Infinite spooky game

Town residents dressed in ancient costumes came and went in the streets, some buying and selling, asking prices, some chatting, most of them with happy expressions on their faces.

Their feet were firmly on the ground, with shadows of varying shades following behind them. Their movements were smooth and natural, and they looked like living people no matter how you looked at them.

In contrast, the players, who were dusty and carrying lanterns, with bamboo leaves and blood stains on their bodies, looked like evil ghosts who had strayed into the Peach Blossom Spring.

"This place doesn't look like there's a tiger problem. They seem to be living quite comfortably." Tang Yu shrugged disapprovingly.

"not necessarily."

Qi Si's eyes fell on the notice posted on the stone wall not far away. Although the paper was torn, one could still see that the outline of a tiger was outlined in the ink on it.

Naturally, the other players also noticed the notice and walked over one after another.

I saw it written above:

[There is a tiger in the forest outside the town, and it has injured several passers-by. Unless there is an emergency, people and vehicles should not leave the town without permission.]

[There are thousands of ghosts in the town, hiding during the day and coming out at night, capturing people and feeding them to tigers. At dusk, you should find a house to live in and don't open the door.]

[There are many newly dead ghosts outside the town. They often hide in passing caravans and occasionally sneak into the town. If there are any outsiders, do not be careless.]

According to the notice, Yanghua Town has been surrounded by a tiger and several of its minions. The town has been infiltrated with many loopholes, and new minions often try to sneak in from outside. The town is facing internal and external troubles and is in a precarious situation.

Lin Chen pondered and said, "No wonder the Meng family didn't send someone to invite a doctor. They must be afraid of encountering ghosts and being killed after leaving the town.

"The townspeople are trapped in the town, following the rules of not leaving the town easily, closing the doors at night, and being wary of outsiders. The only way to communicate with the outside world is through crows... They invited us here, aren't they afraid that there are accomplices among us?"

"Who knows what they are thinking." Tang Yu reached out and peeled off the notice, reading it over and over again. "I don't think they are very panicked. They are probably used to coexisting with the ghosts."

He does not mean that.

Luo Haihua looked around at the townspeople around her: "Right, the notice said that the minions can hide in the convoy and sneak into the town, which is equivalent to telling us that they can disguise themselves as humans. We don't know whether these townspeople are human or not..."

As they were talking, the townspeople noticed the players and gathered around them from all directions.

There were whispers in the air.

"They have lanterns in their hands and are coming from outside the town..."

"They are all strangers. I wonder how many of them are human and how many are ghosts..."

The townspeople looked unfriendly and their hostility grew stronger and stronger, as if they would turn into ferocious beasts and pounce on the players at any time.

Qi Si lowered his eyes and saw the shadows of several people swaying, as if blown by the wind, and at certain moments twisted into strange shapes, like... a crouching tiger.

He silently said in his heart: "Lin Chen, pay attention to the shadows on the ground, which may be the key to distinguishing the ghosts."

Lin Chen lowered his gaze and also noticed the strangeness of the townspeople's shadows. He couldn't help but tighten his grip on the lantern pole with his right hand.

There is a ghost among the townspeople, and the ghost's shadow will appear in the shape of a tiger. Can't those people notice such an obvious thing?

Wait…shadow?
Lin Chen looked down at the soles of his feet. There was nothing there.

He looked at Qis's feet again, and then at the other players'...

All players, no shadows!
"Catch them..."

"Go and ask Mr. Meng to come and ask the mountain god what he means!"

The townspeople moved closer and closer, and some even took knives from the stalls and gestured at the players aggressively.

"What do you want to do?" Tang Yu pulled out a piece of letter from his arms, shook it open, and held it above his head. "I was invited to Fu Hu by your Master Meng in a personal letter. It would be fine if you didn't come out to greet me, but you dare to act rashly?"

His voice was loud and clear, with a tone similar to that of an ancient official doing his job. The townspeople were actually driven back a step by his words.

A scholar in a long gown took the letter from Tang Yu's hand, glanced at it quickly, and found no flaws.

He stuffed the letter back into Tang Yu's hands doubtfully and looked at the other players.

Lin Chen took out a crumpled letter seeking medical treatment from the medicine box and handed it over; Qi Si also pulled out a blood-stained letter from his sleeve and handed it to the scholar.

The scholar opened the letters one by one and read them, then turned to the townspeople and said, "These three must have been invited by Master Meng. Although we don't know if they were killed on the way, you don't have to worry.

"If the ghost wants to harm people, it must be in the same room with people at night, within three meters of each other. Everyone should be alert tonight, don't go out, and don't let strangers into the house."

Tang Yu pulled out the knife from his waist three inches, frowning: "What do you mean? You've already taken out the letter, and you still suspect that we are ghosts. I think you are the ghosts!"

The townspeople glanced at each other and laughed, as if Tang Yu's anger was just a performance for a laugh, like the painted puppets at the festival to welcome the gods.

