Chapter 77: Werewolf Community 14

Chapter 77: Werewolf Community 14

To use the restroom at a time like this?

After that person spoke, a brief silence fell upon the second floor of the activity center.

No one replied, and Tang Peng didn't follow up either.

The speaker was a female player named Lu Xin.

Lu Xin wasn't entirely new, but she was close. She was an F-rated player, and before entering this tournament, she had only participated in one dungeon run.

Unlike Lin Ye, she hadn't been fortunate enough to encounter a veteran player willing to guide her when she first entered a dungeon. Lu Xin had relied purely on luck to clear her first dungeon. While she did manage to complete it, she gained almost no understanding of the dungeon world.

Lu Xin had signed up for the tournament because she knew that as long as she survived for 15 days, she could escape unscathed.

Since entering the dungeon, she had etched the word "endure" into her heart.

She ignored any suggestions from other players that seemed remotely risky.

This was why she hadn't earned a single mission point the entire day.

Even during the heated tournament when viewers flooded every stream, Lu Xin's live channel never had more than two thousand concurrent viewers throughout the day.

Who could have predicted that after enduring through the day, the system would pull this stunt at night?

It's so annoying! Why do I suddenly have to use the bathroom so badly!

If only she hadn't finished that bowl of soup during dinner!

Lu Xin thought in frustration.

She had entered the dungeons too few times to realize that her current urge to urinate was abnormal.

She assumed it was simply due to drinking too much water.

Anxious, Lu Xin tossed and turned on her bed.

Unbeknownst to her, the number of viewers in her channel was increasing at an unsettlingly rapid pace, far surpassing the daytime figures.

"I'll bet my sharp intuition on this – this new kid is about to dig his own grave."

"These guys have no clue, do they? They're sharing a room with a ghost... hehehe..."

"Help me, help me, I'm dying to tell them! It's so entertaining!"

"How many will die tonight??"

...

Upstairs in the activity room, some players were scanning the live chat messages.

Yet, all these messages that were crucial to their survival were concealed by the system.

The silence in the rest area of the activity center persisted, interrupted only by the occasional interweaving of breaths.

Lu Xin knew full well that everyone was deliberately playing deaf and dumb.

The rules posted by the entrance of the activity room stated that there were no toilets within the building. If one needed to use the restroom, they had to leave the activity center and use the public facilities outside.

Public toilets are inherently hotspots for ghostly tales and urban legends.

Now, they, as living targets for ghostly attacks, were voluntarily leaving the safety of their shelter to head for the restroom. Wasn't that just courting death?

So, it was only natural that no one responded to her.

But... but!

Lyu Xin couldn't help asking again:

"Is there anyone who wants to go to the toilet with me?"

She really, really needed to go! It was driving her crazy!

The room remained silent.

Just as Lyu Xin was about to ask for the third time, Tang Peng, who was in the bed beside hers, couldn't hold back and offered his advice:

"I suggest you try to hold it in."

This scene was akin to the beginning of a horror movie, where an expendable side character meets their doom. It was truly unbearable to witness.

Lyu Xin felt like crying.

If she could endure it, she would definitely do so.

But she simply couldn't bear it any longer!

Another player suggested, "I think you should just find something in this room to take care of it."

Lyu Xin fell silent for a moment.

Of the six players who stayed behind that night, apart from Lyu Xin, the other five were all male, making this proposal somewhat awkward.

However, Lyu Xin knew that it was currently the best solution available.

If she were in her right mind, she would have agreed without hesitation. In fact, she wouldn't even need anyone else to prompt her; she would choose to do so herself.

But for some reason, at that very moment, Lyu Xin's heart felt as if it was crawling with ants. A fine, itchy sensation spread from her organs and bones, quickly permeating every limb of her body.

It was as if someone was lying deep within Lu Xin's mind, repeatedly urging her:

Get up, hurry up and get up!

Leave this place.

You need to go outside, to the public toilet outside.

You can't do what they're telling you to do!!

Within just two minutes, the number of people in Lu Xin's live stream had soared from 2,128 to nearly ten thousand, and it was still climbing.

