Chapter 69.1 Crazy Love Season
A new CP emerged, providing fresh points of interest at last!
The live chat buzzed with activity. Previously, many viewers felt trapped behind the Ghost Gate and resorted to expressing themselves through the official website’s comment section. As the gate opened, the first group of monsters began using the live chat.
The busier the live chat, the quieter the village entrance grew.
Staring at the hand holding the handkerchief smeared with makeup powder, Wen Shi, who had a heart that was as calm as still water when it came to matchmaking, showed a strange expression.
“Is this job really necessary?”
Wen Shi struggled to understand the source of the host’s determination.
Every player went quiet, confronted by this fresh new pair. They simply felt that no matter what happened in the future, they wouldn’t be surprised anymore.
The scarecrow quietly shifted in front of the host.
The host, showing a cold and grim smile, shared a view with the program viewers: the scarecrow must have been blinded by resentment at the Ghost Gate to actually sympathize with a special guest.
It had not even left until now. No one knew what it was up to.
Snap.
The distance was too short, and the scarecrow’s hand-waving was lightning fast, catching everyone off guard with this abrupt move.
Anyway, the outcome was that the host received a solid slap.
The players who were sure that nothing would surprise them anymore: “……”
What the hell!
It scared them to death!
Wen Shi had only seen such a scene in melodramatic TV shows, and he too was stunned for a few seconds.
The scarecrow remained calm the entire time. Just as the host was about to burst into anger, it jotted down four words: all for the show.
The host’s breath was immediately caught in his chest!
The scarecrow’s words were straightforward, and the live chat was equally straightforward, urging the host to retaliate quickly. They loved watching it.
Wen Shi asked earnestly, “Are you planning to fight on my behalf?”
Could he watch this for free?
It wasn’t a fight, but it also wasn’t not a fight. The host hadn’t stooped so low as to engage in a brawl for a guest, so he swallowed his frustration.
The grand spectacle of the tug-of-war game hadn’t arrived, leaving Wen Shi slightly disappointed.
Ji Yuanzhi smoothed things over with a question, “What’s the next segment?”
The host perked up at Ji Yuanzhi’s words, “Free activity.”
Amid the skeptical looks from the crowd, the host further explained, “Our game primarily takes place during the day. Since this is the last day of filming, the production team has arranged for everyone to gather tonight and enjoy the final moments of happiness.”
The phrase “final moments of happiness,” when spoken by him, took on a different meaning.
“Let’s enter the village.” Amid the silence, Liu Yun spoke up.
The task prompt hadn’t sounded yet, and even though they were at the village gate, it didn’t fulfill the requirement of returning to the village.
Talking was easy, but nobody took a step forward. The village ahead was devoid of any lights. Rain from last night had left indelible streaks of corpse oil on the rubble, reflecting a glimmering ripple under the blood moon. Due to the elevated village entrance, when they looked down, Sealed Coffin Village, nestled in the lower terrain, resembled a coffin. As for them, it seemed more like they were descending into a tomb than returning to the village.
The first to take a step was Wen Shi. After all, there weren’t any other options. He decided to go in first and figure things out later.
Liu Yun followed closely, unable to resist reaching for the silver whip at her waist, just in case some monster suddenly appeared.
“Strange.” She looked around, the entire village was too quiet, not a single ghost in sight.
The moment they entered, Wen Shi heard the completion sound for the side quest, with the reward indicating it would be given later.
He raised an eyebrow. It seemed the game was still considering the feasibility of substituting rewards with the video.
Being exposed out in the open wasn’t a good idea. They needed a place to settle. Several people looked at Wen Shi, clearly considering Red Jacket Lady’s house.
However, Wen Shi had a different idea and pointed towards the deformed man, “Let’s go to his place.”
It was hard to say how many ghosts might be in a house that had three entrances and three exits. Especially during this unusual time, the strength of these filthy things might have increased. As a poor villager, the deformed man’s strength was average, and his house wasn’t very big, so going there seemed safer.
How did he get involved and end up unable to shake it off? The deformed man regretted it immensely.
“Choose,” Wen Shi heartlessly said, “Either we all awkwardly stand outside together, or we all go inside together.”
