HP - Chapter 6

Typhoon Night Murder Files 01

"Dear passengers, we have safely arrived at our destination—Buji Island. Please take all personal belongings with you as you disembark. Wishing you a safe journey."

Zhong Xu felt as though she had been drifting across the sea, her mind lost in a haze. It wasn’t until the announcement echoed through the air that clarity finally returned.

She found herself aboard an old-fashioned passenger ship. Including herself, there were five people onboard. Each wore a different expression—some calm, others visibly panicked.

"Are we all players?" asked a man seated in the back row.

"There's another game?!" exclaimed the thin, frail-looking man beside Zhong Xu, fear written all over his face. "I barely made it out of the last one alive... When will these games ever end?"

"Maybe there is no end," said the man in the back, clearly a veteran. "I once met someone who had cleared eight games."

"Eight...?"

 "I just finished my first game. Is this one actually life-threatening? We won’t really die... right?"

The veteran player, growing impatient with the frightened newcomer, simply picked up his suitcase and walked straight through the narrow aisle.

"Hey, don’t be scared!"

 The person sitting behind Zhong Xu suddenly stood up and patted the skinny man’s shoulder with a cheerful smile.

 "I’m a newbie too—let’s stick together."

The thin man mumbled weakly, "You’ve got no experience either. What use are you to me?"

With that, he stood up, hastily grabbed his suitcase, and rushed after the veteran player.

 "Bro! Wait for me!"

"……"

Zhong Xu couldn’t hold back a laugh.

"Isn’t it a bit rude to laugh at people to their face?"

 The voice behind her was full of helplessness and a touch of grievance.

Zhong Xu turned around and was met with a handsome young face and clear eyes. Though his tone was resigned, a smile still lingered at the corners of his lips.

He had a very youthful vibe—the kind that suggested he’d never been chewed up by society.

After making her judgment, Zhong Xu gave an even more pronounced mocking smile.

"That aura, that fearless gaze—you’re clearly a veteran who’s faced life and death!" the young man declared decisively. Then, earnestly:

 "Take me with you. I’m 99% new—only cleared the beginner level by sheer luck. I’m Ji Zhou. You?"

Zhong Xu stood up, grabbed her suitcase from beside the seat, and said:

"I don’t carry noobs."

Another voice echoed through the cabin:

 “You don’t have to share your real name before the game announces the rules.”

The fifth player, who had been silent until now, finally stepped out of the shadows.

He was a man with refined features and a calm, elegant demeanor. A pair of thin-framed glasses rested on the bridge of his nose, and he carried himself with quiet poise. But behind the lenses, his eyes looked deeply fatigued—like he hadn’t slept in days.

"Got it, got it—thanks for the heads-up," Ji Zhou said, scooting closer.

 "I'm Ji Zhou. What about you? Wait—I’m not asking for your real name or anything! Just a codename or nickname is fine. By the way, was your last game’s win condition... no sleep?"

"……"

Zhong Xu gave the suitcase in her hand a quick heft. Every player had been given an identical one, but the strange thing was, it felt almost weightless—like it was completely empty.

Unfortunately, it was locked. She shelved the thought of opening it for now.

Once they stepped off the passenger boat, they realized they were on a small island. Under normal circumstances, the scenery might have been picturesque, but the weather today was especially gloomy. Everything was washed in gray. In the distance, mountains blurred into heavy clouds like ink bleeding across a canvas, spilling from the horizon onto the land below.

The veteran player, who had been the first to disembark, was speaking with the only staff member in sight.

"Are there any other tourists on the island?" he asked.

"Five in one boat? That’s already a crowd! We used to go a whole month without seeing this many visitors."

"Buji Island belongs to Xiangmeng City," the staff member continued.

 "It’s a small, isolated island across the sea from the main district. It’s not well-developed—no real attractions, hard to get to, and honestly, kind of boring. Most of the original residents moved away.

"Then, two years ago, a lifestyle vlogger came and shot a vlog here called ‘Running Away from Life Isn’t Shameful.’ It went viral, and now a lot of young people who are burnt out come here to escape."

