You're a Stone Statue Weird, So Why Are You at a Crematorium?

"Listen carefully. Your job is to drive the players around and find a way to kill them. At the very least, cripple them before they reach me! It'll be dark soon, so get going now!"

Stone Statue Weird brought Xu Kai into the instance and handed him a car key, then vanished as soon as he finished speaking.

Ding!

[Instance mission: Play the role of a funeral car driver, transport remains and accompanying family members, and kill/cripple the players]

[Please follow these three principles]

[1. Do not directly harm players without a legitimate reason]

[2. Do not maliciously obstruct players while performing the duties of your role]

[3. NPCs subordinate to Weirds must complete the tasks assigned by their Weird. Rewards will be determined by the game]

[Mission reward: Increase maximum Weird energy by 10%. Failure penalty: Death]

The game's voice sounded at just the right moment, but Xu Kai was still reeling from the shock of entering the instance.

From the moment he entered the instance, his five senses had changed completely.

His eyes could see only gray and white, along with the red of Weird energy. He could smell the faint odor of burning from a distant cremation furnace, and his hearing could pick up extremely distant and subtle sounds.

As for taste, Xu Kai picked up a lump of dirt and chewed it. It had no flavor.

He fell silent.

This was a black-and-white world, and it even felt unreal to Xu Kai. He spent a long time adjusting to his senses.

After coming back to himself, Xu Kai went over the mission. When he saw the words "funeral car driver," he understood that this was his assigned role.

As the driver, he needed to fulfill his role-playing duties by transporting the deceased and their family members. As one of the game's evils, he needed to help the boss kill the players.

The penalty for failure was death, so there was nothing more to say. That was probably why Stone Statue Weird was so desperate for expendable help.

There was a funeral car right in front of Xu Kai. Behind it stood a large building, with a sign out front clearly reading "Feng Town Crematorium."

Xu Kai froze for a moment when he saw the sign. He had thought Stone Statue Weird's death must have had something to do with wax figures or stone, but he hadn't expected him to be the boss of a crematorium.

Could Stone Statue Weird have burned to death? Would his Weird talent have something to do with fire?

Xu Kai didn't dwell on it. He set his speculation aside for the moment and focused on the mission.

The mission required him to play a role. Although it gave no deadline, Xu Kai could imagine that someone at the destination must be waiting for him to pick them up. If he missed them, he would be wiped out.

He immediately took out the car key, opened the door, climbed into the driver's seat, and shut the door.

He had learned to drive in college and had driven a similar vehicle before, but this was a Weird instance, so he had to be careful with everything he did.

Fortunately, his bodily coordination and fluidity of movement hadn't changed much. Xu Kai was gradually adapting to his condition inside the instance.

As soon as he got into the car, he saw a map and a note in front of the steering wheel. They gave detailed instructions to pick up a body and two family members outside number 3, Big Tree Street, Maple Town.

The deceased's surname was Wang. He had been around forty-five and had died from a fall from a height. The family members accompanying him were his younger brother, Wang Bangzheng, and his daughter, Wang Hua.

The small map in front of the steering wheel showed the pickup and drop-off routes in detail. Xu Kai looked it over and saw that the routes there and back were different, forming what looked like a large loop.

Without hesitating, Xu Kai checked the inside and outside of the car. It had plenty of fuel, and everything was normal. He gently spread the map beneath the windshield, held it down with two stickers, started the engine, and set off.

Outside number 3, Big Tree Street, Maple Town, a female player stared blankly ahead.

She had white cloth draped over her shoulders and wore mourning clothes. The game's voice filled her ears, buzzing incessantly in her head.

After a long while, her vacant eyes finally regained some life. She murmured in disbelief:

"This is amazing. I really did get transported into a game world, and I actually became a player! The NPCs here are so realistic! But why is my game name Wang Hua? It sounds awful. I should change it to Peach Blossom Fairy instead."

Wang Hua wasn't even afraid after hearing the game's voice. She even complained to herself.

After all, she had known from the moment she entered that this was a single-player instance. Everyone else was an NPC, so they couldn't possibly care what she said or did.

Besides, the mission was simply to hand over the deceased's ashes and survive for an hour. It didn't say there was a penalty for failure, and there was even a logout button on her game interface. If she couldn't win, she could just log out.

She also had an extremely powerful talent, Gaze Binding. By spending mental energy, she could hold an enemy in place with her gaze.

How could I lose? Can't I just play however I want?

