ICSST Ch10: Conjugation

The crisp sound of the door opening struck Zhou Qi’an’s soul.

He had barely relaxed for two seconds before his body tensed up again.

If Xun the Wealthy caught him, no amount of explanations would suffice. The man had set up a dedicated altar, and now the statue was gone—this was serious trouble.

Without a second’s hesitation, Zhou Qi’an took a deep breath and, ignoring his sore legs, rushed downstairs.

The barrier of blood and entrails that had blocked the staircase was gone, leaving only a foul odor.

In the living room, Han Tiansheng was frowning in agitation.

“Why is everything my fault? Who knew that newcomer would be so bold, daring to reveal his son’s identity right away?”

Han Li was gloomily stroking her long red nails, “Forget it, he’s likely done for. Once he’s dead, those on the periphery can get closer to the core, and your task will come.”

Veteran players had long seen through the brutal game system.

Like modern inheritance laws, without a clear will, the wife and children are direct relatives, thus receiving the most tasks and clues.

For peripheral players to become heirs, besides pleasing Xun the Wealthy, there was a more convenient method: kill the others.

“You guys are so heartless.”

Amidst the chaotic footsteps, Zhou Qi’an appeared before them.

Han Li stood up suddenly but said nothing.

This newcomer had already brought too many surprises in one day.

Zhou Qi’an exhaled, “Thanks for another clue, folks. You two could have violently attacked me but haven’t. It seems it’s better not to randomly kill in this game.”

Their conversation was overheard by the college student still catching his breath outside, and he felt a chill.

Clearly, everyone could win together to become heirs, but to gain more inheritance, they all leaned towards mutual slaughter. He looked up at Mr. Si’s terrifying rabbit face and felt that nothing was more repulsive than human nature.

The college student asked in a daze, “Are all players like this?”

Treating human lives as if they were nothing, as if slaughtering ordinary livestock.

Mr. Si remained calm, “A piece of advice: from a human perspective, you can seek his help in times of desperation.”

The red-eyed gaze fell on Zhou Qi’an.

The college student followed the look and was stunned. Isn’t he the most heartless and terrifying one?

Mr. Si sneered, “Everyone wants to seize the inheritance through slaughter. At least his first target isn’t other players.”

Zhou Qi’an targeted NPCs more, while the sibling pair aimed to annihilate others.

Two starting points, representing two completely different attitudes.

The college student hadn’t seen Han Li harm anyone, so he instinctively retorted from his perspective, “But he’s baiting others into reporting.”

Human nature couldn’t withstand such tests.

Mr. Si returned to his stone statue state, saying meaningfully, “Then you must keep your original intention.”

Though seemingly a kind reminder, it made the college student curl his hands into his pockets in the sunlight, seeking a trace of warmth.

He was about to say something when sudden shouting scared him into silence.

“Who?! Who did this?!”

Xun the Wealthy’s furious voice echoed from the top floor, accompanied by the clattering sound of his cane as he hurried down the stairs.

Xun the Wealthy’s wrathful shouts seemed capable of lifting the roof.

Everyone thought it was a miracle he hadn’t died from anger.

“Everyone, come here!”

Even Xun Er came over, and they all sat in the living room.

“Which one of you…” Xun the Wealthy’s gaze swept over everyone, “stole the statue?”

His tone was unprecedentedly sinister, and his teeth trembled with rage.

Han Li immediately looked at Zhou Qi’an.

But she said nothing, knowing that accusing without evidence could backfire.

When Xun the Wealthy’s gaze landed on the sweaty Zhou Qi’an, it paused.

“Son, why are you sweating so much?”

Boss Wang cast a gloating glance at Zhou Qi’an.

Zhou Qi’an calmly replied, “Life lies in movement. I was just exercising, but unfortunately, there’s no equipment here.”

[Xun the Wealthy’s perception of you continues to improve, goodwill +15.]

[He finds you increasingly likable. Intermittent dementia has made him forget the unpleasantness of peeling shrimp for you last night.]

“Very good, very good.”

Seeing that Xun the Wealthy not only believed the ridiculous excuse but also showed satisfaction, the smart ones quickly deduced that he liked people who exercised.

His gaze then fell suspiciously on the college student, “Did you come in from outside? Are you hiding something?”

Unable to control his nerves, the college student hurriedly said, “I was also exercising just now.”

Xun the Wealthy suddenly grabbed his hand.

The dry skin scraped against his palm, making the college student break out in goosebumps.

“How can your hand be so cold after exercising?” Xun the Wealthy pinched his pulse, “Your heartbeat doesn’t match someone who has just exercised.”

“…I hate being lied to the most.”

In extreme panic, the college student recalled Mr. Si’s words and instinctively looked at Zhou Qi’an for help.

