Update?!

Liu Xing saw Minami Kotori crouching at the edge of the Peach Tree grove, apparently holding something in her hands.

Suddenly, Liu Xing saw a mirror appear in the very center of the Peach Tree grove!

The instant the mirror appeared, Minami Kotori seemed possessed and began slowly walking toward it.

Liu Xing suddenly felt himself lose control of his body. Then "he" charged toward Minami Kotori without hesitation, and Tina and Ming Shi Xiang did the same.

As for Li Ming, Tian Dao directly scooped him up in a princess carry and ran toward Minami Kotori.

At that moment, every Player had only one thought—of course it was a Plot Kill!

Although Minami Kotori seemed to be walking very slowly in Liu Xing's eyes, and he could feel that "he" was sprinting at full speed, he always remained about a meter away from her—just beyond the reach of his hand.

Tina and Ming Shi Xiang followed closely behind Liu Xing, while Tian Dao and Li Ming, who had been the farthest away, had now caught up to his side.

Just as Liu Xing was about to grab Minami Kotori, her little hand touched the mirror. There was a flash of white light, and Liu Xing instantly lost consciousness.

When Liu Xing came to, he found that control of his body had finally returned to him. Minami Kotori was also standing quietly nearby.

"Where are we?" Ming Shi Xiang asked in confusion.

Liu Xing also noticed that something was wrong. Immortal Crane Temple, which had been bustling with people because of the Harvest Festival, was now completely silent. Other than the breathing of their group, Liu Xing could hear nothing else.

Liu Xing turned toward the Children's Lost and Found Center, only to find nothing there. Then he suddenly realized something and immediately turned to look in the opposite direction.

Sure enough, the small shed of the Children's Lost and Found Center was there. As for Brother Lei and the other staff members, they had vanished...

Moreover, beyond the boundaries of the Harvest Festival venue lay a fog with zero visibility. Clearly, those were forbidden zones that Players were not allowed to enter!

"I see." Liu Xing was now certain that he was in the Mirror World, which was why everything had been reversed from left to right.

Liu Xing also understood why the "tiger" created changgui. The "tiger" could only move about in this Mirror World, so for the sake of those delicious children—its favorite food—it went to the trouble of turning the children's relatives into changgui, then used them to lure the children into the Peach Tree grove. Finally, it used that mirror to send the children into the Mirror World, where the "tiger" could enjoy a fine meal...

"Hehe, congratulations to all Players for completing the first phase of the mission. Now for the second phase, and also your final mission in this Advancement Game: escape the Mirror World!" Kpcao, who had been disconnected for quite a while, had finally reconnected. "All Players may now use Escape Room Time in the Mirror World, and you needn't worry about Minami Kotori overhearing you, because she lost her hearing when she entered the Mirror World."

"However, since you Players have realized that you entered the Mirror World and were stunned by such a supernatural scene, please make a delightful SAN Value Check. This time, you also don't need to make an Inspiration Check first. Just now, I received word that the Cthulhu Mythos tabletop RPG Game Hall has completed a major update. From now on, SAN Value Checks will no longer require Inspiration Checks. Aside from certain special events, Inspiration will only be used to obtain clues and information, as well as to foresee danger. The sole criterion for SAN Value Checks will be your current SAN Value." Kpcao abruptly changed the subject and dropped a bombshell: the Cthulhu Mythos tabletop RPG Game Hall had actually been updated!

This bombshell left Liu Xing dazed for a moment. Then he realized that his high Inspiration, once a double-edged sword that wounded the enemy for a thousand while hurting himself for eight hundred, had now transformed into an unparalleled fine sword!

After all, his high Inspiration had previously made Liu Xing feel like a SAN-draining maniac, because nearly every SAN-loss event would be triggered by his high Inspiration.

Liu Xing felt that triggering some SAN-loss events in Low-Level Area Cthulhu Mythos tabletop RPG games was still acceptable, since those events generally only cost one or two SAN Value points. But in high-level Cthulhu Mythos tabletop RPG games, losing more than ten SAN Value points at once would be nothing unusual. Liu Xing even suspected that he could go insane at any moment while playing in a high-level area...

But now, this update from the Cthulhu Mythos tabletop RPG Game Hall had blunted one edge of the double-edged sword that was Inspiration, greatly weakening its negative effects. It could basically ensure that Liu Xing would no longer go insane in future Cthulhu Mythos tabletop RPG games just from seeing the shadow of a plastic mannequin.

"Alright, you'll receive a Hint Message about the Cthulhu Mythos tabletop RPG Game Hall update when you return to the Real World later. You can study it at your leisure then. For now, let's continue the game. So, dear Players, please roll your dice for a SAN Value Check. On a success, lose 1 SAN Value point. On a failure, lose 1d4+1 SAN Value points." Seeing that everyone had fallen into thought because of his bombshell announcement and had forgotten they were still playing, kpcao spoke up to remind them.

Liu Xing, 24/88, success.

Tian Dao, 81/80, failure.

Li Ming, 99/76, failure.

Tina, 38/72, success.

Ming Shi Xiang, 12/77, success.

The instant the SAN Value Check results appeared, everyone looked at Li Ming in unspoken agreement. A Critical Failure on a SAN Value Check meant that Li Ming was certain to enter a Temporary Madness State...

Tian Dao, 1d4=1+1=2.

"Hehe, Liu Xing, Tina, and Ming Shi Xiang will each lose 1 SAN Value point and gain 1 point of Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge. Tian Dao loses 2 SAN Value points and gains 2 points of Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge. As for Li Ming, because he suffered a Critical Failure on his SAN Value Check, he directly loses 5 SAN Value points and gains 5 points of Cthulhu Mythos Knowledge." Kpcao said gleefully. "Since Li Ming lost 5 SAN Value points at once, he has entered a Temporary Madness State. Now, let's roll for the Temporary Madness State."

Li Ming, 9, fear!

"That's a pretty good madness state. Next, we choose the Fear Source." Kpcao chuckled.

Li Ming, 46, Fog Phobia!

PS: Due to the latest translation of the Rulebook, Inspiration's function changed drastically, which was why this version update was arranged...