Click.
[You have entered the theater.]
Xu Shuo opened his eyes, still in the posture of reaching out to grab something, but now it had become somewhat stiff. Then, as if electrified, he suddenly came to his senses.
This was a kitchen.
But it wasn't his kitchen.
Xu Shuo put down his hand, looked around in surprise, and didn't quite understand how he had changed kitchens in the blink of an eye.
And just now, had he heard a voice?
It seemed he had entered somewhere.
[The Scripted Murder Game project "Rainy Night Villa" is about to begin. Since this theater is for beginners, please gather in the hall immediately.]
Suddenly, a piece of text floated in front of Xu Shuo's eyes, and at the same time, that cold voice sounded again.
After it finished speaking, a 3D virtual arrow appeared in front, seemingly guiding him to the hall where they were to gather.
Looking at the screen before him, Xu Shuo was stunned.
Scripted Murder Game?
Players?
Regardless of what exactly had happened, this bizarre situation reeked of Reincarnator all over!
Xu Shuo did not rush to leave the kitchen. First, he examined his current appearance, dressed in a white chef's outfit, wearing a hat, seemingly the identity of a chef.
Then, he pulled a kitchen knife from the rack and carefully examined its smooth surface, checking if his appearance had changed significantly.
He put down the knife, thought for a moment, lifted his right hand to touch his left arm, and then gave it a fierce pinch when his flesh was unprepared.
"Hiss…"
Xu Shuo gasped in pain.
Forget it, better to go to the hall to gather.
The kitchen was quite close to the hall. Just now, he had already heard exclamations from outside. When he walked out, he saw four other people, one male and three females.
Judging by their bewildered expressions, they seemed to have been brought here suddenly, just like him.
When Xu Shuo appeared, all four pairs of eyes immediately darted toward him, their gazes filled with suspicion and caution.
Hmm? So, should he greet them?
Xu Shuo thought, stroking his chin.
Just then, a man with a confused face walked around the corner of the corridor, and suddenly, including Xu Shuo, all five pairs of eyes turned toward him.
"Eh?!" The man seemed startled.
Seeing his reaction, they all withdrew their gaze.
One of the females, holding a sketchbook and dressed in a cute dungaree dress, complained uneasily, "What's going on? Are you filming a show or something? Why did I suddenly end up here?"
"Did you all hear that voice just now?" The woman sitting on the sofa, wearing a black long dress, frowned.
"Yes! They said something about a Scripted Murder Game!"
"Scripted Murder Game?" the plainly dressed man hastily responded, "I've heard of this game, so are you guys doing a show based on the Scripted Murder Game?"
It seemed some still didn't believe they had encountered a mysterious event.
Xu Shuo didn't want to stand; he simply walked over to the sofa and found a spot to sit down. The woman in the black dress glanced at him then looked away.
"Have you ever seen a show that could teleport you while you were eating?" The woman disdainfully scoffed.
Hearing this sarcastic remark, the man seemed to think of something and looked somewhat embarrassed.
Then, the girl holding the sketchbook spoke impatiently, "I was shopping with friends when I suddenly ended up here, I have no idea what's going on either."
Once someone started, everyone else began sharing what they were doing at that moment.
"I... I was taking a shower," another plainly dressed woman said, slightly embarrassed as she lowered her head.
"I was cooking," Xu Shuo said briefly, his chef attire lending credibility to his words.
Though Xu Shuo wasn't actually wearing this outfit at that time.
"The last man to come out was dressed in workman's gear with a single-lens reflex camera hanging on his chest, looking worried as he said, 'I was working overtime at the company at the time.'"
Suddenly, when their location switched in an instant, it seemed there was nothing in common about what they were doing, except perhaps the same inexplicable timing.
"Welcome to the Script Space."
At this moment, that cold voice echoed again in everyone's mind.
The group exchanged looks, and then, along with the voice, rows of text appeared on the white walls of the hall.
"Script Space is primarily for playing Scripted Murder Games. You have all been selected as players with potential. Once you enter the theater of performance, you cannot leave halfway. You must complete the main mission until the script concludes."
"This performance will begin in ten minutes. As this is a newcomer players' theater, you may ask the system questions along the way, provided they do not spoil the plot of the script."
"The script has been delivered to your Player's Handbook. I wish all participants a delightful performance!"
With those last words, the voice disappeared.
At the same time, the group sensed something inexplicably added to their minds, a mystifying feeling that was beyond words.
"But I've never played a scripted murder game before!" After a moment of silence in the hall, the girl who was bathing when she arrived spoke anxiously.
"I haven't played either."
"Me neither."
"..."
Suddenly, out of the six people, five confessed they had never played a scripted murder game.
The only one who had played, the woman in the black long dress, looked at them incredulously, "No way? This game is so famous, and none of you have played it?"
Xu Shuo looked at her and suddenly said, "I've read about the gameplay, and watched a variety show similar to it, but I've never actually played."
At this point, the girl holding a sketchbook also huffed, "I've seen my friends play, but I never participated."
The woman then looked at the other three with a skeptical eyeballing but all three awkwardly shook their heads, clearly clueless about how to play the game.
"Since you've played, why don't you explain it to us?" The girl with the sketchbook pursed her lips and said with an unfriendly tone.
She disliked the superior air the woman always carried, especially since her smug expression almost became unbearable upon hearing their inexperience.
It's just a game. Big deal if they haven't played it. Who cares, hmph!
"Explaining it is no big deal."
The woman in the black dress glanced at her, sat on the couch with her legs crossed seeming casual, "Scripted Murder Game is actually quite simple. There are many types of scripts, each with different ways to play, but you new players don't need to worry about that for now."
"Could you start by telling us what we need to know right now?" At this moment, another girl couldn't help but interrupt her.
They only had ten minutes to get to grips with things, and they didn't want to spend half that time listening to this "veteran player" flaunt her game knowledge.
Clearly, after encountering this unknown event, a sense of irritability, fueled by unease, quickly infected them.
The woman in the black dress looked at them and languidly said, "Okay, start by looking over the script for this round. Usually, the tutorial for beginners is very straightforward. Just follow the plot to find the murderer. After you've read it, I'll guide you on what to do next."
Hearing this, the group temporarily set aside their irritation and recalled the script. That strange feeling in their minds surfaced again.
Xu Shuo saw a paper book materialize out of thin air in front of him.
Judging by everyone else's surprised expressions, similar items appeared in front of them, but they couldn't see each other's items.
The first page of the book was the title of this Scripted Murder Game "Rainy Night Villa."
Xu Shuo flipped through the pages with his mind, quickly finished the background of the story, and then looked at the profile of the character he was to play in this script.
Then, his expression turned slightly bizarre.
That long stretch of text, no matter how he looked at it, horizontally, vertically, carefully staring at it for a long time, he could only make out two words from between the lines—Murderer!
Xu Shuo stared at the methods of the crime, lost in thought.
...
...
ps:
New book seeking compassion, internal investment has passed, everyone can invest enthusiastically, definitely worth it!
Before changing the contract status, there will be one update per day; after changing, it will stabilize to two updates per day.
Hope everyone doesn't over-protect the new book as it's easy to smother it. The new book needs care! Asking for votes, asking for votes, asking for votes, seek active participation!!