Chapter 1 Haunted Houses in the Republic of China (I)
Countdown 00:00:58
Dark clouds rolled over and heavy rain poured down. Lightning flashed across the sky, and every muffled sound seemed to explode in people's hearts.
"Crack!" In the strong wind, a tree was broken in half and fell heavily on the dilapidated old street. Seven oil-paper umbrellas were blown all over the place by the wind. The person running at the end was hit on the ankle by the broken tree trunk because he was one step slower.
The blood instantly dyed the puddles on the ground red.
"Ah!" She screamed and fell to the ground, and the oil-paper umbrella in her hand flew out.
The figures walking in front of her paused for a moment, and then someone shouted, "Don't worry about her! There's no time, run!"
Countdown 00:00:42
The few people in the front continued to run forward decisively, and the few people who fell behind were a little hesitant, but as long as they looked back, they could find that the dark shadow was spreading towards them rapidly.
"Ha..." The faint laughter that sounded like that of an evil spirit was like the noise made by nails scratching on a blackboard, which was creepy. Those who wanted to help the girl felt their legs go weak when they saw the bright red countdown.
"Help, help me!" The girl's shrill cry for help was drowned out by the heavy rain and strong wind.
Countdown 00:00:30
The raindrops hurt when they hit her body. Her tears and the rain made it difficult for her to see the situation ahead. The desire to survive drove the girl to try to stand up, but her left foot, which was in so much pain that it was almost numb, made her fall to the ground again.
The countdown sounded like the whisper of a ghost, and she was about to become the meal of those monsters.
Countdown 00:00:25
She stretched out her hand and tried to crawl forward, but unexpectedly she touched a cold hand.
The scene was a bit scary, and she subconsciously wanted to struggle, but the other party pulled her up with force. Amid the earthy smell splashed by the rain and the rotten smell of this ancient town, she faintly smelled a faint fragrance mixed in.
Countdown 00:00:10
"My umbrella!" The girl panicked and thought of the umbrella that she couldn't throw away.
"Hurry up!" someone shouted from the front.
"ten."
"Nine."
…
The frail girl rushed into the yard with the injured foot in the wind and rain. Although the injured girl tripped over the threshold and they both fell, fortunately they both got in.
The person who had been waiting at the door immediately closed the door and tremblingly lowered the bolt.
…
"three."
"two."
"one."
The countdown is over.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The door was hit hard several times by something unknown. The broken wooden door trembled and scattered debris. Seeing that the broken wooden door was about to collapse, the noise outside finally disappeared.
[Congratulations to all players for successfully reaching the safe house. There are a total of seven participants in this game.]
[Current number of survivors: seven.]
The survivors felt weak in their hands and feet and confused in their heads, and when they heard these words, they were unable to spare any extra brain cells to think.
"...Why didn't you close the door when I told you to just now! Do you want to kill me?" A small man suddenly rushed up and yelled at the big man slumped on the ground at the door.
His eyes were bloodshot, the veins on his forehead were bulging, and his lips were pale and trembling, as if he was very scared.
"Those two girls are outside, do you want them dead? It's not too late, so what if you wait a little longer!" He didn't feel anything when he was sitting on the ground, but when the big man stood up, his height of more than 1.9 meters immediately created a great sense of oppression on the small man.
"Didn't I tell you before? If you newcomers don't want to die, just listen to my arrangements..." There was a hint of lack of confidence in the little man's voice.
"What newcomer or old player? I was going to ask you how you got us here!" The burly man raised his fist with his eyes wide open. The thin man who claimed to be an old player of this game subconsciously took a step back.
"Alright, alright." A seemingly honest man stepped forward before the situation got completely out of control. "Don't be angry, don't be angry. We're all new here, so we understand..."
After he finished speaking, he comforted the big brother. Although the strong man still had a wary look in his eyes, he was not as excited as before.
"Hmph." The thin man spat on the ground. He no longer bothered with the strong man, but glanced at the woman who had just stood up and was adjusting her skirt. A hint of sarcasm appeared in his expression, and he cursed with a half-dialectal curse word.
Not sure if it was because she didn't hear or didn't take it to heart, but the woman ignored him and meticulously, even with a bit of obsessive-compulsive disorder, straightened her white skirt that was stained with mud and water. When she found that she couldn't restore it to its original state, she seemed to reveal a hint of frustration.
The honest man looked around, and finally his eyes fell on the calmest woman who had rescued the people. "What's your name, young lady? You're not new here, are you?"
