Chapter 1 The Dining Hall

The dining hall was very large, with a long table in the center, so long that people sitting at opposite ends would have to shout to be heard. A few empty plates and forks were scattered haphazardly on the white tablecloth, along with three or four overturned candlesticks.

Above the table hung a chandelier, even larger than the one in the living room, but it was no longer lit. The dining hall was illuminated by wall lamps.

The wooden chairs were scattered haphazardly, with several lying on their sides on the floor, already covered in cobwebs.

When Si Yu Ruo Li heard the system prompt, she paused for only a second before continuing her search, her expression still as cold as ice.

Bei Ling Xiao Gu was the first to speak, "That big brother who looked quite powerful is dead."

"Powerful?" Si Yu Ruo Li said. "How can you tell?"

"His level was pretty high, and he was a professional player." Bei Ling replied.

Si Yu Ruo Li used her sword to lift a corner of the tablecloth, not stopping her search, and casually replied, "Our levels will also increase, and we can also 'call ourselves' professional players."

"Elder Sis... you're arguing with me again." Bei Ling narrowed her eyes and looked at Si Yu Ruo Li, muttering, "Now that even professional players are dead, aren't you worried at all?"

At this moment, Si Yu Ruo Li took out a letter from under the table and said only four words: "Plot item."

[Name: Letter with Ink Stains]

[Type: Plot Related]

[Quality: Normal]

[Function: Unknown]

[Can it be brought out of the script: No]

[Note: Parts of the letter's contents are covered in ink and cannot be identified.]

She reached out and handed the letter to Bei Ling Xiao Gu, saying, "This thing couldn't have been under the table originally. It must have been reset after 'Invincible Warrior' died."

Bei Ling took the letter, unfolded it, glanced at it, and then put it into the knapsack hanging around her waist, licking her lips. "Well... assuming this letter is one of the clues to solving the main storyline, one possibility is that the person carrying this letter will be subjected to a concentrated attack by some unknown force in this house, putting them in a very dangerous situation, so..."

"So even the professional player died?" Si Yu continued.

"Well... but it's very strange." Bei Ling said, "There were four of them, why did only one die, and the strongest one at that? Could it be..."

"No need to 'could it be'." Feng Bu Jue's voice suddenly rang out as he walked in from the doorway. "Obviously, we are acting separately."

Si Yu and Bei Ling both turned to look at him. Feng Bu Jue continued, "And judging from the fact that he's already down for the count, this 'strongest' should also be questioned."

"His level is higher than yours, and he's a professional player." Si Yu said to Feng Bu Jue, directly repeating Bei Ling's words to convince herself.

"My level will also increase, and I can also 'call myself' a professional player, does that mean I'm strong?" Feng Bu Jue casually replied.

Bei Ling covered her mouth and chuckled, almost laughing out loud.

Si Yu Ruo Li's expression changed slightly. "How long have you been here?"

"Just arrived, what's wrong?" Feng Bu Jue said. He hadn't heard the previous conversation between the two, only the last sentence from Bei Ling.

Si Yu was silent for two seconds and said, "Did you discover the Ghost Palace side quest?"

"Yes." Feng Bu Jue replied, "I found the first and fifth sections. Did you find the other two?"

Bei Ling shook her head and denied, "No, we encountered quite a few traps along the way."

Si Yu asked again, "What exactly is the Ghost Palace? Text? Or an item?"

"It's a poem." Wang Tanzhi also appeared at the entrance of the dining hall, with Long Aomin next to him.

"Good timing." Feng Bu Jue said, "Which section did you find?"

"The good news is... we found two sections." Long Aomin said.

"The bad news is... we can't memorize them." Wang Tanzhi had an expression that wasn't ashamed, but rather proud.

"Roughly repeat a few memorable sentences." Feng Bu Jue said.

The two of them chattered and said four or five fragmented sentences.

After listening, Feng Bu Jue said, "It should be the second and third sections..." Then, he did something shocking. He recited the two sections found by Xiao Tan and Long Ge completely and asked them if he was right.

"Jue-ge... what's going on?" Wang Tanzhi exclaimed, "Were you secretly following us?"

"This house was born from my memories in reality. Actually, I'm a serial killer, and this is one of my bases." Feng Bu Jue said calmly, "The 'Ghost Palace' you saw was written on the wall when I had nothing better to do."

Wang Tanzhi's jaw dropped as he stared at Feng Bu Jue, his mind in a mess.

Ten seconds later, Feng Bu Jue said to him, "You're the only one who hasn't realized this is a joke."

"Hahaha..." Long Aomin suddenly burst out laughing. He quickly realized that Feng Bu Jue was joking, but he didn't find it funny. However, Wang Tanzhi's reaction of believing it was truly speechless.

"Mr. Crazy, now that the cold joke is over, can you tell us the real situation?" Bei Ling said, "You not only know the order of those sections, but you can also memorize the content. You must know the source of this 'Ghost Palace' poem, right?"

Feng Bu Jue said, "This poem is from Edgar Allan Poe's short story 'The Fall of the House of Usher'. I believe this script is also derived from that story." He pulled up a chair and sat down. "Has anyone read it?"

"No~" Except for Si Yu Ruo Li, the other three answered like elementary school students answering their teacher's question in unison, drawing out their voices.

"It's just as well if you haven't. His novels aren't really anything to look at." Feng Bu Jue said, "Poe was just a high-end literary rascal, involved in gambling and drinking, chasing older women and marrying young girls. He spent his life tirelessly satirizing people. Most of his novels only focus on atmosphere, ignoring the plot, and sometimes he would do some opportunistic things, such as at the beginning of 'Ligeia', he randomly fabricated a passage and added a dash to say it was a statement by Joseph Glanvill. If there had been a search engine in the nineteenth century, this guy would have been dragged out into the streets by the critics long ago."

"Sounds like you're a die-hard fan..." Si Yu Ruo Li said coldly.

"Sounds like you're envious and jealous..." Bei Ling Xiao Gu cast a contemptuous look.

"Sounds more and more like you..." Wang Tanzhi said.

"Crazy Brother, have some self-respect..." Long Aomin didn't know what to say, so he could only try to advise him.

Feng Bu Jue stood up, maintaining a straight face and stubbornly holding on: "I only know a little, it's nothing..."

"You can even recite that poem, so stop explaining." Si Yu interrupted.

"This sister..." Feng Bu Jue said.

"How old do you think I am? Calling me sister."

"This young lady..."

"Try calling me that again."

Feng Bu Jue took a deep breath: "Si Nvxia... Actually, I am a very knowledgeable and retentive person..."

"Mr. Crazy, you really don't need to explain to me." A faint smile appeared on the corner of Si Yu Ruo Li's mouth.

Feng Bu Jue was stunned for about three seconds, then turned around casually and said, "The wind is so noisy today..."

Long Aomin even felt embarrassed, "Crazy Brother, even if you're exposed, you don't have to worry too much. Let's continue looking for clues."

Feng Bu Jue almost spat out a mouthful of blood, thinking: You could have just said the second half of that sentence, were you adding insult to injury with the first half?

"By the way, I was just about to ask you, don't you find it strange?" Feng Bu Jue said seriously, "Why have we all come to the dining hall? The structure of this house should be changing. Does our concentration at the same time mean..."

Before he could finish speaking, there was a "bang" and the only door to the dining hall closed by itself.