Chapter 19: It’s not the senses that deceive, it’s the judgment

Tsk tsk tsk—

The sound of fingernails scratching the door panel seeped through.

Li Yinan and Xiaoyu’s expressions could no longer be described as just ugly.

The emotions that had accumulated in their hearts over the past few days had reached a breaking point.

Heaven knows how they had survived until now.

And now, the dawn of victory—clearly within reach—had suddenly turned into a mirage.

Neither “the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment” nor “I could have tolerated the darkness if I had never seen the light” could fully capture their state of mind at this moment.

“Boss… Liang Sihong… he seems to have had an accident…” Li Yinan kept her eyes closed, as if that could deceive herself into believing she wasn’t in danger.

Liang Sihong having an accident proved the first floor wasn’t safe either.

Even if they survived the fourth night without incident, what about the last night?

How would they get through it?

Among the three, only Lin Kuo’s expression was relatively normal, though it couldn’t be called good either.

And he had always possessed a sense of detachment, which made his expression seem even more somber.

“Liang Sihong,” Lin Kuo said coldly,
“Stop playing tricks.”

The scratching sound paused briefly, then resumed with even more vigor, creating a noise that pierced the eardrums and made one extremely uncomfortable.

Li Yinan was stunned.

“Boss, what… what do you mean?”

Xiaoyu also looked at Lin Kuo in astonishment.

Lin Kuo’s tone grew a few degrees colder.

“The NPC’s role is a butler. He’s prepared breakfast for the past few days. How could someone who cooks often have long fingernails?”

The scratching sound stopped abruptly.

Lin Kuo questioned harshly, “What are you trying to do?”

The two girls stared intently at the solid wood door.

Both sides of the door fell silent for a long while.

After an extended pause, Liang Sihong’s light laugh came through.

“Lin Kuo, you’re really amazing. If you can leave this instance alive, I believe you might be able to go directly from the Walled City’s crevices to the Upper District.”

Lin Kuo had no time to waste on Liang Sihong’s nonsense.

Since arriving on the first floor, he had been listening for any movement from the second floor.

He was sure he hadn’t misheard. The rustling sounds were getting louder.

Hearing Liang Sihong’s voice, Li Yinan said hurriedly, “Open the door! They haven’t found us down here yet. Do you have to wait until—”

She abruptly stopped.

A rather bad guess was circling in her mind.

Liang Sihong confirmed it. “Sorry, I can’t open the door for you right now.”

Xiaoyu slammed the door in fury.

“Are you crazy?! We all agreed! Lin Kuo went to the third floor to find clues, and Li Yinan and I bought time for him on the second floor. On what grounds can you go back on your word now?! How did you pat your chest and guarantee it then—have you forgotten it all?! Are you a f*cking man? You coward, you’re a coward!”

Lin Kuo shot Li Yinan a look, signaling her to stop Xiaoyu.

The things on the second floor were waking up.

Such loud slamming and cursing could easily attract them.

“I didn’t say I was going back on my word. I just can’t open the door for now.” Compared to the fury on this side of the door, Liang Sihong’s tone remained eerily calm.

“I found something on the first floor. It’s very important to me—and it also determines whether I should open the door for you.”

“What… is it?” Li Yinan asked.

Liang Sihong said, “Lin Kuo, let’s exchange clues.”

Li Yinan couldn’t help shifting her gaze to Lin Kuo.

“Move.” Lin Kuo pointed at the door.

His whole body exuded a chilling coldness.

Li Yinan quickly stepped back, then went forward and pulled Xiaoyu away from the door.

As soon as they moved, Lin Kuo kicked the door.

Bang—

Lin Kuo was tall, and his kick landed squarely on the lock.

Liang Sihong, caught off guard, had his eardrums rattled by the force.

“Lin Kuo!” Liang Sihong gritted his teeth.

“I don’t like being lied to.” Lin Kuo remained calm.
“Also, I’m not interested in your clue. If you don’t open the door, I’ll drag you down with me.”

“Madman!” Liang Sihong cursed.

Before he could finish, Lin Kuo kicked the door again with brutal force.

Fearful the lock would break and the second-floor entities would come in, Liang Sihong had no choice but to unlock the door.

As soon as the door cracked open—BAM!

Lin Kuo’s third kick landed on his face, sending Liang Sihong stumbling, nose bleeding.

The trio entered.

Lin Kuo quickly locked the door behind them, then straddled the downed Liang Sihong and punched him in the face.

Stars filled Liang Sihong’s vision.

Li Yinan, fearing Lin Kuo would beat him to death, stepped in.

She still remembered the Walled City’s rules.

“Lin Kuo…”

“I know my limits.”

Lin Kuo stopped.

He looked down at Liang Sihong.

“You scratched the door to scare us off. Let me guess why.”

He pursed his lips in thought, then spoke with contempt.

“Your clue is that ‘the other side’ can’t be killed, right? Human attacks only enrage them. You wanted us to obediently die at their hands to appease them.”

Liang Sihong choked on blood.

“Cough… you… you already knew… why are you asking me?”

“I wasn’t asking,” Lin Kuo said.
“I was just seeing if you’d feel ashamed.”

Liang Sihong laughed bitterly, his mask dropping.

