Chapter 31: Recognizing a Godfather

After the text flashed, the familiar stream title update screen appeared—something Lin Kuo was gradually getting used to.

He thought for a moment.

He didn’t want viewers to watch his stream.
The reason so many people had been drawn in before was probably due to the rebellious mentality people in the Walled City had.

Although he now quite hoped Ah Wen would be his room manager, the thought of Ah Wen spending points for every instance made him suppress that little idea in his heart.

To avoid making Ah Wen waste points, Lin Kuo changed his stream title to “Not a person if you watch.”

He stared at the title.

He had completely grasped the mentality of the viewers.
This should be fine now, right? No one should come in, right?

Sheng Sheng also changed his stream title.
To make it easier for his mother to find him on the Walled City livestream, he simply titled his stream “Sheng Sheng.”

One was “Not a person if you watch”—a title that stomped on the viewers’ pet peeves.
One was “Sheng Sheng”—a title with absolutely no appeal.

The big one and the small one both clicked [Confirm Changes] with great satisfaction.

After a short wait, both of their phones beeped at the same time:

[《Material Story》 has finished loading.]
[《Material Story》:
Number of Players: 13
Star Rating & Type: Two-Star Casual
Game Rules: Tell a story. The top three participants with the highest total score survive.
Game Reward: First Place: 800 points, Second Place: 500 points, Third Place: 300 points. Bonus rewards for outstanding performance in the instance.]

Lin Kuo looked over the rules.
After the Death Code instance, he had a bit of PTSD.

He subconsciously delved deeper into the rules to see if there were any hidden or overlooked problems.

Game Rules: Tell a story. The top three participants with the highest total score survive.

Who tells the story? What kind of story? What does “total score” even mean?

With these thoughts, Lin Kuo’s vision went black.
When the light returned, he found himself in the Walled City crevice.
Sheng Sheng was no longer beside him.

He didn’t know where Sheng Sheng had gone, but he wasn’t worried.

Based on his experience from the previous two instances, Lin Kuo calmly put his phone in his pocket and began walking forward at a leisurely pace.

After walking for about ten minutes, he finally left the crevice.
The cramped, narrow sliver of sky gave way to a wide-open view.

Under a boundless, cloudless blue sky, a manor stood quietly.
From where Lin Kuo stood, he could clearly see the roses planted throughout the estate, and the layers upon layers of colorful climbing roses scaling the walls.

Lin Kuo frowned.

This style was far too different from the villa in The Intruder.
The manor presented in Material Story clearly suggested leisure and relaxation, a place where participants could enjoy the flowers and have fun.

But this was the Walled City.
The more normal things seemed, the more bizarre they were.

Secretly raising his guard, Lin Kuo began walking toward the manor.
Just a few steps in, Sheng Sheng’s voice called out from behind him.

He must’ve just exited the crevice as well.

Lin Kuo paused and waited.
When Sheng Sheng caught up, the two of them continued forward.

At the iron gate of the manor, people were already gathered.
Lin Kuo heard someone crying.

The voice sounded a little familiar.

He turned his head toward the sound.

A woman was covering her face, sobbing.
“Where is this? I was just taking a nap at home… How did I end up here when I woke up?”

Someone responded impatiently, “Another newbie. That’s the fourth one already. I don’t know how many newbies this instance has pulled in. I’ll explain one last time. This is the Walled City. You can think of this place as a game field. You only survive by clearing the game.”

Lin Kuo pursed his lips.

Sheng Sheng, who was standing beside him, noticed the strange look on Lin Kuo’s face.

He glanced at the crowd, then back at Lin Kuo.
“Big brother Lin Kuo, do you know that crying sister?”

Lin Kuo hummed in agreement.
The crying person was Li Yinan.

No—her real name was Zhang Mengnan.

After hearing the explanation, Zhang Mengnan cried even harder.
“Walled City? Instance? Game? What does that even mean?! I want to go home! I don’t want to die!”

The person who had explained said nothing further.

Instead, another girl standing beside Zhang Mengnan glanced at the manor behind her and said with faint disdain,
“This manor doesn’t look dangerous at all. How could anyone die here? Don’t be so pessimistic. Think of it this way—poor people like us might never get to live in a place like this in our entire lives. If we have fun and die, well… it’s still worth it.”

Lin Kuo saw this girl and thought: …

After a moment, the girl seemed to recall something and turned to the veteran beside her.

“Hey, brother, let me ask you something. Have you seen a 1.8-meter tall, 22-year-old guy? He’s really handsome, super thin, doesn’t talk much… and he’s a little… y’know.”
She pointed to her own head.
“He believes whatever anyone tells him.”

Lin Kuo: …

He opened his mouth.

