mechanism.
With a loud thud, Zhou Qi’an hit the ground on his back. He suspected some of his bones might have cracked, and it was difficult to even sit up.
“Ahh…”
Zhou Qi’an rubbed his eyes and, when he looked up, found that the college student was actually right next to him.
At this moment, the college student’s expression was something to behold.
However, this was not directed at Zhou Qi’an, who had just fallen like a giant rock. His “giant stone” landing didn’t even cause a ripple.
He looked around, puzzled.
No one died.
The college student had originally thought that the treasure would trigger a brutal, self-destructive fight, so he purposely waited until everyone else had entered the door before arriving at the perfect moment. However, he only saw Xun the Wealthy with a mocking expression, Mr. Si with his brows furrowed, and the college student himself, looking clearly disappointed.
Zhou Qi’an was unaware that, just half a minute ago—
The college student touched the handle of the trident, and there was no discomfort in his palm.
Xun the Wealthy desperately tried to stop him.
“It’s possible!”
The college student was thrilled inside. As he exerted more force, trying to pull the artifact out, the trident remained in its initial state, unmoving.
He could only touch it, but couldn’t actually lift it.
The most disappointed was Mr. Si. If the college student could have picked it up, he would have had a whole series of methods to turn him into a puppet and secretly become the true owner of the artifact.
After waiting so long for a kind-hearted, naïve player, it was still a failure.
At the same time, the college student nearly used all his strength, trying several times but not being able to move it even by a millimeter.
Mr. Si’s slight frustration clearly entertained Xun the Wealthy. His pale face was twisted with manic mockery, and he didn’t immediately capitalize on his advantage: “This treasure can only be touched by the purest and most virtuous. A bunch of frauds… and they still think of themselves as good people…”
“Dead frauds…”
As his manic laughter exploded, the ground turned a deep red, and the flesh and tendons in the center formed a smiling face. The mouth of the smile stretched wider and wider, resembling the grin of the evil statue.
It was like a pistachio, expanding with Xun the Wealthy’s smile until it reached the point of threatening to devour everything.
The treasure was so close, yet out of reach.
Someone quietly said, “Run.”
If they didn’t run now, there would be no chance left.
Without any counteracting tools, neither Xun the Wealthy nor the statue were something they could fight against.
The college student was still making one last attempt, only to become another laughing stock for Xun the Wealthy.
Zhou Qi’an fell down at that very moment.
The crack in the ground hadn’t yet spread to the area around the artifact. He looked at Xun the Wealthy, who was laughing uncontrollably, then glanced at the treasure beside him. Instinctively, he gripped the metal shaft of the trident with one hand and gently pulled.
The crack stopped expanding, and the entire space suddenly turned blood-red, with everyone’s expressions becoming serious.
In the hexagonal light column, the trident at the center of the golden swirl began to loosen.
Mr. Si suddenly looked over, his astonishment barely concealed.
As the golden trident was pulled out, the space still trembled. At that moment, everyone’s expression was just like the space itself—torn apart.
Zhou Qi’an looked confused: “You have the treasure, why aren’t you using it?”
Are they all idiots?
__
Author’s Note:
Zhou Qi’an: I don’t get it. I just can’t understand these people. Why don’t they take the treasure?