The spirits who had switched their perspectives specifically to watch the spectacle were chatting merrily across various live stream rooms.

"Her sanity value is dropping dramatically."

"Is this the consequence of being haunted by a ghost~?"

"Poor thing, hehehe, but there's nothing to be done about it. After all, she's the weakest one here..."

"I didn't expect such tenacity from a low-level player. She's still enduring despite everything."

"There's no point in struggling. The ghost won't let her go."

...

Lyu Xin sat silently on the bed.

Her delicate fingers continuously dug into the bedsheet, making faint, rat-like scurrying sounds in the quiet activity room.

After a moment, Tang Peng began to sense that something was amiss.

"Hey, you—"

He started, intending to prompt Lyu Xin to check her attribute panel.

She currently looked far too much like someone who had lost their sanity.

There weren't many sanity-diminishing elements in this game. How did she end up like this?

Tang Peng's words were cut short by another voice.

"Are you in a hurry? If so, I can accompany you."

A gentle and intellectual female voice came from outside the door.

The people lying on the beds immediately turned their heads towards the entrance.

The players only realized after nightfall that, just as stated at the entrance of the Activity Center, "the lighting facilities in the Activity Center are malfunctioning."

It seemed that the lights here were broken.

None of the lights in the rooms on the first floor or the lounge on the second floor could be turned on. Only the corridor lights flickered dimly, occasionally going out for periods of time.

Right now, the lights outside were off.

Bathed in the dim moonlight filtering through the window, the players barely made out the silhouette at the door.

It was Cui Ran.

"Cousin Ran?"

Tang Peng was taken aback.

Didn't Cui Ran leave with Teacher Xue and the others?

He tried to recall, then remembered that Cui Ran seemed to have exchanged a few words with the group led by Xue Jiqing before staying behind in the meeting room.

Cui Ran nodded. "I wasn't feeling well just now, so I took a short rest downstairs."

"But I'm much better now."

She approached Lu Xin. "I was about to go out and join Teacher Xue's group. Do you need to use the restroom? I can accompany you."

Lu Xin sat on the bed, staring blankly at her.

The moment Cui Ran appeared at the door, the strange sense of urgency in Lu Xin's heart vanished instantly.

Now, there was only one thought in her mind:

Follow her!

Follow her!!

Without a second thought, Lu Xin stood up.

With someone willing to accompany Lu Xin to the restroom, the other players naturally held their tongues and didn't comment further.

Tang Peng had a vague sense that he had left something unsaid, but he couldn't quite recall what it was.

Deciding to abandon the thought, he lay back on his bed, watching as the pair descended the stairs.

...

In the dimly lit hallway, the sound of two sets of footsteps echoed gradually.

Lü Xin followed behind Cui Ran in a daze. As they descended the stairs, she stumbled and nearly fell headfirst to the ground.

"Careful!"

Fortunately, Cui Ran caught her wrist just in time.

A glimmer of clarity returned to Lü Xin's eyes.

The sensation from the skin on her left wrist was unusually vivid, cold and piercing.

But at that moment, all her attention was consumed by the urgent need to use the restroom, leaving no room for further thoughts.

"…Thank you."

Upon hearing Lü Xin's gratitude, a deeper smile spread across Cui Ran's face, and his steps down the stairs became even more agile.

...

Qin Fei, accompanied by his three security team members, patrolled the area, having already inspected all buildings with single-digit numbers.

The night patrol's duties weren't very meticulous, mainly consisting of outdoor surveillance.

As for the buildings, they only needed to shine their flashlights around the first-floor lobby briefly to fulfill their task.

Thus, the patrol was completed swiftly.

Aside from the darkness surrounding them, which made one feel uneasy, everything went smoothly.

None of the frightening elements mentioned in the patrol guidelines appeared, such as doppelgängers, faceless entities, or red-eyed beings.

Even Ghost Fire felt a bit uneasy: "Why am I getting more and more scared as we walk?"

The absence of any incidents somehow gave the impression that danger might be lurking in the shadows, silently watching them.

