As the twelve players settled in, the bus to the next world began to move.

When the bus came to a stop, Qin Nan, now experienced, took the initiative to get off.

Unlike before, he found himself alone in a quaint, ancient-style room, devoid of any other players.

"Welcome, players, to the Haunted Mansion Murder Mystery world. Please draw your identity cards."

The electronic voice echoed in his mind, and twelve cards materialized before him.

Qin Nan was well aware of the principles of murder mystery games; he had played many. However, this was the first time it was directly tied to his life. The identity card he drew would determine his path moving forward, so he had to be cautious.

As he focused, three of the identity cards quickly faded to gray.

The faded cards could no longer be drawn.

Qin Nan realized that all players were drawing from the same set of identity cards. Once one player drew a card, it became one less choice for him. He pushed aside any lingering thoughts of sorrow and quickly drew an identity card.

Six was his lucky number, so he chose the sixth card.

"Player identity: the second young master of the family, the only legitimate son, but not favored by his father. His biological mother has passed away." The electronic voice informed him. "For more information, players will need to explore on their own once the game begins. Good luck, my player."

As the identity cards faded one by one, the last card disappeared, and a sound of bells and drums echoed from the entrance. At the same time, Qin Nan's outfit changed.

Was this a one-click outfit change?

Was the game starting now?

At this moment, he only knew his identity, but he was completely unaware of the story's background. The system hinted that the starting point only provided a superficial identity; deeper layers would require exploration.

Qin Nan decided to search the room for any clues related to his identity.

This was an ancient setting.

The room he was in appeared to be a bedroom, likely belonging to the second young master. There was a desk with books like the "Analects" and an unfinished calligraphy practice sheet.

It seemed his character was a somewhat educated scholar.

He casually picked up the "Analects" and flipped through it. Suddenly, a piece of paper fell out, fluttering to the ground. His gaze instinctively followed it.

The white paper was filled with ominous red characters spelling "death," which was quite alarming.

Qin Nan cursed under his breath and hastily picked up the paper, contemplating for a moment before folding it and hiding it on his person.

From his understanding of murder mystery games, each player would have clues that could arouse suspicion. This paper filled with death-related words could very well be a piece of evidence implicating him.

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Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t mind, but now that his life was at stake, if he were voted to die, there would be no second chances. He had to be extremely careful.

Leaving the paper in the room would inevitably lead to its discovery, so it was safer to keep it with him.

Beyond this paper, he suspected there were more items to uncover, so he meticulously searched the entire room.

He found three more items.

The first was a small vial labeled "Crane Top Red," likely poison, hidden under a pillow. The second was a letter that appeared to be his character's deceased mother’s will, tucked away at the bottom of a wardrobe. The letter summarized that his father was a "phoenix man," who became successful through his father-in-law's support but abandoned his first wife, leading to the mother’s untimely death. Before dying, she left a will urging her child to reclaim the family property.

The third item was a strange blood-stained white embroidered shoe.

Qin Nan had no immediate thoughts about the shoe, but he had already pieced together the general plot of the game from the will.

The deceased was likely his character's stepfather. They needed to uncover the murderer who killed him. Given his background, he harbored resentment towards the stepfather, providing him with a motive for murder. The presence of poison in the room could further suggest his murderous intent.

Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door. "Second young master, dinner is ready. Please come to the front courtyard."

Qin Nan had a rough idea of what was happening. The NPCs were appearing, signaling the end of the phase where players learn their identities. The group of players would soon gather, and the deceased would make their entrance for the first round of investigation.

The servant led Qin Nan to the main courtyard, but before leaving, he placed the will back in its original spot.

Having no clues left behind would make him less suspicious.

The twelve players nearly arrived at the main courtyard simultaneously, with Xu Tian being a minute or two late.

"Please take a seat," Xia Zeqin spoke first, choosing a spot. "I assume everyone knows the rules of the murder mystery? Let's sit down and introduce our identities."

Jian Fan remained calm, having already taken a seat when Xia Zeqin began speaking. Qin Nan chose a spot next to Jian Fan.

The other players quickly followed suit, taking their seats.

Once everyone was settled, Xia Zeqin spoke again. "I'll go first. I’m the eldest son of this family, a sort of illegitimate child? My mother... well, my mother and father were childhood sweethearts. Before they married, she got pregnant. I lived with her until I was thirteen, and after she died, I was brought here."

Qin Nan glanced at Xia Zeqin.

The backstory seemed to follow the cliché of a family drama: the deceased had a romantic entanglement before marriage, resulting in an illegitimate child. For money, he then married a wealthy girl and had a second child. Given the group of players and the will, it seemed the deceased had likely sought out mistresses after becoming prosperous, ultimately leading to the death of the wealthy wife.

After Xia Zeqin finished, his female companion spoke up. "I’m the youngest daughter of this family. My mother was a concubine who died during childbirth, so I’m pretty much invisible at home."

Qin Nan raised an eyebrow at this.

The other players introduced themselves in turn until it was Jian Fan's turn. All eyes naturally fell on him.

Jian Fan slightly raised his head, speaking succinctly: "I’m the family doctor."

In this unfamiliar world, everyone’s self-introductions were cautious, avoiding revealing too much information, but Jian Fan’s brevity stood out.

"Is that it?" Xu Tian asked, taking the initiative.

Jian Fan responded with an indifferent "Hmm."

Seeing this, Qin Nan took the opportunity to speak up. "I’m the second young master of this family, the legitimate son. My mother was wronged and died of heartbreak. My relationship with my father is strained. I resent him for betraying my mother, and he doesn’t want me involved in family affairs. That’s my introduction." He added a note that he was unfamiliar with murder mystery games.

Xia Zeqin looked at Qin Nan with a smirk. "You’ve never played a murder mystery before?"

Qin Nan smiled back. "Is that strange?"

Xia Zeqin didn’t answer, but Jian Fan did: "Haven’t you never played either?"

Jian Fan's comment surprised the others, and their gazes shifted between Xia Zeqin and Jian Fan. The only calm one, apart from the two involved, was Xia Zeqin's female companion.

She seemed to know something.

Xia Zeqin shrugged, smiling. "Is it wrong to ask?"

Jian Fan ignored him, returning his gaze elsewhere. "Next."

Beside Qin Nan sat Lin Junru, who cheerfully interjected to ease the tension. "It’s my turn, then! I’m the eldest daughter of this family. I’ve never met my mother since birth, and I don’t know her circumstances, but my father dotes on me."

Everything began to return to the proper flow of the game.