Infinite Peculiar Games

In front of him was a European-style cemetery, shrouded in the darkness of night. Rows of deathly pale tombstones stood neatly, resembling the earth’s growing teeth, with loose soil as decaying gums.

A towering statue stood in the centre of the cemetery, its pristine white surface glazed with a layer of crimson moonlight. It held a bright red object in its hands, vicious and piercing.

Qi Si strolled leisurely towards it when a sudden “swish” sound came from behind him.

He turned his head and saw a white, ghastly skeletal hand breaking out from the soil. In the scarlet glow, it looked like a blood-soaked rose.

“How beautiful.”

Qi Si held his breath, afraid to disturb the rare sight.

He watched as the hand’s fingers clawed into the soil, using the ground’s support to pull its entire body out inch by inch, like an absurd and bizarre dance at the Bacchanalia*.

The hand twisted and struggled for a long time but could not fully extract itself from the ground.

Qi Si, feeling helpful, walked over and grabbed the wrist of the hand, pulling with all his might as if uprooting a radish.

A sudden “crack” of breaking bone echoed, reminiscent of the time he had accidentally broken his father’s finger while making a specimen.

The dream was chaotic and blurry, with unpleasant memories failing to trigger much sadness and being quickly overshadowed by the vision before him.

The hand was smooth as jade; its beauty breathtaking. Thinking that he would soon possess it, Qi Si’s eyes curled into a smile.

However, the next moment, a dense grey fog filled his entire vision, and a sudden gust of wind sent him flying backwards.

His back hit something solid, jolting him awake. He found himself staring at the ceiling, speckled with sprouts and dark spots.

“Dong—dong—dong—”

The clock outside the room struck a steady rhythm.

It was three in the morning.

Qi Si quickly realised that Shen Ming’s earlier advice to “don’t overthink it” and “just go back to sleep” was utter nonsense, as absurd as trying not to ignore the elephant in the room.

He immediately placed his right hand on his left wrist and began counting the seconds with his pulse.

Light footsteps sounded above his head, like the tap of a wooden cane or the tiptoe of a dance, quiet and scattered, unsettling like ants crawling on his heart.

The sound was different from Miss Anna’s footsteps; they were lighter and more unsteady, giving the impression of someone about to collapse at any moment.

Was there someone else on the third floor? Who could it be? A ghost or a living person?

Qi Si glanced at Lin Chen beside him.

His breathing was even, and he seemed deeply unconscious, not likely to cause any sudden disturbances—one of the few bits of good news.

The footsteps above continued for a while before stopping abruptly.

After about half a minute, footsteps with the same rhythm came from the direction of the staircase.

Whatever was upstairs was coming down.

Qi Si held his breath, staring at the door.

The soft, scattered footsteps wandered in the hallway, coming closer and then moving away, as if searching for something. Unhurried, like a stroll.

Suddenly, they stopped at a certain spot. Then a knocking echoed in the silence, where gentle and slow knocks drifted between the floors.

If Qi Si remembered correctly, the door being knocked on was Room 1, where Ye and Zou Yan were staying, diagonally across from his room.

Both of them were probably asleep, and the knocking sound faded like a drop in the ocean, failing to stir even the slightest ripple.

The entity outside knocked on the door for a while, receiving no response, then let out a long sigh.

The footsteps resumed, but this time in a different direction, as if they had a target in mind, drawing closer within seconds.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

The familiar knocking fell on Qi Si’s door, the frequency identical to before.

The rich scent of flowers wafted through the air, and there was a hissing sound from the crack under the door, as if something was forcefully trying to squeeze its way in.

Qi Si silently sat up in bed and rotated the bracelet on his right wrist.

A cold blade popped out, which he held between his fingers.

“Knock, knock, knock.” The entity outside knocked three more times, then fell into silent anticipation.

Receiving no response, the footsteps gradually moved away, and the strange sound at the door crack stopped immediately.

