The players watching the live broadcast were more aware of the current situation than the ones trapped inside the dungeon.
"Lucas is in this dungeon too!"
"Lucas participated in the last thriller competition but sadly wasn't selected this year."
"The appearance of this guy just slightly tweaks the color of his eyes compared to Lucas."
"The moment I saw that face, I knew it was him... I checked—Lucas is Player No. 5, and the target is Player No. 29."
"Lucas is strong. That means the participants in this death dungeon aren't pushovers."
Lucas had arrived at the designated location for this copy—a rundown residential building.
After waiting a long while, four others finally arrived.
Lucas's eyes lit up in subtle joy.
A short red-haired teenager asked enthusiastically, "Did you enter the restricted area today too?"
Lucas nodded in sync, replying, "Yes, my friend and I got separated."
As he spoke, Lucas carefully scanned the group.
He assumed these were just low-IQ NPCs arranged by the system.
The sixteen-year-old redhead smiled warmly. "You can come with us if you don't mind."
Lucas saw this as a scripted part of the system's setup and naturally agreed.
Suddenly—
BOOM.
Everyone froze.
A muffled thump echoed from nearby.
The red-haired boy turned to Lucas. "Was that your friend?"
Lucas shook his head.
Creeeak.
They pushed open a door hanging loosely on its hinges. Several of them stepped into the room where the noise had come from.
The sound of something heavy thudding...
Again and again.
It came from the innermost room.
The door trembled violently with each slam, dust falling in clumps.
The red-haired boy tiptoed forward to check the doorknob.
"It's locked... from the inside."
At that exact moment, a system prompt rang in the ears of both Lucas and another player.
[System Notification: Player has triggered a hidden mission.]
[Hidden Mission: Help the person inside the room.]
[Reward: Unknown.]
[...I locked myself in here to stop hurting others... But the darkness devoured my mind... Help me... Please, I'm in so much pain...]
Lucas, standing at the rear, calmly observed.
His gaze locked on the brightening expression on Li Yuchu's—now renamed Lucas's—face.
"Triggered at the same time... A hidden mission!"
Excitement bubbled within Lucas. Hidden missions were rare. Despite their high difficulty, they offered incredible rewards.
Worst case scenario? Quit midway.
"Let's not mess with this house," the red-haired teen said, anxiety on his face. "Let's head downstairs and wait for morning."
Everyone nodded.
But later that night, when all were supposedly asleep...
Lucas silently got up and made his way back toward the strange room.
Just as he turned the hallway corner, he saw someone.
A handsome NPC stood there, staring directly at him.
Lucas didn't flinch. Instead, he smiled sweetly and spoke in a tone laced with charm, "I just want to check something... I'm a little scared. Can you come with me?"
The NPC hesitated, then nodded and followed.
Lucas smirked quietly. "Let him open the door. If anything dangerous is inside, he'll trigger it first."
In the live chat, viewers exploded:
: Lucas, wake up! Those aren't NPCs—they're real players!
: Lin Bei, I can't believe you're falling for someone acting sweet.
: Is Lucas just THAT good-looking? Is that why?
: Lin Bei, I thought you had more sense than this!
As they approached the mysterious room upstairs, Lin Bei seemed to finally realize something was off.
"You came here... just to use the bathroom?"
Lucas winked. "Yeah, let's go in quickly."
The air thickened. The tension grew.
Creak.
The door opened slowly. The violent noises had stopped. Whatever had been locked away seemed to have fallen silent.
Lucas reached out and placed a hand gently on Lin Bei's chest. Step by step, he walked closer to the back room.
His other hand reached for the doorknob.
Opening a door was nothing for him. Easy.
A grin stretched across Lucas's lips.
Click.
The lock turned.
Suddenly, Lin Bei snatched Lucas's wrist.
He looked straight down at him.
Lucas's smile froze.
That hand Lin Bei grabbed...
Had a numbered player strap.
"Are you a player?" Lin Bei's voice was cold.
Lucas finally realized.
He'd been exposed.
: Ohhhh! Lin Bei figured it out! He was checking Lucas's ID band!
: I misjudged you, Lin Bei. Nicely played!
: He's not falling for any tricks! The man's on mission!
Lucas's heart raced. His player number had been revealed.
But maybe he could still take a risk.
The door to the back room creaked open on its own.
A low growl, almost beast-like, echoed from inside.
The man before him—Lin Bei—grinned.
With one swift motion, he shoved Lucas forward.
Lucas's eyes went wide.
He stumbled into the room.
The rotten, bloody stench overwhelmed his senses.
[System prompt: Player Lucas (No. 5) has died.]
: WHAT?!
: ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!
: SHE WAS MY HEROINE!!
(It's fine... we can keep writing. Someone's gotta survive this nightmare. Stay tuned!)
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