San Tu playfully smacked the back of Ghost Fire's head: "Stop being so superstitious."

In the instance dungeon, players were most cautious about uttering careless words.

After all, once one becomes entangled with supernatural entities, they can't help but start to believe in the notion that "trouble comes from careless talk."

"Shh—"

Qin Fei raised his index finger to his lips, uttering a soft yet firm sound.

The young man's eyes drooped slightly, and his furrowed brows and tense jawline lent him an air of gravity.

The Three Paths Ghost Fire immediately fell silent.

On this midsummer night, not even the chirping of cicadas could be heard. There was no wind, and the air was heavy and scorching, like a dense web that ensnared all living creatures wandering in the world.

In the midst of this eerie stillness, an extremely faint sound emerged from the path ahead.

"Sob... W-w-w-wooo..."

It sounded like someone was weeping.

The hairs on the back of the Ghost Fire's neck stood on end instantly.

Where did that voice come from?

The sound persisted, faint yet gradually growing clearer.

Moments later, the weeping girl's cries seemed to be just before their eyes.

"Is anyone there? Can someone help me!"

The sobs transformed into coherent words.

"Should we go take a look?" Lin Ye asked with a frown.

Suddenly, he realized something was off.

Why did he say that? He had intended to suggest, "Shall we run away now?", but the opposite words had slipped out of his mouth!

Sanmu squinted at the nearby area. "...She seems to be right there."

Following her gaze, they indeed saw a girl, dressed in a white dress and with a ponytail, crouching on the side of the road with her back to them.

Qin Fei gazed at her intently for a moment, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Have you guys heard a ghost story before?" the young man suddenly asked.

Without waiting for the other three to respond, he began narrating:

"It's about a person walking at night who sees a girl crying by the roadside. He approaches her to ask what's wrong."

"The weeping girl is facing away from him, revealing only the back of her head with a ponytail. No matter how much he tries to talk to her, she won't turn around."

"Worried that something might happen to the young lady alone at night, he persistently tries to comfort her."

"After much persuasion, the girl finally turns her head around."

"On the other side of her face, there was another ponytail."

This simple yet eerie ghost story had once been an immensely popular urban legend on the internet.

As Qin Fei finished recounting the tale with an indifferent expression, Lin Ye's arm was already covered in goosebumps, "She... she... she... she..."

Qin Fei wouldn't tell them this story out of sheer boredom. Since he mentioned it, there had to be a reason—

Qin Fei nodded. "The Faceless."

Half-closing his eyes, he gazed at the bushes not far away. From his perspective, an unusually clear line of text hovered above the weeping girl's head.

"The Faceless (Werewolf Community Exclusive): Affection - Unapproachable"

Based on Qin Fei's experience clearing dungeons, ghosts labeled "Unapproachable" either served as insignificant background characters or held some degree of malice towards players.

"Be cautious," Qin Fei warned.

Before he could finish, the trio beside him stepped forward simultaneously.

Qin Fei: "?"

What was going on? Were they rebelling en masse?

The girl with the ponytail continued to sob in the bushes, while Lin Ye and the other two seemed to have suddenly thrown caution to the wind, rushing toward her at a brisk pace.

"Damn it!"

Phantom Fire cursed softly, "Damn it, why can't I control my legs anymore..."

From the moment he clearly saw the figure of that girl, the security uniform he was wearing seemed to take on a will of its own, guiding his body forward uncontrollably.

Lin Ye was also escorted by the security guards toward the bushes, his expression extremely unpleasant.

"I see now!"

"Rule number one for night patrols: it is the security guard's duty to address any unforeseen issues for the residents," Lin Ye gritted his teeth and said.

The girl with the ponytail had wept earlier, pleading, "Is there anyone who can help me?"

Apparently, the security uniform had identified the weeping girl on the roadside as a community member.

Consequently, the three of them now found their freedom constrained by the uniforms, reluctantly drawing closer to that figure on the street.

But they had no intention of going over there at all!!

Crying in the dead of night in that position, anyone could tell with just their toes that it was a female ghost!