Lin Zhi was stunned when she turned to look.

Then she rubbed her eyes in disbelief, blinked, and looked again.

Lin Kuo said helplessly, “Come here.”

Lin Zhi bolted toward him like a madwoman and threw herself into his arms.

“Bro! Is that really you? My god! I finally found you. Wuwuwu, I wanna cry so bad, but I can’t…”

Lin Kuo steadied her and ruffled her head.

“It’s me.”

Lin Zhi rubbed against his chest.
“I thought I’d never see you again!”

Lin Kuo said, “Aren’t I here?”

Lin Zhi wiped her tears all over Lin Kuo’s clothes.
Once she had composed herself, she stood up properly from his arms and then noticed Sheng Sheng beside him.

“Bro, we haven’t seen each other for half a month, and my nephew’s already this big.”

Lin Kuo: “…”

Sheng Sheng: “…”

Lin Kuo said, “Can you talk properly, young lady?”

Lin Zhi grinned foolishly.
Lin Kuo briefly told her about what had happened recently, including how he’d escaped from Death Code.

Lin Zhi’s eyes widened in disbelief. “I thought I was dreaming. So it was all real!”
After exclaiming, she leaned over and tapped Sheng Sheng on the head. “Little brat, what’s your name?”

Sheng Sheng said, “Sister, my name is Jiang Sheng.”

Lin Zhi nodded. “My name is Lin Zhi.”

Jiang Sheng replied politely, “Hello, Sister Zhizhi. Sister Zhizhi is so pretty.”

Lin Zhi: “Your little mouth is coated with honey. So sweet!”

Jiang Sheng: “It’s the truth.”

Lin Zhi: “Sister likes honest children.”

Lin Kuo interrupted the two little ghosts’ mutual flattery with a complex and serious expression.
“Both of you, rein it in. This isn’t a vacation.”

Lin Zhi immediately fell quiet—nothing scared her more than her brother’s lectures.

Then Lin Kuo turned to Jiang Sheng.
“I’ll try my best to protect you both. But if I have to choose between Lin Zhi and you, I’ll choose Lin Zhi.”

It was cruel, but it was human nature.

Jiang Sheng nodded and replied softly, “Mmm.”

Lin Kuo didn’t owe him anything to begin with.
Now that he’d made his stance clear, it actually made Jiang Sheng feel more at ease.
It was much better than if Lin Kuo had made vague promises, only to abandon him when it mattered most.

With that thought, Jiang Sheng nodded again. “Brother Lin Kuo, I understand.”

Lin Kuo looked at Lin Zhi.
A sense of pressure slowly built in his chest.

One was a newbie, the other was a child.
Protecting both of them… wouldn’t be easy.

Lin Zhi, noticing Lin Kuo’s tight expression, patted her chest confidently.
“Don’t worry, bro. I’m awesome.”

While the three of them were talking, the other 10 players in the instance had all arrived.
Among the 13 people, there were three newbies: Lin Zhi and two boys.

Zhang Mengnan visibly froze when she saw Lin Kuo.
But seeing that he didn’t expose her lie, she lowered her head and let out a silent sigh of relief.

Still, she couldn’t fully relax.

She looked again at the instance rules: only the top three survive.
Lin Kuo already had a team of three.

Zhang Mengnan didn’t know what to do.
She knew Lin Kuo’s strength. That’s exactly why she’d clung to him throughout The Intruder.

Now the ‘thigh’ was right in front of her again—but this time, it felt out of reach.

She pretended not to know Lin Kuo.
And naturally, he made no move to acknowledge her either.

Even if she had been willing to approach him, Lin Kuo would’ve hesitated.

The Intruder had a rule: survive five days.
But Material Story? Only the top three could live.
From the start, this instance had positioned everyone as competitors, not teammates.

The veterans understood this well and deliberately held back when explaining the Walled City rules to the newcomers.

Lin Kuo listened in silence.
While the veterans were cautious and somewhat reserved, they still provided a decent amount of information.

Lin Kuo didn’t like to talk much anyway, so he remained quiet.

Lin Zhi, on the other hand, was completely dazed by what she heard.
After a long moment, she belatedly pulled out her phone.

Sure enough, just like the veteran said, her phone had entered Walled City mode.

She nudged Lin Kuo and asked, “Bro, what stream title should I go with? What’s yours? Let me copy your homework.”

Lin Kuo: “Mine’s not good. No suggestions. Think of one yourself.”

Lin Zhi: “Aw man, then what was your title in the last instance? I suck at naming things. Give me a hint. It’s my first time streaming—I’m not used to this.”

“…This isn’t a game,” Lin Kuo said seriously again.

