Chapter 1: Red and White Collision of Evil

【Player No. 125125 has met the entry requirements.】 

【Welcome to the ‘Fourth World.’】 

Qi Wuyuan was awakened by a series of intermittent electronic sounds. 

As soon as he opened his eyes, all he saw was boundless darkness. 

Qi Wuyuan found himself standing in a strange and unfamiliar environment. 

It was a secluded space with nothing in it, only pitch black as far as the eye could see. 

What was going on? 

Suddenly, a bright blue light burst forth, and Qi Wuyuan instinctively raised his hand to cover his eyes, his entire body tensing. 

When the light subsided, a pale blue screen appeared in front of him, about the size of a typical computer monitor. 

An electronic male voice rang in his mind, reading out the text on the screen one line at a time. 

【Buzz… Instance game loaded successfully.】 

【 “The player is about to enter a low-level instance — Red and White Collision of Evil.”】

【 Completion Objective: You may leave after completing the main quest.】

【 Main quest: survive for seven days. (If you die midway or your HP drops to 0, the game fails.】 

【 Player identity drawing in progress. Player identity successfully drawn.】

【 Player identity generation in progress...】

The previously smooth sound suddenly stopped, replaced by a series of tiny noises echoing in Qi Wuyuan’s mind. 

【 Buzz, buzz, Error detected, Error warning, Error... Player identity generated successfully!】 

【 Player Identity: Bride (NC Identity Card】

【 Note: The player has drawn an NC Identity Card, which is a role-playing type. The player must successfully act out the assigned identity. Once the character collapse level reaches 50, the game is considered failed.】 

The final interpretation of the above rests with the "Fourth World." 

【 The game has officially begun. 】

As the last electronic sound faded, the light forming the curtain contracted forward, entering Qi Wuyuan’s left wrist and forming a thin barcode. 

The dark blue barcode flashed twice before disappearing into his skin. 

As the barcode vanished, Qi Wuyuan felt a sudden dizziness and the sensation of falling. 

The boundless darkness gradually dissipated. When he regained consciousness, a red candle appeared in his hand, and its flame slowly illuminated the surroundings. 

A line of text appeared in the upper right corner of his vision: Character Collapse Level: 0. 

He was inside an old wooden house, faintly scented with dust and mildew. 

Qi Wuyuan placed the candle on the table and sat down in a chair further inside. 

He was seated directly opposite the door. Beside it was a paper window pasted on a wooden frame, through which the thick night darkness could be seen. 

A large red "囍" (double happiness) sticker was pasted on the door, and festive decorations filled the room. On the table lay a plate of melon seeds and cheap hard candy. 

Qi Wuyuan pressed his lips together. 

【 Player #125125’s exclusive live stream has started and has been automatically placed in the Chinese Horror Zone.】

【 Current popularity rating: 0】 

【 Player detected as a new player; automatically moved to the Chinese Horror - Beginner Zone.】

【 Current popularity rating: 20】 

Qi Wuyuan blinked, quickly processing the flood of information in his mind. 

"What was this live stream?" 

Qi Wuyuan’s voice was clear and bright, carrying a soothing coolness like a mountain spring flowing through the ears, making them tingle. The restless thoughts that had barely surfaced in live barrage were instantly subdued by the cold, sickly aura, forcing them to retreat and not dare to offend him.

[The host has a really nice voice.] 

[I like this voice. I’ll stay a little longer.] 

[Pshaw, I bet this new streamer won’t last ten minutes.] 

[I agree, the host’s voice sounds weak.] 

Scattered comments floated by, but Qi Wuyuan could not see them. 

Streamers inside the game did not have permission to view chat comments. 

The electronic voice in his mind answered his question. 

【 Each player must start a personal live stream upon entering the game. "Fourth World" will protect the privacy of each player during the live stream. All reward points earned belong to the player, and the system will not charge additional fees.】

【 Note: The live stream will automatically end when the game ends. All walkthrough information will be blurred for viewers, and this instance is not relevant to their understanding of the game. 】

The final interpretation of the above rests with the "Fourth World." 

【 Current popularity rating: 18】 

Having just experienced dizziness, Qi Wuyuan’s illness flared again, leaving him weak. 

Was live streaming mandatory? 

He twitched his fingers and calmly accepted the news. 

Suddenly.

'Thump, Thump, Thump'

Three urgent knocks came from the door. The visitor knocked so hard that the tightly sealed wooden door was forced open with a large gap. A gust of cold, eerie wind swept in through the crack, making Qi Wuyuan shiver all over.

His body trembled slightly, and he felt as if even his bones were about to freeze.

He was wearing a fitted black single-layer garment, which offered no protection against the wind or cold. Having never endured cold before, Qi Wuyuan couldn’t even withstand the chill of an early spring night breeze.

His body… was truly too weak.

Qi Wuyuan slowly stood up and changed his seat to face the door from the side, and only then did the situation improve slightly.

Seeing no response from inside after knocking, the person outside immediately spoke: “A-Yuan, it’s time for the wedding.”

The hoarse, aged female voice matched perfectly with the stale, old smell filling the room.

Listening to the murky voice, Qi Wuyuan lowered his eyes slightly; he remembered every word that had appeared on the light screen earlier, clear and distinct.

For the moment, Qi Wuyuan ignored the voice outside the door.

He did not sense any danger.

Meanwhile, on the barrage of live comments that Qi Wuyuan could not see, people gradually began to notice that something was wrong.

[ Wait, is this instance really Red and White Collision of Evil? Has any player ever gotten this kind of opening? ]

[I don’t think so.]

