Bizarre Survival: Starting from the Fake Human Community

"Could it be... Uncle, your previous dungeon, or perhaps your third one, contained... the legendary... ghost?!"

ghost!

A word that is extremely familiar to the general public today, when it is mentioned, only brings fear, despair, dread, death, and horror... and also the thought of turning on the lights and getting into bed!

However, turning on the light and getting into bed is not very useful. Most importantly, these strange and eerie things are no longer things that can be fought on a physical level.

Old Zhao listened and nodded in satisfaction: "Hehe, let me put it this way, the last supernatural dungeon I encountered was the most troublesome one. Out of more than 10 people, only 3 survived, to be precise, only me and one other person!" He kept Su Ming in suspense, piquing his curiosity.

"What about the third person? Surely this thing can't possibly follow us into the real world, right?"

Su Ming asked curiously.

"No, you forgot? When it comes to life and death, you're responsible both inside and outside the game. His injuries were too severe; even if he returned to reality, it wouldn't have mattered. He died not long after." Old Zhao sighed.

That's just how these damn games are. If you die in the game, you're dead on the spot in real life. If your injuries are too severe and you can't be saved when you come back, you're just lying on a board.

Su Ming fell silent. Imagine how utterly desperate that death must have been! He'd cleared the game, but even back in reality, the game wouldn't let him go!

"And I reckon there'll be some kind of trouble this time too," Old Zhao added casually, though Su Ming didn't know where his basis for this idea came from.

As a new player, he knew far too little.

So now he's like a sponge, frantically seizing every opportunity to absorb knowledge that can help him survive: "Uncle, but this is only my second time investing!" Su Ming asked Zhao Weiguo, who had a tense expression.

"Young man, don't you think there are a lot more veteran players this time?" Zhao Weiguo said, stopping short of commenting, then stood up. "Sigh, let's hope nothing goes wrong. Let's go! Let's go get something to eat first!"

"Could the number of veteran players affect the game's difficulty?" Su Ming's eyes narrowed. Judging from their performance, besides Old Zhao, Sister Lin, who looked like a doctor, had also invested time and effort. Xiao He was a high school student who had just arrived, even more of a newbie than himself.

The aloof woman looked extraordinary. Qian Baiwan didn't say much, knowing too little... but she seemed like a greenhorn.

"Wow, there are so many players in this cell. Could it be that the number of players in the cell really affects the difficulty of the game?" With this question in mind, Su Ming also went to the restaurant.

At dinner time, the group met in the hotel restaurant. The old mayor personally served the dishes, while Lily poured water beside him, her hands still trembling.

The mayor also gave them a meaningful reminder of the town's rules.

1. Do not go out after 10 p.m.

2. Do not inquire about the town's past.

Lily listened with trembling hands and looked like she was about to cry. She forced herself to finish delivering the food before leaving.

On the table.

Qian Baiwan, true to his reputation of being incredibly wealthy and worldly-wise, still had the appetite to eat even at a time like this, his mouth greasy as he ate: "This braised pork is delicious! I wish I could have a few more pieces!"

Su Ming could now retaliate against Qian Baiwan's earlier statement, retorting, "Eat up, eat up. This might be your last meal. Wouldn't it be better to be full before you go?"

Qian Baiwan stopped eating: "What do you mean?"

"It's nothing. Just reminding you to chew slowly, it's good for your stomach." This was revenge for the fat man's disrespect; it's better to settle things on the spot than leave it for later.

Xiao He was right next to Su Ming. As a newbie, he was naturally curious about the game's dungeons and the game itself, so he whispered, "Brother Su Ming, what was the last dungeon like...?"

"A fake human neighborhood. A bunch of monsters pretend to be your relatives to trick you into opening the door, and if you don't, they smash the door. The security guards are speechless fake humans with claw hammers, performing physical exorcisms."

Su Ming briefly explained a few points, but didn't mention the fake King Li Mo. That guy's last words were still echoing in his mind, like the background music for "Youthful Brother":

You exist... deep in my mind... in my dreams, in my heart, in my songs...

"So I'm doomed this time? I'm just a high school student, right?" Xiao He's face turned pale after hearing this.

Lin Jing adjusted her glasses and calmly said, "You survived, which means you have experience. What do you think is the key to this dungeon?"

Su Ming put down his chopsticks and looked at the darkening sky outside the window: "Rules. The mayor said that we can't go out after 10 p.m., and we can't ask about the past of the town. These two rules are just a blatant attempt to cover something up."

The aloof Ah Jiu spoke for the first time, her voice very soft: "What do you plan to do?"

Su Ming laughed: "Go to sleep first. We'll talk about it tomorrow. Don't make decisions when your mind isn't clear; that's what my ex-girlfriend taught me."

Did she succeed?

No. So she's my ex-girlfriend.

At ten o'clock at night, the town bells rang.

Outside, it was instantly as quiet as a tomb. Su Ming lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, and opened his friend list to send a message to Wen Wan, but unfortunately, it wouldn't go through.

He and Wen Wan were in two completely different instances, so it's normal that they couldn't contact each other.

He said to the panel, "Little Maruko, if there's something fishy going on your end too, remember to curse it. If you can't win the argument, just say my name and that I'm the most foul-mouthed person in the world."

Then he closed the panel and shut his eyes.

As night fell, the sound of orderly footsteps began to echo down the corridor.

Su Ming opened his eyes but didn't move. Footsteps echoed from one end of the corridor to the other, back and forth several times, each step feeling like a blow to his heart.

Finally, he couldn't resist any longer and cautiously looked out through the peephole, only to find... the corridor was completely empty!

But the footsteps continued.

Su Ming took a deep breath, opened the door, and poked his head out, saying, "Brothers, military training in the middle of the night? Want me to shout out a slogan for you guys?"

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight; two, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight!"

Finally, the footsteps stopped.

Su Ming closed the door, his heart pounding at 130, but his mouth was still moving: "Sure enough, if there really are ghosts, even ghosts would be afraid of lunatics!"

He walked to the window and drew back the curtains.

Under the moonlight, rows of shadows moved along the town's main street. Their outlines looked like those of a shadow puppet show.

Su Ming watched for three seconds and then seriously commented, "Tsk tsk tsk, these special effects are worth at least 50 cents. At least the security guard in the fake human neighborhood last time brought props."

The window next door was also open. Ah Jiu peeked out, and the two looked at each other.

Su Ming gave a thumbs up: "Does the aloof lady also have insomnia? Want to come to my room and chat for a bit?"

Ah Jiu put her index finger to her lips to signal silence, then closed the window.

A flock of crows flew overhead: "...Fine, you're aloof, so you call the shots."

He lay back down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. The footsteps disappeared, and so did the shadows.

But the few words on the PS part of that small note on the bedside table seemed to be reminding me of something in the darkness.

He recalled that when he entered the town, he thought he saw a dark shadow flicker at the edge of the woods in the distance. At the time, he thought it was just the shadow of a tree, but now that he thought about it, the shape looked like a person.

"Let's go check it out tomorrow," he muttered, turning over in bed.

"Deadly Town, huh? I'd like to see if you want my life, or if I'll expose all your secrets first!"