Matryoshka Off-Limits Chapter 145

Chapter 145 The Horror Club

Upon Master Lin’s initial reboot, his brain appeared to experience a shutdown, evident in the confusion etched across his face in the corners of his eyes and the arch of his eyebrows.

Surrounded by faces that looked magical in the light and shadows, Master Lin finally recalled his current situation.

Wen Shi focused on squeezing out crocodile tears, showing a pained expression, “Someone interrupted the spiritualist’s spell just now.”

Lin Tianci walked quickly to them, “Dad, don’t believe what he said.”

Wen Shi casually picked up a fruit knife and gestured randomly, taking on a protective stance, “Stay away from Dad.” He tilted his head slightly. “Dad, in the will, all the stocks go to this person.”

Master Lin had a deep love for money. The idea of faking the property distribution in the will made him instantly angry.

On the side, Xiao Hua propped up one leg and yawned. “I helped you find a spiritualist, but they wanted to buy me with the inheritance. I didn’t agree. You old stubborn man, be satisfied.”

Earlier, Xiao Hua had only requested Pei Hongxin to include her name, but she didn’t ask for a large share of the property, just inheriting a few uncertain antiques.

Strictly speaking, she wasn’t really a beneficiary of the will.

Master Lin, with his current cognitive issues, was easily influenced.

After realizing this, other players also tried to twist the truth, but their chaotic arguments didn’t have any effect. They just made things noisy.

With A’Yu around, they found it hard to get close. They kept emphasizing that they would also find a spiritualist at any cost to revive Master Lin.

【Feigned Corpse】only had thirty seconds left. Wen Shi, appearing calm, spoke from Master Lin’s perspective, “The spiritualist is waiting to settle the bill. Rest assured, I swear I won’t abandon you once I inherit the property, or else I’ll live forever hunted by demons and monsters.”

With not much time left, Wen Shi completed the oath, preparing for the third reboot of Master Lin without showing any emotion or concern.

Five hundred points for a single attempt. Just thinking about this price made the sorrow on his face feel much more real.

With his blurred vision straining to focus, Master Lin managed to catch the genuine sorrow coming from Wen Shi. At that moment, he also heard the oath, laden with curses, and finally, he let go of all his worries.

Compared to the empty assurances of his other children, having a ready spiritualist and people not mentioned in the forged will were what gave Master Lin a peace of mind.

“My estate is inherited by my son, Lin Hejing,” Master Lin, with a hoarse voice, spoke to the lawyer, “Ten percent of the bonds are left to my lover, Zhao Meili. If Lin Hejing abandons me once he inherits the property, then all my wealth goes to Zhao Meili.”

Clearly, he intended to use Xiao Hua and Wen Shi to keep each other in check.

Xiao Hua’s eyebrows furrowed, seemingly disliking her character’s name.

Wen Shi didn’t pay any attention to the old man’s request at all. He just wanted to endure until this short story ended. He had no concern for what the future held for him.

In the last two seconds, Wen Shi fanned the flames, “Those who forged the will should be held accountable.”

Master Lin’s eyes became cloudier, and he repeated instinctively, “Accountable.”

A player reflexively shouted back, “You’re also guilty of insulting a corpse!”

Wen Shi smiled without saying a word. He’d let the Wandering Corpse send them back after a little while.

Thirty seconds had passed.

Master Lin once again fell onto the long table, causing the tabletop to shake. The strange black-red fluid from the corpse splattered in front of some players.

Pei Hongxin, upon witnessing this, unconsciously clenched his fingers. Even after making a deal with the demon, it appeared that even death couldn’t grant him peace, as his rate of decay accelerated unusually fast.

After Master Lin denied the authenticity of the will for the third time, everyone except Wen Shi received a system notification.

“All players, please note that the storyline has deviated within a reasonable range.”

“The previous will is officially declared invalid.”

It wasn’t until this moment that everyone realized how nauseating and treacherous the flexibility mentioned in the background story could be. Even the will obtained from the quest could lose its power in an instant.

The lawyer entirely represented the game’s attitude. After Master Lin personally finished speaking, the lawyer adjusted his tie a bit and shed his previous uncooperative demeanor.

“To respect the wishes of the deceased, the wealth of the Lin family…”

The butler’s icy gaze stared straight at the lawyer.

Ever since calling out to everyone to stop the spiritualiat, the butler had remained silent. Now, every word spoken by the lawyer dug into his ears. He gritted his teeth, knowing that only one last resort remained. He had to bring out his last-ditch effort.

The butler’s fingers hidden in his sleeve moved. If Wen Shi had seen the small silver metal sphere, it wouldn’t have been unfamiliar to him.

【Little Steel Ball】.

Something that sold out in a flash every time it was restocked.

It didn’t require any special skills. It was purely a gamble.

The butler was prepared to use the【Little Steel Ball】to blast the lawyer. Being too close could easily harm other players, but there wasn’t a better option at the moment.

