Chapter 93.2 Crimson Sunset Expedition
After some time, the door finally opened again, and the blood-soaked figures crowded inside the narrow room scrambled out in terror.
The shocking yet fresh scent of blood made those outside think someone had died. However, the next second, five people walked out, all in orderly fashion.
Song Yan and one wormplayer had lost their eyesight. For players accustomed to gruesome scenes, this sight wasn’t much. Their surprise was that everyone had survived.
Wen Shi handed Song Yan and the wormplayer a few bottles of potions, and exchanged for bandages to wrap their eyes.
“Losing sight is inconvenient. If we manage to save up some money in the next couple of days, we’ll go to a safer cosmetic surgery clinic. If not, stick closer to me during quests.”
Qian Laiye moved over to Wen Shi’s side. “Brother, quickly tell us, what’s inside?”
The people around also perked up their ears to listen.
Wen Shi summarized, “It’s pretty much what the proprietor said. It’s a name-calling game where you can’t peek halfway through. Some players might unconsciously look at the mirror. But I think everyone will have a different experience once inside.”
The game he orchestrated was almost like roasting the newbies over a fire, with a clear purpose. If other teams chose to enter the dangerous room, they’d likely have a different experience.
Qian Laiye sounded anxious as he asked in a low voice, “Do you think I might be targeted by that thing?”
The place filled with mirrors made him very uneasy.
Wen Shi shook his head firmly.
After the escape and chase last night, he had been curious about why he was targeted prior to Qian Laiye, despite Qian Laiye being the one who discovered it first. Highlighting the difference between the two, one was indeed more prone to stirring up trouble, while another leaned toward the idea that the true spirit manifested through objects like mirrors.
This kind of understanding left the other’s discovery in a state of Schrödinger’s cat, discovered yet seemingly not discovered, without any impact on the overall course of the instance.
Wen Shi’s negative answer provided some comfort to Qian Laiye. He walked over to Li Nan’s side, preparing to enter with them later.
“Tilt your head up a bit.”
Layer by layer, the gauze wound around the back of Song Yan’s head. Even though he couldn’t see anything, it was as if there was still a thin membrane of red flesh before his eyes. Through that delicate membrane, Wen Shi in front of him gave off a sense of light.
As a straw he had grabbed onto multiple times while drowning, the dependency brought on by imitation couldn’t be shaken off at all.
【Note: ‘Song Yan’ has increased their belief in you by +1.】
“Congratulations on earning the achievement—Mud Bodhisattva.”
Wen Shi paused, then opened the attribute panel for a further look.
【Mud Bodhisattva: You’re like a completely helpless and useless statue, yet strangely possess a trace of the power of belief. When mirror-related ghosts and monsters see you, there’s a 70% chance they’ll evade you.】
Belief.
This was the first time Wen Shi had heard this term used in such a context.
Was this the unique ability of a true spirit’s incarnation? Just a single increase of a point, and he gained an achievement.
So, was Jian Qingrong truly a true spirit’s incarnation?
He had saved Song Yan, and Song Yan had repaid him with a one-percent increase in belief. He had saved Jian Qingrong… and Jian Qingrong had responded with a hundred percent warning level of favorability.
“Indeed, my Big Sister is right,” Wen Shi sighed inwardly as he tied the knot in the gauze. Only those who got such reaction when their chin was prodded with the tip of a sword were a bit twisted. He decided he should buy a book on moral and ethical cultivation for the mini scarecrow to read more.
The proprietor waited at the door. Everyone could only proceed to the Spirit Summoning after completing the “Mirror Person” stage.
During this time, Wen Shi observed the expression of the tour guide. The fact that Song Yan survived and got his eyes injured didn’t seem to stir any emotions in her. It seemed that the tour guide was unaware of these details.
Wen Shi found a spot to sit cross-legged and ponder.
If the Mirror Person was indeed one of the players who had perished, and she had a new player identity like Song Yan, could she also have been one of the incarnations of the true spirit? Creating so many incarnations, subjecting them to bullying—what kind of sadistic pleasure was this?
On this point, Wen Shi didn’t compare Jian Qingrong with them.
Jian Qingrong’s role as a specimen was unfortunate, but he possessed a spirit of resistance that neither newbies nor the Mirror Person had. If Wen Shi hadn’t ultimately manipulated Jian Qingrong’s favorability, the world of that instance might have collapsed.
The proprietor replaced the candle, its flickering flame dancing like shadows, making it dizzying to stare at for too long.
Wen Shi closed his eyes. Too many tangled thoughts swirled in his mind, and coupled with the fact that he hadn’t fully recovered from his illness, exhaustion momentarily overwhelmed his ability to think through the issues.
He decided to take a brief rest, preparing his mind to face the next stage.
The sound of even breathing soon filled the quiet mirror room.
