DLMSWSHH Chapter 43

TL: Hua

Chapter 43: Items

It was already late at night, and the mansion was deathly quiet. Holding a candlestick, Zhong Ming lightened his footsteps as he made his way up to the third floor.

The Spider Duchess had just finished her hunt for the night and had consumed quite a few people. The surviving players were all hiding in their rooms, hushed and trembling with fear. As he passed certain doors, Zhong Ming could faintly hear the sound of weeping coming from within.

The wooden floorboards were damp; the bloodstains had only just been cleaned, and the air was thick with a metallic, sweet scent.

Zhong Ming hadn’t paid much attention to the players this time, but he knew that many were starting to break down. However, the group he was looking for was not among the broken.

Reaching the third floor, Zhong Ming slowed his pace, minimizing any noise as he walked down the corridor toward the leftmost rooms.

The group of sports students lived in this row of adjacent rooms.

The wooden doors were tightly shut. Zhong Ming lowered his gaze; the gaps beneath the doors were pitch black. No lights were on.

He paused, then slowly crouched down, using the candlelight to illuminate the carpet in front of the door.

The thick carpet shimmered with a fine glint under the dim yellow light. The fragrant powder was indeed still in place.

Zhong Ming’s brow furrowed in thought. He stood up and pressed his ear against the wooden door, listening intently for a moment. Not a single sound came from inside. It was the same for the other three rooms.

None of the members of the bullying clique were in their rooms.

In the middle of the night, where could they have gone?

Zhong Ming didn’t believe they had the guts to go outside the mansion at night. They had to be somewhere inside the house.

Zhong Ming narrowed his eyes. He stood in place for a moment of consideration, then turned and walked to the corner behind the corridor. This was a blind spot; standing in the shadows, Zhong Ming waited silently.

No matter where those players were, they would most likely return to their rooms once the Spider Duchess’s hunting time was over, Zhong Ming thought.

Sure enough, a short while later, a faint noise came from a room directly opposite the corridor.

Across the hall, Zhong Ming watched as the handle on a wooden door was pressed down from the inside. Then, the sound of hinges turning rang out.

“Is it gone?”

Someone asked in a whisper from behind the door.

Zhong Ming saw a figure peek stealthily from behind the door, glancing up and down before turning back to say: “Gone.”

With his confirmation, the atmosphere behind the door instantly relaxed. Zhong Ming watched as four or five players filed out of the room, their expressions easy, even laughing and chatting.

“Fuck, I’m tired as hell.”

“Does that damn spider have to come around every day? I’m getting sick of it.”

“Seriously… it’s so annoying. Can’t someone just kill it already?”

“Shit, if you’re so tough, you do it! If not, shut the hell up!”

They pushed and shoved each other, completely lacking the tension one should have in a horror game. As Zhong Ming heard their words, his expression suddenly darkened.

However, in the next instant, a voice came from inside the room: “Quiet down.”

The voice wasn’t loud, and the tone carried a hint of impatience. The group that had been messing around suddenly fell silent. For a moment, the corridor was unnervingly quiet.

The crowd gathered at the door dispersed slightly, and the light from inside the room spilled out. With his line of sight cleared, Zhong Ming saw the situation inside.

The young man named Shen Weinian had his legs propped up on the edge of a table. His head was down, and he was holding a phone, his fingers tapping rapidly across the screen.

Zhong Ming’s eyes widened in surprise as he heard the faint sound effects of a game.

This was the first time he had seen a player bring an electronic device in here. As Zhong Ming listened to the familiar sounds of a mobile game, he thought: And it looks like there’s even a network signal.

However, Shen Weinian didn’t play for long before the sound of his game character being killed came from his phone.

“Fuck.”

Looking at the “Game Over” on the screen, Shen Weinian clicked his tongue. Tilting his chair back, he stared up at the ceiling and let out a long sigh.

Sensing his bad mood, the buzz cut smirked and said in a slightly fawning tone: “Shen Weinian, your stuff is really the best. To even have a signal in here… we’re bored to death.”

A long moment passed after he spoke before Shen Weinian slowly lowered his head, spinning the phone in his hand once: “It’s military-grade. Of course there’s a signal.”

Upon hearing this, the people around him immediately gasped subtly and exchanged glances. Although they didn’t attend the same university as him, their schools were located in the same university town, and through daily interactions and rumors among students, they had all heard bits and pieces about Shen Weinian’s background.

Rumor had it he was the illegitimate son of a high-ranking military official.

