CH 101

(Crazy mode)

It was a dark night. 

The darkness was so dense that the players could only see two white lanterns swaying softly in the breeze on the branches of a tree. Two tables of guests sat under the tree, their faces looking like corpses under the candlelight.

“I request an Anthropology dice throw,” said the doctor.

The game was quite patient with this player who followed the rules: [Because you lack the Anthropology skill, your chances of failure are high.]

The doctor: “Throw.” 

Ding—

The dice landed in an area where the players couldn’t see it. The dice slowly turned and stopped.

[Unfortunately, you failed.] the game reported.

“What is anthropology?” inquired Shen Dongqing.

The doctor explained, “You can check the NPC in front of you to determine if it’s a human or some other creature.”

“They’re not ghosts,” Shen Dongqing declared emphatically.

“Why are you so certain?” wondered the doctor.

This gathering of natives seemed unusual to her. 

Shen Dongqing: “Ghosts don’t need to eat.”

Doctor: ?

Is it that simple to judge?

The game suddenly began speaking: [Because the distance between the two sides is too close, a Luck Test will be conducted every three minutes.] 

[Failure will result in this group of natives discovering you. If you succeed, you can sneak into the mourning hall.]

[Detective, test successful.]

[Photographer, test successful.]

[Doctor, test…failed.] 

The townspeople sitting at the round table with drooping heads raised their heads with a “swish,” twisted their necks, and turned to face the doctor at the same time. Their eyes were empty and reflected a sliver of white light, but their lips were a shockingly bright crimson. They stiffly hooked the corners of their mouths, their faces devoid of smiles, as if they were wearing masks.

After all, the doctor was a novice. She’d never seen anything like this before and couldn’t help but scream as she took a step back.

Meanwhile, the results of other people’s tests were announced.

[Zhou Wenyan, test passed.] 

[Shen Dongqing, test…a colossal failure!]

A massive failure meant his prospects of survival were poorer than the doctor’s.

The game described gloatingly: [You notice the old lady sitting up in the center of the mourning hall. The white paper that had been concealing her face slips, revealing a rotting face. She’s decomposed into a heap of rotten flesh, with maggots protruding halfway from her eye sockets. Nonetheless, she extends her arm towards you, the gold jewelry on her wrist jingling as she moves and her mouth making a “gege” sound.]

[Sanity check completed, deducting…] 

Shen Dongqing strode over, grabbed the white piece of paper, and nonchalantly slapped it back on the old lady’s face. The elderly lady lay back peacefully after twitching once.

The game felt it couldn’t continue with the Sanity deduction.

The group of locals also discovered Shen Dongqing. They dismissed the doctor and instead chose to keep a close eye on him on the grounds of “a colossal failure.”

Shen Dongqing raised his hand and said, “Hi—” 

In the crowd, Aunt Innkeeper felt a little chilled for no obvious reason.

The villagers talked quietly.

“Where is this person from?”

“Why is he here?” 

“Hurry up and drive him out!”

Game: [You may opt to roll for Persuasion.]

Shen Dongqing: “Then roll.”

[Persuasion successful.] 

[Please begin your performance now.]

Shen Dongqing: ?

He’d successfully persuaded them, so why should he continue to act? Is it possible that the game expected him to perform Causing Havoc in the Mourning Hall on the spot?

Fortunately, someone showed up just in time to derail his whimsical idea. 

The terrified doctor was given another Sanity Check, had 2 points deducted from her Sanity, and went mad.

She closed her eyes, raised her head, put her hands to her chest, and started singing: “Girl, Girl, she leaves home at sixteen, marries at seventeen, and looks like a flower at eighteen. She’s a good girl, girl, good girl—”

“The singing is much better than before,” Shen Dongqing observed.

The game appeared to be learning from its mistakes and improving, which was admirable. 

Game: […]

The doctor sank slowly when she completed singing and was held by the photographer.

When the locals over there heard the song, their faces became vicious. They regarded this group of players with unease and gloom.

Perhaps it was due to Shen Dongqing’s successful Persuasion dice roll a minute before that Aunt Innkeeper rose up immediately, even without explanation: “This is my guest.” 

When the natives heard what Aunt Innkeeper said, their expressions became meaningful.

“It’s your guest again? What a coincidence.”

