Chapter 200 [(*^▽^*)]
Several players left the Lin residence intending to go back to rest and sleep, but upon reaching the door and seeing that it was pitch black outside, they immediately started swearing.
"Really? It's so dark! I could see some stars a moment ago, but they're gone now. They're probably blocked by clouds."
"What should we do? How are we going to get across in this pitch black?"
Fortunately, the servants who had escorted them out came over with lanterns and offered to take them back, which the players all agreed to.
It would be better if someone could deliver it, as it would reduce the chances of encountering a vengeful ghost, since there are many of them.
Lin Leyou floated in the air and looked down. Several small lanterns, flickering on and off, floated on the road. There were many players around, as if a few small lights were floating out of the Lin residence.
The more he looked, the more uneasy he felt, as if something was about to happen, but this sense of crisis wasn't his own, but someone else's.
If that's the case, then it has nothing to do with me.
Lin Leyou was quite happy to see players get killed, and it would be even better if he could do the killing himself, since there was a certain probability of loot dropping.
Of course, it would be even better if the player dropped items before dying, such as the thousand-year peach tree branch contributed by Xue Qiang.
A few players remain inside the Lin Mansion, unwilling to give up. They want to find the vengeful ghost before the others, kill it, and obtain the best reward for completing the level.
Lin Leyou suddenly saw a black mist flash by in a corner of the Lin residence. It was truly fleeting; if he hadn't been sure he wasn't mistaken, he might have thought he was hallucinating.
He stared at the Lin residence, watching everything that was happening there. Soon he noticed that the player who had been around the corner just moments before had vanished in the blink of an eye.
When he finally saw the other person, all he saw was a dried-up corpse lying on the spot.
The same thing happened to the servants of the Lin family. These servants carried lanterns and patrolled around the mansion to prevent any accidents.
Little did they know, this unexpected event was beyond their ability to detect.
Lin Leyou watched helplessly as twenty people died in the Lin family overnight, including eight players who had not gone back to rest beforehand.
Xue Rui and his group got up at dawn, preparing to go to the Lin residence later, but they did not expect that the people from the Lin residence would arrive early.
"Distinguished guests, something has happened at the manor!"
Xue Rui and the others exchanged a serious glance. "What happened? Never mind, let's talk as we walk."
As they ran towards the Lin residence, they listened to the servants chattering amongst themselves.
They soon learned what had happened at the Lin residence. After they left the previous night, the eight remaining players and twelve servants of the Lin residence had all turned into mummies.
Moreover, no one noticed it at night; it was only discovered at dawn, and no one knows what happened to the body.
Upon arriving at the Lin residence, Xue Rui and the other players who followed them all saw the mummies—a total of twenty mummies. Eight of them were dressed in modern clothes, while the rest were in ancient costumes.
Only Lin Zhoushan stood near the servants, looking at the mummified corpses with an extremely gloomy expression, as if water could drip from his face. Zhao Anxue and Lin Yangxu were nowhere to be seen.
I guess they were scared by the mummified corpse and went back to their room.
Lin Zhoushan's expression softened slightly upon seeing them arrive. "Distinguished guests, regarding this matter..."
Xue Rui said, "Master Lin, the people and land cannot be brought back to life, so please don't be too sad. The important matter is still at hand."
Lin Zhoushan certainly couldn't be saddened by the deaths of some servants, but he did want to talk about serious matters. "Then please come in with me."
Now there are only nine players left in total. Lin Zhoushan knows that whether the Lin family can survive depends on these guests who suddenly appeared in Lin Family Village.
The meeting room was quickly filled with people.
Lin Zhoushan sighed, "As you all have probably seen, this venerable ghost has already attacked the servants of my Lin family, and this time it has killed twelve people in a row."
"I'm afraid it won't be long before not a single member of my Lin family will be left alive."
Xue Rui didn't believe it. There were soul-suppressing nails on Gu Wenya's coffin and a golden short sword stuck in the corpse. This showed that Lin Zhoushan and the others must have something to ward off evil spirits.
It would be extremely difficult for a vengeful ghost to directly threaten their lives.
Especially Lin Leyou, he couldn't take the initiative to attack the target, he could only use roundabout and indirect methods to scare them, hoping that they would die accidentally when they were frightened.
Xue Rui said, "Master Lin, it's not that we don't want to help you, it's just that until now, none of you have told the truth, or rather, you haven't told us the whole story."
"If we don't understand the cause and effect, we won't be able to sort out this matter, nor will we be able to find the right solution to deal with the vengeful ghost."
That's what everyone thinks too. To clear a dungeon, you definitely need to understand the storyline first. How could a ghostly boss appear out of nowhere?
Of course, the boss will only appear after the storyline is completed. How could they have forgotten that before?
