There's definitely something wrong with this murder mystery game

After handing off the official matters to Luo Kai, Xu Shuo left the place directly.

But as he entered the Dark Domain, his thoughts unexpectedly leaped.

Xu Shuo had once been curious about something in "Free Night": If Cheng Can was suddenly hit by the "Flash Spirit" while crawling through a wall, would he get stuck in it?

Similarly, he was now wondering about another thing.

If he left the defensive line's range while still using his ability, would he get stuck in the darkness?

With this probing thought in mind, Xu Shuo calculated his stealth speed and distance and roamed around just beyond the edge of the defensive line.

But even after he tentatively moved at least a hundred meters or so, no sudden incidents occurred—he wasn't stuck or ejected from the state of Dark Stealth.

Could it be that he was still not beyond the defensive line?

So Xu Shuo moved another kilometer at a snail's pace, eventually confirming that he wouldn't encounter the "stuck in the wall" predicament.

He ascended stealthily, and his figure reappeared on a rural path.

The next moment, Xu Shuo realized that the effect of Dark Stealth had vanished, and he could no longer use the player's abilities.

Restricted again.

However, Script Space's restrictions were quite humane.

Xu Shuo surveyed the surrounding scenery, then suddenly remembered that his car was still parked next to a village road by Yuhua Dam.

Xu Shuo: "..."

Walking back shouldn't take too long, right...?

...

...

It was around nine o'clock in the evening when Xu Shuo finally drove back to the city, and, feeling lucky, he successfully found a parking spot in the underground garage of the discount mall.

This garage was great in every way—it was cheap and not far—but the only drawback was that, even after paying, the spots were never reserved and entirely dependent on timing and luck.

Xu Shuo picked up the small cake he had bought for Xu Xi as a favor along the way, got out of the car, and walked out.

But halfway there, his pace suddenly halted.

"Drip-drop..." Discover stories at My Virtual Library Empire

"Drip-drop drip-drop..."

In the vast underground garage with dim yellow lighting, the quiet was punctuated only by the sounds of machinery fans spinning and the dripping water from an unknown source.

Because of the silence, these noises were particularly clear when listened to with a focused mind.

And in the empty, silent space, they seemed somewhat terrifying.

The faint-hearted wouldn't dare to walk on an unlit road at night, let alone venture through an underground garage.

After halting, Xu Shuo turned his head calmly in a certain direction and noticed the flickering dim light of a corridor, which suggested a light bulb needed replacement.

Withdrawing his gaze, Xu Shuo continued forward.

"Drip-drop..."

"Drip-drop..."

"Drip-drop..."

But the sound of dripping water kept coming, and it seemed to follow him, growing louder in his ears, until it seemed to echo in his entire mind.

The sound was clear and ethereal, suddenly trembling and unsettling the soul.

And at the very moment it fell, you could even feel as if there was a droplet landing on you, on your head, the fleeting coolness causing an involuntary shiver.

Xu Shuo halted his steps once more.

He suddenly thought of a problem.

The only affordable and not too distant parking lot lay near his residence.

Xu Shuo frowned and opened the Player's Handbook, clicking the yellow exclamation mark at the top right corner of the page.

A compass appeared and began to spin.

Soon, the result was displayed.

[Current number: EA1029392178.]

[Number level: Zero.]

[Abyss level: Three.]

[An anomaly beyond the number level has been detected around the player, activating emergency mode, granting the player maximum authority of level three.]

It was the presence of the level three Abyss again.

Xu Shuo quickly took a screenshot, then opened the messaging feature and pulled up Luo Kai's chat list.

Xu Shuo: "Near B exit of the underground parking at No. 16 Heiyu District Peace Street Hetai Intersection affordable mall, come quickly!"

Luo Kai: "???"

Xu Shuo: "Near B exit of the underground parking at No. 16 Heiyu District Peace Street Hetai Intersection affordable mall, come quickly!"

Shi: "On my way!"

Shi: "Eh? Where is that?"

Xu Shuo: "..."

…

After closing the Player's Handbook, Xu Shuo pulled out his wand and gently tapped it on the ground.

Invisible ripples spread out, but when they reached the corner passage, they detected nothing at all, only a normal space and an electric scooter parked next to it.

Xu Shuo still stood in place without going over, his brow slightly furrowed. After tapping a few more times, he still detected nothing.

Gazing intently in that direction, he saw a black substance slowly flowing out from around the corner.

It was like pitch-black, sticky asphalt, sluggishly creeping across the ground, with no other abnormalities in sight. At a glance, it just appeared as if someone accidentally spilled their oil.

Moreover, Xu Shuo did not sense that distinctively chilling and malevolent intent unique to the Abyss, nor did he feel any sense of crisis.

He had found the area odd moments before purely because he had sensed an aura similar to the Abyss.

But since he hadn't detected anything, Xu Shuo simply stood still as a mountain, arms folded, staring at the slowly flowing dark matter.

The next moment, a flash of gold light streaked by, and Shi's figure appeared unannounced.

"That's strange, the defense line didn't warn me," Shi said, frowning and staring at the same corner.

"Does the defense line always detect the presence of the Abyss?" Xu Shuo asked, catching on.

"That's the general idea."

As Shi spoke, he stepped forward and directly walked over.

With someone leading the way, Xu Shuo naturally followed closely behind.

This corner passage led to a small exit of the underground parking, usually used by the nearby vendors to park their electric bikes or bicycles. Outside the exit was the short alley behind the affordable mall, which in turn connected to the main road.

Shi turned the corner and looked ahead, then suddenly voiced his surprise.

"What's wrong?" Xu Shuo asked.

"It's alright, it's not the Abyss, it's a crack."

Xu Shuo paused: "…" Somehow that sounded even worse.

Approaching for a look, he saw a narrow black crack about five or six centimeters long at the peeling, yellowed corner of the wall, about half a meter from the ground.

The crack was really quite small, but the effect it produced was truly massive.

The dark matter that had seeped onto the ground originated from this crack, a pool of black, viscous substance accumulated around the parked electric scooters, enveloping them and creeping up the tires towards the scooter bodies.

And slowly, the entire area was being eroded by the darkness.

Shi's eyes gradually became enveloped in gold as he spoke calmly, "It's an Abyss Rift that just formed recently, so the aura is not strong. Your timely detection must be due to a natural gift for Inspiration."

Xu Shuo felt that his mood seemed to have changed from before.

He honestly replied, "After all, the Abyss can contaminate one's consciousness. I felt as if something was affecting my thoughts when I passed by here earlier."

Shi, however, did not respond again. He gently raised his hand, and his pale, jade-like palm pressed directly onto the Abyss Rift.

Holy and shining gold light blossomed from between his fingers.

The next moment, the spreading dark matter, as if threatened by a formidable force, violently pulsed and surged, but seemed to be suppressed by something and unable to expand, contorting into various shapes instead.

Then, golden cracks spread out from Shi's palm, meandering across the tops of the walls and the ground, the floor beginning to tremble violently.

Xu Shuo took a step back, his expression somewhat peculiar, "You're not… planning to blow this place up, are you?"

Just like at Yuhua Dam, creating a massive pit in the densely populated city center?!

Hearing this, Shi suddenly came back to his senses.

The golden light spilling from his eyes receded, and his hand motions also stopped, the ground that had been shaking more and more intensely now became quiet again.

Then, Shi turned to look at him, puzzled, "Eh? What should we do then?"

Xu Shuo: "…" You're Judgment and you're asking me?

Do you have no other way than digging holes?!

…