"Ah, sorry to keep you waiting!" Song Qian burst into the hospital room, panting heavily. Churan had nothing to do, just staring blankly at his computer screen.

When Song Qian entered, Churan immediately remembered the email Shen Junyao had sent that morning. He pulled it up, turned his phone screen toward Song Qian, and glared. "Can you explain what this is about?"

Song Qian leaned over, glanced at it, then scratched his head awkwardly with a sheepish grin. "Ah... those two just can’t help showing off. You know how they are. Yesterday’s mess really pissed off Li Xiujiang—that’s Lichou. I love chatting about games at school, you know that. Today, I just mentioned you’d fallen into the OFO trap because of me..."

"I only need one answer," Churan cut him off before he could ramble. "Does he know I’m He Yucheng?" If Lichou found out, he’d probably storm into the hospital to skin Churan alive.

"Uh... no. I know better than to spill that secret—it’d be bad news for you." Song Qian forced a dry chuckle. The big in-game incident was common knowledge among OFO players, and plenty at school played too. Since Lichou had leaked his own ID, rivals would’ve seized the chance to mock his arrogant, dismissive attitude. But as long as He Yucheng’s identity stayed hidden, no one would connect the dots.

"Sigh... she seemed nice at first, but later it was clear she never considers others. Seriously..." Churan didn’t bother sighing anymore. What’s done is done; no point dwelling.

He wasn’t out to target Li Xiujiang or Shen Junyao in OFO. From boss steals to city blockades, he’d only passively made Lichou lose face. His real move was posting that "crushing Lichou" video during the boss fight. Everything else? Forced on him.

And it wasn’t his fault, was it?

After logging in, Song Qian asked, "What now?"

"Waiting for people," Churan replied flatly. The map-unlocking quest was high-difficulty. They’d agreed yesterday to start only after Lengjiang and Moonshadow came online.

"Oh..." Bored, Song Qian scrolled through the guild chat. Most messages were just the guild leader and vice-leader bickering, making other members laugh.

Churan rarely chatted. He’d joined this guild purely for the trade, knew no one, and felt awkward jumping in. Better to stay invisible.

Most guilds had YY voice channels. Hardcore players used YY for talk, only occasionally chatting in-game. As for YY? Churan avoided it even more.

Song Qian was different—chatty by nature. He couldn’t stand waiting, so he actually started chatting with the original Sentinel Tomb guild members.

Soon, Lengjiang and Moonshadow logged on. The group was complete.

"(～￣▽￣)～ Good evening, hubby~" Lengjiang greeted sweetly. He Yucheng smiled. "Evening. Good evening, Brother Moonshadow."

"Sigh..." Moonshadow logged in groaning nonstop. He Yucheng asked curiously, "What’s wrong? Did today’s classes wreck you?"

"Pretty much. My heart’s exhausted today." Moonshadow gave a bitter laugh. He Yucheng guessed he was a diligent student who’d struggled with a tough lesson—nothing unusual in school life.

"Finally together! Let’s go?" Recomposed Words sounded relaxed but was internally panicking. Still, he had to act reliable in front of his buddies—bro? sis? sister-in-law?

He Yucheng saw right through Recomposed Words’ goofy act. He raised an eyebrow. "It’s just a manor. Can you be serious?"

"Dude! Try playing a horror game at midnight and see if you’re calm. Just wait—you’ll find out!" Recomposed Words protested. He Yucheng underestimated the game’s "power." He was sure He Yucheng would be terrified in that haunted house too.

"Fine. If I’m not scared, what then... dear wife?" He Yucheng teased as usual. But at the mention of the manor, Lengjiang’s face paled with fright.

Lengjiang shrank behind He Yucheng, clutching his sleeve and trembling. Seeing her reaction, He Yucheng sighed. He grew more curious about the game’s design.

"Moonshadow, drop the worries. Let’s have fun tonight?" Recomposed Words slung an arm around Moonshadow’s shoulders. Moonshadow shook his head with a smile. "Alright. Screw the manor—let’s charge in!"

"Ready, dear wife?" He Yucheng watched Recomposed Words and Moonshadow banter, then gently patted Lengjiang’s head with his free hand.

"╮(╯﹏╰）╭ Gul..." Lengjiang pouted, releasing his sleeve in reluctant agreement. What could scare Lengjiang and Recomposed Words so badly? It was a 3D MMORPG—how did it turn horror?

