Chapter 70.1 Crazy Love Season
It was not just the tone. When he sent out wedding invitations, the young man’s face also had a strange and eerie expression.
Once he finished speaking, he placed his hands on the coffin’s edge and leaped off directly. As he fell, his clothes fluttered in the wind, giving off a chilling vibe.
A’Sang and the scarecrow both jumped down afterwards. The few remaining members of the camera crew were at a loss. “What do we do now?”
Tian Wanling’s mouth twitched. “Shouldn’t we be asking you that?”
Without thinking, Wen Shi jumped off. The crew members then looked at Ji Yuanzhi. After all, he brought the chief attendant.
Ji Yuanzhi looked calmly at the candidates and said, “Go down.”
To avoid accidentally triggering the death rules, Wen Shi used the Dark Wedding as an excuse, considering it his first safety measure.
Ji Yuanzhi was about to take his second safety measure now. The candidates surely didn’t meet the requirements for entering the Ghost Gate, but because they had a contract with the show’s producers, they had no choice but to go. This situation became a paradox.
When rules weren’t enforced, breaking them became a collective act.
The candidates wanted to step back, but the outcome was similar to the previous people. They were thrown directly into the abyss.
After tossing them, Ji Yuanzhi immediately jumped down as well.
Whether or not to enter the Ghost Gate wasn’t a choice at all. The ghosts in the Sealed Coffin Village surrounded them. Continuing to struggle throughout the night would result in severe injuries even if they didn’t die.
Liu Yun followed closely, reminding the remaining people, “Hurry up.”
Losing the protection of the【Eternal Lamp】, it would be a real problem if a ghost appeared at this moment.
The others clearly considered this too, and without fearing the beginning or end, they jumped down one after another.
The graveyard that was previously somewhat noisy fell into silence again.
A comment broke the silence of the live chat: “Long time no see, someone actually took the initiative to enter the Ghost Gate. The last time I was this surprised was over a decade ago when someone forcibly broke through…”
One stone created a thousand ripples, and soon a ghost replied:
“I’m so annoyed, seriously, it’s like a nightmare!”
“Actually, for a moment, did any of you feel that this guest named Aaron and that person are a bit alike?”
“Let’s end this topic quickly! Even if they don’t die, entering the Ghost Gate will drive them half-mad. Let him die quickly.”
At this moment, Wen Shi, carrying countless curses from malevolent ghosts, was still endlessly falling. His advantage in maintaining balance with his transformed body came into play, and the sensations of weightlessness and dizziness remained manageable.
This deep, would falling down here lead to death?
While Wen Shi was seriously pondering this question, aided by his enhanced night vision, he saw numerous crimson spiderwebs. In the center of these webs stood something resembling a measuring scale. He was currently falling towards the position marked as “5000.”
His body hit the spiderweb, slowing him down. A large hole appeared in the web’s surface for a moment, followed by another round of falling and deceleration. After a while, Wen Shi attempted to touch the broken spider silk with his hand, only to find emptiness.
He vaguely had a feeling that these ethereal threads were intricately linked to him. The deeper he went, the darker the red threads became, almost turning black at the very end. It felt as if countless malevolent ghosts were howling in his ears. The scale kept diminishing, four thousand, three thousand, two thousand…
Until it sharply decreased to zero, and the whole world turned upside down.
A cold system prompt sounded in his ears:
“Detected that the production team lacks the qualifications to enter the Ghost Gate.”
“Detected that several NPCs lack the qualifications to enter the Ghost Gate.”
“Detected that all players lack the qualifications to enter the Ghost Gate.”
“Detected that some players have requested a wedding and the production team needs to record. Detected that the chief attendant is responsible for hosting the wedding. Detected that the remaining players and NPCs are wedding guests.”
The string of system announcement sounds concluded, and an even colder voice sounded solely in Wen Shi’s ear:
“Player 460872, still stuck in the loop?”
“……”
Darkness surrounded him, and this endless falling finally came to a halt. After landing, Wen Shi nervously laughed.
The broken spider silk above suddenly emitted a dim glow, coalescing in front of him into the shape of a door.
Attached to the door were nonsensical couplets: “Death awaits those who enter from the left, life greets those who exit from the right.” The horizontal inscription read ‘rebirth through death.’
Wen Shi hesitated for a moment before attempting to push open the door.
The door felt bone-chilling, almost weightless. He barely exerted any force and it opened. A light appeared ahead, and Wen Shi half-covered his eyes with his hand. When the dispersing red mist revealed the world before him, he finally understood.
“This is…”
Countless skyscrapers shot up, the tallest among them uniquely shaped and entirely azure in structure. At its summit, a semi-transparent statue of a beautiful woman with mermaid-like features was embedded, as if a mermaid was peeking above the sea’s surface.
