Chapter 75 Hell Community
Qiao Song sneezed.
The new store she entered was really dusty.
I originally wanted to go directly to the Mirror of Hell boutique on the 4th floor to check the map, but the roads on this floor were all blocked by the Iron Tree Gardening on the 3rd floor.
Although the store on the 3rd floor is called Iron Tree Gardening, the iron trees here are not the common evergreen trees like big pineapples in reality, but real imitation tree handicrafts made entirely of iron.
Those gray-brown branches, like ghost claws, would occasionally hook the corners of passers-by's clothes. As time passed, the pale red moonlight shone on the road, and these branches growing out of the windows, with a metallic luster, grew more and more lush, blocking more than half of the road.
Qiao Song looked at his security uniform that was hooked, and was about to drag the chainsaw from the tool box to clear the obstacle when he heard a timid voice from the bottom up: "Hello, can you please not step on my hand?"
She looked down and found that there was a very thin branch under her feet. When she lifted her foot, the branch retracted a lot.
A bunch of branches with a metallic luster condensed into a hollow figure, as if it had just seen the badge on Qiao Song’s chest: “So you are a player, then do you want to come in and check in with us?”
"You stepped on me just now, and you can see that the twigs are broken."
Qiao Song narrowed his eyes. Was he trying to scam me?
Perhaps noticing that the atmosphere was not right, the soft voice of the small branch sounded again: "We can give you props directly after you pass the level here. Business has been bad recently. We have developed a new project. You can take away the ghost and the iron tree base as a souvenir. Are you really not going to come and have a look?"
Qiao Song suddenly used a rope to pull the timid bandage spirit next to him, and the latter quickly came over and said: "The business of this store has indeed been relatively poor. It seems that it is because the difficulty is too low and the props are useless. If you want to check in, you can go and have a look."
Bandage thought she was in a hurry to pass the customs.
But that’s not what Qiao Song was thinking.
"Are you ghosts unable to actively come into the store and make purchases?"
She had observed the iron tree and wondered if it was there on purpose to attract customers. Each branch would actively approach those who looked more like humans, but would remain silent once they discovered that the other party was a ghost.
Qiao Song thought about it and realized that the reason why the ghosts took the initiative to snatch the judgment props in the building was most likely because they had no way to get in, so they could only hold the human players hostage.
"It's not that I can't enter, but I have to have a number on my body. I can enter this store because I don't have the number 3 branded on me. Otherwise, I would be judged the moment I step into this store."
After she said that, Qiao Song understood why the ghosts on the first floor didn't dare to enter the apartment and only dared to snatch the pliers outside. After all, no matter whether it is a human or a ghost, it is difficult to guarantee that they have never told a lie in their life.
Those ghosts would probably have their tongues pulled out as soon as they entered the apartment.
Qiao Song turned around and followed the hollow iron tree figure next to him into the store. Since the Bandage guy was not afraid of being judged, Qiao Song simply did not take him back into the puppet thread and just tied him to the side.
The store is quite big, with counters of different heights everywhere. On top of the counter is an exquisite glass cover, inside which is a small iron tree with some strange objects stuck on it, like small rice cakes.
Walking from outside to inside, the iron tree became bigger and bigger, and the cabinets also became bigger and bigger. When Qiao Song walked to the reception counter, he even caught a glimpse of an extremely huge bronze iron tree inside, with a humanoid creature clearly hanging on the tree.
The guy's blood flowed down along the steel fork-like branches, soaking most of the tree trunk. Just when Qiao Song thought it was a dead body, the guy suddenly pulled out his hand and scratched his neck, as if he was scratching an itch, then changed his posture and continued to sleep, stuck in the tree branch.
Qiao Song:?
Your store's business is so bad, could it be because this tree is just a decoration?
The bandaged ghost she was holding was shaking like a sieve. He looked at the big tree in the distance as if he couldn't breathe and pulled Qiao Song:
"Why don't you lock me up again? I feel a little short of breath when I see that empty tree."
