Upon hearing these words, an inexplicable sense of fear instantly exploded in Ji He's heart. Her face turned deathly pale, and she froze on the spot.

Just as she guessed, no player was like Ji He, aiming for achievement goals.

But after Jiang Shihe said that, Ji He's cleverness seemed to become a joke, because he had been waiting all along.

Waiting, she... comes to kill him.

Thinking of this, Ji He subconsciously looked at the floating global horror panel, only to discover in horror that the option to submit the mission was completely blacked out. How was she supposed to leave now?!

Just then, as Ji He stared wide-eyed in utter terror, the man who had just been killed reappeared.

The tall Jiang Shihe was sitting by the window that had been covered with yellow talismans. He had been there for who knows how long, as if everything Ji He had arranged had no effect on him.

His form was ethereal, like a ghostly wisp of smoke. To be honest, compared to his previous appearance, Jiang Shihe even seemed weaker. His handsome, sculpted face was bloodless and somewhat pale.

Despite this, Ji He dared not underestimate Jiang Shihe in the slightest, because Jiang Shihe's aura was powerful and extremely oppressive, as if the whole world was in the palm of his hand.

He truly is someone who can turn the world upside down and make it rain, as if he stands at the center of the world, with the world revolving around him and everyone surrounding him.

Ji He couldn't help but take a half step back: "Why...why is this happening? Didn't I kill you?!"

“Yes, you did kill me, Ms. Ji He. I am very grateful to you for that. I have been waiting for a player like you for a very long time.”

Jiang Shihe seemed to be in a very good mood, even though he had become a ghost and his body was no longer solid, but more like a phantom of green smoke, as if it would dissipate with a gust of wind.

But he seemed to have broken free from the constraints of his body, his tall figure suspended in the air, and on his exposed skin, one could see swirling black mist, as if snakes were intimately coiling around him.

Not only that, but you can even see some black tattoos—or they are not tattoos, but eerie symbols representing the power of vengeful ghosts.

Even though Jiang Shihe was in a very good mood and had a faint smile on his lips, the oppressive aura around him did not lessen in the slightest. He was suspended in mid-air, looking down at Ji He, his voice slightly hoarse.

"You have succeeded in killing me, Ms. Ji He, but it's a pity..."

At this point, Jiang Shihe's voice paused, growing softer and softer, as if it were echoing eerily in Ji He's ear, like the mournful lament of a vengeful ghost.

Fear surged through her like a tidal wave, and Ji He instinctively covered her ears, trying to block out the sound. But Jiang Shihe's cold mockery grew increasingly distorted, like a leech clinging to her.

Ji He shouted loudly, "Get out of here! Get out of here! Ahhh—"

This complete collapse, all the painstaking planning, took an unexpected and dramatic turn at this moment, turning everything she wanted to achieve into nothing.

The immense blow and sense of defeat, mixed with the fear of death and the unknown, became the reason for Ji He's complete breakdown. She covered her ears and subconsciously lowered her head to run away.

But—just as Ji He screamed and desperately tried to escape, she was blocked by a sudden burst of flames as she ran out, and she was thrown backward.

Ji He opened her eyes and saw that the archives in front of her were enveloped in black flames formed from dark mist. Perhaps it wasn't just the archives, but the entire capital city and the entire dungeon were trembling under this power.

As Ji He watched helplessly as this instance, clearly under the control of the global horror, was also swallowed up by this black power, she was completely dumbfounded—what kind of existence was this?

She stood there, stunned, staring at the chaotic scene before her: "Who...who are you...?"

"Let's get to know each other again."

Just then, Jiang Shihe's voice came again, and Ji He subconsciously looked over.

Amidst layers of black mist and black flames, the man's figure was indistinct, yet he seemed like a creator who controlled the entire world, looking down upon his own world.

He chuckled: "I am the final boss you think I am, Ms. Ji He, or rather, I should call you... the player ranked fifteenth on the leaderboard."

It wasn't until Jiang Shihe uttered the word "player" again that Ji He finally reacted. She looked up at Jiang Shihe in horror: "How did you know!"

This shouldn't be happening!

In the Global Horror instance, NPCs will automatically block anything related to Global Horror, even if players discuss it right in front of them, it will not affect this setting.

This issue has been discussed among all players of the game Global Thriller, who believe that all NPCs are essentially AI-like entities, just data.

But now—Jiang Shihe is the first NPC Ji He has ever met who recognizes a player's identity.

Could it be... that his existence has transcended the dimension of a copy?!

The thought of this possibility made Ji He lose all thoughts of fighting against Jiang Shihe. She instinctively wanted to run away, but the next moment, Jiang Shihe suddenly appeared in front of her.

There was no reaction whatsoever, as if he were always meant to be there. Jiang Shihe looked down at her and asked, "Are you surprised?"

"No, don't be surprised. I know everything about your mission."

"'Clearance objectives: 1. Protect Jiang Shihe until the end of the instance; 2. Find the murderer who killed Jiang Shihe and kill the murderer; 3. The player survives under the supernatural power,' is this it?"

It's hard to say what Ji He is feeling right now. She's been a veteran player for so long, and she never expected that an NPC would be able to repeat her goal for clearing the game to her in such detail.

But that's not all. Jiang Shihe changed the subject: "Your goal is different, because what you need to do is complete the mission, which is to find the serial killer."

Yes, my goal is—

At that moment, Ji He's voice stopped abruptly, and she suddenly realized what was happening, her face drained of all color.

Jiang Shihe continued, "Have you realized it yet? The goal has always been to find me, the murderer, not to kill me. From the very beginning, you've fallen into my trap."

"I've been waiting for a player like you for a very, very long time. So many players have come and gone, and countless others have died, but only you have met my requirements."

"Ms. Ji He, the player who dared to kill me without caring about the level completion objective, thank you very much. In all these years, you are the only one who has had the courage to kill me. Otherwise..."

Jiang Shihe paused, his dark eyes involuntarily falling in one direction, as if he could see that familiar figure in the darkness.

He chuckled and said, "If it weren't for this, under a mission like Global Thrillers, I don't know how long it would have taken me to break free from its control."

"Now, I can reintroduce you to what you thought was a copy."

"Welcome to the capital city. This is a world I created exclusively for her, a world that belongs only to her."

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