Lin Zhi: “Alright, alright.”

She turned to Jiang Sheng.
“Kid, what’s your stream title? Let me copy yours.”

Jiang Sheng said honestly, “Sheng Sheng’s stream.”

Lin Zhi: “Oh.”

She thought for a moment and changed her title to ‘Lin Zhi’s stream.’

A few minutes later, the viewer count began to rise.

Lin Zhi: “!”

“Is my name really that attractive?”

Just then, bullet comments began to flood in:

[It’s not that Lin Zhi, is it?]
[Oh my god, it really is her!]
[I’m having flashbacks. She gives me trauma.]
[Where’s the dog streamer, then?]
[Wait, did I just see him? The dog streamer??]
[How long has it been since the last instance ended? And he’s back again?]
[What’s his stream title? Someone drop the link!]

Lin Zhi frowned and looked at Lin Kuo.
In a low voice, she asked, “Bro… that ‘dog streamer’ they’re talking about… that’s not you, right?”

Lin Kuo gave her a blank look.

A chill ran down Lin Zhi’s spine.
Just then, her phone vibrated with a special alert.

[S has entered your stream.]

[SSSSSSS!]
[Wherever the dog streamer is, S is right behind.]
[S: ? (Honorable marker)]

Lin Zhi was full of confusion.
“Bro, do you know who this S guy is? He just joined my stream. His bullet comment special effects are kinda cool.”

Lin Kuo frowned and pulled out his own phone.
The viewer count, which had been stuck at ‘0’, finally started ticking upward.
Then came a Walled City Chat message.

Sweet as the Wind: Big brother?

Lin Kuo froze.
He hadn’t told Ah Wen that he was entering another instance—specifically to prevent him from spending points again.

And yet, here he was.

Worried that Ah Wen would misunderstand, Lin Kuo quickly typed a message:

[Lin Kuo]: I didn’t mean to hide it from you.

Sweet as the Wind: A desperate man, huh?

The message landed at the same time as Lin Kuo’s.

He stared at the screen.
At the words “a desperate man.”

His ears turned red.

Because, honestly…

He was feeling a little desperate.

Sweet as the Wind: I’m really not short on points. You don’t have to be in a hurry to pay me back. If something happens to you because you’re not resting well from constantly doing instances, I’ll feel very guilty, and also very, very sad and heartbroken.
[Lin Kuo]: Sorry…
Sweet as the Wind: What’s your stream title?
[Lin Kuo]: Not a person if you enter…
Sweet as the Wind: Mmm. Then I must enter.
Sweet as the Wind: Alright, I found it. Same old rules? When the time is up, choose me as your room manager.
[Lin Kuo]: Okay.
Sweet as the Wind: Big brother, go clear the instance. Good luck!
[Lin Kuo]: Thanks.

After chatting with Ah Wen, Lin Kuo finally looked up.
His gaze left the phone screen—and happened to meet Lin Zhi’s.

Lin Zhi said, “Lin Kuo, you’re not right.”

Lin Kuo: “…”

Lin Zhi: “Are you in a relationship?”

Thinking that Ah Wen was still in the room, Lin Kuo quickly said, “Don’t talk nonsense.”

Lin Zhi: “How am I talking nonsense? Look at you, smiling while you chat. Lin Kuo, confess honestly! Do I have a sister-in-law? What does she look like? Is she pretty? Does she have a good personality?”

Lin Kuo stuffed his phone into his pocket, forced himself to calm down, and gave Lin Zhi a glare that said say one more word if you dare.

“OK, I’ll shut up.”
Lin Zhi zipped her mouth with a gesture.

“Hey.”
Someone shouted from a distance, “Over there, come on, the gate is open!”

The instance required thirteen people.
After everyone had arrived, the iron gate of the manor opened.
There was no creaking, no sound of disrepair—
It opened smoothly.
In front of the gate was a wide road that led directly to the entrance of the manor’s villa.

The main group had already started walking in.
Lin Kuo stood at the gate for a moment.

Lin Zhi noticed the serious look on his face.
She knew that whenever her brother had this expression, he was thinking—
And Lin Kuo didn’t like to be interrupted when he was thinking.
So Lin Zhi remained silent, and Jiang Sheng naturally didn’t dare say much either.

“Let’s go.”
After a while, Lin Kuo spoke.

This manor was too normal.
Even the weather—boundless blue sky, warm sunlight—
It was so normal that it felt bizarre.
But he couldn’t find any evidence to prove it.

Since they’d fallen behind the others, Lin Kuo gave Lin Zhi and Jiang Sheng a heads-up:
“Don’t get too close to the others. Don’t believe what they say.”

