Chapter 132 Nightmare finds the Ghost Market Auction House and enters the Main God instance...
Before leaving the hospital, Zhou Fangdong told the investigator about the medium through which the main god pulls people into the instance.
Although the instance is now open and it's unlikely any new methods will emerge, there's no guarantee that the main god won't resort to underhanded tactics like using red envelopes to lure people in the future. The Bureau of Supervision is gaining experience from this incident and can include red envelope pages in its investigations in the future.
After explaining the whole story of the incident to the investigator, Zhou Fangdong teleported back to his apartment.
Zhang Zhiwu, who had been summoned to the hospital on a business trip by Zhou Fangdong, saw that Zhou Fangdong had disappeared, so he also left the ward and slowly strolled to the first floor of the hospital with his hands behind his back.
The old Taoist priest stood at the entrance on the first floor, waved to the road ahead, and a dilapidated ghost bus appeared out of thin air and wobbled to a stop in front of him.
Ghost tenants, especially those who have teleportation points on ghost buses, don't need to search for bus stops like human tenants do. For them, ghost buses are available whenever they want.
After watching the old Taoist priest with yellow talismans pasted on his face get into the car and disappear, the investigator who had been following behind him breathed a slight sigh of relief.
He worried that without the landlord's control, this old Taoist priest, who clearly wasn't human, might cause trouble in the hospital... Although there were many ghosts in the hospital, they were all familiar ghosts, unlike this unfamiliar Taoist priest.
Only after confirming that the Taoist priest had left did the investigator begin to report the intelligence he had just obtained to the Bureau of Surveillance.
Back in his apartment, Zhou Fangdong was frantically searching for his admission ticket to the Ghost Market auction in his room.
Because the desk was too messy, and the admission ticket was just a piece of paper, he couldn't find it after searching for a long time.
Zhou Fangdong asked the system if he could go to the auction without an admission ticket. After all, they were already planning to rob the auction, so there seemed to be no difference between robbing it at the entrance and robbing it inside.
The system said that it was not the start time of the auction, and without an admission ticket, neither humans nor ghosts could find the location of the auction venue.
With no other option, Zhou Fangdong patiently tidied up his cluttered table from top to bottom.
Finally, he found the yellow paper with the auction admission ticket written on it under a book, and also found an auction schedule next to it.
Zhou Fangdong glanced at the schedule and realized that today really wasn't the day for the auction... It seemed the system wasn't saying this just to urge him to clean.
He put down the schedule and took the admission ticket in his hand to examine it carefully.
He hadn't looked at the reward when he received it and just threw it on the table. Now, upon closer inspection, he suddenly realized something seemed off.
The VIP admission ticket was written on a long strip of yellow paper, with gold foil sealing the edges. In the center of the paper, in red letters, were written the words "Welcome, Distinguished Guests," followed by the ticket holder's name at the bottom…
"Who is this 'Zhou Zhuzhai'?" Zhou Fangdong frowned. "My name isn't on the admission ticket, can I still use it?"
[Zhou Zhuzhai is the name of the paper craftsman who lives in the haunted apartment of Room 208. The VIP admission ticket is not registered to any owner; anyone can use it as long as they can get one.]
"It turns out that the paper craftsman shares the same surname as me. It feels quite familiar." Zhou Fangdong put the admission ticket into his inventory.
Before leaving the room, he looked again at the [human skin mask] on the table.
This cursed item was obtained by Mu Yuechan when she had 80 points of favorability with her. After receiving it, he simply threw it on the table.
After this thorough cleaning of the desk, the crumpled mask that had been stuck in the crack of the desk finally saw the light of day again.
Zhou Fangdong felt that he should wear a mask to cover himself when he went to rob the auction, since he was going to do something bad.
If he showed up with his face like that, and accidentally broke something during the ghost-hunting process, the auction organizer might remember his face, find his apartment, and demand compensation. That would be bad.
Thinking of this, Zhou Fangdong grabbed the human skin mask from the table and put it on his face.