Qiao Song frowned: "You said the tree is empty?"
She glanced at the huge iron tree in the distance. Wasn't there a humanoid creature hanging on it? That creature had just changed his sleeping position and seemed to be restless.
At this time, the hollow little iron man took out a seal from the front desk. Seeing the useless look of the Bandage Ghost, Qiao Song took it back.
I asked casually, "I just came into your store and it seems like every iron tree craft has something hanging on it. What's hanging on the big tree at the back?"
The hollowed-out little man made of iron branches tilted his head slightly and said, "The innermost one is the mother tree. There is nothing hanging on it. On each iron tree craftwork in front, there are ghosts being judged."
As it spoke, it had already found what it wanted.
"The mini-games in our store are relatively simple. If you pass them, you can get a souvenir. Even if you fail, you can still spend money to buy souvenirs afterwards. I wish you have fun."
The iron artist stamped the seal on a small transparent glass cabinet at the front desk. There was nothing inside at first. After the seal was stamped, a red pattern spread along the glass cover inside, and a new small iron tree was formed instantly.
Qiao Song also heard the system reminder at this time.
[Ding——Welcome to the flower shop game in the Iron Tree Hell. On each iron tree hangs a sinner or ghost. If your sins are detected to be inconsistent with that hell, you will be exempted from the penalty of game failure. You only need to jump to the other side within two hours to pass the level. If you fail, you will pay a fine.]
In just a blink of an eye, Qiao Song found himself in a brand new space. He was surrounded by the sky, with red light shining from top to bottom. Hanging in the sky was a strange and surprising red moon, similar to the one in the sky above the neighborhood.
Qiao Song seemed to be standing on a very high platform at this time. Looking down from this cliff-like place, he could see a dense forest of iron trees. Just as the tree man had said before, on the top of each iron tree, there was a guy who was being judged.
However, most of these guys had lost their human form, and looked like pieces of rice cakes, red glutinous rice balls, or even strangely shaped chewing gum. They were pierced through, leaving only branches that had turned black after being soaked in blood.
[Ding——Timer starts]
"Jump from here to the other side?"
Qiao Song took a careful look at the bottom. It was pitch black under the iron forest trees. She had reason to suspect that there might be no road underneath. The only stepping stones for players were these things on the trees.
She couldn't really step on the ghosts. Those guys were hung on the trees and dried into shapeless rice cakes. She was afraid of slipping.
Since this game is very simple, the solution to the puzzle should be placed in a very obvious place.
Qiao Song stared at the tree closest to him. As expected, in addition to the ghosts whose original shapes could not be identified, he could also see a round pedal that looked like it was made of bones and strung on a branch. Judging from the shape, it looked a bit like a stair tread specially designed for people to step on.
Wait, the size of this thing seems to be only enough for an adult to stand on it, and there are not many bone pedals on each tree. If you don’t look carefully, they will be directly submerged by the groups of strange-looking tortured ghosts.
Qiao Song quickly scanned the three nearest trees, found the position of each pedal, then warmed up on the spot, took out a small hammer, jumped up, and landed on an iron tree with a bang.
This tree is indeed a metal work of art. Every branch is extremely hard, and the tip is extremely sharp. If it were someone with a timid personality, they might not dare to jump in the bushes like this.
The trees are very close to each other, so it is completely possible as long as you calculate the landing point in advance and find a safe route.
The only annoying thing was the ghosts around. Qiao Song smashed a ghost hand that was waving at him with a hammer. The guy himself had turned into a piece of dried chewing gum. He didn't know where he got the courage from, but he dared to stretch out a small tentacle to pull Qiao Song's security uniform.
If the baton hadn't had limited power, Qiao Song would have given these things a lightning barbecue along the iron rack.
