Cold.
The biting cold seeped into my bones like a venomous snake.
And then there's that smell—an overwhelming, pungent smell of rust, the salty, rotting smell of seawater, and the musty smell of rotting wood, all mixed together and assaulting the nostrils.
Jiang Chan suddenly opened her eyes.
Before me was a familiar sight: a low, damp ceiling, seeping water stains and suspicious black mold.
The walls were painted a peeling, dark green.
The air was humid and heavy, making it hard to breathe.
In the corner, a dilapidated, peeling music box was tormenting the song "Für Elise" with a melody so off-key it made your scalp crawl.
"Ding-dong... Click... Ding-ding..."
This damn music felt like it was hitting her head directly.
She looked down and saw the rough, faded black maid's skirt. The rough fabric rubbed against her skin, giving her a cheap yet real sense of presence. Then, she felt the hard object in her right hand.
It was a large bunch of brass keys.
The key was cold and heavy, and the metal edges were a little sharp. She instinctively opened her palm.
In the dim light, the brass keychain reflected a faint, greasy sheen.
The keys came in various sizes, and the teeth marks on them were worn down, indicating that they were used frequently.
Even more glaring were the dark brown, almost black, mottled stains—dried and congealed blood—in the crevices of the key and on the cold metal surface.
It wasn't her blood, it was the blood of her ex, her ex-ex, her ex-ex-ex... countless "NPCs" like her, trapped here, wearing this dress and holding this bunch of keys.
Buzz—!
The moment she saw the key, countless shattered, bloody, and terrifying images, filled with extreme fear and pain, flooded her mind like a burst dam!
Scene 1: A man in a magnificent robe points his finger, and a blinding white light shoots from his fingertip.
She didn't even have time to scream before she watched helplessly as she crumbled and disappeared, starting from her fingers, like a sand sculpture.
Excruciating pain! Utter excruciating pain! The last thing she saw was the man coldly picking up the keychain from her ashes.
Player ID: [Blazing City] Squad Leader.
Scene 2: In the dimly lit storage room, a burly man with a hideous scar on his face and bulging muscles lifts her up by the neck like a chick.
The sound of bones breaking was clearly audible.
Suffocation! Despair! The burly man grinned, revealing his yellowed teeth, admiring her face contorted and convulsing from lack of oxygen. With his other large hand, he roughly pried open her fingers and snatched the key.
Player ID: [Blood Slaughter] Squad Leader.
Scene 3: On the cold ship's side, a woman in a tight leather outfit with eyes like a venomous snake smiles and pushes her to the edge of the railing.
Below was the pitch-black seawater churning with pale, floating corpses.
"Will you jump yourself, or should I help you?" The woman licked her lips, admiring her face contorted with fear.
In the end, she was submerged by the cold, foul-smelling seawater, and countless unrecognizable things tore at her body... The key was easily retrieved by the woman.
Player ID: Member of the [Blood Slaughter] team.
Screen 4:……
die!
Slaughter!
despair!
cycle!
Shot in the head, slit in the throat with a dagger, burned to ashes by magic, pushed into a horde of monsters, strangled to death, drowned... the ways to die are varied, but the only thing they have in common is: pain!
Endless pain! The fear and agony of each death were vividly imprinted deep within her soul!
And what ended her life most of the time was a small squad with a ferocious, blood-dripping butcher's knife embroidered on their chests—[Blood Butcher]!
They are the most ruthless, efficient, and enjoyable player group on this ghost ship, especially for torturing and killing NPCs.
This damned key is the source of our demise! Players need it to unlock the door to deeper depths or the final treasure!
The endless cycle of reincarnation, like a heavy millstone, almost crushed her will.
Numbness, fear, and the overwhelming hatred buried deep within the cycle of reincarnation, as hot as volcanic lava, intertwined and surged in her eyes.
Along with this comes clearer information about the instance: the ghost ship "Styx", the never-dispersing fog, wandering undead sailors, drowned water ghosts, wailing vengeful spirits... This is the player's hunting ground and the NPC's hell.
At the same time, a strange, cold, and grand "perspective" unfolded in her consciousness.
She seemed to "see" inside the decaying giant ship, where invisible, faintly glowing "threads" crisscrossed the ship's structure and space.
These "threads" represent the underlying rules of the instance: the monster spawn mechanism, the determination of safe zones, the trigger conditions for quests... Although they are vague, they do exist!
Rules-based perspective!
This is her only weapon to break the cycle of reincarnation!
Just then, clear footsteps echoed from the corridor not far from the lounge door! There was also a man's low, blood-stained voice conversing.
"...Captain, the system has notified us that the key is on this floor."
"Hmm, the 'freshness period' is almost over, let's hurry. Same target as before, 'cleaning maid', the spawn point is in the nearby lounge."
"Hehe, the last one felt nice to squeeze, but it didn't last long and broke after a few tries."
"Stop talking nonsense! Grab the keys and get to the cargo hold! Don't delay the important business!"
Bloodbath!
It was the voice of the [Blood Slaughter] squad! They're here! Right outside! They're treading that familiar path from her memory, the path that led to her countless deaths!
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