“Since it’s your guest, hurry up and take them back. Don’t let them run around like this again.”

“That’s right! It would be bad to disrupt our funeral arrangements.” 

Aunt Innkeeper simply nodded and turned to face the players. “Come back with me right away!”

At this point, the doctor had passed out, taking one player out of the game. The natives had also discovered the players. As a result, they had no choice but to return to the inn and make new plans.

Itbe Qfcsjc oijrtfv tlr PG mjgv ja atlr alwf jcv rjlv, “Ktlr lr ws ugjcvwbatfg.”

Ktf cjalnfr ogbhf jcv rlhfv tlw eq. Vbwfbcf atfc rjlv, “Pa’r cb kbcvfg tf ibbxr rb ojwliljg! Pa’r Itbe Ct Hl’r rbc!” 

“Glvc’a sbe jigfjvs gfibmjaf? Qts tjnf sbe gfaegcfv rb jygeqais?”

“Vbwfbcf kgbaf wf j ifaafg rjslcu ugjccs kjr rlmx jcv gfdefrafv atja P gfaegc,” Itbe Qfcsjc gfmbecafv.

Someone inquired casually, “Who sent you a letter? It’s so outdated. Nowadays, we all have cell phones. Fast and convenient.”

Zhou Wenyan: “It’s my aunt Zhou Ah Ying.” 

The expressions of the natives present became strange as soon as this name was mentioned. After a moment of silence, they bluntly changed the subject.

“Since you’re back, let’s send the old lady off on her final journey together.”

“It’s nearly time. You out-of-towners, hurry up and leave! Otherwise, we’ll be rude.”

The detective and photographer took the doctor away, leaving Shen Dongqing standing there. 

The locals grumbled impatiently: “Hurry up and leave! You’re not welcome here!”

“This is my boyfriend,” remarked Shen Dongqing, clasping Zhou Wenyan’s arm.

The natives: ?

Sorry, but the locals who grew up in the mountains had never seen anything like this before. 

[Please do a Persuasion Check.]

“His granny wished to see him settle down before she died,” Shen Dongqing persuaded in deadly earnest.

[Persuasion…a great success!]

The locals quickly accepted this scenario, allowing Zhou Wenyan and Shen Dongqing to remain and went to prepare for the funeral procession. 

The natives most likely did not allow Zhou Wenyan to participate in the funeral activities because he grew up outside and had no knowledge of the ancient town’s customs. Instead, they let the two guys join the procession at the end.

The elderly lady’s body was placed in a thin coffin. Surprisingly, péi zàng was still practiced here, and the bottom of the coffin was covered in a fine layer of gold. The casket was then carried by four locals as the procession made its way towards the back mountain.

Local custom dictated that firecrackers be set off and paper money be thrown during the funeral procession, but it was unusually quiet here. Everyone bowed their heads and kept quiet. Even the sounds involved with carrying the coffin were kept to a minimum in order to avoid rousing some kind of horrible existence.

Zhou Wenyan and Shen Dongqing followed the procession, seeing the locals pass the adobe house where the elderly lady had lived before her death, the half-abandoned Girls’ Temple, and finally arrive at a little pool halfway up the mountain. 

The natives did not interact with one another. They placed the casket on the edge of the small pool, bowed in unison to pay their respects, then turned around and left. They had no intention of burying the elderly lady.

Shen Dongqing glanced back before departing. He had no idea when the coffin lid was opened or when the wind lifted the white paper covering the elderly lady’s face.

The wind swept the light white paper into the small pool, where it drifted away gently.

The funeral was over. 

When they returned to the inn, it was late at night.

Aunt Innkeeper entered and turned on the lights in the hall.

She seemed to come to life as the orange light shone down on her. Her face brightened, and she reverted to the philistine shrewd middle-aged woman she was. She wore gold chains around her neck and hands that sparkled in the light.

Aunt Innkeeper yawned: “Go to bed earlier—” 

“We’re going to make a wish,” Zhou Wenyan abruptly announced.

The aunt was so scared that she couldn’t close her mouth. She whispered while supporting her chin in one hand: “Make a wish? What wish?”

Shen Dongqing put his head on Zhou Wenyan’s shoulder and said, “The Girls’ Temple,” with half-squinted eyes.