Although these ghosts being tortured on the iron tree no longer have their original forms, they can feel the vibrations coming from the branches, as if they know that humans are stepping on those bone pedals and moving forward, and they suddenly become active.
The further Qiao Song walked forward, the more he could hear the cries coming from the broken refrigerators, one after another, like a gust of ghost wind blowing through a howling valley.
"You are a player, a player, right? Please, buy me out. I have a lot of props and soul coins. Please..."
Amidst the howling of ghosts, there was a line that was clearly spoken by humans. While Qiao Song was looking for a new pedal, he took the time to take a look.
I saw a humanoid rag doll stuck in a tree branch. He was lying on his back, and the sharp tips of the branches pierced through his clothes on his back, leaving a trail of red cotton wool all over his body.
At this time, Qiao Song noticed that there was a very familiar black triangle mark on the doll's collar.
A member of the Black Iron Guild?
It was obvious that this guy was in real pain. When he heard Qiao Song stop walking, he could only barely raise his hand to get the other person's attention.
"5000 soul coins, no, 8000, please, take me out early, it hurts, it really hurts."
It seems that it is really the Black Iron Guild. It is so rich and powerful. If I guessed correctly, the trial will end after dawn. Eight thousand soul coins, many people may only get this little profit after completing an entire copy.
Qiao Song did not stay for long for this guy who paid for his life. If he guessed correctly, this guy meant that he should rescue him when he went out to pick souvenirs later. Qiao Song looked at the rag doll a few more times, adjusted the direction and prepared to move on.
When Qiao Song was checking in at the Iron Tree Hell, a special guest came to the Mirror of Sin Hell boutique on the 4th floor. Well, he couldn’t be considered a guest, as this newcomer to the store quickly filled out the onboarding roster.
He had just changed out of his black and white magic performance costume and put on the boutique employee uniform with a white shirt.
"New here, your task is very simple. These mirrors must be kept clean at all times, you know? Make sure every person or ghost who enters the store will be reflected in the mirror."
The magician, who had just applied for a new job, smiled and nodded, looking diligent and serious.
He touched his wrist, which seemed to be empty, but the actual color of the wristband was hidden by a little magic trick, so that even if he rolled up his sleeves, he could not see the specific value.
Suddenly, You Yitong seemed to sense something and quickly took out a coin from his fingertips.
"You robbed me of such a good opportunity before, it's time to give you a gift."
He took out a white glove from the pocket of his apron and put it on his right hand. Several invisible threads appeared in the air, as if catching something.
Magician's Mark
[As a magician, you must remember every passerby you meet. After all, as long as you put magic props in strangers' pockets in time, you will never lack performers when performing street magic.]
"Qiao Song, you are here indeed. It's time to make you unlucky."
You Yitong gently picked up the coin and flicked it upwards. After a ding sound, the coin fell into the air and disappeared.
【Coin of Doom in use】
[There is a saying in the world that luck is conserved. Whenever you are particularly unlucky, you may encounter something particularly lucky, but this coin can make it the other way around. When you have a certain degree of luck, at some point, great misfortune will suddenly come.]
Iron tree hell.
After jumping over more than ten or twenty bone pedals, Qiao Song discovered something subtle was wrong.
When she jumped over those iron trees before, the bone pedals were not easy to find. Not to mention that those ghosts who had lost their form would try to tear her clothes while being tortured, as if they could reduce their own punishment by dragging Qiao Song down to hell with them.
But in the second half, she found that she was getting smoother and smoother. Every pedal she wanted to find appeared almost under her nose, and every ghost in the tree who wanted to pull her either bumped into his peers or was stabbed through by new branches as soon as he stretched out his hand, causing him to howl continuously.
Anyone who tries to interfere with her will be forced to stop for various reasons.
Qiao Song doesn’t think he is such a lucky person. He believes that there must be something wrong when things are abnormal.
She was now getting closer and closer to another cliff at the end. She probably only needed to jump over two or three more trees to reach the platform and complete the game.
