The RV drove steadily on the road, and after about ten minutes, everyone saw the road sign pointing to the Golden Lake Reservoir.

The driver was a stern-looking woman. She determined the route and then drove the RV onto the dirt road. Additionally, the nearby trees were much thicker and lusher than before.

She trembled subconsciously.

Driving into the hills felt as if the car was being swallowed by the forest.

They were getting closer and closer to their destination, and each of them could hear the sound of water nearby. This kind of slightly depressing and unsettling atmosphere made the woman grip the steering wheel so hard that even her palms turned white.

Zhuo Yu looked at her, tapped his temple with his index finger, and said casually, “So, the Golden Lake is your mission?”

“Your character doesn’t have the horror story of the Golden Lake in his memory?” Zhou Wu looked at Zhuo Yu, surprised.

“All I know is that I’m here for a journey.” Zhuo Yu held his chin and turned his head in the direction of the sound of the water: “It’s common sense for people who don’t know about this place to come here to camp, right? If they knew of the danger here, no normal person would come here to die.”

Several seniors, who played the role of students seeking death, felt as if an arrow shot their knees.

“Maybe,” the woman driving the car said darkly: ” Several of our characters are from a nearby town. There has been a rumor going around the town that evil spirits are living in the Golden Lake.”

“Evil spirits?”Zhuo Yu’s curiosity was aroused.

“It is said that fifty years ago, a father and son lived here. The father often practiced witchcraft on the mountain, causing panic among the townspeople, so he was executed privately. His son was a malformed freak, in his teens, with intelluctual disabilities. He drowned himself in the golden lake… Since then, the elders of the town have forbidden their children to play at the lake, because people go missing there every year”.

“Mu Ying, don’t scare the newcomers. Zhou Wu shook his head and added, “Some claim it’s a water ghost, a monster from Norse mythology. Others argue that it’s a curse from cannibals, savages or Indians, but these are all mere rumours.”

“The four of us are the children of town officials. They told us that it was only a story to scare the children. The Golden Lake is linked to an underground river and there are frequent whirlpools and undercurrents. It is very dangerous for children to swim there. The people who went missing had in fact drowned, so they simply made up this story to warn the public.”

Zhuo Yu arched the corner of his mouth to hide the interest in his words: “Since we are now in the world of horror movies, most of these rumors are true.”

Mu Ying sighed deeply, parked the car in the bushes, and said anxiously: “You’re right, that’s why I don’t want to go. I have a feeling that something ominous is going to happen.” Before he could finish, a series of system broadcasts went online

[Trainee actor Mo Weiqi has died. Death in a car accident. 】

[Trainee actor Wang Ming has died. Death in a car accident]

[Trainee actor Zou Yue has died. Death in a car accident].

[Trainee actor Li Kai has died. Death in a car accident.]

[The above actors shall return to the fire source and will be sentenced for three months. 】

The faces of all the people was not very good. They understood why these people died: they did not fulfill the system’s requirements and were therefore classified as passive workers.

“They will be burned alive for three months.” Zhou Wu had seen too many of these incidents, so he added calmly: “By the time they are released and re-enter the set, they would have long lost their nuts.”

This is why, the actors must always act per the task. If given the option, no one would go to that dangerous broken lake. But it turns out that while going ahead may mean death, going back means a punishment much more severe than death.

After the moment of silence, the RV continued along the path, much like a system warning. Drilling through the dense plants revealed a huge level plain.

I spotted a wooden hut standing on the greenery, which was visible due to the car’s bright headlights. Unlike an imaginary forest hut, it covered a fairly big area, resembled an actual villa, and still had a living ambiance, but it is too old, and the decomposing and splintered timber of the hut exuded a rotting stench. The delicate window frames and glass were reinforced with thick wooden planks, and it was unknown who did it.

A riverbank with lush aquatic vegetation is right next to the wooden house. As far as the eyes can observe, there is a deep lake with no detectable edge, almost dissolving into the night.

[Location update: Golden Lake.]

[Golden Lake: Located in the town of Springs, Florida. During the gold rush, townspeople often found gold and silver on the shore, hence the name Golden Lake. But there are always shadows under the sun. In the long history of the town of Springs, many people have drowned in the lake or disappeared in this area. Interestingly, this does not stop stupid young people from embarking on a journey to death. 】

Holding on to a glimmer of hope, I can only hope that the actors on the puzzle set are quiet once again because they had received a mission update.

“Death’s Journey’, these four big characters couldn’t be any more blatantly malevolent.

[Pre-task: Arrive at the Golden Lake before dawn. Achieved. 】

[Main Task Update: Survive the first night of camping. ]

[The character setup has been updated, and the traits are being distributed, please verify with the cast as soon as possible~]

Zhuo Yu and the others exited the car. He sat on the dilapidated wheelchair and trailed after the team.

He didn’t know if this film was a reference to Crystal Lake in Friday the 13th. However, he had a gut feeling that there was some sort of homicidal monster lurking somewhere around here.