"...My last name is Ning." The woman's voice was so soft and pleasant that it drew everyone's attention. They then realized that after wiping the mud off her face, the woman who had just saved the man revealed an exceptionally beautiful face. "But it must be the newcomer you mentioned."
She was a woman as delicate as jade. Her current dishevel did not obscure her grace at all. Her half-tied long hair made her temperament gentle and elegant. Her skin was whiter than snow, her eyes were as clear as autumn water, and she was as quiet as a newly blooming lotus. She should not be standing in the paradise of ghosts. It would be more suitable for her to stroll in the garden holding an oil-paper umbrella in this early summer. She should have looked the most gentle, but her expression seemed to be as distant as thin ice.
Three of the six glances that fell on her had changed their meaning.
"Oh, it's okay. Come on, come on, let's all go inside. It looks like there are several newcomers here. While there's still time, let me explain to you what's going on." The man who had been speaking for the newcomers pushed the door open and walked in. The short man glared at them coldly and followed closely behind.
Then there was a young girl who looked young but had a cold face. She didn't say a word from beginning to end and her presence was so low that when she suddenly walked out, she scared the people around her.
Except for Miss Ning, the remaining three people had obvious panic, fear, ignorance, and distrust in their eyes. They almost had the words "I'm a newcomer" hanging on their heads, and then had the word "good" written on the left side of their cheeks and the word "liar" written on the right side of their cheeks.
But this Miss Ning who calls herself a newcomer...
She curled the corners of her mouth, and her smile was inexplicably creepy.
"Don't take their word for it."
After saying that, she walked in.
Obviously, this girl is also an old player.
"Boom!" A ferocious flash of lightning streaked across the sky, and a deafening roar exploded in their ears. The strong wind swept in heavy rain, and they were soaked even though they were standing under the eaves.
"Let's go in first. There's no point standing here like an idiot." The middle-aged man in a suit, who had observed cautiously and said nothing so far, suggested in a trembling voice.
They had only been in this hellish place for a dozen minutes, and from the moment they regained consciousness, they had been chased by a ghost thing hidden in the shadows that shattered their worldview.
They know nothing about this world and it seems that they can only temporarily rely on those who claim to be veteran game players.
"Come in. It's no use getting wet in the rain here. Don't be afraid. If they have bad intentions, I will chop them to death." The big brother took out a brick from somewhere. It looked very heavy.
Miss Ning walked to the side and helped up the injured girl who was sitting on the ground. Seeing this, the middle-aged man also came to lend a hand.
“Crack…”
The violent storm was blocked outside by a thin wooden door. The room was originally very dark. Someone found a kerosene lamp in the corner, lit it and placed it in the middle of the table, thus providing a dim light.
"Here, this is the towel and some medicine I just found. Hurry up and wipe off the water and be careful not to catch a cold. Don't be so nervous, this place is absolutely safe." The man who was the kindest to the newcomers distributed the things he found in the safe house to them.
This conciliatory policy was quite effective. Except for Miss Ning, who showed no emotion at all, the tense spirits of everyone else were relaxed a lot.
"Injured people, quickly apply medicine to your wounds. No matter how small the wound is, it needs to be treated. The rainwater outside... contains something mixed in. If the wound gets wet, it will definitely become inflamed and fester."
"What's inside?" asked the most seriously injured girl in a trembling voice.
At this time, the honest man was unable to stop the little guy, and the other party blurted out the four words "ghost saliva" in a desperate attempt to cause chaos in the world.
The girl almost fainted and hurriedly washed the wound with clean water. Fortunately, there was no bone injury and it was just a skin injury. Otherwise, what was the difference between her and a lamb thrown into a pack of wolves in these seven days?
Miss Ning silently picked up the small jar in front of her and applied the green ointment to her scratched hand.
After everyone calmed down, the man who had been helping the newcomers cleared his throat and said, "Everyone, please introduce yourselves first. My last name is Zhang, so you can just call me Lao Zhang. This person's last name is Zhao, so you can call him Brother Zhao."
The mean little man leaned back in his chair with an impatient look on his face, and didn't say anything after hearing what Lao Zhang said.
"My name is Chang Yue." The taciturn girl paused and added, "It's best not to use your real name in this place."
"Especially, you can't let those inhuman things know your name." Chang Yue didn't elaborate on the reason.
