Crossroads

However, the child did not continue that story, but abruptly began to sing something else.

"Ten little nigger boys went out to dine."

"One choked his little self and then there were nine."

"Nine little nigger boys sat up very late."

"One overslept himself and then there were eight."

Why was it Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes again?

Zhou You frowned, but still followed the instructions in the song, lifted his legs, and jumped out.

After that, the child sang a dozen more songs in succession, though they were mostly well-known "dark nursery rhymes" from around the world. However, the tempo grew faster and faster, making it increasingly difficult for Zhou You to keep up.

Fortunately, he managed to hold on.

But just as he was about to reach the exit, the child's voice suddenly changed again.

This time, however, the sound that rang out was no longer a solo—the grotesque faces on the walls suddenly broke free from their constraints and began to sing along with him.

The nursery rhyme instantly became chaotic and terrifying. Every sound felt like it had taken on physical form, forcibly squeezed into his ears. Just a few lines were enough to trigger a strong urge to vomit.

"All the children were taken there."

"That is the mansion of The Master."

"The house is dark and lightless, with bloodstains everywhere."

"Even the solemn Bodhisattva Statue has been draped in a deep crimson cloak."

"The children are so frightened by the sight that they weep incessantly."

"Yet, at this very moment."

"They suddenly hear a voice say."

"Do not be afraid, do not be afraid at all."

"Because very soon, we shall become one."

As the deafening chorus ceased, the system prompt rang out.

You have suffered erosion, sanity damaged, current sanity 80/100.

Damn it, the difficulty increased? And you didn't even give a warning??

Zhou You gritted his teeth, enduring the dazed sensation caused by the loss of sanity. Just as the time limit was about to expire, he found a head painted with a fused body and jumped onto it.

"After this."

"The Master finally received the reward he had long awaited."

"But this is still not enough."

"It will never be enough."

"So if no more are found."

"Then the next one will be himself."

--You have suffered erosion, sanity damaged, current sanity 75/100.

The dazed feeling grew more severe. Zhou You felt as if he were hallucinating again—he saw layers of rotting flesh emerging in the alley, piling up layer by layer until they formed a bizarre face.

For some reason, he felt that face was somewhat familiar, but there was no time to think about it now. He scanned his surroundings and finally found the "Master" that matched—an image of a chubby wealthy man—and hurriedly jumped down.

The exit of the alley was within reach, but it was clear that the other side did not want him to escape so easily, so the final nursery rhyme began.

"And so the children grew fewer and fewer."

"Until one day, there was no way to continue."

"The Master could only set a fire, destroying all the evidence."

"But things will not end just like this."

"So, who is next?"

The voice paused, and then the child, the faces, the walls, and even the floor began to laugh hysterically in unison.

"It's you, it's you, it's you!"

The singing was like a tsunami, nearly scrambling his brains. Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible for an ordinary person to escape, but Zhou You suddenly grinned.

Although it was often overlooked and forgotten, he possessed a skill that ignored sanity loss.

"Wuwo Ruding, activate."

His muddled mind returned to normal. Zhou You took a quick glance, immediately locked onto his target—a face that belonged to himself—and leaped with all his might!

Immediately, the surroundings fell into an instant silence.

Zhou You turned around and discovered that all the faces had retracted, and the alley had returned to its pitch-black state.

The child standing on the other side also stopped singing; although the cruel smile was gone from its face, there were no other expressions either. It merely looked at Zhou You indifferently for a moment, and as the wind blew, it dissipated like ash.

"Congratulations to the player for completing the side quest: Escape."

"The player has obtained a green temporary talent: Basic Acting."

"Effect: During interactions with others, you can use acting to forcibly conceal your emotional fluctuations, preventing the other party from becoming suspicious of you."

<Deceiving people is a discipline, and deceiving ghosts is an even greater one; for now, you have only learned the basics.>

"Game progress has been saved automatically."

"The night patrol mission is now half complete. Please continue your efforts, player, and strive to finish this scenario as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this voice, Zhou You did not feel relieved; instead, his expression turned rather strange.

The mission is indeed complete now, but the problems that come with it are only increasing.

First, the identity of The Master should be confirmed; he is the Liu Family Richest Man in this city and the mastermind behind all of this, but as a human, how exactly did he create this scenario?

Second, what was the voice the children heard in the mansion? Is it related to the Bodhisattva Statue? And what does it mean to "merge into one"?

Third, The Master seems to have obtained some reward through those children, but why did he later say that if he didn't find more, the next sacrifice would be himself?

There are many more clues now, but unfortunately, as mentioned before, there is still no key point to connect them all together.

It seems the further I go, the more this scenario reveals—forget it, I can't figure it out on my own anyway, so I might as well continue this patrol.

Thinking of this, Zhou You looked ahead.

Beyond the alley was a crossroads.

According to the patrol map, no matter which direction one takes at this intersection, it leads to the final destination, Chang Song Slope. It looks very simple and has no special markings, but...

This is clearly asking me to gamble on luck, isn't it?

One path forward, one to the left, one to the right; choose one of the three intersections and bet on whether you can pick the Life Gate.

Zhou You actually dislikes games that rely purely on luck—because for some reason, whenever he is involved in such things, his luck is always terrible—but since the opponent designed it this way, he has no choice but to comply.

"Men to the left, women to the right, and those in between go down the middle; I guess I'll... go left first."

Zhou You made his choice and walked straight in.

The night grew deeper.

In this decaying neighborhood, only the rustling sounds from the stairwells kept reaching his ears.

Having patrolled several times already, Zhou You had grown quite accustomed to the environment, so his pace was very steady, and he soon covered half the distance.

Unfortunately, how does that saying go?

Things in the world rarely go as one wishes.

Zhou You's prediction about his own luck had always been correct.

Just after turning a corner, the bell on his wrist rang out abruptly.

—And then, he saw something he absolutely did not want to see.

A woman in a white dress was sitting in the middle of the road, hugging her knees, looking as if she were crying.

But under the illumination of the streetlamp...

She had no shadow.