They Are Very Hospitable
“My… little lamb…”
The cold wedding bed was covered in brilliant red, and the soft bedding slightly sank under the weight of one person. Chen Li trembled all over, fear creeping up his heart like suffocation, inch by inch.
The faint murmurs passing by his ear sent a shiver through his skin.
Golden beads, indigo silk, translucent crystals, and countless jewels were scattered across the floor, as if someone had casually tossed these priceless treasures to please their beloved. It resembled a naturally ferocious dragon clumsily trying to win over a princess in its nest.
But Chen Li had no mind to appreciate these carefully prepared treasures.
His delicate, pale fingers nervously fiddled with the wedding robe, the bright red fabric accentuating the whiteness of his hand. The joints of his fingers slightly reddened, and such hands naturally stirred fantasies. From his neck, which he raised in fear, his small Adam’s apple moved gently, as if he were offering himself in sacrifice.
The man’s steady breathing drew closer.
His long, curled eyelashes trembled anxiously.
The next moment, Chen Li opened his eyes.
The familiar white ceiling brought a sense of reassurance.
Another one of these dreams…
He pursed his lips and sat up, a slight displeasure in his heart.
Since he turned sixteen, he had often dreamed this way, and recently, the frequency had been increasing, from once a month to twice a week.
He was easily frightened, especially by ghosts and similar things, but after experiencing this dream so many times, he had gotten somewhat used to it—at least he no longer felt as if his soul was lost all day.
Chen Li, with his delicate little face, went to wash up. His temper was like a cat’s—swift to flare up, but fading just as quickly. By the time he left the room, he had already regained his composure.
Breakfast was the same old sandwich and milk. Chen Li drank the milk slowly while checking messages.
The most prominent messages popped up at the top.
[Client: I saw your image. This darkness feels too plain.]
[Teacher: I’m sorry, you didn’t make it into the competition. Your skills are definitely among the best, but there’s a lack of spirit. Maybe you’re not suited for this path…]
[Gu Fu: Li Zi, are you free?]
Chen Li blinked. He liked to focus on one thing at a time because his intense concentration made it hard to multitask. He replied to the messages one by one.
This somewhat flawed personality made others think of him as a fool, but since he was good-looking, they upgraded him to a “foolish beauty.”
After finishing his conversation with the talkative and poor client, he replied to his teacher, feeling a tinge of regret, but still typing out optimistic words in the chat.
Lack of spirit.
That was the most frequent criticism he’d heard since he changed his artistic style at sixteen, and because of this, he had become like ‘Shang Zhongyong’1, still making a living by drawing illustrations for small companies.
Who told him that, despite his fears, he had to stick to creating horror art?
Chen Li composed himself and opened his friend’s chat.
[Ding dong]
A cheerful bell sound suddenly rang in his mind, accompanied by a childlike voice singing an unfamiliar nursery rhyme, sounding like a badly out-of-tune jingle.
[Ding ding dong, ding ding dong, the blood-red elk carries a little person, ding ding dong, the little person sings a song…]
[That little person is me!!!]
The voice in his mind became increasingly unruly, and the adorable, childish sound made it roar with strength.
Chen Li continued holding his phone, not out of calmness, but because he was stunned in fear.
His courage was almost as small as that of those easily stressed little animals.
When the voice suddenly appeared in his mind, there was no curiosity or surprise, only pure fear and resistance.
System 001: [Congratulations, brave sir—oh no, young man—you’ve been chosen as this round’s lucky guest.]
[Now, let’s sign a magical agreement for the young man—oh no, a contract.]
The deliberately rising tone had a hint of affectation.
What kind of new prank was this? Or was it a dream?
Chen Li didn’t hesitate to pinch himself, and the delicate skin immediately turned red.
System 001, somewhat dissatisfied: [Tsk, you don’t believe me?]
It snapped its nonexistent fingers.
