She Was Sentenced to Life Imprisonment [Unlimited] - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Deserted Village Wedding [2]

Don’t Trust Anyone

The girl, Su Man, seemed very timid and afraid to approach anyone, but perhaps Jiang Nan’s school uniform made her feel more at ease, giving her the courage to speak. After speaking, she suddenly turned pale and asked cautiously, “Um, did you also see the headless ghost behind that woman?” As she spoke, she tried to grab Jiang Nan’s arm, but Jiang Nan dodged her.

Jiang Nan looked at the girl. She wore a black mask that covered most of her face, leaving only a pair of tear-filled, fearful eyes. She looked pitiful, but Jiang Nan, with her sharp eyes, noticed that the skin exposed beneath her mask was slightly wrinkled and scarred, a stark contrast to the smooth, delicate skin on the rest of her face. Su Man noticed where Jiang Nan was looking and, as if remembering something, quickly pulled her mask up, her eyes darting around as she tried to hide her appearance.

Jiang Nan looked away. She was about to nod to answer Su Man’s question, but a tough-looking man with a buzz cut and a scar on his face spat and cursed, “What’s with all the crying? It’s just a ghost!” He sounded disdainful, as if he were used to it. The others in the group also looked shaken, so they had probably all seen the ghost.

Jiang Nan’s eyes landed on the man. He was muscular and looked like a street thug, and the scar across his right eye looked like a venomous centipede. He seemed to be in a bad mood and was still muttering curses. Jiang Nan’s eyes narrowed as she considered him. At that moment, the cold voice of the system sounded again.

[All players have arrived. Please play the roles of the bride’s bridesmaids and groomsmen and strive to survive. Good luck, and we look forward to meeting again.]

[A warning from the system: Dear players, you cannot seek death, only survival. Those who violate the rules will be sentenced to life imprisonment, forever living in the instance loop.]

The message was half-threat, half-warning, as if meant to specifically disgust them. Everyone reacted differently. Jiang Nan scanned the group. Most of them were either afraid or disdainful of the warning.

“This damn system is always trying to get on our nerves,” the man with the scar, Zhang Zheng, said, kicking a stone on the ground. A light, emotionless laugh came from a woman who had been sitting on a stool.

Jiang Nan’s eyes darted to her. The woman had been sitting there the whole time, her hand on her chin, a hint of playfulness on her face, as if she were watching a farce. She had a cold, beautiful face with a captivating beauty mark at the corner of her eye. Her expression was languid, but if you looked into her eyes, you would find a fierce, dangerous beast lurking within. She was tall and slender, wearing a purple silk shirt with the first button undone, revealing her perfect collarbone. Below, she wore a tight black skirt that showed off her figure. She was just sitting there, with a smile on her lips, yet she exuded an aggressive aura that made people subconsciously afraid to look at her.

The woman noticed Jiang Nan’s stare, and her narrow, seductive fox-like eyes narrowed slightly. Then, as if nothing had happened, she smiled at Jiang Nan, stood up, and walked over. The heels of her shoes made no sound on the dirt, but her languid attitude and the air she exuded made people instinctively not want to look at her. But Jiang Nan wasn’t afraid.

The woman, Luo Ning, stood next to Jiang Nan, a smile on her face that was tinged with sarcasm as she spoke to the scar-faced man. “You called the girl a crybaby, but I remember a big man like you peeing his pants when he got here.” The woman was the first one to arrive at this small yard and had watched as the other players arrived, wailing and screaming.

Zhang Zheng was infuriated. He was about to curse, but when he met the woman’s deep purple eyes, he involuntarily felt a chill run from his feet to his head. He shivered, and the words he was about to say were swallowed back. He saw that everyone was looking at him and, to save face, he said fiercely, “Good men don’t argue with women.” Zhang Zheng had entered these instances before and couldn’t figure out this woman’s level, which meant she was much stronger than he was. He knew he couldn’t afford to provoke her. The headless ghost seemed to dislike men, so it probably hadn’t been easy on him.

Luo Ning crossed her slender arms over her chest and looked down at him, sneering. “A good man? Are all the men in the world dead?” She was merciless and venomous, leaving him with no words to retort.

Zhang Zheng could only walk back to the other two men. One was an excitable male student, Zhou Chen, and the other was an office worker, Li Tao. Li Tao seemed to have never been in a situation like this before and was still recovering from the shock of the headless ghost. Zhou Chen tried to calm Zhang Zheng down.

Luo Ning was only a step away from Jiang Nan, and the subtle scent of jasmine, fresh and elegant, filled Jiang Nan’s senses. This scent… Jiang Nan’s thoughts came to a halt. She remembered the person who had held her when she jumped from the building. She looked at the person next to her. No matter how she looked, Luo Ning did not resemble the person in her memory, but for some reason, she felt a strange sense of familiarity.

Luo Ning didn’t seem to mind Jiang Nan’s scrutiny. She extended her hand in a friendly gesture and said, her voice clear and elegant like a piano melody, “Hello, my name is Luo Ning.”

