Chapter 68: Player Forum

Chapter 68 Player Forum

"Then I'll have to trouble Aunt Zhang to stay with my mom a bit longer." Su Bai nodded to Zhang Yibu, then turned toward Aunt Zhang. "The weather is nice today; I'd like to go out for a walk too."

"Go ahead, go ahead. Kids these days don't enjoy staying with adults. I can use this chance to chat more with your mom." Aunt Zhang waved her hand, clearly annoyed that their conversation had been interrupted. "Don't go too far—just walk around the small garden outside. And stay away from the hospital entrance; cars coming and going there are dangerous."

Listening to Aunt Zhang's motherly nagging, Zhang Yibu nodded impatiently several times, but Su Bai felt deeply nostalgic. If his mother could wake up soon, he would happily sit and listen to her scold him for three whole days and nights.

"Brother Su Bai, it's great that I finally found a way to reach you." After leaving the inpatient building, the term "brother" came more naturally to Zhang Yibu. "When we left the Nightmare World, Brother Qin Ge originally planned to give you his contact information, but he was just a second too late!"

The two strolled through the small garden. As the sun gradually set, the remaining light lost its warmth.

Yet gazing at the reddening horizon, Su Bai was moved by the beauty of the real world—a scene so different from the Nightmare World. It had been far too long since he last saw such a sky.

Once out of Aunt Zhang’s sight, Zhang Yibu’s attitude toward Su Bai became even more enthusiastic.

This eagerness almost made Su Bai fail to recognize the quiet, shy, and particularly timid newcomer from the Route 444 Last Bus.

Although Aunt Zhang had a close relationship with Su Bai’s mother, Zhang Yibu had always been locked indoors studying various subjects, so the mother-son relationship wasn’t strong, and they rarely had calm conversations. As a result, Zhang Yibu didn’t even know his mother’s favorite foods, let alone learn much about Su Bai from her.

Zhang Yibu knew nothing about Su Bai’s previous state of decline. In his eyes, Su Bai was mysterious and exceptionally powerful. When Su Bai transformed into the ghost bride on the Route 444 Last Bus, Zhang Yibu’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

To Zhang Yibu, Su Bai’s understanding of the Nightmare World surpassed even that of Brother Qin Ge, an investigator from the relevant department, and his strength far exceeded the tall Brother Qin Ge. Thus, in Zhang Yibu’s eyes, Su Bai was undoubtedly a truly reliable senior.

If Aunt Zhang could see the look in Zhang Yibu’s eyes as he gazed at Su Bai now, she would surely detect pure admiration—and would probably encourage him with satisfaction to keep learning from Su Bai and strive for progress.

Su Bai listened as Zhang Yibu chattered beside him for a long time. Most of it sounded like typical teenage talk—complaining about strict parents, getting caught using his phone at night and being severely scolded, lacking freedom, having no pocket money...

Su Bai almost regretted not disguising himself on the Route 444 bus. He even wondered if his actions there would cause Zhang Yibu to become like those newcomers helped by Lan Xingchen—overly dependent on others and unable to save themselves.

But Zhang Yibu had, after all, witnessed major events. Amid his excited and somewhat scattered complaints, there was still some information Su Bai needed.

For example, Zhang Yibu hadn’t entered his first official game yet. Ordinary players couldn’t, like Su Bai, immediately return to the previous game scene after finishing one. Even without a precise cooldown period, there was usually about a month of rest before the next game.

As for how to spend this month, human players could only decide upon exiting the last game.

Choosing to return to the real world meant spending the month free from nightmares and supernatural threats—back with family, lovers, and friends—living a peaceful, ordinary life or traveling and enjoying themselves.

Choosing to remain in the Nightmare World meant using the month to absorb the red moon’s power, improving survival chances for the next game, while also facing unpredictable anomalies. Since every building in the Nightmare World could mutate into an anomaly, players staying there could hardly find a safe place to rest for long.