In an instant, the scene changed. Chen Li didn’t even have time to process what was happening before he found himself in an all-white space.
A task panel appeared before him:
[Welcome to the Horror Game. Do you accept the task of playing an NPC?]
[Options: Accept / Absolutely Accept]
Chen Li: “…”
What was worse was that his hand, completely out of his control, clicked on the second option.
In an instant, fireworks burst forth before his eyes.
System 001, forcing the issue: [Start working immediately!]
“No…”
As his rejection was caught halfway, he was suddenly transported to a completely unfamiliar place.
What he didn’t know was that after he left the white space, countless evil ghosts slowly appeared, frantically fighting for the tiny spot where he had just stood.
They were fighting over the faint trace of his presence, bloodied and crazed, the evil ghosts murmuring in madness.
“I like it! I like it!! I like it!!!”
. . . . .
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting fragmented light on the ground. When the branches swayed, the light on the ground moved along, and the flowers and plants underfoot were flourishing, their vibrant colors representing a natural beauty rarely seen.
But the person suddenly teleported here had no interest in appreciating it.
A girl screamed, “Where is this place!?”
“You—who are you all?”
“Shut up, newbie, you’re so noisy.”
Just as the verbal conflict was about to escalate into physical violence, an older player with a familiar face stepped forward to mediate and explain.
The noisy voices made Chen Li, who had been standing far from the crowd, instinctively step back another two paces.
Normally, people would have a tendency to blend in when entering an unfamiliar environment, but because of his slightly introverted nature, his first reaction upon seeing others was not to move closer, but to hide.
From the other side, the sound of a popular science explanation could be heard.
System 001: [Let’s have a pre-job training session.]
Chen Li asked softly in his heart: [Why me?]
He would often read novels when bored at home, and he unexpectedly accepted his current situation quite well. It felt like being an innocent sheep—pushed onto the sacrificial altar, frightened but not knowing how to fight back.
System 001 didn’t answer his question. Its voice suddenly turned cold and electronic:
[NPCs are divided into clue NPCs, guide NPCs, and core NPCs.]
[Each guide NPC is very important for the players.]
[You cannot lie, you cannot deceive, but you can hide the truth.]
Chen Li eagerly asked: [So, my task is to help them clear the level?]
The little sheep laid back, completely dedicated.
System 001’s voice returned to a childlike tone, clearly surprised: [Why would you think that?]
Chen Li had a bad feeling: [Then… what is it?]
System 001 became overly excited: [Our goal! Collect horror points!]
It didn’t sound like a good thing.
Chen Li adopted an ostrich mentality and decided not to ask further. His strong intuition told him that his once peaceful, unchanging life would never return.
With the system’s passionate speech ending, the introduction for the newcomers also wrapped up. Regardless of whether they believed it or not, at least it was quiet now.
The girl in the pink clothes who had been screaming earlier peeked at Chen Li. “Hey, there’s another person over there. Shouldn’t we call him to join us?”
She had just looked very frightened, but now, seeing the handsome guy, her face flushed a little.
A bald man beside her glanced over, immediately looked away, and muttered under his breath, cursing her as a fool before explaining with a grim face, “No need. He’s not a person. He’s a guide NPC from this instance. Every new instance has one to help us integrate into the story.”
Cheng Jun, another newcomer, adjusted his glasses. “If you look closely, you’ll see the little red flag prop in his hand and the clothes he’s wearing.”
The girl in pink absentmindedly fiddled with her freshly done nails, slightly regretful. “You’re right… he does look like a tour guide.”
The bald man: “…”
He wanted to say that this was also his first time seeing such a “normal” guide NPC. Usually, these NPCs are not from this instance, so they vary greatly in appearance.
But it’s definitely not a human.
Aside from him, the other non-newcomer players also quietly speculated why this guide NPC was so “normal.”
Unlike other guide NPCs famous in the forums for being terrifying, Chen Li’s overly normal appearance made them more wary.