"But that boom didn’t last, and now it’s quiet again..."

The staff member delivered the whole explanation in one breath, sounding exactly like an NPC programmed to dump story background.

"By the way," he added, "how long are you all planning to stay on the island today? The last ferry leaves at 1 PM. The typhoon won’t make landfall here, but our city is still within its affected zone. If the winds get too strong, ferry service will be suspended tomorrow or the day after."

The thin man looked even more panicked.

 "What does that mean? Do we have to leave the island before 1 PM?"

"Why are you freaking out? And stop clinging to my shirt—seriously..."

 The veteran player’s disdain was impossible to miss.

 "The game’s restart chime hasn’t even played yet. That means the game hasn’t officially started."

"If the typhoon hits while we’re still here, is there somewhere to stay?"

 The last player stepped out of the cabin, zeroing in on the important part of the conversation.

The staff member replied,

 "All the old guesthouses shut down. But a new one just opened up—like, really recently. I don’t know why they’d open one here though. No one’s making money off this place."

"Let’s go! To the guesthouse."

 The veteran’s eyes lit up as he picked up his suitcase and took off.

The thin man hurried after him.

"Bro, you’re a veteran too, right? You’ve totally been through it all!"

 Ji Zhou said brightly.

 "With two veterans guiding me, I feel so much safer."

People this shameless were a rare breed.

Without even turning her head, Zhong Xu muttered,

 "Get lost."

"Come on," Ji Zhou said, "I might be a noob, but I’m not deadweight."

 He grabbed one suitcase in each hand while using his knee to push his own forward.

 "I’ve got strength to spare—love pitching in."

The guesthouse was an old three-story building with a courtyard, styled with an artsy flair. From a distance, its yellow-painted walls stood out vividly.

Pushing open the gate revealed a burst of greenery. A large camphor tree stood proudly at the center of the courtyard, its branches lush and full. Around it stretched a neat lawn, with a winding stone path snaking outward like a brushstroke drawn in passing.

In the corners of the yard, a few potted flowers drooped limply—perhaps due to the gloomy weather.

Zhong Xu was more than happy to let someone else carry her suitcase. No point wasting a willing fool, after all.

She strolled lightly into the guesthouse. Passing through the living room, she spotted the veteran player and the thin man already standing near the dining room.

Looking past them, she saw the dining area itself.

A long table sat in the center, covered with a pale yellow checkered tablecloth. At its center lay an ornate, opened letter that read:

 "Please be seated and wait for all to arrive."

"Two, four, six... twelve... twelve seats."

 The veteran counted slowly, his expression turning grim.

 "There are way more players this round."

The thin man asked timidly,

 "Is more players good or bad?"

The veteran ignored him completely.

Ji Zhou arrived just behind them, lugging three suitcases, and muttered quietly,

 "Welp, we’re screwed. This is definitely a death round."

Zhong Xu shot him a sidelong glance.

He was surprisingly fit. The suitcases may have been light, but hauling three at once still took effort. Yet he moved quickly, without even the slightest frown in his brow.

Ji Zhou seemed to have already decided the three of them were a team, leaning in to whisper just loud enough for their small group to hear:

 "This has all the signs of a slaughter round. Like a banquet of doom. Too many players—means they'll start picking us off one by one."

Zhong Xu scoffed.

 "Characters like you always die first."

Ji Zhou shook his head confidently.

 "I may not be skilled, but when it comes to picking sides? I've never gotten it wrong. Little Grass, I'm sticking with you."

"...Little Grass?"

Ji Zhou pointed at her head.

 "Your hairstyle—it’s got life, like grass. So I gave you a codename. Pretty good, right?"

Zhong Xu turned her head and glanced at her reflection in a decorative mirror on a side cabinet. She looked exactly like she had in life—messy short hair and all.

She hadn't stepped foot in a salon since her hair had grown out. Whenever something looked off, she’d snip it herself on the spot.

Now she kind of missed the feeling of holding scissors. It made her want to take a swipe at Ji Zhou’s head.

