Let's Play a Game

“You are different from those two just now. Not only did they offer up hundreds of sacrifices to this world, but their purpose itself was enough to bring pleasure to Eldest Sister. But you cannot do that. Therefore, only by pleasing us in this manner will we tell you how to leave, and allow you to see Eldest Sister.”

“Let’s play a game.”

“Luke Helm, Clara Helm, and Nara Helm. I don't care what method you use, as long as you personally deal with these three people.”

“They have touched upon the truth of this world and have become its greatest hidden danger. If you do not dispose of them, this world will rapidly slide into chaos and ultimately reconstruct itself. Do you see those living people outside? Everyone will die. Only by dealing with them can this world regain its stability.”

“If you hadn't come, we would have had our own ways of dealing with it. But since you are here, we are handing this task over to you. I’m sure it will be much more interesting than if we did it ourselves.”

“You can also refuse, but then you will have to find your own way to leave this world. Those who accidentally wandered in here before all failed in their attempts. I hope you can succeed before you are completely eroded.”

“Whether you accept or refuse, you will provide us with a good show, and that is our sole requirement for letting you see Eldest Sister. Go now, let us see what you will do.”

The monster girl's voice was still echoing in Lynch's mind, but by this time, he had already left the eerie monastery and hopped onto a hired carriage.

The other party had given Lynch three profiles containing information on the three targets. They were very simple, containing almost nothing but a name and a photograph.

A middle-aged couple and a child of six or seven. They looked quite ordinary on the outside; at least, Lynch couldn't see anything special about them.

There wasn't even a detailed address, only a single clue: the male head of the household, Luke Helm, frequently went to a certain bar to get drunk. Everything else was up to Lynch to figure out on his own.

He couldn't afford to drag things out either. This place was filled with a mysterious, filthy red fog, and his body could be eroded by the contamination at any moment. If he delayed too long, his soul would suffer mysterious erosion.

He had to resolve this quickly.

Staking out the bar until he found Luke, following him to locate his residence, and then sneaking in to slaughter his wife and daughter—this would probably be the simplest and most efficient method.

Yet Lynch hesitated. Although this was an inexplicably eerie and unusual world, the people around him were living human beings with their own joys and sorrows, not just ordinary NPCs from some game. Did he really have to go as far as slaughtering an entire family just to achieve his goal?

This wasn't a life-or-death struggle, nor did they have any grudge against each other. They were merely strangers.

He would take it one step at a time. At the very least, he should locate the target first before making a decision.

Lynch sighed, put away the target list, and turned his gaze to the bustling street scenes on either side.

Although this place was clearly not the mortal world, it was noticeably different from the memories of a mystery relic.

In the memories of an uncontrolled mystery relic, the surrounding environment, scenes, people, and buildings were often quite ancient, because the relic itself was a memory of that period of history.

But this world was different. Everything here was modernized. Not only were there gas street lamps that had first appeared a century ago, but there were even steam engines from fifty years ago, as if the world inside had always been synchronized with the outside.

His neighbor had said this place was fantasized by a certain evil god. Surely he wasn't playing SimCity here, was he? If so, that entity must be incredibly bored.

The carriage soon came to a halt outside an alleyway.

Lynch pulled down the brim of his hat to conceal his grim expression, patted the various weapons on his person, and walked with his head lowered deep into the alleyway, entering a dilapidated bar.

The more he looked, the more it resembled a bar in the mortal world. It even had a recently invented phonograph playing highly sophisticated music. If this city truly originated from an evil god's fantasy, then that god must be constantly watching everything happening in the mortal world.

Could the so-called truth of this world simply be that the evil god was a voyeur?

Bars of this era were actually quite bright, with ample light from the gas lamps illuminating the sparsely populated establishment. A bartender in a red vest yawned, listlessly wiping down a glass.

With a sweep of his gaze, Lynch immediately spotted his target.

It was a down-and-out, disheveled middle-aged man. His beard was messy, clearly unshaven for several days, his collar was stained with wine, there were dark circles under his eyes, and his fingernails were chewed down unevenly. He looked like an absolute mess.

At the moment, he was sitting at the bar counter with several empty glasses before him, muttering incessantly to the bartender. The bartender didn't respond, letting him ramble on while silently wiping a glass.

The language and currency were completely interchangeable, and the people here didn't even realize he was any different from them. Since his clothing and style were also very similar, his identity shouldn't be exposed immediately.

After a brief moment of deliberation, Lynch walked toward the disheveled Luke.

“Hogge, believe me, this world is not as simple as you think.”

“Can you imagine? There are actually places where there is no fog in the air, with incredibly tall piles of stone, massive pools of water, and all kinds of wild beasts we've never seen before.”

Hiss, he really did see the truth of the world. He hadn't accidentally visited the mortal world, had he?

Seeing that the few other customers were keeping their distance from him, Lynch walked straight toward the bartender and sat down near the man. “A glass of whiskey, with ice.”

“Buddy, let me tell you, there are monsters in this world. The other day, I saw a woman with my own eyes suddenly turn into a monster, covered in tentacles. I was almost grabbed by her.”

Seeing that someone finally dared to sit next to him, Luke immediately grabbed Lynch and began to ramble on.

“Hey, don't bother my customer,” the bartender barked immediately. “Otherwise, get the hell out of here.”

“It’s fine, it’s quite an interesting story.” Lynch pointed to his own glass. “Let him speak. Give him a glass of whiskey too, my treat.”

“Believe me, we were actually created by a terrifying entity. Not just us, but this entire world was created by that thing. Behind us is a world filled with red fog, and on the other side is a clean world very similar to ours. That entity created us right in the gap where the two meet. This way, it can not only observe the fogless world on the other side through our interface, but it can also use us for its amusement. We are all just its toys, hahaha.”

Lynch listened for a long while, finding it increasingly bizarre. Pretending to be casual, he asked, “My friend, how do you know about such an eerie thing?”

However, the moment the question left his mouth, the drunken Luke’s expression suddenly changed. He shot Lynch a guarded look, quickly gathered his things, and hurriedly left the bar, leaving Lynch and the bartender staring at each other.

“I didn't ask anything strange, did I?”

“Don't worry about him, guest. He often spouts nonsense here. Whenever someone calls him out, he runs off on the spot. We're all used to it.”

Really?

Yet Lynch felt that the man's reaction was rather strange, as if he had touched upon some sensitive subject. He couldn't let him slip away now. Regardless of what he ultimately decided to do, he had to at least locate his home first.

Lynch downed the alcohol in his glass in one gulp, tossed down a shilling coin, and hurriedly gave chase.

Yet as soon as he rushed out, he witnessed a scene that made his nerves tighten.

Several young men had emerged from somewhere into the alleyway. One of them, holding a dagger, crept up on Luke and suddenly lunged to stab him.

Lynch's face fell. If you guys kill him off so easily, where am I going to find the other two? How am I supposed to play this game?

Casting his hesitation aside, Lynch stepped forward in a few strides and swung his cane at the dagger in the young man's hand.

Just then, a cloud of red fog erupted from within the bodies of the young men. Their bodies rapidly bloated and swelled, and terrifying low growls escaped their throats.

Huh? What on earth is that?