With a flick of his fingers, just as the metal sphere left his hand, the bones throughout the butler’s body seemed to shift along with the【Little Steel Ball】. Half of his body was subjected to the pull of an unnamed force, bending unnaturally backward. A’Yu came to his side and almost twisted his entire arm into a knot-like shape.

Amidst the screams, the item that had slipped from his hand was swept away by a gust of wind towards the stairs.

Boom!

A crisp explosion echoed as the staircase between the floors collapsed with a resounding crash.

The scorching rush of air made everyone’s hearts race irregularly. Nearby players immediately crouched down to avoid the wooden debris flying through the air.

“Madman,” someone cursed inwardly.

A’Yu waved her hand to disperse the black smoke and expressed her disapproval, “Young people are so impulsive.”

Wen Shi remained indifferent and recorded the scene. His camera angle was quite clever, intentionally avoiding showing the corpse on the table. These past few days, he hadn’t done anything productive Instead, he had wasted all his time complaining to NPCs. Now, relying on the video footage, Wen Shi informed the lawyer, “The butler had ambitious intentions. He wanted to blow you up.”

When it came to matters of life and safety, even the less agile NPCs couldn’t remain apathetic.

In fact, even without the video footage, the lawyer had already figured out who had thrown the mini-bomb. His gaze turned icy, and within a few seconds, he had devised a plan to use his lifelong knowledge to make sure the other person faced consequences.

“…all the property goes to Master Lin’s second son, Lin Hejing, and Ms. Zhao Meili.” The lawyer, upholding his professional ethics, finished what he hadn’t said earlier.

In this battle for the estate, the sole arbiter finally spoke, definitively concluding the story’s outcome.

The game notification sound was colder and more ruthless than the lawyer’s—

“The short story, ‘Aristocratic Family Succession Battle,’ has ended. There are two inheritors in this round.”

Unlike the first round, although the game initially emphasized that all players except the heirs would be eliminated, it did not explicitly declare the fate of the other players.

The feeling of Damocles’ sword hanging over their heads, taking its sweet time to fall, was even more agonizing.

The people in the room had varied expressions. The player, who was role-playing as a child, pointed at Wen Shi and even started talking about the law, showing their desperation.

“If he insults a corpse, he can also have his inheritance rights revoked, right?”

The lawyer remained expressionless. “Evidence.”

The body might have fallen from the sky or been found on the road, unless there was clear evidence.

Furthermore, the ownership of the estate was personally designated by the parties involved. Compared to the actions of others, especially the one who threw the bomb, this level of offense didn’t amount to much.

Wen Shi suddenly felt that directly entering an S-level instance also had its benefits. At least, the players encountered there were of higher quality. The fact that the lawyer remained unmoved by the feigned corpse made these players naively hope for him to uphold justice.

Seeing the explosion fail, the butler, enduring the pain of his nearly twisted arm, walked up to Wen Shi and said, “If you can guarantee that I won’t die, I can tell you a secret.”

Wen Shi glanced at him indifferently and said, “Is the President of the【Wangcai Bank】also in this instance?”

The butler was momentarily surprised.

Wen Shi calmly replied, “I’ve known that for a while.”

Xiao Hua had informed him from the beginning that the bank president and Li Nan were also present, but they hadn’t appeared yet. Likely, they were in other short stories.

Wen Shi didn’t close all doors on the matter. He didn’t want to face a bunch of lunatics’ mindless retaliation. He casually continued, “In this short story, everyone has a【role】, especially all of you, who are currently considered criminals. You need to cooperate with the investigation. Whether you can leave the instance or not isn’t certain, but as long as you don’t do anything foolish, the game won’t immediately take your lives.”

People tend to grasp at any lifeline when in despair.

Wen Shi was undoubtedly hinting to them that if they behave and accept imprisonment, they might have a chance to stay in this world as ordinary people. Perhaps, someday in the future, they might even get a chance to leave through a quest.

This way of putting it sounded too idyllic. The game was never described as benevolent. However, as mentioned, as long as there was a glimmer of hope, people would never completely collapse.

“Legal news, especially involving a wealthy family, the game can’t just have all of you drop dead overnight.”

Wen Shi improvised a few more sentences and prepared to go to the other side to take the elevator. He discreetly released the Wandering Corpse, which boldly started packing the corpse into a suitcase right under everyone’s noses to transport it back.

The lawyer prepared to go to the police station to report the case but suddenly stopped Wen Shi before leaving.

“Master Lin left one of his assets in my custody.”

He took out a small box from his pocket, his tone emotionless. “Whether you want to open it is up to you.”

The icy box emitted an ominous aura, and a word popped into Wen Shi’s mind: Pandora’s box.

He could almost be certain that opening it would drastically change the course of the entire instance’s story.