Only organizations like the Nameless Society, already filled with veteran players, might secure temporary shelter in the Nightmare World. But because even sand and water in the Nightmare World could continue mutating, no location was permanently safe.

A kid like Zhang Yibu had obviously chosen to return to the real world. Brother Qin Ge, needing to urgently report back to the relevant department, had also returned.

But what surprised Su Bai was that Wan Shasha, though only a few months older than Zhang Yibu, might have chosen to stay in the Nightmare World. After Su Bai got off the bus to meet the ghost bride, Zhang Yibu and the others had exchanged phone numbers and contact IDs on the bus.

After returning to the real world, Zhang Yibu contacted Brother Qin Ge immediately but couldn’t reach Wan Shasha no matter how hard he tried. Likely because she had re-entered the Nightmare World, Wan Shasha’s phone—an external possession—was left behind at her usual bar. When Zhang Yibu and Brother Qin Ge called, her friends at the bar confirmed they couldn’t reach her either.

Still, while surprising, Wan Shasha’s choice wasn’t entirely strange. That girl’s personality was indeed unlike ordinary kids. Compared to someone pampered like Zhang Yibu, she had experienced far more complex things. It was entirely possible she chose to stay in the Nightmare World.

"By the way, Brother Su Bai!" Zhang Yibu, finally able to use his phone outdoors, showed Su Bai Brother Qin Ge’s avatar and chat history in the messaging app. "Brother Qin Ge said they’ve set up a special website forum. You need special software and an invitation code to register. It’s a communication platform built by the relevant department specifically for people who know about the Nightmare World!"

"Although the site was just launched recently, Brother Qin Ge said the forum already has sections like 'Chat Area,' 'Strategy Area,' and 'Help Area.' The functions will expand in the future. As soon as Brother Qin Ge sent me the invitation code, I registered. I’m basically a founding member of this forum!" Compared to his shyness in the Nightmare World, Zhang Yibu was quite talkative in the real world.

Su Bai had heard of such a website in his past life. But even if the Nightmare World had internet, it was completely different from the real world. Phones and apps from the real world couldn’t be used there, so Su Bai, who stayed in the Nightmare World, had never registered.

"Brother Su Bai, I’ll send you the software package right now!"

"Ahem—" Facing this overly familiar young man, Su Bai awkwardly turned his head. "Sorry, the timing of entering the Nightmare World last time was sudden. I think I accidentally lost my phone."

Aside from clothing and accessories, the only items humans could bring into the Nightmare World were likely those obtained within it. Even the waist pouch Lan Xingchen once used was probably a Nightmare World item. This made bringing ordinary possessions like phones impossible—and unnecessary. Su Bai couldn’t recall how long it had been since he last touched such a real-world object.

"No problem!" A 'prepared' smile spread across Zhang Yibu’s face. "I knew Brother Su Bai wouldn’t care about such things, so I already asked Brother Qin Ge to reserve an account for you. Member number 888, initial password 123456. When you get a phone, don’t forget to add me, download the software, and change your password!"

"Oh, and I managed to get member number 666!"

"..." Su Bai realized that securing member numbers was probably more exciting for Zhang Yibu right now than obtaining a good "trait."

"By the way, I heard the forum will open a 'Trading Market' in the future. I don’t fully understand it, but Brother Qin Ge said players from the Nightmare World can buy and sell certain Nightmare-related goods there."

Hearing "buying and selling" and "goods," Su Bai finally perked up.

"How does trading work? Players vary in strength. Trading, whether in the real world or the Nightmare World, carries risks." The Mist Shop behind Su Bai could ensure the safety of goods and shopkeeper, but the shop’s mascot kid remained unmoved, insisting the shop wasn’t ready to open.

So for emergencies, Su Bai genuinely needed a "Trading Market"—preferably one with minimal risk.

Very difficult.