After being noticed, a player murmured in astonishment, “How carefree can someone be in a life-or-death situation?”
In such a critical moment, it was surprising that one could still fall asleep.
After an unknown amount of time, a cold sensation hit Wen Shi’s throat. He opened his eyes and found himself met with a teenager’s mocking expression. The latter held a steel pipe against his throat. “You’re so fond of sleeping. I can give you a permanent slumber.”
Wen Shi gripped the steel pipe, his eyes still drowsy. “Give me a hand.”
When the teenager withdrew the steel pipe, Wen Shi leaned forward and stood up. He released his grip, glancing around.
The female players in the player team were all present. Qian Laiye and Xiao Min sustained minor injuries, while Crew Cut Guy suffered quite a bit, losing half of a palm. Initially, Crew Cut Guy planned to invite another shadow along with Burnt Player to enter the Absolutely Safe Room. But seeing no one else in the team doing the same, he decided to take the Dangerous Room.
Joining the leader in the Dangerous Room ensured better safety for his life and offered a chance to slightly alter his selfish image. Why not give it a shot?
Only Shadow Xiao Hua remained in the shadow team. All the male shadows had made it to the Absolutely Safe Room unscathed.
Wen Shi raised an eyebrow. It seemed that Xiao Hua possessed formidable skills, otherwise, her shadow wouldn’t have survived.
Led by the proprietor, the group continued forward. As Wen Shi passed by, he gently pushed the door to the Dangerous Room. In the faint candlelight reflection, he saw several faces disappear from the shadows in the mirrors. Even with the poor lighting, the terror-stricken expressions on those faces were evident. Vaguely discernible bodies seemed to be forcefully pounding the mirror surfaces. They had turned into Mirror Person completely.
When the proprietor pushed open another door to proceed, a strange odor hit them.
This odor was familiar to everyone: the stench of corpses.
The small box the proprietor had been holding in his arm all along came in handy. He instructed each person to come forward and receive an antique-looking mirror.
In this unventilated and eerie place, the smell of decay fermented and permeated the air. Wen Shi felt like he might need a mask. Holding his nose, he moved forward, and the group finally spotted the source of the putrid smell.
Four candles, each more than a meter tall, stood on the ground. Alongside the red candles, white skeletons were attached using wax, their hands embracing the candle bodies. This eerie arrangement managed to evoke a chilling sense of terrifying artistry.
“Four people embracing candles.” Qian Laiye was well-versed in various obscure ghost stories.
Wen Shi asked, “What does that mean?”
“Empty out the internal organs, use wax to attach the body to the candle. Lighting these candles was believed to grant extra life to the dying. However, those who’ve been depleted of their life force can’t escape. They’ll linger in the world searching for someone to take their place.”
“……”
What kind of twisted tale was this?
The proprietor grinned, “Now, we’re going to play a séance game. Four people in a group. Each of you holds a mirror and stands in front of one of these pillars. Look at the world behind you through the mirror, and remember, don’t blink. After continuously looking for ten seconds, you have to say, ‘I can see you, come out now.'”
The idea sounded quite reckless. While most were still trying to decipher any hidden clues or suggestions in the mirror patterns the proprietor distributed, the teenager suddenly pressed a steel pipe against Burnt Player’s back and said, “You go first.”
Burnt Player’s expression changed. He was about to refuse when he noticed the warning looks from the shadow team.
Experimenting with rules using someone’s life was the most expedient way.
Burnt Player subconsciously wanted to seek help from the players, but he only received a cold response from Xiao Hua, “If you’re told to go, just go. Don’t dawdle.”
Seeing this, Crew Cut Guy shrank back a bit. He had managed to salvage a bit of his image earlier, so he probably wouldn’t be subjected to experimentation.
For players to take action against Burnt Player required adhering to the rules, whereas the shadow figures didn’t need to. Facing threats from all sides, Burnt Player could only approach reluctantly.
Unexpectedly, Wen Shi also stepped forward.
Burnt Player’s hope was rekindled. Knowing that Wen Shi was fond of meddling and helping others, he hoped this time would be no different. He quickly apologized for the past two days’ events and asked, “Did you discover something?”
Wen Shi merely smiled mysteriously on purpose.
“Stop pretending.” Burnt Player cursed inwardly. His observational skills were sharp, and he immediately began analyzing his surroundings.
The proprietor didn’t clear the area. As the group of four moved forward to summon the spirits, it seemed like a strange exchange where a batch of substitutes was being used without repetition.
Before Burnt Player could prepare himself, two more people stepped forward, both newbies.
Song Yan seemed to have an innate lack of fear for eerie tales involving mirrors. Earlier, during the courage test, his concern was solely whether he had peeked or not.
“I can see you, come out now,” Song Yan stood in place and repeated the proprietor’ words directly.
Nothing happened.