Because he wasn’t born to the legal wife, he had been raised abroad since childhood, hanging out with questionable characters. It was only after he became an adult that he was suddenly brought back by the family. He had entered a top-tier Chinese university based on his overseas citizenship. Naturally, his abilities and lifestyle were completely at odds with the rigorous academic atmosphere; he spent his days either sleeping or hitting nightclubs, accurately finding the most degenerate crowd in town to befriend.

Calling them friends was a stretch; it was really a small interest-based clique centered around him. Although Shen Weinian hadn’t been officially recognized by his family, he certainly didn’t lack money. So, despite his unpredictable moods and somewhat unstable personality, many people were happy to suck up to him.

“Damn, that’s so cool.” The buzz cut looked at the phone in Shen Weinian’s hand with eyes full of envy mixed with jealousy: “Bro, can you let me play with it for a bit?”

The phones and other electronics they had brought in had all failed the moment they entered the dungeon. The buzz cut was bored out of his mind.

Shen Weinian still looked uninterested. With lowered eyes, he unlocked his phone, scrolling as he spoke: “Do you want to die?”

His tone was very light. The buzz cut froze, unable to tell for a moment if he was joking or serious.

Shen Weinian lifted his eyelids, his gaze sweeping over them.

“And just how much longer do you plan on mooching off my item?”

The buzz cut’s face instantly changed color. Now he knew Shen Weinian was being serious. For the past few days, they had hidden in Shen Weinian’s room, relying on his item to avoid being discovered by that spider. If Shen Weinian kicked them out, they were definitely finished.

“…Don’t be like that.”

The buzz cut laughed it off, his eyes darting around as he suddenly thought of something to change the subject: “By the way, I ran into a really top-tier NPC a couple of days ago.”

“You haven’t seen her yet, right? That maid’s modeling is incredible, even better looking than that flight attendant from last time.”

Hearing this, Shen Weinian’s scrolling finger paused. He looked up, narrowing his eyes slightly: “Really?”

The buzz cut immediately nodded: “Would I lie to you?”

At that, Shen Weinian locked his phone screen, pulled his legs back from the table, and stared at the buzz cut: “So, where is she?”

The buzz cut’s expression stiffened. He lowered his head, his lips mumbling a few times: “…I haven’t seen her these past few days.”

Hiding in the blind spot, Zhong Ming’s eyebrow twitched. He thought to himself that if he could still be caught by these people now, then his time in the haunted house would have been for nothing.

Shen Weinian was clearly not satisfied with this answer.

His face darkened instantly: “Then what the fuck are you talking for?”

The buzz cut was speechless. He stood frozen in place, looking awkward.

Shen Weinian looked at him and let out a sneer. He lowered his head and scratched his forehead with his index finger, the metal ring on his finger glinting. After a moment, he looked up, a smirk directed at the buzz cut.

“…Wow, that’s really funny.”

“How come you guys are completely useless?”

He raised an eyebrow, looking genuinely puzzled: “Living like this, don’t you feel pathetic?”

He didn’t use a single swear word, yet it was worse than a face-to-face cursing out. The way Shen Weinian looked at the buzz cut and the others was as if he were looking at a different species altogether. It wasn’t even disdain; he simply didn’t see them as human beings.

Yet, in the face of such an insult, not one of them dared to talk back.

Shen Weinian stared at them for a few beats, then lowered his eyes and let out a helpless sigh, leaning back in his chair.

“Now get out.”

With his command, the buzz cut’s face twisted slightly, as if he had been slapped. But none of them dared to offend Shen Weinian; after all, they relied on his protection to survive this dungeon.

When living under someone else’s roof, one has to bow their head. The buzz cut looked down and said sullenly: “Alright, then you get some rest.”

Zhong Ming watched as the crowd at the door dispersed, crossed the corridor, and returned to their own rooms.

Over the last few days, those sports students must have escaped the Spider Duchess’s attacks because they were hiding in Shen Weinian’s room.

Zhong Ming narrowed his eyes. He didn’t know what kind of item Shen Weinian had or what method he was using to evade the Duchess’s hunt.

So, the next day, while Shen Weinian was away, Zhong Ming returned to his room to investigate.

The group led by Shen Weinian had a relatively regular routine. Every day after breakfast, they would circle the mansion. It looked like they were searching for clues, but in reality, they were just huddling under the trees, smoking and chatting, not searching seriously at all.

Every evening, after the other players returned from searching for clues, this group would act like a pack of hyenas. Whenever they saw someone with a smile on their face, looking as if they had found a lead, they would swarm them, threatening them into revealing the information.

Of course, Shen Weinian wouldn’t take action himself; he would usually stand under the tree smoking and scrolling through his phone. But as long as he was there, the threatened players didn’t dare to resist.

