Infinite Peculiar Games

Dark grey clouds pressed against the grey-purple sky, shattering the feeble, cold sunlight. Damp moisture suspended in the air, as if ready to condense into droplets at any moment.

Qi Si opened his eyes and found himself standing beneath a Gothic manor, a towering castle casting monstrous shadows over him.

The castle appeared aged; its walls were covered in a network of decaying vines and fragmented into pieces, seemingly on the verge of collapsing at any moment.

In front of the castle stretched a sea of roses; each rose was vibrant with life. Branches grew wild, baring their thorns and brandishing their petals.

A light grey translucent panel appeared in the upper left corner of his vision, resembling the system interface common in third-rated games, and displayed silver-white prompts.

【Instance Name: “Rose Manor”】

【Instance Type: Team Survival (6 players)】

【Main Task: Survive for three days; decipher the rules】

【Precautions: Flattery is disgusting; all NPCs in this instance will not deceive players with words】

“Am I entering the instance already?”

Qi Si rubbed the silver bracelet on his right wrist, his gaze wandering among the lines of text, finally settling on the last sentence.

He knew well that sometimes even the truth could deceive.

Using a series of incomplete truths to lead people astray—this was something he happened to excel at.

Suddenly, a soft narrator’s voice rang in his ears, full of grievances and complaints.

【What is the most beautiful thing in the world? She pursued it all her life until her beautiful face morphed into a skeleton.】

【A girl in love with allure planted a garden full of roses, hoping the sea of flowers would pay the price in place for her beauty.】

【She watched the roses in the garden gradually age and began to wonder: Can roses no longer wither? Can the beauty she loved no longer fade?】

【Dear guests, welcome to Miss Anna’s Rose Manor.】

The voice was delicate, like a whisper of a frail girl, but the tone gave off a sense of lifelessness at twilight, like an ancient cemetery after the rain, damp and decaying.

Unfortunately, Qi Si had always lacked awe for ghosts and the unknown, so he did not have the habit of imagining or scaring himself unnecessarily.

He chuckled, lifting his foot onto the damp path, crossed the dense sea of flowers, and stood in front of the stone door wrapped with withered vines.

He pushed the door open.

…

The interior of the castle was simple, with a large, old-fashioned mechanical clock placed in the corner, conveying an era confused with time and space.

The hall was dimly lit, with a large marble table at its center. A fruit basket sat atop the table, accompanied by a flickering candlestick that served as the sole source of light in the castle.

A main seat was placed directly opposite the door, with three chairs on each side. Five people were already seated.

Naturally, these five people were players.

“This is a team survival instance, and we need to collaborate and work together to decipher the instance’s outlook—how about we get to know each other first?”

The first to speak was a middle-aged man wearing glasses with a face that could blend into a crowd without being noticed. He wore a suit and trousers, giving the impression of a reliable and convincing social elite at first glance.

“I’m Shen Ming. This is my third instance, and clearing this instance will make me an official player. I’m the CEO of a listed company; you should be able to find my information online after you leave the instance.”

He paused before continuing casually, “I’ve made quite a bit of money in recent years. Ever since I was selected by Peculiar Games, I’ve invested some of my funds into researching strange tales, and I’ve achieved some success.”

“Wow, a big shot! Looks like this instance is in good hands! How about I call you Brother Shen from now on?” A girl with a ponytail enthusiastically chimed in.

She appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen years old, her smile revealing two dimples. She showed no signs of fear from the start, behaving as if she were merely on vacation.

“I’m Liu Qing Ye; this is my second time in an instance. You can call me Ye. I used to be a paranormal live streamer, so I’m bold and not afraid of ghosts. You don’t have to worry about me lagging behind.”

Two people initiated, and the other players also introduced themselves one after another.

“I’m here for the first time; my name is Lin Chen…” The last to speak was a young man in hospital clothes, his face as pale as paper, looking as if he were fatally wounded and beyond cure.

As he spoke halfway, he suddenly stared in the direction of the castle door, his eyes widening.

Following his gaze, everyone saw a person standing in the shadows of the door, as if he had appeared out of nowhere.

He seemed to be in his twenties, wearing a white shirt and black trousers. Tall and slender, he had a soft and gentle face beneath his dark, short hair, but his complexion was unusually pale, giving him a ghostly rather than human appearance.

With closer inspection, one could notice spatters of blood on his shirt, as if he had just come from a murder scene.

This latecomer seemed unfazed when perceived as a potential threat. Noticing he had become the centre of attention, he smiled nonchalantly and introduced himself: “Qi Si, second instance.”

When Qi Si entered, the players’ introductions were coming to an end, and he only heard the self-introduction of the young man in hospital clothes.

