Chapter 283: As the saying goes, love me, love my dog; but hate me, hate my dog too!
Thump! Thump!
The ten o’clock chimes had already passed.
It was getting close to noon, and before that tedious and lengthy lunch began, Zhang Yangqing set his plan in motion.
He first called the loli girl into the room to talk.
Before he even reached the room, her nagging voice was already ringing in his ears.
“What’s the matter? Can’t we talk about it outside?”
“I’m looking for something, you know! There are lots of goodies in here!”
“Do you know what I’m holding in my hand? It’s a treasure map! They say the treasure on it has never been found to this day.”
“Walk slower, will you? How is it that you, a blind man, walk faster than I do?”
If Zhang Yangqing didn’t still need her help later, he would have used those big, thick things to shut her mouth.
The loli girl quickened her pace just to keep up with Zhang Yangqing.
This is where the disadvantage of short legs comes in—for every two steps Zhang Yangqing took, she had to take three or more.
Once they reached the room, Zhang Yangqing closed the door.
Before the drama queen loli could even start her usual performance, Zhang Yangqing cut straight to the chase: “Which guest rubs you the wrong way? I can kill him for you.”
This one sentence revealed Zhang Yangqing’s cunning approach.
He needed to complete his mission, but if he came out and said it directly, it would mean the loli girl was doing him a favor. As partners, he’d owe her one.
But by putting it this way, he was the one helping her get rid of a thorn in her side, which would naturally boost her favorability toward him.
Hearing this, the loli girl perked up with interest.
She wasn’t stupid either—she was curious to see just how capable her partner really was.
So she said, “That old geezer is absolutely detestable. Can you take him on?”
The loli girl seemed to harbor a genuine disgust for the old man, almost a hostile stance.
This was exactly the outcome Zhang Yangqing had anticipated, since it could actually be inferred from the rules.
It’s just that the other Chosen Ones lacked the analytical ability to connect the dots.
[Rule 12: Please be aware that if you show friendliness toward one guest, the other guests will develop a strong aversion to you.]
Wasn’t it written right there in this rule? No matter which one you cozy up to, the others will turn against you.
Doesn’t that mean all four of them hold grudges against each other?
As the saying goes, love me, love my dog—but hate me, hate my dog too!
Zhang Yangqing replied casually, “Tonight, either he dies, or I live.”
Hearing such an arrogant tone from Zhang Yangqing, the loli girl was stunned for a moment, almost unable to process it.
Whoa there! So you’re basically saying you won’t lose, huh?
You haven’t even thrown a punch yet, and you’re already this confident?
The loli girl was about to tease him a bit.
But then she caught sight of Zhang Yangqing’s slightly raised hand, and her expression shifted. She decided to drop it.
The two of them began to discuss how to deal with that gravelly-voiced old man.
At this point, Zhang Yangqing kept one card close to his chest. In truth, he was planning to kill the old man outright. However, the old man had mentioned he was researching something and might have discovered something important.
So it was better to wait until after gathering more intel at noon and in the evening before making his move.
Considering that other ordinary Chosen Ones wouldn’t be ready to eliminate a guest this quickly, rushing ahead might cause him to miss something crucial.
“How should I coordinate with you tonight?” The loli girl didn’t seem particularly afraid of the gravelly-voiced old man either; in fact, there was even a hint of bloodthirsty excitement in her voice.
Anyone who could survive in this horror game world was definitely no simple woman.
“Just tell me which room he’s in.” Zhang Yangqing seemed utterly unbothered, as if squashing an ant were nothing worth getting excited over.
Since he couldn’t call the old man over, the best option was to go straight to his room and kill him there.
The plan was to strike after dinner, when it would be dark and easier to handle any aftermath.
As for whether it would be discovered tomorrow, Zhang Yangqing wasn’t worried.
After all, he figured this place had probably seen quite a few deaths already.
The task of tailing the gravelly-voiced old man naturally fell to the loli girl. Zhang Yangqing had more important things to do.
Namely, finding the head chef and seeing what troubles he had.
There were plenty of maids in the villa, and Zhang Yangqing ran into one while wandering around.
He asked her to take him to the kitchen; he needed to see the head chef.
This time, he didn’t bring his guide dog, leaving it to guard the room instead.
Other Chosen Ones, even if they went to the kitchen, would keep their guide dogs nearby, ready to be called at a moment’s notice.
For them, the guide dog was their only companion.
Some Chosen Ones even spent a good deal of time trying to win over their guide dogs, boosting their favorability.
