Deceitful Game

Chapter 169 The Old Piano

Chapter 169 The Old Piano

Mingpo slowly stood up, turned around, and gently pushed the door she had come from.

[Cannot be opened]

A prompt instantly appeared before his eyes.

Was it expected?

"snort."

Mingpo scoffed and turned to leave.

In this cycle, the environment underwent subtle changes.

The room that Mingpo had previously turned on was still lit without him needing to press the button again. It was as if he hadn't been in a time loop, but rather had been teleported to the entrance.

The path to the second floor is still blocked by wooden crates. Nothing has changed.

This time, however, Mingpo tried to climb over the wooden crate.

This wasn't too difficult for Mingbo. It was just a matter of squeezing through a gap—an obstacle less than three meters high, with a wooden box underneath to use as a stepping stone.

Mingpo flipped over easily, without even breaking a sweat.

Mingpo continued up the stairs to the second floor.

As he moved forward, the music grew louder and louder. Clearly, the resounding music was coming from the third floor.

At the end of the stairs was an oak door.

It was covered by a dense array of white seals. The seals were inscribed with black characters in only two styles: one wide and thick, reading "Seal," and the other thin and narrow, reading "Entry Prohibited."

But these seals seemed utterly meaningless. They sealed almost nothing—perhaps because of their age, the adhesive had come detached, and they were even peeling. They were relatively still before Mingbo approached. But even the slight airflow generated by Mingbo's movement was enough to blow them right off.

Moreover, this thin seal doesn't look much thicker than toilet paper.

No need to tear it—just pull it open.

Mingbo leaned closer and listened with her eyes closed.

He confirmed that the music was coming from inside the house.

Mingpo reached out and grasped the doorknob. However, no "cannot be opened" message popped up in front of him.

That means it can be opened.

Mingpo turned the doorknob, intending to violently tear the door open.

But just as he exerted his strength, a clear voice suddenly rang in his ears: "Dad, I don't want to practice the piano today."

Mingpo paused slightly.

That was a little girl's voice.

She spoke in Japanese, but Deceitful Game translated it directly for Minpaku.

—Although Mingpo could understand it even without translation.

Although Mingpu had a vague feeling when she saw the car, the villa, the crested hakama in the photo, and the Russian nesting doll in the shape of a Daruma doll before, she can now be sure that this is indeed a story that took place in Japan.

However, this action made Mingper realize something else.

That is—it is indeed possible that the deceivers are from other countries, or even other eras, or that the deceivers themselves created by "paradoxes." Since the deceivers have a built-in synchronous translation system, it means that it must be useful.

While language can be translated, specific cultural differences and the resulting information are not specifically explained.

If you don't know, you just don't know.

From this perspective, those who are skilled in folklore, linguistics, and history may have an advantage in deceiving the world.

Mingpo paused for a few seconds, and finding no other reaction, she turned the handrail again and pulled the door open forcefully.

This time, Mingpo clearly felt that his exertion was being blocked by something.

It's like there's an invisible box blocking the force in front of the door; you only open the door a crack, and you're pushed back in.

"Darling, you should sometimes consider Chizuko's feelings too."

It was the voice of an intellectual woman, and she seemed a little angry: "You rarely come back—"

The voice stopped abruptly at this point.

The door was pulled back by some immense force once again.

Without hesitation, Mingpo opened the door again.

This time, he opened the door about fifteen centimeters, wide enough to fit an apple. Mingpo could even vaguely see the layout of the second floor.

But then, Mingpo felt a collision with an obstacle; the door was stuck again.

"Daddy, Daddy! Come home quickly, Mommy is..."

A little girl's cries rang out.

Immediately afterwards, an even more powerful force yanked the door back in.

Mingpo turned the doorknob again, but this time it wouldn't turn at all. Even the seal that had been teetering on the edge had been firmly reattached.

It's locked.

A message appeared directly on the doorknob.

Mingbo pondered for a moment.

He kicked the door hard.