The mask is very effective at disguising itself. Although it has some side effects, they are just minor issues like face blindness or getting lost. Besides, he has a system, so these side effects are not a problem for him at all.
After putting on the mask, Zhou Fangdong's face instantly became smooth, like a peeled boiled egg, looking exactly like the faceless vendors who set up stalls on both sides of the ghost market street.
With everything ready, Zhou Fangdong teleported to the second floor and found the door leading to the Ghost Market on the wall of the hidden room.
When Zhou Fangdong entered the paper craft shop through the portal, he found that Hou San had returned from the nursing home, and the ghost tenant paper craftsman was also in the shop.
Hou San was directing the paper figures in the shop to organize the layout and clean the shop, while the paper craftsman sat by the counter, engrossed in making paper crafts. It looked very harmonious.
Seeing that both tenants were there, he casually collected Li Ou's tenant profile reward and handed the [Hot Selling New Paper Doll Blueprint] to the paper craftsman who was making a craft.
Upon seeing the paper figure design Zhou Fangdong handed him, the paper craftsman paused in his bamboo-splitting hands. The colorful paper figure that the landlord had once made flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern.
After a moment of silence, the paper craftsman finally accepted the blueprint without saying a word.
After leaving the paper shop, Zhou Fangdong took the auction admission ticket out of his inventory.
As soon as he got his admission ticket, he noticed that a small side road had slowly appeared on what was originally just one street, the Ghost Market Street.
This side road is located next to the funeral clothing shop, essentially a turn at the end of the ghost market street.
The side road, like the Ghost Market street, is paved with blue bricks, but it is very narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time.
Zhou Fangdong walked into the side road and after about ten minutes, a quaint two-story building appeared in front of him.
The small building is entirely made of wood, with an antique and elegant style, and several unlit red paper lanterns hang under the eaves.
The exterior of the wooden building was painted red. The first floor had no windows, and the second floor only had a few long, flat window openings near the eaves. This deliberate construction suggested that the person who built the building was afraid of sunlight shining into it... even though the building was located in a ghost market where it was always dark.
Since it wasn't the time for the auction to start, the heavy door on the first floor was tightly closed.
When Zhou Fangdong, holding his admission ticket, walked to the gate, the gate seemed to sense something and opened slightly a crack.
Zhou Fangdong pushed open the door and walked into the building. A putrid smell wafted towards him... It was the smell of flowers in full bloom beginning to rot, mixed with the fruity aroma of a large pile of fruit, carrying a hint of alcohol.
The building was dark, but Zhou Fangdong could still see clearly.
He noticed a slender figure slowly emerging from the central auction stage on the first floor.
The figure was just a black humanoid outline, shrouded in black mist, like a standing shadow.
"Distinguished guest...are you here to...commission an auction? Or...to have an item appraised?"
[Host, this is it!]
The moment the system voice sounded, Zhou Fangdong reflexively used [Shadow Soul Contract] on the ghost.
Since the ghost is already under the control of the main god, it makes no difference if he takes over the control.
Darkness, even darker than inside the building, spread from Zhou Fangdong's feet, instantly enveloping the entire wooden building and swallowing up the little light inside.
Under the encroachment of the shadow, the human figure on the auction stage disintegrated and merged with the shadow.
As the human form disappeared, Zhou Fangdong also vanished.
From Zhou Fangdong's perspective, after he swallowed the ghost, he was transported to another unfamiliar space.
He stood on a dilapidated school playground, where the rain was incessant and the cold rainwater had gathered into muddy puddles on the uneven playground.
The turntable at the edge of the playground was covered in dark red rust. There were no children playing inside, yet it kept spinning on its own. The swings next to the turntable were also swaying back and forth, making a continuous, ear-piercing creaking sound in the wind and rain.
The low school buildings surrounded the playground, their outer walls almost entirely peeling away, revealing the brick and stone structure beneath. All the windows were broken, and there was no light inside. The shattered glass of the windows resembled empty black eye sockets, silently watching the intruders on the playground.
