True Horror Chapter 18: Privileges for High-Ranking Players

After returning from visiting the sick, Jiang Li ran into Fei Ling, who had just come back from her family home. Fei Ling had grown much stronger since her return. Meeting in the hallway, Jiang Li brought up Manager Sun’s live broadcast task for Mo Han.

Hearing voices in the corridor, Song Zhi opened his door. Not joining the conversation, he silently followed the pair to the sofa in the lounge.

“I don’t think Number Four is the real witch,” Jiang Li said, watching Mo Han’s live stream on his phone while voicing his opinion.

“I agree, it doesn’t feel right, even though her statements are fairly convincing,” Fei Ling replied. “But when she claimed Mo Han would be targeted by werewolves on the second night, something felt off to me. And the way she speaks is odd—there’s a coldness to her.”

Song Zhi, who hadn’t found an opening to speak, finally added, “I don’t think it’s just her; both of those women seem suspicious.”

The focus shifted back to Mo Han and his group. It was Mo Han’s turn to investigate a player during the night. For the sake of safety—and to ensure he, his sister, and Su Zheyuan could survive to the end—Mo Han decided to check Su Zheyuan’s identity.

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Su Zheyuan, the youngest in the apartment. Mo Han simply worried about what he should do if the three of them were not on the same side.

Su Zheyuan, though the youngest, was also the most courageous. He never backed down from a task and always strove to find a way out, especially close with Mo Han’s sister, Mo Yan. Though young, Su Zheyuan was clever and strong. Mo Han often wondered if he would have collapsed had he been chosen by the Ghost’s Record at Su Zheyuan’s age. Would he have had the strength and courage that Su Zheyuan displayed, always wearing an innocent, bright smile as if nothing in the world could trouble him?

Su Zheyuan had joined during Mo Yan’s second task and completed subsequent ones on his own, demonstrating both wisdom and bravery, though his youth sometimes made him nervous. This was understandable—when working with the Mo siblings, he worried about dragging them down. But when facing challenges alone, he bore the weight on his own shoulders.

After much hesitation, Mo Han finally, anxiously, chose to check Su Zheyuan’s identity.

His role was… a good person.

Relieved, Mo Han breathed a sigh of relief. He truly didn’t know what he would have done if Su Zheyuan had turned out to be a werewolf.

Mo Han was gentle by nature, always willing to help others—unless his family was involved. When it came to his family, he could become as fierce and ruthless as a wolf lying in wait, ready to strike.

This stemmed from the fact that his sister was his only family in the world. His biological parents had given him away at a young age, and his adoptive parents died when he was five.

Only five-year-old Mo Han and two-year-old Mo Yan remained. Mo Yan was the biological daughter of their adoptive parents, and after their deaths, she became Mo Han’s only family in the world.

The siblings shared a close bond. From then on, Mo Han had to care for himself and his young sister, with the help of kind neighbors. Thanks to this support, both managed to finish university. At Yunhai University, they were both outstanding figures—one handsome and academically brilliant, the other beautiful and dedicated to her studies. (Yes, this is the same university as Qin Buliang in “Warm Moon, Cold Stars.”)

They were the youngest doctoral students at Yunhai University, winning scholarships year after year, always coming first and second in exams, standing out among the brilliant minds of Yunhai.

Mo Han’s recollections faded as Su Zheyuan’s identity was revealed, the bleak present returning to darkness. The Mo Han in his memories came back to himself.

“Witch, open your eyes. Will you save? Will you use the poison?”

At that moment, the true witch—Mo Yan—saw on the TV that the player attacked that night was Su Zheyuan. Without hesitation, she used the antidote to save him.

The antidote was gone, and the game was just entering its middle phase. The seer had yet to reveal themselves, and the system granted a certain favor to those who had completed more tasks. This favor, however, was a double-edged sword—it could bring both advantages and dangers.

Mo Yan and Mo Han had been assigned the roles of seer and witch because of this system’s special treatment, but it also meant a higher risk of death. She had become the witch thanks to this favor, so her brother must be the seer.