Going alone couldn’t handle a group attack, so the deformed man chose the latter.
For a moment, he seemed to have aged ten years. He hunched over as he led the way.
Every household’s door was tightly shut. The livestock they raised had all been taken to the Ghost Market during the day. Now, in Sealed Coffin Village, apart from the villagers, there were no other living creatures. Mist from the mountains began to spread towards the village, within the ethereal mist, appeared at least dozens of vague silhouettes, moving towards the village.
“Quick,” Tian Wanling noticed something amiss behind them, “something’s coming!”
A’Sang pointed directly at the third shabby house in the front row, “It’s that one.”
He still remembered where the deformed man lived.
The mist surged like a tsunami, unusually fast in its invasion. The stench of decay hit first. For those players with heightened senses, it was like a ghost creeping up from behind.
As soon as the deformed man opened the door, Tian Wanling rushed in first.
A large blade swept through!
The creature behind the door held a massive knife. Its sesame-sized pupils glinted red, and the blade directly sheared off nearly half the skull, sending a whole black ponytail flying into the air.
Liu Yun acted quickly, before the blade could descend again, her whip snaked around Tian Wanling’s slim waist, pulling her out.
The cracked open head turned into a miniature fountain, spurting blood.
Tian Wanling didn’t scream. Leaning against Liu Yun’s body, she struggled to remain standing. She frantically stuffed cotton into her head, finally producing a large black cloth and a thick needle. With precision, the thick needle wove in and out, stitching the cloth’s edge to the remaining scalp. The stitches formed lines resembling twisted worms.
The creature behind the door didn’t come out. It simply stared coldly.
Tian Wanling was in so much pain that her vision blurred. She downed a potion hastily, her delicate frame trembling uncontrollably.
“Scared me to death,” she finally managed to speak a complete sentence.
“……” Wen Shi gazed at the girl with the incomplete head, “You’re scaring us too.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Tian Wanling’s current state was far scarier than the monster.
The deformed man touched his own large head and, by comparison, suddenly found his head quite beautiful.
“My skill is【Fabric Crafting】.” Tian Wanling looked at Wen Shi. “Didn’t you share an instance with Luo Xiao? My skill is the same as hers, but my level is much higher.”
Belonging to the same guild, she had paid special attention to the ancient castle instance.
Wen Shi was intrigued by this skill and planned to take some time to learn more about it.
Danger from behind was getting closer, and they had to enter the house now.
Zhou Lulu: “Let me try.”
Tian Wanling was still alive, indicating that the death rules weren’t too strict. The triggers were nothing more than pushing the door, gender, and… as she stepped inside, the knife-wielding monster didn’t attack.
Zhou Lulu turned around and said, “Don’t step over the threshold with your left foot.”
Tian Wanling’s tears were on the verge of falling. This was just too unlucky.
Perhaps haunted by a psychological shadow, she hesitated outside for a while and ended up being the last one to enter.
Once she entered, Wen Shi promptly closed the door. He turned around, and Tian Wanling discreetly slipped a piece of cloth into his hand.
Wen Shi raised his right eyebrow, not immediately looking at the cloth. Instead, he coldly stared at the deformed man.
“I’m not hiding anyone.” The deformed man had no idea why there was now a blade-wielding monster in his house.
The hunting attempt had failed. The monster looked at Wen Shi, gestured to its neck, and left with a chilling smile.
“It’s a program viewer.” The malice was solely directed at him. Wen Shi quickly realized it, then added after a bit of deduction, “If I’m not mistaken, the program viewers are hiding in various corners of the village, waiting for us to trigger the death rules. Those lingering outside are ghosts that don’t watch the show but are also seeking prey.”
Tian Wanling glanced at the cameras. “So, there’s no point in hiding?”
“The program viewers have several restrictions when it comes to killing us. The real problem lies with these things outside.” Wen Shi walked to the window. In a short period, the entire village transformed into a paradise where monsters and demons frolicked.
The game wouldn’t be so merciless. The audience surely couldn’t reveal their locations to the ghostly non-viewers. Otherwise, no one would stay safely in the cabin.
Conversely, the ghostly non-viewers might not even need to adhere to the rules when killing players.
