“The Countess claimed she was attacked by the Siren and described its appearance just to make us believe in the Siren’s existence.”
He bent down and rummaged through the box, pulling out a sharp claw.
It was a strange glove, with thin, sharp blades attached to the joints of the middle three fingers.
The muscular man extended his hand, and the large glove fit perfectly on his palm.
He raised the glove and swiped forcefully at the wooden table nearby, leaving deep gashes that looked strikingly similar to the marks on the first victim.
The muscular man raised the glove: “The Countess has slender hands, but this glove is too big for her. And she doesn’t have the strength to use it. So the only one who could use this glove is you, Dijia, whose hand size matches mine. Oh wait, I should call you Jacob.”
Dijia: “…”
Ji Nansheng and the muscular man placed the furry wire, flashlight, and glove on the table, then took out a bottle from the box.
Ji Nansheng shook the bottle in his hand, “At dawn, we woke up the doctor and asked him to identify what kind of drug was inside this bottle.”
“The doctor looked at the label and said it was a drug called ‘Intoxicating Morphine.’ It’s used to treat anxiety, and after consumption, it calms the person down. But if overdosed, it causes hallucinations.”
“The Countess used this drug to poison the Count.”
“What?” The other players were still in shock, “It was the Countess who killed the Count?”
“Oh my God, are we even playing the same game? How come I didn’t know anything?”
“Heh,” the man on the sofa chuckled softly, “I didn’t expect them to find those things. But all of these were found in the Countess’s room. What does that have to do with me?”
The girl pulled out a stack of papers from the box: “Of course it has something to do with you. These papers are the evidence of your crime.”
The girl cleared her throat and began reading the letter aloud.
[“To my dearest Jacob,
It’s been a long time since I last dreamed of you. Are you still angry with me for marrying your enemy, so much that you refuse to see me?
This morning when I woke up, I found a box of medicine by my bedside. It wasn’t there last night, so it must have been placed there by the Lord Siren. After consulting with the doctor, I understand why the Lord Siren gave me this medicine. You must not want your enemy to die so easily, right?
Alright, I will help you get your revenge. Once I’ve avenged you, will you forgive me?
With love, your fiancée.”]
The girl glanced at Dijia, turned to the next page of the letter, and continued reading.
[“To my dearest Jacob,
Last night, I dreamed of you. It was so real, so clear. You held me tightly, leaving your mark on me over and over again. If that’s your punishment for me, please, punish me even more.
Why is it that when the Lord Siren appears before me, I always feel like it’s you? Although you don’t look alike, his presence reminds me so much of you. It torments me; every time I see the Lord Siren, I think of you.”]
The girl paused again, looked up at Dijia, then resumed reading.
[“To my dearest Jacob,
In fact, you’re not dead, are you? The Lord Siren is you, and you are the Lord Siren.
Our nights together were not a dream. How could such real embraces be false?
You refuse to admit it, probably because you haven’t forgiven me yet. Alright, I’ll pretend I didn’t notice.
With love, your fiancée.”]
The girl put down the letters. “Jacob, the Countess was madly in love with you. She already knew you were Jacob. She truly loved you, even to the point of excusing your crimes in her final moments, pushing all the blame onto the Siren just to let you walk away unscathed.”
Her voice grew angrier as she continued, “But what about you? You cold-blooded, heartless bastard. Even after the Countess died, you still framed her as the Siren. I feel so sorry for her.”
All the players turned their eyes to the man, who now appeared as nothing more than a scum who had abandoned his wife and broken his promises.
Dijia glanced at the letters. “So after reading all this, you’re convinced I’m the villain behind all these heinous acts? But why would you break the crystal ball, why are you so certain it would interfere with your escape?”
The girl snorted, flipping to the next letter.
[“To the one who finds this letter,
I’m sorry, Jacob. In the end, I softened. I wanted to leave a sliver of truth and a chance for redemption. If anyone finds this box, it means they were fated to survive, and that we were meant to face judgment for our sins. The truth of all our crimes will be exposed.
My name is Hildegard Xin Sainon, daughter of the Sainon family and wife of Count Henry VI. I am also Jacob Caron’s fiancée. My fiancé was murdered by my current husband, but Jacob survived and escaped to the Imperial Capital, where he plotted his revenge.
In the end, Jacob and I conspired to lure the Count onto the Dream Star. We carried out our revenge here and everything went as planned. The ship sailed into the fabled ‘Siren’s Territory’, a foggy sea area that causes hallucinations. Jacob was ambushed near this same sea area years ago.