“To survive, I have… cough… what do I have to be ashamed of? Lin Kuo, you’re strong, but someone like you isn’t suited for the Walled City. Even if you pass The Intruder, you’ll fall into someone else’s hands sooner or later.”

“Mind your own business.”

Lin Kuo stood and straightened his clothes.

Li Yinan looked anxious.

“The things on the second floor can’t be killed? Then… didn’t Xiaoyu and I completely enrage them? Will they break down the door?”

As soon as she spoke—dong dong dong—

The door was knocked on.

It was self-evident who was outside.

Lin Kuo stared at the shaking door.

On the surface, he looked calm, but inside, he was preparing for a fight.

His kicks had damaged the lock. He couldn’t guarantee the door would hold.

With a clang, the doorknob loosened.

Everyone tensed.

The screws protruded with each hit, yellowish-brown wood shavings visible.

“They won’t break in,” Lin Kuo suddenly said.

He turned the screw back into the wood, reinforcing the knob.

Then he bent down and took the keyring from Liang Sihong.

There were many keys.

He tried them one by one.

Lady Luck finally favored him.

The third key unlocked the dining room.

“Come in and talk.”

The three entered.

Liang Sihong lay on the ground before eventually getting up and following them.

No one acknowledged him.

Lin Kuo pocketed the keys.

“On the fifth night, we all stay in the dining room.”

Li Yinan nearly cried from relief.

“You mean… we’ll all be safe on the fifth night?”

Lin Kuo nodded, then shook his head.

He composed himself before replying.

“Do you want me to tell you directly or give you clues?”

He still remembered—Li Yinan needed training.

Li Yinan was tempted, but considering how long the night was, she chose the clues.

Xiaoyu collapsed at the table, crying. She no longer had the energy to listen.

As for Liang Sihong, Lin Kuo had stripped him of all say.

“Okay.” Lin Kuo smiled, pleased.

“In Feng Shui, corridors are taboo. If one exists, it mustn’t exceed two-thirds of the house’s length, or it’ll cut the house in half—very inauspicious.”

Li Yinan shivered.

She didn’t understand yet.

“This villa’s corridor violates that. It’s why we feel uncomfortable—but they don’t. Also, the doors are made of Phoebe zhennan. Look.”

He showed her the shavings on his fingers.

Li Yinan’s skin crawled.

“Why?”

“Because Phoebe zhennan is usually used for coffins.”

Lin Kuo added coldly, “We are the intruders.”

Li Yinan’s throat tightened. “So this is a ghost house… and we’re the ones who broke in.”

Lin Kuo nodded.

“You can think of this villa as a giant coffin. They won’t destroy their own lid. They won’t ruin the Feng Shui that gathers yin energy.
Now that the keys are ours—we stay here until the instance ends.”

Li Yinan finally relaxed.

The dawn of victory returned.

She glanced at the peach wood patterns.

“But boss… you said peach wood repels evil. Isn’t this layout contradictory?”

Lin Kuo looked at Liang Sihong.

“That’s why this is a two-star instance.”

“What do you mean!” Liang Sihong shouted.

“Peach wood, incense ash, swords—these are all meant to defend against them. So why are they using those tools on us?” He stared coldly at them.

“Because they want to confuse us. Make us think we’re the ghosts. This isn’t just survival of the body—it’s survival of the mind. If you believe you’re a ghost, are you still alive?”

The senses don’t deceive us. It’s our judgment that does.

Li Yinan froze.

Liang Sihong’s lips trembled. “No, impossible…”

Lin Kuo didn’t look at him. He revealed what he saw on the third floor.

“The piano carving. The brainwashing. Still don’t get it? They want to steal your name. Once it’s gone, you stay in the instance forever.”

That’s why they were herded upstairs.

Liang Sihong grabbed his head, despairing. “You’re wrong! Then why wasn’t Li Yinan’s name there?! Do they think her name is worthless?!”

“Hey.”

Lin Kuo ignored him.

“Do you remember what your name is?”

Liang Sihong was struck like lightning.

“I… I remember… My name is…”

Ding-dong—

A mechanical voice rang out:

______________________________________________________________

“Participant Lin Kuo has completely solved The Intruder. The instance will end early. Results are being calculated. Estimated time: 10 seconds—”

______________________________________________________________

A floating panel appeared:

______________________________________________________________

Instance: The Intruder
Difficulty: ★★
Participants:
Liang Sihong ×3 (About to die)
Chen Jingjian ×2 (Deceased)
Zhang Mengnan ×2 (Survived)
Xia Xinyu [Newbie] (Survived)
Lin Kuo [Newbie] (Survived)
Wang Miao [Newbie] (Deceased)
Zhu Hai [Newbie] (Deceased)

Points
Zhang Mengnan × 200 pts (Instance Reward)
Xia Xinyu × 200 pts (Instance) + 100 pts (Newbie Bonus)
Lin Kuo × 200 pts (Instance) + 100 pts (Newbie Bonus) + 200 pts (MVP)

______________________________________________________________

Lin Kuo was stunned.

His gaze fell on Li Yinan.

She looked embarrassed.

“Sorry… my real name is Zhang Mengnan. ‘The other side’ did call my name on the first night. Because of that… I didn’t tell you. Pretending to be a newbie is just how I survive. Boss, I… I didn’t mean to lie. Please don’t blame me.”

Lin Kuo lowered his eyes.

Oh, he was deceived again.