The drowsiness in Aunt Innkeeper’s eyes evaporated when she heard these words. She looked around cautiously, and only when she was satisfied that no one else was around did she mumble mysteriously, “The time is not right.” 

“How can granting whatever is requested be so easy?”

“September 18th. Yes, you can go on September 18th and I guarantee your wishes will come true!”

“I only told you for the sake of your father. After all, your dad and I were, ahem…”

After she finished speaking, the Aunt twisted her waist and walked away. 

The 18th was sure to be a pivotal day.

Su Xiaoying vanished on September 18, and according to the Innkeeper Aunt, they could only go to the Girls’ Temple to make a wish on that day.

Shen Dongqing lay on the bed, his feet swaying in the air, gazing out the window. He could see the Girls’ Temple halfway up the mountain from here, but it was too dark to see anything well.

“I believe the locals follow an evil cult, offer sacrifices to a demonic deity, and treated Su Xiaoying as an offering.” He shook his head and clicked his tongue: “Feudal superstition is bad!” 

“Feudal superstition?” laughed Zhou Wenyan, pinching his cheek.

“Humph! I’m absolutely not a feudal superstition, I like being a human being,” Shen Dongqing stated as he batted Zhou Wenyan’s hand away.

What a pity this stupid game didn’t cooperate.

If Shen Dongqing could return to the real world, he would be a good guy who would never engage in feudal superstition. 

Zhou Wenyan wrapped his arms around his man and they laid down together.

After some time, Shen Dongqing abruptly stated, “I recall something from the past. You?”

If he could only go back to Ghost City. He had a hunch that if he returned to Ghost City, all the mysteries of his past would be explained and he would discover his true identity.

What about Zhou Wenyan, who had similarly lost his memories? 

Zhou Wenyan bowed his head and looked into the pair of clear, dark eyes: “Oh…nothing too important. I used to be a rich second generation in an ordinary family.”

Other fragmented memories were insignificant.

It was enough for Zhou Wenyan to recall his ghost marriage with Shen Dongqing. As for the rest, he will know as long as he leaves this game.

Shen Dongqing shut his eyes. “The Ghost Gate is about to open,” he remarked as he was about to fall asleep. 

The day when Ghost City would open was quickly approaching.

He guessed he’d be able to access it soon after completing this game instance.

Zhou Wenyan patted his shoulder lightly: “Sleep…”

Shen Dongqing rubbed his forehead against the person beside him and fell asleep. 

He woke up the next day and found that Zhou Wenyan planned to hike halfway up the mountain and explore a bit after paying his respects to the old lady’s remains.

The detective raised his hand to say he’d accompany them.

The photographer’s face grew pale as soon as she heard the words “old lady.” Despite the fact that the psychological trauma she had suffered was severe, she persisted in following them.

Needless to say, following the previous night’s experience, the doctor was eager to find clues and also joined in. 

As a result, a line of people marched towards the mountainside mightily.

After their backs vanished in the ancient town, one by one, figures appeared on the desolate street. They floated out like wandering souls after softly and quietly opening the doors.

The street was filled with whispers.

“Eighteen years…” 

“I’ve finally waited until today.”

“Eighteen years; we can be free…”

Based on the previous night’s memory, the party successfully arrived at the side of the tiny pool, where there was a thin coffin with its lid open.

The two females, i.e. the photographer and the doctor, both avoided the casket, and even the detective gulped and chose to psych himself first. 

Shen Dongqing was the most daring. He stepped over without hesitation and had a look at it.

The inside of the casket was completely empty, except for a layer of gold used for burial.

The elderly lady had vanished into thin air.

The gleaming gold enticed the sight, but it was useless to the players. 

Then, the doctor noticed an extraordinarily beautiful gold bracelet laying at her feet and quietly scooped it up and stuffed it in her pocket.

Shen Dongqing: “Reanimation?”

But she was resting in the casket properly last night. Could it be that she believed the coffin was too hard to sleep in, so she got up and went somewhere else to sleep?

“Let’s all do an Investigation Check and see if we can spot anything,” the doctor stated, her face white. 

[Detective, check successful.]

It was a promising start.

“The body was dragged away,” the detective remarked, pointing to the marks on the ground.

The others turned to gaze in the direction he indicated. 

The small pool was bordered by sandy ground and a long track that appeared to have been left when the body was dragged away.

