Why isn't there any response? I wasn't trying to mislead anyone with that question.

Lu Ce looked up, gave a casual glance, and noticed a portrait on the wall. The person in the painting seemed to be mimicking the Mona Lisa, smiling forward.

"I remember my teammate told me before, one of the horror mysteries involved a painting with tears, right?"

Lu Ce slowly stepped forward without thinking too hard about it. After glancing at it briefly, he walked up and gave it a try.

"Is it you?"

"What are you smiling at? Not planning to cry a little?"

He just stood in front of the painting, staying still for over ten seconds, as if engaged in some sort of mental standoff, staring back at the image.

He didn’t even know what to do himself. Normally, he’d wait for the other side to make the first move, then figure out how to deal with the target.

But this time, his instincts didn’t sense anything strange from the portrait—no sense of malice at all.

Just as he was locked in this silent face-off with the painting, elegant piano music began echoing through the empty room.

Lu Ce: ......

He stiffly turned his head in the direction of the sound. In the corner of the room sat a Steinway piano with a red cloth draped over it, oozing with a classical vibe from the last century.

At this moment, the piano was sitting quietly in the corner, playing elegant blues that felt like they had been stored away for countless eras, radiating a chilling loneliness.

Lu Ce swore, that piano wasn’t here when he first came in. It had just appeared out of nowhere.

Which meant, the horror mystery here wasn’t “the crying portrait,” but “the piano music in the music classroom at night.”

Just now, he’d been playing mind games with air.

Lu Ce: ##

In that instant, the Wrath Mask, which had been fairly stable, suddenly showed signs of overload. The light patterns shifted repeatedly, eventually forming an angry face.

(╯▔皿▔)╯, tsk, that woman Xie Antong couldn’t have explained it more clearly!?

“It’s not you, and you don’t say anything!?”

Fuming, he punched the wall straight on, smashing both the portrait and the wall behind it. Wooden panels and bricks flew everywhere.

Portrait: ……Can I even talk?

【: Wait, wasn’t this supposed to be a horror game? Why does it feel like a comedy all of a sudden?】

【: Can any expert analyze whether there’s any deeper meaning to what “Sin” just did?】

【: That piano totally confused me. It just... showed up.】

【: Even Park Bu Seong would’ve slipped up here. If that piano stayed hidden, this stage might’ve stalled our guy for a long time.】

Apparently used to “Sin’s” style, the audience in this horror game challenge still carried an oddly cheerful vibe.

In the music classroom, all the curtains suddenly pulled shut. The room was plunged into total darkness.

Snap!

The sound of a fire striker flared. In the pitch-black room, a faint glow appeared out of nowhere where the piano sat.

Seeing that dim, flickering light, Lu Ce didn’t move. He simply said:

“What a heartwarming scene.”

The viewers who had just started getting into the horror vibe were speechless after hearing that.

Only you could find this “heartwarming” right now, huh.

The soothing piano music in the room felt like it could calm the soul, when suddenly, a clear female voice echoed:

“Would you like to play a piano duet with me?”

The voice was ethereal and flowing, matching every beautiful fantasy one could have. It made it really hard to say no.

【: That voice is so beautiful, I think I’m in love.】

【: Hold up! Don’t fall in love just yet. Didn’t Blank tell Sin about each horror mystery’s traits??】

【: I looked this one up. If this is indeed the “Night Piano Song,” you’re not supposed to listen, and definitely not supposed to play along!】

The viewers supporting Lu Ce were now getting anxious, but it was pointless—this information was blocked in Challenge Mode, and Lu Ce wasn’t paying attention to anything they said anyway.

So, guided by the ethereal female voice, Lu Ce slowly walked forward to the piano.

Looking down, the keys of that vintage Steinway were dancing on their own, playing an intoxicating melody.

“Would you like to play a duet with me?”

The ethereal voice sounded again, tempting Lu Ce like a siren luring sailors from the deep sea.

At the same time, a few keys began flashing with a soft pink glow, alternating as if guiding Lu Ce on how to play along.

Lu Ce stared at the piano in front of him, went quiet for a few seconds, then gently bowed.

“Your piano sounds nice.”

“But I’m in a hurry.”

While the viewers were still unsure what he was about to do—some even thinking Wrath might’ve had a change of heart—

In the next second, Lu Ce straightened up and, using every bit of his strength, smashed his fist down onto the Steinway!

Courtesy before force.jpg.

That elegant, vintage Steinway exploded instantly. No ordinary metal or wooden structure could’ve withstood that punch.

Boom!

The sound was like a full-blown demolition. The piano shattered like a toy set, its pieces flying all over the room. Some even hit Lu Ce, but disintegrated into dust on impact!

Lu Ce couldn’t care less about completion methods or taboos. To him, if the horror mystery was “piano music,” then smashing the piano was the most straightforward solution.

The moment the piano burst apart, the light in the room dimmed, and Lu Ce’s instincts flared again—there was something in the room now.

As long as there’s something, it’s fine. Human or ghost, if you’re here, you can be dealt with.

Fierce, elegant, and heavy piano music erupted at the same time. Music could influence emotions, and each note was like a thread tugging at the soul, trying to lure it into submission.

A row of blood-red keys “flowed” out from the piano. Yes, flowed—surrounding Lu Ce in a huge circle.

The room turned oppressively dark. Amidst the gloom, the red-glowing keys stood out. The original soft red lights had gone out.

Lu Ce didn’t move. Then suddenly stepped forward and yanked down the classroom curtains!

—Dark. So d*mn dark!

Outside the window, it wasn’t daytime anymore. It was pitch-black like ink—as if this darkness had never known the light of day since humanity began.

Lu Ce pressed a hand to the earpiece on his ear and asked, “Is it nighttime now?”

“No, you probably entered a horror mystery scene.” Xie Antong instantly guessed that “Sin” must’ve triggered something.

“Got it.” Lu Ce nodded. “Ten minutes from now, if there's no completion prompt, remind me.”