The person outside who used the Silencing Prop suddenly removed it and walked past the door openly, glancing at the sword in Xu Huo’s hand, they smiled with a bend of their brows, "Don’t be so tense, I’m just passing by."
Xu Huo had already smelled the scent of blood.
Seeing his gaze shift to the room next door, the doll-faced female player grinned and said, "Those who mind their own business tend to live longer in the game."
"Only those who know their place survive longer," Xu Huo sheathed the Crimson Sword, "Do you think only low-level players can enter random instances?"
The doll-faced girl maintained her smile, "Let’s talk nice, why so aggressive? You’re reading here, right? Then I won’t disturb you."
Having said that, she hopped and skipped away, and after she returned to the side of the man in the raincoat, she even pointed towards Xu Huo’s direction. The man in the raincoat then turned back to look at Xu Huo and nodded from afar.
Xu Huo ignored them. Lu Zhen, who had just come over, happened to see the corpse in the room, covered her mouth subconsciously, and then said, "They..."
"Haven’t you seen a dead person before?" Xu Huo walked over for a look. There were no signs of struggle in the room; this player died cleanly.
There were more than twenty people in the villa, but a good portion of the players could be easily figured out. The ones who died last night, and this one, it’s not surprising they were chosen as targets.
"Hasn’t nothing happened yet? Why rush to kill someone?" Lu Zhen thought that there would be at least two or three days before a killing incident would occur since being locked up for two or three days would drive both food and mental resources almost to the limit.
"To narrow down the range," Xu Huo said, "The fewer the people, the shorter the time for each person’s turn."
Lu Zhen swallowed hard, "Why has nobody left yet?"
Logically, the player who became "Temporary host" last night should have completed their task by eight o’clock this morning and should have been able to clear the game. "Did they break the rules without knowing, or do they want to stay and kill to loot?"
That wasn’t important. Xu Huo was more concerned about the game’s requirements for the "Temporary host." The first to become the host should have the biggest advantage. At this time, all players were testing or waiting for others to test the rules. Simply staying in the room until dawn was considered a success, especially in a random instance where clearing it was even more crucial.
Unless the game had other requirements for the "Temporary host" that prevented the host player from safely staying in the room until dawn.
By eight o’clock this morning, there should have been a second "Temporary host" in the villa.
Xu Huo returned to the living room and surveyed the players, some sitting and others standing. There were too many targets to lock onto any one.
At that moment, a scream suddenly came from upstairs, followed by a man’s taunting and a woman’s roar. This caused several players who had intended to go upstairs to check to stop in their tracks, turning back with knowing smiles and deciding not to interfere.
A few people looked hesitant, but with no one going upstairs, they remained motionless.
However, some began to look around at the female players in the living room.
"Not going to save her, huh," a seductive female player twirled a fake flower she had found from somewhere, "I’m telling you, why do all you men think with what’s down there? Haven’t you learned from the wisdom of the past? ’Lust is a sharp knife atop the head.’
Just in the time it took to say these words, another scream came from upstairs, this time from a male player. Then, a female player jumped down from the second floor; her clothing was torn, and there were signs of being beaten on her face. Following her were three men, one of whom had two fingers broken on his right hand, and he was the most furious. After descending the stairs, he threw a prop that locked the woman’s feet in place.
The female player fell to the ground and threw back a throwing knife in response, but the man sneered, "Did you think I’d fall for your trick?"
The throwing knife was attracted to a magnet, and the man quickly approached, grabbed the woman’s hair, and tore her clothes, "Let’s see where you run to today!"
As he was turning the female player over and about to mount her, someone suddenly pinched the back of his neck. The assailant’s fingers tightened, "Killing somebody is one thing, but this is getting ugly."
Merely a sentence, no need for a response from him, nor did it leave any room for negotiation. A second later, there was a crisp crack from the man’s neck, and his head jerked sharply to the right, facing the man who stood by his side.
Xu Huo released his grip, allowing the man’s body to fall, then dusted off his hands as he looked toward the other two players.
The expressions of the two men were "capricious," but after hesitating, they ceased their aggression and walked away obediently.
It was then that the injured female player sat up, modestly covering herself and thanking Xu Huo. Her face was severely swollen, yet she did not shed tears, indifferent to the looks of either sympathy or apathy from those around her.
Lu Zhen draped his jacket over her, but the female player just smiled, "No good deed goes unpunished. It wouldn’t be surprising if someone set up a trap specifically to lure in players without much caution."
Lu Zhen shook his head, "Do you need my help to stand up?"
The female player stood on her own, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth, and silently headed for the restroom.
"These people are despicable!" Lu Zhen whispered furiously, "Why don’t they pick on men!"
"Ah sister, this kind of thing is common not just in the game but also outside of it," a flirtatious female player lounging on the sofa said to her, "especially for those who look easy to bully like you. But... the guy you’re staying with is pretty fierce, huh? You’re lucky."
Lu Zhen didn’t know what to say.
The flirtatious female player then joked with Xu Huo, "Handsome, why don’t you come to my room tonight?"
Xu Huo glanced at her, "Okay."
This response actually surprised the female player, her brow arching, "Did I hear you wrong?"
"No," Xu Huo replied with a smile. "I always keep my word. If not today, then tomorrow. Wait for me."
The jest faded from the flirtatious female player’s face, leaving it clean slate. With a dark look in her eyes, she stared at him for two seconds before saying, "Alright then, come if you dare!"
Compared to her annoyance, Xu Huo was as relaxed as if he had just arranged a casual meal. After making this arrangement, he went up to the third floor.
The second floor had seven bedrooms occupied by players, leaving eight people who took to the third floor.
There were maid’s quarters on the first floor and all guest rooms on the second, so the main bedroom should be on the third floor.
Generally, not many guest rooms are laid out on the floor where the "temporary host" resides, hence there weren’t as many rooms on the third floor as on the second, with at least one-third of the area taken up by an indoor pool. Of the remaining rooms, by layout, three of them were master bedrooms, though two had already been occupied.
A young player brandishing a dagger approached, "Is my room of interest to you?"
"Nice decor," replied Xu Huo.
"Of course, it’s the best room on the third floor," the young player said. "The move you pulled earlier wasn’t bad. Interested in teaming up with me?"