Infinite spooky game

"Deepen cooperation and share clues?" Lin Chen was slightly stunned when he heard Fu Jue's proposal when he went downstairs.

He naturally knew that this was the best option to deal with this copy, and he also knew that he was the president of the Unnamed Guild and should negotiate with Fu Jue.

The problem is... he is not in the right state now. Although he still remembers his identity and the basic knowledge of the weird game, God knows if he will reveal any flaws during the conversation.

What's more serious is that he can't be sure whether his thinking at this moment is the rational decision of an adult or the childish thinking of a child.

"Okay." With the idea of ​​saying less and making fewer mistakes in mind, Lin Chen nodded slightly and turned to walk towards the door.

Behind him, the players of Jiuzhou and Tingfeng were each holding a piece of white paper and writing something. It was unclear whether they wanted to summarize the information or use the old method to confirm if anyone had also "turned back into a child."

Lin Chen was curious from the bottom of his heart and slowed down his pace without leaving any trace. Then he heard Meng's voice shouting: "This shouldn't be considered as a trick, right? Can't I be eighteen forever? Okay, but I really don't think I did anything special..."

It seems that the situation is far more serious than imagined. More than one person is affected by the copy. If a player who is known for his intelligence and experience is unlucky enough to be affected, it would be like being put in a heavy shackle.

Lin Chen was not superstitious about his own thinking ability, but he still couldn't help feeling a deep sadness for the players who had been affected and for the fate of all players.

"Let's go." Qis stood at the door and transmitted his voice through the soul leaf. "If you don't want to climb the mountain in the middle of the night, I suggest we make preparations as soon as possible."

Lin Chen gathered his thoughts and hurried to catch up. The moment he stepped out of the shadow of the inn, he was covered by a hood of light.

There is no distinction between dawn and noon in Shangri-La. The light from the dome is completely bright, and the yellow light and shadow cover every corner, clearly reflecting the outline of the wooden building and the edges of the wooden windows.

The colorful prayer flags were crossed overhead, crisscrossing into a net. The wind mixed with ice chips blew down from the snow-capped mountains, and the colorful flags fluttered in the wind, and the dominoes tied to the tails made crackling sounds.

Today's daytime is as lively as yesterday, with pilgrims and lamas walking on the streets, the former singing holy songs "Om Mani Padme Hum Om Mani Padme Hum" and the latter reciting scriptures "Om Mani".

The two sounds mixed together and became harmonious and soft, as if a newly formed embryo was soaked in the mother's amniotic fluid.

Lin Chen relaxed a little, moved his eyes left and right, and took in the shops on both sides of the street.

The main structure of all the shops is a two-story wooden building. Without exception, there are prayer flags hanging on the roofs and flowers hanging from the second-floor windows. Only the signs in front of the doors are different.

On the door of the store closest to the inn, the five words "Mountain Climbing Preparation Area" were written in Sanskrit.

It was a language that was on the verge of death in this era, but Lin Chen was able to understand it inexplicably. It was not because the weird game provided the translation, but because he understood the meaning naturally like reading his mother tongue.

It was as if, here and now, the differences between nations, countries, and cultures no longer existed, all barriers were eliminated, and the whole world had one common mother...

Lin Chen did some mental arithmetic and asked, "Brother Qi, are we going to visit every store today? With so many stores, will we be unable to visit them all?"

Qi Si sighed and said, "Obviously, I originally planned to collect clues separately, but considering your current condition, in order to avoid premature loss of personnel, I think it is better for us to act together."

As he spoke, he walked towards the shop with a sign that read "Mountain Climbing Preparation Area".

This was also Lin Chen's first reaction. After all, whether in order from near to far, or in terms of the importance of the matter, he should come to this place first to understand the situation.

Lin Chen followed closely behind Qi Si and stepped over the threshold of the shop. His steps created a breeze and the wind chimes above his head suddenly rang "ding-ling-ling".

The space inside the store is not small, but because it is filled with oxygen cylinders, trekking poles, climbing ropes and various other equipment, it gives people a cramped and messy feeling.

Because it was daytime, the light in the center of the ceiling was not turned on, and the orange light outside the door shone into the room, illuminating the dust floating in the air. The dust was suspended in the air, casting dotted shadows on the table and the ground. Time seemed to have stopped here and no longer flowed.

