The audience was completely baffled.
[Wait, NPCs can have quests too?]
[I know NPCs can have quests, but why is this one identical to a player's quest? And why is there an announcement? That's supposed to only trigger when players complete objectives.]
[This is so eerie... The Film Set System is definitely hiding something from us.]
[What evil scheme is that little chip plotting now? This dungeon feels off - no recordings allowed, no screenshots permitted, and now premature announcements.]
[All these anomalies trace back to that NPC. My gut says she's definitely suspicious.]
Yun Xialan hadn't completed her task yet, so she couldn't hear the system announcement.
But watching her follower count skyrocket, her eyes shone with excitement.
Yes! At this rate, she'd hit 200,000 followers in no time.
Yun Xialan jolted as if electrocuted, nearly dropping her phone. She stiffly turned her head, retreating warily. "Y-you... I already filmed your video."
She was too panicked to notice how strange it was for an NPC to mention "completing tasks." But the audience caught the anomaly immediately.
[What did she mean by 'completing tasks'? No way... Could it be...]
[She knows about player quests? Confirmed - this woman's no ordinary NPC.]
[This is insane!! Who is she?! Three minutes - I need her full dossier!]
[First time seeing anything . She really resembles Limu - that same extraordinary aura.]
[Speaking of Limu... wild theory: is Yu Li his replacement recruited by the system?]
[But that doesn't add up. Yu Li lacks Limu's skills, and she's just an NPC while Limu's a genuine player.]
[Name one other NPC who shares quests with players then.]
[Well... can't say I have.]
Unaware of the discussion, Yun Xialan interpreted Yu Li's demeanor as betrayal. With followers still climbing, she gritted her teeth and suddenly bolted.
Just needed to survive until 200,000! Then she could escape this dungeon!
Yu Li chuckled but remained still, even pulling out her phone to check Yun Xialan's profile.
Putting away her phone, Yu Li strolled leisurely after Yun Xialan, her relaxed pace suggesting indifference about catching her.
[Is she letting Yun Xialan go? At this rate, Yun Xialan will hit 200k before being caught.]
[Agreed. I'm practically cheering for her to run faster.]
[Doesn't add up. This woman killed Bo Jingmo - why spare Yun Xialan?]
The scene shifted to Yun Xialan. Catching her breath when Yu Li didn't pursue, she checked her follower count.
Before she could read it, an icy breath ghosted across her neck - like someone had exhaled lightly behind her.
Yun Xialan shrieked, clutching her neck as she whirled around - but saw nothing.
Just as she dismissed it as nerves, a frost-pale hand clamped onto her wrist, its bloodless fingers stark against the darkness.
Her heart nearly stopped. Screaming, she flung her phone away, legs giving out as she collapsed into muddy earth.
Frantic, she examined her wrist - but the hand had vanished like a hallucination.
Spotting her phone nearby, she tried crawling toward it.
The screen suddenly lit up, auto-unlocking to display her profile - now at 190,000 followers.
Only 10,000 more! She could escape!
Her elation lasted one second before an icy hand descended on her head. Simultaneously, her vision filled with blood-red wedding shoes.
The embroidered gold-trimmed shoes peeked from beneath lavish wedding skirts, spotlessly clean despite the muddy ground.
The air carried damp saltiness and a faint burnt scent - identical to the earlier sachet's burning.
Chilling dread flooded Yun Xialan from head to toe. Her face drained of color as she trembled, too terrified to look up. "P-please... spare me..."
Before her stood a veiled bride in full wedding regalia.
The woman's head bowed slightly, making her tasseled veil sway. Her jade-braceleted wrist rested on Yun Xialan's head, the pale skin glowing faintly in moonlight.
Without a word, she pressed down gently. Yun Xialan's eyes rolled back as she collapsed unconscious.
The moment her eyelids closed, her follower count hit 200,000.
System announcements chimed:
[Congratulations to player Yun Xialan for completing the quest - Reach 200,000 Followers.]
[Unfortunately, as the player was deceased during settlement, results are void and excluded from rankings.]
[Players Zhang Can, Qi Mai, Yu Wenlin, Quan Ran, Wei Yangbing, and Yun Xialan are deceased. All results voided.]
[Bo Jingmo failed the quest and gains no points.]
[Ding—Player Zhang Can resurrected. Soul redelivered. Awaiting your next performance.]
The ghost's appearance stunned viewers more than the death notices.
[Isn't that the ghost from the old mansion?]
[Right, same red dress - just without the veil before.]
[But... maybe I'm imagining it, she looks familiar. Especially with that red veil...]
[Bet you're thinking... Yu Banxue.]
[Impossible. Different dungeons don't share ghosts as guest stars.]
[Too creepy. Must be coincidence.]
As they debated, rustling footsteps emerged from nearby bushes.