Qi Si narrowed his eyes slightly, drawing his breath long and quiet, blending almost seamlessly into the surrounding silence.

Sure enough, the next moment, the footsteps that should have been retreating abruptly doubled back.

It was a feint, catching him off-guard.

“Are you asleep?”

A woman’s voice came from outside the door, delicate and faint, as if in a dream.

It sounded like Miss Anna’s voice but was slightly distorted, giving it an indescribable eerie feeling.

Qi Si remained silent, his fingers gripping the blade tightly.

“Are you asleep?” the voice asked again.

The situation was clear: staying awake at night undoubtedly meant danger, but it was unclear how the danger would manifest—whether it would irrationally break through the door or not.

All along, Qi Si had been counting seconds in his mind, so he could accurately state the time—3:11:27 AM.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this that the ghosts and monsters outside the door were unable to directly attack him.

“You’re not asleep, right? Can you please let me in?” ‘Miss Anna’ outside the door spoke softly, half coaxing, half pleading.

Qi Si glanced at the rules on the system interface, stopping at the fourth rule.

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

To meet Miss Anna’s requests, must I really open the door and let her in?
But, is the person outside really Miss Anna?

【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.】

The guest room door did not even have a peephole, so how can I tell what colour Miss Anna is wearing?

Breaking the rules during dinner could still be excused with “safety in numbers,” but breaking them now is almost like saying to the heavens, “I want to die; don’t bother saving me.”

Qi Si stroked his chin thoughtfully, then stuck to his decision to continue pretending to sleep.

After all, the entity outside was clearly requesting. How could a request be equated with a demand?
Moreover, doesn’t “try to” inherently imply a choice, not an obligation?

Qi Si believed his logic was flawless and reasonable.

Facing random events like waking up at night was akin to a natural disaster—there is no way to handle them perfectly every time. Survival boils down to sheer luck.

Though he had been unlucky all his life, he did not fear gambling. As long as the risk is acceptable, does it matter if I lose the gamble?

Not getting a response for a long time, Miss Anna’s voice grew sharper: “You’re not asleep! You’re definitely awake! Open the door! Let me in!”

The door rattled like nails scratching wood. Qi Si could imagine Miss Anna clinging to the door, angrily clawing at it.

However, this confirmed one thing: without the player’s permission, Miss Anna cannot enter the room.

Qi Si felt much relieved, even finding the scratching on the door oddly satisfying.

Wanting to get in but unable to, raging impotently outside—just imagining it was amusing.

Sitting cross-legged with his chin resting on his knees, Qi Si gazed ahead with keen interest.

Seeing that Qi Si still did not open the door, as if giving up hope, Miss Anna’s voice turned sorrowful.
“Please let me in, okay? I just want to see you for a moment…”

“You promised me you’d take me with you tonight… We agreed on the time…”

“It’s already time; why didn’t you come find me? I came to you; why won’t you see me?”

Qi Si, who had been indifferent, suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine, his shoulders trembling involuntarily.

Fortunately, Miss Anna did not continue this script for long.

After muttering to herself for a while, she let out a faint sigh and murmured, “Seems like he’s really asleep.”

Light footsteps sounded again, moving towards the last door.

Qi Si took a deep breath, exhaling slowly to quell the nausea, but could not relax for long.

From the direction of the French windows, there was a surreal howling of the wind. Though the windows were tightly shut, the sound invaded relentlessly.

Without thinking, acting on instinct, Qi Si fell back and tightly shut his eyes.

As he crashed onto the bed, a sudden gust of wind blew open the curtains, toppling the chair holding them with a loud clang, followed by a cacophony of clatters.

The room key in his chest pocket grew warm, and lines of text refreshed on the virtual system interface.

【Name: Room 2’s Key】

【Type: Prop (cannot be taken out of the instance)】

【Effect: When the holder is in the corresponding room, other entities cannot force entry without the holder’s permission.】

【Note: Guests should have the right to privacy, as it is a matter of courtesy; of course, this does not apply when the host is extremely angry.】

Qi Si felt a gaze land on him with substantial weight, greedily licking over every corner.