[Doctor, check failed.]

[Zhou Wenyan, check failed.]

[Shen Dongqing, check failed.] 

[Photographer, check…a great success!]

“Great success!” exclaimed the doctor as she drew a cold breath.

“Isn’t that great?” the detective exclaimed enthusiastically.

The doctor struggled for a moment and stated, “Great success means seeing some…” 

She hadn’t even finished her sentence when the photographer’s eyes rolled to the back of her head and she softly slid to the ground.

The game began to describe: [You see the decaying corpse resting in the coffin. The wind is producing swishing sounds in the still night.]

[Those aren’t sounds coming from the trees. A wriggling tentacle emerges from the shadows, leaving a puddle of mucus in its wake. The tentacle slowly climbs the coffin and rolls up the corpse before retreating into the darkness.]

[A line of reddish purple sarcomas, like overripe grapes, are growing on the tentacle’s top. While carrying the corpse, the sarcomas are squeezed and burst open with a “pop,” splattering the liquids everywhere—like a grape being squashed.] 

The description of the scene was so disgusting that there was no need to mention the photographer’s state after she directly faced the raw scene.

She went through the Sanity Check immediately. Fortunately, the dice roll was a great success and her Sanity was only deducted by 1 point; otherwise, she may have gone insane on the spot given the total deduction in her Sanity.

Doctor: “I don’t want to eat grapes anymore…”

Shen Dongqing: “The game’s description is quite delicious; I kind of want to eat grapes.” 

The other players glanced at Shen Dongqing with fearful eyes and silently moved away from him.

Detective: “Ew— what the hell is that thing?”

Shen Dongqing: “Octopus?”

Detective: … 

Great. Not only grapes, but he also wouldn’t be touching octopuses ever again.

Zhou Wenyan: “Evil god.”

The detective instantly remembered the “stay away from cults” leaflet posted on the inn wall.

Zhou Wenyan: “The natives of the ancient town sacrifice to the evil god once every 18 years.” 

“So the Su Xiaoying I’m searching for has already died?” the detective realized. He was a little frustrated, “How can I find someone and bring them back in that case?”

Shen Dongqing: “It didn’t say dead or alive.”

The game did not specify which type of “Su Xiaoying” it was. Even bringing back a little of her identity or a handful of ashes would be deemed bringing the person back.

When the detective figured this out, he instantly regained his fighting spirit and exclaimed, “Come on, let’s find the evil god!” 

“I’ll stay and take care of her,” the doctor stated, pointing to the photographer on the ground.

The photographer remained unconscious, and abandoning her in the wilderness was not an option.

They could only accept one person to stay behind to care for her.

The doctor reasoned that hunting for the evil deity would certainly be dangerous, so she might as well stay and relax, and she hastily requested that she take over this matter. 

Fortunately, the other players had not considered this possibility, so they agreed.

Throughout the trail, the detective conducted Investigation Checks. He was fortunate enough to succeed when coupled with his character design and skills.

In this way, they proceeded according to the traces on the ground, veering more and more from the path up the mountain. There was almost no place to rest as the vegetation grew harsh and wild.

The detective found it challenging to walk. His hands and face were scratched by branches, and he had large lumps on his body from being bitten by mosquitoes numerous times. When he glanced back, he became unbalanced. 

Zhou Wenyan was clearing the route in front of him by breaking all the branches that were sticking out and stomping the weeds on the ground beneath his feet, making it easier for Shen Dongqing, who was following him, to go over. Forget mosquitoes, even his skin’s outer layer had not been broken.

“Can I switch positions?” inquired the detective. He, too, desired this type of treatment.

Zhou Wenyan looked at him quietly.

The detective was terrified within three seconds and could only proceed forward in resignation. 

Fortunately, getting to the destination didn’t take long.

Unexpectedly, there was a completely different world behind the small pool. There was a hidden cave, and they could still see the “purple grapes” that fell from the tentacle, emitting a fishy odor, at the cave’s mouth.

Before looking inside, the detective closed his eyes and kicked the “purple grapes” away.

It was impossible to see what was inside the cave because it was so deep and dark. 

Detective: “Go in and see?”

None of the three had flashlights on them and could only barely illuminate the cave with the light from their phone screens.

The fear was partially dissipated by the dim light.

