Ch. 25 - The Sunflower That Absorbs Sunlight

"It's a letter." Sun Qian picked up the envelope left outside the door and held it up for everyone to see.

Everyone's attention immediately shifted to the letter.

Has it begun?

The dungeon was called The Letter, so odds were high that the game's survival path and key clues revolved around this letter.

Sun Qian exchanged a glance with the others, then carefully opened it. Thankfully, nothing strange leapt out—just a plain letter. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

He unfolded it, and the group gathered around to read:

[Lin Yuan, how have you been lately? Your village is so remote, there’s no internet, so I can only write to you like this. Even though we’re separated by distance, I still love you. We've been married for three years now. Even though my parents disapprove of us, I choose to believe in love. Love can overcome all darkness. I hope you’ll write back soon. —With love, Xinran]

At first glance, the contents were mundane—a couple separated by distance, with the wife's family not approving of the relationship.

But… could it really be that simple?

Obviously not. This was an unsolvable-level dungeon.

After reading, Sun Qian asked, "What do you all think about this letter?"

"Seems like a couple in love, separated for some reason," Wang Jian said.

"The key part should be the reply," Su Yuening pointed out, immediately hitting the mark. "She said she wants Lin Yuan to write her back."

Everyone glanced at the corpse still lying in the house and collectively frowned.

Lin Yuan was already dead. There was no way for him to reply. If no response was sent, his wife would surely suspect something. Whether she reported to the police or did something else, it would complicate matters.

And the main mission strictly prohibited leaving the house after 10 p.m. If they were taken away to the police station, there’d be no way to complete the objective.

"So right now, we need to reply to that letter—pretend to be Lin Yuan and make sure his wife doesn’t notice anything unusual," Xu Bing concluded.

"Exactly. We should first search the rooms and see if we can find any of Lin Yuan’s personal information. If not, we’ll need to go into town and investigate. Without proper background knowledge, we can’t convincingly forge a response." Sun Qian lit a cigarette, deep in thought.

"Right, let’s move while there’s still daylight," Luo Ya agreed.

Everyone started moving.

Just then, a flash of confusion flickered in Sun Qian’s eyes. "Liu Tong, what’s that thing on your shoulder?"

Everyone turned their eyes toward ‘Liu Tong’, and promptly froze.

At some point, a smiling, chibi-faced sunflower had sprouted on Bai Wan’s shoulder, gently swaying back and forth.

Bai Wan beamed as he explained, "It’s my personal skill—Cute Sunflower. Once it matures, it produces sunflower seeds. I’ll share them with everyone when it’s ready!"

The group fell into silence.

A cute sunflower… that produces sunflower seeds?

What kind of bizarre skill is that?

Fwoosh.

The nearby sunlight was being absorbed by the sunflower. Its smile grew more vibrant as it basked in the rays.

Everyone stared, fascinated. It didn’t seem to have any practical use, but… it was certainly intriguing.

Su Yuening was also watching with keen interest.

She was endlessly curious about this mysterious rookie, ranked on the bounty list despite receiving negative ratings. According to Liu Tong, he had an absurd skill that could erase doors. But now he had a sunflower growing out of his shoulder?

Just sunflower seeds? She wasn’t buying it. This Bai Wan was shifty as hell—nothing he said could be taken at face value.

Liu Tong even claimed he might be a plumber…

Personal skills usually reflect one's real-life traits. Is Bai Wan secretly a door repairman with a side job growing sunflowers and plumbing?

The thought alone sounded ridiculous.

After watching the sunflower for a while, the group got back to work—they couldn’t afford to waste time. This was an unsolvable-level dungeon. Every detail mattered.

They moved Lin Yuan’s body into a corner and started searching the house.

Bai Wan, carrying his sunflower, scurried about the old wooden home. The faint sunlight streaming in seemed to be drawn toward him.

He was curious. Once the sunflower absorbed enough sunlight, what kind of plant would it summon?

