[Soul-Shaking Ancient Village] Entering the Village
Hearing the burly man's words, the four who had lost their composure earlier all looked horrified. The man in the suit asked, his voice still trembling, "Sir, how does time pass in the game compared to the outside world? It won't affect things for too long, will it?"
The burly man glanced at the man in the suit and said, "Don't worry about that. When you enter the game, time in the outside world effectively stops. If you die in the game, you'll die immediately in a plausible way in the real world once the instance ends, so..."
The burly man paused, then grinned like a hunting hound. "Stay alive, everyone, and try to figure out the rules of the instance."
The burly man was mainly responsible for the four newcomers. The ponytailed woman seemed friendly, but in truth, she had no interest in newcomers without much potential. A condescending arrogance ran through her very bones.
She answered the female doctor's questions, while Si Yehan simply stood to the side and listened the entire time.
His understanding of the Weird Game was rapidly growing. Although it was called a game, there were actually no panels, attribute points, scoring mechanisms, or anything of the sort.
The term "player" used in the invitation wasn't very popular. "Participant" was more common, because to everyone who had experienced an instance of the Weird Game, "player" seemed too arrogant and far too uncomfortable.
The term made their lives seem so insignificant, as though they were going through a simulated game. But that wasn't the case; every step might have to be tested with their lives.
The sky gradually darkened, and birds scattered in flight. A village was faintly visible at the end of the mountain path.
The ponytailed woman took a letter from her pocket and said, "Everyone should have received a letter by now. Open yours and see what the task for this instance is."
Si Yehan rubbed the envelope that had suddenly appeared in his pocket. The feel of it was exceptionally familiar to him, and there was even a trace of warmth left on its surface.
He took the flesh-colored letter from his pocket and opened it, its contents reflected in his eyes.
[Soul-Shaking Ancient Village: In a remote mountain village, the sound of an infant crying can sometimes be heard at night, lingering for a long time. Find the source of the crying in the village and survive for ten days.]
The first part was a concise background introduction; the second was the task required to clear the instance.
Once Si Yehan finished reading, black flames flared up around the letter in his hand. The flames reduced the envelope to ashes but did not burn him.
Seeing that everyone had finished reading their letters, the ponytailed woman smiled and said, "Everyone's background information about the instance is different, but the task is the same, so let's exchange information. Don't even think about lying. This female doctor has some ability to detect lies."
The male student glanced at the burly man. In an unknown place like this, people would instinctively gravitate toward the first person who showed them kindness.
Only after the burly man nodded did the male student raise his hand. He said, "My letter says that those nearing the end of their lives are abandoned. They remain silent, walking through the village like ghosts. Some choose revenge, and some choose forgiveness. The cries of children linger in the night."
Though the woman with loose hair was numb, she chose to take out her letter and read it too. She hadn't gone completely mad after all. The burly man's earlier words had given her some motivation; perhaps after clearing the instance, there would be a chance. Her voice was hoarse and her eyes lifeless as she said, "There's only one sentence of background information in my letter: For survival and continuity, whatever is discarded can be justified. What do lingering cries matter?"
The remaining few simply repeated their background information. Si Yehan deliberately removed and added details.
The woman in the white dress looked timidly at the burly man, the ponytailed woman, and Si Yehan. In a place without order, people instinctively feared beings stronger than themselves. "Aren't we going to tell each other our names?"
The ponytailed woman smiled gently, but mockery showed in her eyes. "Is there any need in a place where death can come at any moment? It won't be too late to exchange names after we clear the instance."
The classic round of introductions never happened.
Si Yehan didn't care either way. He wouldn't hide his name. Their earlier conversation had already mentioned that killing someone in an instance wouldn't trigger the humorous event of the victim turning into a ghost and coming after the killer's life. There was no point lying about his name to a group of people who were about to die.
Besides, a false name wasn't very useful. With enough connections, someone could be identified by appearance alone.
The earlier information had also revealed that participants could use the power of ghosts in the outside world, so there would be no shortage of connections.
The burly man patted the male student on the shoulder and said to everyone, "Come on, let's enter the village."
The journey along the mountain path was somewhat rough. The ground was muddy, and gusts of chilly wind enveloped them in cold.
Birds among the trees flapped their wings, their eyes glinting red as they watched the group of eight.
A stone stele stood at the entrance to the village, bearing the words "Wang Family Village."
The village lanes were narrow, and every household had vivid red couplets pasted up. The red on them had yet to dry and looked like paint.
The houses were crowded together. An old man stood at the front, hunched over as though he had been waiting there for a long time. His skin-and-bones frame had a sickly air about it.
Amid so many houses, a towering structure stood out, four or five stories taller than the surrounding buildings.
The words "Elder Care Tower" were written in flowing, vigorous strokes on a golden plaque, the characters scarlet. The windows were shut tight, making it difficult for any outside light to penetrate. The tower had an eerie air about it, and its walls were painted vermilion.
Beside the tower stood a three-story building that appeared to be a residence.
The old man wore a set of shabby clothes, though they were still modern in style.
Behind him stood two broad, burly farmhands. Both were bare-chested and wore black trousers, their somewhat vicious gazes fixed on the group of eight.
The burly man said in a low voice, "Sir, do you know where we can find the head of Wang Family Village? Our group was out exploring for fun, but we lost our tents and had no choice but to come to your village to ask for lodging."
The old man was lifeless from head to toe. In a dry, hoarse voice, he said, "I am the head of Wang Family Village. I knew about your arrival long ago. Some villagers saw you out in the wild. Since no strangers have come to the village for many years, I specifically brought people here to wait for you. As for lodging, you can stay in that three-story building. There are enough rooms for all eight of you."
The old village chief was gaunt, but the fingers he pointed at the three-story building beside the Elder Care Tower were fleshy and seemed somewhat swollen compared to his frame.
The ponytailed woman smiled. "Then thank you, sir."
With that, the group of eight headed toward the building beside the tower.
Si Yehan observed the Elder Care Tower. It stood out so conspicuously that it was surely connected to the crying in the village.
The eight gradually walked away. When they disappeared around a bend, one of the farmhands beside the old village chief said, "Village chief, these people have finally come. According to the wandering expert, once we sacrifice a group of fated people, we can tear down this tower, and the village will prosper."
The old village chief clasped his hands behind his back and headed toward his residence. "It's time for the century-old grudge to end. Everything is for the village's continued survival."