She even ignored the furious looks from the other family members, lifted the covering, and commented cheerfully:

"This NPC sure died ugly."

Smack!

"Girl! How can you talk like that? How dare you do such a thing! How can you face your dead father?"

Wang Bangzheng slapped Wang Hua hard across the face. Her cheek visibly swelled.

"Huh? How dare you hit me? Something's wrong with this game. Aren't enemies supposed to glow red?"

She stared at Wang Bangzheng in disbelief, gently holding the side of her face as tears welled up in her eyes.

The pain in this game felt far too real. She tried to open the game interface and adjust the pain sensitivity, only to find there was no such option.

"What kind of brain-dead game doesn't even have that? And they expect me to spend money?"

Wang Hua complained angrily, but deep down she felt a faint fear. This wasn't what the game's advertising had said; once she was inside, it was rather different from the description.

She hurriedly used her talent, staring fixedly at Wang Bangzheng, who was about to hit her again. Her head grew heavy, and the talent took effect. Wang Bangzheng stopped moving, his face still frozen in anger at his niece's gross disrespect.

"Thought so. If my talent didn't work, I wouldn't play anymore."

Wang Hua held her head and kept her eyes fixed on Wang Bangzheng as she threatened him:

"I'm not your niece. See my power? Don't even think about running away! Get in the hearse with me, and don't let those relatives behind us find out! Otherwise, I'll kill you."

After saying that, Wang Hua released her talent skill. She had to admit, the game was quite realistic. The anger on Wang Bangzheng's face quickly turned to fear, and he stood trembling beside her, not daring to move.

Wang Hua was actually bluffing. After using her talent, her brain felt as though it were being stabbed with needles. If she used it again anytime soon, she would faint on the spot. She had even forced herself to deliver that threat.

"Beep, beep."

Just then, a funeral car drove up from the distance. When Wang Hua saw a young man step out, she looked him up and down, and her eyes lit up at once.

He had short, tousled black hair, deep-set eyes, a sharply defined face, and bright brows and eyes. He was 1.8 meters tall, with firm muscles and a well-proportioned build. He also wore black mourning clothes with black patterns, giving him a wonderful bearing.

If her talent had recovered, Wang Hua would have been ready to throw herself at him. After all, the game hadn't said there were any restrictions.

The young man was Xu Kai. His face looked the same as it had in his previous life. He had already checked in the car's rearview mirror, and it hadn't changed in the instance. As before, he was still far less handsome than those novel readers in his dorm and around his school.

After Xu Kai got out of the car, he saw the scene inside the doorway of number 3 at a glance: a middle-aged man and a young woman, with a body covered in white cloth behind them.

The other relatives were farther back, some distance away. Presumably, the two people in front were the ones he was supposed to transport for the mission.

He saw that traces of tears remained on the middle-aged man's face. His fingers and calves were still trembling slightly, the corners of his eyes drooped, and he was utterly unwilling to raise his head, as if some terrible calamity had befallen him. Presumably, he was overcome with grief.

The girl beside him was a stark contrast. The corners of her eyes tilted upward, her mouth curved slightly, and her body was half-turned as she looked at him as though admiring some object.

Xu Kai froze for a moment. He had an urge to take out the note and check it carefully. Isn't the girl the deceased's daughter? Honestly, even if she's a player, she should at least act a little more convincingly.

"My condolences. I'm Xu Kai, the driver. You're the one who contacted the crematorium earlier, right? I'm younger, so if I may be so bold, I'll call you Uncle Wang. Don't worry, Uncle Wang. We'll make sure the old gentleman has a smooth and proper journey."

Xu Kai offered him a cigarette. He saw that Wang Bangzheng wanted to take it, but glanced at the girl beside him.

When the girl made no move, Wang Bangzheng accepted it and stepped forward, saying to Xu Kai:

"You're too polite, Brother Xu. Call me whatever you like. It's getting late, so I'll lend a hand."

With that, the two men carried the body through the rear door. The vehicle had been modified, with the back section separated from the front. The rear was a refrigerated compartment, and when the two entered, a blast of cold air made Wang Bangzheng rub his hands together.

Xu Kai didn't feel much, but remembering he was playing a role, he shivered too.

While they were settling the body in place, Wang Bangzheng held a finger to his lips and whispered:

"Shh! Brother, did you come alone? Hurry and call the police. I think my niece has been possessed. She keeps staring at me and wants to take my life! Get more people here!"

"?"

Xu Kai was completely bewildered. What kind of turn was this?