Page 825.
Zhu Yan looked around.
Once he was sure none of the horror creatures were paying him any attention, he relaxed and continued reading.
"[Demon], a class of advanced beings that appreciate humans with desires and feed directly on human spirits and vitality."
"[Demon]s come in many types. Some have horns on their heads, while others wear cloaks. Most of them are transparent."
Very interesting.
Zhu Yan found it fascinating and read on.
"[Witch]es are the intermediaries through which they communicate with humans or other things."
Hmm, that's a lot like the legends.
"Transactions with [Demon]s are conducted as equal exchanges, with both parties on equal footing."
"They can give you anything you want, such as a baby, gold and jewels, a youthful appearance or a healthy body, even lifespan."
Wow, that covers birth, aging, sickness, death, and wealth.
Reading that line put Zhu Yan somewhat at ease.
That meant that, no matter what, as long as he found a [Witch], there was hope of survival!
"In return, [Demon]s will also take away something you treasure."
"If you wish to make a deal with a [Demon], please find a [Witch] yourself."
"It is worth mentioning that [Witch]es and their cats are both very fond of eating humans."
The explanation ended there.
Well, the last line added a detail about the cats [Witch]es liked.
These cats were clearly not the ordinary house cats Zhu Yan had initially imagined, but more like some kind of horror creature.
Still, compared to having no leads at all, finding this much out so quickly was pretty good.
Zhu Yan closed the book and raised a hand to press the top of his head, trying to collect himself.
All night, from the [Hall of Mourning] to the [Devouring Villa] instance, he had been on high alert.
After he boarded, the female voice's announcement had made him a little uneasy as well.
Only after he found a general direction for solving the problem did that tension ease a little.
Once he relaxed somewhat, a slight headache and weariness came over him.
If he hadn't been on the [Monster Tram], Zhu Yan figured he would have set an alarm and gone straight to sleep.
But he couldn't.
There didn't seem to be any cell phones in [Merry Happy Land], so setting an alarm would be conspicuous.
Besides, sleeping on the [Monster Tram] was too dangerous.
Zhu Yan could only relax as much as possible and take out the tiny typewriter he was holding to examine it.
Only then did he notice a line of text engraved above the handwritten label on the bottom.
The engraving was shallow, and Zhu Yan could only make it out by catching the light on it.
"Please open here and insert the item or paper you wish to modify. If the item is too large, please fold it."
Huh?
Zhu Yan felt around for a while and finally pressed an inconspicuous loose spot.
A long strip on the bottom of the tiny typewriter popped open with a snap, revealing a slot inside.
The strange, whimsical design startled Zhu Yan.
He carefully examined the thing that looked like a card slot, then took his identity card out of an inner pocket.
After looking around warily, Zhu Yan discreetly slipped the card inside.
He wasn't sure whether it was his imagination, but the leading edge of the stiff card felt as soft as a sheet of dough.
The next second, the card was sucked in with considerable force.
A piece of card stock the size of a business card emerged from the top of the machine, densely covered in writing.
The writing was already very old.
Just like the [Rental Contract] and the label on the bottom of the typewriter, Zhu Yan found he could read it.
"Hello, friend using my baby!"
...Huh?
What was this? Where was his identity card?
Zhu Yan stared blankly and read on.
"If a horror creature uses it, this thing won't pop out."
"So you must be a player or a being like us."
Zhu Yan froze.
Not a horror creature, but a being like them.
What was this?
What did "a being like them" mean?
Besides humans and horror creatures, were there other beings in this world?
"Write your city address in the blank space, friend with whom we share a deep affinity."
"This thing will automatically generate directions to a location."
"If you too wish to fight the encroachment of [Merry Happy Land], please come to the designated location and find us."
"We welcome those with an affinity for us to join [Mount Fangcun]!"
"P.S. I like milk tea, little cakes, chicken cutlets, barbecue skewers, clay pot rice with cured meats, red-braised pork, pan-fried pork chops, donkey burgers, tacos, and McDonald's ice cream."
Fuck, was this right?
Zhu Yan pulled out the card, which looked quite old, and examined it front and back.
Judging by the typewriter's style and the age of the ink, the art student seemed to be someone from a long time ago.
But the ink and handwriting in the last line listing foods were much newer by comparison, and none of the foods listed were things that had existed back then. It was as though they had been added later.
So what kind of place was [Mount Fangcun]?
The fact that the writer had even written "McDonald's" suggested they also knew something about modern human society.
If the art student wasn't a horror creature, what could live that long?
After much deliberation, Zhu Yan took the quill out of the [Plague Ghost]'s bathrobe pocket and wrote down a very general address: Anwu City.
He didn't know what was going on, but he was curious.
A response soon appeared on the paper, this time several simple addresses.
"13 Xiyuan Street, beside the tailor shop."
"25 Moye Road, beside the old house."
"The deepest part of Qifeng Alley, between residences 38 and 37."
"Xishan University, teaching building C, stairwell."
"Please pay one Bone Copper Coin and speak the activation password."
What was this new thing?
Zhu Yan was curious again.
The "activation password" reminded him of the passphrase for the [Hall of Mourning], but what were these addresses?
Beside the old house, between the residences, the stairwell.
What would be in those places?
"Current activation password: forward."
"Please keep this card to obtain the latest password."
The card fluttered to the floor. Zhu Yan bent down to pick it up and tucked it together with the [Hall of Mourning] savings card, somewhere it definitely wouldn't fall out.
The thing required payment and activation anyway, so when the time came, there was no harm in going to the designated addresses for a look first.
If they really were beings with no hostility toward humans, Zhu Yan might even gain something.
After the card fell, the typewriter began clattering away again.
A brand-new identity card was slowly pushed out of its front!
Meanwhile.
The police station had searched the entire quarantine zone.
Several police dogs sniffed back and forth along the route Zhu Yan had taken, but all stopped at the intersection and barked wildly toward one spot.
Powerful flashlights lit up the entire villa district, but the person the police were looking for was nowhere to be found.
Surveillance footage from the quarantine zone showed that a faint dark figure had indeed entered the instance just before or after Guan En.
But in the footage from the time after the instance ended, they couldn't see even a blurry shadow, as though the person had never appeared at all.
No one could make sense of it.
The player they had completely surrounded had vanished into thin air again!
"Damn it!" Captain Huang raised a hand and wiped away his sweat. "With things like this, where could he have run off to?"
The middle-aged man standing beside him shook his head.
"Based on the information we have at present, it's certainly possible that [Merry Happy Land] transported him somewhere farther away."
"But the chances are very slim. Usually, people are transported to the same place."
"This is weird," Captain Huang grumbled.
"You don't need to worry too much," the middle-aged man said. "We've already narrowed it down to several areas."
"First thing tomorrow morning, our people will begin a thorough search, checking identity documents from door to door."
"As long as he's still here, in this city, he won't escape."