It wasn't until after 10 a.m. that the three NPCs finally woke up. Cui Mingyang then went out and called the people from next door over.
Xiaoyu glanced apologetically at the players in the living room, seemingly a little embarrassed.
As the boss, her employees got up early to prepare for work, but she, the boss, slept until late morning.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Xiaoyu and the others quickly ate a bite of breakfast and then began to assign tasks.
"Our main task today is to gather information about the building."
As expected of the main character, she didn't seem embarrassed at all after causing such a scene with the residents of the building yesterday.
At this moment, Xiao Shuai tugged at Xiao Yu's sleeve, his face looking rather grim: "Um... I have a feeling something's off about this place. Something must have been chasing us last night."
"This place seems really eerie, let's go back!"
The players kept their eyes down and pretended not to see anything.
Leave? Have you ever seen a character in a horror movie manage to leave the center of the film? The farther they go, the faster they die.
Hearing Xiaoshuai's words, Xiaoyu's heart wavered for a moment.
"No, have you forgotten why we came here?" Xiaoyu pushed Xiaoshuai's hand away.
“What will happen to the company if we leave? We agreed on this before we came. I remember you were the one who suggested coming to the Ghost Tower the most.”
"You say all the mysteries are just man-made? What? Are you scared?"
Being looked down upon in front of so many people, Xiao Shuai naturally couldn't admit it. He straightened his neck and refused to mention going back.
"Alright, let's gather materials inside the building. If possible, it's best not to bother the residents," Xiaomei said, trying to smooth things over.
No sooner had he finished speaking than the players received their quest.
[Ding—Congratulations, player, you have triggered a side quest: Hidden Pattern. Players need to go to three designated photo spots inside the building. Successfully taking a photo counts as a successful check-in. 3-hour countdown.]
Rooftop terrace (not checked in)
Bedroom 306 (not checked in)
First floor entrance (no card check)
It's a new side quest!
Everyone quickly looked down at the panel and immediately found three locations where they needed to check in.
Good heavens, bedroom 306, why didn't you suggest we take close-up photos of Teacher Feng's face!
This task is something all players must complete, meaning everyone has to go to these locations; no one can escape it.
In just a short while, Xiaoyu had divided everyone into three groups, each responsible for investigating the outside of the haunted building, the upper three floors, and the lower three floors.
Cui Mingyang had just tested them, and these NPCs seemed completely unaware of Ding Zhao's disappearance.
It seems the game is deliberately downplaying the impressions of these dead people in their minds.
Since there was a check-in task, everyone thought they'd just take pictures of whichever one they encountered first. Of course, those in 306 didn't need to rush; they should prepare first.
The three NPCs were assigned to three teams. Xiao Jin's team was led by Xiao Yu, and it was unknown whether she had any personal agendas.
The other two are Chen Mingchuan and Xu Qing. The four of them are going to the third floor of the building to complete the rooftop check-in task.
As soon as they came out, they bumped into the residents in the corridor.
These people wandered around in twos and threes, their eyes empty and indifferent.
They wore all sorts of clothes, but without exception, they exuded an indescribable sense of alienation from head to toe.
Upon seeing the crowd, the residents showed no emotion whatsoever, merely glancing at them indifferently before disappearing silently like ghosts.
A sense of oppression seemed to hang in the air. The group exchanged glances and immediately understood what was going on.
The residents must have heard what Xiaoyu said last night.
Xiaoyu bit her lip nervously, a hint of regret flashing in her eyes. Xiaomei could only pat her shoulder to comfort her.
Immediately afterwards, the group parted ways, each heading in a different direction.
Before leaving, Xiao Jin gave Tong Xiaolu a deep look, and then glanced at Cui Mingyang, who was on Tong Xiaolu's team. Cui Mingyang immediately understood Xiao Jin's intention.
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of Xiaolu." Cui Mingyang nodded.
The fourth floor is where the players live.
There were many people on each floor, but nothing particularly noteworthy. During the light rain, I tried to ask residents for help, but was repeatedly ignored.
The same situation occurred on the fifth and sixth floors, and soon the four of them arrived at the rooftop.
The rooftop gate looked like it had been abandoned for a long time, its surface covered with a layer of dark brown, and the dark red rust was like dried blood, making it awe-inspiring.
But as Xiao Jin slowly approached, ready to investigate, she discovered that things were not as she had imagined.
A hint of doubt arose in her mind.
Although the door appears dilapidated, a closer look at the ground reveals a clear scratch.
These marks were clearly not formed naturally, but rather were left by someone who frequently entered and exited the area.
Furthermore, the gate appears to be regularly cleaned, as it has far less dust than the surrounding clutter!
Xiao Jin's mind flashed through the players' side quests. Could it be related to this?
The three check-in locations provided by the system were definitely not random; they must contain important information about the movie.
Xu Qing stepped forward and pulled hard on the door, but it wouldn't budge. Xu Qing shook his head helplessly: "No, it won't open."
"I'll do it!" Chen Mingchuan pulled hard on the doorknob, but he couldn't open it.
"This is impossible! The door isn't locked, why can't we pull it?" Chen Mingchuan gasped for breath, then continued to exert force, refusing to believe it.
Seeing this, Xiaoyu became anxious and joined in to help.
Xiao Jin looked thoughtfully at the gate, then his gaze swept over the topmost talisman.
Hmm? A talisman?
There was a talisman posted here all along, so why didn't they notice it immediately?
Xiao Jin immediately realized that the reason the door couldn't be opened was probably related to this talisman.
She reached out and lifted a corner of the talisman.
Strangely enough, this paper-like object was unusually difficult to peel off. No matter how much force Xiao Jin used, it did not break into pieces.
Seemingly noticing Xiao Jin's actions, Chen Mingchuan and Xiao Yu stopped wasting their time and looked up at Xiao Jin's hand.
'Tear~'
With a loud thud, Xiao Jin peeled off all the talismans.
Xiao Jin looked at the talisman in her palm and frowned slightly; the talisman's appearance was indeed very strange.
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