The opening scene of “Wonderful Talk by the Lake” is a complete replica of the murder movies of the previous century.

A sweltering hot summer, foolish teenagers, strangers on the road… and a campsite that is not a safe place to go to.

Zhuo Yu’s occupational disease is a bit of a problem. As a horror novelist, he has watched an extensive range of horror films for his inspiration, and with an above-average memory, his brain can be considered a mobile resource library.

He is all too familiar with this type of film, and if he were not an actor but an audience member, he would certainly feel a strong sense of the eighties. It probably wouldn’t take long to usher in the special characteristic of that era – bloody murder and gore, and lots of it.

Zhou Wu looked at the task with some trepidation: “We need to settle down, or we might encounter danger in the wilderness. Let’s camp in the hut for now.”

To camp without a proper shelter in the wilderness would be a sure-shot way to get killed.

The other people hesitated. Obviously, they didn’t want to enter this dark wooden house, they just wanted to spend the night in the RV.

After Zhou Yu’s view of the system was restored, looked at the current task [Bring four students into the house by the lake]. He thought for a moment and planned to retreat.

“I think, let’s think about it carefully. What if the house is more terrifying? Haven’t you seen “The Cabin in the Woods”? The wooden house is far too dirty. In any case, we also have an RV. It’s not a big deal for a few people to spend the night in the RV.”

The few others who preferred not to enter instantly gave Zhuo Yu encouraging looks.

Zhuo Yu grabbed a large stone off the ground and tossed it hard at the wooden house’s window. ‘Bang’. The wooden planks that sealed the window with wooden planks were quite sturdy and did not budge at all.

But Zhou Wu thought that if the stone had hit the car window, it would have shattered the glass for sure…

He was awakened by the night wind, the swirling shadows of the trees around him, and the howling of the owls, all of which made him feel extremely uneasy. He was terrified that some monster would suddenly spring up.

“So much nonsense, if you don’t go, I will.” Mu Ying and Zhou Wu were united, and Mu Ying was eager to enter, but she was stopped by Zhou Wu.

She raised her eyebrows and said provokingly, “What, are you scared?”

Zhou Wu froze for a second, his tone seemingly a little doting: “No, it must be very dusty inside, maybe there are rats or something.”

“You go in for me, make sure it’s safe, and then notify us,” he instructed as he turned to the youngest of them, Fang Hao.

Fang Hao looked left and right and when he saw that no one made a sound, he could only resign to his fate and open the door to the room, trembling as he stepped inside.

Zhuo Yu, who was in the wheelchair, was puzzled. When he first met Zhou Wu, he was not too gentle, but at least he would not send his teammates to their deaths, and how could Mu Ying, who used to be so cautious, suddenly become so reckless when she arrived here? 

He didn’t show it on his face, but he rocked his wheelchair and went in with the group while showing them the “I’ll listen to you” expression.

Zhuo Yu’s job was done the moment the four veterans entered the wooden house.

[Pre-task: Bring four students to the lake house. Done]

[Main Task Update: Have the students wait in the wooden house until the plot is updated. 】

A large screen projected Zhuo Yu’s face.

“Did you find the bug?” An old voice came from behind the screen.

“I’m sorry, Chief Judge, but the mishap that just happened caused an anomaly when one of the new actors entered the set. The debugger bit his lower lip and hinted, ” This is ‘that’ boss’s territory, the new actor might…”

“It’s just an error caused by a technical problem,” the old voice snorted with disdain.

“But this film has been shown six times and the character of the traveller has never appeared.”

“Enough! Don’t be so presumptuous as to discuss the decision of the higher authorities. It’s just a small human being.”

The debugger bowed his head, shrank at the old man’s rebuke, and silently left the room. Only the actors on the screen were still moving.

They had almost reached the trigger point of the plot.

On the monitor, the five of them had gathered with Zhuo Yu in the living room of the wooden house.

Zhou Wu took the initiative to speak, “Since we are safe for now, let’s introduce ourselves.” “You all know my name. I am a fitness coach in the real world. As for the role setting that has just been updated, you can see for yourself.”

Zhou Wu touched his flame tattoo, called up the character information, and clicked to share.

A transparent message board immediately appeared above his head.

Zhou Yu took a deep look at his tattoo.

[Actor Zhou Wu:

Role :- “School Bully Jack”. 

Grade:-  (D)  ]

[Jack: A student at Spring Town University. He loves sports and is the captain of the school rugby team. At the instigation of his girlfriend, he decides to go camping at Golden Lake with his friends to celebrate their anniversary. 】

[Attributes: Fast runner, strong physique. However, a bit temperamental, prone to getting into arguments, and likes to bully others.]

Zhuo Yu lowered his gaze and almost couldn’t hold back a laugh. This setting is too classic.

Zhou Wu seemingly bragged unintentionally: “By the way, I have experienced three horror movies, redeemed physical enhancement and rapid healing, although both are primary, they are also far stronger than most people.”

Others also shared their character information.