Half a minute passed, and he rolled his eyes, “Isn’t this nonsense? How could I possibly see anything?”
The two bloody holes beneath the bandage emitted a silent irony.
The second person was a newbie, and after he shouted, the situation was the same–the mirror remained silent.
The onlookers uncertainly exchanged glances. With this, couldn’t one just close their eyes?
The proprietor frowned. Technically, even if someone was truly blind, it wouldn’t affect the Spirit Summoning.
It was Wen Shi’s turn. Among the four, he was the only intact one, making him the most valuable reference.
The tour guide’s hope surged again. Dreams were important. What if this jinx died during the Spirit Summoning?
“I can see you,” Wen Shi gazed at the mirror in his hand, studying it for a moment before expressionlessly adding, “come out now.”
He had a rough idea. This stage was safer the earlier it was played, but Wen Shi felt he could be even more efficient. With a Mud Bodhisattva’s achievement and the addition of his 2B luck, the likelihood of a successful spirit-summoning attempt in one go was bound to be elusive.
Without a hint of surprise, none of the expected horror scenes occurred.
Once, twice, then thrice, even with the addition of the four people holding candles, the atmosphere of horror disappeared. An ill-timed thought emerged among the group: Proprietor, are you incapable?
“……” The tour guide, whose dream was shattered in a minute, cast a mournful look at the proprietor.
Burnt Player thought there might be a bug and hurried to call out. However, he heard a chuckle from beside him and felt a mysterious shake on his shoulder.
Wen Shi finally understood why the game loved the word “heehee.” Indeed, that word had a magical power.
Burnt Player hesitated again. Seeing the proprietor still immersed in astonishment and not urging him on, he stared fixedly at the mirror, trying to discern something.
At this point, Song Yan stood in place and quipped, “Blindness has its perks too.”
The newbie nodded in agreement.
Wen Shi: “You will regain your sight. Don’t forget what’s prevalent in Sunset Town.” He added with a soft laugh, “Rest assured, even if you’re trapped in dire situations countless times before then, I’ll keep extending my hand to save you.”
Especially Song Yan.
This true spirit incarnation, who held a trace of belief in him, was a perfect template. He could help Wen Shi accumulate experience for Jian Qingrong and be prepared ahead of time.
“Poor, brainless scarecrow,” Wen Shi murmured.
He wasn’t very hopeful about the scarecrow regaining brainpower. The tickets to the Merfolk Shore subtly revealed a fact: the scarecrow’s shadow had gone far away.
And the scarecrow didn’t even have the money to get its fortune told by the turtlekin, let alone to take a bus.
…
The weather outside was sunny and pleasant today.
The walking six hundred thousand yuan followed the pendant’s aura and successfully found the House of Mirrors.
It was no longer a scarecrow now. With the help of a stolen Evolution Potion, the mini scarecrow achieved a metamorphosis. Since it only had one big eye, after evolving, it took on a completely animalistic form.
Putting the scarecrow’s body in a box, the big eyeball was arranged quite neatly. The straw demon’s body was not easily destroyed by external forces. It was distinctively different. Afterward, Wen Shi could use this body to claim the bounty reward, and the money earned would be enough to make them prosperous in Sunset Town.
Big Eye, which now had a mouth, had a slightly hopeful expression. “I wonder what he’ll say when he sees me.”
You’ve returned.
It’s good that you’re safe.
Or call out his name.
Each one seemed to stimulate the neurons in a subtle way.
“He’ll say, ‘Pass’,” came the cold merciless voice from outside the House of Mirrors, spoken by the girl who had been waiting.
The girl had the ability to see the essence through appearances. In short, she could identify a person by their aura.
She had a preference for bloody and violent scenes, but her aesthetics weren’t abnormal. She stared at the suddenly appearing creature for a long time, then turned to look at her original self, her gaze filled with a difficult-to-understand question. “Why didn’t you try to persuade him?”
The old lady remained silent.
The girl’s clear eyes, beyond her age, scrutinized the little octopus beside her. After a while, she let out a deep sigh.
To be honest, this little octopus’s appearance couldn’t be called ugly. The unique big eye gave it a touch of mystery, making it seem as though it was gazing directly at the ocean. Prolonged viewing could easily give rise to a kind of deep-sea fear.
But this thing had nothing to do with being attractive.
Surprisingly, the octopus spoke in a low, magnetic voice, explaining slowly, “Octopuses are born with three hearts and nine brains. The three hearts and nine brains maximize my intelligence.”
Besides that, it had eight tentacles, each possessing extremely high sensitivity.
A wealthy octopus with nine brains took a black top hat for itself. It exuded an old-fashioned air of a rural gentleman from head to tentacles. Standing at the door, it quietly awaited Wen Shi’s arrival—
Wen Shi, I’m back!
If you enjoy this novel, support the Translator ginevre on her ko-fi account :))
