A Survival Game Where You Have to Fall in Love with a Madman - Chapter 11

The murky green moonlight pierced through the carved window lattices, weaving a pattern like a spider’s web across the blue-brick floor.

You Yan stood in the center of the main hall, staring at the eerie double memorial setup before him. Directly ahead sat Cheng Hao’s gold-leafed spirit tablet, but suspended right behind it were Jiang Wan’s bridal phoenix crown and embroidered gown. The faded red bridal veil fluttered loudly in the draft cutting through the hall.

“Gaffer He, I didn’t expect us to end up in the same instance. However, I haven’t finished gathering all the data for this one yet.” A frail, bespectacled young man pressed a finger against the bridge of his glasses.

His name was Liu Xin, an information collector within the Main God Game. He kept backups of data for the vast majority of instances, and countless players constantly sought to acquire information from him.

“What a coincidence.” He Yanqing casually sized up the other two players. A slender, red-haired woman was watching them warily, and standing beside her was a man with a mechanical arm. These two were the very same people who had been watching You Yan’s livestream back in the Game Lobby.

“Do you know them?” You Yan asked nonchalantly.

He Yanqing looked at You Yan with a smile. “Nope. Just a couple of tools.”

Liu Xin: “…” Could you at least not say that right to our faces? It’s seriously wounding my pride here.

Meanwhile, the duo in the corner was muttering something to each other. Liu Xin turned his head toward them, murmuring under his breath, “To think we’d run into them here.”

Noticing that they had drawn the attention of the group, the two walked over to stand before He Yanqing. The red-haired woman tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, took the initiative to speak to He Yanqing, and said, “Gaffer He, a pleasure to meet you.”

Many people knew He Yanqing, but very few were ever acknowledged by him.

“Who the hell are you?” He Yanqing didn’t give her so much as a sidelong glance, his eyes crinkling with a smile as he kept his gaze entirely fixed on You Yan.

Choked by his dismissive response, the red-haired woman felt incredibly awkward. Still, she suppressed her annoyance and said, “My name is Guo Xuemei.” She pointed a finger at the mechanical-armed man beside her. “He is one of my fixed teammates, Chang Zhou.”

“Oh. And what does that have to do with me?”

“Calling you ‘Gaffer He’ is giving you face! Don’t push your luck!” The man named Chang Zhou immediately hoisted his mechanical arm, aiming it directly at He Yanqing.

Seeing this, He Yanqing didn’t even blink. He merely cast a cold, diagonal glance at the man.

[Chang Zhou’s Player Panel pops up before him]

• Gender: Male
• Age: 27
• Height: 187 cm
• Length: 16.5 cm
• Capability Assessment Rating: 31
• Pre-Game Profession: Auto Mechanic
• Weapon: Mechanical Arm
• Personal Skill: Ranged Firearm Attacks

He Yanqing reached his conclusion: “Trash.”

In an instant, Chang Zhou felt as though he had been plunged into an ice cellar. His body froze up entirely, rendering him unable to move. His lips trembled as cold sweat poured down his cheeks.

Guo Xuemei chose that moment to speak up forcefully. “He Yanqing, don’t be so insufferably arrogant. This instance is a Team Survival mode. We should be facing it together instead of engaging in infighting.”

“And what kind of insignificant weed are you supposed to be?” He Yanqing lightly brushed his fingers against the silver stud on You Yan’s left ear, naturally drawing his hand back before You Yan could snap at him. “When people treat you like a human being, do try your best to look the part, okay?”

“Besides, are you even human? How can you prove you’re not a monster?”

Guo Xuemei was completely left speechless by his barbs. She could only gnash her teeth in bitter hatred.

Feeling the residual warmth on his earlobe, You Yan stared with an indifferent gaze at He Yanqing’s utterly shameless expression. He turned around, sat down on a chair beside the sacrificial altar directly facing the face in the black-and-white photograph, propped his head up with his hand, and closed his eyes.

That’s right, he intended to take a nap.

Standing to the side, Liu Xin surreptitiously observed You Yan. Setting aside the man’s numerical capability rating, the raw ability to rip out a BOSS’s heart with his bare hands was not something a novice should possess. Furthermore, judging from the livestream, this man remained entirely calm no matter what happened, displaying not a single shred of unnecessary emotion.

Was it because everything fell within his calculations and victory was completely within his grasp, or was he…

Before Liu Xin could think any further, a figure suddenly bolted straight over to the front. Then came that familiarly mocking voice: “Look at how exhausted my darling is, it breaks my heart.”

Hearing this, everyone looked over. He Yanqing had sat down directly on the sacrificial altar, casually flicking away the stray hairs on You Yan’s forehead.

