In Virtual Reality

The man's and woman's words harmonized, their voices evoking a haunting melody that sent shivers down Lone Wolf's spine.

Every day, Lone Wolf streamed its survival in the apocalyptic game, oblivious to the cruel nature of humans.
Lone Wolf surveyed its surroundings but found no words to offer.

Lone Wolf became the first to sense its ominous presence as the fog thickened.
It broke the harmony, speaking urgently, “We must leave this place.
The fog gives me an uneasy feeling.”

Madam Stargazer drew out her words lazily, “Judgment day is fast approaching, we can finish this test first.”

Lone Wolf protested, “Can't you let go of this foolishness for now?” It turned to the only rational person present, “Asmodeus, can you not reason with her?”

The bespectacled man was taken aback, adjusting his glasses and saying calmly, “Why do you think I can control a woman's actions?”

“Why are you resisting?” Madam Stargazer narrowed her eyes, “It's quite suspicious…
and you look like a pure werewolf yourself.”

“I've already told you, it's just a skin from a previous game!” Lone Wolf grew impatient, preparing to act, “Listen carefully, I will not harm the little girl.
Not in the slightest.
I've warned you, this place is dangerous.” Its nose and ears twitched, searching for a safe exit.

“Stop him!” Asmodeus bellowed suddenly, and the woman raised her hand, unleashing a purple bolt of lightning that struck the ground before Lone Wolf.

The wolf's growl reverberated, “Woo–!” Lone Wolf stood by the black smoking pit, turning fiercely towards the people confronting it.

“So, you really are a werewolf,” Asmodeus sneered.
“Trying to run away? Let's begin the trial, Fox Snap,” he said, directly addressing the Judge.

Fox Snap, clutching the ancient tome, nodded and muttered to herself.
However, before she could speak, everyone froze.

【The night has ended.
It is now time for the daytime vote.】

A black, bony ghost with a giant sickle towering over three meters stood before Lone Wolf, extending its left hand.

【You have five minutes to choose.
Each player may only cast one vote.】

【Reminder, ten players survived the night.】

Daytime was upon them.
But when did the night begin and end?

Madam Stargazer's mind was suddenly flooded with doubt.
However, Lone Wolf's choice immediately grabbed her attention.

“I choose her!” Lone Wolf pointed his sharp nails and furry fingers at the panicked Fox Snap, speaking viciously.
“I cast my vote for her!”

Asmodeus's brows furrowed.
“The night is over.
You're no match for us in the daytime vote.”

Noticing the top left corner of the voting area, he saw two people had already abstained, and it was highly likely that the other unseen people would do the same.
If they chose to vote, they could corner Lone Wolf.

“This werewolf is a special kind of stupid,” Asmodeus remarked, raising his hand to point at Lone Wolf.
“I vote for him.”

The other two followed suit, taking a gamble on Lone Wolf.
In an instant, Number 3 in the voting area had already racked up three votes.

The other five people had abstained, leaving only one player besides Lone Wolf, who was still deciding.

“Pity,” Asmodeus shook his head.
“Eliminated before the game even begins.”

Lone Wolf surveyed the group with caution, paying no heed to the results of the voting area.

“Thinking of running away?” Asmodeus sneered, turning his attention to the nervous Fox Snap.
“I suggest you conserve your energy,” he said before adding, “Continue the trial.”

Madam raised her hand to halt the proceedings.
She raised her head with pride and suspicion and looked at them sceptically.
“How do I know that you are not working together?”

Asmodeus was taken aback.
“What?”

“Although I voted for him,” Madam gestured towards the highly vigilant Lone Wolf, “but honestly, do you want to win this game in a fair manner?” she said, sly smiling.

Asmodeus maintained his composure, stepping back as he asked, “What are you trying to say?”

The woman started to gather a vivid purple electric light in her palm, her eyes flashing with an otherworldly gleam.
“My point is,” she said, “we are all thousand-year-old foxes.”

Asmodeus couldn't help but exclaim, “What kind of bizarre talk is that?”