Inside the cave, it was warm and humid, and the air was continually circulating, which made the detective feel a little better. 

They were almost halfway through their journey when the game abruptly reminded them: [You need to pass a Luck Test.]

Shen Dongqing and Zhou Wenyan were fortunate to pass it.

Only the detective was out of luck.

He stumbled and crashed forward after the game announced that the detective had failed the Luck Test. At this key juncture, when he waved his hands in the air, he finally snagged something and avoided falling down and becoming badly bruised. 

“Thank you…”

The detective initially assumed that either Zhou Wenyan or Shen Dongqing had extended an arm to help him, but as he looked up, the two guys stood not far away, watching him.

So, what precisely did he catch?

The detective raised his hand stiffly and illuminated it with his phone. Then he spotted a bunch of purple grapes hanging on the wall, one of which was a fist-sized purple grape he’d grabbed. 

“Ahhh—”

The detective dropped on his buttocks and continued to draw back. He yelled obscenities and frantically wiped his hands.

The detective could not be described as timid. Anyone who came upon such a situation unprepared would be shocked.

Shen Dongqing also raised his hand and shone the phone’s light around the area. 

Purple grapes did not grow on the wall. Rather, a tentacle was resting on it.

It may have been lounging there nicely, but after being caught out of the blue, it became frightened and began to withdraw into the cave’s depths.

Shen Dongqing had not played, therefore he pursued it.

The deeper they proceeded, the narrower the cave passage became, with only one person able to get through. Zhou Wenyan, who was rather tall, had to lower his head. 

Along the way, they discovered sarcomas littering on the ground, similar to how fruits fall from trees once they mature.

Some grapes sank into a puddle of muck, while others lay perfectly still.

Shen Dongqing crouched down to examine an intact one, discovering that the outside of the sarcoma was covered by a thin membrane, while the insides appeared to be alive, pulsating and squirming.

The first thing Shen Dongqing did was reach out to poke. 

“It’s dirty,” Zhou Wenyan held him back helplessly.

Shen Dongqing had to abandon the plan and continue walking inside.

They came to a halt after perhaps five or six minutes of walking.

The cave’s interior revealed a deep pit, as if the entire mountain had been hollowed out, with a bottomless chasm below. The tentacle stuck to the rock wall and slid down quickly, leaving the mucus it had secreted behind. 

Shen Dongqing illuminated the pit with his phone.

But it was so deep that even if light shone through it, it would be swallowed up.

Shen Dongqing instead picked up a stone and tossed it down.

The stone fell without any echo. 

The detective chased after him breathlessly and suggested: “Why don’t we ask for an Investigation Check?”

This rule setting was quite beneficial. You could find anything if you were lucky enough.

The game rolled the dice.

[Shen Dongqing, fail.] 

[Zhou Wenyan, great success.]

[An inexplicable call comes from below the precipice. You feel as warm as if you were returning to your mother’s arms. You want to approach, touch…serve.]

[You take a dazed stride forward. The creature at the bottom of the abyss continues to squirm, its body covered in overripe sarcomas. Its existence is difficult to put into words. You don’t get the complete picture, but even a hazy outline is enough to drive people insane.]

[No, perhaps it shouldn’t be ‘it,’ but…’It.’] 

[Performing Sanity Check, 1d6.]

[Check failed, Sanity deducted by 6.]

Zhou Wenyan closed his eyes, stepped back, and returned inside the cave.

[If your Sanity is reduced by ≥ 6 in one go, you will go mad for 10 hours. The symptom of madness is extreme paranoia.] 

[You will be crazily infatuated with something or a life form. If it is out of your sight, you will be hysterical, prone to falling apart, and out of control.]

Shen Dongqing was the first thing Zhou Wenyan saw when he opened his eyes. His naturally light coffee-colored eyes had darkened, and his voice had become raspy, as if he was suppressing all warm emotions.

“Come here.”

He wanted him. 

It would be best to rub him in his arms in various ways, so that blood and bones become one and never separate.

Shen Dongqing, who was still crouching in front of the abyss and gazing, was perplexed: “Eh? What’s the problem?”

He walked over entirely unguarded, only to be dragged over and imprisoned in Zhou Wenyan’s arms.

The detective standing by his lonesome to the side: ? 

Can you guys stop with the PDA over nothing?