The figure on the ground was dancing and swaying, shaking and forming a large gray stain in a strange shape. It was clearly a huge tiger!

The scholar remained calm and looked at the three people who did not bring any letters: "What are you doing here?"

Qiu Xin said succinctly: "I went up the mountain to collect herbs and got lost."

Luo Haihua took Luo Jianhua and bowed to the scholar: "My friend and I went to the provincial examination and returned. We got lost in the nearby mountains and forests. We came across your town and wanted to stay overnight to get directions before leaving."

It should be said that she is worthy of being a Chinese teacher. Her speech is very elegant and presentable.

The scholar's expression eased a lot, and he sighed, "You really came at the wrong time. According to the rules of the town, all foreign guests must stay in the mansion in the west of the town for a night before they can do anything else.

"If you want to see Master Meng and ask for directions, you have to wait until tomorrow morning to make sure there are no accomplices among you. Whether you have letters or not, the rules are the rules."

Luo Haihua asked: "Brother, can you tell us what the reason is for these two?"

The scholar said: "The newly dead ghost must kill one person every night, otherwise his soul will be scattered. Wait until tomorrow to see if anyone dies, and then you will know if there is a ghost among you.

"When the time comes, we will ask Master Meng to come forward and deal with the unruly ghosts who sneak into the town."

As soon as he finished speaking, all players heard the system prompt.

[Side mission has been refreshed]

[Side quest (must do): Find all the ghosts hiding among you]

[Task Tips: ① Players with the identity of "Ghost" must kill one person every day;
② After nightfall, when the "ghosts" and "humans" are in the same room and the distance between them is less than three meters, the "ghosts" can choose to kill the "humans" (there is only one chance per day);

③ "Humans" who are decided to be killed by "demons" will die, and "humans" who die in the tiger's mouth will become "demons." 】

The three hints summarize the implicit information in the scholar's words.

It is not difficult to see from this that this is a faction game similar to Werewolf, and it is very unfair.

No matter who the "accomplice" is, he must kill people, and players who are in the same room with him will have no chance of survival.

As long as the next day comes, the person of the "accomplice" can be inferred based on the deceased, and the "accomplice" will definitely die.

In other words, the death of two people was already written into the rules from the beginning of this game. Of course, all this was based on the players following the scholar's arrangement and playing two to a room.

Those present were all veteran players, and they quickly thought of another solution: first let the "ghost" expose itself and help the "humans" complete the side quest, and then the others would capture a townsman every day and hand him over to the "ghost" for disposal to prevent his soul from being scattered.

After all, the life of an NPC is not a life; after all, the side quest only says to find the "accomplice" but not "kill"; after all, this is a team survival dungeon...

However, although the idea is nice, it can only be thought about.

The existence of massacre-oriented players is objective. After all, players cannot completely trust each other, and it is not realistic to let the enemy camp reveal their identity.

"You sent a letter to invite us here, and you still act like the boss here?" Tang Yu pulled out the knife from his waist and stabbed it into the ground, making a crisp sound. "We deserve to take the risk and be fed to the tiger, right?"

The scholar met Tang Yu's gaze without dodging or avoiding it, and a strange smile appeared on his face: "Maybe there are no accomplices among you, that would be the best. If you are not satisfied with this arrangement, you can leave."

When the players heard the word "leave", they subconsciously looked back, but the way they came was gone.

Behind the two-story-high archway is no longer a dense bamboo forest, but a flat stone road. Looking to the end, the view is blocked by a small building with white walls and black tiles.

The roads have changed, the environment has changed, and I don’t know the general situation inside and outside the town - how can I leave?

Tang Yu sneered at the scholar: "You said we should stay in pairs, so we stay in pairs? Why should we listen to you?"

The scholar's smile remained unchanged: "After you move into the residence, someone will check whether you live in accordance with the rules and help you lock the door from the outside, so that you will not be unaware of the situation on the first day and be harmed by the ghosts outside.

"You can choose not to live in the mansion, but no one else will be willing to provide you with a place to stay. After midnight, anyone without a house to shelter will be captured by the ghosts."

He then pointed in the direction from which everyone had come: "The residence is in that area. Go there by yourselves. Someone will come to lead you at the alley entrance."

At the end of the wide road, there are dark small buildings. There is no one living in front of the buildings. It is too quiet and desolate.

The sky darkened, painting the buildings with a layer of light gray. The huge shadows of the houses faded and were absorbed by the unclear mist.

"It's getting dark, let's go back..."

"Everyone, don't forget to lock the doors and windows. See you tomorrow!"

The townspeople who were watching the scene whispered to each other and dispersed in small numbers; the scholar also turned around and walked away, fanning himself with a paper fan.

The taciturn Luo Jianhua turned his head to watch the scholar walk away, then said in a muffled voice: "The townspeople's shadows can change into the shape of tigers. I'm afraid most of them are ghosts. You should be able to distinguish between people and ghosts by looking at their shadows, but for some reason, none of us have shadows..."

