Chapter Summaries

Shao Lan entered an Instance with Xu Jiawei, learned how its assigned identities and supplies worked, and prepared for the dangers ahead. At Xu Family Village, he spotted a little girl with hollow black eyes reflected in the rearview mirror.

• Shao Lan woke in a car beside player Xu Jiawei and learned that entering an Instance healed injuries and gave players assigned identities.
• Xu Jiawei explained that their identities came with money, so she and Shao Lan stocked the car with food, clothes, and knives at a rest stop.
• Shao Lan and Xu Jiawei drove to Xu Family Village, where they found the other six players, including Xu Nan and Zhang Fang.
• As Shao Lan prepared to leave the car, he saw a little girl with two black holes where her eyes should have been in the rearview mirror.

Shao Lan and Xu Jiawei escaped a swarm of eyeless children by throwing a roast duck toward Zhang Fang, who was attacked before the village chief intervened. The group arrived at the Xu Family Village guesthouse, where the chief welcomed them for a three-day stay, and their first tea tasted fishy.

• Xu Jiawei gave chips to an eyeless girl, drawing a crowd of eyeless children that surrounded the car.
• Shao Lan threw a roast duck toward Zhang Fang, and the children swarmed him and bit his greasy hand.
• The village chief stopped the children, apologized to Zhang Fang, and sent Xu Jiaojiao with him to the Health Station.
• Shao Lan learned that Xu Jiawei, Xu Zijian, Xu Jiaojiao, and Xu Nan were the four players from Xu Family Village, while the others were their partners.
• The village chief welcomed all eight players to the guesthouse and said they would stay for three days.
• A player tasted the tea served at the guesthouse and complained that it tasted fishy.

Shao Lan and the other players discovered that the village’s tea contained fish scales and found their assigned rooms in the eerie guesthouse. When Shao Lan encountered Zhang Fang in the corridor, he noticed the man’s bandages were glowing and realized something was wrong with his eyes.

• Song Liru and Xu Nan argued over the fishy tea, and a quiet woman named Qin Ning caught Xu Nan’s thrown cup without spilling a drop on herself.
• Shao Lan spotted fish scales floating among the tea leaves, and the village chief told the players to rest before activities began the next day.
• Xu Jiaojiao warned Song Liru that the four rooms prepared by the Instance might be necessary for survival, and the players found their names carved beside the doors.
• Shao Lan memorized the players’ names and entered the Moon Viewing room with Xu Jiawei, who took a bath while he chose the sofa.
• Shao Lan went into the corridor, noticed the medicine-coated bandages on Zhang Fang’s bitten arm gleaming, and saw that something was wrong with Zhang Fang’s eyes.

Shao Lan discovered that Xu Jiawei had been acting strangely and found her corpse in the bathtub. As he tried to alert the other players, Xu Jiawei appeared alive at the door.

• Shao Lan saw Zhang Fang pacing the corridor and singing eerily, then told Xu Jiaojiao about his behavior.
• Xu Jiaojiao and Xu Zijian described how Zhang Fang and Qin Ning had ignored their roommates, and the players returned to their assigned rooms rather than risk breaking a rule.
• Shao Lan found Xu Jiawei missing from the bedroom and discovered her corpse in the bathtub.
• Shao Lan struggled to open the room door to notify the others, but Xu Jiawei pushed it open from outside.

Shao Lan exposed the bathtub corpse as a hallucination by spotting a contradiction between two mirrors, then learned that Zhang Fang’s song caused listeners to hallucinate and go mad. The chapter ended with Xu Jiawei preparing to kill Zhang Fang after he fell under the song’s influence.

• Shao Lan noticed that the corpse’s eyes differed between the large and small mirrors and broke the small mirror, dispelling the corpse hallucination.
• Shao Lan lost consciousness after hearing Zhang Fang’s song again and woke the next morning to find Xu Jiawei hallucinating that Shao Lan was dead.
• Shao Lan knocked Xu Jiawei unconscious and used pain from a knife prick to bring her back to her senses.
• Shao Lan explained that the song caused hallucinations and madness, and he suspected Zhang Fang’s wound from the eyeless children was involved.
• Xu Jiawei picked up a heavy Bronze Vase and announced that she would kill Zhang Fang.

Xu Jiawei tried to silence Zhang Fang to prevent his singing from endangering the players, but Xu Nan stopped her and revealed that Song Liru had been missing since the previous night. The players gathered to question him, and the chapter ended with Qin Ning abruptly stopping their argument.

