Three Towers Game

Chapter 316 The situation is out of control
Wen Xishu looked at Zhang Qiang with confidence.

These words resonated deeply, Zhang Qiang said:

"You can try to look cool, but you need to know what will happen if we let a ghost in here!"

Wen Xishu said:
"It's hard to say whether the person outside is a human or a ghost. Even if it is a ghost, Officer Zhang, this ghost specifically asked for you. Don't you think that even if the ghost came in, it would only be looking for you?"

"With the Ghost Festival approaching, vengeful ghosts are coming to claim lives. Inspector Cheung, what exactly did you do at the docks?"

At this time, Chen Ming also joined Wen Xishu:

“If you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to fear. Inspector Cheung, tell me what happened to you at the docks.”

Zhang Qiang cursed under his breath:
"Damn it, time is running out. I had an informant at the dock, but he betrayed us and gave us false information. In return, I used other means to expose his identity, and that night he was taken care of at the dock."

Zhang Qiang said:

"There are no living people at the dock, and the guys outside... are definitely ghosts."

As soon as Zhang Qiang finished speaking, someone outside said:

"Don't listen to him, that bastard! He's not a cop at all, what kind of informant is he? He's the informant! Zhang Qiang, I'm alive! I'm alive! You must think I'm dead! Let me tell you, I'm not dead!"

The person outside was banging on the door frantically, even kicking it. This was definitely not something a ghost would do.

Wen Xishu did not believe Zhang Qiang's statement.

In fact, everyone is looking at Zhang Qiang strangely now.

It's like watching a fake policeman.

“I think we should let him in…” said Dr. Chen Ming.

Chen Ming drank the blue wine directly. Unlike red wine, drinking the blue wine...

His pupils remained unchanged, but the hallucinations in his mind were no longer the tormenting ones; instead, he saw some beautiful memories.

Zhang Qiang was enraged; he immediately drew his gun.
"Drink! Drink it all until it's red!"

Wen Xishu said:
"There might be ghosts outside the door, but they can't get in. However, tonight is Ghost Festival. Let me guess, if you kill me here... will I become a ghost?"

"You know, there's a ghost in the bar."

When it comes to deterrence, Wen Xishu is not afraid at all.

With the increased difficulty of the Tower of Horrors challenge, he might not be a match for the ghosts...

But if it's a person, Wen Xishu can also gamble that the other person's gun is unloaded.

Sure enough, these words frightened Zhang Qiang.

After all, everyone has already seen the real ghost.

Wen Xishu was also very curious to know what would happen next.

Doctor Chen Ming has already drunk the blue wine, while Zhang Qiang has already drunk the red wine.

This time, it's destined that there will be no unification.

New rules are about to be unlocked.

Wen Xishu calmly drank the blue wine.

He saw Xiaotong and Xiaoxing living happily, saw Tang Rui finally smiling at life, saw Jack and Jennifer walking out of the old building together, and saw the An brothers starting a new life together after leaving Qicheng...

The overwhelming sense of happiness made him want to drink another sip.

Wen Xishu is the kind of person who is very sensitive to things like happiness and beauty.

He was used to the oppressive environment and the hostile situation of being targeted.

He would feel uneasy if he suddenly saw so many pleasant scenes.

The next second, he realized something was strange:

"This blue liquor... can it be addictive?"

Wen Xishu was a little scared.

This wine can temporarily free a person from the influence of their surroundings and force them to see something beautiful.

This deviates from fairness.

Speaking solely of alcohol, once you've tasted blue wine, you won't want to drink red wine anymore.

In that case, people might be more inclined to... let people in.

The final vote was fast approaching.

Wen Xishu, Chen Ming, and A Fei voted in favor.

Xiaoya, Lao Zhou, Li Wei, Zhang Qiang, vote against.

Four to three.

The phonograph started playing again, and the usual operatic singing ended...

It began announcing the new rules:
"Next, let's update the rule: when there are both supporters and opponents in a vote—"

"Those things outside will be forcibly invited in. As for what will happen, you'll have to find out for yourselves."

The heavy oak door made a grinding sound that made your teeth ache.

It turned on automatically.

At that moment, a faceless "thing" soaked in water dragged its heavy steps into the Haven Bar.

Outside the bar, a thick red fog hung in the air.

The Red House.

Wen Xishu was certain that this was the unique atmosphere of the Red House.

But clearly, the person in the red house wasn't an old acquaintance of Zhang Qiang who had just entered the bar.

The red house should be nearby; it's another ghost.

They will likely come knocking on the door soon.

The Red House is powerful enough to influence some rules, and if it is misplaced... the consequences would be unimaginable.

However, Wen Xishu didn't have time to think about it carefully; he was intently observing the "thing" that had entered the room.

Zhang Qiang was frightened.

Without hesitation, this "police officer" fired three shots at the wet, sea-soaked object.

Bang, bang, bang!
Three shots in quick succession. As the saying goes, two shots to the heart and one to the head—even a god would shake his head in disbelief. But if it hit a ghost, well, that's a different story.