Jiang Nan looked at the extended hand. It was slender and beautiful. But she couldn’t confirm the other’s identity and remained cautious. She didn’t shake the hand and simply said, “Jiang Nan.” Luo Ning didn’t insist and pulled her hand back. Jiang Nan didn’t see the brief flicker of a smile in her eyes, a hint of affection for a pet. In Luo Ning’s eyes, Jiang Nan’s behavior was like a frightened kitten. The emotion quickly disappeared, and she returned to her lazy, mysterious demeanor.

The crying girl with the mask came over. She didn’t dare to get close to Luo Ning, so she turned to Jiang Nan and said, “You’re a student, too, right? My name is Su Man. Are you sick?” Jiang Nan’s white hair was very conspicuous, and her sickly appearance led others to make a guess about her health. Jiang Nan simply replied with a soft “Mm,” and didn’t say anything else.

Su Man was afraid she had misunderstood and quickly waved her hands. “Don’t get me wrong. Actually, I am too…” Her words were cut off.

Zhang Zheng, who couldn’t win against Luo Ning, turned his disdain to Jiang Nan, muttering, “Looks like she’s just a sickly little thing…” The moment the words left his mouth, Jiang Nan shot him a glance. It was cold and emotionless, sending a chill down his spine.

Zhang Zheng pointed at her, his face red with anger, ready to curse again. But his new student sidekick, Zhou Chen, stopped him. “Brother Zhang, calm down, calm down.” The student looked young and was filled with a sense of excitement and curiosity for the unknown. He worshiped Zhang Zheng after hearing his boasts. The other man, Li Tao, still couldn’t accept this strange situation and didn’t hear what Zhang Zheng had said. Zhang Zheng finally just said, “You got lucky,” and stopped talking.

Luo Ning’s eyes swept over everyone. “Now that everyone is here, let’s go inside and talk.” No one disagreed, and they all followed her into the small house. The rural house was old and musty, and the facilities were poor. There was only one hanging light bulb, but it was enough to make the dim room a little brighter.

They sat around a wooden table, men and women separated into two distinct groups. Luo Ning lightly tapped the table with her index finger, and the dull sound made everyone look at her. “For those who haven’t introduced themselves, please do so.” Her voice was soft and casual, but it carried a strong power, so even Zhang Zheng’s side didn’t dare to object.

Zhou Chen was the first to speak. “Beautiful sister, my name is Zhou Chen. Like them, I’m a student.” He was referring to Jiang Nan and Su Man. He continued, a hint of youthful excitement in his voice. “Is this a real-life role-playing game? This is so exciting.” He was clearly not as scared by the ghost as others.

Jiang Nan’s eyes were slightly lowered, the shadows cast by her long eyelashes hiding her thoughts.

Li Tao, the office worker, frowned at Zhou Chen’s words. “My name is Li Tao. I work for a state-owned enterprise.” He didn’t say anything else. He just ran his hands through his hair in frustration and found a chair to sit on, still looking shocked by the ghost.

Zhang Zheng snorted. “My name is Zhang Zheng. This isn’t my first time in an instance. If you follow me, I’ll lead you to victory.” His arrogant words earned a sneer from Luo Ning. “This is a beginner instance. You’re probably here because you failed the last one.” Zhang Zheng’s face turned red. He pointed at her, ready to curse, but his fear of Luo Ning stopped him. He mumbled under his breath, “No matter how powerful a woman you are, you were still thrown in here.”

Luo Ning heard him but didn’t respond. Jiang Nan, however, was observing Luo Ning. She doesn’t act like a newcomer, nor does she act like a person who failed and was thrown in here. What is her purpose? Jiang Nan’s expression grew more profound, and she found Luo Ning even more unfathomable.

The courtyard was small, so when Jiang Nan and Su Man had introduced themselves, the others had heard it. There was no need to repeat. Luo Ning did not actively introduce herself, and no one dared to ask.

Su Man then raised her hand like a well-behaved student waiting to be called on. “Um, I heard a voice say we have to complete the wedding. What does that mean? And what about that headless ghost?”

Zhang Zheng saw an opportunity to re-establish his image as an experienced player. He put on an expert face and said, “You think completing the wedding is that simple? Our real mission is to survive. Completing the wedding will let us live, but if that ghost catches us, we’ll die.” Luo Ning neither agreed nor disagreed with his statement. She simply kept her smile. “The wedding is in three days. This house has two rooms. One for the men and one for the women.”

No one objected, and they went to their respective rooms.

…

It was night. A breeze blew, and the stars did little to light up the village. The red “囍” characters and banners now looked eerie and terrifying in the night, like a scene from an old horror movie. The wind sounded like the wailing of ghosts, sending chills down one’s spine.

A figure slipped out of the house without waking anyone. In the dark, she made her way by memory to a spot. A huge plane tree’s leaves rustled in the wind, sounding like the wails of a ghost in the silent night. It was a terrifying sound. Crows circled in the sky, their hoarse cries a warning to all passersby of the danger in this place.

Jiang Nan stood under the tree and looked up at the circling crows. Crows eat carrion…

A faint sound of footsteps came from behind her. Jiang Nan’s eyes flashed with alertness, and she quickly hid behind the tree. The massive trunk concealed her. She peeked out, squinting, trying to make out the person in the dark. Suddenly, her pupils contracted.

The person was tall and slender, holding a kerosene lamp. She seemed languid and yawned, as if she was annoyed at having to come out so late.

…