Lin Zhi looked at Lin Kuo in surprise, not quite believing that had come from her brother’s mouth.

When the three of them caught up, they saw an old man at the entrance of the villa.
The old man was smiling at them.
Although aged, the wrinkles on his face didn’t look decrepit.
Instead, he looked kind and amiable.

“Welcome.”
The old man said, “My thirteen guests, please follow me in.”

Lin Kuo looked at the old man and explained to Lin Zhi, “NPC. We can’t attack him.”

Lin Zhi nodded.

After speaking, the old man pushed open the villa door.
Standing at the back of the group, Lin Zhi couldn’t see what lay behind it clearly.
She turned to Lin Kuo hesitantly, “Bro, do we have to listen to the NPC?”

Lin Kuo answered concisely, “Not necessarily.”

The first ten had already entered.
The old man stood at the door, looking at the remaining three.

“The remaining three guests, is there a problem?”

Jiang Sheng didn’t dare to answer on his own and just looked up at Lin Kuo.
Lin Zhi and afraid of saying something wrong, also stayed silent.

The old man saw Lin Kuo was the backbone of the three and took a step forward, stopping at a suitable distance.
“If you don’t mind, can you tell me what the problem is? I think I might be able to help.”

Lin Kuo was someone who was soft to persuasion and hard to coercion.
The old man was just too friendly.

“Nothing,” Lin Kuo said stiffly.

The old man smiled. “It’s good that there’s nothing. Then please, come in.”

Lin Kuo lifted his foot and walked in.
Lin Zhi and Jiang Sheng followed closely behind.

After entering the villa, Lin Kuo’s eyes swept the area quickly.
Compared to the villa in The Intruder, this one was way too normal.

From the decor and furniture, one could tell this was the kind of place he’d need to save from the beginning of time to afford.
The living room alone was sixty to seventy square meters.
Even with thirteen people and one old man, it didn’t feel crowded.

“Sit down,” the old man said with a chuckle.
“Let me tell you the rules.”

At the word rules, everyone tensed up.
They stood in place, dazed or on guard, not daring to actually sit.

“Don’t be polite,” the old man repeated.
He kept smiling at everyone, but after that, said nothing more.
It seemed he wouldn’t speak of the rules until all thirteen had sat.

There were more veterans than newbies this time, and the experienced players knew better than to sit first.
Who knew what kind of trap it might be?

The first to sit was Lin Kuo.
Lin Zhi had been standing a while and was tired.
Seeing Lin Kuo sit, she sat beside him.
Then Jiang Sheng sat down too.

Seeing the three of them unharmed, the others finally nudged each other and sat.

Once everyone was seated, the old man finally spoke:

“I am a DINK. After my wife passed away, I was the only one left in this world. Perhaps because I’ve been lonely for too long, I am very happy to have you all here. Please don’t be restrained. Not only that, my manor is open to you all for free. You can all play in my manor as you wish. I am very happy and wish you all a very pleasant time.”

No one said anything.
No one thanked him.

The old man wasn’t embarrassed or angry.
He simply paused and said,
“I only have one request. On Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays at 10 a.m., I need everyone to gather in the living room and tell stories. The number of stories is not limited. It ends at noon, 12 p.m. Afterward, I’ll prepare a very rich lunch for everyone.”

What he said sounded like it matched Material Story a bit.
He hadn’t mentioned when this pleasant time would end, but everyone silently understood:
When only three of the thirteen remained.

Someone asked, “What kind of story do we need to tell?”

The old man patted his forehead. “Oh, look at my terrible memory.”
Then he turned and shouted, “Shen.”

As soon as his voice fell—

Meow, meow, meow.

Lin Zhi’s eyes lit up.
She especially loved cats, but Lin Kuo was allergic and had rhinitis.
Her eyes darted around, searching for the cat.

But when she finally spotted it, Lin Zhi wilted.

From the start of the instance until now, Lin Zhi hadn’t felt a single trace of danger.
But this cat—
This cat finally made her realize—

She wasn’t on vacation.
She might have come to die.

A cat that was entirely black.
Its size and shape were no different from a normal cat.
The strange part was that it had three eyes.

“Damn…”
Lin Zhi hid behind Lin Kuo. “I’m a little scared.”

It wasn’t just her.
When the cat appeared, everyone’s expression changed.
No one had ever seen a three-eyed cat.
The third eye was on its forehead.
Though it was closed, it was unnerving.

The black cat wore a small outfit with a large pocket stitched onto the front.

The old man seemed oblivious to everyone’s reaction.
The cat leapt gracefully into his arms.
He rubbed it gently, and the cat purred—purr purr purr.

After a while, the old man reached into the black cat’s pocket and pulled something out.
A die.
But not a normal six-sided one—this die had many sides.