Lin Ye exerted all his strength to resist the security guard's uniform, but to no avail. His face flushed bright red from the effort.

The closer he approached the group, the colder the air around him became.

That chilling ghostly aura was no longer concealed in the slightest. The group could even discern faint, eerie giggles intertwined within the girl's sobs.

"Help!"

Help, help, help!!!

The ghostly flames screamed silently within my heart.

The security uniform felt like a rigid iron board, constraining his arm as he moved ever closer to the ghostly figure of the woman.

The air around him was so frigid that it felt as if it were on the verge of crystallizing into ice shards. The exposed skin of the ghostly flame was pierced by a stinging pain, while his heart pounded uncontrollably.

If he had known that the security guard uniform came with such a suicidal buff, he would have rather gone without it!

All three of them couldn't even turn their heads now; their necks were trapped tightly by the collar of the uniform.

Closer and closer.

Closer still!

In the next second.

When the ghostly flame's fingertips were less than half an inch away from that nape.

A stone suddenly pierced through the air.

With a thud, it abruptly struck the female ghost right on the head!

Female Ghost: ?!?!?

The unexpected event startled the ghostly flame, triggering an instinctive response in its body. Its hand involuntarily retreated, slightly breaking free from the uniform's constraint.

Though it was only for a brief moment, it managed to pull him back from the brink of death.

The female ghost swayed slightly when hit by the stone, but she quickly regained her balance and continued to crouch on the ground, covering her face and weeping.

"Help me! Help me!!"

Her cries grew more shrill, piercing the players' ears like needles.

The security guard uniform activated once more.

Unfortunately, this time, its power didn't last long.

Rocks rained down on the female ghost's head with a loud crackling, resembling the sound of firecrackers.

The ghostly flames in her eyes seemed ready to fall out as she strained every muscle in her body to turn her neck slightly and look aside.

It was Qin Fei.

Of course, it could only be Qin Fei.

As the sole player among the four who wasn't dressed in a security guard uniform, he was currently the only free agent left.

Qin Fei, the liberated individual, was at this moment frantically brainstorming.

Just as Lin Ye had mentioned, the players were being lured by the female ghost due to the constraints imposed by the security patrol rules.

But...

There was more to the security night patrol rules than just the first one.

Patrol Rule 7:

Within the community, there shall be no doubles, headless figures, or red-eyed individuals.

The female ghost had consistently kept her back to them, refusing to turn around.

Could it be because she was well aware that if she did turn, her true identity as an outsider to the community would be exposed?

And with that, the restriction imposed by the security guard uniform would vanish?

With his thoughts pondering, Qin Fei's hands continued their motion without pause.

This path was flanked by green belts and shrubs, filled with decorative pebbles that he had conveniently gathered for use as weapons.

As a vanguard, Ghost Fire faced the female ghost's back, watching in astonishment as one quail-egg-sized stone after another landed precisely on the target's head. His mouth gaped open in disbelief.

Xiao Qin's accuracy in throwing stones is rather terrifying, wouldn't you say?!

Fortunately, it was a ghost that got hit.

If this were a person, they would probably have become a ghost by now.

Phantom Flame's face contorted into an indescribable expression.

It seemed that even female ghosts could get a bump on their head when struck by a rock.

And it was a substantial one.

Phantom Flame's eyelids began to twitch.

He felt that if Qin Fei kept pounding away like this, this female ghost might just attain enlightenment right here and evolve directly into the Buddha himself.

Fortunately, the female ghost's patience had its limits.

Under Qin Fei's relentless assault, she finally couldn't bear it any longer.

No more tricks about luring pigs to be slaughtered!

All of you, just die!

Face the wrath of the female ghost!!

The female ghost abruptly sat up and turned around.

Despite having mentally prepared himself beforehand, when those two ponytails struck his face in succession, the ghostly flames still couldn't help but shudder.

Just as Qin Fei had predicted.

Sure enough, the other half of her head sported an identical, sleek black ponytail.

The constraints of the security guard uniform were suddenly lifted.

