There's definitely something wrong with this murder mystery game

I fought monsters all day.

Xu Shuo's task progress became [5/10].

I have to say the speed was really slow; I managed two yesterday, and despite some progress, I only got three today.

But the main reason was that Hong Rao, seeing how quickly he adapted, tossed two High Rank monsters at him, and Xu Shuo couldn't cope in time, accidentally getting his chest pierced.

And now he was seriously injured.

"Sorry, Shuo, I might have gone a bit too far."

Hong Rao's charming face was now full of worry, her eyes sincere with regret, but the corners of her mouth, obscured by her hand, kept unconsciously curving up.

Script Space, a place of best actors!

Xu Shuo, being treated, was expressionless: "In this world, it seems you can't get corrupted by monsters."

Normally, players attacked by monsters would have their wounds instantly corrupted by dark matter, but yesterday during the city defense, Lin En's arm was almost gnawed off by a monster, yet by nightfall he was bouncing around again—probably thanks to the protective line's shelter.

But this time he was injured outside, and Xu Shuo didn't hear those strange murmurs again.

He was far from the Giant Fortress and those growing Giant Pillars hadn't spread here; he should have been out of the shelter's reach. Read latest stories on empire

As Hong Rao was treating him, she explained, "The Giant Fortress's defenses can suppress the Abyss' corruption; only in this way can players feel safe defending the city. As for the wilderness, well, that dish above your head serves as the medium."

She was referring to the sun directly above.

That sun, shining brightly, but without any warmth, would turn into a sinister Red Moon at night.

The thing belonged to the defenses by day, and to the Abyss by night.

Xu Shuo's gaze flickered slightly: "Is that a part of this world?"

"No, it's sent over by the Script Space." Hong Rao said, "It monitors this world, but at nightfall, the Abyss' power grows stronger, so the defenses will only be concentrated within the Giant Fortress."

"..."

So, it was something akin to a prop.

Xu Shuo watched as the sun overhead gradually dimmed.

After Hong Rao had finished treating his wounds, she tapped his head, "Don't get any wild ideas, I can't even touch that thing, and you certainly can't afford the consequences of doing so."

Used Radiance too much, and now you want an eternal power bank, huh?

Xu Shuo didn't say anything, looked down at his intact chest, where the big hole punctured by the vines had completely healed, even his depleted strength was restored.

But with nightfall approaching, Hong Rao had no intention of letting him stay in the wilderness.

The last five monsters would have to wait until tomorrow.

...

When Xu Shuo returned to the Watchtower, Lin En had already left this world, leaving only Solunya and Wei Li standing guard.

No new players had arrived, so it was just the three of them guarding North Tower No.1 tonight.

In fact, by tomorrow night, only Xu Shuo would be left.

Because Hong Rao had just explained, due to the unexpected events in the Giant Fortress world, once the remaining players completed their Punishment Task, this world would be temporarily locked down.

The implication Hong Rao hinted at, both openly and covertly, was: Congratulations, after ruining the Script World, now you've even collapsed the Punishment World!

Though considering the actions Script Space had taken to bring in High Rank players as a rescue, this world might not actually collapse, but the blame still had to be noted.

Still, when she said this, real worry showed in Hong Rao's eyes.

A disciple causing collapses so frequently… couldn't possibly go unnoticed.

And the commotion caused this time was even bigger…

Hong Rao was lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Xu Shuo was selecting the Character Card he would use later on.

He couldn't possibly keep the Character Card he had obtained from Hong Rao a secret forever. Since she showed some sincerity, he didn't mind revealing a bit of the truth to her, more importantly... the battles during the day had left him somewhat exhausted.

Using Qiuzi was out of the question; it was best to seal her away unless absolutely necessary.

The blind girl's usefulness was also limited. She could be used to skulk in the corners and slack off, but it was uncertain if she would be effective against the Abyss Creatures.

And since he wanted to be more at ease while defending the city, in the end, the white-clad Doctor Chen Chu seemed to be the more convenient choice.

"They say wearing bright clothes at night is better?" Xu Shuo said, looking at his two teammates, his top having already turned black.

"Uh..."

Wei Li paused, then awkwardly explained, "It must be Lin En who told you that. Apparently, on his first day here, because he was wearing an all-black combat suit, he was mistaken for a monster by players on the Watchtower and almost got killed."

...No wonder he looked so bitter and resentful when he complained about it before.

Later, when Wei Li and Solunya joined Squad 36, Lin En also complained to each of them in turn.

However, neither of them went so far as to dress in lurid red.

Xu Shuo brought up this topic just to start a conversation.

Punishment World wasn't the same as Script World; there were no limits on the number of times or duration for using the Character Card. Xu Shuo glanced at the extinguished sun in the sky and then opened the Player's Handbook to click use.

A white lab coat splattered with blood instantly clothed him.

The young man's features also changed in a moment, his originally gentle visage now had a touch of sharpness, and the slightly upturned corners of his eyes made his face seem more menacing.

Doctor Chen Chu was about the same age as Xu Shuo, so there wasn't much difference in their appearance after the Character Card possession.

It just felt as if something had changed, yet it seemed unchanged.

If one had to describe it, it would be that his entire aura had undergone a significant transformation. When the young man raised his eyes to look over, it was as if something sharp had set its gaze upon you, extremely dangerous!

Wei Li stared at his bloodstained white coat and blurted out in surprise, "Is this... some kind of equipment?"

Xu Shuo curled up his lips, flicking the hem of his knee-length white coat: "Yes, it's a piece of equipment that repels water and fire. Look, with this color, there's no way I'd be mistaken for a monster, right?"

Wei Li: "..."

Wei Li didn't know what to say, but as the young man lifted the white coat, his gaze fell on the half-exposed handle of a fruit knife sticking out from the pocket of the black trousers, with the outline of the blade's contour clearly traced by the fabric tight against the thigh, seemingly sheathless...

Before Wei Li had a chance to take a closer look, the young man let the coat fall back down, its hem covering the outline of the fruit knife.

He placed his hands on the parapet of the watchtower, gazing into the distance: "I wonder how many monsters will come tonight~"

After a day's time for fermentation, the blocking force left by the High Rank players should have been eroded quite a bit, and at least some of the Abyss Rifts definitely had the ability to cast monsters into this world again.

And the blood-red nightfall, was the moment of revelry for these Abyss Creatures!

The young man leaned on his hand, looking out with interest.

As for the two people beside him, Wei Li and Solunya exchanged glances, their expressions slightly odd.

For some reason, they suddenly felt that the other person had become "livelier," not like the quiet and gentle demeanor from before. Now, there was a strange, excited liveliness pervading the young man, and he also seemed much more dangerous.

Was this really just a change of equipment?

Or were they being tricked because they were gullible...

Or perhaps... this guy really didn't care about their opinions anymore because they didn't have a strong backing/power/insight.

...

At this moment, Hong Rao, hidden in mid-air, raised her eyebrows as she looked down at the scene below after Xu Shuo transformed.

"Character Card."

Clever boy, hiding so deep. How many more things has he not revealed to her?! Hong Rao suddenly found her cup of floral tea less appealing.