And Then the Skeleton Laughed Out Loud [Infinite] - Chapter 4

◎ Whatever you do, do not break anything ◎

The group followed Xiao Xiao out of the inn.

The rain that had poured all night had stopped at some point. The sky had cleared, the sun was bright, and a cool breeze drifted through the air. Qi Qiuxue’s initial entry into the instance had been inside a room; combined with the darkness and the violent storm last night, her visibility had been limited. Now, she finally got a clear look at her surroundings.

Fairly speaking, it was a scenic little island. Lush trees and greenery were everywhere. The villagers seemed to have a particular love for flowers; various types, both known and unknown, bloomed all over the ground. In the distance, several sparsely distributed houses could be seen, likely belonging to the local residents.

“Everyone, follow me this way.” Xiao Xiao waved her flag vigorously, guiding the players forward toward a giant cedar tree. “Our island is neither too big nor too small, but it takes at least a full day to tour the whole thing. To save you the trouble, I borrowed a bus.”

“Please board in an orderly fashion!”

The bus doors opened. The driver in the seat slowly turned his head to look at the crowd. Like the people from the night before, his face was hidden behind a mask. He stared at the boarding players with eyes that had almost no whites, creating an invisible pressure. A girl with curly hair stopped in her tracks, hesitated for a few seconds, and asked tremulously, “Do… do I need to pay a fare?”

This made Xiao Xiao burst into laughter. “Of course not.”

“Turn back around!” Xiao Xiao hopped onto the bus in two quick steps and ordered the masked man to look forward. The masked man didn’t get angry or talk back; he obediently turned his head away.

Xiao Xiao flashed a cute smile again. “Everyone, please get on.”

“O-okay.” The girl nodded and moved forward.

Qi Qiuxue followed behind. Because of the crowd, she and Liu Ge had been separated.

This was fine by her. Qi Qiuxue wasn’t the type to easily trust others. Even though Liu Ge appeared harmless, Qi Qiuxue remained wary—mostly because the woman was simply too familiar too quickly.

In a life-or-death instance, getting too close to others wasn’t always a wise move. You can know a person’s face but not their heart. In moments of danger, some people release a malice far more terrifying than ghosts. As a player who had likely survived multiple instances, Liu Ge should know this.

There were only two possibilities: either she was truly pure-hearted and willing to trust unconditionally, or she had another motive and everything was a disguise. Qi Qiuxue didn’t know yet, but moderate caution was necessary.

The bus seats were in pairs, and the total number of seats exactly matched the number of players: sixteen. The girl from before seemed very insecure; she chose a corner seat in the very last row on the right, shrinking into the window side.

Qi Qiuxue followed and sat down next to her.

The girl’s eyes scanned Qi Qiuxue, seemingly puzzled why she chose the seat right next to her when there were so many empties.

Qi Qiuxue saw her confusion and explained, “I like the back row. It has a wider field of vision.”

“Oh.” The girl nodded, then glanced at the two empty seats to the left. “Then why didn’t you—”

Before she could finish, Liu Dawei and Geng Hao boarded one after the other and came straight to the back, sitting side-by-side in those empty seats. Both were large men, about 1.8 meters tall and weighing at least 100kg. Squeezing together like that looked a bit comical, but in a strange place, sitting with someone you know provides a sense of security—even if Liu Dawei and Geng Hao had only met ten minutes ago.

The girl swallowed. Well, compared to potentially being squeezed against one of those two hulking men, sitting with Qi Qiuxue was better.

The girl spoke softly, “Can I ask what your name is?”

“Zhang Xue,” Qi Qiuxue replied.

“Oh.” The girl nodded.

Qi Qiuxue fell silent, observing the other players boarding. The girl waited for a follow-up question that never came, so she prompted, “Why aren’t you asking me what my name is?”

“?” Qi Qiuxue glanced at her, paused, and humored her. “What is your name?”

The girl smiled, shallow dimples appearing on her pale cheeks. “My name is Li Yiqing.”

Her features actually leaned toward a “cool beauty” (ujie) style—phoenix eyes, long lashes, and a naturally vibrant complexion that looked good even without makeup. Qi Qiuxue had noticed her last night; her first impression was simply that she was beautiful.

But today, perhaps because of those dimples, that beauty was mixed with an undeniable cuteness. Even though she was half a head taller than Qi Qiuxue, cuteness is a vibe that has nothing to do with height.

Qi Qiuxue hummed in response. “That’s a nice name.”

“Really?” Li Yiqing blinked, her smile brightening. “A lot of people say that.”

She didn’t seem as timid as her initial behavior suggested; she was likely a “closet chatterbox” type. Seeing that Qi Qiuxue seemed decent, she grew talkative. “Zhang Xue, what did you do before entering the game?”

Qi Qiuxue: “Just an ordinary office worker.”

“Oh.” Li Yiqing nodded slowly. After a moment, she added, “Now you’re supposed to ask me back.”

Qi Qiuxue: “…”

“Shh.” Annoyed by the chatter, Qi Qiuxue signaled for her to be quiet. Li Yiqing was startled, thinking something was wrong; she quickly covered her mouth and went silent, though her head kept darting around to look for danger.

