Chapter 73 Crazy Love Season
His logic, with a 100% success rate and a 100% fatality rate, confused people even more. No player present dared to put it into practice. Not to mention anything else, where could he have found a valid doctor’s identity?
As the world spun around them, players were more concerned about what to do next. Each person was like a fragile boat, trying to find something to hold onto.
Wen Shi moved closer to the host step by step.
Unlike the castle master, the host’s breakdown wasn’t due to a shattered worldview. It was merely a shift in his career path, so he lacked the same destructive impact the Earl had when he went insane and couldn’t recognize his loved one.
Feeling a presence nearing, the host cautiously lifted his eyelids. However, upon looking up, he saw Wen Shi’s encouraging smile. “I am with you.”
Something went wrong with Mirage Landscape. Everyone got flustered–the special guests, the candidates, and even the crew, all were in a scramble. Only the young man with cat ears remained steady, moving closer to him amid the crumbling world.
“The world might waver, but our love for our work won’t!”
The player, who had protested against the 996 work culture in the previous instance, was currently displaying an unwavering passion for his job. This kind of motivational talk had no use for others, but for the host, who was also burning the candle at both ends with his work, it felt like finding a kindred spirit amidst the vastness.
Standing by the host’s side, Wen Shi finally felt safe.
The game wouldn’t easily kill off key NPCs. Even though the castle master had gone crazy, the game kept him alive. The host had even less reason to die.
Getting closer meant a better chance of survival!
Wen Shi looked at the host. His long and scarred cat tail was wrapped around the scarecrow.
After the host chopped off half of its wings with a propeller, the mini scarecrow could only fly low. The wind in the city was wild, without the cat tail holding it down, it might have been blown away long ago. The tail avoided the damaged rear wing and moved more flexibly than imagined. It gently touched the scarecrow’s head, offering comfort.
Nearby, Ji Yuanzhi also moved towards the crew. His glasses were askew from the intense shaking. Inadvertently witnessing this scene, he couldn’t help but sigh. This person might’ve been a circus performer in a past life, handling a coiling snake with finesse.
Suddenly, Ji Yuanzhi spotted a black dot ahead and shouted, “Get on the car!”
Roads and buildings were collapsing, the world crumbling into black-and-white snowflake patterns. Only the area around the hearse ahead remained in color.
The hearse that players had discarded ahead was now a raft. Everyone stumbled towards it. The lightning above was thick and long, staying longer than natural laws allowed. The sky seemed like a gaping maw, ready to devour everything below at any moment.
After a difficult approach, they finally got close and found two hearses parked by the roadside.
One was the burnt hearse they had originally ridden, while the other was completely intact.
“Dad,” A’Sang poked his head out of the window of the good hearse.
Through the transparent window, one could see there was only him inside.
Just as Wen Shi was about to speak to A’Sang, there was a sudden ‘ding’ in his ear.
“Where are the others?” Sun Geng ran over at the same time, urgently asking.
Seeing Wen Shi in a good mood, A’Sang answered reasonably, tapping the side of his bowl. “They appeared with a snap, then disappeared with another snap.”
Described vividly.
Sun Geng sighed in relief. If their loved ones were illusions, they had already escaped the choice. If they were real, they were probably safe now, at least not in the collapsing Mirage Landscape.
“Come down quickly,” he shouted, “switch to another car.”
Regardless of their choice, players originally had to leave in the burnt hearse. Only that car could take them out.
A’Sang looked at Wen Shi and followed his gaze. Wen Shi had already prepared to get off from the front door of the car at some point. Nearby, Liu Yun grabbed him and said, “Not this one.”
Wen Shi knew it wasn’t.
He turned his head, reminding the other of something, “Liu Yun had received a notification banning her from entering the instance.”
Liu Yun paused, suddenly realizing. “Doesn’t that mean…”
Wen Shi nodded.
Even if they didn’t jumped into the coffin and stayed in the village, they might still get dragged inside the Ghost Gate through some means. This was a trap set by the game from the start, just with some unexpected twists.
Wen Shi sighed. “To be precise, maybe you won’t come down, as the game is merely ensuring comprehensive readiness. But I must.”
Liu Yun was puzzled.
“There’s a quest, telling me to get on this car.”
The others definitely didn’t receive it, otherwise, Sun Geng wouldn’t have had A’Sang switch cars, and Liu Yun wouldn’t have stopped him.
Tian Wanling and the others had already boarded the burnt hearse. No idea what they were hesitating about, they urged, “Hurry up!”
