Chapter 7

At such a critical moment, hearing words like these was truly heartwarming.
Gu Yi'an managed a faint smile and said earnestly to the little boy, "It should be me protecting you."
She withdrew her hand, gently patting the little boy’s head, then stood up to examine the corpse.
Brother Zhang acted similarly, also rising from the bench.
The two of them approached the headless female corpse.
At a glance, Gu Yi'an spotted the head that had fallen by the leg of the square table. She then glanced at the severed section of the corpse’s neck.
Unusually smooth.
In the end, Gu Yi'an didn’t dare to look any longer. She feared that if she kept staring, she would lose her composure.
She averted her gaze and looked at Brother Zhang, saying, "When it happened, I didn’t notice any unusual movements."
At the time, Gu Yi'an had been chatting with the little boy, occasionally glancing at Brother Zhang and the others, but she hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary.
Brother Zhang’s expression was steady, appearing reliable as he said, "I didn’t hear any unusual sounds either."
There wasn’t much to say among the players; they had mostly remained silent, listening to Gu Yi'an and the little boy’s conversation while occasionally scanning their surroundings.
Combining Brother Zhang’s words, Gu Yi'an realized that the unknown entity that killed the female player could block the perception of the other players.
This was very bad.
The unknown was the most terrifying.
None of them knew what they would face next.
As Gu Yi'an pondered, she suddenly saw Brother Zhang turn and walk toward the little boy.
The square table wasn’t wide.
Brother Zhang circled halfway around and reached the little boy in just a few steps.
Seeing Brother Zhang’s sudden approach, the little boy immediately lowered his eyes, pursed his lips tightly, and stiffened his body, making it clear that he was definitely hiding something.
The little boy’s demeanor practically invited the players to question him.
Brother Zhang pressed him, "Do you know that it was your parents who killed her?"
The little boy cautiously looked up, then lowered his eyes again.
Instead of answering Brother Zhang’s question, he asked weakly, "Do you regret helping me?"
Brother Zhang didn’t answer immediately. He turned his gaze to Gu Yi'an.
The little boy’s question seemed exactly like a critical option in the game that would trigger the next death event.
Answer wrong, and death would follow.
The novice male player, who had been covering his face earlier, had already noticed the conversation between Brother Zhang and the little boy. With one hand shielding his eyes from the headless female corpse beside him, he focused his gaze on the little boy.
He clearly heard the little boy’s question and watched as an eerie smile gradually spread across the boy’s face, but he still hadn’t heard Brother Zhang’s response.
The novice male player quickly spoke up, "No. We don’t regret it."
Brother Zhang and Gu Yi’an both glanced at the male player.
The answer was safe and appropriate, at least he had responded.
They turned their attention back to the little boy.
The eerie smile that had just appeared on the little boy’s face vanished, and he began speaking to himself.
"No, your companion is dead. You must regret it. My parents regretted it too. Before they killed themselves, they told me not to help others so easily. Kindness can bring trouble upon yourself."
"As long as your conscience is clear, that’s enough," Gu Yi’an interrupted the little boy.
She continued, "This was a choice we made following our own hearts. Don’t worry about what others think. The key is that what we did was truly right."
Gu Yi’an walked back to the little boy’s side.
"Kindness is not wrong. Not helping is not wrong either. Everyone has their own thoughts. There’s no need to impose our ideas on others."
As Gu Yi’an approached, the little boy looked up and fixed his gaze on her.
After hearing her words, he finally smiled again.
The little boy stood up and instinctively reached out to hold onto Gu Yi’an’s arm.
"Sister, my parents are hungry. Let’s bring them some food. Maybe if they’re happy, we won’t have to be afraid of Grandma Zhao anymore."
His voice was still that of a little boy, innocent and cheerful, but the content of his words was chilling upon closer thought.
The little boy’s parents were already dead. What they wanted to eat was definitely not ordinary food.
Just as Gu Yi’an was pondering this, the little boy pointed at the headless female corpse and said to Brother Zhang, "Can you two brothers help carry the food?"
Food equaled human corpses.
Seeing this, Gu Yi’an suddenly realized why the little boy had brought them into his home and actively prepared a meal.
It turned out that all the players were the food.
Gu Yi’an felt as though the arm the little boy was holding no longer belonged to her.
Brother Zhang heard the little boy’s words clearly. His steady expression froze for a second before he displayed unparalleled enthusiasm, "Of course. Xiao Jiang and I will take care of it."
Xiao Jiang was the novice male player. His face was pale, and he didn’t dare to even glance at the female corpse.
The little boy asked, "Is this big brother unwilling?"
He stared straight at Xiao Jiang.
"No, no, no. I’m willing."
To prove his willingness, Xiao Jiang quickly stepped forward and pressed down on the female corpse’s shoulders.
"Bring the head too. Mom and Dad like things to be complete."
After giving this instruction, the little boy looked up at Gu Yi'an.
"Sister, let’s go."
"...Mm."
Gu Yi’an suddenly didn’t know which leg to move first. Fortunately, her body’s instinctive reactions were still intact. As soon as the little boy started walking, she followed.
Gu Yi’an and the little boy led the way, while Brother Zhang and Xiao Jiang carried the corpse behind them. The remaining female player who had fainted was left unattended, as no one had the time to care for her.
The group passed through the courtyard, walked by the room with two coffins placed in the middle, and headed toward the opposite room.
Gu Yi’an watched as the little boy pushed the door open.
The lights in the room suddenly turned on.
She saw that she was now facing a large door, likely the same exit the little boy had taken Brother Zhang and the others through that afternoon.