When the Count died, I thought Jacob’s vengeance was complete. But I was wrong. His hatred didn’t stop with the Count. He also hated me. He hated me for betraying our vows, for marrying his enemy, and for living in luxury while he suffered in despair. He not only wanted to kill the Count but everyone on this ship. His hatred has blinded him. He was no longer the man I once knew. But it was too late. Even so, I still loved him. I’m conflicted. Part of me wants to keep this secret, while the other part yearns to reveal the truth to the world.
In the end, I wrote this confession and left this evidence. If you are not Jacob, but someone with a conscience, please take this confession back to the Imperial Capital.
Tonight, I overheard a terrifying plan. Jacob intends to kill everyone aboard. He has laced the drinking water with a drug called ‘Intoxicating Morphine.’ Anyone who drinks it will hallucinate. Combined with the fog, everyone will die! Whatever you do, don’t accept anything Jacob gives you!
If you’re lucky enough to survive this massacre, go to the cockpit. Jacob once said to turn the wheel hard to the right, then hard to the left, and repeat. That’s the way to escape the Siren’s Territory. May God be with you and help you survive.”
Hildegard Xin Sainon’s final words.”]
“Hahaha,” Dijia on the sofa suddenly burst into laughter. “I never thought he’d prepare all this.”
Ji Nansheng and the other three exchanged glances.
Ji Nansheng frowned as he studied the man on the sofa. He was laughing heartily, his face relaxed, and his expression was sincere. It wasn’t a mocking or angry laugh—it was genuine joy.
He was actually happy?
Dijia quickly stopped laughing, but his eyes, which were usually so stern, still glimmered with amusement. “As expected of him. He’s so smart. Even after death, he left me with this parting gift. Since you’re so sure I’m the culprit, what are you waiting for? He already told you how to get out. Go ahead, get moving.”
The muscular man muttered under his breath, “I get it. He’s laughing because he’s relieved after getting his revenge. Nansheng, I’m strong. I’ll go steer the ship.”
Ji Nansheng felt that something was off, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was.
Dijia never admitted anything, nor did he deny it.
Was his laughter really from relief?
It felt strange. That smile wasn’t one of relief—it was more of indulgence and admiration.
The other players urged them as the ship’s horn blared. Under the muscular man’s control, the ship began to move.
First, the wheel turned hard to the right.
Then hard to the left.
Then back to the right.
Even inside the cockpit, they could feel the ship winding its way through the water.
Ji Nansheng’s heartbeat quickened. He didn’t know why, but he was growing increasingly uneasy.
Just as his heart was about to leap into his throat, one of the players cried out, “Look! We’re leaving the foggy area!”
Ji Nansheng immediately looked out the window. The sea around them was clear and blue.
Behind them, the dense fog was slowly receding. The ship was gently sailing out of the fog.
Above them, seagulls circled, their cries echoing in the air.
Ji Nansheng subconsciously glanced at the corpses on the floor. The freshly dead bodies had somehow turned into weathered skeletons.
The system prompt rang out.
He opened the system panel and saw that his side task had been completed.
[Ding! Congratulations, players. You have uncovered the truth behind the Dream Star from three years ago.]
[That’s right. The Dream Star you are on is not the present-day Dream Star, but the one from three years ago. Three years ago, the Count chartered the Dream Star to celebrate the Countess’s birthday on the long voyage. While the guests were unaware, a sinister plot was brewing.]
[The Countess, in collusion with Jacob disguised as a ‘Siren’ murdered the Count. Later, the Countess, overwhelmed with guilt, committed suicide, leaving behind a confession. Jacob then killed everyone aboard. The ship lost control and drifted into the Siren’s Territory. For three years, the Dream Star has wandered the Siren’s Territory, and the souls aboard have been repeating the events leading up to their deaths, completely unaware they had already died.]
[Your task is to uncover the truth and return the Dream Star and its story to the Imperial Capital.]
[You have successfully escaped the Siren’s Territory. The most dangerous moment has passed. Please return to the Imperial Capital immediately!]
The illusions around them faded like a veil blown away by the wind, revealing the ship’s true state beneath.
The once-pristine cockpit had become dilapidated. The map on the navigation table had crumbled to dust, and the logbook in the top left corner had grown old and worn.
The white hull of the ship was rusted, and the wooden railings had been eaten away by insects, leaving them full of holes.
Aside from them, everyone on the ship was dead.
They were the only survivors.
The muscular man confidently steered the ship forward. Dijia did nothing, simply sitting quietly on the sofa.
Even though he was now the identified villain being closely watched, his smile betrayed his good mood.
Look at him—he was even happily humming a tune.
“Look!” the girl suddenly shouted excitedly and pointed outside, “I think I see land! We’ve won!”
Ji Nansheng was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but when he noticed the muscular man, his expression suddenly changed.