Shen Weinian was very famous in the player circle.

Everyone knows he’s a big spender and has a lot of hidden cards up his sleeve.

It was said that many of the items in Shen Weinian’s possession were things most players had never even heard of. In a horror game where a single slip-up could cost your life, the information cocoon only became more severe. Therefore, no one dared to cross Shen Weinian lightly, and those bullied by his little clique could only swallow their pride.

Zhong Ming stood on the third floor, looking down from the window at the group surrounding a terrified-looking player.

He withdrew his gaze; it looked like it would take a while down there. Zhong Ming hurried to make use of the time, intending to thoroughly search Shen Weinian’s room.

Despite being a “prince,” Shen Weinian received no special treatment in the haunted house. His room was furnished exactly like those of the other players. A few pieces of clothing were strewn across the bed, and several game consoles sat on the table. At first glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Finally, Zhong Ming found a clue under the bed.

Kneeling on the carpet, he bent down and looked up to see the bottom of the wooden bed covered in yellow talisman papers.

The talismans covered the entire bed frame and looked somewhat old; some were slightly curled at the edges, appearing as if they might fall off the wood at any second.

Looking at the dried black ink on the talismans, Zhong Ming felt a profound sense of dissonance, a feeling that this thing shouldn’t be here.

These talismans, steeped in Eastern mysticism, were completely out of place in this Western-style haunted house. This had to be one of Shen Weinian’s items. Zhong Ming stared at the talismans for a while, reaching his hand toward them, then paused.

It wasn’t wise to alert the enemy yet.

Besides, these talismans looked like they would crumble at the slightest touch.

Zhong Ming withdrew his hand, took a shallow breath, and stood up from the floor.

In the afternoon, Matthew had just finished his work outside. He returned to the mansion, threw his heavy shovel onto the ground, and stretched his stiff shoulders.

Just then, he heard a voice.

“Matthew.” Zhong Ming was standing on the staircase, looking down at the man by the banister. “Do you have a moment?”

Seeing it was him, Matthew paused and said: “I do. What is it?”

Zhong Ming rarely initiated conversation with them. Matthew frowned slightly and asked: “Has something happened?”

Holding the railing, Zhong Ming blinked softly. “No. I just have something I’d like your help with.”

Matthew froze. As his gaze fell on Zhong Ming’s face illuminated by the sunlight, his emerald-green eyes suddenly narrowed. He stared at Zhong Ming for a moment before suddenly saying: “What are you thinking?” Matthew asked. “I get the feeling you’re up to no good.”

Upon hearing this, Zhong Ming froze for a moment. He then raised his hand and gently touched his own face.

“Is it that obvious?” he asked, puzzled.

Now, he didn’t even bother to deny it.

Matthew arched an eyebrow, sensing that Zhong Ming had changed a bit. At the beginning, he had been so well-behaved and quiet. Now, he had turned into a bad boy with mischief radiating from the corners of his eyes and brows. It seemed they had truly been too indulgent with him.

Zhong Ming lowered his hand. Seeing Matthew staring at him, he knitted his brows and said, “Are you going to help or not?” His tone was quite arrogant.

What could Matthew say? He gave a helpless smile and nodded.

–

In the evening, the players gradually returned to the mansion.

Even though Shen Weinian was stubborn, he wasn’t arrogant enough to dare linger outside after dark.

The group began to walk back. Shen Weinian walked at the very back of the line, his face expressionless as he listened to the others ahead joking about how the players they threatened today had wept so pathetically, messy with tears and snot, looking like miserable dogs.

Most of the time, he derived pleasure from bullying others, but doing the same thing repeatedly eventually became boring.

Feeling uninterested, Shen Weinian looked down at a sexy female streamer on his screen who was pushing the boundaries of suggestive content. He casually tipped her a generous amount and locked his phone amidst the streamer’s surprised screams.

This is the boss level? It’s not even that fun.

Shen Weinian ran a hand through his purple hair, clicked his tongue, stuffed his phone into his pocket, and looked around. Surrounding them were layers of forest; the twilight filtered through the gaps in the trees, shining quietly onto the grass. In the distance were the undulating snow-capped mountains, which involuntarily reminded Shen Weinian of his adolescence spent in these kinds of deep woods after being dumped by his family at some aristocratic private school in Europe.

“Fuck.”

His mood soured further. Shen Weinian cursed under his breath, and he irritably retracted his gaze.

However, in the next instant, a figure caught the corner of his eye.

It was a tall maid wearing a long dress.