Free once more, the Ghost Fire trio's first instinct was to dash away at full speed!

But now, escaping unscathed was no longer an easy feat.

Just like pulling up a carrot and uncovering mud, as the two-faced ghost leaped into action, countless ghosts of various sorts emerged from the bushes lining the road!

This time, Ghost Fire no longer needed to wonder why the ghosts mentioned in the rules hadn't appeared.

They had been crouching neatly by the side all along.

Aside from the two-faced ghost, headless ghost, and red-eyed ghost, there were others in chef uniforms, men with blood tears streaming down their eyes, and individuals whose entire skin had been peeled off, leaving only a layer of intertwined red and white muscle tissue...

Horrible demons chuckled sinisterly as they lunged at the trio with bared fangs and outstretched claws.

"Shit!!!"

Ghost Fire let out a heartfelt cry, "Run, run, run, run, run!!!”

Is this damned instance deranged? Are they trying to scare them to death with this Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts-like scenario?

The ghostly flames seemed to be fueled by wind and fire, moving at an astonishing speed.

"Where's Xiao Qin?"

While escaping for their lives, San Tu still had the conscience to worry about their savior.

Until a figure brushed past her, disappearing at a velocity that left no doubt in San Tu's mind: her concerns were entirely unfounded.

San Tu: "......."

In a nutshell, having such a teammate was truly reassuring.

He was probably a hundred thousand times better than ghostly flames.

Qin Fei was indeed very knowledgeable. As he ran, he turned back to instruct the three security guards on how to deal with the ghosts, "Flash them with your flashlights!"

Flashlights couldn't just be used for illumination. The veteran security guard had emphasized its importance, so it had to be a life-saving prop in some way.

Lin Ye was startled and, in his panic, had been blindly fleeing while keeping the flashlight aimed ahead.

Upon Qin Fei's reminder, he promptly turned his wrist and shone the flashlight backward.

The effect was immediate.

The ghosts, blinded by the flashlight, slowed down significantly.

The trio instantly felt that they had put a little more distance between themselves and death.

"You're truly amazing, brother! From today on, you're my real brother!!"

Ghost Fire exclaimed emotionally, as if he were a madman.

The three flashlight beams combined to form a loose net, ensnaring all the pursuers behind them.

The players didn't dare to slow down, continuing their relentless sprint forward.

It wasn't until the ghosts behind them had completely vanished into the night, with not a single trace of movement left, that the players, their chests aching from the exertion, finally paused to catch their breath.

"Hah... Hah! Phew – where have we ended up?"

The ghostly fire seemed to be on the verge of exploding from the strain.

"It seems like we're almost at the Activity Center," Three Paths panted, keeping a cautious eye on their surroundings.

Ghostfire: "Should we go back? Maybe we shouldn't."

Three Paths also felt that turning back immediately wasn't a wise decision.

Who knew if those monsters had dispersed yet?

If they were still lurking about, returning now would be like walking straight into a trap.

"We can head back to the Activity Center first to assess the situation, then circle around from the other side," Qin Fei suggested.

The players who had been marked were still hiding within the Activity Center.

Even Qin Fei, a man, couldn't guarantee that he would find missions to complete every day in the future.

Therefore, it was essential to learn firsthand what it was like to be marked beforehand.

"Sure," San Tu agreed to the proposal.

The trio then headed for the Activity Center.

Despite having escaped death, Qin Fei wasn't much more at ease.

For some inexplicable reason, a heavy and eerie sensation lingered within his heart.

Qin Fei cast a glance into the darkness ahead. At the corner, a square-shaped public restroom stood at the edge of a strip of greenery, adjacent to the activity center.

That was the toilet located near the community center.

Upon passing by it, he wouldn't have far to go before reaching the entrance of the activity center.

Qin Fei subtly inhaled through his nose.

He couldn't shake off the sensation that there was an elusive, peculiar odor lingering in the air around him.

It resembled the scent of blood, yet it also hinted at decaying flesh.

As he drew closer to the public restroom, the smell grew stronger.

...Had something occurred in this vicinity?