Bang!

A loud bang.

The piano music inside the room even paused for a moment when the loud bang occurred. It seemed to have been startled by Mingpo.

The enormous reaction force caused Mingpo to stagger back three steps before coming to a stop.

Not to mention the door, this time even the seal wasn't damaged in the slightest.

[Cannot be opened]

A new notification appeared at the doorway.

Mingpo didn't continue trying. Using force on the stairs was extremely dangerous; anyone else might have fallen. It was only because of his exceptional balance that he dared to kick the door with all his might on the stairs.

However, the auditory hallucinations that occurred during these three door openings, combined with what Mingpo saw during the previous loop, allowed her to piece together a portion of the truth.

This man must be a wealthy young master or a big celebrity. Otherwise, he couldn't afford such a large villa, and the decoration could be so luxurious.

He might be a pianist or a musician. And he also teaches his daughter to play the piano, and she even won some kind of award.

He and his wife had some arguments about raising their children, but their relationship seemed to be going well. After that, his wife apparently had an accident, fell ill, or committed suicide—currently, an accident seems the most likely explanation. His daughter probably called him to tell him to come home immediately.

What does it mean that this room is sealed off?

Did this man become withdrawn and isolated after that?

Mingbo was somewhat surprised.

Because he is currently participating in a promotion game—which means that regardless of whether he fights with the other party, there will definitely be a BOSS in this instance.

And clearly, this man is the boss of this instance. He has sealed himself here, locking himself inside with that ridiculous seal.

The boss has become withdrawn and refuses to go out—something Mingpo hadn't anticipated.

Does this mean that this was originally supposed to be a horror game, but because the BOSS went on strike and hid, it became a pure puzzle game?

"It's fine if you don't want to come out."

Mingpo faced the door and said slowly, "Then you'd better not come out at all."

As if in response, the piano chords suddenly became louder and the tempo quickened.

Although it's still the same piece of music, it's no longer as melodious. Originally, this piece gave people a feeling of "slow and sorrowful", but now the melody in D major has become sharper, crisper and brighter, and the ethereal aftertaste has been greatly reduced.

The feeling is like waking up from a sleep but still pretending to be asleep.

Although he remained motionless with his eyes closed, his breathing rhythm had noticeably changed.

Seeing that there was still no response from inside, Mingpo turned around and went downstairs.

He went back the way he came and climbed out from the wall of boxes.

Mingpo had only taken a few more steps when he suddenly heard a loud crash behind him!

The chaotic clanging sounds even momentarily drowned out the piano music.

It felt like something had fallen, triggering a chain reaction, causing a whole bunch of things to fall. It was like a kitchen disaster movie.

When Mingbo looked back, he found that the corridor leading to the second floor had been violently and completely blocked.

It's not just wooden crates.

It's more than that.

Discarded appliances, clothes, hats, toys, cabinets, balls, books, and even a piano. They completely blocked the entire corridor, leaving only gaps barely wide enough for a snake to squeeze through.

Those were old items, completely different from the style of this luxurious villa.

If this villa is in the style of a wealthy person or even a tycoon, then the old items are in the style of an ordinary person's home.

Of course—although he is an ordinary person, it doesn't mean he has no money.

Most of the clothes were women's wear; while not luxury items, they were stylish and not at all worn out. There were also many toys and several game consoles.

That piano is an Apollo brand, which is considered a good value for money among second-tier brands.

Of course, it can't compare to the Steinway in the lobby at all; its price is less than one-twentieth of the latter. But it's still not something every family can easily afford.

However, Mingpo noticed a strange detail.

The piano has very clear signs of maintenance.

Although it's old and even a bit dusty, there isn't even a fingerprint on it. The keys show no signs of discoloration, let alone any damage to the body of the instrument.

Even though it's a cheaper piano, I take better care of it.

Or is it that—

Mingpo squinted and looked towards the second floor.

—Is this old piano the real companion that accompanied him through his growth?

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