The four of them lined up together, had a brief conversation, and finally started their gaming experience journey.
Along with the ethereal and quiet background music in the game, the entire game space is filled with an indescribable atmosphere. There are also swaying wild grass in the surrounding wilderness and leaves rustling in the wind from time to time.
The four of them rubbed their arms unconsciously, followed the game's novice prompts, pushed open the door of the house, and entered the house.
——Then at a glance I saw the ominous-looking stage and the various strange figures being lifted up from behind the curtain.
[Please take a seat in the auditorium in front of the stage.] This line was written on the guide for beginners.
The four people sat down in the audience seats according to the instructions given by the novices.
The moment he sat down, the door of the house creaked shut, and the figure hanging behind the red curtain on the stage seemed to have slightly changed movements, as if he had come alive, moving his limbs and head slowly.
Around the four people, blurry black figures appeared one after another on the seats that were originally empty, surrounding the four players sitting together.
Xiao Baicai was a little unsure of what was going on. He just felt very uncomfortable sitting there, as if countless eyes were staring at him.
Even though Xiao Baicai was good at socializing and could handle other people's gazes well, she felt a little panicked at this moment. She couldn't help but shrink her neck, trying not to meet their gazes. "Isn't it said... that this game is a competitive one? Could these shadows be our opponents? Are they other players?"
The wealthy sister Ai Yue seemed much calmer. "Let's see how it works first."
[Okay. Now that the [Human] players are in place, the [Human] faction can choose any dungeon to start.] Following the instructions given by the beginner's guide, one of the broken mirrors floating above the stage descended and floated before them. [Each of these mirror fragments represents the entrance to a dungeon. After starting the game, players must escape capture by the other side—the [Ghost] faction. Collect dungeon clues throughout the game, seal the [Ghost], and escape.]
[Human] players killed by [Ghost] players will die in the dungeon. After death, they can observe their teammates as spirits, but cannot communicate with them. In each game, as long as three or more [Human] players survive and successfully seal the [Ghost], the [Human] players will win. If two [Human] players survive, it's a draw. If fewer than two [Human] players survive, the game is lost and the [Ghost] players win.]
"How many players are there in the [Ghost] camp?" Ai Yue asked this key question after carefully considering the rules of the game.
[There's only one. However, in certain instances, players in the [Ghost] faction have the ability to summon a second-level [Ghost] NPC, so players should be aware of this.]
"It doesn't seem particularly difficult?" Xiao Baicai muttered after listening. "The 'L World' that Lake made before was similar to this model. The team with more people will easily win, right?"
I just don't know how this game, a collaboration between CH and Lake, will differ from "L World."
[Speaking of which, why can't the lighting in this game space be brighter? I can't see anything clearly, and I feel a little panicked.]
【I can’t wait any longer, let’s go! 】
"So is it time to choose a copy now? Which one should we choose from so many?" Xiaoqin and another little sister asked, looking at the calm Ai Yue.
Ai Yue thought for a moment and said, "Since we don't know much about these dungeons, let Xiao Baicai choose one. He's more lucky."
It is well known that Ode is.
"Then..." Xiao Baicai looked at the mirror fragments hesitantly.
The name of the copy was written on each piece of mirror fragment. When Xiao Baicai took a first glance, he saw that many of them were made by Lake. The copy names were all in a tone like [Crazy XX], [Fear XXX], [Scream XX], which made people feel weird when looking at them.
So, Xiao Baicai finally looked around and finally landed on the quiet and peaceful Xujia Town. "Xujia Town or Huaishu Village, the architectural style revealed in these two mirrors looks quite similar to Taohuayuan."
Just a little more sense of security.
[New players will automatically enter the human-computer mode for the first time. After becoming familiar with the gameplay, they can start the player-versus-player mode. Now we will enter the dungeon: [Xujia Town]]
[Three, two, one... the countdown ends and the game begins.]
As the prompt sounded, the four players disappeared from the audience.
Considering that barrage comments when watching horror movies would reduce the horror level, Xu Piao made a thoughtful little setting for live broadcast when setting up the game.
That is, players who are playing games in a live broadcast room. After entering the dungeon, people in the live broadcast room can send barrages, but people in the dungeon cannot see the barrages in the live broadcast room.
[Happy gaming, everyone.] A small speech bubble with a smiling face appeared below the dialog box for beginners.
…
The first feeling the four players had after entering the dungeon was silence.
Extreme quietness.
There was also an inexplicable feeling of dampness and coldness, the dampness of the ground seeping through the soles of my shoes.
In the dim environment, it seemed as if there were only four living people in this place called Xujia Town.
Quiet white strips hang in front of the houses on the roadside, swaying occasionally in the absence of wind.
"It's... a bit weird." Xiaoqin's voice trembled, and she unconsciously moved a little closer to Ai Yue and another little sister.
