[All players detected. Instance rules are now being announced!]
[After the instance begins, the Blood Clan Queen will enter a 25-minute search phase.
After 25 minutes, a 5-minute safety phase will begin.]
[During the safety phase, players may freely move, change hiding locations, and search for items.
Once the safety phase ends, the Blood Clan Queen will once again enter a 25-minute search phase.]
[The master of the castle will begin searching in 5 minutes.
All players, please take cover.]
...
Only after the final system prompt ended did Lin Yu finally regain full control of his body.
At this moment—
He was finally able to clearly see the appearances of the other three players in this so-called beginner instance.
The closest one to him was a burly man with a tall, sturdy build.
Lin Yu glanced at him and noticed that information was displayed above the man's head.
[Player Identity: Wang Gang]
[Level: 5]
Wang Gang was the man's name, and the number "5" represented his level.
When Lin Yu saw that Wang Gang wasn't level 0 like himself—but level 5 instead—surprise flickered in his eyes.
Immediately after—
He looked at the remaining two players' information.
[Li Hai: Level 3]
[Wang Shan: Level 3]
"…Isn't this supposed to be a beginner instance?"
Seeing that he was the only one at level 0, while the other three players were all above level 0, Lin Yu couldn't help but feel something was off and voiced his confusion.
After all—
This was his very first time entering the horror game.
And the instance he was in right now should clearly be a beginner instance.
Since it was a beginner instance—
Shouldn't everyone's level be the same?
Why was he the only level 0 here?
"For a newbie player to be matched with higher-level players in a beginner instance—this kind of situation is extremely rare in the horror game."
"You being matched with us can only mean one thing."
"That is—you're very lucky!"
"You should know that this beginner instance is actually quite difficult.
Among all beginner instances in the horror game, its death rate ranks in the top ten!"
"If this instance were made up entirely of newbies like you, it would be a 100% wipe.
Not a single person would make it out alive!"
Just after Lin Yu finished speaking—
The man named Li Hai spoke up with a faint smile.
"That's right, Brother Lin Yu.
Running into veteran players like us in a beginner instance—your luck is good enough to buy lottery tickets."
"With us helping out this time, you'll definitely survive."
As soon as Li Hai finished speaking, Wang Shan—who was the same level as him—also chimed in, smiling warmly.
He looked honest and harmless, with a sincere and trustworthy demeanor.
"That's right. In the horror game, only by helping each other can players survive long-term."
After Wang Shan finished speaking, Li Hai added in agreement.
"Heh. Wanting to help each other is your business."
"I'm not interested in dragging around dead weight."
At that moment—
The man who hadn't spoken at all until now—Wang Gang—finally opened his mouth.
Impatience was written clearly across his face.
As the highest-level player among the four, once Wang Gang spoke—
Li Hai's and Wang Shan's expressions immediately changed.
"Brother Wang Gang, don't say it like that. Everyone starts as a newbie."
Li Hai quickly walked over to Wang Gang's side and spoke in a conciliatory tone.
"Yes, Brother Wang Gang," Wang Shan also added, trying to persuade him.
However—
Faced with their attempts, Wang Gang only looked more irritated.
He glanced at Lin Yu out of the corner of his eye, a trace of disdain in his gaze.
"So what if everyone starts as a newbie?"
"This Vampire Castle instance is dangerous—you both know that."
"I'm not risking my life because of some useless burden."
He cut them off directly, his voice carrying obvious annoyance.
Then—
"As for this—how about this?"
"You two each give me 100 Horror Coins, and I'll agree to help."
"Otherwise, don't bother talking."
As he spoke, Wang Gang suddenly seemed to think of something.
He looked at Li Hai and Wang Shan with a smug expression.
"100 Horror Coins?"
"Brother Wang Gang, isn't that a bit too expensive…?"
Shock appeared on both Li Hai's and Wang Shan's faces.
"If you're not paying, then stop wasting my time."
Wang Gang's voice turned cold, clearly having lost all patience.
"Compared to a human life, 100 Horror Coins are nothing."
After a few seconds of hesitation—
Li Hai and Wang Shan finally nodded, as if having made a painful decision.
Immediately after—
Both of them showed expressions of visible heartache, as if they had just lost something extremely important.
"Since you've paid, I won't go back on my word."
"This instance—let him follow us."
Wang Gang patted Li Hai's and Wang Shan's shoulders with satisfaction, then turned to look at Lin Yu.
"Kid, your luck this time is pretty damn good."
He spoke indifferently, a hint of envy hidden in his eyes.
[These three guys are really good actors. Even better than some celebrities.]
[Yeah. If I were that newbie named Lin Yu, I'd be completely moved and trust them instantly.]
[Sigh… no matter what, this newbie is seriously unlucky.
Beginner instance with a top-ten death rate, Vampire Castle—and he even ran into these three old foxes.]
[One sad song dedicated to this rookie.]
...
At the same time, the barrage of comments in the livestream room scrolled slowly by.
The viewers had already pictured what would happen next.
Lin Yu would surely be touched by Li Hai's and Wang Shan's "righteous help," grow favorable toward them, feel grateful—
And then agree to act together with Wang Gang and the others.
However—
If Lin Yu really did that, he would be walking straight into their trap.
And the viewers themselves admitted—
If it were them in Lin Yu's position, they would probably make the exact same choice.
After all—
These three were simply too good at acting.