But now, having used the antidote on Su Zheyuan, when her brother’s identity as the seer was revealed, she would only be able to watch helplessly.

Neither Mo Han nor Mo Yan had ever mentioned the system's favor toward experienced players to the others. Mo Yan didn’t know why her brother never brought it up, but she kept silent as well.

She had long since deduced that Mo Han was the seer, especially when he kept a close eye on Number Twelve. That jogged her memory about the system’s favor, confirming her brother’s identity.

Since it was Mo Han’s fourth task, it was destined from the start that he would be the seer. Both she and Su Zheyuan were on their third tasks, and they, too, had received special roles.

Thus, she was the witch; her brother, on his fourth task, must be the seer.

Su Zheyuan was either the guardian or the hunter. However, Number Ten claimed to be a strong role, so Su Zheyuan had to be the last special role, the guardian.

There were still nine players left: Number One, Mo Han; Number Two, Mo Yan; Number Three, Su Zheyuan; Number Four, Sun Jing; Number Five, Zhang Ling’er; and several others who were not event participants—Numbers Eight, Nine, Ten, and Eleven. With four special roles confirmed, identifying the rest would be up to Mo Han as the seer.

“Guardian, open your eyes. Who will you protect?”

Su Zheyuan, opening his eyes, quietly pointed to Mo Han. He had protected himself the first round, Mo Yan the second, as the rules didn’t allow consecutive nights for the same target. This night, he chose Mo Han—unaware that Mo Yan had just used the only antidote on him.

“Hunter, open your eyes. Will you use your skill?”

The sole hunter scanned the room but shook his head, choosing not to act.

Dawn arrived. Another peaceful night.

Mo Han found it incredible—another peaceful night.

He had already confirmed Mo Yan as the witch, but was still uncertain about Su Zheyuan, having forgotten about the system’s favor for experienced players. Investigating Su Zheyuan had been a waste of opportunity.

With Number Twelve, the obvious werewolf, already out, and the first three not being werewolves, at least three werewolves remained among the later players starting from Number Four. Yet Mo Han still had no solid clues to rely on.

It was now the third day, with nine players left. Without revealing his seer identity, the game would grow increasingly difficult.

Fortunately, in the previous round Sun Jing (Number Four) had claimed to be the witch. From Mo Han’s perspective, that defined her as a werewolf—though it was possible she was pretending to protect the real witch, his sister.

Whatever Sun Jing’s motive, the Mo siblings agreed to vote her out in this round.

With Sun Jing gone, there would still be two werewolves among the remaining players. Mo Han finally remembered the system’s favor toward experienced players. Why had he wasted an investigation on Su Zheyuan, missing a chance to expose a werewolf?

He shifted his focus to Zhang Ling’er (Number Five), Player Eight, Player Nine, and Player Eleven. Since Number Twelve was already out as a werewolf, Player Eleven was less likely to be one.

The main suspects were Zhang Ling’er, Player Eight, and Player Nine.

Mo Han followed the same speaking order as the previous round, and Mo Yan revealed herself as the witch. She cast suspicion on Sun Jing, who had claimed to be the witch the previous round, and convinced the others—except for Zhang Ling’er, Sun Jing’s closest ally. Anyone speaking up for Sun Jing was now automatically suspect as a werewolf.

And that was indeed the case—only Zhang Ling’er defended Sun Jing.

No one else wanted to be labeled as a wolf’s accomplice, and Sun Jing was swiftly eliminated.

Yet, as Sun Jing learned of her fate, her face remained unchanged. She even cast a strange, menacing look at the others, followed by a chilling laugh…

Night fell again.

Mo Han still suspected Zhang Ling’er and decided to check her identity.

As expected, Zhang Ling’er was indeed a werewolf.

——From now on, updates will be posted around three in the afternoon.

Thank you all for your clicks. At least someone is reading, and that’s enough for me. This first book is my practice; I’ll do my best to make it something I’m proud of.

Yesterday, I was almost scammed in Guangzhou—so frustrating!