After the others thought about it, they decided on the code names: the sturdy man - Brother Li, Miss Ning - Xiao Ning, the man in the suit - Wu Er, and the injured girl - Xiao Lu.
After introducing himself, Lao Zhang said to the newcomers, "Those of you who don't know your current situation should recall what happened before you came here. Don't doubt it, it wasn't a dream."
After being reminded of this, the newcomers tried hard to recall what had happened before, and finally some quite exciting memories gradually emerged in their minds.
"Before I came here, I was driving, and then..." Brother Li's face suddenly turned extremely pale, "And then it seemed like there was a car accident?"
"I was walking on the road and something hit me..."
"I felt angina at work, and then..."
The three newcomers couldn't believe their memories.
"You're already dead." Brother Zhao lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. "To be precise, we were all already dead, and then we were chosen by this world to come to this fucked-up place!"
"You all have necklaces given by the game hanging around your necks. There's a cross at the bottom. You hold it and silently recite the rules of the game." Lao Zhang took out a silver necklace from his clothes.
The cross swayed gently under the silver chain, and in the middle of the front of the cross there was a clock face the size of a one-yuan coin.
…
This is the only chance for the dead to change their predetermined fate. It is also the playground of ghosts. All those who died unexpectedly and unwillingly have the opportunity to come here, please the man-eating ghosts, find hope in the cracks, and survive...
Once they have survived a certain number of dungeons, they will have a chance to be resurrected, but the rules do not specify the specific number of dungeons.
But if you die in the game, then sorry, you will become a part of this game and will never have the chance to reincarnate.
Old Zhang narrowed his gentle eyes slightly, and his gaze swept over the frightened newlyweds, finally landing on Miss Ning.
The other newcomers were easy to handle, except for Miss Ning, who claimed to be a newcomer. There was a sense of weirdness in her whole body.
She also took out the necklace from her collar, but unlike the others who had expressions of panic, disbelief, and despair, her expression was always indifferent, even making people wonder if she was in a daze.
Ding Dong!
A prompt sound rang out in the room as if with a 4D surround sound effect.
[Congratulations to all players for achieving the achievement - no one is missing from the start. ]
【Players will receive a reward—applause from the game guide.】
[Pa pa pa pa!] Applause actually broke out in the room.
Old players are used to it, but new players are mostly terrified and confused.
Maybe I've never seen such a stingy game.
[The conditions for passing this game are: survive for seven days and find the exit.]
[Next, we will provide you with the rules of this game. Please receive them and read them carefully. We hope that all players will have a wonderful experience in this game.]
The voice claiming to be the game guide disappeared, and the safe house became unusually quiet for a moment. Wu Er pointed tremblingly outside the house, "Is this what you call a wonderful experience?"
"Just treat it as a fart." Brother Zhao took a deep puff of his cigarette, then grabbed the cross around his neck and closed his eyes as if praying.
Lao Zhang reminded him, "Hold on to the cross and recite the rules silently. The game will give you hints. Remember them clearly and don't forget! Every single one of them is fatal!"
Although he was talking to all the newcomers, his eyes never left Miss Ning.
The other party was indeed like a novice, observing the cross in his hand. After hearing the prompt, he glanced at the people around him and closed his eyes like them.
Apart from looking too calm, everything else is normal...but the former is the biggest abnormality!
Brother Zhao opened his eyes and exchanged a subtle glance with Lao Zhang. They both saw hesitation in each other's eyes.
If this person wasn't a half-baked veteran player who had exaggerated her looks too much, then she really had the most suitable... props tailored for this game.
Handy tools can be of great help to them, but if the tools have thorns, they will hurt themselves first.
In the tenth year of the Republic of China, a wealthy family surnamed Xia in Wuzhen Town invited a son-in-law to marry into the family for their daughter. The son-in-law, originally from the Jiangnan water town, was born with a weak constitution and unfortunately died from illness due to acclimatization. The Xia family's housekeeper feared the master's reprimand and worried that the daughter would be labeled a jinx, so he decided to choose a replacement from the son-in-law's entourage...
[Players please keep the following points in mind:]
[1. The masters of the Xia Mansion do not like servants with dirty hands and feet. Please obtain the owner's consent before taking any items.]
[2. You are now servants of the Xia family. Servants must obey the orders of their masters. (Additional note: Miss Xia's orders take precedence.)]
[3. Miss Xia's brother and sister passed away unexpectedly several years ago. If you find someone pretending to be a young master or young lady of the Xia family, ignore their requests and do not look them in the eye. Instead, do everything you can to get to Miss Xia's courtyard.]
