Matryoshka Off-Limits Chapter 67

Chapter 67.1 Crazy Love Season

Wen Shi only considered the double buff but forgot the third factor.

Malevolent creatures above a certain level could automatically read all the in-game text.

When the castle master was reluctantly summoned, he was only seventy percent insane. Upon seeing the festive red lantern and the word “matchmaking” on the white banner, his eyes instantly reddened. Time seemed to go back to the day of his wedding, when the overly beautiful woman asked in his ear—

“Between me and the perfect bride in your heart, who is more beautiful?”

The back-and-forth probing of his soul completely shattered his worldview.

The castle master went off the track set by the game. He discovered more attractive bodies and souls with warmth. He gained a self-awareness that an NPC shouldn’t have, but the cost was becoming even more insane.

Now, the platform for the martial arts matchmaking competition magnified this insanity to ninety percent.

A bunch of ugly demons and monsters around further strengthened it to a hundred percent.

On the arena, a few ghosts looked utterly confused.

For a moment, they naively wondered if this person was also a program viewer.

But on the side of the Ghost Gate, there were rarely such vampire-like medieval attire. He was almost like a foreign creature.

“A fan of ‘Crazy Love Season’ from overseas?”

The first lucky program viewer arrived and mumbled to themselves.

“Curse your ancestors! Run, you idiots!” a woman with half her face covered dashed for her life.

Didn’t they notice the host had fled? Even the camera crew holding their equipment ran like the wind.

Searing pain came from behind, the woman froze with her mouth wide open, her neck directly pierced.

The program viewer behind her got intertwined with her. The icy scepter was drawn, prompting nearby onlookers to scatter in all directions, displaying remarkable cleverness as they fled like birds and beasts. They believed that no matter how powerful this foreigner was, he was still alone and could only chase in one direction.

Unfortunately, as this plan was hatched, strange runes appeared beneath their feet, or rather, not runes, but strange patterns resembling some kind of ancestral totem. Anyone within the range of the totem instantly felt their limbs go weak, barely comprehending anything except the sensation of a breeze passing through their bodies.

Lowering their head, they discovered a bloodied hole on their body, the exact moment of its appearance unknown.

The castle master went on a near-crazed killing spree. As someone with a mental disorder, his only moments of clarity during the hunt were when he could accurately pinpoint the vulnerabilities of his prey.

As the host ran for his life, he couldn’t resist looking back. He lost three and a half souls in that glance.

The ghostly visitors around the arena found their final rest. The ground was more crimson with blood than the full moon overhead.

His eyes rolled back as he angrily accused the mastermind amidst the raging wind, “At this point, you’re still pretending? Wasn’t it you who summoned that arena defender!”

Why would he be willing to come over if they had no connection? He thought that the sprinting Wen Shi was intentionally imitating everyone’s escape to mock them.

Wen Shi shouted in explanation, “He’s a lunatic who kills without differentiating between friend and foe!”

The host recalled some information, “The brother-in-law with a hereditary mental illness?”

How did that even connect? One day, the term “brother-in-law” was a joke he casually made during the previous instance. How would the host know about it?

Wen Shi hadn’t seen the dating profile set by the game, but now wasn’t the time to inquire. He noticed the host was almost running ahead of him.

“Wait, wait for me,” he gasped and called out.

“Dad!” Suddenly, Wen Shi heard A’Sang’s alarmed cry. By the time he turned around in reaction, the scepter was only a few centimeters from his back. A’Sang caught the tip of the scepter, and his palm oozed strangely colored blood.

The big eyeball in the vial could manage several sources of contamination inside A’Sang’s body, slightly enlarging them to enhance his strength.

Only through the combination of their powers did the scepter finally come to a halt, preventing it from piercing through Wen Shi’s heart.

The castle master proved with his actions that he would kill anyone, and Wen Shi was his primary target.

The few players running ahead felt an overwhelming fear. Initially, there was a fleeting moment of surprise and envy for Pei Wenwei’s impressive trump card. But now, they only had one thought: stay away.

They didn’t dare to enjoy the benefits of such an item.

“D-Dad,” A’Sang knew he couldn’t win and urgently urged Wen Shi, “Run quickly!”

Wen Shi couldn’t bring himself to make a child fight monsters on his behalf and run alone.

He finally understood why powerful skills and items had time limits, yet the【Family Crest】did not. Even if it were Ji Yuanzhi using this item, he would likely face a dead end.

