The First Unlucky Victim Appears

Bei Lang wandered through the Opera House, maintaining his composure and rationality as best he could.

He held a small notebook, using concise language to record all the anomalies he discovered.

【Unforgettable Memo (Fine Quality)】

The holder can easily recall the described scene of anything written in this memo under any circumstances, provided the notebook is not lost.

【Equipment Requirement: Handwriting must be clear and neat.】

【Remark: You seem to have forgotten something…】

This piece of equipment seemed quite useless on the surface, but for a player who excelled at analysis, it was an absolute godsend.

A person's memory is always limited. In dangerous supernatural Instances, emotions like tension and fear could prevent one from recalling critical details in time. This memo, however, allowed the user to directly recall the scene, making it almost like a second brain.

Bei Lang had been most thankful for it during an Instance that caused players to constantly lose their memories. He had relied on the contents of the memo to decipher crucial information.

"One must remain quiet during performances. One must clap with the audience during exciting moments. One must tip an attendant to be led out if leaving midway. A random audience member will be chosen to sing on stage when a performance ends…"

These were all rules he had recorded after seeing them broken.

As soon as he arrived at the Opera House, he saw an audience member get selected to sing. The bewildered man stood on stage for several minutes, not knowing what to do.

Right before Bei Lang's eyes, the man's limbs stiffened, taking on a wooden appearance. His joints transformed into articulated pivots, and in just ten short seconds, he had become a smiling marionette.

The marionette then sat back down in its original seat and began to clap numbly, ready to enjoy the next opera.

Only then did Bei Lang notice that while the Opera House seemed packed to the brim, more than half of the audience was actually made up of lifelike marionettes.

They had all been transformed from guests. He had only confirmed the rules after seeing someone violate them and suffer the consequences.

Having recorded enough information, Bei Lang nodded to himself, preparing to head to the next location. If he stayed any longer, he might be the next one called to the stage.

He found a nearby attendant and spoke in the softest voice he could manage, simultaneously pulling a few bills from his pocket and handing them over.

"Hello, I need to leave for something urgent. Excuse me."

The attendant wore the same unchanging smile.

"No problem, sir. Number 6 is happy to be of service. This way, please."

After accepting the tip, she extended her hand courteously to help Bei Lang stand. Under her guidance, he quickly left the Opera House.

Looking at the intersecting corridors, Bei Lang couldn't help but sigh.

It's too big…

This cruise ship truly lived up to its reputation as a top-tier gathering place for high society. He had learned from an attendant that the sheer number of facilities was staggering.

There were entertainment venues, gyms, wellness centers, shopping malls, theaters, swimming pools, and even a chapel. All told, there were over fifty large and small public areas, and the private areas were simply innumerable.

The players only had five days. If they stuck together, it would be impossible to explore everything.

So, after Yan Shuangying left and they confirmed that the attendants were not malicious, they had all split up. Each player called their room's attendant and set off to investigate a different part of the ship.

I wonder how the others are doing…

Just as the thought crossed his mind, a panicked female voice came from behind him.

"Bei Lang! I finally found you! Quick, go to the Starry Bar! Something's happened to Batman!"

Bei Lang turned to see Miss Black Cat running toward him in her high heels. A few beads of sweat dotted her forehead, and her flushed cheeks made her look as alluring as a ripe, rain-kissed apple.

Without hesitation, he followed her toward the so-called Starry Bar.

This was only the first day of the Instance. They couldn't lose a teammate this quickly.

A moment later, they entered a quiet bar where soft, slow music drifted through the air. The decor was minimalist, but the ceiling was dotted with countless stars, making it feel as if they were sitting under a romantic night sky.

At the bar counter, a bartender was showing off his skills, the bottles dancing in his hands as if they were alive.

In front of him, a man in a pale blue formal suit and a bat mask was slumped over the counter. His face was deathly pale, and his body was twitching nonstop. His life was hanging by a thread.

The other teammates were standing around him, anxiety and frustration etched on their faces. They clearly knew something was terribly wrong with Batman's condition.

