Spider Nest?

Heavy tension permeated through the atrium as the players stared at the tragic corpse of the NPC.

In the end, it was Tang Ye who broke the silence first. "I don't really understand…" a nervous laugh bubbled out of his throat. "How can something like this happen all of a sudden? Sister Hong, Brother Zhi, you two… have you encountered such a situation in your previous Cycles?"

Both of them shook their heads in response. There was none of the usual arrogance and disdain in Sister Hong's face, only somberness. "Never. This is the first time I have seen a dead NPC. When it happened, what were you guys doing?"

Tang Ye pointed at himself, Xinxin, Jin Jiuchi and Nian, "We were taking a shower. I even talked to you when I came out, right?" The last question was directed to Jin Jiuchi and Nian.

Indeed, he had heard Tang Ye's voice a moment before that bizarre finger squirmed out from the depth of his throat. And judging from the wound on the corpse's hand, it really looked like the finger belonged to the landlady. Jin Jiuchi still did not have the slightest idea why that finger would appear in his stomach, nor whether he was the one who had caused her death. But somehow, it did not sit well with him to stay mum. At least, he should tell everyone what had happened to him and ask for their opinion, right?

However, just as he was opening his mouth, Nian took hold of his wrist and gave it a little squeeze. He nodded at Tang Ye and informed everyone at the same time, "That's right. My stall and this man's were next to each other, and Tang Ye was opposite us. We could definitely tell if something has happened to the other."

"Right, right!" Tang Ye nodded like chicken pecking rice.

"Nian'er…" Jin Jiuchi murmured, puzzled. Of course, he realized the hidden meaning behind this gesture. The jade doll wanted him to keep it a secret. But why?

Nian merely shot him a pointed look that seemed to say, 'We will talk about this later so shut your mouth if you don't want to die.'

"Brother Zhi and I could also prove each other's alibi," Sister Hong stated with a deep frown on her face. "So if it's not us players, then how could the NPC die all of a sudden?"

Amidst the prolonged silence, the man surnamed Zhi suddenly crouched down and flipped the corpse's body so it was lying face up, earning him a surprised cry from Xinxin and Tang Ye. Disregarding their shock, he methodically searched the body and paused when he saw the missing index finger, but in the end he stood up and shook his head. "No clues. You said that you saw her falling? From where?" he asked Xinxin.

Full of trepidation, Xinxin stammered out with a pale face, "I saw her… falling from Old Guan's room…"

Everyone's faces sank.

"Old Guan's room?" Sister Hong asked sharply. "Are you sure?"

Xinxin's shoulders shrunk a bit, but she still nodded fearfully. "It's room 507. I couldn't have mistaken it…"

This morning, they had watched with their own eyes as Old Guan transformed into a puddle of blood and melted substance in a matter of seconds, so why would the landlady jump from Old Guan's room all of a sudden? No matter from which angle they inspected it, these two events did not coincide with each other at all!

"Let's go," Sister Hong demanded with a grim look. "I think we need to check Old Guan's room. There is still half an hour until ten pm. We will make it back into our rooms before then."

No one raised a protest for they were none the wiser regarding the mysteries around Madam Liu's death. Sister Hong and Brother Zhi took the lead to climb the stairs, with Xinxin and Tang Ye following behind.

When Jin Jiuchi saw that they were out of earshot, he finally couldn't hold himself back anymore and asked, "Nian'er, why did you stop me just now?"

"Are you stupid?" Nian glared. "Do you know what will happen if they discover that you have something to do with the NPC's death? Even if you are not the real killer, they will still make you a target! This is the main NPC we are talking about. Without her, we may be trapped in this Cycle forever! What do you think they will do to you if they find out about it, huh?!"

Jin Jiuchi tilted his head and tried to imagine it. "Well, that really sounds like bad news…" Not only would he be despised to death, that Hong woman might even grab a knife and chop him into pieces. Just thinking about it was enough to send shivers down his spine.

"But on another note," a teasing grin spread across his face as he poked Nian's soft cheek shyly. "Nian'er, are you protecting me? You are, aren't you? As expected, Nian'er loves me the most!"

"L–Love…" Nian sputtered out of shock. How the hell could Jin Jiuchi blurt out something so disgusting without even batting an eyelid?!

"Oh, say no more." Jin Jiuchi hushed him softly, his silver eyes twinkling like a sneaky wolf who had managed to take a bite out of his prey. "Gege has received your love very well. If you keep giving me more, I think I'm going to cry!"

"...Gege, my ass!" Nian was so furious that he could only bark out a cold laugh. Feeling so stifled but with nowhere to vent, he rushed forward to kick Jin Jiuchi right on the shin. "There, take more of my damn love!"

"Ow ow ow…!" Jin Jiuchi clutched his throbbing leg and hopped in place. He gazed tearfully at the jade doll who had quickly rushed up the stairs to catch up with the others. How could Nian'er become more and more violent with each passing day?!

Sigh… tough love was truly difficult.

Wiping his nonexistent tears away, Jin Jiuchi hurriedly chased after the jade doll with his long legs. "Nian'er, wait for me!"

The door to room 507 was wide open when they arrived, with Sister Hong, Xinxin and Tang Ye frozen in the corridor, each spotted with an aghast look on their faces.

Jin Jiuchi frowned when a foul odor started to assault his nose even when he was still meters away. "Ugh, what the hell is this smell…" he pinched his nose and resolutely decided to breathe through his mouth like a foolish goldfish. Alas, ever the curious, he couldn't resist to get closer and take a look. Exactly what had caused the others to show such a terrified expression?

"What are you guys looking at…" Jin Jiuchi's voice petered out as he gaped at the scene in front of him, utterly speechless.

The first thought that popped up in his mind was – 'Holy shit, did I stumble into a spider nest?' But then he recalled that this was Old Guan's room and Old Guan was not a spider, and thus this could not be considered a spider nest.

Every crook and cranny of the room in front of him was heavily tangled with criss-cross strands of black silk that stretched from the floor to ceiling, creating an intricate web-like pattern that filled the entire space. The strands were thin and looked soft at a glance, yet Jin Jiuchi's instinct told him that they would be able to cut through flesh as easily as tofu. They also shimmered eerily under the dim light as though pulsating with a life of their own.

And right now, Surnamed Zhi was fearlessly trudging through the sea of black silk with a fire torch in his hand.

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A/N: Shoutout to Dripping Void, ArcaneMag, VitaminCdotC and others who have given WBNC 16 GTs during the short time it has been contracted! Thank you so much for your support!

From now on too, please continue to show support for the book through PS, review, GT and gift ><