Lin Kuo saw the number 13 printed on one of them.

The old man walked to the center of the group and placed the die on the coffee table.
“Everyone, roll the die first. The number you roll will be your number.”

“What’s the number for?” someone asked.

The old man smiled. “Many uses.”

In other words, he had no intention of telling them.

His gaze swept the crowd.
“Who wants to go first?”

No one moved.

The old man sighed, looking troubled.
“You’re all still so restrained. Since you can’t let go, then I’ll be presumptuous and decide for you.”

He pointed at Lin Kuo.
“This handsome guest, please go first.”

All eyes turned to Lin Kuo.
Lin Zhi’s heart skipped a beat.
She pulled his sleeve. “Bro, I’ll go.”

“No need. You sit tight.”

Lin Kuo gently pushed her back into her seat.
The old man handed him the die.
Lin Kuo rolled it casually.

13.

The old man picked up the die and glanced at the black cat.
“Thirteen.”

The black cat licked its paw, seemingly indifferent—
Until the third eye on its forehead opened.

A narrow red vertical pupil gazed at the old man… and then locked onto the die in his hand.

Everyone gasped.

Lin Kuo noticed that the moment the cat’s third eye focused, the number 13 vanished from the die.

The old man asked, “Is there anyone who wants to volunteer to be the second guest to roll the die? If not, then…”

“I…”
A timid female voice.

Everyone’s attention, including the old man’s, shifted toward her.

Zhang Mengnan.

“I’ll go…” she said with a slight tremble.

“Okay.”
The old man smiled and handed her the die.
“Lovely guest, don’t be nervous.”

Zhang Mengnan held the die in both hands, shook it, and finally opened her palms.
12.

After seeing the result, she glanced at the old man uneasily.
She had cheated.

The old man looked at the number for a moment.
“Twelve.”

Just like before, the black cat’s third eye glowed—
And the number 12 vanished from the die.

Zhang Mengnan breathed a sigh of relief and quickly returned to her seat.

The old man continued, “Then the third…”

Before he could finish, several people surged forward to grab the die.

They had all seen Zhang Mengnan cheat—
And the old man accepted it.

Everyone now believed that the numbers on the die corresponded to their own.
Though the purpose was unclear, being able to influence the number was a rare opportunity.

With no context, the middle numbers seemed safest.
Soon, 6, 7, 8, 9 were taken.

Lin Kuo remained calm throughout.

He noted that each time a number disappeared from the die, its corresponding face also vanished.

He thought for a moment, then told Lin Zhi, “Roll ‘1’.”

Lin Zhi nodded.
She understood what her brother meant.
After high numbers like 12, 11, and 10 were taken, 1 was closest to his 13—
The beginning and the end matched.

Lin Zhi stepped up and rolled the die.

Then Lin Kuo turned to Jiang Sheng.
“Roll ‘2’.”

Jiang Sheng nodded quickly.
“Brother Lin Kuo, I understand.”

When his turn came, only 2, 3, 4 were left.

But Jiang Sheng was nervous.
His hand trembled as he rolled—
4.

His face turned pale. Tears welled in his eyes.
“I…”
Why can’t I do anything right!

Lin Kuo didn’t respond.
He remained silent, lips pressed into a thin line.

‘4’ was still a low number. And it didn’t sound great either.

Eventually, all thirteen numbers were rolled.
The die became a smooth, flat surface.

The old man rolled up his sleeve and glanced at his watch.
“Good. We didn’t delay. Now I declare the story session begins.
Is there anyone who wants to volunteer to be the first to tell a story?”

Silence.

The old man smiled.
“If no one volunteers, then we’ll start from the smallest number.”

Lin Zhi: “…”

Lin Kuo’s gaze darkened, unreadable.
Jiang Sheng swallowed nervously.

Because Lin Zhi was pretty and had rolled 1, everyone remembered her clearly.
At that moment, all eyes fell on her.

The old man said, “Okay, then—”

“I’ll tell one.”
Lin Zhi raised her hand before her brother could react.
She knew Lin Kuo would want to speak up in her place.

Lin Kuo looked at her with slight disapproval.

The old man beamed.
Afraid she might change her mind, he quickly said,
“Let’s welcome guest number one.”

Lin Zhi scratched her head.
She actually had no idea what to say.

After thinking for a bit, she began,
“Let me tell you all a true story.”

“The protagonist is me.
My parents passed away when I was very young, so I have no memory of them.
I was raised by my older brother.
He doesn’t talk much, and he was still a kid himself when I was born.
He didn’t know how to discipline me or teach me, so I was very mischievous growing up.”