[Actor Mu Ying:

Role:- “Hot Girl Nina”

Grade:- (E) ]

[Nina: Because she is the only daughter in her family and her father is the mayor of the town, she lacks the ability to understand what humility is and disregards the terrible rumors about the Golden Lake.]

[Attributes: Beautiful, has great agility, has somewhat good intuition, but is prone to falling ill and lacks physical strength].

[Actor Li Mingfeng:

Role:- “Otaku Bonnie”.

Grade:- (E)]

[Bonnie: The cousin of school bully Jack. Unlike Jack, Bonnie is very timid and afraid of things. He has a skinny build and is a bit neurotic. He didn’t want to go camping at Golden Lake, but Jack forced him to go, which made Bonnie hold a grudge against him. ]

[Attributes: His sense of presence is extremely low, making him the type to be easily overlooked by others. He has some survival experience from books. ]

[Actor Fang Hao:

Role:- “Gofer Buck”

Grade:- (E) ]

[Buck: Buck is the target of his classmates’ bullying. He is a gloomy and sensitive nerd. Jack likes to pick on him to show his strength in front of his girlfriend. Poor Buck still has a crush on Nina. This camping trip is a nightmare for Buck].

[Attributes: His resilience is tenacious, but he lacks endurance, which leads to frequent meltdowns. 】

Fang Hao, who had just been forced into the house, fidgeted, his face turning pale like an ant on a hot cauldron: “Except for my vitality and tenacity, I have no advantage at all, and I don’t have any useful skills.”

Zhou Wu stared at him, Fang Hao had been lucky in the previous game, and his skills were valuable, so the team accepted him. He didn’t realize that Fang Hao had only been in one or two movies until after the movie had ended. His flame point points could not be traded for anything useful.  Additionally, his psychological quality was not adequate, and he had long regretted forming a team with him.

He said bluntly: “You are of no use at all.”

Fang Hao choked up for a moment and stared at Zhou Wu in the dark.

Zhuo Yu was rather taken aback. It turns out that the four veteran members have no internal stability. They are more like a loosely-knit group of people trying to survive by working together. This also cleared up his doubts.

Thinking back to the characteristics of the roles they were supposed to play, Zhuo Yu knew that his “teammates” might have been affected by the characteristics of the characters from the moment the system released the update.

Zhou Wu’s character is the school bully, Mu Ying is the bad-tempered beauty, Li Mingfeng is the school bully’s cousin, and Fang Hao is the target of everyone’s bullying. It seems to make sense.

The atmosphere was a bit tense.

Fang Hao rubbed his cheeks and looked at Zhuo Yu with teary eyes, a cripple can’t be better than him, right? He must be the lowest-level cannon fodder character who doesn’t even have any attributes.

“What about you, what’s your role?” he asked.

“I have no character information, I’m just a passerby,” Zhuo Yu shrugged and laughed at himself.

It’s not that he was hiding it on purpose, it’s just that he didn’t have that ability at all! His character quality was unknown, and his information was greyed out, so he couldn’t click on it at all.

Fang Hao was relieved when he realized that his guess was correct. Since he wasn’t the weakest member of the team, the pressure on him was greatly reduced, and his heart finally felt at peace.

“It doesn’t matter, the character will only affect your attributes and abilities, just like selecting a character in a game. However, given your circumstances, you will not be able to use any of the character’s abilities. So it is good enough just not to drag us down.”

As he said this, Fang Hao couldn’t help but chuckle. He quickly raised his head to look at the other person, fearing that Zhuo Yu wouldn’t want to listen. All of Fang Hao’s remorse vanished when he saw that Zhuo Yu had accepted his fate and didn’t show the slightest shift in his gaze.

Soon, he turned his head to talk to Li Mingfeng.

Zhuo Yu stared at Fang Hao’s back, his eyes unclear, but his fingers revealed his heart and he began to gently tap the armrest of the wheelchair.

Just then, Fang Hao suddenly shrieked as he reached out and pointed to the living room window, which had been reinforced with wooden boards. He could see outside through a tiny opening between the boards.

“Someone! There are people crawling along the shore of the lake!” Fang Hao said incoherently: “No, those are not humans! Humans can’t be distorted like that!”

Everyone turned their heads to look outside, but all they could see was the lush grass, distorted tree shadows, and a few willow branches bathed in the white moonlight.

Zhou Wu frowned and kicked him: “What’s the name of the ghost! You are free to call out the ghost if there is one.”

Fang Hao’s eyes were filled with resentment when he saw that they didn’t believe him.

Suddenly, Zhuo Yu seemed to hear a Sha Sha voice.

A strange feeling surged through his heart, he instinctively looked out of the window. There was nothing in sight, but the big red letters in his field of vision changed.

[The task: “Make the disciples wait in the wooden house. was accomplished. 

The BOSS of the film has been refreshed and can appear at any time].

[Current task: The boss of this film is extremely dangerous!

Please survive until dawn!]

[“The life-or-death wager commences.

Actors, please put up a spectacular show of many different ways to die.  Perform magnificently!”]