Chapter 115

Chapter 115

There's a night event!

Given that Ji Xinghai wouldn't flee from the hotel overnight and unsure if the event happens every day, he decisively chose to carry his bicycle and join the night event.

Fortunately, Custom Street wasn't far, and it only took ten minutes by bicycle.

When he finally saw the full length of this long street, he stopped his bicycle.

"Woah." A voice of amazement sounded behind him.

The other students arrived a moment later but also saw this 'Custom Street.' Everyone's expression read, "What is this thing?"

Ji Xinghai stroked his chin. He felt that the Hungry Academy might have its own interpretation of the word 'custom.'

While it was called a 'street,' what they saw in front of them was more like an entire area, a vast abandoned region.

Without a doubt, it had cleverly utilized spatial folding technology.

Apart from the cracked road they could see, there were buildings on both sides that seemed ravaged by time, huge barren trees without a single leaf, and a church covered with crows in the distance.

To enhance realism, there were signs of human habitation everywhere on the roads and in the buildings.

Apart from the lack of life, everything here felt as real as if it had once truly existed.

Following the cracked road, passing through the similarly desolate square, and climbing hundreds of steps, they reached the relatively clean church.

Ji Xinghai pushed his bicycle forward. The moment he crossed an invisible line, the normal sky instantly turned dark and gray.

"Again?" He recalled the worlds within the doll world—the inner world, the outer world, and the real world.

Of course, things wouldn't be as complicated here, but the air was indeed filled with a certain evil energy, several times stronger than outside. It would make the students lose their minds, become terrified, and turn mad.

With the food buff still active on him, the street didn't affect Ji Xinghai much, but the students who followed were already feeling uncomfortable, their faces showing signs of unease.

"No, no, we can't go any further." The most affected student squatted down, clutching his head, and shouted in pain, "I have a very ominous feeling."

"Are you okay?" the others asked with concern.

"Eat something other than meat, get full, and come over."

Ji Xinghai gave a reminder and then left them alone. Humans entering such a place was too much of a stretch; a fair fight would be more interesting. He wondered what the requirements for the night event might be.

"Food?" The students looked at each other, not understanding how this related to food, except for two who seemed thoughtful.

"Wait! We seem to be unable to leave."

A voice of panic came from behind him. Turning around, he saw that the road they had taken was now a cliff, with fog obscuring everything beyond.

"The event hasn't started yet, right?" one person asked, trembling.

"The event hasn't officially started; we're just early entrants, but the NPCs haven't arrived yet."

Only two students among this group remained calm, while the others could barely keep their composure. Any incident would shatter their calm—given the psychological pressure of the scene and the chaotic energy, anyone entering would likely go insane.

Ji Xinghai checked the time; there were still three hours until the official start.

Could they last three hours?

"Actually, thinking positively, entering early allows us to familiarize ourselves with the environment sooner. Now is considered 'safe time,' which is an opportunity for the students."

The calmest student spoke, looking at Ji Xinghai, seemingly recognizing him but not approaching for help.

In the Hunger Games, relying on others was the stupidest move. Ji Xinghai approved of this choice and turned to leave first.

"That person looks familiar."

"Probably a mistake; there are many East Asian faces."

The voices faded away behind him.

He pushed his bicycle across the still-intact square, where once-elegant white marble pillars lay broken into several segments, benches were rusted, and the fountain pool was dry, filled with decaying leaves and spider webs.

But there were no spiders or rats, only crows.

Ji Xinghai maneuvered around these obstacles and continued forward.

He saw a school with red tiles and white walls, which must have been beautiful once. But under the gloomy sky, the tiles resembled dried blood.

The school gate had only one door left, and the spacious playground inside the iron fence was now overrun with wild grass. A deflated soccer ball sat lonely in front of the goal, unlikely to ever be kicked again.

Ji Xinghai glanced at the place and continued walking.

He passed by a theater, city hall, and a park...

The sky grew darker, almost pitch black, and Ji Xinghai finally reached the end of this domain, another cliff-like road with cracks extending endlessly. The opposite side was as dark as a black mamba's open mouth, toxic and foreboding.

"It took me over two hours to walk here?" He was too lazy to return to the starting point and sat down on a nearby bench, parking his bicycle beside him, which trembled pitifully.

"What are you afraid of?" Ji Xinghai asked the bicycle, "Even if death comes, it should be me, the human, first. Why are you so worried?"

This made sense, but the bicycle trembled even more.