Just then, she heard a faint sound in the air, like the sound of a coin flipping.
The three remaining iron trees in front of him suddenly trembled and fell rapidly. Qiao Song looked at the 10-meter darkness in front of him, which suddenly became empty and like an abyss. He frowned and asked, "How can this crappy game have bugs?"
The rules say to jump to the other side, and the word jump is obviously a hint to pass the level, so getting down from the tree is definitely not a good option.
But she couldn't fly over the remaining 10 meters out of thin air, and there was obviously no flat ground below. Just as she was hesitating whether to use props to pass the level first and have a good talk with the system about the difficulty and imbalance of rewards in the game after getting out, she heard a rumbling sound.
A brand new iron tree, replacing the previous three trees, slowly rose from the abyss.
Qiao Song looked at the humanoid creature that had changed its sleeping position on the tree. The hammer in his hand immediately disappeared and turned into the most powerful chainsaw at present.
This damn thing doesn't seem right.
No matter whether they were humans or ghosts in front, they were all twisted into things like cotton dolls and chewing gum when punished by the iron tree. Only on the big iron tree in front of him, there was a living human being being punished stuck.
No, it can only be said that it looks very much like a human. Qiao Song is more inclined to believe that it is a ghost, and an existence that would make his scalp tingle if he could only vaguely sense it by the bandage ghost without being able to see it.
As for why she could see the other person, she didn't know.
Qiao Song looked carefully at the pedals on the big tree and was a little dumbfounded. For such a big tree, they only gave her 4 boards?
Even if the Olympic champion comes, you can’t just skip over him like that.
She had tried it before, and these iron trees were very sharp, just like the tip of a knife. It was absolutely impossible to pass by stepping on the branches. She could only use the white bone pedals.
Wait, Qiao Song looked carefully at the unknown ghost who was sleeping on his back, and stared at his flat belly.
This guy is much bigger than an ordinary human, so his belly appears to be wider.
Most of his limbs were stuck on the top of the iron tree. When he tried to scratch himself, he could only pull his palm out with difficulty and move his elbow.
So maybe this guy is restrained and can't move his whole body.
Qiao Song calculated the best path for himself to jump onto the tree. If his speed was fast enough, he could give it a try.
She turned on the chainsaw in her hand, and found that the guy on the tree didn't seem to react and was still sleeping soundly. Then she quickly locked onto the first pedal she wanted to go to.
From the moment Qiao Song stepped onto the huge iron tree bone pedal, she suddenly heard a system prompt that surprised her.
[You have entered a special area, and your sin value is being judged. Congratulations! Your sin value of 99.9 points will increase your strength by 99%! ]
Nothing to do after eating, so why give her a buff? This tree is indeed wrong.
The guy who was still sleeping on the tree suddenly opened his eyes, and immediately a darkness as thick as substance flowed out from his eyes, and an uncomfortable atmosphere enveloped the entire treetop.
"*&%?"
Qiao Song felt a buzzing in her ears, as if she heard some incomprehensible language. Her whole body stiffened for an instant, and only the buzzing sound of the electric drill in her hand seemed to awaken her thoughts by a physical shock.
She reacted quickly, as if it was free, and quickly threw down a handful of net bags, blocking the other party's vision. The next second, she jumped onto the second board and smashed the big ghost's head with a hammer. When the other party raised his hand, she stepped neatly on his flat belly.
This was the third board she had been eyeing for a long time. With this foothold, plus the remaining two boards, she would be able to quickly pass this last tree.
But Qiao Song was somewhat surprised to hear a sound similar to a cry of pain, as if the guy who was stepped on by her was experiencing pain far greater than the pain of his arm being pierced by the iron tree.
Without even turning her head, she swung the chainsaw in her hand and directly cut down several branches that were trying to grab her.
This damn tree is actually alive! ?