Bei Lang rushed over.

"What happened to him?"

Fox Loli stepped forward and answered coldly, "He ordered a cocktail, a Bloody Mary. After he finished it, the bartender told him to mix an identical replica. He failed, and now he's like this."

Bei Lang leaned in to observe. He was shocked to see a smear of red at the corner of Batman's mouth. He was continuously spitting out more red liquid, yet there was no smell of blood in the air.

He took a careful sniff. It smelled like the Bloody Mary he had just drunk.

Was the drink poisoned?

Bei Lang stepped forward and addressed the bartender as politely as possible.

"Mr. Bartender, hello. May I ask why this guest has ended up like this? Is there any way to help him?"

This was a trick Bei Lang had discovered earlier. As long as you didn't violate the rules or ask about them directly, the staff might answer you if you were respectful enough. It all depended on their mood.

His luck was good. The bartender seemed to be in a decent mood.

He slowly put down the glass in his hand, raised an eyebrow, and said disdainfully, "This guest doesn't understand alcohol."

Then, he passed over the drink menu. He slid his finger across the names of the various cocktails.

"If you don't even understand the drink you're consuming, you are not worthy of drinking it," he said grimly. "So, I am merely helping him to better understand the ‘Bloody Mary.'"

The bartender smirked.

"From now on, no one will understand the ‘Bloody Mary' better than he does."

Bei Lang glanced at Batman.

Indeed, no one would understand it better than him.

Because the blood in his body was turning into the cocktail known as "Bloody Mary."

Everyone finally understood. The liquid flowing from Batman's mouth wasn't the drink he had ingested. He was spitting up his own blood, which had already turned into alcohol.

An Alcohol Person was in the making. There was no turning back.

Everyone's expression grew uglier. Batman was Level 14, the lowest among them. But the power of a Spirit Calamity Player wasn't strongly tied to their level. A higher level only meant they had cleared more Instances and thus had more equipment, skills, and trump cards.

The level difference between them wasn't large. This meant that the drink that could kill Batman could also kill any other player present.

None of the items or equipment on his person could save him. This wasn't direct damage, nor was it Mental Contamination. It was the power of some rule that had twisted the very nature of his blood. They couldn't resist this invisible, intangible force.

Thorny Show-off's brow furrowed in anger.

"Absurd! If you have to know how to mix a drink just to drink it, who could possibly order anything in this bar? Does this place only welcome bartenders?"

He scoffed.

"A strange bar that doesn't welcome guests, only bartenders, is utterly ridiculous!"

Unexpectedly, the bartender's face lit up with a smile of longing and admiration.

"Sir, just because you can't do it doesn't mean other guests can't," he said. "Before you all arrived, there was a guest who mixed every single drink on the menu. He even educated me on the raw materials and production processes of various base liquors."

His eyes gleamed.

"Oh! Oh My Goose! His profound knowledge of alcohol and mixing skills left me mesmerized! He was practically the reincarnation of Dionysus, the god of wine! I simply had to gift him a treasured bottle from my collection as a sign of my respect."

As soon as he said this, the players' expressions changed.

There's someone like that on this ship?

Either this person was a true expert in mixology, or he understood the rules of this place.

They were more inclined to believe it was the latter. An NPC who knew the rules of the area. Finding him might lead to more information.

Miss Rose couldn't help but step forward, batting her eyelashes at the bartender.

"Hey, handsome, could you please tell me what this amazing guest looked like? I'd like to find him to discuss the art of alcohol culture, too."

The bartender's expression suddenly became unnatural.

"Well…" he said awkwardly. "That guest's attire was very strange. He was dressed entirely in a pink… oh, a magenta tokusatsu outfit. He specifically corrected me on that point."

He paused, then added, "He also asked me to pass on a message to anyone who tried to ask about his identity. He said, 'If you're trash, practice more.'"

Miss Rose's expression went blank. The image of a lunatic surfaced in her mind.

The others also thought of that same lunatic.

Holy shit! It's him?