The wet body swayed slightly, then walked towards a corner of the bar as if nothing had happened.

Yes, this water ghost-like character didn't seek revenge; instead, he walked towards the corner.

He sat down at a table.

But that face, devoid of any features, seemed to begin to show subtle fluctuations.

Just then, Wen Xishu suddenly received a notification.

Are you going to help a human or a ghost?

This sentence flashed through Wen Xishu's mind. He was all too familiar with this type of instruction.

This game was far more complicated than he had imagined.

"It seems that it's not just people, but also ghosts in my lineup...?"

"The perfect ending is for everyone to survive... or, kill those who deserve to die? But if it's the latter, that seems too easy."

In a game of fighting off ghosts, letting the ghost in is far too easy.

“Each of these people has a story, and it’s even quite possible that the ghost who died at the bar, the red-clad female ghost he encountered, corresponds to one of these people.”

"To uncover their stories, to let those who deserve to live live, and to let those who deserve to die die?"

With the guidance of whether to help humans or ghosts appearing, Wen Xishu suddenly felt that the situation was becoming complicated, because the perfect ending was beginning to become uncertain.

All eyes were on the ghost in the corner.

Wen Xishu said:
"If an innocent person is wrongly killed, that innocent person will turn into a ghost, and this ghost can cause us to see illusions and sow discord..."

"But it's still uncertain whether they have other abilities, and if there are more ghosts, there will be fewer safe spots for us. It's very likely that we will be wiped out in the end."

"And if we don't agree, some people drink red wine, and some drink blue wine..."

"Then the door will open, the visitor outside will come in, and... will become a tangible ghost."

"Note that the dead become ghosts, which are spirits in a phantom state. If they disagree, they will create a tangible ghost."

Without facial features, it's obviously a ghost.

The ghost, soaking wet and with deathly pale skin as if it had been submerged in water for a long time, stared at Zhang Qiang with a face devoid of any features.

Wen Xishu then continued his analysis:
"The influence of a ghost without a physical form can be reduced simply by keeping your distance from it."

"As for ghosts with physical forms... we are still unsure what they would do?"

There was a strange look in Doctor Chen Ming's eyes.

Just after Wen Xishu finished speaking, Nurse Xiaoya suddenly screamed:

"what!!!"

She was terrified, and everyone who followed her gaze saw a horrifying scene.

The water ghost, with its faceless features, suddenly changed from subtle fluctuations to violent writhing.

Before long, an eye appeared on the ghost's face.

Although it only has one eye, everyone seems to have guessed that other facial features will probably grow out of this face next.

“Whose eyes do you think those look like?” Father Zhou suddenly asked.

He asked the question to everyone, but his gaze fell on Xiaoya.

Soon, everyone understood why he was looking at Xiaoya. That water ghost... had a woman's eyes. It even had a replica of her makeup.

Although the entire face only had one eye, everyone could still tell that the eye was exactly the same as Xiaoya's eye.

Xiaoya screamed in surprise, trembling with fear, because she realized that the eye looked a lot like her own.

Men are different from women. Men don't look in the mirror often, at least most of them don't. If a man walks down the street and encounters someone who looks exactly like him, he might be scared, but his fear will be delayed.

But women are different, Xiaoya was quite certain of that...

Even after just one glance, she was certain that the eye growing out of the water ghost's face was her own!
She was so frightened that she fell off her seat.

In that instant, Wen Xishu looked at Xiaoya:

"Xiaoya, don't be scared. It's not moving. You'd better look away and not let the uncanny valley effect terrify you."

"Tell me the truth, and I can help you."

Xiaoya nodded frantically, tears welling in her eyes.

Wen Xishu's gaze also fell on Zhang Qiang, who was clearly somewhat bewildered.

Because he didn't know why this was happening; the moment the water ghost entered, he felt a sudden urge to urinate.

But... nothing happened after that.

The ghost that had come for him didn't bother him. He didn't know what was going on. He was alive, but it seemed the little girl was in trouble.

Wen Xishu said:
Tell me, do you have a relationship with Zhang Qiang?

Xiaoya shook her head again:

"I don't know... I don't know Officer Zhang."

Wen Xishu then said:

Have you ever been to the docks?

Xiaoya shook her head again: "I haven't been there, really, I absolutely haven't been there!"

Wen Xishu asked again:
"So you're absolutely certain that you have nothing to do with Zhang Qiang? And you have absolutely no idea why the ghost's first eye is the same as yours?"

Xiaoya finally nodded.

Wen Xishu's gaze sharpened:
"If you're telling the truth, then it's almost certain—"

"When there are both for and against opinions, the real ghost that is released... is different from the ghost that can only create illusions; it will find a substitute."

"Xiaoya, you are the stand-in."

"As for why it was you, I think it might be related to the fact that you drank the wine that refused to let it in."

"Simply put, if you drink red wine and determine it's a ghost, it means you don't want it to come in..."

"So, it will hold a grudge."

Chen Ming asked:

"But there were a few other people who also drank red wine."