He calmly maintained his steady breathing, as if he had been asleep for a long time.

His fingertips pressed the blade into the bedding, unmoving at this moment.

The gaze outside the window lingered for a full minute before reluctantly moving away.

A sigh, disappointed and resigned, drifted into the night breeze. “Seems like he’s really asleep…”

At the same time, from the door of Room 3, where Shen Ming and Chang Xu were, there came a steady “knock, knock” sound, patient yet persistent.

……

In Room 3, Shen Ming had woken up the moment the clock struck three.

Recalling the first two rules, he panicked, his breathing erratic.

He was not an opinionated person. In reality, he became a workshop director in a factory through seniority rather than merit, and he avoided work whenever possible.

Taking a stand and pretending to be someone he was not—seizing a leadership position—was indeed a bold move for him.

But he had no choice. This was his third instance, and if rumours were to be believed, his mortality rate in this instance would be much higher than others, with even a slight misstep potentially resulting in his demise.

He had to seize every advantage he could, tricking other players into taking risks for him.

Unfortunately, things had not gone smoothly.

Chang Xu was firm in his decisions; no matter what Shen Ming said, he remained expressionless. Qi Si appeared gentle and harmless but clearly had his own plans. Zou Yan was unpredictable, and Lin Chen was dispensable…

Shen Ming could not help but resent his niece for her ideas. Saying things like “establishing a reliable and upright image” and “occupying the moral high ground” sounded easy, but in reality, they were impossible to execute. Instead, they only put him in a tough spot.

He had pulled his foolish niece into the game, intending to use her as a test subject for death traps, not to add more complications.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

The knocking sound passed through the first two rooms, and like the sudden drop of a guillotine blade on an execution platform, they finally reached the door along with the footsteps.

Shen Ming’s entire body tensed up, and he could not stop sweating.

A soft female voice came from outside the door: “You’re not asleep, are you? Let me in, okay?”

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

The rules on the system interface were clear. Shen Ming sat up and was about to get out of bed.

Without warning, a pair of icy hands covered his mouth from behind, pressing him back onto the bed.

Shen Ming instinctively struggled, then heard Chang Xu’s low voice next to him: “Stay quiet if you don’t want to die. Don’t let Miss Anna know we’re awake.”

As if to confirm his words, the voice outside turned shrill. “I know you’re awake! Open the door and let me in!”

She knows! If we don’t open the door, we’ll break the rules! Shen Ming screamed silently in his mind, unable to think rationally.

He struggled violently, managing to make a loud “bang” despite being held down by Chang Xu.

It seemed to trigger something—the door creaked open slowly and steadily.

A figure in red stood at the doorway, her dishevelled white hair covering most of her face, resembling a vengeful red ghost from the stories, here to claim lives.

Shen Ming was terrified, but then he remembered the fifth rule: 【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.】

However, in the next second, several vines emerged from the darkness, wrapping around the red figure and dragging her back, mixed with sobbing sounds saying, “Why did you still come to see him?”

More vines shot into the room, heading towards the bed.

Shen Ming’s heart nearly stopped, but he was not completely unprepared.

Before entering the instance, he had donated most of his savings to the guild to exchange for a life-saving item.

Trembling, he raised his hand to clutch the amulet hanging from his chest and activated its effect.

【Name: Displacement Amulet】

【Type: Prop】

【Effect: Reduces presence to the minimum, avoids eerie gazes (duration of 30 seconds)】

【Note: They can’t see you now, so they will target your roommate instead.】

The amulet warmed in his palm, and Shen Ming saw the vines that were heading towards him initially swiftly change direction, attacking Chang Xu beside him instead…

(End of Chapter)

——

*TL’s note:

The Bacchanalia were Roman festivals of Bacchus, the Greco-Roman god of wine, freedom, intoxication, and ecstasy.

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