Chapter 2
, Instance 1: Orphan
The long table in the detective hall has been replaced with a low wooden table covered in graffiti, which seems to be designed to accommodate children's height, but it is quite uncomfortable for adults to sit on.
Su Mian hunched over and coughed uncontrollably, tucking her hands between her legs and curling up into a ball.
cold.
So cold.
It was the feeling of blood rushing backwards, a fear so intense it reached its peak.
"Aa ...
Fish Hat was so frightened that she sat down on the ground with a thud, tears and snot mixed together, her legs trembling uncontrollably under her skirt.
Am I dreaming?
Wang Zhe muttered blankly, and Zhou Yichen, ignoring his girlfriend, stood up and shouted hysterically.
"Are you crazy? This is a stupid murder mystery game, are you trying to mess with us?!"
The only ones who seemed relatively calm were Su Mian and a boy sitting next to her.
The boy hadn't said a word since the beginning. His bangs covered his eyes, and he looked sloppy with his eyes darting around.
This personality doesn't seem like someone who would actively participate in murder mystery games.
But Su Mian knew very well that she was the only one sharing the order, and the four people opposite her knew each other.
Once she felt her body gradually warming up, Su Mian began to look around.
A spacious and colorful activity room with pale yellow walls, where toys and books are neatly stored in storage boxes.
The air was filled with the scent of chalk dust and candy, like the lingering aroma of children playing.
She reached out to block the sunlight streaming through the window, trying to peek at the view outside through the crack.
A vast expanse of white, like a window in a dream, with only light and no real view.
Her clothes had changed, and Su Mian looked down at them.
Indigo patched overalls, Barbie pink striped top with a picture of Pleasant Goat printed on the chest.
……
Good soil.
"Tap, tap, tap—"
The leather shoes made a sound as they stepped on the ground, but the source of the sound was impossible to discern.
Su Mian felt a gust of wind blow by, and a shadow fell behind her.
She turned around abruptly, her heart clenching.
A face without features suddenly came into view.
But upon closer inspection, it became clear that the man was wearing a porcelain mask.
Empty, white-tiled, lacking any "human" atmosphere.
He was dressed in a black suit, with broad shoulders and a slender figure, but the combination of these elements created a jarring blend of beauty and horror.
He was languid, his red hair tied into a casual wolf tail at the nape of his neck, the hair shimmering slightly with a damp sheen, flamboyant yet mysterious.
The hand wearing a white glove placed two candies on the table in front of Su Mian and the boy.
"Quiet children get a reward."
The man's voice was clear and mellow, but it wasn't muffled behind a mask; rather, it was ethereal, slowly penetrating everyone's ears.
This further confirms his "inhuman" image in Su Mian's mind.
"Who the hell are you?"
Zhou Yichen's voice boomed in the activity room, clearly a bluff.
He stared intently at the man, struggling to suppress the fear in his heart.
The masked man slowly straightened up, sending chills down the spines of everyone present.
"Welcome, detectives who have traveled from afar. I am the DM for this game. You may call me by my full name..."
"Dean."
"Waaaaah, I want to go home, I don't want to play anymore!"
Yu Mao Mao had just gotten up from the chair when she was so frightened by the man that her legs went weak. She wiped away her tears and grabbed Zhou Yichen's hand.
"Once we sign the agreement, we're family."
He spoke slowly and deliberately, stating a fact to everyone: once the bloodstain is pressed, there is no turning back.
The dean slowly walked to the blackboard and wrote a few large characters.
Introduce yourself.
"Since we're new friends at the Sunshine Orphanage, let's all..."
"Are you deaf?! I said I'm not playing anymore!"
Zhou Yichen rushed to the podium and shouted. The air fell silent for a moment. The man turned his head slightly and "looked" at Zhou Yichen with a blank face.
Zhou Yichen felt a cold sweat break out instantly from being stared at, and a feeling of suffocation suddenly arose from nowhere.
"I already said..."
"Quiet."
Before the words were even finished, the man had already appeared silently in front of him.
The close proximity caused Zhou Yichen's pupils to shrink sharply, and the scream stuck in his throat could not be uttered.
The next instant, a cold spring clicked into his neck, and blood gushed from his carotid artery, the crimson liquid drawing an arc in the air.
"Ughhhhhh!!!"
After a moment's hesitation, a scream ripped through the silence.
"Disobedient child..."
"Let it become a toy for other children."
DM gently wound up the clockwork with his fingers.
After one rotation, a crack appeared on his neck.
After two rotations, his neck and head fell to the ground.
"Thump—"
The activity room was deathly silent.
Su Mian frowned and turned her face away, which made the rest of the people feel much worse.
Fish Hat covered his mouth tightly with both hands, tears welling up in his eyes, his breathing rapid as if he were about to suffocate.
Wang Zhe leaned on the table, his face ashen, his throat churning as if he were about to vomit.
Suddenly, with a snap of his fingers, the smell of blood vanished.
"A little bit of caution."
DM chuckled softly, as if admiring his own masterpiece.
Zhou Yichen's knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground, trembling as he touched his neck.
The skin is intact.
It's still there...it's still there.
The only sound in the activity room was panting; no one dared to speak. The director, or rather the DM, had vanished again without a trace.
Sunlight streamed onto the table, seemingly urging them to read the script.
Su Mian picked up her script and started reading it. Seeing this, everyone else had no choice but to follow suit and start reading their scripts as well.
Everyone is praying that they are not an orphan.
That means that person will be left isolated and helpless.
But what exactly is the definition of an orphan?
Aren't all the children who come to the orphanage orphans?
Su Mian pondered for a moment, then opened the first page of the script.
Welcome to Infinite Murder Mystery Game! I'm your detective assistant, 4399.
Please keep the script safe. It can not only help you complete game levels, but also save your life if necessary.
[Player's initial score: 9000. Each failure deducts 3000 points; conversely, each successful completion awards 3000 points.]
[Note: If your points are reset to zero, you will be eliminated!!!]
[Friendly Reminder: Please strictly adhere to the character settings in the script. Violation of these settings will be punished!]
Punished?
Su Mian frowned. What punishment?
As if the script knew what she wanted to ask, another line of text appeared at the very bottom.
[The punishment will be random, but you definitely won't like it ^-^]
……
What's the meaning of adding an emoticon?
Speechless, I turned to the next page.
This page contains familiar elements: character introductions and background information.
Your name is Miguo, and you are five years old.
You were born into a family that outsiders considered privileged.
You have a childhood sweetheart named Lin Xiaofan.
【Oh no~ Mianmian, this childhood sweetheart story is in your ex-boyfriend's hands TT】