Without warning, the bright purple electric light struck the ground in front of him, causing Fox Snap, who stood beside him, to feel numb.
The beastman girl panicked and darted away from Asmodeus, trembling as she watched the strange scene unfolding before her.

Not just her but even the viewers tuning into the live broadcast of the encounter were at a loss, unable to make sense of the inexplicable events.

【What's happening with the woman and the guy in glasses? Did I miss something?】

【I don't know, but I have to admit, her earlier idea might have been a bit rough, but it got the job done】

【I'm so confused.
Why do I feel like I missed several episodes?? Can someone fill me in on what's happening?】

【Hey, isn't Asmodeus an external site streamer?】

【Remember when 《Dream of the Red Chamber》 crashed due to the network issue?】

【Yeah, wasn't that because of the internal staff shutting down threads?】

【Cough, I heard from an insider that it was actually a hack attack on the game servers】

【What?! Are you serious?】

【I mean, even if Asmodeus participated in a hacking competition five years ago, he's a law-abiding citizen now, right?】

【Okay, let's lighten up.
Anyone got a joke?】

As the chat room erupted with the conversation, the woman outside remained still, her expression inscrutable.

Madam Stargazer's lips twisted into a desiccated smirk before abruptly settling into a blank expression.
“What a coincidence,” she drawled.
“I sent the invitations, and as the one who helped organizing this game, I'm acquainted with each participant.” She arched an eyebrow.
“I don't recall inviting anyone named 'Asmodeus'.”

Asmodeus appeared entirely bewildered as silence descended upon the group.
“So, you were merely pretending to cooperate with me earlier, in order to…” he trailed off, groping for the right word.
“Deceive me?”

Madam Stargazer: “No, I simply didn't believe that wolf to be an upstanding character.”

Lone Wolf: “Hey?! Don't discriminate based on player's skins!!”

The fur on Lone Wolf's body bristled as he watched the two of them with suspicion, his furry head lost in thought.

Fox Snap whispered to him, “Aren't you going to bolt?”

Lone Wolf: “……?”

“When did you start caring about me?” The wolf gave her a peculiar look.
“A few moments ago, you were contemplating…what was it…?”

Fox Snap whispered, “Trying to judje you and kill you.
If Mr Asmodeus and the rest of them cast their votes for you, wouldn't you be killed straight away?” She embraced her hefty, thick-shelled notebook with all her might, and her ears jiggled, almost about to take off.
“You're not really not going to make a run for it, are you?”

“Understood, understood,” Lone Wolf tugged on his ears and rolled his eyes.
“I heard you loud and clear with both of my ears!” It turned to face her.
“But If I make a run for it now, these two will instantly turn the tables and vote for me, right? So, what exactly do you want? You've been incessantly talking my ear off…hey, are you a wolf?”

Fox Snap: “……”

Lone Wolf: “……?”

The lack of response from the other party seemed like a kind of warning, abruptly making him aware of something he had overlooked before.
If Fox Snap was indeed the 【Judge】, why didn't she check that person's identity while travelling with Asmodeus? Did she never consider that the first player she encountered might be a wolf?

Lone Wolf immediately spun around and bellowed at them, “Hey! This chick is the–“

【The vote has ended, and the results are being announced.】

【The result of this round of voting is Number 3.】

At some point, the duo over there had already decided, and the voting bar in the upper left corner had already shown the result: three votes for Number 3 and two for Number 7.

Wait a minute.
Five votes were cast, yet there were only four individuals present.

A chill ran down Fox Snap's spine, causing her body to shudder.
She pondered who could be secretly observing them.
No one will randomly cast their vote in this game—unless someone is secretly watching them.

With a false smile, Asmodeus said, “Since we all have our reasons for being here, why to create such tension between us?”

Madam Stargazer chuckled, covering her mouth, “Ha-ha, you're right.
Anyhow, once this game ends, the game website staff will contact you privately, right, little hacker?”

Asmodeus remained silent, avoiding the question, and shifted the blame to another player.
“It appears that Mr.
Wolf has already been voted out, so let's conclude this game here.”

Lone Wolf's fur bristled in agitation.
“Hey! Why am I involved in your conversation? I'm just a passing player!”

