Daybreak

"A Xi, dawn has come."

Standing behind the Ghost Bride, Su Bai was speaking not only to the Ghost Bride before him, but also to A Xi within his Vengeful Ghost Puzzle.

The flames soaring into the sky seemed to awaken the eternal night of the Nightmare World.

With her back to Su Bai, the Ghost Bride pulled off the bridal veil that had covered her eyes all this time, then turned to face him.

In the firelight, the bloody hole in A Xi's chest no longer bled, and a faint smile of relief graced her delicate face. Under Su Bai's surprised gaze, A Xi smiled and reached out to him.

"Do you want to come with me?"

Even after being reborn, Su Bai was somewhat bewildered by what was happening before him. His Vengeful Ghost Puzzle ability could indeed take in Vengeful Ghosts and supernatural entities that retained their humanity and willingly left with him. But... his puzzle already contained the Ghost Bride, A Xi. If he took another A Xi with him...

Just as Su Bai hesitated, a voice whispered in his ear.

A Xi within the Vengeful Ghost Puzzle also wanted him to take the Ghost Bride before him away.

Su Bai had no idea what had happened when the two Ghost Brides resonated earlier, but he naturally chose to trust A Xi, who was like family to him. Without hesitation, he reached out with his right hand and clasped the Ghost Bride's hand.

A cloud of bloody mist dispersed amid the firelight. The Ghost Bride standing before Su Bai vanished, leaving only a whisper drifting past his ear.

"Thank you."

"And... stay alive."

As the wielder of the Vengeful Ghost Puzzle, Su Bai could confirm that the puzzle within his body had neither gained nor lost any pieces. There was still only one Ghost Bride within it. Yet after the Ghost Bride before him vanished, he sensed that A Xi's puzzle piece had undergone some subtle changes.

But when Su Bai tried to communicate with A Xi to find out exactly what had changed about her, he discovered that her puzzle piece seemed to have fallen asleep and was difficult to awaken. The sensation was rather like an upgrade cooldown in a game.

The Red Moon's icy light fell over Su Bai. Looking around, he discovered that the villagers and houses of the Ghost Village had vanished without a trace, as though burned to ashes. Only the towering flames remained, spreading along both sides of the path.

The Ghost Village's existence ended there.

Perhaps there would never be another beginner game on the Route 444 Last Bus.

"Hm?"

Su Bai had thought he was the only one left nearby. But as he prepared to turn and return to the bus to wait with Qin Ge and the others for the notification announcing the game's end, he noticed a figure in a filthy white nurse's uniform standing a short distance behind him.

It was the Nurse who was always crying.

"Hungry?" Su Bai glanced toward the bus again and asked with a half-serious smile, "Wasn't there enough food on the bus?"

The Nurse shook her head as she sobbed with her head lowered. Then she looked up and scrubbed at the tear tracks on her face with her sleeve, but wiped nothing away. The tears and grime obscured her features, yet her beautiful eyes held a clarity rarely seen in the Nightmare World.

Perhaps it was because she cried so often?

The Nurse stopped sobbing and simply looked at Su Bai with curiosity. "You have so many wounds. I can help you before they split open."

"Wounds?" Su Bai looked himself over in confusion. He could see no wounds anywhere within his field of vision, let alone anything that might "split open," which sounded terrifying enough on its own.

But the Nurse shook her head without offering much explanation. She merely took a few more steps toward Su Bai and pleaded earnestly, "In exchange, please hide me."

Though the Nurse's words were strange and lacked context, Su Bai had considerations of his own.

After organizing his thoughts and choosing his words, Su Bai moved closer to the Nurse and asked softly, "Then, do you know Hospital No. 666?"

The instant the Nurse heard "Hospital No. 666," an unmistakable change came over her eyes and expression.

She needed to say nothing more. Su Bai already had his answer from her face.

"We have a deal." Su Bai did not draw things out. Instead, he held out his right hand to the Nurse. "From this day forward, I'll borrow your power and take responsibility for your wish."

Vengeful Ghost Puzzle!

Su Bai's right hand clasped the Nurse's left. She smiled faintly, then dissolved into a bloody mist that dispersed in an instant, leaving only a heartfelt plea in his ear-

"Please, keep yourself safe."

Feeling another piece join the puzzle within his body, Su Bai could not help sighing inwardly. Though players' abilities existed to help them survive, the Vengeful Ghost Puzzle had both advantages and drawbacks for him.

Still, meeting these unusual ghosts and borrowing their power was a stroke of fortune for Su Bai in either lifetime.

Especially after the Nurse became a new puzzle piece within his body, he discovered that her ability could do more than serve as a weapon against supernatural entities. It could even help humans who were injured or ill!

In other words, by borrowing the Nurse's power, Su Bai could even help his mother, who still lay unconscious in bed!

Taking the Nurse in would very likely entangle him with some place calling itself Hospital No. 666, but being able to help his mother was an unexpected delight.

Looking around, Su Bai saw that the Ghost Village had been destroyed, the Ghost Bride A Xi had once again become part of his puzzle, and even the last special passenger on the Route 444 Bus had hidden inside the puzzle to escape the game. He knew that even though they had survived in the game for less than twelve hours, it would inevitably declare their victory and end ahead of time.

So Su Bai walked toward the bus while waiting for that familiar voice.

Before he could reach the bus, the oddly mocking voice rang out, just as he had expected-

"Ding, ding!"

"The game is about to end."

"Fortunate human, dear temporary resident of the Nightmare World, all hostile units in this minigame have gone offline. Congratulations on successfully clearing the game and becoming an official resident of the Nightmare World."

"As a reward for clearing this minigame, you will receive a trait unique to you... hm? Ahem, your unique trait: Enhanced Puzzle Ability."

"In addition, you may choose to remain in the Nightmare World or proceed immediately to the real world. Dear resident, if you choose to remain in the Nightmare World, you will be sent to a relatively safe area. If you choose to proceed to the real world, you will return to the location you occupied before the game began."

"Please state your choice aloud."

Su Bai was no stranger to this peculiar voice, but even in his previous life, he had never learned whose voice it was, much less where it came from.

In his previous life, Su Bai had felt no attachment to the real world, so he had always chosen to remain in the Nightmare World. Not only did that spare him from thinking about matters in the real world, but it also allowed him to absorb power faster beneath the Red Moon.

This time, however, Su Bai had a reason he had to return.

"I choose to return to the real world."

"Dear resident, next stop-the real world. Passengers wishing to disembark, please prepare in advance. Hahahaha!" The mocking voice even made a joke about the Route 444 Last Bus.

"Ten... nine... eight... seven..."

"Special reminder: the White Faction is currently at a disadvantage."

"Have a pleasant journey."

"Also..."

Just as Su Bai closed his eyes and prepared to leave the Nightmare World, the voice that had always seemed to come from beyond the heavens suddenly appeared beside his ear. As though whispering directly into it, the voice left him with an inexplicable message-

"Give that one my regards."