But after hearing Su Bai’s words, Zhang Yibu looked puzzled and said matter-of-factly, "It’s just opening an online shop on the forum. Shouldn’t be too risky, right? Brother Qin Ge said even delivery is handled internally. As long as trading volume stabilizes and grows, the 'Trading Market' will gain reputation, and more players will use it."

Online shop?!

This long-forgotten term struck Su Bai’s consciousness. Having been disconnected from ordinary human life for so long, he had completely forgotten about using the internet to sell goods. Though the forum and market sounded immature, they opened a new line of thinking for him.

So you could open an online shop?

A new era of Nightmare World item trading?

Mist Shop and Trading Market—physical store versus online store, offline and online operating simultaneously?

Enter early while the forum is forming, seize a strategic position, become the top seller on the 'Trading Market'?

Suddenly, Zhang Yibu’s account reservation seemed brilliant, member number 888 felt auspicious, and even Zhang Yibu’s chatter became much more pleasant.

***

After all, Zhang Yibu was just a kid who hadn’t officially entered a game yet. Despite learning some information about the relevant department through Brother Qin Ge, his knowledge was superficial.

So after writing down his and Brother Qin Ge’s contact numbers for Su Bai, Zhang Yibu reluctantly followed Aunt Zhang out of the hospital.

Only at the final farewell did the smile fade from Zhang Yibu’s face, revealing uncertainty about the future. Perhaps he was thinking about the next game without Su Bai’s help, or feeling lost about the world under the red moon.

When Aunt Zhang took Zhang Yibu away, the sun outside the window had set, and the sky glowed red with twilight.

Su Bai waited for the hospital orderly to help his mother freshen up, then sat by her bedside and whispered to her for a while. Finally, he used his left hand to open the hospital room door and, carrying Kai Xin—who had reverted to a kitten—entered the Mist Shop once again.

Everything inside the Mist Shop remained unchanged since Su Bai’s departure. Besides the shoes crafted from the white qipao paper doll, there were five additional items he had created during his last visit.

A mirror made from the shadow ghost in the elevator, capable of revealing hidden anomalies and ghosts.

A coffin-shaped cigar box made from the sleeping ghost on the fourth floor. The smoke from its cigars could lull nearby anomalies and humans to sleep. However, since the coffin ghost wasn’t very powerful, once the cigars were used up, the item would become useless.

A coil of rope made from the red-dressed hanging ghost in Building One’s lobby. Not only could its length extend and retract, but it also made escape difficult for any anomaly caught in it.

Then came the grease candle made from the Butcher Ghost. Crafted from grease of unknown origin, when lit, it illuminated a large area. Weaker ghosts than the Butcher Ghost would avoid approaching the lit zone. Within this range, the candle holder’s perception, speed, and even strength were greatly enhanced. It was likely the most useful item Su Bai had made.

Unfortunately, the grease candle was single-use. No matter how slowly it burned, it would eventually be consumed.

Finally, there was the ceramic ornament made from the cat spirit and that "aunt." The large, intricate piece depicted a lush green lawn, where a kind woman smiled in a chair, gently stroking a kitten on her lap while playing with colorful kittens around her.

Although this exquisite ceramic ornament possesses impressive power—allowing its holder to summon and control the cat spirits within for battle—Su Bai knew that "Auntie" would prefer these little ones to stay safe and sound rather than engage in combat, without going anywhere, ideally.

Thus, Su Bai ultimately did not place the ceramic ornament on the shelf with the other merchandise. Instead, he positioned "Auntie" and the kittens together on the counter, right beside the jar filled with white sand, making them the Mist Shop's first "non-sale items."

As Su Bai stood before the shelf pondering how to handle the remaining ghosts on the beaded bracelet, he suddenly heard the voice of the shop's mascot, Xiao Wu, from behind him.

But unlike before, the child's voice sounded inexplicably icy cold—

"What is this?"

Turning around, Su Bai saw that Xiao Wu, who had just transformed back from a doll into a little boy, was standing in front of the counter, locked in an oddly intense stare-off with the black kitten sitting properly upright on the counter.