Something is wrong, isn't it? The difficulty of the first half of the game isn't that great, and after completing the game you only get a souvenir, which is obviously not in line with the difficulty!
Qiao Song held a large hammer in her left hand and a large electric saw in her right hand. She had no idea what the iron tree was made of, but her tools produced large sparks. After barely repelling it, she decisively stepped on the second-to-last bone pedal.
She has always had good athletic ability, but she almost slipped when she kicked.
Qiao Song quickly swung out two hammers to block the iron branches that were trying to grab him, and then leaped towards the last pedal like a swift leopard.
[Congratulations on successfully clearing the Iron Tree Hell! ]
Qiao Song's hands and feet landed on the ground almost at the same time. She took a few deep breaths, turned over, and raised her middle finger to the unknown creature on the top of the iron tree.
What the hell is this? Just saying this almost made her ears ring. Isn't the Hell Community a Red Clothes-level copy? Is this guy a Red Clothes?
However, after passing the level, the iron tree forest in front of her quickly dissipated like smoke, and she returned to the iron tree gardening shop.
The soft-tempered hollow iron figurine, when he saw her come out, immediately picked up the seal and stamped it on the hell punch card sheet that floated in the air.
"Congratulations on your successful clearance. Now you can choose one souvenir to take away for free! But if you want to take a second souvenir, you will need to pay for it. As a store clerk, I highly recommend that you buy an extra souvenir. Most of the ghosts being tortured on the tree will be willing to pay to redeem themselves!"
At this time, Qiao Song took out his mobile phone with great dissatisfaction.
"Then can you first explain the problem of the increased difficulty of the game? This big iron tree, I remember it was the one at the back."
Qiao Song pointed to the back of the counter. The humanoid creature was no longer there, but she still remembered the oppressive force it brought.
The clerk probably didn't expect that someone could secretly take a photo with a mobile phone as evidence while passing through the customs. He was stunned for two seconds.
The Iron Tree Hell mini-game is mostly used to punish ghosts who have committed corresponding sins. The human player in front of him obviously has not committed any crime, so he will not be punished by the tree even if he fails, let alone the mother tree directly increasing the difficulty of the mini-game.
"This should be a major mistake of your store, right? What if I fail to complete the game or something unexpected happens in the game, can you bear the responsibility? You said before that there would be no punishment for failure to complete the game. Can I understand that you are misleading players?"
After several big accusations were put on him, the clerk in this gardening shop, which had never had much business, finally panicked and tried to explain himself haltingly.
"Well, it seems that the difficulty of the game has been affected by some external factors. How about this? I'll let you pick two souvenirs for free, and you won't complain to the authorities, okay?"
Qiao Song raised his eyebrows.
"What external interference? You must at least find the cause for me. Otherwise, as a tourist who comes to Hell to check in, I have the right to complain to the Hell authorities."
The iron man hesitated for two seconds, probably thinking that there had been no business in the past two days. He finally received a guest, but he messed up again and might be blamed. So he had to turn his hands into branches to cover the entire surface of the glass cabinet. Finally, he used some authority to pick out a scratched and badly damaged coin from a small transparent box.
"Dear player, hello, we have found that someone used a high-level item externally, which caused a bug in this game. Can you take this item away? Is that ok?"
This is a pleasant surprise.
Qiao Song put the coin in his pocket, then looked at the whole wall of iron tree souvenirs and quickly picked two. He left the store quickly without even waiting for the stuttering little iron man to check them.
Although she had inexplicably good luck before she was unlucky again, she had a strange intuition when she was choosing souvenirs and touching the strange coin just now.
It seems that I can pick up something extraordinary.
The author has something to say:
3. Iron Tree Hell (Gardening Shop/Crafts)
Those who instigate discord between father and son, brothers, husband and wife, sisters, or alienate family members, will go to the Iron Tree Hell after death. They will be hung on an iron tree with a sharp blade piercing under the skin of their back.
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