Upon hearing the words “first time,” he immediately realised that some of these players were probably not entering an instance for the first time; otherwise, it was unnecessary to mention it.

In a game involving life and death, even if teamwork is required, it does not mean that strangers can trust each other.

Qi Si did not believe these people would take care of newcomers, nor did he want to be taken for a fool and inexplicably become a guinea pig for trial and error.

So, he lied. Calmly.

“Hey handsome, nice to meet you. You can call me Ye.” Ye greeted him familiarly, then curiously looked at the bloodstains on Qi Si’s clothes. “Is that real blood on your clothes? Don’t tell me you just came from a murder scene.”

Qi Si touched his fingers and smiled gently. “I’m a taxidermist. I was working on specimens before coming here and didn’t have time to change clothes.”

Ye widened her eyes. “You didn’t check the countdown? Didn’t you know it was time to enter the instance? I’ve been lying in bed for an hour before the countdown ended…”

Qi Si’s smile didn’t waver. “So what? I’m not here for a dance party, and this isn’t a good place for chance encounters either.”

It was reasonable and irrefutable, but why did it sound so odd?

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

The middle-aged man named Shen Ming took on the responsibility of being the team leader, briefly repeating the self-introductions of everyone to Qi Si.

Qi Si sat in the empty seat and listened intently, his head tilting to one side.

At first glance, the quality of these players seemed good, all belonging to the type that was worth being made into specimens. Apart from the experienced Shen Ming and the flustered Lin Chen, the others had entered instances for the second time.

A young man named Chang Xu sat in the corner of the table, dressed in a black hoodie. He claimed to be a police officer and sat with an upright back, his face expressionless and his eyes deep, exuding a cold and detached aura.

Opposite Shen Ming was a tall woman named Zou Yan, dressed in a white trench coat. She is a psychologist in the real world, and even within the instance, she maintained a reassuring smile that made her seem approachable.

Ye suddenly smiled mischievously. “Hey, have you guys heard the rumor?” Several major leagues might team up under the leadership of the great Fu Jue to tackle the final instance…”

Gossiping is a natural human tendency, and under Ye’s influence, the players quickly became familiar with each other, sharing various anecdotes related to the Peculiar Games.

The tension eased significantly, and if it were not for the castle’s oppressive stone walls that had no windows and the faint scent of blood mixed with the fragrance of flowers, it would be easy to forget this was a deadly horror game.

Is it really possible to have such a calm attitude when entering the game only twice?

Qi Si held his grins as the veteran players exchanged information while he collected lots of useful insights.

For example, the ways players entered the instances varied. Some were driven by strong desires; others were chosen inexplicably.

For example, no matter how severe the injuries sustained in the instances, as long as they survived, the injuries would not carry over to reality.

Yet again, for example, after dying in the game, the player’s real body would die within half an hour in a rational manner.

Amidst the heated conversation, the sound of rolling wheels suddenly echoed from a corner of the castle.

Everyone hushed simultaneously.

From the shadows in the corner, a man in a black butler uniform appeared, pushing a serving cart like a ghost.

To be fair, his features were quite handsome, but his skin had an unnaturally smooth texture, resembling an inflated doll.

Upon seeing all the players staring at him, the butler put up an exaggerated smile on his glossy face. “Dear guests, Miss Anna will be here shortly to dine with all of you.”

“Of course, our manor has many taboos. For your safety, please read and remember them carefully.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a sheet of paper filled with writing appeared out of thin air in the centre of the table.

The bloody text on the white paper was twisted and contorted as if it could spill out of the paper at any moment.

Qi Si lowered his eye line to read it, and as soon as his gaze reached the text, lines of words were refreshed in the system interface at the top left corner of his vision.

【1. The manor provides two meals a day. Please come to the main hall for breakfast at 6:00 a.m. and dinner at 6:00 p.m.; 9:00 p.m. onwards is your rest time.】

【2. Time is crucial. If you wake up at night, ensure you always know the exact time.】

【3. Miss Anna likes guests and has no malicious intents towards them, but remember to address her correctly as “Miss Anna” and nothing else.】

【4. Do not refuse any requests from Miss Anna and try to fulfill all her demands; she hates disobedient guests.】

【5. Miss Anna likes to wear red dresses; you can trust her in a red dress. If you see her in black, please keep your distance.】

【6. Do not leave the castle at night, do not pick roses in the manor, and be cautious of the roses.】

【7. Only ghosts and monsters can kill humans. Always believe you are human.】

【8. If you must break some rules in an emergency, ensure you break as few as possible. She might… spare you.】

(End of Chapter)

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