There's definitely something wrong with this murder mystery game

After buying drinks, the two were walking down the street when suddenly Xu Xi felt a sensation and looked back, but she saw nothing amidst the bustling crowd.

"Xixi, hurry up, it's almost time for our appointment—what are you looking at?" The girl pulling her said, also turning curiously to look.

"It felt like something was watching me," Xu Xi said calmly.

"You're always so sensitive to being watched. It's probably just a guy who thought you were pretty and took a second look," the girl said teasingly without much concern and continued to pull her forward.

Xu Xi also took her gaze back and turned to enter the narrow staircase situated at the corner of the street.

...

Not far away, Pei Sheng read the sign hanging on the second floor word by word: "Fengdu...escape room? That's an interesting name."

Xu Shuo said indifferently, "Haven't you ever played before?"

"Haven't played in this place," he said.

The narrow staircase at the corner of the street was so inconspicuous, one could easily miss it, clearly a case of not being able to afford the expensive rent for a prime location. The inside was probably just average too, not fitting for the affluent identity of Pei Sheng!

Xu Shuo took his gaze back as well and turned to say, "Let's go back, we have settled on the new project, and there are a lot of things to be done in the studio."

"Eh? Aren't we going to say hello and play together? If they get stuck in the escape room, we could help out," Pei Sheng clamored from behind.

"No," Xu Shuo said, "It's not worthy of your status."

Pei Sheng: "..."

Does this guy have Mind Reading Technique?

...

After returning to the studio, the two quickly dove back into their busy work.

Beyond needing a software framework, the most important part of a Scripted Murder Game is the script itself.

Although they could outsource and purchase scripts, besides filling the game with standard scripts, they also needed good ones to attract players. Exclusive scripts would be even better, but the studio's budget wasn't sufficient, which was pretty awkward.

The early stages of a project are always tough, but fortunately, the six people in the studio had already gone through numerous difficulties, so their mindset was relatively stable.

After organizing a batch of suitable scripts, Li Ziwen looked at the document Xu Shuo had created on his computer and asked, "Are you planning to write a script yourself?"

Xu Shuo nodded, "Save money."

It was a strong, irrefutable reason. Li Ziwen placed a stack of documents that would cost them money on his desk.

Xu Shuo recalled the plot of "Rainy Night Villa" and directly copied it down. Of course, he changed some names and identities slightly, and after altering the script's name, it could pass as his own!

Although the script wasn't very good, as a tutorial for beginners it was quite suitable. There was no reason not to use it.

At five o'clock the studio closed for the day on time, and Xu Shuo took his computer home to continue building the general framework of the game, completely lost in his work.

It wasn't until around seven when Xu Xi returned from shopping and found there was no dinner ready that Xu Shuo realized time had slipped past mealtime.

"Hmm... We haven't finished the vegetables from lunch, right?" Xu Shuo said.

"Nope," said Xu Xi emotionlessly as she took the dish out to warm it up. Then, looking at the youth hugging his computer on the couch, she added, "Aren't you going to take a break? You look like you're about to keel over."

"If you jinx me to death, you won't have dinner," he retorted.

"You didn't make dinner tonight either."

"..."

Xu Shuo hastily finished the leftover meal, then sat back down on the sofa to continue working.

Xu Xi washed the dishes and utensils, returned to her room, and casually started reviewing her textbooks. Around midnight, she peeked at the young man still typing on the keyboard in the living room before turning off the light to sleep.

Suddenly, the only light left in the living room was the dim glow from the computer, still shining.

...

Xu Shuo fell asleep in a daze, feeling as though his energy had been off all day. Yet, work couldn't be neglected, so once again he persisted until midnight.

He didn't know how much time had passed when suddenly, a buzz of noise reached his ears.

[You have entered the theater.]

Upon hearing this somewhat familiar, icy system sound effect, Xu Shuo rubbed his head and lifted it, his gaze still somewhat bewildered as he looked at the white wall in front of him.

[The Scripted Murder Game, "The Fifth Hospital," is about to begin. You have passed the beginner's theater beautifully. This game will be an official assessment, and dying in the game equates to death in reality. Please proceed with caution.]

[Countdown to start: ten, nine, eight, seven...]

Xu Shuo instantly became alert.

After coming to his senses, he surveyed his surroundings before glancing down at his current attire.

It was a simple office with the scent of disinfectant still lingering in the air, and he was wearing a long white coat that reached his thighs, with an identity nameplate on the left side of his chest, denoting the position of Chief Doctor at The Fifth Hospital.

Was he playing the role of a doctor this time?

Well, cooking he could do, but being a doctor was genuinely out of his league.

Xu Shuo's attention turned towards the translucent floating frame in the air, summoning the Player's Handbook.

The simulated book opened to reveal the title page of "The Fifth Hospital," and the following page contained personal information about the character he was to portray.

Chen Chu, a doctor.

The main mission was to kill his own patient.

Xu Shuo: "...?"

Wait, a repeat performance?!

Is there something wrong with this game?!

It's one thing for the tutorial to assign a murderer role to a newbie, but to give a murderer's script for the assessment too, are you trying to cull players on purpose?

[The scripted performance of "The Fifth Hospital" begins.]

As Xu Shuo was internally ranting, the countdown ended, the system prompt sounded once more, and then the door to the office was pushed open.

A nurse peeked in and said with caution, "Doctor Chen, the patient in room thirteen's mental state has deteriorated, should we administer today's medication earlier?"

Xu Shuo sighed inaudibly, "I know, I'll go and check on them in a bit."

"Alright." The nurse responded and then closed the door behind her as she left.

Still feeling sleep-deprived, Xu Shuo bowed his head, rubbing his slightly throbbing temples. He finished reading the character information and discovered that the patient in room thirteen was his target for murder.

And the murder weapon was already prepared, the pills that were to be delivered shortly.

Having to use his identity to commit the murder again, it was like swallowing a date with a pill, wouldn't it be easier to just go over, stab and run away?

Then Xu Shuo looked up and noticed a security camera in the corner of the ceiling. It wasn't strange for hospitals to have cameras.

It's just that his office was monitored by cameras on all sides.

The main mission this time was solely to murder, without an additional task of "hiding oneself after the murder," which probably meant it didn't matter if he was discovered.

However, before the game started, the system had stated that dying in the game would equate to dying in reality.

Xu Shuo caressed the two pills in his hand with an unreadable expression, then pocketed them and stood up to open the door and leave the office.

He had a sister to take care of outside; dying here was not befitting of his stature.