Zhou Fangdong narrowed his eyes slightly... He saw a figure flash past one of the windows.
"System, is this the Main God instance? What's with that ghost in the auction house wooden building? My [Shadow Soul Contract] didn't activate..."
Yes, this is the main god instance. This ghost is [Nightmare], the appraiser and auctioneer of the Ghost Market Auction House. What you just saw in the auction house was its extension into the outside world.
The Supreme God has taken control of it; the dream created by the Nightmare is the vessel for this instance.
[Only by using [Shadow Soul Pact] to devour the Nightmare's true form within the dream can the host completely absorb the ghost, and then gain control of this instance.]
Zhou Fangdong continued, "System, do you know what the Nightmare's true form looks like?"
[The form of a nightmare in a dream can change at any time; it could be a building or a brick. The host can use the [Heavenly Eye]'s appraisal skill to examine anything that seems strange.]
"How do I find this... System, are there fixed boundaries in dreams?"
[This didn't exist before, but it does now. The main god used Nightmare's power to create a dungeon, which trapped Nightmare's true form inside.]
[Due to the characteristics of dreams, this instance may randomly generate scenes based on player activities. Therefore, the instance area may expand as players move. So, the host can gather those hundred-plus players together first, and then find the Nightmare itself.]
Let's start by collecting players.
Zhou Fangdong activated the [Heavenly Eye] skill and walked towards the location where he had just spotted the figure.
Wu Yong hid in the storage room, his body trembling uncontrollably, praying in his heart that the ghostly figure that had just appeared out of nowhere on the playground had not seen him.
Although he knew it was a lucid nightmare, Wu Yong dared not gamble on what the consequences would be if he were killed by a ghost in the dream, fearing that his real body would also die.
The reason he thought he was dreaming was because the abandoned primary school he was in had been demolished more than a decade ago... The school that only existed in his memory had suddenly appeared in reality; what else could it be but a dream?
Although the points system that inexplicably appeared in his mind kept saying that this was some kind of dungeon, urging him to meet up with his companions and complete the dungeon mission together.
But he didn't believe it.
The system in his mind must be a trap created by a ghost to lure him out.
The key to success is to remain unchanged amidst change. The fastest players in PUBG are those who move around frequently, and there's no poison circle in this nightmare.
Wu Yong firmly believed that this school building was his birthplace and his safe zone. As long as he stayed here, he would be safe and he would definitely survive until the end.
Moreover, his encounter with this bizarre dream must be due to some supernatural event. As long as he can hold on until the Bureau of Supervision arrives, as long as he can hold on until he wakes up...
Just as he was thinking this, a cold voice suddenly rang in Wu Yong's ear:
"finally found you……"
The sound was like a call from hell.
Wu Yong froze, closed his eyes tightly, and carried out his ostrich-like behavior to the very end.
However, the next moment, he felt himself being lifted up.
Keep in mind, he's a grown man who's 1.8 meters tall and weighs over 170 kilograms!
In a fit of extreme fear, Wu Yong reflexively struggled, and it was then that he saw the thing that had lifted him up...
"A ghost!!!"
Wu Yong's shout startled Zhou Fangdong.
Looking at the man in his hand, who was thrashing about like a live fish that had jumped ashore, Zhou Fangdong belatedly realized something and touched his face with his other hand.
...He forgot he was wearing a human skin mask; this faceless appearance was indeed a bit scary.
Zhou Fangdong mentally called out to the system: "System, can you directly strip him of his points system?"
[It is recommended that the host completely control the instance before dealing with the players' points system. Without control of the instance, even if the points system is removed, these souls will not be able to leave the dream.]
All right.
Watching the man in his arms go from initial terror and struggle to utter despair, Zhou Fangdong asked, "Do you know where the others are?"
"Help me find other humans. The more you find, the greater your chances of survival."
Wu Yong's expression became even more terrified.
This ghost wants him to sacrifice other humans for it to eat?
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