Madam Stargazer was shocked, “You can't be serious, a passerby player?!”

Asmodeus placed his palm on his forehead and sighed, “Sir, there's no need to continue the charade.
How could a player in this game have such unusual skin? It's like asking to be targeted.
At first glance, it's difficult to differentiate between werewolves and civilians, so analyzing various details is necessary.
We can't eliminate the possibility of jesters casting votes directly,” Asmodeus laughed, “even though I don't know which platform you're from, you're quite a mystery.”

Madam Stargazer furrowed her brow and tapped her crimson lips lightly.
“Maybe you thought that the more dangerous the skin, the safer it is?” She broke out into a big smile before adding, “No matter what your intention was, the outcome has already appeared.”

【Day one of the public vote results: Number three, 【Lone Wolf of the Apocalypse】】

“…”

The public vote results were out, and Lone Wolf had been voted out of the game.
As he stared unblinkingly at a hunched figure not far away, the NPC dressed as the Grim Reaper of the night raised his large sickle, but his movements were slow and hesitant to point the blade at Lone Wolf.

After several seconds of silence from everyone present, Asmodeus furrowed his brow and asked, “Did the system malfunction?”

Madam Stargazer quickly retorted, “This is the system made by Old Dog.
How could it possibly go wrong?”

The two of them focused on the NPC, and Madam Stargazer made a strange noise with her nose.
“Hmm, I remember seeing his image in the promotional materials.” Madam paused before realizing, “This guy is the executioner NPC? But there seems to be something missing…wait, where is his robe??”

Asmodeus felt confused for the first time.
“What robe?”

Madam Stargazer explained, “According to the settings, the player who is voted out will be executed on the spot by him.
But then Old Dog suddenly added another setting for this NPC, which says that he has germaphobe.”

“…”

The place lapsed into a heavy silence.
Asmodeus's voice was thick with rage as he growled out a question, “Who's the *** responsible for this godforsaken setting?!”

Hututu's eyes widened in disbelief.
“Wait, so you're telling me that if we want to kill Lone Wolf, we have to first dress this NPC?”

“…
According to the game mehanics, yes.”

“Well, who in the world conjured up this ludicrous gameplay?!”

**

With a sudden “Ah-choo!” Xu Jin Yi's head buzzed, making her feel more uneasy on the shaded path.
Her Celestial Master followed close behind her, unsure and full of admiration at the same time, a combination that Xu Jin Yi, a veteran of horror games, found chilling.
She rubbed her nose and halted, turning to face her companion.

“You know, if we're going to walk together, why not do it side by side?” Xu Jin Yi beamed a friendly smile at him.
“I always feel like you're about to do something sneaky when you're following me from behind.”

Celestial Master's eyes lit up as he stammered, “S-sneaky, sneaky?”

Xu Jin Yi said, “You know, like a swift kick to your waist.”

Celestial Master's smile faltered.
“A kick, a kick?”

【Isn't it hilarious? What was Celestial Master thinking with that expression?】

【Screenshot taken, adding it to my collection of reaction images.】

【Me too!! I'm willing to spend blood coins to get it, too!】

【By the way, do you guys know where Excelsior is going?】

【Excelsior is the game developer, so they should have their own unique developer channel, right?】

【I almost forgot, Excelsior has a unique identity in the game.
They are likely neutral character cards, like a judge.】

【I think it's highly likely.】

【And the host will have to suck up to them, right?!】

【Celestial Master: Already doing it!】

【This is just too funny, hahaha.】

“Excelsior,” Celestial Master quickly glanced at the frivolous live broadcast room before playfully approaching Xu Jin Yi, “pray, why wasn't Number 3 axed right after the vote? Is there some secret reason?”

“Well,” Xu Jin Yi's gaze darted to the upper left corner.
Unsurprisingly, he saw that Number 3 had yet to be eliminated.
“You're not aware of the NPC is a neat freak?”

“Hmm?”

A picture of innocence spread across Xu Jin Yi's face.
“I merely took his robe.
Is there anything wrong with delaying execution due waredrobe malfunction?”