• Xu Jiawei prepared to scald Zhang Fang mute, but Xu Nan rushed in and threatened her and Shao Lan to protect his brother.
• Xu Jiawei warned Xu Nan that she would kill him and Zhang Fang if Zhang Fang sang again, and Xu Nan put away his knife.
• Xu Nan said Song Liru had gone out the previous night and never returned, prompting the players to gather and question him.
• Xu Nan said Song Liru had left after they fought, while Shao Lan recalled that she had previously complained Xu Nan hit her.
• Xu Jiaojiao accused Xu Nan of failing to look for Song Liru, and Xu Nan insisted he had thought she was staying with Xu Jiaojiao.
• Qin Ning kicked the metal door three times and told everyone to stop arguing because they were too noisy.

Shao Lan had the group compare their movements to determine when Song Liru disappeared. Their accounts established that Song Liru was last seen during the hallway conversation, which ended around nine ten.

• Shao Lan proposed that the seven people present explain their movements and witnesses, and Qin Ning agreed to begin.
• Qin Ning said she went out alone to retrieve supplies by climbing down from a window, then described her movements and said Xu Zijian could vouch for their time together.
• Xu Zijian recounted joining the hallway conversation and later going with Xu Jiaojiao to fetch supplies; he said others could confirm most of his movements.
• Shao Lan asked whether Song Liru had been in the hallway when Xu Zijian and Xu Jiaojiao passed the second floor, and Xu Jiaojiao said they had not seen her.
• Xu Nan insisted Song Liru had not returned to their room, and Shao Lan concluded that she was last seen when the hallway conversation ended around nine ten.

The group reviewed everyone’s timelines to determine what happened to Song Liru, but found no evidence against Zhang Fang and remained suspicious of Xu Nan and Qin Ning. As the group split up to investigate, Shao Lan questioned Xu Jiaojiao about her closeness to Xu Zijian, leaving her uneasy that Shao Lan knew more than he was saying.

• Xu Jiawei narrowed Song Liru’s disappearance to the ten minutes between nine ten and nine twenty and identified Xu Nan and Qin Ning as the main suspects.
• Shao Lan pointed out that Zhang Fang had not given a timeline, but Xu Jiaojiao and Xu Jiawei confirmed he had stayed on the third floor and could not have met Song Liru.
• Xu Zijian urged the group to stop arguing and search for Song Liru, suggesting they inspect Xu Nan and Song Liru’s room.
• Qin Ning refused to join the search and walked away alone, while Shao Lan left to follow her.
• Shao Lan asked Xu Jiaojiao why she had gone with Xu Zijian to collect supplies instead of asking him, and Xu Jiaojiao later told Xu Zijian that she thought Shao Lan knew something.

Shao Lan secretly approached Qin Ning and traded information for her promise of one instance of combat support. He argued that Xu Jiaojiao and Xu Zijian had conspired to kill Song Liru, leaving Qin Ning with a new lead.

• Qin Ning noticed someone following her and drew her Miao Saber before Shao Lan revealed himself.
• Shao Lan asked Qin Ning to work with him, then offered information in exchange for one unconditional instance of combat support.
• Qin Ning accepted the trade, and Shao Lan said Xu Jiaojiao and Xu Zijian had killed Song Liru together.
• Shao Lan explained that Xu Zijian had obstructed the timeline reconstruction and given a suspicious account.
• Shao Lan reasoned that only Qin Ning, Xu Zijian, and Xu Jiaojiao had left the Guesthouse, and that Xu Jiaojiao was the one who could have lured Song Liru outside.

Shao Lan explained how Xu Jiaojiao’s answer about seeking Xu Zijian instead of Song Liru exposed a flaw in her account, leading him to conclude that Xu Jiaojiao and Xu Zijian had gone out together to kill Song Liru. He and Qin Ning parted after discussing where Song Liru might be hidden and exchanging a question.

• Shao Lan told Qin Ning that Xu Jiaojiao’s claim that she was closer to Xu Zijian made no sense because Song Liru had been her closest friend.
• Shao Lan concluded that Xu Jiaojiao and Xu Zijian had lied about collecting supplies and had gone out together to kill Song Liru.
• Shao Lan said he suspected Xu Jiaojiao and Xu Zijian knew something the others did not and suggested searching the village for Song Liru’s body.
• Shao Lan asked Qin Ning whether she had ever killed anyone, and Qin Ning answered yes before refusing to answer his follow-up question.
• Shao Lan and Qin Ning ended their conversation and took different paths at the fork.

Shao Lan returned to the guesthouse, where the group learned Qin Ning had come back and the Village Chief invited them to eat seafood rice noodles. Shao Lan discovered the noodles were worms, but Zhang Fang ate bowl after bowl before choking and running toward the sea.

