Chapter 279: Midnight, the Horror Descends!
In the world of horror tales, you need to learn how to tell the difference between the main story and side stories.
Even many expert teams and Chosen Ones, who have repeatedly watched Zhang Yangqing’s gameplay recordings, haven’t been able to figure this out.
Only a Chosen One like Gregori, who has carefully studied Zhang Yangqing’s approach multiple times and combined it with his own clearance experiences, can barely keep up with Zhang Yangqing’s way of thinking.
First of all, the Chosen Ones are in a state of blindness, which greatly hampers the judgment of many of them.
They desperately need to gather information, but these distracting pieces of intel lead them away from the main storyline.
It’s not absolutely wrong to search for clues in these “dangerous” rooms, because these rooms actually hide many so-called “side quests.”
Completing these side quests usually earns you some rewards.
Most of these rewards are pretty good—things like enhancement potions, special weapons, abilities, and so on. They genuinely do increase a Chosen One’s chances of survival.
But at the same time, completing these side quests consumes time within the horror tale world, and that causes a lot of things to be missed.
In region-level stages, wasting extra time means inviting more danger.
That painful lesson was learned many times over in the last round.
So why are so many people still misjudging things this time? Because they simply don’t know how to reach the main story.
They think that “free exploration,” as suggested by the villa’s master, is the main story.
They believe that during this free exploration period, finding more clues and working harder is definitely the right move.
This is exactly why so many Chosen Ones exhaust themselves to death but still clear the stage slower than Zhang Yangqing.
Zhang Yangqing has a very reliable way to identify the main story.
Whatever the villa’s master tells the Chosen Ones to do—that’s not the main story.
Because the villa’s master might not even want the Chosen Ones to survive.
Maybe he himself can’t even survive.
What the rules tell the Chosen Ones to do—that is the main story.
Because the rules are the key to the Chosen Ones’ survival.
At this point in the horror tale, the main story boils down to just two words: [Rose] and [Companion] .
To put it in Zhang Yangqing’s words: “The villa’s master tells you to go find treasure, and you actually go look for it?”
“That’s his mission. What does that have to do with us Chosen Ones?”
“We just want to survive. We just want to clear the stage.”
“The rules never told us to help him search, and they never said he’s a good guy either.”
“So why should we help him look?”
“Those Chosen Ones running around searching every room—”
“They’re not doing their own missions. They’re doing the villa master’s mission!”
“Right from the start, their way of thinking got misled by the villa’s master.”
That’s precisely why Zhang Yangqing couldn’t be bothered to rummage through the rooms in the villa.
According to the loli girl, this villa has seven floors and hundreds of rooms.
Give the Chosen Ones ten hours—even with full vision—and they still might not be able to explore every area, let alone when they’re blind.
The horror tale world isn’t purely about luck.
Anyone who understands this won’t waste time checking every single room.
At this stage, anyone who gets it will have a realization:
If the master of the villa actually allowed guests to find clues in the places he told them to explore, then why would he even invite guests in the first place? He could just look for them himself.
To reach any special locations, you definitely need to be there at a specific time, or meet a specific person.
Zhang Yangqing has a very clear understanding of his role. The horror tale gave him the identity of a “blind person,” so he needs to rely on listening and smelling.
If he hears any unusual sounds, or catches any strange scents, that’s basically a sign that there’s intel to be found and that he should investigate.
This is also why viewers see other Chosen Ones constantly bustling about, while Zhang Yangqing always seems so relaxed.
Zhang Yangqing asked the loli girl to lead him around the corridors without entering any rooms. He wanted to mentally map out all this information and piece together a complete picture of the villa.
In one hour, walking one full circle on each of the villa’s seven floors—that’s actually doable.
The audience had been waiting for Zhang Yangqing to extract some intel from the loli girl, but he never asked. He just followed her.
Occasionally, along the way, he’d listen to her introduce the contents of nearby rooms—what treasures were inside, etc. It seemed she visited often.
By around 11:30 PM, many Chosen Ones were starting to panic.
They couldn’t see the time, but they could ask the maids anytime.
Only half an hour left, and they’d only searched four or five rooms.
With hundreds of rooms in this villa, when would they ever finish?
But if they didn’t make it back before midnight, the horror of this world would descend upon them.