Wen Xishu shrugged:

"It's a matter of probability. Xiaoya just had bad luck, it's that simple. Otherwise, if she had no connection with Zhang Qiang, how could she have been targeted by a ghost?"

"Now I'm almost certain that once its facial features appear... and it looks like you, you will die, which is commonly known as being replaced by a ghost."

Xiaoya's face was deathly pale, and her eyes were lifeless.

Zhang Qiang was overjoyed, never expecting that the ghost he had summoned had nothing to do with him. However, at this point, Zhang Qiang had to attack from a moral high ground.

"Damn it, it's all your fault, you bastard, that caused this little girl to be replaced by a ghost."

"If you hadn't asked me about the docks in the first place, and threatened me with the blue liquor, if you hadn't started this, the little girl wouldn't be in any danger right now!"

"You murderer."

Indeed, if it's all red wine, then the water ghost will die outside.

Even if there are many wronged souls, everyone can just avoid them.

But now, there's an additional water ghost that seeks to take lives; this water ghost will directly look for a substitute.

Businessman Li Wei also said:
"Everyone just wants to live, why are you meddling in other people's business?"

Zhang Qiang struck while the iron was hot:

"If a ghost finds a substitute... wouldn't it become even more powerful? What if it continues to harm people then?"

The finger was pointed at Wen Xishu.

Indeed, the best course of action for Wenxi Tree is not to prevent people from entering.

However, not letting people in would increase the number of ghosts and increase the risk of mistakenly killing innocent people, which might not be any worse than the current situation.

Furthermore, repeating the previous operation might not yield any new rules. Wen Xishu needed to figure out exactly how many rules this phonograph would produce.

But there's no point in explaining these things now, because Zhang Qiang will definitely try to argue his way out of it.

Wen Xishu didn't care; he knew there would be a lot of conflict tonight. In fact, he was happy to see conflict.

After all, Scorpion Knife's ability this time is called "Destiny Side Story".

Simply put, many game designers have a problem... they like to intertwine the main storyline and side quests.

The more side quests you unlock, the richer the main story endings will be.

This is what the Destiny side quest is like. And since it's called Destiny, it means that all characters with side quests will be more likely to encounter their destiny tonight and trigger their hidden storylines.

This can be considered as Scorpion Knife demonstrating the power of destiny.

What happened next took an even stranger turn.

Before a third person or ghost visits... the water ghost's eyes become increasingly lifelike.

Xiaoya's eyes gradually lost their light.

In Xiaoya's eyes, there were only fragmented images.

Not only the visuals, but Xiaoya also began to smell the fishy smell of seawater, which made it difficult for her to breathe. It took her a while to realize that she was not drowning, but on land.

Her gaze turned to Zhang Qiang, becoming resentful.

Zhang Qiang said:

"If you don't want to die, don't fucking bragged to me. You're about to kill someone. If you keep talking, don't blame me for shooting you."

Zhang Qiang was extremely pleased with himself, but at that moment, Xiaoya suddenly spoke up:

"He's still alive... He was alive all along! It's not Wen Xishu's fault! He was alive all along, it's our fault for not letting him in!"

Zhang Qiang was stunned. Was this woman crazy?

But Xiaoya looked at Zhang Qiang with her dull eyes:

“He’s not dead… He’s telling the truth. He was even alive when he knocked on the door.”

"But he's dead now. Because the rules state that anyone who doesn't pass all the tests will become a ghost if they enter the house."

Xiaoya is telling the truth.

Wen Xishu observed silently, and the situation began to become interesting.

Zhang Qiang cursed inwardly, planning to use this woman to shut up the young man who liked to analyze things.

But now, this woman is actually blaming him instead.

It was at this moment that the third person to knock on the door arrived.

"Sister Xiaoya...open the door quickly!"

A child's voice came from inside; it was a little girl.

Xiaoya was startled; at that moment, she seemed to forget the fear of being targeted by the water ghost.

"Sister Xiaoya... I know you're here. Please open the door and let me see you, okay? I'm so cold..."

The little girl's voice sounded somewhat mournful.

Just then, tech geek Afei suddenly said:

"nailed it!"

Chen Ming asked:

"What's settled?"

Afei said:

"I've connected to the surveillance cameras outside the door and on the road. Now we can see what's happening outside."

Everyone gathered around Afei. No one had expected that this quiet young man would possess such abilities.

Wen Xishu also felt that this was an unexpected joy.

The images on the computer screen were enough to send chills down one's spine.

A girl with no hair, no eyebrows, and all white skin looked at the camera with eyes that were completely black and had no whites.

This child looks so creepy that it's frightening even through the screen.

"Sister Xiaoya...open the door! I'm so cold!"

Without a doubt, this is a ghost, and this ghost must be voted out.

But Xiaoya shouted:
"Open the door! Quick! Let her in! She's not a ghost! She's really not a ghost!"

Her eyes began to well up with tears, and her clothes became soaked. At that moment, her words shocked everyone.

The thing outside the door is most likely a ghost, but Wen Xishu has a premonition... that something even more terrifying is about to happen.

(End of this chapter)