Gu Yi’an turned her head and noticed a recessed square space in the wall beside her, where two memorial tablets were placed.
The little boy moved aside with Gu Yi’an to make space, directing Brother Zhang and Xiao Jiang to carry the corpse to a corner of the room.
There was a manhole cover on the ground there. Brother Zhang and Xiao Jiang lifted the cover, threw the corpse inside, and a dull thud echoed a few seconds later.
Hearing the sound, Brother Zhang finally said to Xiao Jiang, "Let’s close the manhole cover."
"Close what?"
The little boy asked in confusion, "Isn’t there still one more?"
The atmosphere instantly froze.
Gu Yi’an suddenly remembered the female player who had fainted in the opposite room.
She was about to turn around to check the situation outside when the little boy’s hand, like an iron clamp, firmly gripped her.
The little boy said lightly to Brother Zhang and the other, "Could you two brothers please move the other one as well?"
Xiao Jiang looked terrified.
Brother Zhang, however, returned to his earlier enthusiastic demeanor. "Sure. Xiao Jiang and I will go move it right away."
As Brother Zhang wiped the blood off his hands onto his clothes, he shot Xiao Jiang a meaningful glance.
Once the sound of their footsteps faded from the room, the little boy released his grip on Gu Yi’an.
"Sister, let’s take the memorial tablets. Sister, could you help me take down Mom and Dad’s tablets?"
Could Gu Yi’an say no?
She reached out and took down the two memorial tablets.
"Ahhh!"
"Brother Zhang, save me!"
Sudden, frantic cries for help came from outside.
A gust of wind swept in, and two panicked figures rushed into the small room.
Gu Yi’an glanced at them.
They were none other than Brother Zhang and Xiao Jiang, who had just left.
The little boy ignored them and said to Gu Yi’an, "As long as we have my parents’ memorial tablets, we don’t have to worry about Granny Zhao. They will definitely protect us."
Xiao Jiang nervously glanced outside.
Brother Zhang, however, had clearly heard the little boy’s words. He immediately stepped behind Gu Yi’an.
"Xiao Jiang, come over here quickly."
Brother Zhang called for Xiao Jiang.
Startled, Xiao Jiang realized Brother Zhang was summoning him and immediately rushed over.
At that moment, Gu Yi’an saw an old woman appear at the doorway.
It was Granny Zhao, the elderly woman she had encountered lying on the ground during the day.
Granny Zhao was dressed in burial clothes, her eyes fixed intently on the people in the room, more precisely, she was staring at Gu Yi’an.
She stared at Gu Yi'an with a menacing glare, clutching a freshly dug-out heart in her hand, viciously shoving it into her own mouth.
The scene was too much for the nerves. Gu Yi'an instinctively tightened her grip on the memorial tablet in her hand, her breath nearly halting.
Behind her, Xiao Jiang shrank back, wishing he could shrink himself into a child at that moment.
Brother Zhang's gaze flickered, settling on the little boy.
The little boy, in turn, cast a disgusted look at Granny Zhao before turning to cling tightly to Gu Yi'an. He buried his head in the hem of her shirt, opting to see nothing and calm his mind.
The only sound in the air was the tearing and swallowing of the heart by Granny Zhao, a silence that was terrifying.
Finally, Granny Zhao finished eating.
She glanced warily at the memorial tablet in Gu Yi'an's hand, her voice grating like iron being sawed. "I'll let you live one more day."
Then she vanished.
The people in the room remained frozen in place for a few more minutes. They couldn't be sure if Granny Zhao had truly left.
The little boy released his grip, dashed outside, and immediately ran back in.
"Sister Gu, she's gone."
With the little boy's confirmation, Gu Yi'an and the others dared to step out.
Gu Yi'an held two memorial tablets in her hands, with the two male players sticking close behind her.
She glanced at the wide-open door of the opposite room.
The female player they had forgotten, who had fainted earlier, was now just a corpse with her heart dug out.
The little boy spoke up, urging Brother Zhang and the other to carry the female player's body and throw it down to his parents as food.
Brother Zhang didn't agree immediately. Instead, he said, "The memorial tablet can save lives. We need one too."
Hearing this request, the little boy replied readily, "Sure. Sister Gu, give them one."
As if suddenly remembering something, he added, "Did I forget to mention? My parents only save the person holding the memorial tablet."
Xiao Jiang's expression instantly turned grim.
Brother Zhang took the memorial tablet handed over by Gu Yi'an.
He said to Xiao Jiang, "Stick close to me. If Granny Zhao really comes, we'll take turns holding it."
Brother Zhang's method sounded somewhat feasible, and Xiao Jiang reluctantly agreed.
Gu Yi'an, however, pondered the little boy's words a bit more.
The little boy's parents only saved the person holding the memorial tablet. As long as someone held the tablet, they would definitely protect that person.
Does that mean the spirit tablets are their weakness, and they have no choice but to protect them?
If that’s the case, without a spirit tablet, wouldn’t they also have no reason to protect the little boy?
Gu Yi’an thought for a moment and handed the remaining spirit tablet in her hand to the little boy.
"Hold onto it. I’ll feel more at ease."
Seeing this, the little boy’s eyes sparkled with a bright smile, but he gently shook his head and did not take it.
"Creak, " The sound of a door opening echoed.
A dim, yellowish light fell on Gu Yi’an. She turned around and realized she had coincidentally walked to the entrance of the middle room, where she could now see inside.
This time, Gu Yi’an’s gaze was immediately drawn to two portraits hanging on the wall.
One portrait was of the little boy, smiling radiantly. The other, unmistakably, was of her.