The chaos from earlier slowly faded away, leaving behind nothing but an uneasy silence.
This ridiculous farce had finally come to a rushed, awkward end.
Jasmine rolled her eyes as she walked back to her room, her voice cutting like a blade.
"You're a ghost and you just jump out so openly. What, you think you're invincible?"
Her words were sharp, but she didn't linger. Jasmine quickly turned on her heel and retreated into her room.
Mark gave Jason a lingering, hostile glance—a promise wrapped in a warning.
"Just wait for me," he muttered under his breath.
Then, with one arm supporting Daniel, he started toward the stairwell. It looked like he was going to get medical attention—or at least pretend to.
Jason, left standing alone, tried to mask his rising panic. His fingers curled tightly into fists, trembling, his gaze unfocused.
Was he scared? Or was he planning something? No one could say.
Trevor stared at Lucas for a long, tense moment. Something unreadable passed through his eyes. Then, without a word, he turned and left—with Caleb quietly following him.
Marco, still rooted in place, looked at Lucas in complete shock.
Lucas met his gaze and smiled kindly—calm, polite, harmless.
But Marco's face changed in an instant.
Shock turned to confusion. Confusion became disbelief.
Had he trusted the wrong person all along?
Was the devil hiding in plain sight… among them?
And worse—
Was Lucas that devil?
By the time Marco left, his face had become a mask of shattered certainty. His faith—his worldview—had collapsed into a pit of swirling doubt.
---
For the spectators of this twisted cruise, it was a moment of revelation.
Lucas's words, his calm demeanor, his smile—it was almost like he had admitted to being the ghost.
And for the viewers watching the live broadcast, who didn't get to see the role prompts that players received at the beginning, everything depended on analyzing their actions.
"Damn it, I was so sure Lucas was a human!"
"Even though he acts suspicious, his logic always made sense! He was helping the group!"
"Marco must be absolutely devastated right now. He trusted Lucas completely—right until the end."
"If the ghost camp wins this round, Lucas will be the MVP. The guy single-handedly eliminated two people!"
"Poor Marco… he got played like a fiddle."
"Manipulation, lies, deception… it's terrifying!"
Despite the overwhelming performance, not all the spectators were fans.
Some of the most diehard viewers, furious at Lucas's betrayal and twisted schemes, stormed into his live stream just to downvote and report him.
---
[86,053 new viewers entered Player Lucas's live stream. 76,351 new followers. 40,025 sent rewards. 13,504 stepped on the broadcast in anger. Total reward points: 26,521.]
[System Notice: Player Lucas's live stream was reported multiple times. However, because reward numbers far outweighed reports, stream will not be banned.]
[System Warning: Player Lucas has received one warning. Please regulate your live broadcast conduct.]
---
Lucas, of course, knew nothing about this digital uproar.
He was sitting quietly in Room 201, gripping a kitchen knife, resting. The day had passed without incident for him.
By the time he woke again, the light outside had dimmed to evening.
Knock knock knock—
There was a knock at the door.
Lucas stood up and opened it. A cruise ship attendant stood outside, smiling warmly.
"There's a dinner party on the first floor. Your friends have already gone. Would you like to join them?"
[All stories begin with a knock. All stories end in silence...]
[Hidden Plotline Progress: 25%]
Lucas narrowed his eyes. "They've all gone?"
The waiter nodded. "Yes, sir."
He repeated the words again to himself. "They're all gone…"
Lucas shook his head slowly.
Crowded places mean more variables. More risk.
Exploring hidden plotlines was important, but he had his priorities.
"No. I need to rest," he said simply.
The waiter bowed. "Very well. Please don't hesitate to call if you need anything."
---
Three hours later
Lucas finished his meal alone in his room. The house was still. The knife never left his side.
Suddenly, the corridor outside turned noisy.
"Ugh! What a nightmare. Thank god we only have to stay on this cruise for three days!"
That was Jasmine's voice. She sounded exhausted—part scared, part furious.
There was the loud bang of a door being slammed.
Then, one after another, four more doors shut.
The hallway went silent.
But Lucas, still alert, heard a soft voice near his door. It sounded like it was trying to whisper, but the tension made it louder than intended.
He heard it clearly from behind his door in Room 201.
"So many people died at the dinner party... Marco must be devastated."
"Are we… are we next?" the voice asked, trembling.
Marco's reply was barely audible.
"It'll be fine. Just don't trigger the ship's storyline. We'll be safe."
They whispered a few more exchanges before retreating back into their rooms.
[Secrets are fragile, like wings. If you flap too hard, you fly too far. Shh. The walls listen too.]
[Hidden Plotline Progress: 30%]
Lucas's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
The hidden storyline seemed tied to the deaths at the dinner.
Just overhearing fragments had advanced his progress.
If he had actually gone… it would probably be over 50% by now.
But Lucas didn't regret staying behind.
He always put survival first.
He placed the blade beside him and waited. Calm. Focused.
The night deepened.
The clock ticked on the wall.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
---
3:00 AM
Lucas finally stood up.
Squeak—
The door creaked as it opened.
The night was still. No sounds came from any of the other rooms.
But on a night like this…
Who could truly sleep soundly?
Lucas smiled faintly.
Clack— Clack—
His footsteps echoed through the hallway.
His first target was Room 202, the room of the elites.
Knock knock knock—
Three knocks.
Lucas lowered his hand and waited.
The bloody kitchen knife hung at his side, glinting in the dim light.
Time passed.
No sound came from inside.
Lucas smiled wider.
He moved on to the next door.
Knock. Wait. Silence.
Then the next.
202. 203. 204.
No one answered.
It seemed… no one had dared to forget what he said earlier.
He finally reached the door of Room 205—Mark's room.
Knock. Knock—
Before the third knock landed, the door opened.
Mark stood inside, already looking anxious, like he had been waiting.
"Brother, get in here—quickly!"
Lucas stepped inside without hesitation.
---
Once the door shut behind them, Mark's tension eased.
"Brother, your move today was brilliant! Dangerous, yeah, but absolutely genius!"
He grinned as he poured a glass of water for Lucas.
"Seriously. A confrontation dungeon like this one splits players into two camps, and no one knows anyone's true identity. I've got no clue who my teammates even are!"
Lucas took the hot glass with a nod. "Thanks."
Mark waved it off casually. "No big deal."
"I heard what you said during the day!"
"If good people don't open their doors at night… then the ones who do must be ghosts!"
He smirked, eyes gleaming with admiration.
"With that, we ghosts can use the signal to find each other—and target the humans one by one!"
Mark sipped his water, nodding approvingly.
"Seriously—
High. Really high."
---