"Anyway, everyone should be more careful." Luo Haihua looked around at everyone, "If most of the townspeople are accomplices, I'm afraid they have bad intentions in letting us live in the mansion two by two."

She paused, her eyes fell on Qi Si, and a trace of surprise flashed across her face: "Lin Wen, what are you looking at?"

After giving the letter to the scholar, Qi Si ignored everyone else and just stood quietly by the side. He took out a tattered old book from somewhere and gently flipped through the pages.

It was not until Luo Haihua asked that he was willing to take his eyes off the page. He looked at the person in front of him calmly and said, "The Netherworld Records, an ancient book that records all kinds of ghost knowledge."

He closed the book and put it into his wide sleeves, his eyes shining with scarlet light without any ripples: "If the records above are correct, we don't need to worry about the evil spirits among the townspeople harming people for the time being.

"Legend has it that after living with humans for a long time, the ghosts will be influenced by human spirits and gradually develop human figures, and their gestures and movements will be no different from those of humans. Although their souls are still restrained by tigers and their shadows often turn into tiger shadows, in their eyes, they are real people.

"The ghosts are saving people for tigers, just to let people die in their place, in exchange for a chance to be reborn as human beings. Why not live peacefully like a human being, even if it means deceiving yourself?"

Qiu Xin raised his eyes and asked, "So those townspeople are ghosts who mistakenly think they are human's accomplices?"

Qi Si did not comment and continued, "Just like when Bigan's heart was dug out, he met a woman who said 'If a man has no heart, he will die', and then he really died. As long as we don't reveal the truth to the townspeople, they won't realize that they have become accomplices, and naturally there is no need for them to help the tiger kill us.

"And once we reveal it, we, as the culprits who caused them to lose their ability to pretend to be human, will surely die."

Tang Yu asked: "Does the book explain why we have no shadows? Are we still alive now?"

"Who knows? The system didn't say we were ghosts, so we must be living people. As for the lack of shadows——"

Qi Si chuckled: "Maybe it's to prevent us from finding the accomplices too easily."

Everyone was unable to understand the humor in this and looked at each other in silence.

Lin Chen raised his hand and asked, "Should we live in the residence? The game has already said that there are accomplices among us. If we lock two people in a room, at least two people will definitely die in the end..."

"It could be four people." Qiu Xin shook his head. "There were at least two wolves in the werewolf killing. I suspect there were two 'henchmen' among us. If the two 'henchmen' had not happened to be in the same room, the final result would be that the two 'humans' were killed at night, and the 'henchmen' were executed by the townspeople the next day."

There was some truth to what he said, and the players' expressions became serious.

If things really develop as Qiu Xin said, there will be only two players left by tomorrow morning.

The difficulty of completing the main mission will increase significantly. The best solution is for one of the remaining two to die, so that the sole survivor will trigger the guaranteed death toll mechanism.

Luo Haihua said after careful consideration: "When the time comes, we will try to find a place to stay somewhere else, one room per person. If we really want to live in the mansion, we can only hope that the 'accomplice' is willing to sacrifice himself..."

She didn't say anything else. She saw a short black shadow tremblingly walking towards the players from the direction of the mansion.

It was a little old man wearing a bamboo hat and a black robe, holding a bunch of keys in his hand. When he saw the player, he grinned and said, "Dear guests, please follow me back to my residence."

The old man's shadow was dragged neatly behind him, and no matter from which angle you looked at it, it was in the shape of a human, not a tiger.

Without waiting for the players to respond, he turned around and led the way, as if he was sure that the players would follow.

Tang Yu followed a few steps, and when he was half a step away from the old man, he suddenly turned his wrist, raised the sword that was dragging on the ground, and slashed at him.

——As long as this copy allows players to kill townspeople, all problems will be solved.

Kill the townspeople who manage the mansion tonight, and then everyone can get a room. Tomorrow morning, pick out the living people among the townspeople and kill a few every day...

For veteran players who have been tempered through dungeons and are armed with props and skills, killing an ordinary person is not easy.

The sharp saber hit the old man's back, and with a "whoosh", a long cut was made.

Blood splattered everywhere, and the wound was so deep that the bone was visible. The old man was almost cut in half, with only a thumb-wide strip of flesh remaining.

The old man fell to the ground with a dull thud.

The keys in his hand were thrown out, making a clattering sound.

Tang Yu stood steadily in front of the pool of blood, his hand maintaining the posture of holding the knife, without any panic.

The other players held their breath, stood far away, and stared at the old man's body in a pool of blood.

Time passed minute by minute, and the corpse was just a corpse, with no unusual changes occurring.

Tang Yu breathed a sigh of relief, shook off the blood on the blade, stepped over the old man's body, and picked up the key chain on the ground.

"We will stay in the residence tonight, one room each." He said in a brisk tone. (End of this chapter)