Chapter 2

The detective agency's long table had turned into a raw wood low table covered in graffiti, which seemed to be adapted to the height of children, but it was truly uncomfortable for adults to sit at.

Su Mian hunched her back and coughed uncontrollably, tucking her hands between her legs and curling into a ball.

Cold.

So cold.

It was the feeling of fear reaching its peak, of blood flowing backward.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

Yu Maomao was so scared she sat on the floor, tears and snot mixed together, her legs under her skirt shaking non-stop.

"Am I dreaming?"

Wang Zhe muttered with dull eyes, and Zhou Yichen, ignoring his girlfriend, stood up and shouted neurotically.

"Are you crazy? This is a retarded script murder game, are you messing with us?!"

The only people present who looked relatively calm were Su Mian and a boy sitting next to her.

This boy hadn't said a word from the beginning until now. The bangs in front of his forehead covered his eyes; he looked sloppy, and his eyes darted around.

This kind of personality didn't seem like someone who would actively play a script murder game.

But Su Mian knew very well that she was the only one who had joined a group session; the four people opposite her knew each other.

After she felt her body gradually warming up, Su Mian began to look around.

An activity room with a spacious and colorful layout, the walls were overall light yellow, and toys and books were neatly placed in storage boxes.

The air was filled with the scent of chalk dust and candy, like the lingering charm of children playing.

She reached out to block the sunlight streaming in from the window, trying to see the scenery outside through the gaps.

It was all white, just like a window in a dream; there was only light, no real scenery.

The clothes on her body had also changed; Su Mian looked down.

Indigo-colored patched overalls, a Barbie-pink striped top, and a Pretty Sheep printed on the chest.

So tacky.

"Tap, tap, tap—"

Leather shoes hitting the floor made a sound, but the source of the sound couldn't be distinguished.

Su Mian felt a gust of wind blow by, and a shadow pressed down behind her.

She turned her head abruptly, her heart shrinking.

A face that suddenly entered her sight, without features.

But looking closely, the man was wearing a porcelain mask.

Hollow, chalk-white, lacking the atmosphere of a "person."

A black suit, broad shoulders and back, a slender figure, but combined, there was only a sense of beauty and horror that was extremely incongruous.

He was lazy in his posture, his red hair tied into a casual wolf-tail along the back of his neck, the hair strands carrying a slight damp luster, flamboyant yet mysterious.

That hand wearing a white glove placed two candies in front of Su Mian and the boy.

"Quiet children get rewards."

The man's voice could be described as clear and mellow, but it wasn't muffled by the mask; it was ethereal, slowly drilling into everyone's ears.

It further confirmed his "non-human" image in Su Mian's heart.

"Who the hell are you?"

Zhou Yichen's voice exploded in the activity room, the bluffing intent obvious.

He stared fixedly at the man, trying to suppress the fear in his heart.

The masked man slowly straightened his waist, and everyone present shivered.

"Welcome, detectives who have come from afar. I am the DM for this game. You can affectionately call me..."

"Director."

"Woooo, I want to go home, I'm not playing anymore."

Yu Maomao had just crawled up from the chair, but was scared weak-legged again by the man. She wiped her tears and grabbed Zhou Yichen's hand.

"After signing the agreement, we are a family."

He spoke slowly and methodically, stating a fact to everyone: once the blood print is pressed, there is no turning back.

The Director slowly walked to the blackboard and wrote a few large characters.

Self-introduction.

"Since you are new partners at the Sunshine Orphanage, everyone should..."

"Are you deaf?! I said I'm not playing anymore!"

Zhou Yichen rushed onto the podium and shouted. The air went quiet for a moment. The man tilted his head slightly, and his blank face "looked" at Zhou Yichen.

Zhou Yichen was stared at until cold sweat broke out instantly, and a feeling of suffocation arose out of thin air.

"I have already said..."

"Quiet."

Before the voice fell, the man had already appeared in front of him silently.

The close distance made Zhou Yichen's pupils shrink, and the scream stuck in his throat couldn't come out no matter what.

The next instant, a cold clockwork "click" embedded into his neck, the carotid artery suddenly sprayed blood, and the scarlet liquid drew an arc in the air.

"Ughhhhhhhhhhh!!!"

After a moment of lag, the scream tore through the silence.

"Disobedient children..."

"Become toys for other little friends."

The DM's fingers twisted the clockwork lightly.

One turn, a crack appeared on his neck.

Two turns, his neck and head fell to the ground.

"Thump—"

The activity room was dead silent.

Su Mian frowned and turned her face away; the others didn't have it so easy.

Yu Maomao covered her mouth tightly with both hands, tears swirling in her eyes, her breathing rapid as if she were suffocating.

Wang Zhe leaned against the table, his face ashen, his throat rolling, almost vomiting.

Suddenly, a snap of fingers, and the smell of blood disappeared.

"A little warning."

The DM chuckled in a low voice, as if admiring his own masterpiece.

Zhou Yichen's knees went weak, and he knelt on the ground, trembling as he touched his neck.

The skin was intact.

It's still... it's still there.

Only the sound of breathing remained in the entire activity room; no one dared to speak. That Director, or rather, the DM, had disappeared silently again.

The sunlight spilled onto the table, as if implying they should read the script.

Su Mian picked up her script and flipped through it. Seeing this, the others had no choice but to follow suit and flip through their scripts.

Everyone was praying that they were not the orphan.

That would mean that person would be isolated and helpless.

But what exactly is the definition of an orphan?

Aren't all the children who come to the orphanage orphans?

Su Mian pondered and opened the first page of the script.

【Welcome, newcomer, to the Infinite Script Murder Game. I am your detective assistant, 4399】

【Please keep the script safe. It can not only help you clear the game instance but also save your life when necessary.】

【Player initial points: 9000. Failing once deducts 3000 points; likewise, successfully clearing once gains 3000 points.】

【Note: If points reach zero, the player will be eliminated!!!】

【Warm reminder: Please strictly follow the script's character setting for your performance. Violating the character setting will result in punishment!】

Receive punishment?

Su Mian frowned. What kind of punishment?

The script seemed to know what she wanted to ask, and a line of text appeared at the very bottom.

【The punishment is random, but you definitely won't like it ^–^】

What's the meaning of adding an emoticon?

Su Mian was speechless and continued to flip to the next page.

This page was something Su Mian was familiar with: character introduction and background.

【You are Mi Guo, five years old this year】

【You were born into a superior family in the eyes of outsiders】

【You have a childhood sweetheart named Lin Xiaofan】

【Oh no~ Mian Mian, the script for this childhood sweetheart is in the hands of your ex-boyfriend TT】