She emerged from an inconspicuous corner of the mansion, cradling a bundle of chopped firewood. She walked out from the back door toward the warehouse, leaning down to place the wood on the ground. As she bent over, her long black hair slid down, seemingly blocking her vision; the maid reached out to tuck a strand behind her ear, revealing a small patch of her fair, pale profile.

Shen Weinian’s footsteps came to a sudden halt.

Yet, by the time he turned to look, the maid’s figure had disappeared. Only a sliver of a black dress hem peeking from behind the doorframe proved that what he had seen wasn’t an illusion.

From ahead, the voices of several sports students telling dirty jokes continued. They were loud, using profanity in nearly every sentence, and their tone was crude and repulsive. The other players were furious but dared not speak out, keeping their heads down to avoid them.

Out of everyone, it seemed he was the only one who had seen that figure just now.

At dusk, the light shooting down from the clouds was an ambiguous mix of orange and pink. Shen Weinian felt a slight warmth on his cheek, feeling for a moment as if he were hallucinating. He looked dazed, as if bewitched, and turned to walk toward the direction where the maid had vanished.

He said nothing. The sports students ahead didn’t notice their leader was gone and continued walking and laughing.

However, someone did notice.

“Kim Won, what are you looking at?”

A player walking further away noticed the youth beside him had been staring blankly in a certain direction for a while. Following his gaze, the player saw the group of sports students, and his expression immediately shifted.

After a moment, he sighed and patted the youth’s shoulder. “Stop looking. Be careful, or they’ll come looking for trouble again.”

The player comforted him, “I know you’re hurting, but survival is what matters most.”

Upon hearing this, the youth slowly turned his head. The wound on his cheekbone had already healed, leaving only a faint red mark. He smiled at the player.

“Thank you, I understand,” Kim Won said.

On the other side, Shen Weinian chased the person to the hidden back door. As soon as he stepped inside, he spotted the figure ahead. The maid from before was walking down the hallway.

Shen Weinian was delighted and immediately strode forward to catch up.

He blocked the doorway of the corridor, leaning his right shoulder against the wall, and looked down at the maid’s face. “Wait a sec—”

The moment he saw the maid’s features clearly, Shen Weinian’s words died in his throat. A moment later, he grinned, narrowed his eyes, and let out a sharp whistle from the tip of his tongue.

Definitely prettier than that flight attendant from last time, Shen Weinian thought.

Meanwhile, Zhong Ming stopped in his tracks, lifted his eyes, and landed his gaze on Shen Weinian’s face without saying a word.

The two remained silent for a while as Shen Weinian scrutinized every line of the face before him. Finally coming back to his senses, he looked at Zhong Ming and suddenly blurted out: “Are you wearing colored contacts?”

Zhong Ming: “…”

“No.” Without waiting for Zhong Ming to answer, Shen Weinian contradicted himself. He raised his hand to brace against the doorframe, leaning in closer. “Yours don’t look like them.”

The colored contacts his million-follower influencer ex-girlfriend wore cost thousands a pair, and they weren’t even this natural.

Shen Weinian narrowed his eyes, examining the skin on the side of Zhong Ming’s face where even at this proximity, no pores could be seen. He rubbed his chin and said, “No makeup? This is your bare face?”

“Fuck, that’s impressive.”

Shen Weinian drew his own conclusion, his eyes widening slightly, convinced that Zhong Ming’s face was the real deal, without any artificial enhancements.

He reached out, instinctively wanting to hook Zhong Ming’s chin to tilt this rare beauty’s face up for a better look.

However, in the next instant, Zhong Ming suddenly spoke: “Dear player, is there something you need?”

Shen Weinian’s hand froze in mid-air. Looking at the maid’s lowered eyes and demure expression, he suddenly remembered he was in a horror game. The beauty in front of him was an NPC, not some internet influencer he could flirt with at will.

Shen Weinian paused, then lowered his hand.

Though he was arrogant because he possessed many items, he wasn’t completely brainless. In a boss level, who knew what kind of abilities these NPCs might have?

Shen Weinian stuffed his hands back into his pockets and glanced around. “Ah… well, there is something.”

He hesitated, then rubbed the back of his head, making up an excuse on the spot: “I’m lost.”

He wasn’t entirely lying. The architecture of the haunted house was extremely complex; besides the main entrance, there were many small doors located in various directions that led to the kitchen, warehouse, storage rooms, and so on.

Shen Weinian had never entered through this door before. Next to the narrow corridor, wooden storage cabinets were neatly filled with various cups. It looked like a place specifically for storing tableware. He really didn’t know how to get back to his room from here.

Shen Weinian withdrew his gaze, curled his lips into a smirk, and said to the beautiful NPC: “Miss, could you lead me back?”