Sensing a chill, Ji Zhou rubbed the back of his neck.

 "If you don’t like it, I can call you something else."

"I’ve got violent tendencies," Zhong Xu said flatly, retrieving her suitcase.

 "Especially toward punk-asses like you. Hard to control the urge to kill."

"Okay, okay. Let’s keep the murder to a minimum. I’d rather not die today."

Ji Zhou kept rambling until he noticed Zhong Xu had already walked past him and headed toward the long dining table.

Everyone froze.

Zhong Xu calmly sat down.

Ji Zhou blinked in admiration.

 "So brave, Little Grass."

Even though the letter had instructed them to take a seat and wait, no one had dared to sit down casually. There were no names on the chairs, and the game hadn’t clearly begun yet—plus, it was still unclear if all players had arrived.

The veteran player scoffed.

 "Reckless. People like her don’t last more than a few rounds."

But Zhong Xu had only one thought: she wasn’t afraid of dying—she was afraid of standing too long.

 If she could lie down, she wouldn’t sit.

 If she could sit, she wouldn’t stand.

【Ding! Player Zhong Xu has selected a role】

 【Below is your character information. Please read carefully.】

Name: Song Musi

 Role: The Boss ~ You are the sole owner of the guesthouse ~

Character Background:

 You don’t care whether running a guesthouse makes you rich. As an idealist, what matters most to you is achieving something meaningful through the path you’ve chosen.

You’ve poured your heart into this guesthouse. With so few tourists visiting Buji Island, you planned to stand out by offering something unique: personalized rooms tailored to each guest.

In your dream, crowds of guests fall in love with your guesthouse. They flock to Buji Island, and the island thrives like never before.

You owe much of the guesthouse’s opening to your old friends—people you've known since your student days—who supported you along the way.

To celebrate the official opening, you invited those very friends to come stay. Each room was designed specially for them, decorated with great care to match their personalities and preferences.

How thoughtful of you!

...But your story isn’t nearly so simple.

Behind this warm invitation lies a hidden purpose.

 One tied to the sudden, suspicious death of your best friend—Jiang Zhi—a year ago…

1. 布吉岛 (Bùjí Dǎo) - Fictional island name (homophone for Phuket but unrelated, homophone for "don't know island"); setting for the survival game

2. 玩家 (wánjiā) - Players; refers to participants 

3. 老玩家 (lǎo wánjiā) - Veteran player; experienced game survivor with prior rounds cleared

4. 萌新 (méngxīn) - Internet slang for "newbie"; literally "sprouting newbie"

5. 菜狗 (cài gǒu) - Gaming slang meaning "noob" (lit. "vegetable dog")

6. 鸿门宴 (Hóngmén Yàn) - Historical reference to a treacherous banquet; implies deadly setup

7. 民宿 (mínsù) - Guesthouse; key location where the game unfolds

8. 量身定制 (liángshēn dìngzhì) - Custom-tailored, the guesthouse's special service motif

9. NPC (非玩家角色 fēi wánjiā juésè) - Non-Playable Character, robotic game staff providing exposition

10. 台風夜事件簿 (Táifēng Yè Shìjiànbù) - "Typhoon Night Case Files"; another way to translate the title of this arc 

Characters (Players)

• 终栩 (Zhōng Xǔ)

  • Role: Protagonist 

  • Game Role: Later assumes the identity of 宋慕思 (Sòng Mùsī), the idealistic guesthouse owner with a hidden agenda tied to her friend’s death.

• 季舟 (Jì Zhōu)

  • Role: Self-proclaimed "萌新" (newbie)

• 老玩家 (Lǎo Wánjiā, Veteran Player)

  • Role: Experienced survivor

• 瘦弱男人 (Shòuruò Nánrén, Thin Man)

  • Role: Terrified newbie

• 眼镜男 (Yǎnjìng Nán, Glasses Man)

  • Role: Silent observer

Sevyn here ~~~

New arc~ Finally should be more interesting with actual players introduced.

Enjoy!