Lin Chen couldn't help but hold his breath, as peaceful scenes from the past emerged in his memory, including when he was a child, sitting on the steps of an old house watching crickets, and when he was in middle school, taking a nap in the classroom and helping to draw the curtains on the windows.

He was the class monitor in junior high and high school, and would do more within his ability. The ten minutes after lunch before the nap bell rang were often his busiest time. Sometimes he helped the class representatives to distribute homework books, and sometimes he took the garbage downstairs to dump it.

Life was really simple back then. He knew that his family was not well off and many things were not easily obtained, so he worked harder to do everything well. He did not complain about himself or blame others. He never thought about death and never feared living.

"Are you going to climb the snow mountain?" A gentle and soft voice sounded from the shadows, interrupting Lin Chen's thoughts.

Only then did Lin Chen notice that there was a young woman sitting in the corner of the store.

The woman was wearing a red and blue Tibetan robe, with colorful beads hanging around her neck. Her red and black cheeks were neat and elegant, which made her feel at ease for some unknown reason in this strange place.

Seeing Lin Chen looking at her, the woman smiled and introduced herself: "I am one of the guides here, you can call me Bai Ma. If you want to climb the snow mountain, you can let me take you up."

"Baima" means "lotus" in Tibetan, symbolizing purity. Lin Chen had made up for this knowledge before entering the dungeon, and relevant information immediately emerged in his mind.

Of course, this information doesn't seem to be of much help in completing the copy, so it just flashes by.

Lin Chen kept in mind the principle of not falling behind, and said calmly and rationally: "Hello Bai Ma, we are not sure whether to climb the snow mountain, we just came here to take a look. By the way, if we want to climb the snow mountain, do we have to ask a guide to lead us?"

Bai Ma nodded and shook his head: "The snow mountain is the body of the Mother Goddess. The Mother Goddess is sleeping peacefully. If she wakes up, she will be angry and the consequences will be serious. We locals know how to climb the snow mountain so as not to offend the Mother Goddess.

"Some travelers once climbed the snowy mountains alone and offended the Mother Goddess. They have not come out of the mountains yet."

Lin Chen caught the key point and asked, "Are there so many people coming to climb the snow mountain? But I don't see many tourists here."

"Yes, but all the travelers who come here, no matter how reluctant they are at first, will eventually climb the snow-capped mountains." Bai Ma said, with admiration in his eyes. "It is said that the wishes made sincerely on the snow-capped mountains will be particularly effective. Many people will wish to resurrect their relatives and friends, and then live happily here with their relatives and friends."

Live happily together?

Lin Chen thought of his gray-haired parents, Qi Si, other players he had met in past dungeons, and many classmates he had a good relationship with...

He inexplicably imagined a warm picture in his mind, where everyone was wearing sackcloth and living in an inn in Shangri-La, with happy smiles on their faces. They held hands, sang songs, and said to him, "We will stay forever..."

Stay...forever...?

Lin Chen subconsciously followed this possibility and suddenly a bloody human skin thangka flashed before his eyes. The face of the human had five bloody holes, like a ghost seeking his life. He was startled, and the strange feeling that he had ignored before suddenly came to his mind. He finally realized how wrong this scene was, and a cold sweat broke out.

It was a close call. If he hadn't remembered the human skin thangka in time, he would have been possessed. Is this the reason why Sangji let the players watch the human skin thangka?

Lin Chen made groundless guesses and became more alert. He asked calmly, "Bai Ma, can I ask how many tourists have stayed here in the past few years?"

Bai Ma seemed to have no idea what Lin Chen had just experienced. He counted on his fingers calmly, "Eleven years ago, there were twenty-two people. Twenty-two years ago, there were also twenty-two people..."

Twenty-two, this number matches the number of players currently in the inn, which means that the travelers who came here in the past were most likely players.

Before this group, there were two groups of players, one eleven years ago and one twenty-two years ago, corresponding to Xiao Fengchao and Lin Jue on the revelation monument respectively...

The more Lin Chen listened, the more he felt that there were pitfalls behind climbing the snow-capped mountains.

"Are you going to climb the snow mountains?" Bai Ma asked again.

Lin Chen said: "Let's think about it again."

Qi Si had remained silent until now, but now he nodded slightly and said, "Maybe I will go up the mountain tonight, maybe not."

Bai Ma nodded and said softly, "It's hard to climb the mountain at night because of the heavy snow and wind. But different people have different destinies and need to climb the mountain at different times. Maybe you should climb the mountain at night."