Experience had taught them that some NPCs, if their favorability was high enough, would even risk their lives to rescue them.
So in cases like this, farming favorability with a same-faction NPC definitely had huge benefits.
Along the way, Zhang Yangqing was contemplating how to find the treasure and escape.
[Rule 13: Those who cannot leave the villa’s grounds also do not wish for you to be able to leave.]
There was still no concrete intel on this, but Zhang Yangqing’s guess was that before meeting the conditions for leaving, you must never attempt to leave the villa’s area.
If those who were trapped there discovered you trying, you would definitely be attacked.
Otherwise, why would Rule 9 remind Chosen Ones to start a fire?
Could it be that if the villa caught fire, certain individuals would die?
Or perhaps—lure those individuals into the flames, and the fire would trap them?
All of this remained unknown, but once he found the right intel, the pieces would probably fall into place.
The fact that Zhang Yangqing could already consider this put him way ahead of the other Chosen Ones.
“With that in mind, I might have a hunch about the head chef’s troubles.”
When Zhang Yangqing arrived at the kitchen, the other Chosen Ones were still busy pandering to the guests and doing their assigned tasks.
They had to be careful not to be spotted by other guests, or they’d incur their resentment.
With these rules being so complicated, and the Chosen Ones being blind on top of that, it would take them a few days just to go through all these tedious steps.
Today alone, just by interacting with guests and reading books, they’d have their hands full.
They probably wouldn’t get to the head chef until tomorrow or the day after.
The earliest would be tonight, after the dinner banquet.
But Zhang Yangqing had already made it to the kitchen by eleven in the morning.
As soon as he walked in, he heard sounds of sighing and groaning.
With the maid’s introduction, Zhang Yangqing was led to the head chef.
The head chef assumed he wanted something to eat and asked first, “Sir, do you have any meal requests?”
Zhang Yangqing politely declined: “No, nothing really—I’m just here to look around. But I couldn’t help overhearing you sighing just now. Is something troubling you?”
Hearing this, the head chef seemed to perk up.
“Could we speak privately?”
Given the number of people around, it seemed he had a secret to share.
This was likely a triggered quest, so Zhang Yangqing followed him.
Once they reached a garden outside the villa, the head chef opened up about his troubles.
It turned out that a month ago, he had planned to resign and leave, but the villa’s owner had strongly urged him to stay. Moreover, strange creatures and thick fog had appeared outside the villa, making it impossible for him to get out.
“Since you came from the outside, you must have a way out, right?”
Right here was the first trap.
If a Chosen One said “I don’t know” at this point, they’d essentially lose the head chef’s help.
Because the head chef really wanted to get out, and seemed quite desperate.
He must have uncovered some of the villa’s secrets.
Zhang Yangqing calmly replied, “Of course. But first, you need to help me with a few things, and then I’ll take you out with me.”
Hearing that escape was possible, the head chef’s spirits lifted.
But this was where finesse came in. Judging by his tone, the head chef wanted to leave, but it wasn’t an absolute necessity.
The rule only said he was facing troubles, not life-threatening danger.
So if a Chosen One asked him to do something that put his life at risk, there was a high chance he’d sell them out.
At this point, many Chosen Ones would say something similar to what Zhang Yangqing said.
Zhang Yangqing explained that he was here to help the villa’s owner find the treasure, which the head chef already knew.
He went on to say that he seemed to have discovered something—something that required burning to reveal its true form.
He asked the head chef to prepare some oil and fire-starting equipment, like a lighter or matches.
Finally, Zhang Yangqing emphasized, “As soon as I find the treasure, I’ll be able to leave, and I’ll take you with me.”
The head chef was overflowing with gratitude.
And this request was, for him, a piece of cake.
Just like that, Zhang Yangqing got his hands on the fire-starting gear and materials—a bucket of oil and a lighter.
As Zhang Yangqing was about to leave, the head chef earnestly reminded him to come find him if he ran into any trouble, since he’d lived there for a while and knew the place well.
He would be equally warm to other Chosen Ones when they left.
He even subtly hinted that it would be best to take the treasure and leave—never give it to the villa’s owner.
He seemed like a genuinely kind and helpful NPC.
Zhang Yangqing, of course, readily agreed, telling him to wait for good news.
He couldn’t exactly carry the stuff around all day, so he brought it back to his room and put it away.
Next, he needed to figure out where to start the fire.
Where would it spread faster and more effectively? That was the next thing to figure out.
The audience was already speculating whether Zhang Yangqing would add another person to his team.
