There's definitely something wrong with this murder mystery game

Chapter 106: Chapter 102 This World Is Very Ordinary

After finishing the afternoon's work, Xu Shuo took a moment to open the news.

The incident from last night had already been reported, but it hadn't caused much of a sensation; perhaps it was because the authorities were deliberately suppressing it on the trending searches, resulting in limited dissemination.

Thinking of what Pei Sheng had said at noon, Xu Shuo sent a greeting message to Xu Xi, though at this time she was probably still studying.

Just as Xu Shuo was contemplating this, a "ding dong" sounded in response to his message.

He raised an eyebrow, glanced at the reply, and then drafted a text saying, "You're still playing with your phone during self-study?" and sent it back.

After a while, as expected, there was no further reply.

…

In the Normal University Affiliated High School's study room.

Xu Xi looked at the preachy text message with a face void of expression and somewhat speechlessly stuffed her phone back into her pocket.

You were the one who sent a message to check on me, and you are also the one telling me not to reply.

"Xi, what's wrong?" asked Shao Dandan, sitting opposite her, in a probing tone.

Xu Xi glanced at her and said indifferently, "Something happened at school last night; my brother is asking whether it affected me here."

Shao Dandan gave a thoughtful nod, eying the girl's delicate face, which was as elegant as a bloom, and her otherworldly, cool aura, feeling as though the image in her mind had been salvaged by just that tad bit.

Now that the script of "Dancer in the Dark" had collapsed and the analysis posts on the forums had also come out.

Four players, Qiuzi was not a player character—instead, it was that monster Changying who was the player character, although there always seemed to be something not quite right…

But, could it really be that Xu Xi was not a player?

Shao Dandan had discreetly and overtly tested her many times, but the girl seemed to show nothing out of the ordinary; the only Scripted Murder Game she had ever played was during the May Day holiday with her best friend at an escape room venue.

Either she's an exceptional actress, or she truly is unaware.

So Xu Xi just happens to look like Qiuzi?

It felt pretty uncomfortable to think that a character from the Scripted Murder Game world could bear such a striking resemblance to someone from the real world, especially someone close to her.

Shao Dandan's mind wandered as she looked at the review materials, her pen's tip resting on the notebook only managed to scribble a bunch of meaningless numbers.

Xu Xi, observing her, suddenly asked, "What's been going on with you lately?"

"Ah?" Shao Dandan was startled.

"Is there something strange about me?" Xu Xi asked with an icy gaze fixed on her.

Someone unfamiliar with such a stare would only find it oddly unsettling, as if their very being was being pierced.

Catching on, Shao Dandan awkwardly laughed and said, "Nothing much, just thinking about how I still don't have a boyfriend as we're nearing high school graduation, while you, Xi, have had so many admirers for three years—being good-looking really is great!"

That last remark was genuinely envious.

Qiuzi was also very pretty, and everyone doted on her, manipulating everyone in the script at her whim, truly a detestable little green tea!

Wait a second—this whole affair has ended, the script has collapsed, why am I still thinking about Qiuzi?!

Anyway, I'd never encounter her again in this lifetime!

Shao Dandan slapped her cheeks, widened her eyes, and focused intently on the study materials before her, managing to gather some of her thoughts back.

Hearing that, Xu Xi remained expressionless and did not respond, simply watching the girl opposite her with a slightly narrowed gaze.

She still concealed something.

Lately, Shao Dandan's behavior towards her had been genuinely odd, at times as if she was looking through her at someone else, and her expressions were incredibly strange, combined with the question the former had asked yesterday—

It seemed Shao Dandan might have encountered a girl who looked very much like her?

There were such things?

But upon reflection, so far this was only the other person's problem and she wasn't inclined to inquire further if Shao really didn't wish to speak of it.

Xu Xi calmly withdrew her gaze and continued with her review.

The study room was quiet and tranquil, with only the gentle sound of the students flipping through pages in their full seats.

…

…

As the day gradually leaned westward, a busy day quickly passed by.

After Xu Shuo had finalized the app's icon design, he glanced at the time and leaned back in his chair, worn out.

The studio really needed to hire someone, they had started small, just testing the waters, but now that they had decided to expand, continuing to pinch pennies was not going to work.

Xu Shuo stood up, stretched lazily, and walked out of the office with a smile, "You guys have worked hard these days, once the project is at a good stopping point, let's all go out and relax together!"

"Yo-he!" Pei Sheng laughed oddly.

"Boss, you rarely clock out on time," said the others, seeing him pack up, also teasing him in jest.

"Well, that's good, it seems you all don't plan on going out to play," Xu Shuo said, nodding calmly when no one responded to his previous remark.

"No, no, no! We were just shocked to see the sun rise from the west and didn't react, sure, we got to play!"

"I'll work overtime right now and finish the work for the rest of the month, so I can go out and play sooner!"

"Right! Nobody is leaving work!"

The group of young people quickly started to make a ruckus, and Xu Shuo, amused, patted their shoulders and checked the time, "Okay, get going home early, overtime culture is not good."

"Good heavens, you actually —"

Pei Sheng, still holding a grudge from the morning's incident, was about to continue with his sarcastic tone when Xu Shuo stuffed a biscuit from the table into his mouth.

Then, he grabbed his laptop and was the first to leave the studio.

...

The only benefit that the Script Space had brought was that it seemed to cure Xu Shuo of his habit of staying up all night.

Even with that "Psychic Power Boost" and his brain gradually getting used to the drain, each time after finishing a Scripted Murder Game, he felt mentally exhausted.

As if all his vital energy had been sucked out.

But, he thought, the Script Space did not seem to be harvesting their conscious spirit for that purpose. If so, it could have directly seized a person and drained them.

Instead of immersing them in some Scripted Murder Game world.

More importantly, the power it granted couldn't be used in the real world.

Even though it could invisibly pull a person's consciousness into another world, and even kill them for real in the game, and even grant them different supernatural abilities, it still limited players from using their powers to interfere with the real world.

What was so special about this real world?

Xu Shuo parked his car in a spot by the roadside and looked towards the slowly setting sun in the sky, the twilight sky a beauty rendered by the evening glow.

This was an ordinary material world; psychiatric patients in mental hospitals didn't have strange supernatural powers, there were no cultists lurking in the dark city, and no dreadful Evil God emerging.

At least, Xu Shuo had not heard about any such surreal events occurring.

Of course, it could also be that he simply couldn't acquire such information. Like the incident that happened last night at the Affiliated High School, if he had not been on-site…

Xu Shuo shook off these thoughts, quickened his pace, and went up the stairs back to his rented place.

After locking the door, he did not head straight to the kitchen to prepare his dinner, but sat on the sofa and entered Script Space.

In the blank Script Space, the red leather sofa still stood there alone, the only color and object in the place.

And as soon as Xu Shuo opened his eyes, a system message popped up in the corner.

[Your friend "Hong Rao" has requested to visit your personal space.]

She sure is quick, and persistent. Stay tuned with mvl