The firelight behind her was clearly an illusion and wouldn't harm Ji He, but looking at the two people standing at the entrance of Fengxian Village, she couldn't help but feel a chill in her heart, and a silent fear welled up inside her.

There could be no one else but them...

At this moment, Ruan Qingan waved to her again: "Ms. Ji He, what's wrong with you? Come out quickly!"

Ji Hecai belatedly came to her senses and quickly ran out.

Jiang Shihe didn't say anything, but stood behind Ruan Qing'an with his arms crossed, his tall figure silently guarding her. Only when Ji He approached did he raise his eyes, looking at her with cold eyes, but he didn't say anything more.

Inside the house, all three of them were well aware of Ji He's intention to shift the blame elsewhere, but—

There's no need to say anything; nobody believed anyone else anyway.

Soon, the three of them walked out of Fengxian Village together. Ji He had come to the village entrance to investigate before, trying to get out, but was blocked by the people of Fengxian Village and was unaware of the situation outside the village.

But when they had just stepped out of the village and were only about ten meters away, Ji He, who was in the lead, couldn't help but stagger.

My vision began to blur, and my mind became increasingly foggy.

Before Ji He could take two steps, she suddenly fell to the ground. Not only Ji He, but Ruan Qing'an and Jiang Shihe behind her also suffered the same fate.

037: [Ancestor, are you feeling unwell?]

Ruan Qing'an couldn't help but press his temples, frowning as he said, "Something's not right. What did I forget? This shouldn't be happening..."

The secrets of Fengxian Village, the original owner's background...

What exactly is it that she hasn't discovered, that all of them have overlooked—wait, did she really unlock the side quest in Fengxian Village? What if it was because of Jiang Shihe?

Something flashed through my mind, but I couldn't quite grasp it.

Just as Ruan Qing'an's body was swaying and about to fall, she landed straight into a broad and warm embrace. Ruan Qing'an subconsciously turned her head and, through a blurry vision, saw Jiang Shihe's anxious face, full of worry.

He kept calling her name.

But why didn't Jiang Shihe—

The next moment, Ruan Qingan's thoughts came to an abrupt halt, and then his consciousness completely sank into the sea, and he closed his eyes in a daze.

...

When Ruan Qing'an woke up again, she heard a knocking sound. She opened her eyes groggily and found herself sitting in a car, leaning against the door with her head against the window. Jiang Shihe and Ji He were also in the car.

The knocking sound she had just heard came from outside the passenger window; a traffic policeman in uniform was knocking on their car window, asking, "Do you need any help?"

The three of them finally woke up after hearing the question.

Ji He, who was sitting in the driver's seat, also came to her senses and quickly rolled down the window, saying to the traffic policeman, "It's okay, it's okay."

The traffic police nodded: "Okay, because a passing vehicle called the police, saying that there was a car parked on the side of the road and they thought they saw someone unconscious. They were worried that something might happen, so they called us to come and check. I'm glad you're all okay."

"If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us. Since everything is alright, please leave as soon as possible."

Ji He, who was in charge of driving, nodded and thanked him repeatedly.

The traffic police quickly drove away, leaving only the three people in the car. Outside, the sun was blazing, but inside the car, it was deathly silent.

Even Ji He, who always prided herself on being a veteran player, looked rather grim, struggling to control her emotions. This dungeon was becoming increasingly bizarre, and just then—

Jiang Shihe's voice suddenly came through. He was holding his phone in one hand, and when he looked up, his expression was slightly grim: "It's the morning of our second day after we set off, and... we haven't even left Beijing yet."

Outside the car window, the morning sunlight was dazzling and bright.

Ruan Qingan couldn't help but lower his eyes and look out the window. In his memory, they left the city and encountered strange things. Even the car they were driving had an accident and crashed into a wall.

But now...

It was as if nothing had happened.

They hadn't left the capital, hadn't encountered any ghosts, their car hadn't been in an accident, and now they were even sitting here perfectly fine, as if they were asleep, just having a dream...

But Ruan Qing'an suddenly looked at the passenger seat: "No, even if what happened in Fengxian Village didn't actually happen, our experience wasn't fake, because Xia Changhong is no longer here."

"...He was probably killed by the people of Fengxian Village. That village basically killed all men from the past."

Ji He tossed her hair aside and casually offered an explanation.

Ruan Qing'an remained silent, only glancing at it casually before turning to Jiang Shihe: "Mr. Jiang, have you discovered anything?"

"No, let's go back to the capital first."

After Jiang Shihe finished speaking, he looked at Ji He in the driver's seat.

Having just escaped danger and still shaken: Oh no, are you just using me as a tool so naturally?

But remembering the previous ghostly realm, Ji He wasn't sure who the hidden ghost was, so she could only reluctantly agree for now, muttering to herself as she drove towards the capital.

Ruan Qing'an leaned back in the back seat, closed her eyes in deep thought, and a hint of sorrow lingered on her beautiful face.

037 couldn't help but ask, "Ancestor, what's wrong?"

"Remember what I told you, little system?"

Ruan Qing'an paused, his leaden-gray eyes half-closed: "The global horror event should be a single instance, centered on F University, radiating outwards from the city center. The center will have the most supernatural events, and the instance should only encompass the capital."

"I found it strange from the beginning. It's just a dungeon, how could it possibly make us leave the capital? Where does the global horror come from to make a small world out of a dungeon? It's completely unnecessary and a pure waste."

Ruan Qing'an scoffed inwardly: "Now it seems that we didn't actually go to Fengxian Village, or even to the outskirts of the city."

037 asked, puzzled: "But Xia Changhong is dead, isn't he?"

“Yes, he’s dead, which proves that Fengxian Village is not an illusion. In that case, I can only think of one possibility.”

Ruan Qing'an said in a deep voice, "Do you still remember what method Ji He used to escape when she left Fengxian Village?"

"It was fire, and then the entire Fengxian Village caught fire. This must be a replay of the past, and the condition for achieving this was probably the prop she was holding, something used for worship."

"A fire once occurred in Fengxian Village, which was probably caused by a vengeful ghost. It's inextricably linked to what Ji He found. We haven't been to Fengxian Village, and this isn't an illusion—"

When Ruan Qing'an opened his eyes, the emotions in them were obscure and unreadable: "It can only mean that it is a large-scale ghost realm."

037: [Wow, a ghost realm?!]

"It may be because it is closely related to the main storyline that it is listed as a side story in the global horror genre, but its essence is the ghost realm."

037: [But...but where did this ghost realm come from?]

Upon hearing this, Ruan Qing'an, who was still explaining, stopped. She didn't speak anymore, but closed her eyes again and leaned back in the back seat.