As the lowest-level anomalous creature, it couldn't speak, but its meaning was clear: it wasn't afraid of the place but of Ji Xinghai.

"Oh, you're afraid I'll go mad and eat you?"

Ji Xinghai looked up and down at the skinny bicycle, wondering where it got its confidence. Even if he went mad, it would be madness, not insanity.

"Rest assured, I’d gnaw on the buildings before I’d eat you."

The bicycle nearly took off running: You want to gnaw on buildings?!

"Tsk." The bicycle’s timid reaction made Ji Xinghai laugh. He swept the fallen leaves off the bench and lay down.

"I have an hour left, so I’ll take a nap. Wake me up if anything unexpected happens."

With that, he closed his eyes and fell asleep in three seconds.

The exam was scheduled for eight o'clock. Students who could afford it checked into hotels, while those without money set up temporary tents. A group of students like Ji Xinghai, who preferred to take the initiative, entered Custom Street.

There were also those who were not particularly brave but whose curiosity killed the cat, and they too ventured into Custom Street.

So now there were about fifty-seven students in Custom Street, mostly official students, with a few random ones. Some of them gathered at the square in front of the church.

"In horror scenarios, religious places always hold a special significance. We still don’t know what the ‘Halloween’ event entails, but one thing is certain: there will be many of them. If we split up like people do in horror movies, we’ll be picked off one by one. Only by sticking together do we stand a chance of survival."

A student was giving a pep talk before the game began.

He had some selfish motives, such as using the weaker ones to hold back the monsters, thereby increasing his own chances of survival.

But what he said wasn’t entirely without merit.

This was the monsters' territory, and they already had the environmental advantage. If we were outnumbered, the gap would widen even further. Being alone would be like offering ourselves up, while sticking together might give us a fighting chance. After this speech, these dozen or so students decided to form a temporary team and stay near the church until the game started.

In fact, these proactive students had already prepared themselves mentally for the dangers ahead, but they hoped the rewards from the game would make it worth the risk.

By nine o'clock, it was completely dark, pitch black, where you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face beyond a meter.

The students huddled together, waiting for the game to begin. Their breathing slowed due to tension. Suddenly, the streetlights in the square and along the roads lit up.

These classical iron street lamps, spaced five meters apart, cast a soft orange glow, illuminating the surrounding area unevenly, enveloping everything in a thin veil.

The students were startled by this change; they instinctively moved closer to each other, facing the darkness with their backs to the light sources, staring intently as if expecting something to emerge from the shadows.

"Is it starting?" someone whispered.

"I don’t know."

The longer they stayed, the more intense their fear became, clouding their judgment.

"Wow!"

"Wow!"

They heard the sound of birds flapping their wings and a chorus of "wow" sounds.

It must be crows, but because they couldn’t see them, the sense of foreboding and death was stronger than ever. The students gritted their teeth, and the crowd fell silent.

"Look!"

In this silence, another beam of light pierced through the air, landing on the church. The soft light filtered through the stained glass windows, casting a reassuring glow into the darkness.

"I knew the church was special," one student said, energized.

In fact, not just the church, but schools, theaters, town halls... all these buildings emitted a soft light.

The students gathered in the square headed towards the church, while others scattered around moved closer to the illuminated buildings. Then, belatedly, the game announcement came:

"Dear visitors, enjoy your evening. Tonight’s main event, the Halloween Night Carnival, is about to begin. Monsters from all over the world are eagerly awaiting."

"Eager to eat people?"

Ji Xinghai sat on the bench under a streetlight, patting the bicycle. "I’m going to act alone later. Find a place to hide, and wait for me after the game."

The bicycle didn’t hesitate for a second, rolling into the nearby bushes.

"Am I scarier than the Halloween monsters?" he grumbled.

"For our esteemed guests, we’ve prepared many precious treasures hidden in the illuminated buildings. Yes, it’s a treasure hunt, a monster carnival!" the announcement continued.

"As for you, dear visitors, during this night of monsters, from nine PM to six AM, you can stay here safely and participate in the treasure hunt. Just remember one thing: don’t let them discover you’re alive."

Don’t let them discover you’re alive?

Ji Xinghai looked up at the pitch-black sky as he walked. Was this the rule of the game?

If the monsters that discovered you died, it wouldn’t count as being discovered.

But the commotion would certainly attract other things, making it impossible to continue the treasure hunt.

The students scattered around also pondered, thinking of strategies.

Meanwhile, the announcement had become excited and shrill:

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the revelry begin!"