Liu Yun glanced at Wen Shi, and the latter shrugged. “You go ahead.”
For a solo quest, having others stay behind wouldn’t be of much help. Most importantly, the car he was getting on was extraordinary. It could possibly lead to two different places. Entering without receiving the mission was a self-destructive path.
“Be careful,” Liu Yun naturally understood this and cautioned as she turned around, jumping onto another car.
When the players on the car saw only Liu Yun, they were about to call out to Wen Shi, but one of them stopped them and explained, “Pei Wenwei has a solo side quest.”
The road section where the hearse was stationed wasn’t too shaky. Just as Wen Shi was about to board, he noticed a figure following behind—the host.
“The car coming from behind the water curtain will lead to the second section of the passage to the underworld,” the host asked as he came up, “What are you going there for?”
Except for him, the rest of the crew had already boarded the burnt hearse.
“I have something to take care of.” Wen Shi was curious about the host’s reason for following.
As if aware of his doubts, the host spoke up, “Within my capabilities, I’ll ensure your safety.”
The amplified words echoed in his ears.
The host removed the newly replaced microphone from his collar and spoke in a normal tone, “Only if you stay alive…”
Wen Shi took over with a hard-to-express expression, “Can I continuously provide firsthand information about Frank Hospital?”
The host nodded. That was exactly the point.
Faced with such a straightforward response, Wen Shi wanted to say something but struggled to find the words. He had never seen someone so obsessed with work, bordering on pathological.
Big Eye held the same confusion. Selling oneself and even helping someone count money after being sold, the host was truly unparalleled.
“Dad,” the overlooked A’Sang ran over from the back row.
Wen Shi couldn’t be bothered to delve into the host’s psyche. The core data of NPCs was game-design-based, which meant that even though these ghosts and monsters might be powerful, their adaptability was inferior to that of an average human. He held the child and sat in the first row.
The hearse door closed slowly, the front lights blinked red, and soon they were smoothly moving on the road. Sitting inside, they hardly felt the jolts from the uneven road.
“Comfortable.” Wen Shi, who had been nauseous from motion sickness for a while, let out a sigh.
Compared to the drifting hearse, the one they were on now followed proper driving standards, even having a driver.
The driver was a dough person slightly over one meter tall, with a meticulously crafted lifelike face. Maybe due to the dough’s soft texture, its face lacked the usual NPC grotesqueness, instead exuding a strong sense of artistry.
The two hearses set off almost simultaneously, not too far apart. Passengers could see each other.
Players looked at Wen Shi with concerned eyes. Just as danger was averted, he was given a side quest. No matter how one looked at it, it seemed like the game was trying to trip him up.
Wen Shi himself took it easy. He opened the window and said, “Remember to pick me up from up there.”
The reward for the task【Crazy Dice】 was an Advanced Eternal Lamp, which could confuse ghostly perception for a longer time. Since he hadn’t received the item, it must have been given to the players who were leaving. Today, Sealed Coffin Village was crawling with ghosts, and without the Eternal Lamp, getting out would be tough. He needed someone to pick him up from the graveyard.
Across from him, Ji Yuanzhi made an ‘ok’ gesture.
Where they had initially entered, a phantom gate appeared. The gate’s form solidified visibly and transformed into a large gate woven from countless red spiderwebs. The hearse the players were on suddenly sped up, and the red gate opened from the side. The car charged through it with gusto. When it was Wen Shi’s turn, the red gate turned black and rotated to open in a different direction.
The preceding car was headed toward the light. When the door opened, white light spilled in. The subsequent one, however, was heading into darkness. As the last bit of the car’s tail passed through the black door, the whole world abruptly fell into profound silence.
The noises from the engine, tires, wind, and even the sounds produced during regular vehicle operation had all disappeared.
In this hushed state, whether it was a hearing issue or not, Wen Shi couldn’t even hear the sound of his own breathing.
Having narrowly escaped an instance collapse a few minutes ago, the sudden arrival of this stillness didn’t affect him much. Wen Shi was busy using the time to review the quest details.
During the system announcement just now, he was struggling to steady himself, so he didn’t catch some of the details.
【Special Quest: Sealing the Coffin
This is a gate that should not be opened. On July 16th at midnight, the Ghost Gate will reseal, and the two coffins at the entrance and exit will merge into one.
Please find the hidden World Shard on your way to the underworld and use it to seal the Ghost Gate.
Note that due to the shard’s detachment from the world’s will, the game cannot perceive it, hence no further useful information can be provided.】
The final sentence of the hint carried a faint sense of resentment.
