Rain's Message NPC: Sang Lan
Appearance: Feminine features on a male body
Identity: Wedding photographer
Relationship with player: Lover.
The player is the wedding emcee, and the two are colleagues at the same wedding planning company. They fell in love at first sight, quickly became lovers, and are currently in the adjustment phase of their relationship.
Skill Levels: Physicality 12, Spirit 8, Agility 10
Special Skill: None
Life Status: Deceased
Sang Lan was dead.
He had died during those brief two or three minutes when he went back to the Red Church.
The one currently by their side was an imposter.
Bai Ci recalled the oxygen drunkenness the team leader had mentioned when explaining the rules.
If anyone was found acting out of character, experiencing personality changes, memory fuzziness, failing to recognize their companions, or speaking and behaving strangely, they were said to have oxygen drunkenness.
Oxygen drunkenness was an absolute lie, but the first half of that warning was not.
Those symptoms would actually manifest first, and only then was the excuse of “oxygen drunkenness” fabricated to deceive people.
This wasn't just to mess with players like them who lacked any prior memory; it was also a warning.
The so-called memory fuzziness, abnormal behavior, strange words and actions, and sudden changes in preferences were all symptoms that might appear after a person had been replaced.
The team leader had strictly instructed that if anyone noticed such anomalies in those around them, they had to report it immediately, and he would arrange for that person to leave early.
So, was this so-called early departure meant to protect the person who had been replaced, or was it to protect the remaining people who hadn't been replaced?
The answer was almost self-evident.
This wedding planning team had been handling Tianmi Village's Honey Rite for several consecutive years, entering the village year after year. How many colleagues had been quietly replaced without anyone noticing?
Were those who had been replaced still working at the company?
Or had they already spread to an even wider area?
Six people had gone, and six people had returned—no more, no less. Did that really prove this place was safe?
Setting aside the bigger picture for a moment, let's look at what was right in front of her.
Wang Dong had also gone back to the church with Sang Lan this time.
What exactly had happened in that enclosed space during those few short minutes?
Had only Sang Lan been killed and replaced, or was Wang Dong no longer the original Wang Dong either?
Bai Ci sighed and threw the wet tissue into the trash can.
There was nothing she could do.
This feeling of helplessness made her a bit irritable.
Bai Ci knew very well that Sang Lan had been replaced, but she was only able to confirm this suspicion because of the Rain's Message panel.
Relying solely on the tiny flaw of a missing lipstick mark was far too flimsy.
As for Wang Dong, she had absolutely no way of telling. From any perspective, she simply wasn't familiar with him.
What made her hesitate even more was the team leader.
Which side was this team leader, who had been back and forth to the village three times, actually on?
Or to be more precise, was he still himself?
Or was he already a replaced anomaly hiding within the team?
Unsure of the truth, she naturally didn't dare to take any reckless risks. As things stood, there was no benefit in speaking up about this.
Weighing the pros and cons, the best choice at this stage was to remain calm and pretend to know nothing.
Faced with this situation, Bai Ci suddenly remembered she still had an item in her possession, which might offer a new way to break the deadlock.
Red Thread Connection.
When an opposite-sex NPC bound to Rain's Message dies, the user can actively consume this item to select a brand-new opposite-sex NPC and apply the Rain's Message binding status to them.
Bind the monster as a Rain's Message NPC, and then use the Shears to pop his fortune.
Not only would this get rid of a troublesome enemy, but she could also draw from the monster pool after it was over. Perhaps she might even pull some useful skills.
She checked the status of the Red Thread Connection in her inventory and confirmed it was available for use.
This also indirectly proved that Sang Lan was indeed completely dead.
Bai Ci tried selecting the current Sang Lan and felt relieved when she got a confirmation that it could be used.
She had been worried that this thing replacing humans might not be recognized as the opposite sex.
Having confirmed that the Red Thread Connection could be used directly on Sang Lan upstairs regardless of distance, Bai Ci didn't immediately use the item to bind him as her new Rain's Message NPC.
She knew absolutely nothing about the entity that had replaced Sang Lan.
Its tier, abilities, level of bizarre power, and the rules of its killing and replacement were all unsolved mysteries.
If she bound it recklessly and it turned out to be just low-tier fodder among the monsters, wouldn't she be wasting the precious Red Thread Connection?
Since this Sang Lan worked, what about Namito, who was revered as a god by this village?
A sudden whim struck Bai Ci, and she decided to give it a try.
As expected, it didn't work. The system left her no loopholes to exploit; she could only bind with someone she had met, and who also had a mutual awareness of her.
Well, since this was a “second marriage,” she wasn't allowed to marry blindly, was she?
To play it safe, the best choice was still to wait and see.
Only after she had figured out more about the entity or this place would she decide whether to bind a new Rain's Message NPC and who that new Rain's Message NPC should be.
Dinner was exceptionally quiet.
After a full day of running around and working, everyone was physically and mentally exhausted. The players were all on their guard, and without Sang Lan to liven up the atmosphere, the NPCs also fell silent. The only sound left at the dining table was the soft clinking of bowls and chopsticks.
After hastily filling their stomachs, everyone stood up one after another to return to their rooms and rest.
“Ci-mei'er.”
Bai Ci was at the back of the crowd stepping onto the stairs. Just as she was about to push open her door and enter her room, the familiar male voice with a slight dialect accent rang out.
Her movements paused. She turned her head to look at him, a practiced, gentle smile appearing on her face as she spoke naturally, “What's wrong?”
She didn't know if it was just her imagination, but this thing that had replaced Sang Lan seemed exceptionally attentive to her.
Was it worried that as his girlfriend, her close relationship with Sang Lan would make her the first to notice something was off?
Well, it had certainly guessed right.
The dim, warm light of the hallway fell on Sang Lan's beautiful face, making his eyes look as gentle as water, and the smile in them seemed sincere and passionate.
“Good night.”
He tilted his head slightly and gave her a wink, his movements intimate and practiced.
Bai Ci's smile remained unchanged. In fact, as if finding her lover's coquettish little gesture endearing, her smile widened.
She nodded gently in response. “Good night.”
With that, Bai Ci pushed open her door, stepped inside, and closed it behind her.
The night was dreamless, quiet, and peaceful.
Sure enough, manual labor was the best melatonin; everyone slept very soundly that night.
The next morning, the sky was bright. Qu Ling, who had gotten up early for a walk yesterday, showed no signs of movement and was still asleep. Her room was exceptionally quiet.
Without any outside noise to disturb her, Bai Ci woke up much later today than she had yesterday.
She got up quietly and pushed open her door to go wash up.
By the railing in the hallway, a dark figure seemed to have been waiting for a long time.
Sang Lan was still wearing his usual shirt, his blonde hair tied into a loose bun with stray strands framing his cheeks. He leaned tall and straight against the railing.
Hearing the door open, he immediately turned his head.
Having shed yesterday's listless exhaustion, his complexion looked much better today.
Rate on N.U.
