At the instant the player finished speaking, the surrounding air suddenly turned cold.

The temperature seemed to drop by more than ten degrees in an instant.

It was not an illusion.

It was real.

As if a bucket of ice water had been poured over their heads, sending a chill down their spines.

The pleading and hope in Wen Ruyu’s eyes vanished completely.

The eyes that had just been filled with a desperate plea for help were now utterly lifeless.

No warmth.

No emotion.

He stared straight at the player who had spoken.

That gaze—

Was like looking at a corpse.

Wen Ruyu was already on the verge of despair.

It was not that he was looking.

He had lost even control over his eyes.

His consciousness was still perfectly clear.

He could hear.

He could see.

He could feel everything.

But control of his body no longer belonged to him.

Despair and fear consumed him completely.

Yet not a single one of the players in front of him noticed anything wrong.

Even if they could not understand that gaze, they instinctively felt danger and subconsciously took a step back, putting some distance between themselves and Wen Ruyu.

But none of them thought in a supernatural direction.

They simply assumed that the earlier disrespectful remark had angered this NPC.

"You want to die?" one player immediately lowered his voice and scolded the one who had spoken.

"You dare talk to a key NPC like that? Do you really think NPCs are harmless?"

"If you anger him, he could kill you on the spot."

The player who had spoken earlier turned pale with fright. He had spoken without thinking, the words slipping out instinctively.

He hurriedly waved his hands in apology.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean it. It’s just… the way he looked at me just now was too strange…"

His voice grew softer and softer, his ears turning redder and redder, until he did not dare to say the last part aloud.

The others fell silent.

Because they thought the same thing.

That gaze—

Was too alluring.

In fact, it was not just the gaze.

Even the figure standing there was breathtakingly beautiful.

Under the dim yellow streetlight, the young man’s slender frame seemed even more delicate, carrying a fragile and cold beauty that made it impossible to look away.

Alluring.

Beautiful enough to make people curious.

Curious about what kind of face lay beneath the mask.

Not only the players were curious—

The livestream audience was as well.

"Damn, that figure, that gaze, it’s insane! Even without seeing the face, he’s definitely stunning!"

"I’m dying of curiosity! What does he look like? Just go rip off the mask!"

"Isn’t that a bad idea? Showing up like this in the middle of the night… what if he’s not even human?"

"Come on, don’t be cowards! Just try it! He clearly looks like a harmless NPC. Worth the gamble!"

"You think running fast is enough? People like you wouldn’t survive the first night."

The barrage of comments filled the screen.

But the players could not see them.

Their thoughts, however, aligned with the audience.

Their gazes all fell on Wen Ruyu’s mask, filled with curiosity and hesitation.

Especially the player who had spoken earlier.

He had been the one stared at.

Those eyes—

He could not resist them at all.

Even now, his mind was full of that gaze.

He stole a glance at Wen Ruyu and swallowed hard.

"What do you think he looks like?"

"If his figure is this good, his face must be beautiful too."

"I bet he’s definitely stunning."

Another player agreed and suggested almost involuntarily,

"Why don’t you… take off his mask?"

The player stiffened, his face showing hesitation and nervousness.

"Isn’t that… not a good idea?"

"What if he gets angry and kills someone?"

"You already said that to him and he only looked at you coldly. I don’t think he’s the type to attack people casually," the other player said confidently.

The player hesitated for a long time.

Finally, he gritted his teeth and carefully approached Wen Ruyu.

Soon, he stood right in front of him.

Seeing that Wen Ruyu did not move and only stared at him, his tension eased slightly.

Seems like he really won’t kill.

He let out a quiet breath and slowly reached out toward Wen Ruyu’s mask.

The others subconsciously held their breath, staring intently, as if anticipating the moment the mask would be removed.

But just as his hand was about to touch it—

Wen Ruyu moved.

He took a step back.

The movement was abrupt and stiff, perfectly avoiding the reaching hand.

The temperature dropped further.

A bone deep cold spread through the air.

The player froze, his hand still suspended midair. The curiosity on his face faded, replaced by fear.

Fortunately—

It was only a step back.

Not an attack.

He forced a dry laugh and withdrew his hand, stepping back awkwardly.

"…Fine, fine, I won’t look. Don’t be angry."

The others also felt their hearts tighten.

The boy had only stepped back—

Yet the creeping dread grew heavier, pressing down on them.

"Forget it, don’t mess with NPCs," another player broke the silence, forcing the conversation back.

"He’s probably a key NPC. Let’s just ask for clues. Don’t provoke him."

He looked at Wen Ruyu and softened his tone.

"Hey… do you know anything about Yang Ruiqing?"

Wen Ruyu did not respond.

He remained in that backward stance.

Those emotionless eyes still locked onto the same player.

There was no fluctuation.

Only cold, lifeless stillness.

As if marking him for death.

Wen Ruyu was in complete despair.

He had already realized these people were players.

He wanted to tell them to run.

Wanted to warn them that he was being controlled.

But he could do nothing.

He could not even blink.

He could only watch—

As they surrounded him, unaware, treating him like a clue giving NPC.

Tonight—

They might all die here.

"Why isn’t he talking?" one player muttered.

"Can’t speak? Or doesn’t want to?"

"Maybe we need to trigger some condition before he gives clues," another guessed.

"How about we follow him and see where he goes?"

"That makes sense. He doesn’t seem dangerous. Maybe he’ll lead us to something important."

"I think we shouldn’t," another player said cautiously, unease lingering in his voice.

"In a dungeon at night, it’s too dangerous. There’s only a little over an hour until dawn."

"We should find a safe place and wait."

Everyone knew—

Night was the most dangerous time.

His words woke the others up.

The earlier player did not object.

But he glanced at Wen Ruyu.

"What about him?"

"Take him with us," someone said in a low voice.

No one objected.

Even Wen Ruyu agreed desperately.

If he could move—

He would have nodded frantically.

This was like turning from death to life.

Hope.

But that hope lasted less than three seconds.

A familiar voice sounded beside his ear.

Cold.

Emotionless.

Flat.

It was—

His own voice.

"Follow me."

No!

That wasn’t him!

Don’t believe it!

Don’t follow him!

The players froze for a moment—

Then their faces lit up with excitement.

They had triggered dialogue!

He really was a key NPC!

"I knew it!" one whispered excitedly.

"We finally have direction!"

No one noticed the stiffness in the voice.

No one sensed anything wrong.

They only felt relief.

Joy.

They stepped aside, making way.

Wen Ruyu’s body moved.

Stiffly.

Mechanically.

Like a puppet.

He walked toward the library.

Slow.

Controlled.

Yet to the players—

It seemed normal.

Wen Ruyu’s heart sank to the bottom.

He struggled desperately.

Tried to shout.

But not a single word came out.

He could only walk—

Leading them.

Step by step.

Toward death.

Under the dim streetlight, his shadow stretched long.

Slender.

Beautiful.

And utterly deadly.

No one stopped him now.

Nothing happened along the way.

Soon—

They arrived at the library.

The place they had escaped from earlier.

The building stood in darkness, like a gaping monster.

Unease spread through their hearts.

They stopped.

"Why the library?"

"Then the clue must be inside."

"We only checked the surveillance earlier. Maybe there’s more."

They hesitated.

But in the end—

They followed.

Wen Ruyu walked at the front.

Without pause.

He stepped into the library.

One by one—

They followed.

The moment the last player entered—

A heavy sound echoed behind them.

The door.

Closed.

Again.

Chapter 35

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