4. Do not approach any wells at night. If you need to wash, please fetch water during the day. (Additional note: If you find it is already night when you fetch water, please immediately open the oil-paper umbrella provided by the game and run back to your room. Remember not to look back on the way.)
[5. Please do not go to dark places, especially unoccupied rooms. There are many rats in the Xia Mansion that like to stay in dark places. If you need to go out at night, please bring a candle and make sure it does not go out. If the candle goes out accidentally, please refer to point 4 for additional information.]
【6. Don’t lie to Miss Xia.】
7. 6:00 to 18:00 is the time for human activities, while 18:00 to 6:00 is the time for non-human activities.
8. Do not eat rat or snake meat. Other meats are safe to eat.
[Finally, please remember, players, the power of goblins is absolute. Please don't try to stop a chariot with your bare hands. Only the power of goblins can defeat goblins. But you really have to accept their gifts (laugh.jpg)]
…
While others closed their eyes and tried hard to remember every rule, Miss Ning had already opened her eyes.
The silver cross fell quietly in the palm of her hand, complementing the silver ring on her ring finger. She rubbed the ring slightly, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and a hint of fragile emotion seemed to flash across her.
After a while, the old players opened their eyes at the same time, and their eyes fell on the pottery jar on the table. Next to the pottery jar was a small stack of papers half the size of a palm with words written on them. Lao Zhang took the pottery jar first, and Chang Yue was a step slower. Her eyes lingered on Lao Zhang and Brother Zhao. These two people, one playing the bad guy and the other playing the good guy, had obviously formed an alliance. She thought for a moment and chose to give up the fight.
Just when Miss Ning was reminiscing about the past, she saw Lao Zhang coming to her with a clay pot. This was a prop provided by the game. Perhaps the game guide felt that it would be boring if he decided everything, so he specially arranged a prop for drawing lots.
While making the game full of uncertainty, it also encourages humans to be suspicious of each other, exploit each other, and fight with each other, adding fuel to the fire of people's already shaky relationships, as if there is a feeling of wanting to create chaos in the world.
Miss Ning looked up and made eye contact with the "honest" Old Zhang. Old Zhang's scalp went numb instantly. His eyes were indeed so beautiful that people couldn't take their eyes off them, but because of this, at that moment he felt that this woman's eyes were not like human eyes at all. To be honest, it was like the doll that his daughter placed at the head of his bed. He woke up in the middle of the night and suddenly looked at the doll. Although those eyes were beautiful, they were also extremely creepy.
Old Zhang, who had seen too many things in this game world, suddenly hesitated in his hand holding the pottery jar, but Miss Ning did not give him a chance to regret. She reached out her hand and put it into the pottery jar.
She was the last person to draw the lot, and there was only one ball of paper in it, so there was no suspense.
Open the paper ball, there are only two words on it - Xiaosi (son-in-law)
Miss Ning looked at the words above, her eyebrows seemed to bend slightly for a moment, and a smile disappeared in an instant.
What they need to do is to act as the attendants of the son-in-law who marries into the family, including a groom, two servants, two maids, a medicine boy, and a guard. Among these identities, there will be a "lucky person" who will be given the task of playing the son-in-law.
Originally, the danger levels of these characters were about the same, but after adding this special task, this son-in-law became an identity that most old players were afraid to avoid. Of course, it is not ruled out that some people want to find a new way to pass the level, but ordinary people dare not do so.
Because once you choose this identity, it means that you will have direct contact with the boss of this game, Miss Xia, during the seven days of survival.
Especially for the old players who have lost the benefits for novices, how many of them dare to put their lives in the hands of this moody game boss?
However, according to the information they collected on the player forum, this special position cannot be ignored. Only by arranging a "living sacrifice" under the boss's nose that can attract her attention and make her happy can the actions of other players be smoother.
As for what kind of person can make this dungeon boss happy, other information has its own errors, but this point is almost certain to everyone.
It must be pleasing to the eyes!
The paper balls used by everyone to draw lots were originally pieces of paper with words written on them and neatly stacked next to the pottery jar. The words written on each piece of paper could be seen clearly. Whoever was responsible for arranging the drawing of lots had the opportunity to manipulate the situation behind the scenes.
The reason why the old players have been harmonious and haven't started a fight until now is because there is a "sucker" who attracts all their attention and makes them choose him without any prior agreement.
