To figure out why the Zhou family was doing this, she had to return to the Zhou residence.
Nan Yue realized that this mission functioned much like a trigger-based quest; while exploring the Zhou residence, they often followed the audience's guidance to find clues.
Since the viewers hadn't suggested any more locations to explore, it meant this place was no longer of much use to her.
Nan Yue began moving to regroup with Wen Xiang Yuan and the others, wasting no time on the way as she started organizing her thoughts for the camera.
"For some unknown reason, the Zhou residence is collecting young girls from all over to bring into Liping Garden. Naturally, many of them are opera performers, as Young Master Zhou does indeed enjoy listening to opera."
"However, some of them don't know how to perform at all. The Zhou family just keeps them there. Even if they were merely unsavory playthings, it shouldn't require such a massive undertaking."
"It is certain now that the Zhou residence has a specific purpose for gathering so many girls. Then there is that mass grave. Even if the Zhou family were butchers who killed for sport, such a thing would be common enough in a feudal society that they wouldn't need to hide a mass grave so carefully."
Nan Yue was almost certain that the Zhou family had a very eerie reason behind this, which was the true cause of death for these young girls in the prime of their lives.
Nan Yue descended to the first floor. Just as she was about to push the door open, it swung inward. Gu Xiang Kai appeared, looking panicked, and his expression only slightly steadied upon seeing her.
Nan Yue's expression shifted. Gu Xiang Kai's emotional management was nearly as good as hers, and given his strength, it was unlikely he had met with a common accident.
Was it... Wen Xiang Yuan?
Nan Yue took two steps into the room. It was empty; Wen Xiang Yuan was nowhere to be found.
Since Nan Yue was currently the streamer, she couldn't discuss the situation in detail. The two of them could only suppress their anxiety for the moment and head back to the Zhou residence to regroup with their other companions.
After Nan Yue's streaming time ended, the live broadcast switched to the timid girl who had joined because of a boy she liked.
The girl had been lucky in the first round, being among the first few streamers, so she only had to give the audience a general tour.
But in the second round, she couldn't just brush them off so easily.
Her face was deathly pale as she huddled trembling in a corner, not daring to step outside.
Nan Yue stopped paying attention to the stream and turned to ask Gu Xiang Kai, "What happened? Where is Wen Xiang Yuan?"
Gu Xiang Kai's expression was incredibly grim. "I don't know. She was right beside me just a moment ago, and then she suddenly vanished."
"There was no warning at all. She just disappeared."
Nan Yue had never encountered such a situation. Wen Xiang Yuan had never disappeared during a mission before.
Had the mission world discovered she was a bug and erased her?
Or was this just another complication of Wen Xiang Yuan's existence?
If she could be erased in the real world, was she unstable in the mission world as well?
Nan Yue quickly calmed down and comforted him. "If Wen Xiang Yuan comes back, she will definitely contact us. We need to clear the mission first and find a way once we get back."
Nan Yue never underestimated any mission. Dying in a mission was too easy; even with an awakened ability, it only took a second.
Gu Xiang Kai understood this logic. He nodded and followed Nan Yue back through the tunnel.
By this time, the tunnel was no longer a secret passage. Both NPCs and scavengers were making their way toward Liping Garden.
Some were looking for clues, while others were just curious.
"Sister Nan!"
Nan Yue looked up to see Xu Yuan and his companion.
Xu Yuan seemed very excited to see her. He ran toward her but stopped a short distance away.
Anyone watching the stream had seen the female ghost crawling on Nan Yue's back and heard her negotiating with it.
So even though they couldn't see anything now, they couldn't help but feel like a terrifying ghost was still clinging to her.
"What is it?"
Xu Yuan wiped the sweat from his face. "I just finished my first round of streaming, and I saw something in the well."
Xu Yuan always remembered Nan Yue's previous kindness; without her, he wouldn't have passed the Zhengmiao mission.
Moreover, ever since Nan Yue had leaped into the Top Rankings, he had become a self-appointed fanboy, feeling that any clues he found should be shared with her.
"It was a woman. She was clinging to the wall of the well. Oh man, it scared the life out of me."
In the first round, even if they saw something, it was likely an illusion. Nan Yue had successfully resolved the illusions she encountered, but Xu Yuan, who had seen something and done nothing, might face trouble in the second round.
Those things might follow him.
Nan Yue tactfully shared her thoughts, and Xu Yuan's face instantly went pale.
"Then what should I do?"
He kept looking behind him. "That female ghost isn't following me right now, is she?"
Nan Yue patted Xu Yuan on the shoulder as she passed him.
"This isn't your first mission. You should know there are no dead ends. You can do this."
Xu Yuan wanted to cry. "...I can't!"
Nan Yue still had some confidence in Xu Yuan. Back during the Dormitory Inspection at the Zhengmiao school, he had been both calm and brave. It was only the second day; Xu Yuan should be able to handle it.
As she walked, Nan Yue kept an eye on the streaming screen. She suddenly reached out to wipe the screen and then tilted her head to ask Gu Xiang Kai.
"Does your screen look like it's covered in a layer of red?"
Gu Xiang Kai was surprised. "It actually does."
The streaming screen was still showing Bai Qing. She was huddled in a wing room, motionless. The bullet comments were full of people urging her to go out and look around, while others complained that she was too cowardly and wasting the audience's time.
Around the edges of the screen, something like a red mist was slowly bleeding in.
At first, Nan Yue thought it was an issue with the screen itself, but comparing it with Gu Xiang Kai's, she realized that Bai Qing's streaming page was indeed being dyed red.
Nan Yue didn't know if the girl had noticed it herself, but seeing that red mist gave her a bad feeling.
They had just climbed out of the tunnel. Nan Yue checked Bai Qing's location and ran in that direction.
BANG!
The wing room where she was hiding was kicked open. Bai Qing screamed in terror, and before she could even see who it was, she was hoisted up.
"Stop hiding. If you keep hiding, you're going to die."
A cool, calm female voice reached her. Bai Qing opened her tightly shut eyes to see the girl from before.
"Nan... Nan Yue."
She still remembered her name.
"Waaaaah, I'm too scared! I want to go home! I regret this so much! A man isn't worth my life! What was I thinking, coming to such a dangerous program just to please a guy?"
Bai Qing remembered that the boy was watching the stream. She glared at the streaming screen and spat out a harsh message.
"Ge Yun! I don't care about your affection anymore! Falling for you was my misfortune! If I get out of here alive, I never want to see you again!"
Nan Yue didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She was about to say something when she noticed the blood-red hue on the streaming screen had faded slightly.
It was as if it had dissipated back in the direction it came from.
Rate on N.U.