• Shao Lan returned to the guesthouse and found Xu Jiaojiao, while Xu Nan and Xu Zijian questioned the waitress about the missing Song Liru.
• Qin Ning came back and sat alone, and the Village Chief arrived to reassure Xu Nan that the villagers would help search for his missing wife.
• The Village Chief led the group to lunch, where Shao Lan noticed the seafood rice noodles were actually white, threadlike worms.
• Shao Lan and the others gave their bowls to Zhang Fang, who devoured seven servings despite the Village Chief trying to stop him.
• Zhang Fang clutched his throat, said he could not breathe, and suddenly sprinted toward the sea.

Shao Lan and Qin Ning stopped Zhang Fang from drowning himself and concluded that sea-related contamination had made him believe he was a fish. They left to search for Song Liru separately, but both headed downstairs as the Village Chief and the other players returned.

• Zhang Fang ran toward the sea, but Shao Lan grabbed him and Qin Ning knocked him unconscious before they could drag him back to shore.
• Shao Lan claimed to be a doctor and took Zhang Fang to his room, where he restrained him and told Qin Ning he needed Zhang Fang to save him.
• Shao Lan reasoned that Zhang Fang believed he was a fish because his soul had been contaminated, and Qin Ning identified the sea as the likely source of the contamination.
• Shao Lan suspected the glimmering things from Zhang Fang's bandages had entered his body, but he found nothing unusual in the wound.
• Qin Ning decided to search for Song Liru, and Shao Lan followed while insisting they were searching separately.
• Shao Lan and Qin Ning descended to the second floor and heard the Village Chief returning with the other players.

Shao Lan and Qin Ning learned that children on the island were born without eyes and had to receive them before turning eighteen to survive. They discovered the Village Chief was withholding eyes from the dying Xiao Cai, and Xu Xiao Hong volunteered to take his sister into the sea to get them.

• Shao Lan and Qin Ning escaped the Guesthouse and found Xu Xiao Hong being beaten by his father for skipping a fishing trip.
• Shao Lan fed Xu Xiao Hong and learned that children without eyes weakened and died at eighteen, while adults with eyes could not go near the sea.
• Shao Lan realized the island had few adults because most children died before reaching adulthood without receiving eyes from the Village Chief.
• Qin Ning gave Xu Xiao Hong food and milk, which he fed to his unconscious sister, Xiao Cai.
• The Village Chief refused to give Xiao Cai eyes because she was too weak to enter the sea, and Xu Xiao Hong offered to take her there himself.

Xu Xiaohong tried to send Xu Xiaocai out to sea so she could regain her sight, but Qin Ning and Shao Lan rescued the siblings when they were swept into danger. Shao Lan discovered Song Liru’s strange, blind-fish-like body following Xu Xiaocai’s board, and he proposed going sea fishing after the Village Chief and Xu Gao reacted uneasily to the idea.

• The Village Chief agreed to let Xu Xiaohong attempt to restore Xu Xiaocai’s sight by sending her out to sea, and Shao Lan and Qin Ning followed them to the shore.
• Xu Xiaohong pushed Xu Xiaocai’s board into the sea, but a wave knocked him down, so Qin Ning jumped in and helped bring him back toward shore.
• Xu Xiaocai returned on the board with her sight restored, and Shao Lan swam out to rescue her as the tide rose.
• Shao Lan spotted Song Liru’s corpse in the water, with silvery skin and calcified eye sockets, slowly following Xu Xiaocai’s board.
• After Xu Gao thanked them and the Village Chief suggested rescheduling a performance, Shao Lan proposed going sea fishing, which made the Village Chief and Xu Gao uneasy.

Shao Lan noticed that Xu Zijian’s name had been carved with the wrong character, bringing him closer to understanding his opponent’s scheme. Meanwhile, Xu Jiawei and Shao Lan investigated Zhang Fang’s disappearance as Xu Nan awaited a secret visitor.

• The Village Chief allowed Shao Lan to observe the sea from shore but forbade him from going out to sea before marrying Jiawei.
• Qin Ning showed Shao Lan the food labels, and he realized that Xu Zijian’s carved name used the wrong character for Jian.
• Shao Lan told Qin Ning to keep Xu Zijian and Xu Jiaojiao occupied, then discovered Zhang Fang had vanished from the Moon-Viewing Pavilion.
• Xu Jiawei agreed that Xu Nan was the prime suspect in Zhang Fang’s disappearance and went to question him.
• Xu Nan waited for his secret contact, and Xu Jiawei appeared at his door.

Xu Jiawei sent Xu Nan away to take the blame for Zhang Fang’s disappearance, while Qin Ning was attacked on a dark path. The group gathered to watch the sea fishing, and Shao Lan chose to postpone searching for the missing men until daylight.

