Chapter 215 The World Outside the Door

Chapter 215: The World Beyond the Door

"What a show."

Watching the other players head one by one toward the parlor door, Yue Zhengqing and his girlfriend, Xiao Xiaodie, remained in the sofa area. It was clear that the start of this nightmare game had left the "Veteran," ranked 561st on the experience leaderboard, rather displeased.

"Zhengqing, keep your voice down. Don’t forget Miss Sang reminded us to maintain 'community harmony,'" Xiao Xiaodie whispered beside him.

The parlor door hadn’t yet opened, and though Yue Zhengqing’s voice wasn’t loud, if overheard, it wouldn’t exactly promote "harmony."

"Miss Sang, Miss Sang—it’s this Miss Sang who’s really getting on my nerves. She acts all high and mighty, like she's above it all, like she doesn’t care about anything, yet she still carries herself like the game's leader. What’s the difference between her and me?" Yue Zhengqing vented his pent-up frustration to his girlfriend, though he lowered his voice a little more.

"Well, being the leader isn’t an easy role anyway, especially in this game... It must be quite taxing, right?" Xiao Xiaodie seemed accustomed to Yue Zhengqing’s complaints. She comforted him while rising from the sofa.

"You’re right about that." Yue Zhengqing stood up and glanced at the players already gathered by the parlor door. Suddenly, being overshadowed by Sang Sang didn’t seem so bad after all.

After all, there were far too many inexperienced newcomers in this game with them.

First was that guy named Qin Yuxuan, who didn’t even know the difference between innate talent and acquired abilities. He was probably a total newbie who had just completed his beginner mission—completely useless.

Then there were the three newcomers ranked outside the top three thousand on the experience leaderboard. The boy named Zhang Yibu, though visibly nervous, could at least express his thoughts clearly. The other girl, the one with glasses, stammered so much that Yue Zhengqing couldn't even be bothered to learn her name.

And then there was the newcomer who became a player at the same time as Zhang Yibu. The first time Yue Zhengqing saw that "girl," he couldn’t help but notice her face. It was unavoidable—that face was... breathtakingly beautiful, almost unnaturally so, irresistibly drawing one’s gaze.

But this was the Nightmare World. Those who had been here long enough knew that "appearance" was perhaps the most useless thing in this place. So, after noticing the "girl" seemed constantly drowsy, as if suffering from narcolepsy, and learning she was just a newcomer ranked three-thousand-plus, Yue Zhengqing quickly shifted his attention back to Xiao Xiaodie beside him.

Compared to a newcomer who had nothing going for her besides her looks, Xiao Xiaodie, with her superior healing abilities, was far more valuable.

As for that "girl" who seemed perpetually sleepy, if it weren’t for the boy named Zhang Yibu helping her up, she probably wouldn’t even have been able to rise from the sofa. Even now, leaning weakly against the wall, she looked sickly and frail—practically wearing the words "dead weight" on her face.

Thinking this, Yue Zhengqing finally managed to tear his gaze away from her face.

Even so, he couldn’t help but notice that while the "girl" had seemed small curled up on the sofa, now that she was standing barefoot against the wall, she appeared much taller than Zhang Yibu beside her.

In terms of looks alone, Yue Zhengqing had never seen anyone as striking as "her."

What a waste.

Not only was she a useless newcomer, but she was also a sickly, sleepy liability.

The first to head toward the parlor door earlier had been Chen Xi. Though she had a sharp tongue and an abrasive personality, coming across as particularly aggressive, she still hesitated when her hand reached the doorknob.

It seemed that, deep down, even Chen Xi felt fear toward the "unknown" waiting outside.

"Don’t worry."

Sensing the tension emanating from Chen Xi and the others, Meng Zhi, the most experienced female player, couldn’t help but offer reassurance. "Everyone, don’t worry. I’ve been through similar nightmare games before. At the start, we probably just need to find our own rooms and pretend to live here. Though some terrifying events might be unavoidable, we should still have some time to rest and prepare before then."

What Meng Zhi said made sense. Many players present had experienced nightmare games set in villas, apartments, or residential complexes. These scenarios often involved elements of role-playing. Though such settings grew increasingly dangerous over time, the early stages usually allowed players to look for clues while catching their breath.

With that in mind, the previously tense atmosphere eased slightly.

Even Su Bai, who had been propped up against the wall the entire time, agreed with Meng Zhi. Back in the Happy Community nightmare game, as long as players pretended to be family members of the ghosts, they could relatively easily survive the early stages.

But...

Occasionally, anomalies occurred.

...

Under the warm yellow light of the parlor, Chen Xi took a deep breath before mustering the courage to slowly open the seemingly ordinary wooden door.

Yet, the moment the door swung open, a wave of metallic blood mixed with a bone-chilling malice flooded into the room like a tidal wave. The earlier peace and tranquility were instantly drowned in a stench of malevolence.

The blood-tainted energy and hostile intent surged toward the players, filling the entire parlor in mere breaths. The air grew heavy and oppressive. Terrified by the overwhelming aura, the players staggered backward. Chen Xi and Meng Zhi, who had been at the front, even stumbled to the floor.

An unshakeable dread enveloped everyone. Struggling to adapt to the sudden abnormality, the players forced themselves to look outside.

At that moment, all they could see was a corridor bathed in a faint red glow under the lights, tainted by the blood-tainted energy and hostile intent. The blood-tainted energy and intense malice materialized into a swirling vortex, making the ordinary wooden door appear like a blood-drenched gateway to hell. It seemed that taking even one step forward would plunge them into a terrifying, distorted blood-soaked nightmare realm!

In just a few seconds, even the previously normal parlor was tinged with the sinister crimson hue. Under the pressure of the blood-tainted energy and hostile intent, the players felt an immense weight on their shoulders, like being pressed down by invisible forces. Standing firm became difficult; even breathing grew labored.

So much for this apartment being warm and comfortable!

Could they really achieve "community harmony" in this hellhole?!

Amid this hopeless situation, Su Bai—who had initially seemed so "sickly" he was barely able to stand without the wall's support—remained standing, watching the players either sitting or collapsed on the parlor floor.

After all, Su Bai wasn’t truly ill. He was merely enduring the side effects of the immense power coming from Fog City Lord. One could say that over the past month, Su Bai had grown accustomed to the sensation of being enveloped and oppressed by such crushing pressure.

Thus, though the blood-tainted energy and hostile intent permeating from outside discomforted him, compared to the side effects of Fog City Lord’s power, what was out there wasn’t terrifying enough to overwhelm him.

But... the "mirrors" mentioned in the game rules hadn’t even appeared yet, and the apartment had already gone to hell. How many players could remain calm enough to search for clues to beat the game?