Feng Bujue used the flashlight to examine his surroundings. After confirming that there was no trap around, he moved toward the object of interest. The body had decayed to become a skeleton. Based on the skeletal structure, the body belonged to a man. There were conspicuous wounds on the body, so this might not be the first crime scene. The body might have been dragged there by the animals after the man died.
The clothes worn by the man were tattered and torn, probably the result of being pulled by the wild beasts. Feng Bujue stooped down to take a closer look and soon found a small iron box inside one of the pockets that remained somewhat intact.
The box was about half an inch thick, and the size was no larger than a normal photograph. In fact, that might be its use, to keep photographs. The box was rusted, which was normal considering the humid environment. Feng Bujue used the dagger and pried the box open by cutting along the rusted seam.
Photographs did not fall out from the box. Instead, inside were a pen and a folded piece of paper. It appeared to be a letter.
———
Item Name: The Last Message of an Unknown Victim
Item Type: Plot Item
Quality: Poor
Function: Unknown
Can be taken out of the scenario: No
Remark: Even though you have discovered this, it is not necessary for you to read this because once you look at the content, everything will be different.
———
What appeared before his eyes was the item attributes. Once he saw the item remark, Feng Bujue could not shake the feeling that something was up. It was clear that the man’s dying message was incredibly crucial, at least plot-wise, but the system told him that it was not necessary for him to read it. What did that exactly mean?
“Could it be that… after reading this letter, the plot will change somehow?” Feng Bujue mumbled to himself. “Should I read it or not? Currently, I am the only player left in the scenario, and as long as I stick to the plan, the chances of clearing this scenario are more than ninety percent. But if I read this and… cause some unfortunate changes…”
Other players might have given up on reading the letter, but this was Feng Bujue’s weakness. He might not be shaken if you found a beauty to seduce the man, but if you placed a piece of paper before him and told him that this was a piece of plot that other people might not understand, he would be the first one to charge forward to grab it.
Understandably, Feng Bujue’s reading mania was acting up, and he was feeling very uncomfortable. Unless there was a teammate like Passing Rain who was there to grab the paper and stop him from touching it, the man was going to read it. Unfolding the paper, he used the flashlight to provide the reading light, and he was surprised to find the letter was written in Russian.
At the time, Feng Bujue’s heart skipped a beat, and a very scary thought appeared in his mind, one that was proven to be the reality in the next few minutes. Even though our mystery novel writer was quite well-read, he did not understand Russian. Thankfully, the system provided an attached translation service, and the Chinese version could be read from the menu.
“If you are reading this, it can only mean that I’ve died. That’s good because, for me, death is a release, and I can’t say that I do not deserve it.
“My name is Zaroff, the owner of this island. Perhaps you have met someone who called himself General Zaroff in the castle already, perhaps you have not. In any case, you should know that he is merely assuming my identity. His real name is Sanger Rainsford.
“I invented a hunting game, a crude activity where I hunted human beings on this very island. Rainsford was once my prey and the only person to have survived my game. Until today, I remember every detail of that hunt. He was the perfect candidate and managed to craft a Malay man catcher and Burmese tiger pit with just a simple dagger. Of course, that does not mean that he stole the upper hand away from me. In fact, I purposely let him go several times.
“The result was that he managed to survive for three days and won the game. Even though I lost, I was in a good mood because it was indeed an enjoyable game. Following the promise, I allowed him a full rest and provided him with sufficient food, water, and a single-sail boat to help him depart from the island.
“I thought that would be the last time I saw Mr. Rainsford, but to my surprise, six months later, he returned to the island. He told me that after leaving the island, he started to miss the game. No other entertainment could bring him the excitement that the game could. He professed the wish to join me.
“Initially, I requested him to leave, but he begged me by even volunteering to be the prey.
“I thought that I was mad, but at that moment, I realized he was the real mad one.
“Therefore, I competed a second time with Rainsford, and the promise was that I would never hold back this time. If he still managed to survive my hunt for three days, I would make him my hunting partner.
“To my chagrin, success was his again. In fact, he seemed to have achieved it much easier compared to the first time. Even now, I have no idea how he managed to do that. During those three days, Rainsford never once appeared in my range. It felt as if the man could hear from very far away, and before I could even get close, he would move away from his location. The tracks that he left mimicked those of an experienced and agile macaque. The most confounding detail was that the tracks showed that the man did not have the need for ingestion, resting, sleep, or even defecation.
“On the third day, I released three hounds to hunt Rainsford. All I ended up with were three dead hounds, and they did not die from any trap or knife wound. All of them were mangled by a person’s bare hands.
“After that, Rainsford started hunting with me. After some time, I noticed how strange he was acting. He kept requesting me to capture more people, and I told him too many sea disasters around the area would attract the officials’ attention. However, he was like a drug addict, and the hunt was his drug of choice.
“He introduced some changes to the ship trap and brought many wild beasts to the island through mysterious means. I told him that the beasts would present a danger to us as well, but he did not seem to mind. Rainsford has completely lost his mind; he’s ten times madder than I was and ten times eviler.
“On the night of the ninth day, I wanted to kill him in his sleep. It was not a gentleman’s behavior, but I had no other choice. I was the one who created this demon, so I should be the one who ended him. However, when I tiptoed into his room and creaked the door open, he was just standing behind it with a smile on his face like he was waiting for me all along.
“Ivan tackled me from behind, apprehended me, and tossed me in jail. He was my most loyal subordinate; he would never betray me. I was never a superstitious person, but there was no other explanation other than he had been cursed by Rainsford. Incidentally, that would explain many things.
“Now, I am the prey. For the past nine days, Rainsford has had a clear understanding of my location. As a former hunter, I know that perfectly well, but he has never finished me or even come to find me. He never allows me to get close to the castle or escape from the island. He wishes for me to be killed by the wild beasts in despair and be torn by these ’prey’ into pieces. The irony of the whole situation did not elude me.
“On the fourth day, I ran into a dying sailor who was ambushed by a tiger. He told me that there was a man who called himself General Zaroff that forced them to play a game. It was at that moment that I understood that I had been replaced.
“Now, everything is already too late. I’m seriously wounded, and the humid environment proves too disagreeable with my body. I wonder how long it’s been since I was able to close my eyes without jumping up from fear. If death is coming soon, my only wish is for it to be peaceful and swift.
“I’m not writing all this for repentance, and I do not dare yearn for forgiveness. I merely wish for those who might read this letter to understand that… Rainsford is no longer a human but an embodiment of some kind of unknown evil.
“Run! Run as far as you can! Should you drown in the ocean, that is far better than staying on the island!”