[Definitely not. I just checked — in Red and White Collision of Evil, all players are supposed to start on the bus.]

[Then why is this new streamer’s opening so different?]

[It’s just like drawing an NC Identity Card.]

After the last barrage comment appeared, the few remaining viewers in the livestream room suddenly all fell silent.

[But in low-level instances, the chance for a newcomer to draw an nc identity card is only 1. That’s impossible, right?]

After a few seconds, a single barrage comment barely drifted across.

[Hard to say. What if the streamer really is that unlucky one?]

[Does anyone know what identity card the streamer drew? I’m curious.]

Before the instance begins, each player undergoes an identity draw, the purpose usually being to give them a reasonable role within the dungeon.

However, viewers who have watched many livestreams know that in this particular instance, the identity cards drawn are always “city people returning to the village to attend a relative’s funeral.” This role has high freedom, no need to worry about character consistency, and is considered a standard player card.

By contrast, an nc identity card requires the player to act as a specific non-character (NPC) within the dungeon. The freedom is relatively low, and the player cannot perform too many actions that break character. Although such cards grant certain privileges in the dungeon, in terms of difficulty they are absolutely not suitable for beginner players.

The higher the instance level, the more complex the composition of its identity card pool, and most nc identity cards only appear in the pools of mid-level or higher intances.

In low-level intances like 《Red and White Collision of Evil》, no one has ever drawn an nc identity card.

Even the supposed 1% draw probability is just a rumor circulating among players.

There was a case where a newcomer drew an nc identity in a gray-level instance.

The position of the newcomer’s livestream room was quite prominent in the section, so the news quickly spread, attracting a small group of viewers who enjoy watching the excitement.

【 Current popularity value: 352】

The person outside knocked on the door again.

“A-Yuan?”

“Are you inside? I’m your Chen sao.”

The person knocking spoke with growing urgency; compared to the old, hoarse voice, the wooden door seemed about to be battered apart by the sheer force of the knocking.

Qi Wuyuan still gave no response.

Until the third knock echoed.

【 Character Collapse Level: 5.】

Cold wind kept pouring in through the crack of the door, and Qi Wuyuan was so chilled that he felt truly uncomfortable, unable to hold back a few coughs.

“Come in.”

Receiving a clear reply, Chen sao outside finally pushed the door open and entered.

Accompanied by a teeth-grinding “creak,” the door was pushed open.

An elderly woman with a slightly hunched back walked in from outside, carrying a large basket on her arm.

Compared to her aged appearance, Chen sao actually moved very quickly; in just two or three steps she was in front of Qi Wuyuan, asking with concern: “How’s your health?”

She walked lightly, without a sound, then stopped right before Qi Wuyuan, her face leaning directly toward him as he sat in the chair.

That face was extremely close to his.

Yet Qi Wuyuan did not feel her breath; instead, he smelled the unique dusty scent of old paper.

Her face was deathly pale, her features oddly shaped, with large round patches of bright pink blush on both cheeks, thick black eyeliner circling her eyes, and unevenly applied lipstick. Word by word, she said to Qi Wuyuan: “It’s time to get married.”

At night, don’t open the door; paper figures must not have their eyes dotted.

Qi Wuyuan glanced at the night outside the door, remembering that it was he himself who had called Chen sao in earlier.

Under the instance’s restrictions, he had already broken a taboo.

He looked at Chen sao’s face and gave a faint “mm.”

When he spoke, Qi Wuyuan already wore a slight smile. His aloof aura instantly dissipated, replaced by gentleness and familiarity.

Compared to his earlier ignoring behavior, his attitude now shifted naturally, as if he truly knew the person before him. Even Chen sao’s bizarre makeup seemed ordinary.

Hearing Qi Wuyuan’s cooperation, Chen Sao’s mouth widened: “Excellent. The groom has been dead for several days, and the village is urging urgently. Right now the groom is waiting outside, so let’s hurry — don’t miss the auspicious time for the wedding.”

Chen sao placed the basket on the table. Inside was a bright red wedding robe, whose exquisite embroidery looked jarringly out of place against the shabby surroundings.

She pulled out the wedding robe, urging eagerly: “Come on, A-Yuan, put it on quickly.”

She was just short of forcing it onto Qi Wuyuan herself.

At that moment, the barrage of comments in the livestream suddenly surged—

[I just remembered, the streamer’s identity card is the instance boss’s bride!]

[So according to the current plot direction, the streamer has to face the boss immediately upon entering the instance?]

[The streamer is truly miserable. From the perspective of normal players next door, they haven’t even entered the village yet.]

[Sigh, this must be the fastest death record in a gray instance.]

[Facing the boss in under five minutes — this newcomer is doomed.]

Qi Wuyuan refused Chen sao’s request and put on the clothes himself.

The wedding robe looked exquisite, but in reality it was just a simple outer garment, easy to wear.

Qi Wuyuan wrapped himself in the robe, picked up the red candle from the table, and followed Chen sao out of the room.

Outside in the pitch-black night, he vaguely saw a tall, slender figure standing.

When Qi Wuyuan accidentally met its gaze, from a pair of blood-red eyes he instantly felt a piercing, bone-deep chill.

Danger.

This is a corpse shrouded in resentment.

Such corpses are the most troublesome — with the slightest provocation they can easily turn into vengeful ghosts.

Qi Wuyuan ignored the subconscious warning, and in the midst of their gaze he slowly curved his lips into a smile.

Coincidentally, the kind of dead he fears the least is exactly this kind.

Perfectly aligned with his specialty.