Zhou Qi’an remained unmoved.

Instead, Han Li suddenly said, “We agreed to do sit-ups on the lawn. He was holding my legs.”

Having just fought, Han Li was also sweaty, so this excuse barely passed.

After a brush with death, the college student looked at Han Li with a bit more unconscious dependence.

Xun the Wealthy also praised Han Li for her love of exercise, but his goodwill for her did not increase.

Han Li squinted her eyes, confirming that it’s always best to be the first to act.

Only then did Zhou Qi’an speak, “Stone carvings guard wealth and protect homes. Shouldn’t we ask the stone statue about the missing statue?”

He looked towards the door and asked the rabbit man, “How about you tell us?”

Mr. Si didn’t expect the trouble to reach him. He shook his head, indicating he knew nothing.

Xun the Wealthy snorted coldly, full of displeasure, but said nothing more.

He was still recovering from his anger, his breath coming in gasps, so Xun Er quickly helped him upstairs to take his medicine.

Zhou Qi’an lowered his eyes, realizing that his mother must have successfully snuck in and avoided Mr. Si’s notice.

But something was very wrong.

Neither Xun the Wealthy nor Xun Er showed any fear when they saw Mr. Si. They had always tacitly accepted the stone statue’s presence. Although NPCs in the game sometimes saw and heard things differently from players, rationalizing such an odd point was detrimental to uncovering the truth.

Zhou Qi’an made a reasonable guess: could Mr. Si and they know each other?

Seizing the moment while Xun Er was helping Xun the Wealthy upstairs and before everyone dispersed, Zhou Qi’an asked the college student, “Found a job yet?”

The college student twitched his mouth, thinking he hadn’t even officially reported to college yet, what job?

Zhou Qi’an: “When you do, watch out. Know how black market intermediaries scam people?”

The college student replied wryly, “Luring with high salaries, no?”

“That’s just the first step,” Zhou Qi’an said slowly. “After charging a high intermediary fee, they take job seekers to genuine high-paying places for interviews. Sometimes there are multiple rounds of interviews, and during this stage, they eliminate job seekers for various reasons.”

“Most job seekers will then think they weren’t qualified rather than being scammed and won’t report it.”

The college student was stunned. Can they do that?

Zhou Qi’an smiled faintly, “In reality, it’s just a trap set by the intermediary and the company insiders.”

This made not only the college student but also others look uneasy.

The scheme closely resembled their current situation: Mr. Si (the intermediary) lured players with the inheritance (high salary) and brought them here, while the inheritance owner, Xun the Wealthy, wasn’t easy to deal with either.

Their intermediary fee wasn’t something that could be measured in money; it was the players’ lives.

Chen Jian gave Zhou Qi’an an approving glance.

Experienced players habitually focused on tasks and wouldn’t consider the connection between staff and NPCs. Under normal circumstances, even if there was a connection, it wouldn’t affect the overall situation.

However, this instance seemed to have something special about it.

The most suspicious thing was that the staff, who usually remained indifferent to the players’ lives and deaths, showed a subtle care towards the rookie college student.

Chen Jian didn’t believe Mr. Si was being kind-hearted.

Before he could think more about it, Xun Er finished attending to Xun the Wealthy with his medication and returned.

“The idol is missing. Father asked me to check your rooms one by one.”

Xun Er looked at Boss Wang and said, “By the way, Father said you lack exercise and are too fat. You should go swimming in the lake to get some fitness.”

Boss Wang hurriedly waved his hands to refuse.

The task prompt sounded before he could:

[This task is mandatory and cannot be skipped.]

His face turned ashen.

It was evident that his request for leave in the morning had angered Xun the Wealthy.

Chen Jian, who had gone fishing in the lake once before and seemed interested in it, saw an opportunity with the ‘bait’ to further his research and said, “I’ll go with you.”

Boss Wang was overjoyed and looked at him as if he was a lifesaver.

Han Tiansheng also needed to go to the lake to find clues. As for Han Li, she also had a separate picking task. She privately instructed the college student, “You follow that guy Qi’an to prevent him from stuffing the idol into our room to frame us.”

The college student nodded vigorously.

In fact, this possibility was very low. Except for Zhou Qi’an, everyone’s room was locked.

Xun Er: “Brother, let’s go to your room first.”

Zhou Qi’an: “Sure. Come on.”

In reality, Zhou Qi’an was far from being as calm as he appeared. He knew that without seeing himself get married, his crazy mother wouldn’t leave easily.

He just didn’t know where she had taken the idol.

The answer appeared soon.

On the second floor, Zhou Qi’an’s room door was tightly closed.

Earlier, when he was fleeing, the door was wide open.