This was the iconic landmark of Tianhai City—the Mermaid Tower. When this tower was constructed, many citizens criticized it as frightening, but after several decades, it unexpectedly became the most representative presence in the city.
“Real world?” His words trailed off, and he shook his head, self-denying.
As the most bustling city, Tianhai was far from this desolation. Looking around, the street was empty, devoid of cars and passersby. The entire city was eerily quiet, with dark clouds covering almost every corner of the sky.
After a short while, as beams of white light faded away, Ji Yuanzhi and the others also appeared, but the candidates were nowhere to be found. The production team and the chief attendant were still present, though.
“A’Sang?” Wen Shi searched for the child’s figure, and suddenly heard rustling sounds near his ear.
Thinking it was a mosquito, he reflexively raised his hand to swat it, but mid-air, a straw figure not much bigger than a palm abruptly made a sharp turn, getting closer to him and nearly touching Wen Shi’s nose.
The slender eyelashes trembled slightly as Wen Shi met the big eye. He blinked and murmured, “Jian…”
The name “Qingrong” halted abruptly due to astonishment.
The sound of straw flying was like the rustling of leaves. For some reason, the scarecrow grew a pair of bat wings.
Two small, black wings emerged from gaps in the straw, and the single eye showed some confusion. The straw shell wasn’t his true form. As Tian Wanling had said, there was a significant gap between his soul and his body. Behind the Ghost Gate, the scarecrow would manifest in a complete form, but Jian Qingrong couldn’t achieve a union of spirit and flesh, leading to this situation.
He precisely caught the single word Wen Shi had spoke, realizing his cover might be blown. He instantly understood why the other person wasn’t afraid of being rejected by the scarecrow and dared to propose marriage.
Wen Shi extended his hand, and the scarecrow with long wings attempted to settle on his soft palm, but instead, it plopped down, its big eye also bouncing.
He seemed like a hummingbird unable to touch the ground, only able to hover.
The three eyes locked gazes. Wen Shi decided to uphold the dignity of the bizarre scarecrow and refrained from laughing aloud.
“Is any equipment damaged?” The host not far away was anxiously urging the crew to check the equipment.
Just as Wen Shi glanced at it, the system notification sounded:
“Note: Player has triggered a special map—Mirage Landscape.”
“Mirage Landscape is located at the junction between the underworld and the Ghost Gate. There are twenty-one hours and thirty minutes left until the Ghost Gate closes again. Please return to the outside world through the Ghost Gate before that.”
The game evidently balanced and adjusted, not allowing this group lacking qualifications to fully enter the underworld.
Tian Wanling suddenly exclaimed, “Quick, step back!”
The crisis awareness cultivated in the instance prompted players to instinctively retreat before looking up to observe what had happened. They saw an unidentified white object falling from the sky, and their gaze followed its descent trajectory. Just before it landed, they realized it was a dice.
The dice’s surface was bouncy like jelly. It bounced a few times on the ground before stopping.
“What’s this?” Liu Yun cautiously approached, took a glance, and poked it with a fingertip, confirming it was just a soft dice.
Its edges were about a meter long, with each face alternating between a skull and a heart. The dice reflected vague silhouettes. Liu Yun lowered her head, discovering a pink number tag on her chest, marked with【3】.
Other players had similar tags, Wen Shi’s was【1】, Ji Yuanzhi’s was【2】.
Seeing these numbers on the three individuals, everyone quickly deduced they were arranged in the order they jumped from the coffins.
Liu Yun: “Later, we’ll probably have to roll the dice according to the order of our number tags.”
This was an uncertain event, and the first person to roll the dice would undoubtedly bear the risk.
Wen Shi’s face didn’t show nervousness. He asked the host, who had a resentful expression, “Don’t you find it strange?”
Beyond the Ghost Gate wasn’t some chaotic burial ground or a murky area. Instead, there appeared a world so modern.
The usually image-conscious host’s tie was crooked and twisted. He fixed his tie and pulled a smile towards the camera. “Dear viewers, we are now in Mirage Landscape. As the saying goes, you may know someone’s face, but not their heart. Here, the special guests and their matches finally have the opportunity to truly understand each other.”
The host’s dedication level exceeded everyone’s expectations.
Wen Shi locked his gaze onto him, seemingly contemplating something. When the other person turned around, he shelved his thoughts, his tone gentle as he said, “Darling, you haven’t answered me yet.”
Darling, my ass!
The host wished he could obliterate him on the spot.
After a pause, his tone carried an air of profound mystery, “The scenes in Mirage Landscape change in countless ways. Any place in the world could become a scene from here.”