Couldn’t sense the presence of this shard?
Interesting.
Wen Shi raised an eyebrow. So, the game not only lost its own stuff but couldn’t find it either? Then he noticed he had twelve crystal-like long nails in his backpack, along with a small hammer.
Wen Shi couldn’t help the twitch at the corner of his mouth. Finding a shard, sealing a coffin and then nailng it shut? Why did this process sound so much like patching? Or more like the old-school manual patching.
With the details confirmed, he finally had the mood to observe the surroundings.
Wen Shi inquired of the only entity present with knowledge about the underworld, “You mentioned earlier that this car would lead to the second section of the passage to the underworld. What does that mean?”
The host looked disdainful. “Ignorant, you don’t even know this, yet you dare to randomly board the car.”
But he enjoyed showing off his knowledge, his pointed chin raised with extreme arrogance. “To reach the Ghost Gate, you have to pass through three sections: Mirage Landscape, Fierce Ghost Highway, and Watchtower Mountain. We will soon enter the Fierce Ghost Highway.”
Inside the lit car, the host wiped the dust off his face with a cloth. As if he suddenly remembered something, his gaze somewhat unfocused.
Wen Shi caught his subtle expression and timely used an admiring tone, “You’re very knowledgeable.”
The host didn’t shy away from compliments and continued, “In fact, a long time ago, there weren’t these sections. It was only later that someone forcibly opened an entrance into the Ghost Gate.”
Skilled in psychological prompts, Wen Shi threw out a bait to keep the conversation going, “I’ve heard that the underworld is more suited for ghosts to live in.”
This was an information bought from the deformed man back in the Ghost Market.
The host continued, “The underworld is also called ‘Mirrored Blossoms, Moonlit Waters,’ which essentially means fleeting illusion. Give ghosts some hallucinogens, let them float around in addiction, and then voluntarily trap themselves in it.”
“……” You really know how to use metaphors.
“Exactly what happened has been sealed by the authorities. I’ve heard from senior colleagues at the main station that a cunning human at that time managed to turn the trapped ghosts to his side. With their help, he forcibly carved an opening. In the end, he even took away a portion of the ghosts,” the host’s tone turned sharp and cold again, “Ha, a bunch of idiots. They actually risked their lives for a human, and they got brainwashed.”
Wen Shi and Big Eye blinked simultaneously.
The host reached a point where he felt something was off. Before he could deeply contemplate it, Wen Shi quickly asked, “And then? Where did they go?”
In the silent car, the host suddenly wore an oddly eerie expression as he gazed at him. Just as Wen Shi was about to break out in goosebumps, the host coolly spoke, “Do you know how Frank Hospital came about?”
At that moment of losing control over his expression, Wen Shi blurted out, “Isn’t Frank Hospital known for its long history?”
The host responded casually, “It’s merely located in a past time node, no need to be so surprised.”
Past, present… Wen Shi finally realized a question. To these NPCs, returning to the past was perfectly normal.
It was like a livestream of time travel. For them, going back in time was far from extraordinary.
He murmured, “Can the past be changed?”
“It’s not about changing. It’s about creating history.” The host’s tone grew a bit impatient. “He simply returned to the past and founded a hospital. The ghosts are in the hospital, fundamentally still imprisoned. However, most ordinary people certainly couldn’t achieve this. The reason that human managed it is because among his followers are true spirits.”
Wen Shi refrained from further questions, and the car fell into silence once again.
“Dad,” A’Sang called out with some concern.
Wen Shi realized he had been holding his arms around him too tightly and loosened his grip.
After a while, he finally snapped back to reality and muttered to himself, head lowered, “That’s why there are those two rules. Generous and kind, must admit any patient encountered…”
On the wall of Frank Hospital’s office hung the ironclad rules every employee had to abide by. He had even used those regulations to threaten A’Ao before.
The initial purpose of the hospital, indeed, was to provide a home for those ghosts and monsters. But why did it turn into what it was now? Director A’Ao wasn’t human, so he couldn’t have been the original founder.
Wen Shi’s fingers clenched bit by bit, eventually even his knuckles made a cracking sound.
Seeing him lost in thought, Big Eye poked Wen Shi’s dimple with the tip of its wing. However, Wen Shi remained absorbed in his memories. “Rule number three: Friendship Day, every 16th of the month is Friendship Day.”
The Ghost Gate open on the fifteenth of the seventh month and close on the following day.
Monsters embraced human friendship, escaping the underworld on the fifteenth, obtaining a new life on the sixteenth–Friendship Day.
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