There's definitely something wrong with this murder mystery game

Xu Shuo drove along the road, always feeling as if there was something odd.

But for a moment, he couldn't pinpoint what this feeling was.

He turned his head to look outside the car window.

The weather today was quite good, with the sunshine not overly scorching as it cast down on the bustling streets filled with traffic, and the familiar scent of exhaust pervaded the air.

Arriving at a red light, Xu Shuo stopped the car and was preparing to continue observing for any oddities when he suddenly froze.

Because with his mind idle, he quickly noticed what was off as his focus sharpened.

The small violin in his Spirit Sea was trembling its strings very faintly, faintly, so subtle it was almost non-existent, but it was indeed subtly active.

At this moment, the traffic light changed to green.

Xu Shuo first crossed the intersection and pulled the car over, then continued to observe the small violin.

Every time the strings vibrated, Xu Shuo faintly sensed a strange energy active, and this energy seemed to come from the outside.

After observing for a while, Xu Shuo finally understood why he always felt something was strange.

He clearly hadn't taken a nap to rest, but now still felt no trace of fatigue. On the contrary, his senses were clear, his mind bright, and he was in an exceptionally good state!

Because the small violin seemed to autonomously absorb energy from the outside.

What it had consumed before was actually the spiritual power that had long been present within it, the spiritual power that had been concentrated when Xu Shuo merged with it, and that spiritual power was what made up his "heart."

In other words, this item was specifically meant to pull the rug from under one's feet.

Xu Shuo: "..."

Of course, the good news was that this flame could spontaneously absorb any usable energy to replenish itself.

Like now, it was indistinctly absorbing something from the outside world, anyhow, it seemed happy absorbing and releasing energy.

Xu Shuo could also indistinctly feel the wandering of those energies since they were touching his spiritual power, only he didn't know what exactly they were.

After more observation, Xu Shuo confirmed that this thing probably posed no danger to him.

Forget it, let's just consider it an AFK item.

He had given up on hoping it was a "Resurrection Card."

Xu Shuo restarted the car and merged back into the flow of traffic.

...

And after he left, several kilometers away in a high-rise, a person holding binoculars watched that car disappear from view.

Then, the binoculars shifted their focus back to the roadside where the car had stopped for at least ten minutes for a closer look and then observed the traffic light intersection the car had just passed through.

In the end, they concluded that there didn't seem to be anything strange in the vicinity.

...

Not long after Xu Shuo returned to the company, his phone received a notice for a ten-minute illegal parking fine.

Xu Shuo: "..."

Although he could apply for a waiver, after hesitating between paying the fine and applying, he decided it was more efficient to just pay up.

In the afternoon, the company's HR was still busy. After going through the morning interview process, Pei Sheng didn't want to bother anymore, slumping beside the HR person who was responsible for the questioning, looking every bit like a disinterested heir making an appearance.

It was not until HR bravely advised him that his demeanor might scare away talented individuals that Pei Sheng straightened up a bit.

Xu Shuo took a walk around before returning to his office to continue working on the documents.

After tossing the holographic game he thought he couldn't complete onto Pei Sheng, Xu Shuo decided to work on creating that card game himself, choosing a theme with a vast array of monster characters in a grand melee.

Evening, five-thirty.

The sky outside was still clear, but the studio's employees had already started to leave work one after another.

When Xu Shuo initially changed the studio's location, he had rented half a floor of the building, spanning several hundred square meters, and it was very spacious. Explore hidden tales at My Virtual Library Empire

With few people around, the studio was relatively quiet.

Xu Shuo was standing by the window printing documents when he suddenly paused, feeling something, and looked outside.

Directly outside the window was an overpass and not far off, the Creative Park.

This district was filled with high-rises, housing many company studios, and it was the peak of the evening rush hour, with the wide roads bustling with lively traffic.

As the printer indicated it had finished working, Xu Shuo withdrew his gaze, picked up the documents, and walked away from the window.

Li Ziwen had not left yet, and after a brief work handover with him, they both left work. The other staff who hadn't left were free to work overtime.

Xu Shuo drove out from the basement.

It was only a half-hour's drive from his place to the studio, but during the peak hour, he spent about an hour in traffic. Then he parked in the underground garage of a discount shopping mall, intending to walk to the vegetable market.

But just as Xu Shuo stepped out of the underground garage, his figure abruptly stopped.

He paused, calmly pulled out his phone to check messages, then nonchalantly turned around and headed to the vegetable market.

As a regular customer of this urban village vegetable market, Xu Shuo picked out some vegetables that could be stored for a long time, bought some meat and ribs, and then headed home.

There was nothing out of the ordinary all the way until he got back to his apartment.

...

"You're back."

"Yeah, how was your rest?"

Xu Xi was awake in the living room, studying when she heard the sound at the entrance and greeted him; Xu Shuo entered, changing his shoes, and saw her reading a professional book sorted out by Li Ziwen.

"I had a nap at noon, and after waking up, I felt a lot better," Xu Xi said.

She indeed appeared to have recovered well, her voice sounded normal, and she looked completely like a healthy person who hadn't been sick.