Because Xiaolu got the identity of a servant and Li Ge got the identity of a maid, the latter was really uncomfortable. After obtaining the consent of the game, the two of them exchanged identities.
Probably because Miss Ning had rescued him before, Xiaolu was quite close to Miss Ning. After confirming his own identity, he came to care about what identity his savior had drawn. Miss Ning did not hide it, and Xiaolu saw the sign of "lucky one" at a glance.
"This..." Xiaolu's face suddenly changed, "This is not okay, right?"
Her voice was a little shaky, "Sister Ning is a woman! How can you be the brother-in-law of a female ghost? The boss is not blind!"
It shouldn't be a big deal to swap genders for ordinary identities, but if the female ghost knew that she was assigned a female son-in-law, wouldn't she think the player was teasing her and then get mad and kill them all?
It can be seen that Xiaolu wanted to fight for Miss Ning, but Lao Zhang smiled and said it didn't matter.
"The dungeon boss in this game will be gentler towards good-looking people. Xiaolu, you are also good-looking. If you want to stand up for Xiaoning, why don't you switch with her?" Brother Zhao was as sarcastic as ever.
As I said before, who dares to live under the nose of this game's female ghost boss for seven days? Dancing on the edge of a knife is just like that.
"But..." Xiaolu looked at the three old players. She didn't know whether she should be suspicious, but she felt that there was something wrong with the draw just now.
If this identity is really as good as they say, why are these people unwilling to change it?
"It's okay." Miss Ning patted her shoulder, "I'm sure this is your identity."
"Xiao Lu, don't worry too much about Xiao Ning. Newcomers have a protection period. You should carefully read the additional rules at the bottom. The game boss cannot attack newcomers during the novice protection period. Xiao Ning may be safer than all of you." Lao Zhang comforted.
Unfortunately, because of the lottery incident just now, Xiaolu became a little suspicious of this old game player who seemed to be always honest and quite nice to them.
"Okay, since everyone has no objection, then let's do it this way. Remember to act like a good doctor, especially the medicine boys. Remember to compile some medical knowledge, which may be useful later. Everyone, take a break. In the middle of the night, the Xia family's car will come to take the son-in-law to marry their daughter."
[Identity confirmed…]
After they had reached an agreement, the game guide stamped everyone with a "stamp", and their identities could not be changed from then on.
Their identities are as follows: Lao Zhang - groom, Zhao Ge - guard, Li Ge - servant, Xiao Lu - maid, Chang Yue - maid, Wu Er - medicine boy, Miss Ning - servant (son-in-law)
Wu Er turned pale when he was named. He had never studied medicine, so how could he make up this story?
"By the way, Miss Ning, are you married? Remember to take off your wedding ring." Old Zhang had already seen the ring on Miss Ning's ring finger. After all, he was someone's son-in-law. Although he was a ghost from the Republic of China era, it didn't mean that she didn't know what a wedding ring meant.
"I understand." Miss Ning responded.
Xiaolu's face flushed red and she felt a little embarrassed because she hadn't been able to help. She stammered to Miss Ning, "Sister Ning, are you... married?"
Miss Ning lowered her head slightly and looked at the ring on her hand, and hummed softly. She stroked the pattern on the ring, and seemed reluctant to take it off.
"Sister Ning, you and your boyfriend must have a very good relationship." Xiaolu used an affirmative sentence. Some things can be seen from the details.
After hearing Xiaolu's words, Miss Ning smiled slightly, making the doll come alive as if it had been given a soul.
"Yeah." She responded softly.
It's another love story that makes people jealous, but... one of the protagonists got into an accident and ended up in this hellhole. Xiaolu sighed and then thought that she had neither love nor career and ended up in this hellhole, which seemed even more miserable, so she lay on the table and acted emo.
Time passed little by little, and the room gradually returned to silence.
The veteran player was still able to calmly close his eyes and rest, while the other three new players were trembling with fear because they saw no hope for the future.
Miss Ning walked to the window. Outside, the eerie moon with a faint red glow was looming in the clouds. She raised her hand, and the ring on her ring finger reflected some fragmented light.
Only at this angle where no one could see did Miss Ning's expression become exceptionally soft. She placed a kiss on the ring, then carefully tied it to the cross and placed it on her heart.
She looked at the dark and eerie night, her expression still filled with the tenderness of gazing at the ring, as if she was longing for the return of her loved one who was nowhere to be found.
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