Maybe under his skin was a terrifying ghost, or a flesh-eating beast.
Chen Li had no idea that just by standing there, he was already the subject of so much suspicion.
He awkwardly repeated the words from his task panel in his mind several times, ensuring he wouldn’t falter before walking over.
His fair, delicate face was tense from nervousness: “Hello, I’m your guide for this trip. I’ll be leading you to Hospitable Village for a five-day journey. Please, get on the bus now.”
His voice was crisp, with a soft and soothing quality that made people feel instinctively at ease.
But after saying this, all he received were even more wary glances.
System 001: [Friendly reminder: You’d better not reveal that your combat power is zero. Humans and NPCs are the game’s opposing forces.]
[If it weren’t for me, a little sheep like you would’ve been torn apart as soon as you entered the instance.]
[You’re talking a lot.]
System 001: [???]
Chen Li only then realized that, due to his lack of familiarity, he had accidentally spoken his thoughts aloud to the system.
Though the little sheep had a bit of a temper, his inherent politeness made him feel a bit sorry. He didn’t have time to apologize to the system before the human player team in front of him started moving.
They greeted each other as they boarded the bus. Although the newcomer hesitated, he was more afraid of being left behind in the deep mountains and forests. There were a total of ten people, and they got onto the bus quickly.
The last person to board was a man wearing a black hat and mask. He gave Chen Li, who was standing awkwardly by the bus door, a meaningful look.
Chen Li froze for a moment.
Was it just his imagination? The man’s eyes… they looked silver-gray.
It subconsciously reminded him of a bright full moon.
And there was a hint of a smile in his gaze.
What kind of person would be so relaxed entering a horror world?
He probably just misread it.
The distraction made him forget to apologize to the system.
Finally, Chen Li slowly boarded the bus, looking more unwilling than any of the other human players.
Though it was clearly an old-looking bus, the doors automatically closed as soon as he stepped on, emitting a long, sighing sound.
All ten players were already seated. Some sat in pairs or groups, while others, like the masked man, sat alone.
Chen Li quickly scanned the bus, didn’t think much of it, and found an empty seat to sit in, right in front of the masked man.
For some reason, as soon as he sat down, all the players’ gazes turned toward him. The new players were curious, while the veterans’ eyes were filled with confusion and speculation.
The helpless little sheep was highly sensitive to being watched and almost immediately bristled, hesitating before calling out to the system.
[Why are they staring at me?]
System 001: […Who told you to sit there? You’re not a passenger.]
Chen Li froze for a moment, then flustered, opened his task panel in his mind, which only he could see.
In the brief profile, next to his title “Tour Guide,” there were three tiny words—also a driver.
His face turned almost instantly red. Thankfully, he had sat closest to the driver’s seat, so the prying gazes could only see his back. No one would notice his embarrassment.
He stiffened, pretending to be calm as he stood up and silently moved to the driver’s seat.
“Heh.”
A low chuckle came from behind him, laced with a hint of magnetism.
Chen Li widened his eyes and looked into the rearview mirror at the man who had laughed at him.
Fu Moyang slightly raised his head, and his gaze landed precisely on Chen Li’s ears, which were tinged with red. He gently flicked his sharp canine tooth with his tongue.
How cute.
How did such a fragile little thing end up among NPCs?
Just the brief exchange through the rearview mirror was enough to make Chen Li hurriedly look away.
He must have seen it wrong!
The eye color was indeed silver-gray, but it wasn’t the pure brightness of the moon. It was clearly the kind of gaze that only a lone wolf, baring its sharp fangs under the moonlight, would have.
- ‘Shang Zhongyong’ is a reference to a famous figure in Chinese literature, a child prodigy who failed to live up to expectations as he grew older, often used to describe someone with early promise but who doesn’t fulfill their potential. ↩︎
Pls being chosen to be an NPC I’d be terrified and willingly cooperate too