Fu Ruxue frowned, thinking she was reluctant to switch, and hurriedly apologized, “Sorry, I…”
“Why are you all walking so slowly? Hurry up and come sit.”
The burly man, dark circles under his eyes, was already waiting early at the dining table, looking drained of energy.
He was starving since he hadn’t eaten dinner, and the sharp scream from last night had only made him more agitated, his whole aura heavy and oppressive.
Interrupted, Fu Ruxue fell silent. She noticed that Xunian wasn’t interested in her apology and was instead staring thoughtfully at the blood-written wall from last night.
The wall had returned to normal; the rules had vanished.
Fu Ruxue walked straight to where she had sat last night and took her seat.
The plate still held something disgusting—a freshly cut brain, its smooth cross-section divided into five parts and placed on the dish.
It looked just dug out, its surface still covered in fresh, sticky blood, drizzled with a black sauce, and a small flag painted with a skull stuck into it.
Compared to yesterday’s plate filled with maggots and decayed meat, that horrifying sight, this only had a faint blood smell, making it somewhat easier to bear.
Xunian withdrew her gaze and slid her wooden chair over to sit beside Fu Ruxue.
Only five plates?
Xunian and Fu Ruxue exchanged a glance, both seeing the complexity in the other’s eyes.
Had something happened to someone?
“By the way, who was yelling so loudly last night?” The burly man leaned back in his chair with crossed legs, acting nonchalant. “Honestly, you girls are just making a fuss.”
A nightmare-like, hoarse voice echoed nearby. “Good morning~”
The burly man jumped, stiffening. Nervously swallowing, his Adam’s apple bobbed as he stammered, “Good… morning…”
The Butler, seeing him so scared, lifted his knife-shaped chin slightly, his bloodshot red eyes glancing sideways as if looking at some filthy thing.
Soon, the remaining two men from the first and second floors hurried over; only one person hadn’t come—
That timid girl.
“Always so late…” the burly man muttered.
“Clack.”
The ancient clock struck eight sharp.
The Butler smiled faintly, his bloodshot eyes staring coldly. His tongue flicked over his upper lip, as if savoring a delicious treat.
Counting each person with his predatory gaze, he whispered, “1, 2, 3, 4, 5.”
“Everyone’s here now.”
There was a trace of regret in his voice that sent a chill down their spines.
The Butler returned to his normal human form and retreated to the doorway under the wary gazes of everyone, casually reminding them,
“If no one eats the delicious food, I’ll just have to feed it to the Duke’s Pet.”
With that, he stepped outside. The wooden door creaked and then closed.
Duke’s Pet?
“Rustle, rustle…”
A faint, rapid, strange noise suddenly came from beneath the table, unsettling to hear. A cold shiver ran down everyone’s spine, triggering a primal fear response.
At the sound, the first-floor man’s face instantly turned pale. “It’s…it’s a snake!”
He almost collapsed onto the chair, curling his legs tightly, eyes wide with terror as he stared at the floor.
A black creature with scales like a snake slithered out from under the table, its scales reflecting iridescent black light. Its red vertical pupils fixed on the man.
The next second, the “snake” whipped out its entire length, tightly coiling around the man’s neck.
“Ha… help…”
His face flushed red above the neck as the creature constricted. His eyes bulged as he struggled to pull the “snake” off, but it only squeezed tighter.
A delicate, fair hand reached out; with a swift strike, it neatly cleaved the “snake” in two.
The soft hand caught the two severed halves, which looked like frayed ropes.
Xunian curiously examined the “snake” in her hand. In reality, she had never seen a snake with black scales and red pupils. On closer look, the dying creature had a small bulge on its head—like an undeveloped horn.
What was this thing?
Unicorn Snake?
“Thank you.”
The man expressed his gratitude, a hint of shame in his eyes.
Yesterday, it was his doing that Xunian had ventured into that dangerous room, yet she repaid his kindness without resentment. Now, he felt deeply thankful.
More and more black Unicorn Snakes appeared. Everyone else hurriedly left the dining table, but Xunian stayed put.
She pursed her lips and barely frowned.
She had assumed there was only one of these creatures, so she had helped the man without much thought.
But now, seeing so many, she regretted killing that one.
She didn’t care about the stranger’s life or death; she just wanted to capture one to see if it was related to the key.
The writhing black creatures swarmed the five brain portions on the table, devouring them almost instantly.
That wasn’t enough to fill their bellies. Their black-scaled heads raised, turning toward nearby heat sources.
Their red glowing vertical pupils locked onto the calm young woman.
In an instant, all the snakes lunged at her, bringing with them strangling, devouring, venom—an all-out destructive attack.
In the shadows, a slender hand gripped a teacup tightly, the fingertips white from the pressure, trembling almost enough to shatter the jade cup.
