Chapter 384: Volume 7 - CH 124.3

Ye Lan is introducing this Nightmare to the others.

This is a rather large setting for a Nightmare – it is a mountain mansion next to a snow-capped peak. They’re all currently on the first floor of this mansion.

It appears this is the property of a rich person, who rents it out to visiting tourists as a lodge for when they are not using it.

“Have you ever read any of those detective noir novels, where some people travel to some isolated location, and then each of them ends up dead but the killer remains at large?”

Ye Lan says with a flat tone, “this is the story that began this Nightmare.”

Before she even finished speaking, on the second floor of this snowed-in, sleepy mansion, a scream from a woman erupts.

He Shujün’s breathing stops for a moment, shocked, and looks up.

Shen Yünjü, though, notes the peculiar use of the word, “’began’ this Nightmare?”

Ye Lan explains quietly, “this takes place after the madness has spread, after all.”

So nothing is as it appears. Got it.

The story goes thus – a couple that is about to engage decided to go on a skiing tour and also test the waters of their married life.

There are eight people in this tour, plus the tour guide, leader, drivers, translator and cook, a total of fifteen people are on this trip. They moved into this mansion on a snowy afternoon.

During this first day, they unpacked and rested;

Though this is also the night, when the groom was tragically murdered.

His girlfriend hadn’t had much of an appetite, and hadn’t eaten much for dinner; she, therefore, had headed to the dining room on the first floor to get a little something for the night.

When she was done, she returned to the room to find it locked from within; knowing her boyfriend was inside, she didn’t bring the key in the first place.

She asked the tour lead for help, and opened the door, revealing her boyfriend’s corpse inside.

This is also where the scream came from.

Yet it is only the harbinger of what’s coming.

The snow is already a blizzard, blocking off the path to the skiing range and the road back to the city;

They will realise that their coach’s engine is too cold to start up. Food is still plenty, but the electricity ends up cut off. The mansion turns cold in the blink of an eye.

During this time, the murders continue to take place.

Who is the killer, though?

He Shujün isn’t a fan of this kind of setting. Her voice is a little shaky as she asks, “so what was really going on here? Are they fans of detective novels so they’re recreating some serial murder case here? Or are they trying to mimic some detective novel?”

“We suspected that, because all the clichés of such a case were here,” Ye Lan says, “but we couldn’t find any proof pointing to that. Incidentally… the Missiontakers who enter this Nightmare, do so as stranded tourists who were lost in the blizzard outside on the mountain.

In other words, we are on a fundamentally different side to the tour group in the mansion originally. And the setting seems to dictate that, we the tourists also have conflicts and squabbles. At the same time… a murder is also taking place among us.”

He Shujün reflexively blurts out, “so this Nightmare is one where NE plants roles in Missiontakers?!”

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“That’s right…” Ye Lan replies, with a face as chilly as ice, “simply put, we also had to immerse in assigned roles here──NE would force us to do so, and force us to kill each other.”

The only Missiontaker present who hasn’t been to the higher floors, Shen Yünjü──Discounting the bored Lin Qin, of course──looks around, confused.

He Shujün explains to him, “on higher floors, some Nightmares are much more repulsive to go through compared to the bottom floor. Missiontakers are put into different factions, and usually forced to work against each other.

Sometimes, it goes as far as changing or even wiping our memories to do so.

Of course, it’s never as severe as wiping everything from our memories like this Nightmare did, but Missiontakers instead receive a new ‘character sheet,’ so to speak, and memories in the Nightmares, and they are always… subconsciously, acting them out, as if they are hypnotised.

It is only when we leave the Nightmare that the influence ends. It is not a common occurrence, but it’s revolting every single time.”

He Shujün shrugs as she says the last sentence. Clearly, she’s also been disgusted by such Nightmares.

Shen Yünjü understands now. He was confused hearing these unfamiliar mechanics Ye Lan mentioned. So these Nightmares operate differently to Nightmares of the bottom floor.

The difficulty would be much higher, by the sounds of it.

After being impressed a little, he puts his attention elsewhere, asking, “if so, then would we be affected here ourselves? I don’t think I feel any subtle influence here.”

Ye Lan shakes her head, and says after thinking a little, “possibly, it’s because this scene is born from a succumbed Missiontaker? Like what we met before.”

“I see…”

He Shujün looks confused, so this time, Shen Yünjü explains it.

In the meantime, Mystic looks around, and starts spouting riddles again, “I can smell it. It is the scent of death.”

Shen Yünjü gives her a glance, then falls into thought. Finally, he says, “we should go to the second floor first, regardless. If they live on the second and third floors, there might be more clues to be found, too.”

He Shujün makes a pouty face while complaining, “so how are we supposed to find the door in this scene…”

Though that is when Lin Qin, who hasn’t been in the conversation at all, suddenly interrupts to say, “we just need to ask everyone in here once, no?”

Shen Yünjü feels a little honoured Lin Qin is suddenly appearing to help. He’s going to say that the people might not be willing to answer, when he remembers Lin Qin’s fighting power, and stops himself doing so.

Lin Qin adds, matter-of-factly, “it’ll be the quickest way.”

He pops his knuckles as he says it.

The rest of the Missiontakers all wisely keep their mouths shut.

Lin Qin nods, satisfied, and heads upstairs. A few minutes later, all the people in the mansion are gathered up in the great hall of the first floor. They are all visibly perplexed but none dare make a move, in fear of Lin Qin’s violent iron fist ended up pummelling into their heads.

Even if the scene just loops, no one wants to end up dying for nothing. Even insane people would have life preservation instincts; those who seek death deliberately excluded, of course.

Lin Qin seems more and more accustomed to resolving these scenes with straightforward and rough means, as if some nature of his has been restored.

When he’s back by Xü Beijin’s side, one can expect him to go back to being the good little apple, but he isn’t yet, so Lin Qin would appear to be moving back towards his usual Mad Dog demeanour.

Of course, that is good news for any Missiontakers present.

Hopefully Lin Qin will keep going like this, and free them from this scene early.

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