Playing dual roles, the host-candidate commented while addressing the camera, “What a shame, the fan who just left almost got to take a special guest with them.”
His eyes were full of longing, as if taking someone away implied a journey to a beautiful life.
Wen Shi spoke coolly, “Aren’t controlled cutting weapons prohibited during the recording?”
The host grinned, “Darling, we just encountered a casual fan who isn’t under contract. They don’t need to follow that rule.”
The scarecrow sneaked into the kitchen in the dark, staring at the kitchen knife, contemplating the likelihood of successfully slicing off the host’s head halfway.
A’Sang held a bowl, pondering a similar question.
Program viewers couldn’t reveal their positions, but it didn’t mean those ghostly non-viewers couldn’t sense them.
The aura of living flesh and blood was hard to conceal from them.
The coldness around the house intensified. Through the window, Wen Shi watched as more and more monsters appeared.
The room fell into an eerie silence. Everyone held their breath, not daring to make a sound, lest they attract whatever was outside.
Wen Shi was lost in thought too.
Program viewers hiding in various corners, waiting for prey, and the monsters emerging from the Ghost Gate–combining these two factors, staying in the village meant certain death.
Ensuring no one was watching, he discreetly unfolded the cloth strip. His gaze trembled slightly as he read the blood-written words on it: “The scarecrow’s soul and body seem out of sync.”
The【Fabric Crafting】 skill had reached its highest level, allowing the creation of vessels for souls to inhabit. Tian Wanling possessed a heightened perception of all soul containers. She vaguely sensed that the scarecrow’s body and soul were forcefully fused, with a significant gap in between.
Quietly putting away the cloth, Wen Shi recalled the moment when the scarecrow’s attitude changed.
Outside, the monsters caught wind of the scent of fresh meat and gathered around the dilapidated house.
Suddenly, Wen Shi asked the host, “What time is it now?”
The host adjusted his voice and said sweetly, “Call me darling.”
“…Darling, what time is it now?”
Wen Shi’s speechless expression brought delight to the viewers currently watching the show. Finally, after two days of frustration, they felt a hint of sweetness.
Only then did the host show a satisfied smile. “It’s one-forty in the morning.”
In the kitchen, the scarecrow’s eyeball seemed to darken as the day grew dim.
He saw it!
The moment the clock struck, Wen Shi saw the glint of light flashing in the other party’s eyes. The last time he saw such a glint was when Wen Shi used Jian Qingrong’s hand to kill the factory manager.
Unaware that he had made it onto Wen Shi’s assassination list, the host continued to perform for the camera, “The love story of this couple has just begun. Please don’t leave, feel free to share your requests in the live chat.”
Ignoring the boastful host, Wen Shi walked expressionless over to Ji Yuanzhi’s side and spoke a few words in an ultra-low voice.
“Is there a way to do it?” Wen Shi asked.
Ji Yuanzhi pondered for a moment and then sighed, “I’ll give it a try.”
The conversation between them lasted no more than five seconds. Wen Shi then beckoned A’Sang over, and the child followed his instructions, jumping out of the window. When he returned, his bowl was half-filled with corpse oil.
It had been raining recently. Outside the house, water collected in the barrel and between the old roofs, creating several puddles.
Wen Shi took out the【Eternal Lamp】from his backpack, poured the corpse oil into it, and then ignited it using a fire source from the kitchen.
“Note: You have successfully lit the Eternal Lamp. Remaining illumination time: forty-five minutes.”
“Note: The Eternal Lamp is imbued with countless restless souls’ corpse oil and can only be ignited once. If forcibly lit a second time, the restless souls will claim your life.”
Calling it an eternal lamp when it didn’t even last an hour made Wen Shi feel embarrassed about it.
The moment the flames appeared, a male player exclaimed, “Put it out! Are you crazy?”
“It was a gift from my ‘late wife’,” Wen Shi said softly, “The scent it emits when burning helps to confuse our presence.”
Once he mentioned it, everyone sensed the strange odor in the room. It felt as though a blob of fatty meat had been shoved down their throats. Players covered their mouths and noses, suppressing the urge to gag.
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