Let’s go!

The quest manor lay northwest of Radiant Imperial City. The game’s time synced with reality: daytime scenes matched real daylight, night scenes turned to dusk. Only fixed or selectable maps stayed constant; other zones shifted automatically.

Eternal Night City was perpetually dark—a story-driven setting. He Yucheng only skimmed the lore...

Leaving the Mercenary Guild, a few players patrolled Eternal Night City like ghosts. He Yucheng knew Dianying’s crew wouldn’t give up easily, so they dodged people whenever possible. The night fog offered cover—eerily realistic.

The "guards" hadn’t spotted them. Even if they did, He Yucheng could call Nai Xiaodu for help. Her quest was to level him to max; in return, he’d aid her in the Sovereignty War.

No need to stir trouble if unnoticed. They avoided lit paths, hid in shadows, and slipped out of the city toward Radiant Imperial City’s northwest...

He Yucheng didn’t rush to use Lengjiang’s large teleport array. Its cooldown was absurdly long. He planned to place it near the Fb entrance as an emergency escape. His bounty debuff—experience loss on death—still lingered. Dying to players dropped XP (he’d lost levels before when low-level), but monsters? He didn’t know, and didn’t want to find out...

After traveling a while, a small hill blocked their path. Dark clouds hid the crescent moon. The road ahead was pitch-black, but they could barely make out a narrow trail up the slope.

"Shall we?" The gloomy scenery looked eerie, but it was just a game—nothing to fear. People scaring people? That was real...

He Yucheng led trembling Lengjiang up the slope first. At the top, he froze at the sight of countless graves covering the hillside. The two men behind him crept up slowly, then stood stunned by the sea of tombstones.

"A paupers’ graveyard?" He Yucheng concluded. This area reeked of "yin energy"—ghostly monsters might appear...

But there was nothing to fear. They couldn’t jump out of the screen...

"QAQ" Though it was a game, Lengjiang immersed deeply. A little girl would feel terrified in this lifelike setting...

"Let’s go. I’m here," He Yucheng said gently. Lengjiang nodded timidly and followed him downhill. Behind them, Moonshadow and Recomposed Words—grown men—were utterly useless at moments like this...

Sigh...

...

"Mo Jie, the quest-takers are here." At the hill’s base, in a withered forest corner, a group huddled. One spotted He Yucheng’s party descending and alerted the female player ahead.

"Yeah, I see them. Dared to steal our quest? I’ll break their damn legs! Damn it!" The woman cursed, glaring at the distant figures. Too far to read their IDs.

"We finally timed the ‘house blueprint’ quest spawn perfectly—stolen again. I’m furious!" The group gripped their weapons, itching to fight.

"Wait till they’re close. Wipe them out. Understood?"

"Yes!"

...

Shallow Peace sat at her computer, fingers flying over the keyboard as she pondered. A knock came at the door. She sprang up, opened it.

Seeing the old butler, her eyes lit up. "Found it?"

She missed the butler’s uneasy expression, too eager for answers. After today’s clash with Chen Haoxuan, he might tell their parents. So Shallow Peace had kept Xin Qian off the computer, waiting for a call instead.

No call came—Chen Haoxuan likely avoided worsening her dislike. If parents called Xin Qian and she cooperated, this "test" storm would pass.

As long as the storm stayed calm, Shallow Peace had time for her "plan." Its starting point was "He Yucheng."

Who was He Yucheng? Would he help? That’s what she’d been working on.

Now his real info was within reach—how could she not be excited?

The butler hesitated. Shallow Peace noticed his discomfort. "What’s wrong?"

He sighed, bracing himself. "He Yucheng’s recent IP address... it’s always at a hospital. I worry he might be..."

Hospital roles were doctor or patient. The butler feared He Yucheng was a patient.

Shallow Peace stayed calm. "So he’s hospitalized. No big deal—he could just be visiting." Serious illnesses at his age were rare. She wasn’t worried. As for "doctor," he was too young to intern or work, and he’d said he was a student. Only her scenarios fit.

"Alright. Prepare for a visit in a few days." With the bank card’s surname, finding He Yucheng shouldn’t be hard—"Chu" was uncommon.

"Yes, Miss. Rest early—you must be tired today." The butler reminded her. Shallow Peace smiled faintly, nodded, and walked back to her room...