"We don't know where the ghost is, so let's follow the instructions in the beginner's guide and look for clues in the dungeon," said Ai Yue.
"But this map looks a bit big, and we don't know where to start looking for clues. Should we split up in four directions?" another little sister suggested.
In this environment, they all spoke in low voices unconsciously, as if they were subconsciously afraid that the noise would be too loud and wake something up.
——However, the interstellar people who had never seen a ghost movie or a horror movie had no idea that the proposal to act separately was a very dangerous plan when faced with this situation.
"Then if we find a clue later, should we make another appointment to meet somewhere?" Xiao Baicai also whispered.
"Let's meet back here." Ai Yue agreed.
Xiaoqin was bewildered, looking from one to the other. "Wait... are we really going to split up? Am I the only one feeling a little panicked?"
"This is the AI mode, which is usually the easiest mode." The wealthy sister just thought the flustered Xiaoqin was adorable and patted her head lovingly. "As soon as we can beat the AI, we can go play with real players."
...Oh, that’s right!
Xiaoqin reacted immediately and felt that she was able to walk again. "Okay, I'm fine!"
…
So, just like that, the four players from the [Human] camp dispersed in Xujia Town to look for the so-called clues.
Xiaoqin was heading south. After her vision adapted to the dim environment, the things around her became much clearer in her eyes.
After walking for a while, she could no longer see the other three people, nor could she hear any sound. Her eyes swept across the old houses, and the main rooms in the middle were all dark and gloomy.
Xiaoqin was a little hesitant.
Do you want to come in?
Do you really want to go in?
But…it’s so dark in those houses. I always feel like there are monsters hiding there, or like the gaping mouths of monsters.
Xiaoqin hesitated for a long time but still didn't dare to go in. She passed the old house and continued walking forward.
As she walked, the soles of her shoes suddenly became a little wetter, as if water had seeped through the uppers.
At the same time, she heard the sound of dripping water.
The sound of water seemed to be above her head and beside her, but when she listened carefully, it seemed very far away. Xiaoqin continued to walk forward following the sound and came to a section of road where the wall was connected.
This is a long and quiet bluestone alley.
As she walked further, Xiaoqin saw a door appear on the right side in front of her.
It is the kind of door embedded in the wall, with the sky visible above, an eaves to keep out the rain, and a high threshold underneath. Some of the buildings in "Peach Blossom Spring" are like this.
An old lady was sitting on the doorstep making a pair of shoes with patterns on them, which looked pretty good. They seemed to be called embroidered shoes.
When Xiaoqin passed by the door, she looked inside and saw that the structure inside was similar to an old house she had seen on the road. The open yard was overgrown with weeds and there was a millstone. The lobby of the house was very dark, and there was a wall-like board with figures painted on it that she didn't recognize.
——That was the spirit board enshrining the kind-hearted Laojun and the ferocious and majestic Guangmu Tianwang, and it was newly painted with bright paint.
But these are not the most eye-catching ones.
What immediately caught Xiaoqin's attention was a noose hanging from the beam in the middle of the hall.
Hanging there was a woman wearing a mid-length sleeve cheongsam. She was wearing black embroidered shoes and the cheongsam was dark red. Her neck was hanging and her head was hanging down naturally. Her face could not be seen clearly. One could only see a small mole next to her lips, which were painted red.
At that time, Xiaoqin didn't know that the style of the dress was called cheongsam, nor did she know that the shoes were called embroidered shoes. She just felt that when these things were combined, she inexplicably had a creepy feeling rushing straight to the top of her head, and it seemed as if something cold and wet was crawling up her spine, making her want to shiver and want to get away.
But her feet seemed to be fixed and she couldn't move at all.
…At this moment, the old lady sitting on the doorstep making shoes raised her head and said, “Little girl, what are you looking at?”
Xiaoqin raised her hand with difficulty and pointed inside the door, saying, "There's a woman hanging there..."
She didn't finish her words, the next words got stuck in her throat.
Because she saw the old lady raised her head and smiled strangely. There was also a small mole on the side of her lips, and the position was exactly the same as that woman's.
Xiaoqin was stunned.
She didn't realize what this meant at first, but she just felt uneasy subconsciously.
However, the moment the old lady stood up, Xiaoqin suddenly realized...
The mole in the same position and the similar shoes, does that mean that the old lady and the hanging woman are the same person?
...If this is true, then who exactly is this old lady in front of her?
Xiaoqin's pupils dilated slightly. After being stunned for a few seconds, she didn't know where she got the strength from, but she suddenly raised her foot and jumped out, running wildly into the bluestone alley.
The old lady stopped in front of the courtyard gate and did not chase after her. She looked at Xiaoqin running away in panic with a strange smile, then slowly bent down and put the pair of embroidered shoes in her hands on the ground.
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