There's definitely something wrong with this murder mystery game

"Rainy Night Villa".

If you see stairs in the forest, don't walk up them carelessly; if you see a house in the mountains, it's best not to enter lightly.

On a stormy summer night, a torrential downpour trapped several travelers in the mountains, and while they were looking for a way out, they stumbled upon a luxurious manor halfway up the mountain.

The manor owner warmly welcomed the travelers. Since the mountain roads were dangerous on a rainy night, the group decided to stay overnight at the manor.

However, with the arrival of these unexpected guests, the quiet of the mountain manor was soon to be broken. The ugliness buried behind its gloss, the secrets unknown to others, the strange noises of the night, and the murderer lurking in the shadows were all poised to strike!

...

[Main Quest: Mission One, poison Mr. Guo, the manor owner. Mission Two, avoid being captured as the murderer.]

Xu Shuo looked over his main quest, then glanced at the others, noticing that their expressions were all more or less strange, and the atmosphere suddenly became awkwardly quiet.

Seeing this, he almost wanted to laugh.

It seemed that everyone had complicated identities. Was this really just a simple tutorial script?

After a while, the girl holding the sketchbook was the first to speak, frowning as she said, "It seems like a murder-mystery script, doesn't it?"

No sooner had she finished speaking than the woman in the black dress cleared her throat and said leisurely, "These kinds of detective scripts are common for beginners. In a Scripted Murder Game, after the plot starts, we just follow along and then find the murderer."

Then, with a suggestive arch of her eyebrow, she added, "Let's discuss what our identities and main quests are before we start."

Hearing this, Xu Shuo's gaze flickered slightly. As the murderer, he continued to maintain his character of speaking very little from the start.

The girl with the sketchbook gave her a look but didn't speak.

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The other few hesitated for a moment and were about to speak, when suddenly, the system's voice that had disappeared rang out again.

[Before the script starts, players are prohibited from revealing their real identities and mission details. Scripted Murder Games are all about immersive experiences. Each player has a unique identity. Please embody your roles with all your heart.]

After the warning, the voice disappeared.

The hall fell into silence once more, and the people exchanged glances, with only the woman in the black dress looking visibly embarrassed.

She clenched her fists at her waist and then quickly adjusted her demeanor, pretending to be relaxed as she said, "Well, nothing to be done then. I was thinking of getting to know the plot thoroughly and then breezing through it with you all, but since the system doesn't allow it, let's drop it."

The girl with the sketchbook snorted coldly but said nothing.

The other three, who had no experience with scripted murder games, didn't quite understand the situation and could only offer embarrassed smiles.

As it looked like the conversation was about to stall, Xu Shuo, not wanting to waste these ten minutes, spoke up, "We're only told not to reveal our identities, so we can still introduce ourselves, right? I remember that we can introduce our roles before a Scripted Murder Game starts?"

After he finished speaking, everyone waited a moment and heard no further warnings from the system.

The girl with the sketchbook looked towards him and took the lead, saying, "I am a sketch artist. Because I painted too late today and ran into heavy rain, I passed by this manor while coming down the mountain, so I came in to seek shelter."

Xu Shuo nodded and also volunteered, "I am the resident chef of the manor."

He kept it short, because his identity was indeed that simple.

After the two of them had introduced themselves, the woman in the black dress, not to be outdone, quickly said, "My name is Zhan Qian, a guest invited by the villa owner, and I am a mysticist."

Her identity seemed rather special, and the group looked at her in surprise. The French-style black dress, her cool and exquisite makeup, the hexagram necklace around her neck, and the other jewelry she wore, indeed gave off a mystic vibe.

After the three experienced with Scripted Murder Games had introduced themselves, the other three novices also began introducing themselves.

"Well, my character's name is Tan Xiaohe, she is..."

"Wait a minute," the mysticist lady suddenly interrupted another girl who started to speak, with an unhurried tone, "When introducing yourself in a Scripted Murder Game, it's best not to talk in the third person. You are now that person, so it's better to directly immerse yourself in the role."

"Oh…"

The girl looked awkward for a moment, pulled a wry smile, and continued, "My name is Tan Xiaohe. I came to the mountains for hiking with my boyfriend and got lost. Then the heavy rain came, and we ended up at the manor."

"You and your boyfriend?" Zhan Qian raised an eyebrow.

"That, I might actually be her boyfriend..."

Just then, another man raised his hand, saying embarrassedly, "My name is Yang Ming. I came hiking with my girlfriend, got lost, and then the heavy rain caught us, so we ended up seeking shelter here."

Upon hearing this, Xu Shuo sized up the two people without a change in expression.

After they finished introducing themselves, there was still one last person.

The man wearing the utility vest picked up the SLR camera on his chest and said awkwardly, "Well, I'm a photographer. I was shooting material in the mountains, and then when night fell and the heavy rain made descending impossible, I came to the manor to seek shelter. This is so embarrassing... I don't even know how to take photos."

The man who didn't know photography had ended up with the role of photographer.

Xu Shuo thought it over and was relieved that he actually knew how to cook, otherwise these people would have nothing to eat later.

Among the six people, three had introduced themselves with names, and three had only stated their identities.

Having a name didn't necessarily mean anything, and not having one didn't denote anything either. It just added more suspense to the Scripted Murder Game.

Xu Shuo was clear that he wasn't an 'ob' character; not having a name but yet being the murderer.

But in a Scripted Murder Game, sometimes you think you're the murderer, but actually you're not. You think you killed someone, but in fact the real killer is someone else.

And just when you think it's a twist, oh no, here comes another twist—you really are the murderer.

Surprised or not?

…

[The Scripted Murder Game "Rainy Night Villa" will begin in one minute. Please return to your character positions immediately. Those not in their designated positions in one minute will be forcibly transferred.]

At this moment, the system's voice rang out again, accompanied by a 3D arrow indicating the way.

Xu Shuo had to get back to the kitchen; that was where he had spawned.

The others also stood up from the sofa, one after another. Zhan Qian looked at the three new players with tense faces and lifted her chin, saying, "Don't worry. You won't have to do much later on, just follow my lead. I'll take you through the game like a boss!"

After saying that, she walked away, her long legs hidden beneath her maxi skirt swaying as she turned into the corridor.

Once she was gone, the cute-dressed painter girl scoffed and rolled her eyes disdainfully: "Tch, what's so great about her."

The system's countdown was already ticking. The few new players gave an awkward smile, exchanged polite words, then hurriedly followed the direction of the arrow back to their character positions.

The several travelers who had stumbled into the manor and gotten lost had their spawn points in the villa's guestrooms, along the corridor on the second floor to the right. Only the invited Mysticist was staying in the second corridor to the left, which seems to be closer to the Manor Owner's room.

Xu Shuo was still standing in the hall when he suddenly became curious and asked inwardly, 'System, will I be erased if I fail the mission?'

[Script Space will not erase any players for any reason. However, once a new player loses their newbie protection, death in the script is equivalent to actual death.]

The system's voice subsequently echoed in his mind.

Xu Shuo raised an eyebrow. Having read so many novels, he rarely encountered a system that didn't erase its host. It felt a bit unusual.

Oh, wait, this system didn't seem to be his.

Thus, Xu Shuo watched the others return to their rooms and waited until the one-minute countdown ended.

The next moment, his vision blurred, and he found himself standing in the kitchen.

At the same time, the system's voice sounded—

[As you did not reach the designated location within the specified time, 10 points have been deducted from your performance value. Your current performance value is -10. If the performance value is below 100 at the end of the game, a penalty mechanism will be activated.]

Xu Shuo: "…"

What is a performance value?