Xunian yanked the tablecloth and threw it with all her strength. The Unicorn Snakes collided with it and got wrapped up, with one or two “escapees” neatly cut in half by her blade.
She stepped back quickly, toes lightly touching the floor.
Glancing toward the kitchen, she suddenly remembered a rule:
【Rule Four】: No one here will disturb the Cook.
Xunian skated along the wall, swiftly heading for the kitchen. The others had already retreated to their rooms, peeking out from behind doors, admiring her bravery.
She dashed into the kitchen, the snakes still relentlessly pursuing.
The kitchen looked like it hadn’t been used for a long time. Thick spiderwebs filled the corners, dusty cutting boards silently held two decayed hands missing fingers, long rotted away.
Xunian scanned every inch, analyzing the rule carefully.
There was no cook here?
The swarm closed in, dozens of cold eyes staring down the heat radiating from her body. Their instinct to consume all living things drew them closer.
Her mind raced. The tension of life-and-death battle caused sweat to bead on her forehead, yet her mood was surprisingly calm.
The moment the lead snake entered the kitchen, she calmly picked up the rusty kitchen knife beside the cutting board and struck down on the decayed hand.
“Pft—”
The sound of the blade piercing flesh rang out, and instantly all the hissing and tongue-flicking ceased.
The snakes slowly turned and abandoned their target.
Xunian exhaled deeply, her heartbeat thundering in her ears, blood pumping fiercely through her veins—a strange exhilaration.
It was the human survival instinct ignited by the threat to her life.
Only in such moments did she truly feel alive.
In an unknown place.
The hand in the shadows clenched the now-shattered teacup. Numb to the jade shards cutting it, it tossed the fragments into a wooden trash bin.
Only after the Unicorn Snakes fully dispersed did a few players dare to crack open their doors and peek out.
Fu Ruxue was now certain that Xunian, like herself, was not a first-timer to the Rules Creepypasta World. In fact, Xunian’s experience was even greater.
She adjusted her expression, pursing her lips as she stepped out, her eyes a mix of worry and sadness as she looked at Xunian, who had just come out of the kitchen, wiping her hands with a handkerchief—still intact, unbroken.
“Xunian, are you okay?”
“Still alive,” Xunian answered, focused on wiping her hands. “Let’s go check the room of the person who disappeared.”
“…Alright.”
Fu Ruxue, originally intending to comfort Xunian to gain favor, swallowed her words seeing how lively and composed she was.
It was terrifying—the seemingly harmless pretty girl had just faced a life-or-death situation and remained so calm, unlike any normal human reaction.
She looked at Xunian, who was now heading toward the timid girl’s room, her expression complicated, uncertain if trying to get closer was the right choice.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
Xunian knocked on the door.
“Is anyone there?” A late-arriving Fu Ruxue came over.
The burly man and the others gathered too, curious why the timid girl hadn’t come.
Xunian knocked again. Still no response.
“Click.”
The lock opened unexpectedly.
The burly man was first to push the door open. A spherical object rolled out at his feet; he instinctively kicked it away and his foot came away sticky with blood.
He looked down at the object, frozen in place.
Trembling eyes reflected a blood-covered head. The head’s mouth hung open, blood tears streaming down, the expression full of terror and despair.
The pupils were dilated and unfocused, hair tangled messily around the skull.
The burly man staggered back, his legs weak with fear, almost falling, caught by someone behind him.
The calm man behind him, now unable to remain composed, had shaking hands while supporting him.
The remaining man’s face drained of color. Thinking of the breakfast brain devoured by snakes, he staggered to the wall and vomited, “Ugh—”
Fu Ruxue’s complexion was also grim. She hadn’t expected a death on the very first night.
Xunian frowned, unsurprised by the situation. “Remember the rules? Miss doesn’t like noise.”
Everyone shuddered.
Was the victim’s scream last night what angered the Duke’s Miss?
The body lay quietly on the bed, the headless neck dripping blood on the bedside. The scene was ghastly.
Xunian added, “This should be the Housekeeper’s room.”
“What do you mean?”
“The entire room is clean and tidy, with a full set of cleaning tools inside.”
Following her finger, they saw the cleaning tools.
Usually, only the Housekeeper’s room or storage rooms in wealthy households would have cleaning equipment, otherwise there would be no need.
“And that photo in the frame.”
In the photo was a cute girl wearing a Housekeeper’s uniform, freckles on her face, smiling sweetly. The uniform was exactly the same as The Headless Maid’s.
Both the victim and the Housekeeper lost their heads—probably not a coincidence.
“Is it possible that, just like the Housekeeper died the same way as the nanny, we might also share the same fate as the original occupant of our rooms?”
“I’ll go check my room…” The burly man struggled to stand with help and headed back to his own room.
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