Wen Shi disliked trouble, but if he didn’t open it, there was a chance this instance might conclude prematurely, rendering communication with the monsters impossible. The host might be in trouble.

He stared at the box, pondering how to ensure the host’s survival. The host’s ability to successfully locate the Frank Hospital was far more impressive than imagined. If the host could stay alive and remain in the hospital, with a debt of gratitude for saving his life, it would be an ace in the hole for the future 3S instance.

After thanking the lawyer, Wen Shi put the box away.

He didn’t look at the people in the room again, especially Pei Hongxin. Wen Shi was well aware of the torment that awaited him. After enduring another night, Wen Shi planned to randomly toss him to one of the monsters in the villa.

Dust to dust, ashes to ashes, let the past be carried away by the wind.

When faced with danger in the future, he would let A’Yu summon Pei Hongxin’s spirit, use his soul as a shield, and ultimately protect himself.

“Scatter, my adopted son, may your soul rest in peace!”

Thinking about this, Wen Shi rode the elevator back to rest, although his actual mood was heavier than it appeared.

After resting for a while and opening the box, he expected that the real storm was about to begin.

Surprisingly, the first person to leave the silent hall was Pei Hongxin himself. Despite his childlike appearance, he exuded an unusual calmness, heading silently upstairs to the study.

The statues in the shrine seemed more vivid than ever before.

Pei Hongxin had the feeling of a gambler, with no other choice but to keep betting his remaining chips to stay alive.

“Even if it were just a few years earlier.” Pei Hongxin inwardly cursed, wishing he had participated in the game a year earlier than that little brat. He wouldn’t be in such a passive situation now.

He took a deep breath and asked, “What do I need to do to stay alive?” Pei Hongxin didn’t believe in Wen Shi’s previous explanation at all.

Being a game developer himself, he knew that in this situation, there couldn’t be any middle ground.

“One-third of your soul.” The dark aura lingering around the statue was more blinding than light. The demon proposed a terrifying exchange rate for a soul, while giving Pei Hongxin an offer he couldn’t refuse, “In exchange for your survival and exit from this story. I will also help you end the trouble.”

For the first time, Pei Hongxin’s lifeless eyes showed a glimmer of hope.

“Can you help me kill him?”

The statue didn’t respond but repeated with an eerie tone, “End the trouble.”

Beads of sweat unconsciously formed on the corner of Pei Hongxin’s temple. He didn’t know whether to agree or not, but refusing would mean cutting off all hope.

The surface of the statue seemed to be draped in human skin. Its sinister eyes locked onto its prisoner, emanating an irresistible intimidation.

Pei Hongxin initially chose to trade with it because the price Master Lin paid didn’t seem too great—just his non-biological children. This evil deity appeared relatively ungreedy. In fact, this morning, when Pei Hongxin asked to know the destination of the will, the deity only asked for one-third of his soul.

“Okay.”

In the end, he decided to make the exchange once more.

•

Night fell.

Wen Shi touched the box left by the lawyer, watched the live chat, and pondered how to rescue the host.

In a matter of seconds, the room’s temperature suddenly dropped a few degrees.

Wen Shi instantly became alert, contemplating whether to shout or draw his sword first.

A shadow appeared on the opposite side of the bed, showing no intention of hiding its presence. With an attitude more direct than the lawyer, the newcomer said, “The believer traded one-third of his soul to ensure you’ll never trouble him again.”

Damn!

Wen Shi now understood how Pei Hongxin had found the will. This guy was absolutely insane, actually making a deal with a demon.

He recalled that yesterday, when he went to the study, Xiao Hua had mentioned finding a shrine. Clearly, Pei Hongxin had already been plotting at that time.

Wen Shi subtly shifted backward for a moment, conjuring the【Greenwood Sword】into his hand.

The demon’s late-night visit indicated that it was ready to assist Pei Hongxin in achieving his desires. Tonight would likely be a life-or-death situation.

Just as Wen Shi was preparing to use his sword skill, the shadow mumbled, “Send him back to the orphanage.”

Wen Shi’s hand holding the sword trembled. “?”

“He will be forever trapped there with a bunch of ghostly kids. If he ever slips up, the ghost children will burn him alive, and no one will adopt him in the future.

“……This way, you’ve achieved your revenge, the believer leaves this story alive, and I’ve fulfilled the promise of not causing trouble for you, all while obtaining a soul,” the demon murmured, “Everyone gets what they wanted.”

It offered low fees, and of course, it had its ways of providing services at low costs.

Wen Shi: “……”

Not only Wen Shi but also the live chat was shocked.

【Patient 109: F—ck! Who’s this demon? Post it so everyone can avoid it!】

【Skinny as a Lightning-Struck Starved Ghost: As a devoted fan of “The Horror Club,” I’ve watched every short story multiple times, but I’ve never paid attention to the demon in this story before.】

【Patient 233: …Don’t trust any middlemen.】

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