Sometimes, it’s better to head back early and prepare.
Still, they were reluctant, because up to this point, they still hadn’t found any information about [Rose] or [Companion].
According to the maids, the villa didn’t have any roses. They didn’t know who had received the Chosen Ones, nor whether the Chosen Ones had any companions.
Just as some Chosen Ones decided to search two more rooms before heading back, a sound of startled birds and beasts came from outside the window.
Then came faint shouting—curses, even.
At this point, any Chosen One with ears would immediately move to the window and listen closely to what was happening downstairs.
“Excuse me, what’s going on down there?”
Kim Jeong-ki, the Chosen One from South Korea, asked the head maid very politely.
He had heard the villa’s master’s voice, and his tone was extremely harsh.
The head maid glanced out the window. A distance away, the villa’s master was berating an old man with a big white beard.
Then the head maid answered: “That’s the old butler. I don’t know what he did wrong, but the master gets furious every time he sees him. He always scolds him.”
That was the answer the maid gave—which could also be considered intel.
The loli girl’s explanation was pretty much the same.
She even described it in detail, painting a picture in Zhang Yangqing’s mind.
“Yeah, that’s him, no doubt. He’s the one who likes roses.”
Thinking this, a smile tugged at the corner of Zhang Yangqing’s mouth.
Since he was quite far away, Zhang Yangqing definitely couldn’t smell anything from here.
But there was a crucial piece of intel from earlier: the first maid had mentioned that the current villa’s master doesn’t like flowers.
And neither the other guests nor the maids carried any floral scent.
So the person who could make the villa’s master so angry must be carrying the smell of flowers on him.
Thus, the one who likes roses is most likely this old butler.
Zhang Yangqing had been wandering around all this time, precisely waiting for this scene to unfold.
Did they expect a blind Chosen One to sniff every single corner of the villa?
That’s also why, as soon as Zhang Yangqing learned that the villa’s master disliked flowers, he knew things would be easier.
If it were other guests who disliked flowers, it would require much more complicated steps to verify.
The villa’s master’s angry tirade at the old butler lasted for a while.
During this time, any Chosen One who heard it basically knew what to do next.
Those Chosen Ones who got sidetracked by side quests and didn’t hear this conversation were pretty much in grave danger.
It all depended on whether they got lucky later and triggered some special dialogue with a maid, or directly ran into the old butler.
But going straight to find the old butler right now could cause big problems.
Because if they just asked someone nearby, they’d know the time was already 11:50 PM.
If they didn’t get back to their rooms in time, the entire area would be plunged into horror.
These ten minutes were only meant for the Chosen Ones to return to their rooms.
Maybe the so-called “horror” wasn’t necessarily some sudden monster. Maybe it was the maid right beside them?
Because everyone here followed certain rules. At the designated time, the maids and other servants would “clean up” anyone still outside their rooms.
But these weren’t things ordinary Chosen Ones needed to worry about. Even if they knew, there was nothing they could do—they just had to follow the rules.
When the Chosen Ones told their guides they wanted to go back to their rooms—
Neither the guiding maids nor the head maid knew where the Chosen Ones’ rooms were, because none of the rooms here were numbered.
This news hit the Chosen Ones like a thunderbolt out of the blue.
There were dozens of rooms on the fourth floor. They only had ten minutes, and they were still a good distance from the staircase leading to the fourth floor.
Without even a moment to panic, the Chosen Ones hurriedly told their guiding maids to take them straight to the fourth floor. Once there, the maids, following their requests, led them to the doorknob of each door.
At this point, the Chosen Ones didn’t care about appearances. They lowered their heads like dogs, frantically sniffing the doorknobs or crouching down to feel the floor.
If they didn’t find the mark they’d left behind, they quickly moved to the next door.
Only when they smelled hand soap on a doorknob, or felt broken glass shards on the carpet in front of a door, did they dare open it and go inside.
The smarter Chosen Ones asked their guides to search along the outer perimeter of the villa, cutting their search time in half.
After all, when they first arrived, many of them had done their best to “mark” their rooms.
Some had also asked their guiding maids for information.
Sometimes, if the Chosen Ones didn’t ask, the guiding maids wouldn’t volunteer anything.