“You don’t look too well,” Xun Er said with a gentle tone, but beneath his scarred handsome face lurked silent malice.

He stepped forward slowly and tried to open the door, feigning surprise: “It’s locked.”

Zhou Qi’an: “I don’t like people invading my privacy.”

He wasn’t the only one with a locked room, so why pretend to be shocked?

Xun Er restrained his puzzled expression and changed his tone, “Father doesn’t like it either, so he will never forgive a thief who tampered with the idol.”

Without giving any time for a response, he forcefully twisted the door handle.

Crack, crack—each sound was like the countdown of a death clock.

The college student couldn’t help but get nervous. He had a strange feeling that there might really be something in the room and hesitated, saying, “Why not check my room first and let him find the key?”

Xun Er pretended not to hear and continued to force the handle, causing parts of the lock to fall to the ground in pieces.

Finally, the door opened.

———

The room was small and could be seen at a glance. There was a large lump under the quilt on the bed. The conspicuous ‘hill’ under the quilt moved slightly, seemingly startled by the sound of the door opening.

Zhou Qi’an: “…”

Good at hiding.

Xun Er didn’t notice the movement under the quilt and strode forward, about to lift the quilt.

Zhou Qi’an expressionlessly grabbed his wrist.

Xun Er smiled, “Brother, what are you doing?”

The two of them struggled, and ultimately, the quilt suffered. In the midst of flying cotton, the ‘true face of Mount Lu’ was revealed.

It wasn’t the idol; it was a woman hiding under the quilt.

The college student was so shocked that he couldn’t close his mouth, curious about where this unknown person came from.

This scene was obviously beyond Xun Er’s expectations too.

Zhou Qi’an casually draped the quilt back over his mother’s head, saying, “It’s normal for an adult man to have a woman in his room.”

It was also normal for that woman to be his mother, right?

Xun Er’s fish-like eyes behind his glasses moved slightly, full of confusion.

Zhou Qi’an: “Because of the age difference, I was afraid Father would…”

Xun Er and the college student instinctively followed his words, afraid that Xun the Wealthy would disapprove?

Zhou Qi’an looked serious, “…afraid Father would steal her away, so I let her climb through the window to find me.”

“…”

During Xun Er’s brief pause, Zhou Qi’an changed the subject, coldly saying, “If there’s nothing else, can we move on to checking the other rooms?”

After a long time, Xun Er finally spoke again, frowning deeply, “Is our family’s stone carving recently dead?”

Not only was the idol missing, but a living person had also sneaked in.

Zhou Qi’an kindly reminded him, “Focus on the main task and find the idol first.”

Boss Wang’s room was also locked, and Xun Er opened it with a spare key.

Zhou Qi’an’s smile didn’t reach his eyes, “Only my room’s door didn’t have a lock?”

Xun Er shook his head, “I don’t have the keys to your and Father’s rooms.”

“Is that so?” Zhou Qi’an smiled but didn’t pursue it.

After checking all the rooms, there was no doubt that nothing was found in anyone else’s room.

Zhou Qi’an: “Why don’t you check the bathroom too?”

“…”

Zhou Qi’an: “Often the most unlikely places are the most likely. Remember to check the pit thoroughly.”

After sending Xun Er away, Zhou Qi’an returned to his room.

Mother Zhou, her mind filled with marriage prospects, showed no love for her son in her eyes.

When she saw Zhou Qi’an enter, she sat by the bed, smiling in that uniquely feudal remnant way seen only in movies, and said, “An adult man’s room should have a woman. Son, why is there never one in yours?”

“…Since childhood, not even a single erotic magazine.”

Zhou Qi’an got straight to the point, asking, “Where is the idol?”

Mother Zhou pointed under the bed.

Out of habit, Xun Er didn’t search other places after seeing the shocking scene on the bed, nor did he associate her with the idol thief.

Mother Zhou was very petite, while the idol Xun the Wealthy worshipped was very large and heavy, difficult even for an adult man to move. No one would think she could carry the idol.

The eerie idol lay on the hard floor, staring at the place where Zhou Qi’an slept at night.

While Zhou Qi’an examined the idol, Mother Zhou suddenly spoke, “I heard from your words that you found a father here?”

Her seemingly gentle almond-shaped eyes focused on him, her mouth slowly curving up.

“…Yes.”

Unexpected, right? I also found you a partner.

Mother Zhou wasn’t angry. She propped her chin with her hand, her tongue suddenly sweeping over her lips, asking, “Is it that one at the door? According to the principle of marital property sharing, can I make him into spicy rabbit heads?”

He looks delicious.

——

Author’s Note:

Zhou Qi’an: Stop! Cease your dangerous thoughts.