Wen Shi humbly asked, “Where’s my son?”
The host smiled without saying a word.
The cameraman adjusted the angle and resumed filming.
Not directly entering the underworld, the production team was in high spirits. The host continued with his hosting lines, “Remember the vows exchanged in marriage? Regardless of life, old age, sickness, or death, everything happening here today is related to life and death.”
He walked to the dice, “Friendly reminder: it’s not easy to roll a high number. Whether you want to use it or not, please carefully consider it. Gambling comes with risks…”
Before he finished speaking, the dice was kicked into the air like a soccer ball with a foot. After tumbling a few times upon landing, it settled steadily on the number【6】.
Wen Shi: “Not easy?”
The host: “……”
Players exchanged puzzled looks.
In this unfamiliar environment, nobody expected him to roll so decisively. If it were them, they would surely hesitate a bit longer.
A ‘ding’ sounded in everyone’s ears.
【Group Quest: Crazy Dice
Players take turns rolling the dice and collectively move to corresponding locations based on the number rolled. Upon reaching a location, there’s a chance to receive corresponding rewards or punishments.
Upon circling the city, the gate you encountered when entering will reappear. Make the most of your luck and quickly open the gate to survival!
Quest Reward: Advanced Eternal Lamp. When ignited, it can obscure your presence for an extended period, helping you evade the eyes and ears of ghosts and monsters (only usable in this instance).】
After the dice landed, all players remained still in their original spots.
Circling around the city, covering a distance of about 7,100 kilometers. Walking was simply impractical. Surely there was another arrangement.
At that moment, the scarecrow suddenly descended, tugging at Wen Shi’s sleeve.
Following the inertia, Wen Shi took two steps to the side. A driverless hearse came hurtling from behind, slamming on its brakes exactly where he had just been standing.
F—ck!
Trying to kill me or what?
But with no human driver in the self-driving vehicle, he had no way to file a complaint.
The front door automatically opened. Wen Shi softly spat towards the driver’s seat as others from the group and the production team followed suit.
With the time limit, they had to ensure they got out within a day. When Wen Shi sat down, he said, “Hopefully, once everyone’s on board, this car won’t suddenly slow down to bicycle speed.”
With everyone aboard, the hearse immediately set off.
Wen Shi’s body leaned back heavily as the hearse began to drift through the city. Players had barely eaten anything yesterday, and with this sudden movement, some almost vomited bile. Without seatbelts, no one dared open the windows. At this speed, they would definitely be flung out. Wen Shi gripped the front seat tightly, hooked his tail around a nearby pole, struggling to maintain his balance.
He stared intently out of the window, catching a glimpse of calibration lines on the ground at moments. In a flash, another abrupt brake came. A male player in the front row was thrown towards the door, painfully climbing up after a hard impact. “My waist.”
The hearse finally stopped. Tian Wanling, who was already injured in the head, got off and leaned against a tree, vomiting uncontrollably.
Wen Shi’s steps also became unsteady.
Relatively speaking, the host was much steadier. Even the crew members holding cameras managed to keep themselves stable.
After getting off the car, Wen Shi took a few deep breaths. He leaned left, while the little scarecrow tried its best to pull him to the right. They swayed like a seesaw for a few moments, until finally the dizziness was relieved.
He rubbed his eyes and saw directly in front of him a thick line marked “1200”.
Calculating it that way, it was like playing a board game, where each square was equivalent to two hundred steps. With six players remaining, if lucky, they could complete one round.
Next to the calibration line were one large word: “Wedding.”
【The dice-roller must complete a wedding within half an hour. Exceeding the time limit will result in deducting one step.】
This wasn’t really a punishment or a reward. Wen Shi was here with the guise of conducting a wedding.
Eagerly, the chief attendant pushed through the crew members and approached. He needed to conduct the wedding quickly and leave this ghostly place. Managing his emotions, he looked at the shrunken scarecrow and said, “The basic procedure must go smoothly. First, go invite the elder relatives.”
The scarecrow stood silently in place.
Realizing that this thing probably had no parents, the chief attendant turned to Wen Shi. The latter shook his head, “I’m an orphan.”
The chief attendant was almost considering kneeling down for them. He said to the scarecrow, “Then go to your domain. We need a wedding venue.”
The scarecrow shook its head, emitting a dry, rustling sound, indicating that it didn’t have a domain.
Following the customs of Sealed Coffin Village, a wedding simply involved paying respects to the elders and hosting the guests, and then entering the bridal chamber. The chief attendant put on a forced smile and inquired, “May I ask what you have?”
The Orphan Grudge Duo remained silent in the wind.
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