This Isn't Right

Jiang Cheng turned his head, met the old man's gaze for a moment, then shifted his eyes away. "Grab the camera," he said to another man. "Let's go."

Just as everyone was about to step out of the courtyard gate.

"Wait."

Hearing this, everyone stopped and turned to look.

The old man walked over, leaning on his cane, holding a black bag.

"Since your camera is broken, you can use this as a substitute for now." Before the man from Room 406 could react, the old man shoved the black bag into his arms.

The man didn't understand the old man's intention and instinctively tried to push the bag away.

But the old man didn't give him a chance. He turned and shuffled back into the yard, then closed the door with a creak.

Inside the backpack was a black camera.

It was an old model, with worn edges revealing the original metal color underneath.

But thankfully, it seemed to be in working order.

Fatty, looking at the camera of unknown origin, felt a sense of resistance. "What is this? A reward for accidentally triggering a side quest?" he grumbled.

Jiang Cheng, staring at the closed courtyard gate, shook his head. "This doesn't feel like a side quest."

After all, the mission briefing had mentioned that their required equipment had already been sent to the equipment room.

So they were bound to come here.

And the previous damage to the camera was also part of the plan.

In other words, everything that had happened from the moment they entered the courtyard until now had been rehearsed.

Like the leading woman, the old man was an NPC.

His appearance was solely to deliver this camera to the players.

This was a genuine main quest.

After hearing Jiang Cheng's analysis, the man holding the camera became terrified.

His body trembled, as if he were about to drop the camera to the ground at any second.

It was as if the camera contained a malevolent spirit.

No one stepped forward to comfort him.

At this moment, Jiang Cheng walked over. He first took the camera, examined it carefully, and then put it back into the black backpack.

He then slung the bag around the man's neck and patted his shoulder. "Don't be scared. Look on the bright side. I think you'll be alright."

"Alright, alright. Now we have the camera. What's next?" Fatty pressed.

Ponytail Woman, after a moment of thought, said, "Let's just find a few people on campus and take some pictures. See if the camera works."

This was undoubtedly a smart move. After all, no one knew if the camera might be a trigger for the vengeful spirit to kill. It was best to use students as test subjects.

Coincidentally, just as they exited the equipment center, several female students walked by from the side, dressed in a very fashionable style.

The man took out the camera, knelt on one knee, and was about to take a picture of them.

"This might not be a good idea," a voice came from behind, weak and pitiful.

Everyone turned to look.

It was Sleepwear Woman.

She tucked her chin slightly, her toes together, as if she knew her suggestion might not be accepted, but she still mustered the courage to continue. "After all, they are innocent. We are the outsiders who came to this world."

The latter half of her sentence was even softer, requiring careful listening to hear.

Just as Fatty was inwardly cursing this white lotus for her acting skills, the middle-aged man in the vest, who had been hiding at the edge of the crowd, jumped out. Fatty vaguely remembered his name was Zhou Taifu.

He immediately pointed at Sleepwear Woman's nose and started yelling, his gestures as agitated as a monkey that had lost its banana.

He repeated variations of "If you want to die, die alone, don't drag others down."

It was clear that the man taking the picture was also annoyed at being interrupted.

But his attention was mostly focused on Ponytail Woman.

It seemed she was the one who could ultimately give the order.

However, Ponytail Woman didn't rush to speak. Her gaze gradually shifted to Sleepwear Woman, a fleeting look of scrutiny in her eyes.

"Gentlemen," Suit Man's voice rang out, still with his usual refined demeanor. "Now is not the time for arguments."

He emerged from the woods along a small path, with Hat Man following behind him, his face full of gloom.

Jiang Cheng looked in the direction Suit Man had come from.

The woods on this side were quite dense, and the path was hidden within them, making it quite concealed.

"We agreed to meet here at noon," Fatty started the confrontation. "Where did you guys go?"

Hat Man sneered and was about to retort when Suit Man interrupted him.

He turned his head and smiled back, "Thank you for your concern, Fatty. We ran into some trouble and just finished dealing with it before coming over. Didn't we delay the original plan?"

"Not really," Jiang Cheng replied. "It's just that you guys didn't show up on time, and we thought..." He paused, a blush creeping onto his face. "You can understand, big brother. This is the Dream Realm, anything can happen. The moment you were late, we figured you were dead."

The smile on Suit Man's face faltered.

"Don't push your luck!"

Hat Man, who looked unwell when he arrived, clearly having gone through something, rolled up his sleeves, ready to blow up upon hearing Jiang Cheng's words.

"Don't misunderstand," Jiang Cheng waved his hands frantically, immediately ducking behind Ponytail Woman. His expression was one of extreme fear as he craned his neck and shouted, "I didn't mean to insult you, I just suspected you weren't human!"

"What the hell..."

Just then, Ponytail Woman, seeing the situation spiraling out of control, had to step in.

But to everyone's surprise, she actually sided with Jiang Cheng.

She said to Suit Man and the advancing Hat Man, "I think his suspicion is reasonable. You need to prove you're not ghosts, but people."

Thanks to Brother Account Ending in 6715 for the tip!