Duya gently closed the door, shutting out the eerie NPC voices from the guild hall.
He slowly walked over to Linglan and crouched down, but did not rashly touch her.
He simply placed the hammer in his hand beside him, both to show he was unarmed and to ensure he could grab it at any time.
“Listen,” Duya’s voice was lower than usual.
“I know what happened to you. If you don’t mind, I can give you a little help.”
“…”
Linglan didn’t speak, but Duya saw her shoulders tremble almost imperceptibly.
Seeing this, Duya continued in a steady tone.
“I have a friend who works in the education bureau. She’s handled many cases of school bullying like this. She even took down the delinquent group at Chengnan Junior High last year.”
As he spoke, Duya took out his phone from his pocket.
“This is her personal cell number. Just tell her Duya sent you.”
Hearing this, Linglan finally raised her head slowly.
Her swollen, red eyes were still teary, but a glimmer of light appeared in them.
She stared at the phone number Duya had given her, her lips trembling slightly.
“But… I…”
As a girl who had been bullied for so long, she had no confidence in herself and held great distrust for others.
“There are no buts. You have to trust me,” Duya took out his police badge from his pocket.
“As you can see, I’m a police officer.”
Upon seeing the badge, Linglan suddenly grabbed Duya’s hand as if clutching at a lifeline.
Her speed startled him.
“Really?!”
At that moment, the girl seemed to grasp her last straw of hope, her eyes shining with anticipation.
After recovering from the shock, Duya could clearly feel her hand trembling slightly as she held his.
He gently pried her hand away, trying to calm her down.
“Of course it’s true, but…” Duya’s tone shifted, his expression becoming serious.
“I actually want to ask you something too.”
Linglan blinked her still-teary eyes and unconsciously sat up straight.
“What is it?”
“About Bulanni’s family,” Duya slowly asked.
“Do you know anything? Especially about her grandfather.”
Linglan’s expression grew complicated.
She withdrew her hand and subconsciously hugged her knees.
Her voice began to tremble again.
“That house… is very dangerous…”
Just then, a soft knock came from the door, and Fuyeli’s voice came from outside.
“Lord Duya, it’s almost time.”
Hearing Fuyeli, Duya instinctively glanced at the time on his phone—10:37.
‘Have I really been wasting so much time here without realizing it?’
Duya realized time was tight.
He stood up and said to Linglan.
“You can log out of the game now. Go contact the person I gave you. She’ll help you solve the problems you’re having at school.”
With that, Duya prepared to leave, but Linglan grabbed his sleeve.
“Wait!”
Hearing her voice, Duya turned back.
Linglan took a rusty key out of her pocket.
“I found this key while cleaning the archive room.”
Duya took it and looked at it. Linglan continued.
“It’s engraved with Bulanni’s house number, but it doesn’t match the keyhole of her door. It must be a key used somewhere else. It might be helpful to you.”
“Thanks.”
Duya scanned the key with his system, and a prompt rang in his mind.
[Obtained Key Item: Key with a Mushroom Scent]
[Bulanni’s basement has been unlocked]
[Caution: That is a place no one has set foot in. Do you really want to go?]
As Duya stared at the key, Linglan leaned against the wall and slowly stood up.
“Then… I’ll head back now. You have to be careful.”
After she spoke, Linglan’s body gradually disappeared—clearly she had logged out of the game.
Duya gave her one last look and walked out of the back room.
Fuyeli was waiting outside, her hands clasped in front of her.
“As expected of a police officer, you’re good at coaxing young girls.”
“She was already quite open-minded. She hadn’t reached the extreme.”
“Is that so?”
Fuyeli replied with a smile.
“I hope that’s true.”
At the same time, she glanced at the key in Duya’s hand.
“This key—I remember Bulanni gave it to me before. She said it was the key to her basement. That place… How about wearing a gas mask?”
Looking at Fuyeli’s meaningful smile, Duya felt she might know something.
But she wasn’t telling him.
Still, through the mention of a gas mask, Duya got a hint.
It was likely related to the mushroom spore mist he encountered during his last death.
And whatever was in that basement probably also had that spore mist.
“So, take this.”
Fuyeli took a beak mask from the shelf.
After all, in this medieval-style game, there were no proper gas masks.
Duya weighed the beak mask in his hand.
The leather straps were somewhat aged, the glass lenses covered in fine scratches.
There were even cracks in many places.
“Is this thing really reliable?”
Duya raised an eyebrow at Fuyeli.
The little elf gave a sly wink.
“You know, it’s still better than breathing in spores directly. Put it on quickly.”
“…Fine.”
With no other choice, Duya put on the beak mask.
Fuyeli flew over to help adjust the straps, saying as she worked.
“Anyway, you have to be careful.”
After putting on the mask, his vision was tinted with a yellowish filter.
He took a few breaths; the heavy air mixed with a cool, herbal scent.
“Before you go,” Fuyeli leaned close to Duya’s ear.
“Remember, don’t trust the shapes of things in the basement. Some monsters will disguise themselves as the people you most want to see.”
Just as Duya was about to ask more, Fuyeli gave him a gentle push.
“You should be off now, Lord Duya.”
“Please, make sure you come back alive…”
Looking at the girl’s smiling face, Duya nodded, picked up his hammer, and walked toward the door.
The people in the guild hall were still talking to themselves, the atmosphere indescribably eerie.
Under the blazing sun, Duya soon arrived at Bulanni’s house.
He had been to this place who knows how many times.
The first time, he saw Bubble Shadow here.
The second and third times, he didn’t even catch a glimpse of her.