He’d played Plants vs. Zombies plenty as a kid—Peashooters, Wall-nuts, Jalapeno, Melon-pults, Thorned Roses… Which one would come out first?

The house was rather empty. Despite a thorough search, they turned up little useful information. Eventually, they all converged in front of a storage shed behind the house.

The shed looked rundown, like it hadn’t been used in years. It was the only place left unsearched.

Sun Qian noticed the lock had already been unlatched. He removed it and reached for the door.

Then everyone froze.

Thump-thump-thump!

Their hearts started racing—like they’d fallen into icy water.

Thump-thump-thump! THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!

The pounding grew more intense.

"Back up! Everyone move!" Sun Qian barked the order.

Even before he finished, several people had already stepped away. Bai Wan moved the fastest.

"Is that… a heartbeat warning?" Wang Jian’s face had gone pale. He’d never experienced it before, but veteran players had warned him—some dungeons included monsters far beyond the expected level. If they weren’t tied to the main quest, the only move was to run.

Sun Qian nodded, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Yeah, I’ve encountered it once. That’s definitely a heartbeat warning. We can’t go near that shed again."

He stared at the locked shed, deeply unsettled.

What the hell is inside?

Earlier, they’d found some painting tools—so Lin Yuan was probably a painter. But why would an ordinary painter have such a terrifying paranormal entity hidden in his shed?

And that letter—what exactly was it?

He felt like they were stumbling through fog with no clear path. A heartbeat warning this early in the game was not a good omen.

"Let’s head to the village," Sun Qian finally said. With the shed off-limits and nothing useful found at home, they had no choice but to look elsewhere.

Everyone agreed and followed him out.

The town was desolate. Most of the houses were falling apart—clearly a poor village.

As Bai Wan walked, he was pleased to notice the sunflower absorbing even more sunlight. Of course, sunlight outdoors would be far stronger than inside.

Su Yuening strolled beside him, staring at the sunflower on his shoulder.

Bai Wan flashed her a grin. "Want some sunflower seeds?"

"No thanks," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Not a lot of people here," Luo Ya remarked. They’d been walking a while and hadn’t seen a soul.

"Actually, it’s pretty normal," Wang Jian said. "Most rural villages are like this. Young folks all head to the cities for work. Only the elderly stay behind."

Luo Ya scowled. "So your hometown’s one of these dumps too? I’m never visiting."

Wang Jian looked embarrassed and didn’t reply.

"Still… this place feels too empty." Sun Qian frowned. Even under the bright sun, something about the air felt bone-chilling.

Finally, after a long walk, they spotted an old man reclining on a wooden rocking chair.

Sun Qian’s eyes lit up. He approached and said, "Hello there, sir. We’re travelers from out of town. Could we ask you something?"

"Hmm?" The old man looked up, surprised by the group of strangers. "It’s been a while since I saw new faces around here. Travelers? What’s there to see in this run-down village?"

Sun Qian chuckled. "We’re actually here looking for a friend, someone named Lin Yuan. We haven’t been able to reach him, so we thought we’d stop by and check in."

The old man studied them, then said, "Lin Yuan, eh? The village painter. Made a bit of a name for himself these past few years. You folks artists too? Just head down this path, his house is straight ahead."

So he really was a painter?

Everyone listened carefully, hoping to pick up useful details.

Sun Qian asked again, "We’ve already been to his house, but no one was there. Does he have any friends in the village we could talk to?"

The old man shook his head. "No, hardly anyone’s left around here. And Lin Yuan’s a loner. Ever since his wife died, he barely talks to anyone."

Buzz.

The words sent a chill down the group’s spines. Even under the glaring sun, it felt cold.

What…?

The old man said Lin Yuan’s wife… was already dead?

Then who… wrote that letter?

Sun Qian and the others couldn’t help but suck in a breath of cold air.

That letter they received… was a letter from the dead.

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