• Xu Jiawei gave Xu Nan supplies and told him to disappear so she could blame him for Zhang Fang’s disappearance and deflect suspicion from herself.
• A masked attacker slashed at Qin Ning, but she kicked the figure away; the attacker fled into the bushes before she could identify them.
• Qin Ning joined Xu Jiaojiao and Xu Zijian on their way to watch the sea fishing.
• Xu Jiawei told the group that Zhang Fang and Xu Nan were missing, and Shao Lan decided they should wait until daylight to search.
• As the children gathered by the boats, Shao Lan heard Xu Xiaohong say that he would catch fish to make soup for his sister.

Shao Lan questioned Xu Gao about Mother Ming and the village’s practices, then arranged with Qin Ning to escape when an opportunity arose. As the children fished offshore, Shao Lan spotted a mass of Blind Fish silently approaching their boats.

• Xu Gao told Shao Lan that Mother Ming was the village’s god and became distraught when Shao Lan challenged the idea that her treatment of the villagers was love.
• Shao Lan inferred that Xu Gao had seen the outside world and was trapped in the village for the sake of his children; Xu Gao admitted he wanted to end everything but lacked the courage.
• Shao Lan told Qin Ning that they must run as soon as Xu Jiawei stopped watching them, calling it their only chance to survive.
• Shao Lan questioned why the villagers used fishing rods instead of nets, then noticed rows of white Blind Fish approaching the children’s boats.
• The Village Chief watched the Blind Fish advance and cried out in terror, asking why they had come.

Shao Lan’s plan drew the Blind Fish to Xu Nan, while Xu Xiaohong kept the children safe by following Shao Lan’s advice. After Xu Nan was devoured, Xu Jiawei realized Shao Lan and Qin Ning had escaped and ordered every boat burned.

• The Blind Fish swarmed the children’s fishing boat, terrifying the villagers and prompting Nannan’s mother to try to rush into the sea.
• Xu Xiaohong recalled Shao Lan’s warning, told the children to sit still, and watched as the Blind Fish passed without harming them.
• Xu Jiawei realized the Blind Fish were targeting the bait barrel at the stern, where Xu Nan had been locked inside.
• The Blind Fish broke the barrel, devoured Xu Nan, and then dispersed as the children’s boat returned safely to shore.
• Xu Jiawei deduced that Shao Lan had hidden Xu Nan in the barrel and escaped with Qin Ning, then ordered the Village Chief to burn every boat.

Shao Lan explained the sacrifice system and the Xu faction’s scheme to Qin Ning, then revealed that Xu Jiawei had forged the Guesthouse room inscriptions to manipulate the players from the moment they checked in. Qin Ning agreed to find and kill Zhang Fang, while Xu Jiawei remained their greatest opponent.

• Shao Lan made a deal with Qin Ning to find and kill Zhang Fang in exchange for everything he had learned.
• Shao Lan explained that the villagers used Blind Fish Fry and the Sacrificial Song to turn outsiders into sacrifices whose eyes could be given to eyeless children.
• Shao Lan concluded that Zhang Fang had been infected through medicine and that Xu Jiaojiao and Xu Zijian had forced Blind Fish Fry on Song Liru.
• Shao Lan revealed that Xu Jiawei had pretended to be affected by the Sacrificial Song because it could not harm members of the Xu Family Village faction.
• Shao Lan connected the misspelled inscription for Xu Zijian to deliberate sabotage and revealed that Xu Jiawei had carved the names while the others were drinking tea.

Shao Lan and Qin Ning realized Xu Jiawei had used the room assignments to isolate the sacrifices, but the Xu family’s inability to approach the sea gave them a possible escape route. Xu Jiawei ordered every boat burned to prevent that escape, and Shao Lan began planning to persuade someone in the village to help.

• Shao Lan and Qin Ning concluded that Xu Jiawei had manipulated the room assignments to separate and control the sacrifices.
• Shao Lan identified the sea as a possible way out because the Xu family could not go near it, while Xu Jiawei learned of the threat and ordered every boat in Xu Family Village burned.
• Xu Jiawei explained that she had tried to eliminate the sacrifices quickly, but the plan had faltered after Xu Nan died and Shao Lan and Qin Ning remained unharmed.
• Xu Jiawei told Xu Jiaojiao and Xu Zijian that the villagers would have to choose between rebuilding boats and obtaining eyes for their children.
• Shao Lan and Qin Ning watched the boats burn, and Shao Lan said he could not stop the village but could try to persuade someone.
• Shao Lan asked Qin Ning to finish telling him about the attempt on her life.