"Time?" Qi Si asked, "I see that Sangji seems to be very reluctant to talk about time. He even said that there is no time in Shangri-La. Don't you care about these things here?"

Lin Chen added in his heart that not only Bai Ma, but the messenger who led the way also did not shy away from talking about time, and told him directly the time limit of "seven days" yesterday.

I just don’t know what the difference is behind this?
Bai Ma smiled and said, "I am different from them. They are still atonement, but I have already done it. I am not afraid of time anymore..."

She stood up from the corner and walked slowly to the counter. Lin Chen saw that her lower body was naked, without skirt or pants, and no skin. It was just flesh that had been peeled off and covered with blood scabs.

Lin Chen pursed his lips tightly to prevent himself from screaming out, and kept repeating to himself "imagine that's a sausage", but... it felt even more terrifying.

Qi Si seemed not to notice the abnormality in Bai Ma's lower body, and asked calmly: "What will happen if we talk about time without redeeming our sins?"

"You will grow old, just like some of you." Bai Ma lowered his head and said softly, "You have not yet completed your sins. Please remember not to talk about time, and don't let others talk about time."

"Some of us, who are they?" Qi Si narrowed his eyes.

Lin Chen also pricked up his ears and waited for the answer.

He didn't remember any of the players getting older, but some - including him - became younger in mentality.

Could it be that... the definition of "getting old" in this copy is opposite to the reality?
"I can't say any more. Telling too many secrets to a guilty person will make me sin again." Bai Ma shook his head, took out a bronze mirror from under the counter and placed it on the table. "Before going up the mountain, please look at your fate first."

Lin Chen lowered his eyes and looked into the mirror. The clear glass showed a warm scene.

He, Qi Si, his parents and many friends sat around a huge table with sumptuous dishes on it. Everyone was smiling and toasting each other.

This was like a welcoming party after a long adventure, without worries and hatred, fear and anxiety. Was it a celebration party for clearing the final dungeon? Did it mean that they would successfully clear the final dungeon?

Lin Chen looked at Qi Si beside him, but did not see any joy on the latter's face.

Qi Si lowered his eyes, his scarlet eyes did not reflect anything, and his expression was indifferent.

Bai Ma explained at the right time: "Everyone's destiny is closely related to desire. You will see the truest desire in your heart."

So what is reflected in the mirror is desire? Does that mean that what each person sees is different?
Lin Chen turned his eyes away and had no intention of prying into Qi Si's privacy, not only because it was impolite, but also because he was worried that he would see something he could not accept.

Qi Si was oblivious to his little action and looked at the mirror with interest.

The young man with black hair and red eyes looked at him with a smile on his lips. It was his own image. White mist gathered around him, covering the entire background like the diffuse sea water.

There seemed to be something hidden in it. He tried his best to see, think and recall, but it became increasingly unclear. The mirror surface that was originally clear enough to reflect a person's shadow became blurred like fog.

Gradually, a scene that was almost like an explosion unfolded before my eyes, with colorful colors falling in curls and dots, like an impressionist painting...

Qi Si smiled: "I didn't see anything."

Bai Ma sighed softly, put away the bronze mirror, and looked at him with a trace of pity in his eyes: "You can't get out of the snow mountain without a heart; if you want to get out of the snow mountain, you must grow a heart."

"No heart"? This kind of mysterious statement again, is it a kind reminder, or a malicious induction? It is possible that the ancestor god deliberately put psychological pressure on him...

"Okay, I'll try my best." Qi Si responded perfunctorily and pulled Lin Chen out of the store.

Behind him, Bai Ma said quietly, "You will come back again."

It's like a prophecy, and also like a curse.

Lin Chen felt a little uneasy. He followed Qi Si for a distance and asked hesitantly, "Brother Qi, what does 'no heart' mean? I remember there was an allusion to Bigan's heart being dug out in The Investiture of the Gods. Could it be related to this?"

"I don't know, maybe." Qi Si uttered six words, as if he had thought of something, stopped, and looked back at Lin Chen, "Lin Chen, how old are you now? Don't think, just answer intuitively."

Having experienced the previous incident of Yu Su "turning back into a child", everyone knows the subtext behind such questions.

Lin Chen was silent for a long time, then he whispered, "My first reaction was that after my birthday I would be fourteen. Brother Qi, I seem to have become a little younger..." (End of this chapter)