It's late at night.

My head hurts so much.

Xia Yao rubbed her temples and opened her eyes, where she saw the shimmering light from the crystal chandelier.

Recalling the scene before he closed his eyes, when that pale face suddenly approached, he felt dizzy and lost consciousness after a spinning motion.

An offline phone call, a face suddenly appearing, and my inexplicable fainting spell—all of this is clearly beyond scientific explanation.

Xia Yao carefully surveyed his surroundings. At that moment, he was leaning back on a soft sofa.

This appears to be the hotel's waiting and rest area, with a counter made of gray marble not far away.

His surveillance glasses and his regimental uniform jacket were missing; when he reached into his pocket, he pulled out a retro Android device.

The screen lights up, and the time displays 2011!

He gasped, finding it unbelievable.

Has I traveled through time? Or have I been set up?

Turning his head, Xia Yao saw a familiar face—the man he had been monitoring!

The person being monitored noticed a flicker of surprise in Xia Yao's eyes, but it vanished quickly.

There were eight people scattered around in the rest area, and a few of them were arguing.

"Damn it, who are you kidding? What kind of crappy horror game is this? I was asleep and you guys brought me to a place like this, this is kidnapping, you know?"

The speaker was a burly, muscular man who was shoving a man with a ponytail.

A bespectacled man nearby was advising, "Calm down, don't do anything stupid."

Xia Yao, however, keenly grasped the key phrase: horror game?

He frowned slightly and asked softly, "Where is this? What happened?"

"Oh, you're awake?"

The girl next to him, looking timid, glanced at the last teammate to wake up and offered a friendly explanation.

"We've been dragged into a bizarre game by a ghost. Only by working together to complete the mission and uncover the truth can we return to reality; otherwise, we'll die!"

Under Xia Yao's surprised gaze, the girl added, "That's what they said."

Xia Yao remained silent, pursing her lips.

He pondered whether to call the police, and as he hesitated, his finger tapped the browser icon next to the dial pad.

The page slowly rotated, and the news and time that popped up made his heart sink even further.

Is the time adjustable, but are all online content completely restricted?

Recalling all my experiences, including the scene when I dialed 110, I seem to have really fallen into an abnormal state.

Oh, right, monitor the target!

Xia Yao looked at the monitored target in surprise. So his actions were not because he had cheated on his wife, but because he knew he was about to enter an abnormal state, which caused his anxiety.

He was filled with suspicion, recalling the strange electrical sound.

So, he was possessed by the supernatural while eavesdropping on men?

Xia Yao was filled with questions, his heart was like a raging storm, and his thoughts were like tangled threads that strangled his neck.

Just as he finally mustered his courage and was about to ask something, the argument escalated.

During the scuffle, the muscular man pushed the bespectacled man who was trying to persuade him to the ground, and the man with the ponytail who tried to stop him was also bumped.

Others tried to stop it, but it was too late.

The muscular man sprinted all the way to the hotel entrance.

He ran while turning back to laugh.

"Trying to fool me? In your next life! You think you can get away with this? I'll call the police and have you all arrested as soon as I get out!"

Huh? They just ran away like that?

Just as Xia Yao was marveling at the scene, a piercing scream came from outside, so intense it was like a pig being slaughtered.

Through the glass, the group saw the muscular man who had rushed into the darkness suddenly collapse to the ground.

His body twitched twice and then fell silent.

It seemed as if an invisible hand lifted the man's head, dragging him slowly into the inky darkness, his legs trailing behind him.

No one dared to leave that door at that moment; they simply stared in terror.

The man with the ponytail pulled the bespectacled man off the ground, then his sharp gaze swept over the others. "Anyone else going to disobey?"

Their gaze fell on Xia Yao, who was the last to wake up. Xia Yao swallowed and wisely shook her head.

Before Xia Yao could ask any more questions, a staff member wearing a smoky gray suit appeared in the hotel lobby.

"Hello everyone, welcome to Tingsen Hotel. First of all, congratulations on winning our three-day, four-night resort package at Yaoshan Scenic Area."

"In the coming days, we hope that all visitors will strictly abide by the scenic area's trial operation rules and refrain from entering undeveloped areas."

"These are your room keys. Please keep them safe. Have a pleasant trip."

After exchanging a few words, the woman handed over a few room keys and left.

Xia Yao was seriously analyzing the woman's words, so their identities were tourists, and the game would revolve around this trial-open scenic area.

The man with the ponytail, having received the room keys, distributed them to the group, saying, "Get back to your rooms quickly to avoid trouble."

No one objected to this, but it was unclear whether it was intentional or not, as Xia Yao was assigned room number 704.

The room key is pure white, with a stylish dark green card sleeve, but the number seems rather unlucky.

After receiving their room keys, they picked up their assigned luggage and headed straight for the emergency exit.

That's right, it's a staircase, not an elevator.

Xia Yao didn't ask any questions, but silently followed along while observing the others.

Seemingly worried that the newcomer might do something foolish again, the man with the ponytail reminded him as he went upstairs.

"Our accommodations are generally in safe zones, and we should try not to leave them at night unless required for mission purposes."

Seeing the newlywed's slightly pale face, he offered a lukewarm reassurance.

"Don't worry, you only die if you're targeted by a ghost. You can avoid it as long as you find the ghost's killing patterns."

Xia Yao frowned as she listened. Are the patterns of ghosts' killings so easy to find? It would be better not to say anything at all.

The group quickly arrived at the seventh floor. The hotel corridor was shaped like a ∏, with two elevators in the middle and the emergency exit on the right-angled side. The rooms were located on both sides of the corridor.

Their room numbers are 701-707, which start at the end of the corridor and cross each other.

Xia Yao's 704 is right on the corner, with the stairwell diagonally opposite.

Although he didn't understand feng shui, he vaguely felt that there was something special about this corner.

"Knock on the door first to send away the evil spirits, don't rush in."

It was the same man with the ponytail; he seemed to want to gain a voice in the team by demonstrating his experience and guiding the newcomers.

The man with the ponytail stood at the door of room 703. He knocked on the door first, then swiped his card to open it, and waited at the door.

Xia Yao had heard this saying before; it seemed to be that evil spirits might enter a house that has been uninhabited for a long time.

Knocking on the door before entering is to inform the creature inside that you wish to move in and ask it to come out.

Xia Yao thought to herself, "They kill ghosts indiscriminately, why would they bother with such civilized and polite behavior?"

Despite her complaints, Xia Yao still did as she was told.

Others did not rush in either, but followed suit.

After a while, the man with the ponytail entered the room first, followed by the others.

Xia Yao entered the room and casually tossed her backpack onto the shoe cabinet.

The wardrobe-style entryway extends the hallway, the spacious and bright bathroom features a beautiful floor-to-ceiling window that exudes comfort.

However, the gray carpet in the room seemed slightly out of place with the soft, warm lighting.

Amidst the vast expanse of gray, Xia Yao spotted a strikingly vibrant green.

A potted green plant sits on a glass table by the balcony. It looks like a jasmine flower, with white buds that are about to bloom.