Seeing her like this, Xu Shuo felt that was the norm.

```

It seemed that Xu Xi's physique hadn't changed much, either due to the exhaustion from the college entrance exam period or the influence of the world's anomalies.

Xu Shuo placed the groceries he bought in the sink, ready to cook; the rice had been cooked by Xu Xi before he returned home.

At that moment, footsteps approached from behind.

Xu Shuo turned his head and saw Xu Xi putting down her book and walking into the kitchen.

"What are you doing here?" He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"I'm not going to do anything, just thought I'd help you out and learn how to cook during the summer break," said Xu Xi, pursing her lips.

"No need."

Seeing Xu Xi's expression seem to fall, Xu Shuo added, "I'll teach you tomorrow. There's nothing you need to help with for this meal... help me pick out the lettuce."

Xu Xi's eyes brightened, and she stepped forward to help. She carefully broke apart the lettuce, discarding any spoiled leaves, and soaked it in water to clean.

After finishing these tasks, she stopped once she noticed Xu Shuo handling the ribs, realizing there really was nothing for her to assist with.

Both of them were quiet, and the kitchen was filled only with the sounds of their movements.

It wasn't until Xu Shuo began to prepare the sweet and sour ribs that he started to shoo her away again: "You should leave the kitchen for now. The smoke will be heavy soon, and it's a bit crowded here."

Xu Xi thought about it and decided not to disturb him further.

Xu Shuo glanced at Xu Xi, who had returned to the sofa, and conjured some pills from thin air; within a few breaths, he crushed two or three into the ribs.

Hopefully, the meat wouldn't taste off.

Of course, Xu Shuo sampled it before serving.

Perhaps it was because the pill itself had a sweet flavor, it seamlessly blended into the sweet and sour ribs, even overpowering the sour taste of the vinegar.

It looked like he could crush some pills and store them in the spice jar, using them as sugar in the future.

They should not expire, should they?

The two had a simple dinner with just two dishes: a plate of sweet and sour ribs and a plate of lettuce, with a pot of soup added during lunch sometimes to last until dinner.

Xu Shuo casually glanced at Xu Xi and noticed she calmly ate the ribs, showing no sign of anything amiss.

The pill was something he had tediously tested one by one in the market, finally able to be taken out of the Script Space; they were ordinary therapeutic drugs, presumably with the function to enhance immunity as well.

But he supposed he shouldn't keep his hopes too high; quantity over quality was the rule.

After all, it was something he could buy with just deductive value.

…

After dinner, they each focused on work and study until the lights were turn off promptly at ten o'clock for bed.

The next morning.

Xu Shuo was still sleeping when he vaguely sensed some noise outside the door. He fumbled for his phone, turned on the screen, and checked the time.

06:00.

Given the noise came from across the door, he guessed it was Xu Xi getting up early for the washroom, but to his surprise, moments later he heard the soft sound of the door's bolt sliding into place.

Xu Shuo: "..."

He paused for a moment, struggling to get up and peeked out of the window.

Xu Shuo's room had a layout parallel to the living room, and the window also faced the small street in the village within the city.

He saw Xu Xi dressed in sportswear emerging from the staircase, doing some warm-up exercises before slowly jogging down the street.

Early summer dawns early, and at this moment, the sky was beginning to brighten with the first light, and the horizon was showing the morning glow.

After watching, Xu Shuo turned over and lay back down in bed, covering himself with the blanket and planning to finish the last hour of sleep.

…

07:00 in the morning.

The pleasant alarm rang.

When Xu Xi returned from her morning exercise, she casually bought three orders of steamed buns and two cups of soy milk, but as she entered, she saw Xu Shuo had already gotten up and was preparing a protein shake on the table.

"Have this in the morning," Xu Shuo said, pointing to the protein shake he'd enhanced.

"Okay."

And so, the two cups of soy milk ended up being consumed by Xu Shuo.

During breakfast, Xu Xi suddenly spoke up, "After I left the house this morning, I felt like someone was watching me the whole time."

Xu Shuo, chewing on his bun, replied casually, "Maybe it was the elders out for their morning shopping. They might have thought, 'This girl is quite charming.'

Xu Xi: "... watched me the whole way."

"Right, don't go to deserted places alone for the time being. Make sure to arrange to meet friends when you go out and don't wander around," Xu Shuo advised.

"I'll go with you to the studio during summer break." Xu Xi brought up an earlier agreement.

"Sure. Ziwen's new planning team is almost set up; you can follow them and learn," he concurred.

…

After breakfast, the siblings set out together, ignoring the fleeting glances that seemed to come from somewhere, making their way towards the underground garage of the affordable shopping mall.

Xu Shuo's feeling the day before hadn't been wrong.

Someone was watching them from the shadows.

The sense of being watched wasn't very distinct when they were in the car or the house, but as all the obstructions disappeared, it felt like someone was unabashedly flashing a light at them.

For now, he hadn't sensed any malice.

Xu Xi probably felt the same; otherwise, she would have likely dashed right back inside the moment she stepped out that morning.

…

```