Chapter 33: Unanswerable, the Final Letter from the Female Ghost

"Hairy Monster"? What kind of ridiculous nonsense is that...

Su Yueliang could not help but recall her own disheveled state in the office, and the memory made her toes curl in embarrassment. The wind that had blown through so suddenly back then—she hadn't understood why at the time, but looking back now, it was undoubtedly the work of Mr. Bai.

Thinking of this, Su Yueliang gritted her teeth in irritation. She forced a smile and said, "Hearing you speak your heart like this, I’m truly happy. Actually, just like you, I noticed you the very first time I saw you at the entrance of the Lancheng Headquarters lobby, when you got stuck in the turnstile three times in a row, creating a human stack..."

Bai Wan’s face twitched: "..."

Su Yueliang continued, "Of course, you truly entered my heart when we were in the car, and you exhibited such dashing grace by blowing out our tires four times. It was incredibly charismatic. And you were so humble, too—not seeking fame or fortune, you attributed the credit for those blowouts to the Rule-type anomalies while you just looked up at the sky, nonchalant and detached. I must say, you are far too modest!"

"But," she added, "what finally made me fall for you uncontrollably was that day when, amidst light chatter, you wiped out our ancestors' graves. At that moment, I only wanted to say one thing: Brother, you’re a legend, you’re absolutely insane!"

Bai Wan: "..."

Bai Wan’s eyes widened, his hair practically standing on end. He stared at Su Yueliang and said, "Hey, don't go around slandering people!"

Did he blow up the ancestral tombstones? Well... actually, it seemed he did. But... she had no proof! Therefore, it was definitely slander! Bai Wan felt aggrieved; he had been wronged!

Su Yueliang gave a soft hum and said, "So, I like you too. I can be your girlfriend."

Hearing this, the anomaly that had broken through the encirclement revealed a trace of frustration and resentment, ultimately choosing to bypass Bai Wan and Su Yueliang. Su Yueliang was pleasantly surprised—it worked. Bai Wan’s deduction was correct.

Sun Qian and the others hadn't strayed far, as they had seen Bai Wan trapping the anomaly. They had heard the entire conversation. Sun Qian and Xu Bing immediately followed suit, pretending to be a couple. The anomaly circled the group one last time, then vanished, clearly unwilling to give up.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Bai Wan with complex expressions. They had previously thought him pitiful, but now it was clear that they were the clowns. With such absurdly powerful abilities and terrifying insight, he had deciphered the anomaly's killing rules on only the second day. His intellect was no less impressive than his strength. How could someone like this be a newcomer to the game? No... he must have completed at least six rounds of games; otherwise, there was no way he could be this strong.

Sun Qian walked over and said with a wry smile, "Brother Liu Tong, you really fooled us. You don't look like someone who just entered the instance at all." These big shots always loved pretending to be novices.

Luo Ya also looked at Bai Wan with flickering eyes. She truly hadn't expected the most unremarkable newcomer to be such a powerhouse.

***

Bai Wan sighed and said, "Sorry, brothers. I, Liu Tong, was born with a twisted sense of humor and a vile personality. I hope you can all forgive me."

Su Yueliang gave Bai Wan a speechless look. If Liu Tong knew what you were saying, he’d beat you to death.

Sun Qian was stunned for a moment, then waved his hands quickly. "No, no, not at all. We owe you a lot this time, Brother Liu Tong. Otherwise, we would have been in real danger."

"It's nothing, don't mention it. Just a small effort," Bai Wan waved his hand dismissively and sighed sentimentally. "My parents always hoped I would keep my childhood innocence and remain kind. Saving you all today, I suppose I haven't disgraced the name Liu Tong. I’m sure my parents can rest in peace in the afterlife."

Behind him, within the painting, Zhang Yanfang burst into a tirade: "Damn this unfilial bastard! I’m going to drag you down to the afterlife right now and show you whether I can rest in peace or not!"

Bai Tian looked helpless. "Alright, alright, calm down. You’ll get old if you keep getting angry..."

"Bai Tian!!! Are you saying I’m old?!"

"??? Huh? I didn't say that."

"You *are* implying I’m old!"

Bai Tian: "..."

***

Inside the instance.

"Alright, let's head home... We've only cracked one of the anomaly's killing rules; the most important part, the 'letter,' is still a mystery. That’s the real focus." Su Yueliang rolled her eyes at Bai Wan’s act. Even if his parents were in the afterlife, they’d be so angry they’d swim back to the surface.

Hearing this, the group’s relaxed mood tightened once more. Yes, the "Incoming Letter" instance had only just begun. A single improper reply could lead to total annihilation. The female anomaly had said she would come to visit that night; they didn't know if she had arrived or not. Thinking of this, Sun Qian felt a chill on his bald head.

It was indeed not the time to relax. The group walked back to the wooden cabin, not daring to glance at the warehouse in the yard. They went straight inside and looked around with trepidation. It seemed the female anomaly hadn't returned. Seeing this, everyone finally relaxed. Regardless, they had survived another day.

Everyone was exhausted from the day's running, so they returned to their rooms to rest. Because they had cracked the killing rules, they didn't have to worry too much about Lin Yuan’s corpse appearing suddenly tonight. It was a comfortable night. Bai Wan had the sunflower on his shoulder keep watch, while he took his "family members" off his back and placed them on the bedside table. Under the watchful eyes of three people, one cat, and one sunflower, he finally managed to get a good night's sleep. Otherwise, he wouldn't have the energy to handle the upcoming challenges.

The "Incoming Letter" instance was nearing its halfway point. It seemed that the anomaly "Lin Yuan" alone wasn't enough to wipe out so many people. There must be something even more terrifying hidden in this instance. That mysterious abandoned warehouse, or perhaps the female anomaly who wrote the letters... neither side was easy to deal with. However, Bai Wan checked his status—his large "Sunlight Mushroom" delivery was arriving tomorrow. Even if the female anomaly appeared, he wouldn't be completely helpless.

***

In the morning, everyone gathered in the wooden cabin. Their spirits were clearly much better. Last night had been a rare moment of peace, all thanks to Bai Wan deciphering the killing rules. The anomaly found it difficult to strike, even when disguised as a girlfriend, because no one was foolish enough to believe it; the anomaly simply hadn't shown up.

The group gathered, waiting for an important letter. Accompanied by a familiar sound, there was a knock at the door.

*Knock, knock, knock!*

The group’s expressions shifted. The female anomaly’s letter had arrived! Sun Qian looked at Bai Wan, initially intending to let him take the lead. However, seeing the mysterious big shot busy pulling leaves off the sunflower on his shoulder, he abandoned the idea and walked to the door to retrieve the letter.

He held his breath and carefully unfolded the paper. Upon seeing the contents, his expression hardened, as did everyone else's.

"Dear, why do you feel so strange? You haven't called me 'baby' in a long time. I really miss you. I’ve been studying this 'Gensokyo' you talked about these past few days. You said you entered the exhibition competition at the neighboring county’s Xinghai Art Museum, but you stopped drawing halfway through because you lost inspiration. I want to ask you about the creative source of this painting so I can help you figure out how to finish it—Love, Xinyan."

*Hiss...*

Everyone gasped. The female anomaly had already sensed that something was wrong with Lin Yuan... What was even more terrifying was that they had no way to handle this letter. They knew nothing about "Gensokyo" and couldn't answer. If they tried to stall, they would definitely be exposed, as the anomaly was already suspicious.

Sun Qian and the others grew panicked. The "unsolvable" instance of "Incoming Letter" had finally revealed its fangs. The previous groups of players who had been wiped out had likely died right here.

"This letter... how on earth are we supposed to reply?"