"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.
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.
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?