Qin Manjiang had figured everything out, including... the requirements for this Ghost Story Game that followed the Opening Lines.
[Tomorrow afternoon at five.] [Arrive at White Dew Bay on time and head to Butterfly Island.] [No time limit. You may not leave the island until you have solved the Butterfly Island Ghost Story.] [Late arrivals will be deemed to have failed the game.] [Those who leave the island will be deemed to have failed the game.] [Those who die will be deemed to have failed the game.] [Failure means elimination.]
They had all been deceived. They had been deceived from the very beginning.
Since arriving late meant elimination, the fact that they had not been eliminated seemed to mean they had indeed reached Butterfly Island.
But the game's requirements said to arrive at White Dew Bay on time and head to Butterfly Island.
There was no trap in that sentence at all. They simply had not realized...
The arrival deadline applied only to White Dew Bay. As for Butterfly Island... they only had to head there.
The Vengeful Ghost Boatman's wooden boat had stopped when the Boatman himself disappeared.
And at that point, whether it was Qin Manjiang, Yan Xiao, or the other four who had arrived earlier, they had all instinctively assumed that since the boat had stopped and an unfamiliar place had appeared, they had reached Butterfly Island.
They were wrong...
Qin Manjiang turned and hurriedly shouted to Yan Xiao, "Get to the water! Find that wooden boat! Leave this place! This isn't Butterfly Island! Reaching Butterfly Island is our path to survival!"
He had barely finished speaking when an enormous arm descended from the sky and seized him in a crushing grip.
The immense pressure instantly suffocated Qin Manjiang. Bloody foam spilled from his mouth;