“One day, I asked him to take me to the newly built park in our city.
By the way, our city isn’t coastal, but this new park had a man-made lake, and I was super curious about it.
I guess my brother was tired of hearing me whine, so he finally took me.”

“When we got there, I ran straight to the lake.
It was really deep, and there were tons of fish inside.
But there was a safety fence.
I was too short to see the fish clearly, so I climbed over it.”

“You can guess what happened next. I fell in.”

“The second I hit the water, I thought, I’m done for.
And then I thought, My brother must be so worried right now.
That made me even more anxious, and I started choking.
Everything got blurry after that.”

“But I wasn’t unconscious. I remember.
Someone pulled me out.
They tried everything—chest compressions, CPR.
I clearly remember someone saying to my brother, she’s not breathing.“

“Then the ambulance came.
I was probably in the emergency room.
My body was unconscious, but my mind—my awareness—was totally clear.
I heard the doctor tell my brother,
We’ve resuscitated her for now, but it’s unclear if she’ll wake up. We’ll have to wait and see.“

“I lay there for seven or eight days.
Never woke up. But I was always conscious.
And just when I thought I might never get out of that bed, I heard a conversation.”

“My brother was talking to someone.
A stranger.”

“They told him that while digging the man-made lake, a temporary worker died.
The foreman didn’t want to take responsibility or pay compensation,
So he… sank the body to the bottom of the lake.”

“He said I had been entangled by something dirty in the water—
A water ghost formed from the resentment of that worker.
If I wanted to wake up, someone needed to take a look…”

“So my brother went and found someone. After seeing my situation, the person he found said my body was weak. The ‘weak body’ here refers to the shallow blessings of our ancestors, without their protection. Because my parents had died in a car accident, they couldn’t protect me from heaven either. So he asked my brother to find me a godfather, to borrow the protection of another family’s ancestors.”

“But because the water ghost’s resentment was too deep, and no one would really be willing to transfer their luck to others now, the godfather I acknowledged was a pagoda tree. That Taoist told my brother that this pagoda tree was several thousand years old. With it as my godfather, it could definitely suppress the water ghost entangling me.”

Lin Zhi’s mouth was a little dry at this point.
The old man smiled and handed her some water.
Lin Zhi took a sip, moistened her throat, and continued, “Not long after I acknowledged my godfather, I woke up. Alright, my story is finished.”

Lin Kuo looked at Lin Zhi.
Actually, Lin Zhi’s story wasn’t finished.

After Lin Zhi woke up, Lin Kuo wanted to take her to thank the Taoist.
But when they found his home, the Taoist was gone.
The neighbor, seeing the two pitiful children, told them that this Taoist was a scammer.
Someone had come looking for him a while ago.
Seeing he couldn’t afford to offend them, he packed his things and ran away.

He then asked Lin Kuo how much the Taoist had charged.

Lin Kuo said:
“100,000.”

The neighbor shook his head.
“The man-made lake is a government project. How could they just casually throw a body into the water? Call the police, kids.”

His parents’ compensation was a total of 400,000.
He had been scammed out of 100,000.
Lin Kuo’s eyes turned red when he heard this.

He called the police, but the Taoist was never found, and the money was never recovered.
After that, he spoke even less.
He also knew that he was holding in a breath of anger.
Afraid that if he collapsed, no one would take care of Lin Zhi, Lin Kuo deceived himself and convinced himself, What if it really was the pagoda tree that saved Lin Zhi?

In the end, he still took Lin Zhi to kowtow to the pagoda tree.

Lin Kuo could still recall the appearance of that pagoda tree.
Because it had lived for so long, its branches were gnarled and vigorous.
Its rough bark was covered in dust.
It would have been fine during the day, but at night, it looked lifeless, exuding a mysterious and deep aura.

“A very wonderful story.”
The old man smiled and clapped.

The applause pulled Lin Kuo back from his memories.
He looked up and saw the black cat.
The cat’s third eye was looking toward him and Lin Zhi.

“After the end of a story, we will start scoring.”
The old man said, “Everyone is both a listener and a scorer. But the highest score does not exceed five points.”

Saying this, the old man distributed a piece of paper and a pen to everyone except Lin Zhi.
“Now, let’s start scoring.”

The group held the paper and pen, their thoughts racing.

The total score mentioned in the instance rules was probably related to the current scoring.
So everyone wrote down the score for Lin Zhi’s story on the paper with their own thoughts.

After they finished writing, the old man collected all the papers and added them up.
“It seems guest number 1’s story did not touch more people. 9 people have written ‘0’ points. What a pity. I think this is a good story. To get back to the point, guest number 1’s final score is 15 points.”

Lin Kuo frowned.