Zhang Yangqing, as if he weren’t blind at all, pulled the loli girl along and strode confidently toward his own room.
He didn’t even need to rely on marks. He knew exactly where his room was—leaving the audience completely dumbfounded.
Audience Comment: It feels like Celestial Master Zhang knows this villa even better than the maids who live here.
Audience Comment: I get the logic, but why is Celestial Master Zhang holding that girl’s hand?
Audience Comment: You don’t get it, do you? That girl definitely knows something—that’s why she was arguing with that old man in the gallery.
Audience Comment: But Celestial Master Zhang had so many chances to ask her questions along the way. Why didn’t he?
Audience Comment: I have no idea. Why don’t you go in there and ask him yourself?
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The more observant viewers had already picked up on parts of Zhang Yangqing’s strategy. After all, his screen was the one with the most consistent viewership.
With so much exposure, viewers could more or less understand some of his tactics.
But while they understood, the loli girl certainly didn’t.
This loli girl had a human body and had been invited as a guest to the villa.
Not only had she been slapped twice on the face, but now this person had shoved her into a room.
And worst of all, he’d locked the door from the outside.
How could she not be terrified?
“Wh-what are you going to do?”
The loli girl shrank back into a corner, her expression filled with helplessness and misery.
“Don’t flatter yourself. I just want to ask you a few questions, and then I need you to do me a small favor. I think you won’t refuse.”
Zhang Yangqing’s words instantly shattered the ambiguous atmosphere in the room.
Even though he said he was “asking” for a favor, his tone was still just as firm.
Hearing that he needed something from her, the loli girl’s arrogance flared up again.
“What’s in it for me?”
“You get to live.”
That was the best “benefit” Zhang Yangqing could offer her.
In other words: if you don’t cooperate, you die.
The smile on the loli girl’s face instantly froze. What an unreasonable bastard!
But what could she do even if she was furious? She was no match for this “blind” man.
To avoid getting slapped again, she decided to first hear what Zhang Yangqing wanted to ask and what he wanted her to do.
And then, at that exact moment—click.
The entire villa was plunged into pitch-black darkness. Every electrical device failed to turn on.
A terrifying darkness enveloped the whole area, even blotting out the sky.
Then the chime of a clock rang out.
Midnight.
At this stage, only two unlucky Chosen Ones hadn’t found their rooms.
They sought help from the maids beside them, unaware that the maids had already undergone a transformation.
Horns began to sprout from the maids’ heads. These horns gradually grew longer and curved into a distinct shape, as if imbued with some sinister power.
Not only that, the maids’ skin started to change, becoming coarse and dark. Their faces twisted, their noses grew sharper and pointed, and a sly grin spread across their lips.
They looked like cold-blooded creatures, devoid of any compassion for life.
“It’s my pleasure to assist you, honored guest.”
The moment those words left her mouth, the two Chosen Ones knew they were doomed.
Because the voice sounded like it came straight from hell—like nails scraping against glass, unbearably grating.
The power outage wasn’t all that frightening to the blind Chosen Ones, since they couldn’t see anyway.
But they felt as if countless pitch-black hands were pulling at them, dragging them down into an abyss.
So the two quickly pulled out their mirrors.
However, in the dead of night, or without any light source, the mirrors were also pitch black, seemingly unable to activate their ability.
Or maybe the mirrors simply didn’t work on these monstrous maids.
Next, the two Chosen Ones were dragged away by the transformed maids.
They clawed desperately at anything nearby, but against absolute strength, grabbing anything was useless.
No matter how much they screamed and begged for help, the other people in the guest rooms remained indifferent.
Soon, the entire villa echoed with piercing screams. The guests in their rooms either smiled or shook their heads.
Muttering to themselves: “Sigh, another one dead.”
In a place that was clearly such a death trap, surprisingly few Chosen Ones died—only two casualties.
To die in such a minor pitfall, you’d either have to be underprepared, slow on the uptake, or just plain unlucky.
The vast majority of Chosen Ones were safely in their rooms. As soon as the chime rang, they immediately began Phase Two.
These are all important details.
Because they couldn’t find any way to tell time, and they didn’t dare bring a maid into their rooms—
They had to figure things out on their own.
