After much arguing, the villagers decided to listen to the Taoist priest. Based on their birth dates and times, they selected a boy and a girl from the village to be sacrificed. Surprisingly, the problem was solved. The Taoist priest said that sacrifices were needed every year, but the village did not have enough children. So, fifty years ago, they came up with the idea of ​​using dummy children as substitutes and set the village festival on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month every year, which has become a custom that continues to this day.

However, in the past two years, young people under the age of 25 have been dying again, and the village has secretly started performing human sacrifices.

You are a reporter from the Heyang Daily. After learning about this matter, you came to investigate. Unfortunately, Yaocun is located in a remote area and does not welcome outsiders. You were knocked unconscious and locked up by the villagers as soon as you sneaked in...

[Mission: Main quest. Players must survive while fulfilling their journalistic duties and investigating the strange events in the village.]

[Note: This is a survival instance. Players' health will fluctuate based on their situation. Players can increase their health through special tasks within the game. Once health reaches zero, the player fails and dies. This instance supports up to five players simultaneously; death during the game is a true death.]

Health Points: 100 (In this game only)

[Skills: None]

[Weapons: Broken scalpel / Damaged dagger]

Total points balance: 375

[No divine-level materials can be used in this game]

[Loading successful]

Su Deng lay in the dimly lit, tiled-roof woodshed, staring blankly at her bound hands and ankles for half an hour.

She clearly selected Fairy Tale Town, but the moment she clicked on it, the system suddenly announced—

[Ding—Automatic matchmaking for players has been completed]

Then, my mind was filled with a bunch of game world backgrounds, and when I opened my eyes, I found myself tied up.

In particular, she was not injured, did nothing, and just lost 3 health points because she was stunned by the system operation for 20 minutes.

Grass!

Brain-damaged system.

Su Deng was tired of cursing.

The festival in Yaocun is being held on the 16th; today is the 15th.

She, the reporter, arrived on the 14th.

Because of its unique circumstances, this village has restarted the human sacrifice ceremony this year. It is extremely wary of outsiders and even prohibits them from entering the village. She, a reporter, managed to sneak in, but before she could even see what the village looked like, she lost consciousness.

He was locked up for a day and a night.

Fortunately, these people still have a conscience and continue to bring her food and water on time.

To survive, one must also investigate the village's strange occurrences.

Su Deng licked her teeth and took out a dagger from the warehouse, painstakingly cutting the ropes binding her hands and ankles.

He was wearing a white shirt, a black trench coat, casual pants, and sneakers for running. His backpack, camera, and mobile phone had all been taken by the villagers.

The room where she was locked up seemed to be a woodshed in an abandoned house in the village, with the windows and door locked from the outside.

You can't pull it open, you can't kick it.

Su Deng looked around but couldn't find a way out.

Squeak—

Just then, the sound of the old gate being pushed open came from outside.

Through the crack in the window, you could see outside. A girl who looked about sixteen or seventeen years old came in, carrying a double-layered metal lunchbox.

The food delivery person.

We can't be too ruthless.

Su Deng quickly searched the room, picked up a short wooden stick about the thickness of a wrist, hid behind the door, and struck the girl on the back of the neck the moment she unlocked the door and came in.

Before the girl fainted and fell to the ground, Su Deng helped her to a pile of grass, gently laid her down on the ground, and went to pick up the lunchbox that had just fallen from the girl's hand.

The top layer contains a plate of stir-fried pork with chili peppers and a steamed bun, while the bottom layer contains glutinous rice balls.

Today is the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival.

It seems like only a few days have passed since the global countdown began and Su Deng entered the game, but it feels like several years have passed, and she hasn't had a proper meal in a long time.

Although this is a game, the pain and life and death are real, so the taste of food and such should also be real.

Su Deng glanced at the health points: 95.

I don't know how this drop rate is calculated; I got 5 drops in just half a minute after entering the game.

Let it fall away.

Su Deng stared at it for a while, then sat down cross-legged on the ground, picked up the chopsticks and steamed buns from the lunchbox, and started eating.

The glutinous rice balls are made with black sesame seeds.

It tastes good.

The chef's skills are quite good.

Su Deng finished eating at a leisurely pace, put the lunchbox away and placed it next to the girl. Just as she was about to get up and leave the room, a virtual panel popped up.

[Ding—Health Points +2]

Su Deng: "?"

What did she do?

Have a meal?

Su Deng: "..."

This system mechanism...

Should she be glad that she had a craving and went to eat this meal?

Su Deng walked out with a black line on her forehead.

With its cement roads, two-story buildings, and stone flower beds along the roadside where some people grow vegetables and others flowers, this village is not backward in terms of its environment and architecture.

It was still winter, and everything was withered and desolate.

Taoist priests, ancient evil spirits, human sacrifices, and even the use of children under five years old—these might not have mattered much in ancient times or the Republic of China era, but this is a village in the post-modern era.

Moreover, it's not ancient at all; what's with the title "Ancient Village Festival"?

If it's a traditional custom, that's fine, but using a living person for sacrifice is not just a matter of deep-seated feudal superstition, it's illegal, isn't it?

This village resists outsiders. She was knocked unconscious and locked up as soon as she entered, but she still has to conduct investigations in this village...

However, the villagers couldn't say anything bad about locking her up, even though they provided her with good food and drink, and even gave her a bowl of glutinous rice balls for the Lantern Festival.

As Su Deng pondered, she walked along the road into the village. After a few steps, a person emerged from around the corner ahead.

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