However, it's not too late now. They can see that the eight players who died were just there to make up the numbers. Their strength is negligible, and they probably didn't even have the 500 points deducted for failing to complete the level.
I may never see them again.
Seeing that Lin Zhoushan looked hesitant, Xue Rui said, "Master Lin, why don't you reconsider?"
Anyway, they weren't the ones in a hurry, since the vengeful ghost wasn't mainly targeting the players; it was mainly targeting the people of the Lin family.
Lin Zhoushan clearly understood this principle, but could he really reveal the whole story? If he did, there would be no future, and the Lin family would be completely wiped out.
After all, he had tacitly approved of what had happened back then... even though he hadn't done it himself.
Lin Leyou looked at Lin Zhoushan's expression from outside the door and could tell at a glance that he was planning to speak, but not to tell the truth.
"Actually, this matter was indeed my dereliction of duty."
Xue Rui said, "Mr. Lin, please speak freely. We will analyze the matter ourselves to find out what really happened."
Lin Zhoushan sighed, "This is my current wife. We knew each other first, but later my family arranged another woman for me."
“At the time, I was just a young man and had no way to go against my parents, so I agreed.”
"What happened next was actually quite easy to guess. My current wife gave birth to my child early on, and seeing that the child my previous wife had was sickly, she was eager to enter my Lin family. So she secretly bribed the servants of the Lin family to poison her."
"He finally succumbed to the poisoning two years ago."
Lin Leyou felt that things were not so simple. If he had died from the poison, it was impossible for him to have such great resentment that he would turn into a vengeful ghost and come back.
Even the coffin side needed nails and a short sword to suppress it, which clearly indicated that there was overwhelming resentment.
Xue Rui, "Really?"
Lin Zhoushan nodded. "You probably all know what happened next. My current wife kept insisting on moving into the Lin family mansion. I thought the children were already so big, so I just brought them back with me."
"I only found out about the poisoning a while ago, but... in the end, I was a coward. I couldn't face Wenya, who bore my children."
“I can understand that she came to seek revenge on me, but…”
Lin Zhoushan choked up as he spoke, "At that time... the deceased was already gone, and there was nothing that could be done. After this matter is over, I will take my wife to turn myself in. I would like to ask you, my esteemed guests..."
Xue Rui said, "Don't worry, Master Lin. We will do our best to deal with the matter of the vengeful ghost. Please ask that the people in the manor not go out at night during this period."
Lin Zhoushan quickly nodded, "No problem!"
Xue Rui has finished asking his questions, but he and his group aren't the only ones here. There are other players here, and they're not with Xue Rui.
Zhang Jian asked, "May I ask, Mr. Lin, did your wife and son encounter any ghosts last night?"
Lin Zhoushan shook his head. "No."
Zhang Jian: "So, did your wife really do what you said she did?"
Lin Zhoushan nodded, "That's indeed the case."
Zhang Jian: "I see... Then... can we go and take a look at your ex-wife's grave? Can we dig it up and take a look?"
Lin Zhoushan suddenly stood up, "No way!"
Everyone was startled by him, but they quickly realized that he was just feeling guilty.
Lin Zhoushan realized that what he had just said was a bit suspicious, so he sat down again, saying, "It's not that I'm unwilling, it's just that I feel there's no need for it."
“After all, it happened several years ago. My wife has been gone for so many years, and I don’t want anyone to bother her anymore.”
Zhang Jian persisted, "Why is Master Lin unwilling? Is there something we can't know?"
Xue Rui, who had already dug up the grave, remained silent.
Zhou Feng, Fang Hong, and Ding Baishuang, who knew that Xue Rui had dug up the grave, also remained silent; they would not say anything.
Lin Zhoushan sighed, "That's my Lin family's ancestral grave. It's not something you can just dig up like that. I hope you understand, esteemed guest, that's absolutely unacceptable."
It was only then that everyone realized that the grave was not only Gu Wenya's grave, but also the ancestral grave of the Lin Zhoushan family.
You really can't just dig up someone's ancestral graves. If you're superstitious to the extreme, it could lead to war!
So... they might have no choice but to dig it up secretly.
That's right, asking players to give up digging up graves and searching for clues? Impossible. They'll only rise to the challenge and dig where they have to.
Zhang Jian looked somewhat regretful. "Oh, I see. Well then, you're right. After all, it's our ancestral grave. If anyone digs up my family's ancestral grave, I'll be furious too."
Lin Zhoushan nodded, "Yes, it's good that our esteemed guest understands. This is indeed something we cannot agree to."
Since things weren't going well with Lin Zhoushan, there was no need for them to continue communicating. A few more players asked some questions, which Lin Zhoushan answered one by one before leaving.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