After looking for a while and seeing nothing, she leaned toward Qi Qiuxue and whispered, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Qi Qiuxue said honestly. “I just wanted you to be quiet for a bit.”

“…” It was Li Yiqing’s turn to be speechless. All the players were now on board, sitting in pairs. Xiao Xiao counted the heads again, and the bus slowly pulled away.

The atmosphere in the bus grew quiet as it traveled down an endless forest road. Sitting in the cabin, one could clearly hear the shasha sound from the roof—the sound of branches scraping against the bus. It was a bit jarring, but after a while, it became almost hypnotic. The bus wasn’t fast, carrying the players at a very leisurely pace.

Xiao Xiao, standing at the front, began her commentary. Her voice was steady with little variation. She told the history of the island, explained the formation of natural landscapes, and discussed the upcoming itinerary and safety precautions.

For some reason, Qi Qiuxue felt inexplicably sleepy.

The other players were also drowsy. The bus twisted and turned, eventually leaving the forest. When Qi Qiuxue suddenly snapped back to alertness, the scenery had changed.

Instead of endless trees, there was a massive building, brownish-maroon in color, taking up more space than the inn. Characters painted in dark red oil hung over the entrance: MUSEUM.

“This is our first stop.” The bus stopped slowly. Xiao Xiao got off first, waving her flag. “Everyone can get off now!”

“This was built many years ago by the locals. It’s a landmark of our island with many items on display.” She watched the players disembark as she spoke. “Please be careful during the tour. Whatever you do, do not touch or break anything inside.”

“What happens if we break something?” Li Yiqing followed Qi Qiuxue off the bus, still sounding timid. “Do we have to pay for it?”

“Of course not,” Xiao Xiao said, her eyes curving into a smile.

But then, her expression suddenly shifted into something terrifying. Her voice dropped to a low whisper: “It’s just… maybe something bad will happen.”

This didn’t just scare Li Yiqing; it spooked the other players, too. A girl named Liu Shan instinctively asked, “What kind of ‘bad thing’?”

Xiao Xiao shrugged. “Who knows? That’s just what the island elders say. But don’t worry too much. As long as you don’t do anything unnecessary and remain cautious, nothing will happen.”

Li Yiqing nodded and huddled closer to Qi Qiuxue. “Okay…”

Xiao Xiao stopped talking, blew her white whistle, and waved her flag again. “Let’s go!”

“Ah Xue.” Liu Ge came from the front of the line to rejoin Qi Qiuxue, noticing the girl following behind her like a little tail. “And this is?”

“I’m Li Yiqing.” Li Yiqing popped her head out from behind Qi Qiuxue and held out a hand politely. She seemed to recognize Liu Ge. “You’re Liu—”

“Liu Ge.” Liu Ge shook her hand.

“Right, Liu Ge.” Li Yiqing greeted her with a dimpled smile. “Hello, hello.”

“Did you and Ah Xue know each other before?” Li Yiqing naturally walked between the two of them, appearing even more of a social butterfly than Liu Ge.

“Ah Xue?” Qi Qiuxue looked over at the mention of the nickname.

“Yeah, Ah Xue.” Li Yiqing nodded. The three of them were at the back of the line, walking inside with the group. “If Ah Liu can call you that intimately, I want to as well.”

“Ah Liu?” Liu Ge also turned her head.

Li Yiqing: “Do you not like it? I’m sorry.”

Liu Ge shook her head quickly. “No, no, you can call me whatever you like. But why don’t you follow Ah Xue’s lead and call me ‘Ah Ge’?”

Li Yiqing paused. “‘Ah Ge’ (Older Brother) sounds a bit weird. It makes you sound like someone with very little hair.”

Liu Ge caught the joke and burst out laughing. The two social butterflies were surprisingly in sync.

Qi Qiuxue remained silent. “…” The number of noisy people had increased from one to two.

During the conversation, they entered the museum. The vast interior held many exhibits covering various categories: botanical displays, animal specimens, excavated artifacts and fossils, and the evolution of the islanders’ clothing over the years.

After several hours of touring, some players were beginning to flag physically, but they didn’t dare skip the tour and forced themselves to keep going.

Li Yiqing also seemed exhausted, muttering under her breath as she walked, “When is this going to end? I wish they’d let us rest for a bit.”

Xiao Xiao, at the front of the line, seemed to hear the complaint. “Hang in there, everyone. Just one last hall left!”

She pointed upward, guiding everyone’s gaze.

[THE MASK HALL]

“This hall displays the styles of masks used during our island’s sacrifices over the years. It is a very meaningful exhibit. Please be extremely careful and make sure you do not break anything.”

Li Yiqing gave a weak “Okay.”

“Ah Xue,” she sighed, whispering her complaints to Qi Qiuxue. “Do you think there will be more plans after the museum? Will they give us time to rest? I’m dead tired. When is dinner…”

Before she could finish, her foot seemed to slip, or perhaps her strength really gave out. Li Yiqing’s body tilted, and she suddenly fell toward the right.

To her right, there was no one—only a wall. A wall covered in hanging masks.

In a stroke of terrible luck, Li Yiqing’s right arm accidentally struck one of the masks. Before anyone could react, the mask slowly began to fall.