The scepter was close to piercing through A’Sang’s palm. With one hand freed, the scepter sank slightly into his bones. A’Sang endured the pain and forcefully smashed the little bowl downwards. The scepter trembled for a moment but only pushed the Earl back by three steps.

Even the most deranged person has a trigger point. Thinking on his feet, Wen Shi shouted, “Don’t you want to see my big sister again?”

A slight ripple appeared in the castle master’s crimson eyes.

Xie Tangyan was undoubtedly a special existence to the Earl. The Earl gained a hint of self-awareness due to Xie Tangyan’s appearance.

If the castle master’s mental world was a brewing tsunami, Xie Tangyan was the butterfly’s wings that triggered it.

“Last time we rushed too much, there were many things you didn’t get to confirm, like…” Wen Shi revealed the Earl’s deepest obsession, “Who the most perfect bride really is.”

Taking advantage of the castle master’s distraction, he swiftly brought A’Sang back.

Worried that letting go would pierce Wen Shi, A’Sang muttered softly, “Dad, do you need to be the same species as me?”

Evidently, he hadn’t given up on the delightful notion of becoming a zombie father and son with Wen Shi.

Seeing the boiling murderous intent once again gaining the upper hand in the castle master’s eyes, Wen Shi warned, “If I die, you’ll never see my big sister again.”

A creature of logic, the castle master raised his scepter once more, “If you die, she’ll come straight to me for revenge.”

“!”

Wen Shi nearly gritted his teeth to pieces, “The prerequisite for revenge is knowing who the culprit is.”

The castle master vanished momentarily, reappeared after five seconds, and seized a crew member, slowly enunciating two words, “Journalist, news.”

For god’s sake, how can you be so logical?

Wen Shi seriously suspected this guy was feigning madness.

The two of them went back and forth in conversation. A’Sang’s head swiveled between the Earl and Wen Shi, feeling that they both made a lot of sense.

“Seven days!” Wen Shi said in a low voice, “I swear, within seven days, I’ll definitely make you meet.”

His mind raced, recalling the host’s words about the “brother-in-law with a hereditary mental illness.” He immediately linked it to the dating profile. Apart from that, the host had no other way of obtaining information.

Wen Shi questioned the game, “Did you verify it personally? If so, then he’s also family.”

As long as someone was family, they could be invited to the tea party.

The system’s notification tone didn’t appear immediately, probably not anticipating that a misleading statement made while enriching someone’s background would be turned against them.

After a couple of seconds, Wen Shi instinctively checked the attribute panel and found the current count of family members was【3.001】.

The Earl accounted for one in a thousand.

“Wow.”

Loyalty to family was more dead than the Wandering Corpse.

The Wandering Corpse had indeed become a unit of measurement.

“Compared to news reports that might not even be visible, my promise is more practical,” Wen Shi unreservedly looked at the Earl.

As long as he could hold his ground, he could join the afternoon tea party. Confidence surging in, he reiterated the seven-day agreement.

The castle master could see through the essence of souls, making it easy for him to discern if a human was lying.

After a steady gaze at Wen Shi for a moment, he eventually retrieved his blood-smeared bronze-gold scepter. The chilling intent to kill gradually diminished. Wen Shi breathed a sigh of relief.

The castle master didn’t like going out at night. He valued etiquette and should have killed anyone who saw him in his nightgown. However, some time had been wasted, and some prey had escaped far enough that he didn’t bother pursuing them anymore.

“See you in seven days.” His low, icy voice dissipated into the wind.

The air trembled once more, distorted space causing severe ringing in Wen Shi’s ears. He bent over, covering his ears. When he regained his senses, silence enveloped his surroundings.

“He’s gone?”

A’Sang nodded heavily. “He’s gone.”

Wen Shi immediately examined the child’s injured hand and his eyes turned icy as he said, “Next time, we’ll break one of his hands for you to make bone soup.”

Eating something to heal what was ailing.

A’Sang was still reflecting on the battle. “That man is really powerful.”

Wen Shi remained silent, nodding in agreement. Compared to their last encounter, the castle master had become significantly stronger.

However strong he might be, once they entered the tea party, even if he were a dragon, he’d have to behave. At that point, Wen Shi would show him the meaning of strength in numbers.

Potions and such hardly worked on A’Sang. Spending three points from the in-game store, Wen Shi bought gauze and carefully wrapped A’Sang’s hand.

“Excuse me,” Wen Shi looked at the crew member and managed a slight smile. “You can inform everyone that we’ve returned. The program isn’t finished yet.”

