After being poisoned by mushrooms, all the strange creatures became fascinated by me.

Under the moonlight, the flower girl's eyes were unusually large, bulging outwards, staring intently at her.

Those eyes, of course, would never blink again.

The person next to you dies tragically while you're fast asleep. Even in death, their eyes still stare at you, resenting that you were still asleep and that you didn't save them.

Her originally beautiful oval face was now twisted into a ferocious expression, almost like that of a wild beast.

Tang Li instinctively realized that the flower girl had died in extreme pain.

How did she die?

Tang Li felt a tingling sensation at the back of her head.

She suddenly realized why she felt something was wrong when she was half asleep. Her sixth sense wasn't that accurate, so it was probably not because of the dead flower girl's eyes, but because of "light".

—The bright moonlight shone in unobstructed.

The wooden window, which had been closed properly before I went to bed, was now wide open.

Is the murderer who killed the flower girl still in the house?

Under the bed? In the wardrobe? Behind the curtain? Outside the door?

Tang Li did not go to look for her.

She didn't even intend to leave the bed. She was now powerless; if the murderer could kill the flower girl, he could certainly kill her too.

The fact that Tang Li is still alive means the killer didn't intend to kill her. If she insists on going to find him and happens to come face to face with him, that would truly be courting death.

Tang Li lay back down on the bed, curled up, and closed her eyes as if nothing had happened under the flower girl's unwavering gaze. It was rare for her to be so helpless, like a bird being watched by a predator, her body stiff and motionless, her heart pounding frighteningly.

Look, I've closed my eyes and turned my face away.

If you haven't had time to leave yet.

Then please leave quickly.

Then, in the silence, Tang Li heard soft footsteps.

She kept her eyes closed, not even a tremor in her eyelashes. In the midst of extreme tension, you could barely discern the direction of the footsteps; you only felt them approaching and receding, until one moment you finally realized that the footsteps had stopped beside the bed.

Tang Li subtly reached under the pillow, and sure enough, the cold hilt of a dagger pressed against her palm.

The flower girl said that the assassin would never let his weapon out of his control.

But the enemy she encountered was so cunning that she didn't even have time to draw the dagger from under her pillow.

A soft laugh, so eerie in the night.

A cold hand slowly touched Tang Li's cheek, devoid of warmth. Tang Li tried her best to suppress the trembling in her body.

"Why don't you open your eyes and look at me?" A plaintive voice rang out, filled with resentment and reproach.

Tang Li pretended to be asleep with all her might.

"Look at me, please, look at me..."

The voice actually started crying, and tears fell drop by drop onto Tang Li's face.

The tone of the voice grew increasingly humble and mournful, as if the person was deeply saddened. At the same time, the hand climbed up Tang Li's face, the fingers pressing against her eyeballs through the thin eyelids.

A sense of crisis screamed in Tang Li's mind. At that moment, she realized two things simultaneously.

The killer is threatening me.

This person needs my response; the killer wants to talk to me.

So, even in this life-or-death situation, Tang Li remained calm.

She raised her hand and gently took the other person's fingers in hers.

"Brother or sister," a haggard child's voice rang out, calm yet tinged with numbness, "I want to see you too, but I'm afraid that if I do, you'll kill me."

The killer paused, his carefully prepared emotions interrupted, and instead laughed: "Open your eyes and look at me. I won't kill you, okay?"

The killer spoke politely and tried to negotiate, "I'll show you my face, and I'll only take your eyes as payment, not your life. Is that okay?"

Tang Li realized that she had either encountered a mentally ill person who manipulated people's hearts, or a madman with self-consistent logic.

But at this moment.

Suddenly, a soft sound, like a coin dropping to the ground, was heard.

[System notification: Main quest activated, livestream shop now open.]

The mission notification sound nearly snapped Tang Li's already tense nerves.

[System Notification: The current dungeon has high exploration progress requirements. Several side quests will be generated simultaneously to assist in the investigation and provide corresponding generous rewards. Please be aware.]

Side Quest 1: Uncover the truth behind the flower girl's death.

Tang Li suddenly perked up.

With her eyes closed, she quickly searched her mind for certain products from the eerie live-streaming e-commerce site.

I glanced at the side quest rewards again.

"Okay, let's go."

A strong, clear child's voice responded.

What are you here for...?

This person's sudden cheerfulness stunned the murderer, leaving him frozen in place.

The voice, neither clearly male nor female, stammered, "I...I mean, I gouged out your eyes..."

"I know," Tang Li interrupted crisply, "Here you go, both of them. Let's do it the way we agreed."

The little girl's voice was full of expectation, "Can I see your face?"

The killer fell silent.

The murderer suddenly realized that his swapping game brought him no joy at all.

"Why?" the killer asked, bewildered. "Don't you want your eyes anymore?"

So long-winded.

Tang Li started to give perfunctory answers.

"I'd rather gaze upon your face than use my own." Tang Li picked up her old tricks from the previous instance, acting as a charlatan, her tone fervent and resolute. "Your killing skills are so divine; if I can't see your true face, what's the point of having these eyes? If I can see your true face, why would I need to look at anyone else?"

lied to you.

The live-streaming store offers a panacea for regrowth eyes, claiming that the new eyeballs have built-in vision-restoring abilities, resulting in vision of 5.0 or better. For an additional fee, twelve trendy and dazzling eye colors can be provided.

The live-streaming store also sells powerful painkillers and anesthetics. You can gouge out your eyeballs and even set off firecrackers in your eye sockets without feeling any pain.

All these expenses combined, and here's the key point: amount to less than one-tenth of the reward for completing a side quest.

And what is the side quest? Find out the real culprit who caused the flower girl's death.

—Isn't this you right in front of me?

You've made a fortune! Friends, you've made a killing!

The assailant abruptly withdrew his hand from Tang Li's eyelids, involuntarily rubbing the goosebumps on his arm.

He looks perfectly normal, but he's actually a little madman?

Tang Li tried to open her eyes again, but the assailant moved so fast that it left afterimages, and in a flash, covered her eyes again.

Tang Li: ?

She snapped, "How can you go back on your word?"

Seeing her anxious, the murderer finally laughed with satisfaction.

What a close call! I've wasted my life's reputation; I almost let this crazy girl get her hands on me.

"Yes, I've changed my mind." The murderer boasted shamelessly, even pinching Tang Li's cheek with his other hand. "Since you admire me so much..."

"Then come find me in person."

"For now, I'll leave these eyes in their sockets. When you find me, I'll allow you to look me in the eye. Then, I'll take them away."

"Before that," the androgynous voice chuckled, "I wish you could live to see the day when King Zhou of Han reigns."