He was sure he had given Lin Zhi a ‘5’.
He saw that Jiang Sheng’s score for Lin Zhi was also ‘5’.
Then who gave Lin Zhi the remaining 5 points?

With this thought, Zhang Mengnan gave him an awkward smile.

Lin Kuo understood.
Zhang Mengnan really knew how to read the situation.
Among the 13 people, Lin Kuo, Jiang Sheng, and Lin Zhi were in a group, and Lin Kuo had not hidden this fact.
Her ingratiating move of giving Lin Zhi a ‘5’ at this time was to make Lin Kuo owe her a favor.

Later, when it was her turn to tell a story, Lin Kuo wouldn’t have the heart to give her a ‘0’.
She didn’t expect Lin Kuo’s group of three to give her a full score, but she was sure that at least Lin Kuo wouldn’t give her a ‘0’.
As long as she had points, she would be safer than the others.

After all, if they wanted to live, it was impossible for the others to give points to the person telling the story.

The old man looked at the time again.
“There is still one hour left until the end of the story session. So who will be the second to tell a story?”

Zhang Mengnan naturally raised her hand.

The old man said with a chuckle, “I look forward to guest number 12’s story.”

Zhang Mengnan cleared her throat.
“This is a story I saw on the internet. In the story, a mother posted a plea for help on a forum. She complained in the post that her husband’s sister had come to her house and would pester her husband to feed her every day, and her husband would gladly accept. Before, her husband would kiss her when he went to work, but ever since his sister came, he would kiss his sister’s forehead. The most excessive thing was that her husband would sleep next to his sister every night, otherwise his sister would cry.”

Zhang Mengnan paused here.

She knew that no matter how exciting an online story was, the final score wouldn’t be high.
She quickly said the ending.

“At that time, many people in the comments section were scolding the poster’s husband’s sister, until one comment: ‘Seek medical attention as soon as possible. You may have postpartum depression and schizophrenia. The sister you are talking about is your daughter.’“

Someone in the audience gasped.

Zhang Mengnan said, “My story is finished.”

The old man also frowned.
“Oh, this is truly a thought-provoking and terrifying story. Now, let’s score guest number 12’s story.”

The scoring process was the same as for Lin Zhi’s story.
Everyone except Zhang Mengnan had a piece of paper.

Lin Kuo returned the favor and wrote ‘5’.
Lin Zhi was copying his homework, so she also wrote ‘5’.
Jiang Sheng saw these two write ‘5’ and he also wrote ‘5’.

After summing it up, the old man announced, “It seems this story is not scary enough. There are another 9 ‘0’ points. Guest number 12’s final total score is ’15’.”

Zhang Mengnan let out a sigh of relief.
She glanced gratefully at Lin Kuo, but Lin Kuo was not looking at her.
She followed Lin Kuo’s gaze and found that he was looking at the cat.

At this time, the old man looked at the time again and said, “There are still 20 minutes left. Are there any other guests willing to share a story? If you don’t share a story this time, then you can only wait until 10 AM on Wednesday.”

No one moved.

They were not fools.
Telling a story at this time would definitely get a 0.

Anyway, there were already two stories.
The old man didn’t urge them.

He waited until the last 20 minutes were over before he announced the end of Monday’s story session.

As he had said before, the group went to eat a sumptuous lunch.

After lunch, the old man did not appear again.

It wasn’t until dinner that he reappeared in everyone’s sight.
“I have already prepared the rooms for everyone to rest. They are on the second, third, and fourth floors of the villa. The room numbers are posted on the doors. You can just check in according to your own number. Try not to visit each other’s rooms. Then, I’ll say good night to everyone in advance.”

After saying good night, the old man left with his cat.

After eating and drinking her fill, Lin Zhi finally looked at her brother.
Lin Kuo’s expression was a little off.

She asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong?”

Lin Kuo thought for a moment and said, “Let’s go to the second floor and take a look first.”

So the three of them were the first to put down their bowls and chopsticks and go to the second floor.

There were many rooms on the second floor, with different numbers posted on the doors.
Number 1 was at the staircase.

The three of them walked further in and found that the numbers on the second floor were only 1–6.
Then they went to the third floor, where the numbers were 7–12.

Lin Zhi cursed in her country’s language, “Bro, you’re alone on the 4th floor. Damn it.”

Jiang Sheng was also very worried.
“Brother Lin Kuo…”

Lin Kuo himself was also very worried, but he wasn’t worried about himself.
He was worried about Lin Zhi and Jiang Sheng.
He had thought the numbers would correspond, but he didn’t expect them to be two floors apart.