Kim Jeong-ki, the South Korean Chosen One, started counting.
Sixty seconds make a minute. Sixty minutes make an hour.
So Kim Jeong-ki had to count past 3,600 to make sure one hour had passed.
He’d probably run into danger during that time.
So he searched the room while counting and feeling around.
Soon he reached the bathroom—the same place where he’d smashed the glass.
Every time he counted 600 (ten minutes), he’d put a small piece of broken glass in his pocket to keep track of time.
Honestly, just thinking of this put him ahead of many other Chosen Ones.
Some of the less sharp ones were even using bite marks or fingernail indentations on their own skin to track time.
But the human body has a certain self-healing rate—it all depends on how ruthless the Chosen One is willing to be.
The main screen showing China’s Chosen One was also completely dark, but he didn’t seem to mind. He started his interrogation.
First, he asked the woman about the villa master’s identity, as well as the identities of all the other guests.
Finally, he added: “I’m going to ask other people too. If you dare lie to me, I can guarantee you won’t survive tonight.”
Make no mistake—that was a straight-up threat.
Zhang Yangqing’s approach varies from person to person.
For the one-eyed kid, Zhang Yangqing couldn’t do this, because they shared the same goal: to eliminate the virus.
The more Zhang Yangqing trusted him, the harder the kid would work in return.
He didn’t know the loli girl’s motives, but they were most likely different from his own.
So intimidation was the way to keep her in line.
Why did Zhang Yangqing choose to interrogate her rather than someone else?
Because the rules mentioned her specifically.
Rule #1 didn’t explicitly state her identity, but it did say she was human.
After interacting with her and seeing that she didn’t have any ill intent, it was an indirect hint that she was someone the Chosen One could approach.
Other people might not be afraid to die, or might have special escape abilities. In the dark, even Zhang Yangqing would have a hard time judging them.
After all, back in the banquet hall, that long-haired older sister was quite creepy—she’d appeared near the Chosen Ones without a sound.
The loli girl’s footsteps were light, but Zhang Yangqing could still hear her.
As a fellow human, how could she not fear death? And she seemed relatively easy to control.
So naturally, she was the one to use.
That’s only one reason why he chose to interrogate her.
Second, experience told Zhang Yangqing that beings from the same faction generally follow similar rules.
Plus, humans wouldn’t carry any viruses or corruption.
If Zhang Yangqing went after someone else, that might not be the case.
The loli girl hadn’t even started lying before she was caught.
So, grinding her teeth in frustration, she began answering Zhang Yangqing’s questions.
The villa master’s father, her own father, and the raspy-voiced middle-aged man’s father were once all famous pirates. Eventually, they were absorbed by the kingdom and became royal privateers, plundering vast amounts of resources at sea.
After retiring, they were granted this land—this very region.
That’s why the villa is filled with treasure.
The raspy-voiced old man and the long-haired older sister’s parents joined later, so their status is lower.
That’s why they have to stand and bow when the villa master rises, while the loli girl and the raspy-voiced middle-aged man don’t have to.
Hearing this, Zhang Yangqing believed most of it.
“What’s your purpose for coming here?”
When Zhang Yangqing continued asking, the loli girl looked puzzled.
“Wait—didn’t you come here to claim the treasure for yourself? If that’s the case, we can actually work together. After I get the treasure, I can pay you an even higher reward.”
Even though Zhang Yangqing was blind, his overwhelming combat prowess made the loli girl’s heart stir.
“Sounds interesting. But first, tell me—what exactly are you looking for.”
“Actually, the treasures themselves aren’t that valuable. The real prize is a key that can open the gates of hell. If we find that key, we can control an army of demons. That’s the secret my father told me.”
This mission wasn’t actually that hard to uncover—you just needed to build enough rapport with the loli girl, and she’d naturally reveal what the treasure was.
Zhang Yangqing skipped all those complicated steps. Two slaps were all it took!
Not only did he avoid having to win her favor, but his display of power actually made her start trying to please him.
Just like that, while other Chosen Ones might take days to learn this information, Zhang Yangqing already knew it.
Who could have guessed that he’d grab a key NPC right at the start, drag her into a room, and threaten her?
This is a strategy that other Chosen Ones wouldn’t even dare to imagine!