His legs felt a bit weak. He found a rock to sit on in the darkness, waiting for everyone to come back.

Tonight, not a single bird call echoed through the mountains. The mountain wind carried an intense scent of blood. The ghostly visitors who had gathered around the arena to watch were almost entirely wiped out.

The wait was longer than he anticipated. The first to return were players like Ji Yuanzhi. They had run three miles out. Next came the camera crew, who made it five miles away. Finally, the candidates arrived, having rushed from ten miles away.

Tears caused by the strong wind at the front had dried on Wen Shi’s cheeks. Hoarsely, he asked the production team, “Where’s the host?”

Just as he said that, a haggard figure walked slowly through the red mist. It was the host, who had run a whole ten miles.

The corner of Wen Shi’s mouth twitched. “In the face of disaster, everyone scatters. But haven’t you scatter too far?”

It was clear that initially, they were all running side by side.

The host never wanted to set eyes on him again in his life. After forcing himself to calm down, he had the crew check the equipment and then counted the candidates.

The wheelchair girl paired with Ji Yuanzhi was gone, and Zhou Lulu’s candidate also met their end under the arena. Among Wen Shi’s mismatched candidates, only three remained, including the deformed man. They managed to escape calamity partly because they lingered in the Ghost Market a while longer. By the time they came out, the Earl had gone after Wen Shi.

The remaining candidates were in a daze, deeply regretting their decision to join this show. If it weren’t for the signed contract, they’d have turned and left without a doubt.

Tonight could be termed the biggest accident in the history of the production team.

The host didn’t dare to look at the live chat. Too many issues were staring him in the face. With an insufficient number of pairs, their primary concern was how to keep the show going.

Suddenly, Liu Yun spoke up, “There’s a special guest who died in the market. We can utilize their candidate at once.”

“Utilize them at once?” the host snapped, “Do you think this is some sort of scandalous partner-swapping show?”

The host’s index finger almost poked Liu Yun’s face. He spat to the side, “Not civilized at all.”

Liu Yun: “……”

After a brief consideration, the host assigned the two remaining members from the deformed man’s group to Zhou Lulu and Ji Yuanzhi.

Liu Yun inwardly cursed at the hypocrite. How was this any different from her suggestion? The only distinction lay in whether to utilize a candidate once or exploit Pei Wenwei’s backup group.

Wen Shi’s post-disaster relief dissolved upon witnessing the host calmly directing the crew’s work.

Judging by his previous behavior, if the ratings plummeted, the host would undoubtedly have a devastated expression, but not this time.

There was only one reason the audience didn’t drop off: there was still something worth watching.

Squinting his eyes, Wen Shi speculated that today’s recording had additional segments, and they were exceptionally morbid.

After confirming the equipment wasn’t damaged, a smile returned to the host’s face. “Everyone, get ready.”

These words weren’t directed at the players.

The crew swiftly changed camera lenses and conducted adjustments. The new lens was unexpectedly black, as if it was meant to illuminate something from the underworld. Moreover, they brought out a drone.

Unlike the drone Wen Shi encountered in the graveyard, this one had the word “Trace” carved on its wings in blood.

The host amplified the microphone’s volume. “After a day at the market, everyone has worked hard!”

The players’ expressions grew tense one by one. Being polite at a time like this was hardly a good sign.

“The villagers who brought you here must spend a night setting up shop in the Ghost Market,” the host unveiled a mysterious smile. “So, when you head back, you’ll have to rely on the kindness of others to guide you.”

He produced a small bamboo tube and had the players take turns drawing lots. Wen Shi was the first in line. He pulled out a lower-ranked lot.

Alone in adversity, disaster could not be avoided.

The entire crew’s eyes instantly lit up as the worst lot was drawn and claimed.

Following Wen Shi was Liu Yun, who drew a lower-ranked lot. Subsequent players also mostly drew lower-ranked lots, with the best being the middle-lower ones.

Wen Shi raised an eyebrow slightly. Considering his luck, he shouldn’t have gotten the worst lot.

However, at the moment, there was no solution.

The host continued with a smile, “This lot will protect you from getting bitten by the mosquitoes in the mist. Hold onto it, travel through the mountain path ahead, and keep going straight. You’ll find your way back to the village.”

“Didn’t you say that someone would guide us?”

The host replied vaguely, “You’ll encounter them along the way.”

After a few seconds, he added, “Different lots will lead you to different guides.”

If you enjoy this novel, support the Translator ginevre on her ko-fi account :))