But Lin Kuo was slightly relieved when he looked at the order of the numbers.
Among the six rooms on the second floor, room 1 was at the staircase.
Among the six rooms on the third floor, room 7 was also at the staircase.
It wasn’t a continuous S shape, which meant that room 13 on the fourth floor would also be at the staircase.
This was a blessing in disguise.
He was living on the floor above his sister.

Lin Kuo taught Lin Zhi how to use Walled City Chat, and then the three of them added each other as friends.

Lin Kuo said, “If anything is wrong at night or if you find anything, contact me on Walled City Chat.”

Jiang Sheng nodded.
“I know, Brother Lin Kuo.”

Lin Zhi said, “Then why not make a group chat?”

Lin Kuo: “Is there such a function?”

Lin Zhi: “Yes, isn’t there?”

Lin Kuo: “…Alright.”

So Lin Zhi, the newcomer, actually showed Lin Kuo how to create a group online.
All three of them were in it.

Lin Kuo said, “Then post the situation here.”

Lin Zhi: “Okay, my silly brother.”

Jiang Sheng didn’t dare say that to Lin Kuo.
“Okay.”

Lin Kuo was about to go back to his room.
Before he left, he reminded the two again, “It doesn’t say visiting is forbidden, but you shouldn’t just open your doors casually.”

Lin Zhi: “Then let’s have a secret code. If it’s you guys, just coo coo coo outside. How about that? If I come to find you, I’ll squeak squeak squeak outside the door.”

Jiang Sheng thought for a moment and said, “Why is Sister Zhizhi’s secret code different from ours?”

Lin Zhi said, “You’re not called Lin Zhi.”

Jiang Sheng: “…Oh.”

Lin Kuo said, “After we get out of the instance, I’ll deal with you.”

Lin Zhi: “…”

Watching Lin Kuo go up to the fourth floor alone, Lin Zhi shouted, “Lin Kuo, be safe!”

Lin Kuo: “Mind your own business.”

Lin Kuo reached the fourth floor and pushed open his room.
Because Lin Zhi and Jiang Sheng were here, a terrible feeling always lingered in his heart.

Damn the Main God System’s inhumanity.

He would rather not see Lin Zhi than have her appear in the Walled City.
He was very afraid that if he wasn’t careful, Lin Zhi would…

Late at night, everyone returned to their respective rooms to rest.

Lin Zhi lay on the bed, covering her face with a pillow, and cried secretly under it.
It was so good that her brother was still alive.

The more Lin Zhi thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt.
Lin Kuo had suddenly disappeared.
She had looked for him everywhere and hadn’t even slept well.
When she was too tired to go on, she took a short nap.
In her dream, she became a monster.
When she woke up, a big fire had broken out at home.
Everyone said that her brother had died in the fire to protect her.

Lin Zhi was so sad she couldn’t cry.
But fortunately, she was dragged into this Walled City world and saw Lin Kuo.

Lin Zhi was so worried that this was just a dream.
When she woke up, she wouldn’t see her brother again.

So Lin Zhi sat up with a carp-like leap.
She pinched her face hard.

Pain!

It wasn’t a dream.
It was so good.

Lin Zhi finally let out a sigh of relief.
Perhaps because she had cried so much, Lin Zhi felt like she had cried up a sweat.
She walked to the window, wanting to open it and get some fresh air.

Opening the window, Lin Zhi was almost blown over by the wind that rushed in from outside.

She struggled to hold onto the windowsill to avoid being blown away.
Her hair was blown into a mess.
In the gaps of her hair, Lin Zhi witnessed a strange event.

The rose garden, which had been planted with roses, had countless cracks.
A towering tree rose from the ground, soaring to a height of more than ten meters in a few seconds.

Lin Zhi: “Damn.”

She had just taken out her phone to send a message to Lin Kuo when she saw that there was already a message from him in the group chat.

[Lin Kuo]: Don’t open the window!
[Lin Kuo]: Find a place to hide.
[Lin Kuo]: I’m coming to find you.

Lin Zhi quickly closed the window, then she hid behind the curtains and typed with trembling fingers.

[Lin Zhi]: You discovered it too…
[Lin Kuo]: Mmm.
[Lin Kuo]: Don’t let it see you. Wait for me.

Lin Zhi didn’t dare to tell Lin Kuo that she had already been seen by this tree.
At this moment, a deafening roar came from her ears, accompanied by the sound of branches smashing the window glass and extending into the room.

Crash—!

She slipped under the bed like a fish and held her phone, not daring to breathe.
Because her lowered line of sight from under the bed clearly showed the gnarled branches coming in from outside the window.
Their exterior was grayish-brown, covered in the dust of time.

Lin Zhi recognized this tree.
It was the godfather she had kowtowed to—
The thousand-year-old pagoda tree.