"Knock, knock-"
As expected, the sound of knocking echoed through the quiet little room.
Yin Xiu turned over, wrapping himself tightly in the blanket, ignoring it as he tried to go back to sleep.
New Players would quickly be taken in by others anyway-he didn't need a roommate.
"Knock, knock, knock-"
The knocking came again, light and rhythmic, steady and unhurried. Clearly, the person outside had no intention of leaving.
Yin Xiu rolled over again, squeezing his eyes shut in an attempt to sleep. But for some reason, the presence of the figure outside the door overshadowed even the sounds of rain and voices from outside the window.
That person hadn't even spoken, just knocked, yet the weight of their gaze felt as though it pierced straight through the door, landing squarely on Yin Xiu.
He could sense it—that person stood outside as if there were no barrier at all, watching him openly.
"Could you open the door?"
After a long silence, the man finally spoke. His voice was deep, gentle, and carried no hint of threat.
"Go to someone else. I don't need a roommate," Yin Xiu called back. It wasn't unusual for newcomers who hadn't yet been introduced to the town's veteran Players to stumble their way here by accident.
The man outside chuckled softly. "The others sent me to you."
Yin Xiu sat up. This was the first time a newcomer had been directed to him by the town's residents. How novel.
"What did you do to make them dislike you?"
"I went into the lake and caught a fish to eat."
Yin Xiu immediately threw off the covers, hurried to the door, and yanked it open.
The night wind rushed in, carrying rain and dampness into the dark room.
Standing outside was a man drenched from head to toe. His black suit was completely soaked, and water dripped steadily from his hair. His face was pale, but he wore a smile—handsome, refined, and elegant.
Yet, whether it was the overly precise curve of his lips or the sheer incongruity of his presence in the night, there was an undeniable eeriness about him.
"Are there really fish in the lake?" That was the first thing Yin Xiu asked upon opening the door.
"Yes."
The man nodded. As he spoke, Yin Xiu caught a glimpse of his teeth—sharper than a normal person's, with traces of an unidentified red liquid lingering between them.
"There are really fish in that lake? I've fished for six years and never caught anything." Yin Xiu rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his gaze flickering over the man.
It was raining outside, so getting wet was normal-but this man was utterly drenched, as if he'd been standing in the rain for hours. The dampness clung heavily to him.
"The fish tasted good," the man murmured with a light smile. "Though its cries were a bit shrill."
"So the fish in the lake can scream..." Yin Xiu began to suspect that what he'd eaten might not have been a fish at all. Maybe something else.
But he didn't press further. Instead, he took a step back, revealing the low threshold between them, and tilted his chin up slightly. "It's cold out. Come in first."
The man lowered his eyes, staring at the threshold without moving.
Town Rule #5: When it rains, new faces appear in town. Those who can enter houses are newcomers. Those who cannot be wary.
The man's silence prompted Yin Xiu to test further. "Aren't you coming in?"
The man lifted his head, the curve of his lips deepening. "May I come in?"
"You may."
With Yin Xiu's nod, the man slowly raised his foot and stepped over the threshold, entering Yin Xiu's home.
The moment he entered, the room seemed to drop several degrees in temperature, instantly filled with a chilling cold. Even Yin Xiu couldn't help but shiver.
"Looks like you live alone," the man surveyed the room before turning his gaze to Yin Xiu, who was lost in thought. His eyes narrowed slightly. "They said I could choose a roommate in this town. Can I stay with you?"
Yin Xiu's eyes lingered on the threshold for a few seconds before he looked away and abruptly shut the door.
"I don't want a roommate. But there are no spare rooms in town. If no one else takes you in, you'll have to stay here." He rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a Rule Sheet, handing it to the man. "Have the others shown you the town's rules?"
The man shook his head.
"Then take a look. Memorize them, and you might live a little longer." Yin Xiu had little interest in accommodating this sudden new roommate.
After shoving the Rule Sheet into the man's hands, he turned to lift the curtain and peer outside.
Though the town's rules only stated not to harm any conscious beings, seasoned Players knew that harm could be both active and passive.
If he refused to let the newcomer in and the man ended up dead outside tonight, it would indirectly be Yin Xiu's fault—a violation of the rules.
The other Players had clearly not rejected the man outright but sent him to Yin Xiu instead. If the man died, the trouble would fall on Yin Xiu alone.
The man took the Rule Sheet, a flicker of confusion crossing his face. After flipping it over a few times, he set it aside and fixed his gaze on Yin Xiu, his unchanging smile tinged with curiosity.
"You haven't asked for my name."
"I don't want to know," Yin Xiu replied lazily, lowering the curtain after confirming the Night Goddess was no longer outside.
She had already visited tonight—surely she wouldn't return?
Lost in thought, he turned and headed back to the bed.
"Really don't want to know?" The man persisted, standing motionless.
"No." Yin Xiu snapped off the light and climbed into bed, adding before sleep took him, "There are other rooms in the house. Find a place to sleep yourself. Don't come to my bed."
There were indeed other empty rooms, but Yin Xiu, living alone, had always slept in the living room.
Ideally, this mysterious man would take the initiative to clean up one of the spare rooms and settle in safely for his first night. But after the lights went out, the man didn't move.
He stood silently in the darkness, staring unblinkingly at Yin Xiu in bed. Apart from the intense weight of his gaze, he made almost no sound.
"Really don't want to know my name?" His voice broke the silence after a few seconds.
Only stillness answered him. Yin Xiu gave no reaction.
"Why do you sleep with a knife? Are you afraid of me?"
Still no response from the room.
"Fine." The man's light chuckle carried a hint of indifference. He walked to a chair in the room and sat down, neither bothering to dry his damp clothes nor to sleep. He simply sat quietly in the dark and murmured softly to Yin Xiu, "Goodnight."
The moment his light, airy voice sounded, Yin Xiu's usually alert consciousness instantly became hazy. His eyelids grew heavy, uncontrollably drooping until his eyes were completely shut.
The sound of rain in the town grew muffled in his ears. Half-asleep, Yin Xiu could even hear the hurried footsteps of Players outside rushing back to their houses, yet his consciousness remained trapped, unable to break free.
There were other Monstrosities in the town besides the Night Goddess, but they couldn't enter houses. They could only knock on each Player's doors and windows at night, coaxing them outside to hunt them down in pursuit.
So what was it that now sat in his room, staring at him relentlessly?
A newcomer?
Clearly not.
A Monstrosity from the town?
Unlikely. Even the Night Goddess couldn't appear during the rain, yet he had appeared-even entered the house.
Yin Xiu heard him rise from the chair, heard his footsteps treading through the darkness to the bedside, then crouching beside the bedhead.
Even without seeing, Yin Xiu could imagine the expression on his face right now—undoubtedly smiling, that eerily perfect grin, motionless as he stared at Yin Xiu in the dark.
The prolonged silence and the unignorable weight of that gaze even made Yin Xiu, for once, feel a rare sense of dread.
The rain had stopped at some point. The Players had all returned to their rooms, and the right to move through the night town had once again fallen into the hands of the Monstrosities.
The man by the bed finally seemed unable to hold back any longer, slowly reaching out toward him.
Tap, tap—
Suddenly, the familiar sound of footsteps echoed through the late-night alley, splashing through puddles as they crept forward, gradually approaching Yin Xiu's door.
A massive figure moved to the front of Yin Xiu's house, and in the darkness, the knock, knock of rapping on the window sounded once more.
The Night Goddess had returned.