“Get lost,” You Yan cursed without even opening his eyes.

Liu Xin’s mouth twitched. No wonder You Yan spent the entirety of that A-rank instance cursing He Yanqing out. Wasn’t this psycho entirely bringing it upon himself?

“We don’t have time to waste. First, let’s go find…” Before Jiu Chenjing could finish his sentence, an elderly man dressed in black Qing Dynasty official robes emerged from the shadows.

One of his eyeballs had slipped from its socket and hung halfway down his face. With a weathered, withered hand, he casually stuffed the eyeball back into its socket, turning it around in an eerie circle. His other hand leaned on a gold-patterned cane as he walked toward the group, the staff making a rhythmic thud, thud, thud sound against the floor.

The manifestation of this bizarre old man caused the livestream chat to explode instantly:

[System Livestream Record]

• Instance Name: The Ghost Marriage Ancestral Mansion (Difficulty: B+)
• Current Viewers: 8,625

[ID: Gaffer He’s Intimate Boxers] Holy crap, it’s this butler! Back when I ran this instance, he made me lose a ton of good items. [ID: Your Face Says You Have a Lowly Life] The new weapon I got from a C-rank instance is still in his hands. Waaaah! [ID: Light Slumber] This instance is literally just a scam to fleece items from players. Aside from items, what else can we possibly use as a bridal betrothal gift?

“Guests, I am the butler of this estate. You have finally arrived,” the old butler said. “Just hand over the bridal betrothal gifts you brought to me.” As he spoke, he had already marched up to Guo Xuemei, extending a pair of blackened fingers.

Guo Xuemei frowned and took a step back. This bizarre old man gave her a highly dangerous vibe.

A betrothal gift? No one had told her she needed to bring a betrothal gift into the instance.

“Dear guest, did you fail to bring a betrothal gift?” The old butler’s eyeball loosened slightly, looking as though it might drop out again at any second. He stared dead at Guo Xuemei as the clothes on his body began to melt away, gradually sprouting clusters of crimson eyeballs.

Even though Guo Xuemei had cleared multiple instances, she was still startled by this sight. “I brought one! I’ll give it to you!”

The transformation on the old butler stopped, and he reverted to his original appearance. She fumbled around her person for a moment, pulling out an item she had obtained from her previous instance. Aside from items, she had absolutely nothing else of value on her, and the game had never explicitly specified what qualified as a betrothal gift.

If the value was too low and didn’t count, what if this old butler went completely berserk?

With a pang of intense reluctance, Guo Xuemei placed the item into the old butler’s hand. The butler swept it up, stuffed it into his pocket, and walked over to Chang Zhou.

Unwillingly, Chang Zhou fished out a small mechanical scout drone and tossed it to the old man.

The old butler nodded in satisfaction. He opened his mouth, splitting it all the way back to his ears. One of his pitted, blackened teeth fell out, and a wave of foul stench washed over them. The duo covered their noses and couldn’t help but retreat a few steps.

Sitting on the chair, You Yan opened his phoenix eyes, ending up in a direct, intense gaze with the old man. Consequently, the old butler leaned on his cane and marched straight toward him.

You Yan: “…” If I knew this would happen, I would have kept sleeping.

Ignoring He Yanqing who sat right nearby, the old butler raised his hand and extended it flat in front of You Yan. His fingers were entirely devoid of nails, and the wrinkles on his hands were black and deep, with maggots writhing inside several holes.

“Dear guest, please present your bridal betrothal gift for the bride.”

You Yan stood up in disgust, his handsome brow furrowing slightly. Guo Xuemei stared at You Yan with an expression that practically screamed that she was waiting to watch a disaster unfold.

If she remembered correctly, they had obtained three bottles of healing potions in the last instance, which were rumored to be capable of mending any wound. The quality was supposedly quite precious. Furthermore, as a newcomer, You Yan couldn’t possibly possess anything other than the items provided by the System. Thinking of this made her feel a bit more balanced inside.

“If I give you a betrothal gift, what benefits can you give me in return?” You Yan asked the old man back, his face entirely expressionless.

The old butler had clearly never expected a player to actually demand something from him. Even Liu Xin and the others were completely stunned by You Yan’s logic.

Whenever players tackling this instance encountered the old butler, who among them didn’t turn pale with horror and scramble to flee? Yet this player actually dared to demand terms from an anomaly.

Before the old butler could even formulate an answer, You Yan spoke up entirely on his own: “Nothing? Forget it then.”

He picked up a candlestick from the sacrificial altar, weighed it lightly in his hand, and cast a detached glance at the creature. “The betrothal gift you want—I don’t have that either.”