After all, given his playstyle, the more, the merrier.
As for whether Zhang Yangqing would actually take the head chef along—did he even need to ask?
Of course not. Absolutely no way.
The rules had already reminded Chosen Ones that the head chef could be used, but not trusted.
[Rule 15: The head chef has been feeling troubled lately. You can try talking to him, but he doesn’t like dogs.]
Think about it—he doesn’t like dogs. Between a loyal guide dog and a mysterious head chef, which one would the Chosen Ones choose?
It’s a no-brainer. Not just Zhang Yangqing—any other Chosen One would pick the guide dog without hesitation.
That’s the beauty of the rules. They drop hints, but it’s up to the Chosen Ones to analyze them.
Plus, the head chef’s final piece of advice—don’t let the villa’s owner know you’ve found the treasure—sounds like concern, but it could just as easily mean he has his eyes on the treasure too.
After all, the rules clearly stated that the only one you could trust was your guide dog.
Any Chosen One who failed to analyze this would fall into the second trap—one dangerously close to death.
And that wasn’t all. There was a third trap too, a particularly vicious one.
This was the same trap Zhang Yangqing had spotted earlier.
Rule 13 mentioned that those who couldn’t leave the villa’s grounds also didn’t want you to leave.
Once a fire broke out in the villa, the head chef would surely guess the Chosen One was behind it.
Since he couldn’t leave, and the Chosen One hadn’t taken him along, he’d find a way to track them down and stop them.
So to avoid the third trap, before setting the fire, the Chosen One could pretend to have found a way out and lure the head chef out to eliminate him.
That way, no one would know the Chosen One was planning to escape.
When it came down to it, a Transcendent’s advantage was still huge; ordinary Chosen Ones would have to rely heavily on intel.
After all, you couldn’t just plop your guide dog in front of the head chef to gauge his combat strength.
There were actually two special NPCs in this scenario—besides the substitute maid, there was also the old butler.
Maybe spending a little more time with them would yield some gains.
The old butler had been at the villa since its previous owner, so he definitely knew something.
The substitute maid might seem useless at first glance, but the Chosen Ones shouldn’t forget—she could amplify corruption.
In other words, she had items that could inflict contamination on people.
And that was something the Chosen Ones could potentially exploit.
Getting out of this place wasn’t going to be easy. One wrong judgment at any step, and you’d die on the spot.
Not long after, the twelve o’clock chime rang out on time, and the guests made their way to the dining hall.
The morning’s exploration hadn’t yielded much for anyone.
In the afternoon, while other Chosen Ones were still busy grinding guest favorability, Zhang Yangqing was already making his way to the old butler’s quarters, familiar with the route.
The old butler still had that gentlemanly air about him.
Zhang Yangqing first inquired about the whereabouts of the purple-clad substitute maid from yesterday.
The answer was that she usually showed up around eight in the evening, working the night shift, so there was no finding her during the day—not even the old butler knew where to look.
When Zhang Yangqing asked about the previous owner’s treasure, the answers he got were pretty much the same as what he’d heard at the dinner table.
And those answers were more or less the same as what the villa’s current owner had said.
From this, he could conclude that the old butler probably didn’t have any direct clues about the treasure.
Zhang Yangqing casually asked, “Is there anything in the villa that could enhance a guide dog’s physical abilities?”
After thinking it over carefully, the old butler replied, “I recall the old master once collected the heart of a ferocious beast. It used to be kept in that room with the deer head. If it’s not there anymore, I wouldn’t know.”
The old butler had no reason to lie, since he hadn’t been inside the villa proper in a long time.
If other Chosen Ones got this far, they’d go ask the maids for information and then find a way to power up their guide dogs.
Zhang Yangqing didn’t need to go through all that trouble, because there was one person who should know—and even if he didn’t, he could get the information quickly.
That person was none other than the villa’s owner himself.
After all, the owner had said he wasn’t interested in anything except the treasure.
And based on his behavior over the past couple of days, that seemed to hold true.
Zhang Yangqing could even use this opportunity to dig deeper into the villa owner’s true identity!
Because there was one rule that kept nagging at him.
[Rule 14: A true maid will obey the villa owner’s commands, no matter what they are.]
Other Chosen Ones used this rule to distinguish real maids from fake ones.
But Zhang Yangqing figured you could reverse the logic and come up with a third conclusion:
What if I find a real maid, and she disobeys the villa owner’s orders—doesn’t that mean the villa owner isn’t really the master here?
