Due to the increasing difference in the flow of time between two places, Tong Yang was unclear about the time in their world.
By the time she received a response, she had already returned to the dormitory with Tong Le and the others.
[???]
[Wow, Sister Tong, you’re a prophet!]
[I’m in the future and I didn’t even know this was going to happen!]
[I checked it out, on August 12th, a new large-scale murder mystery game opened on Changshui Street in Tianyuan District of the capital. There was an accident where eight players, during the game, allegedly used props and plot elements to kill their companions. Each was a murderer, and the sole survivor also died from excessive blood loss.]
Learning is for Making Money: [Can you check the list of the deceased?]
[Hey! Just as you mentioned it, I saw it!]
[Doesn’t the last survivor look like Sister Tong? Although she still died.]
[…]
[Do you think you’re funny?]
[Sister Tong, what time is it over there?]
Learning is for Making Money: [August 11th.]
[Hey! You’re not planning to go there tomorrow, are you?]
[Absolutely don’t, I hear it’s a closed space, all the cameras failed afterwards, no one knows what happened.]
Learning is for Making Money: [Any details?]
[Wait, let me check.]
[It’s said that this script was used for the first time, the content was not disclosed, and after the incident, everything about it was suppressed, no related stories could be found.]
[One bizarre aspect of the case is that the door camera captured eight players entering the game, but only six bodies were found in the end. The sole survivor kept saying that all seven of them had died, but the police have still not found the missing person.]
[So, one body just disappeared into thin air?]
[Ah??]
Seeing this, Tong Yang’s expression became solemn.
A body disappeared? Only when people from the parallel world die in the real world do their bodies disappear and return to the parallel world.
Could it be that among those people last night, someone had already been replaced by someone from the parallel world?
[Didn’t Sister Tong say that when people from the parallel world die, their bodies disappear?]
[Damn! Sister Tong! Do you have people from the parallel world around you??]
[No way it’s the young miss, right?]
[Don’t talk nonsense. We don’t know if the young miss was among the deceased, the police haven’t released the list.]
[And even if she was there, there were still six others.]
[Isn’t it terrifying… being quietly replaced by someone next to you? Maybe one day someone you trust will stab you in the back!]
[Not the young miss, please!]
[Sister Tong, don’t go tomorrow!]
Tong Yang looked at the texts popping up in the chat box, her thoughts drifting back to last night.
Apart from her, Chu Shiyu, and Xu Junyue, there were indeed five others.
Among them, two were girls, and three were boys.
The two girls were twins, not only identical in appearance, but even their clothing, hairstyles, makeup, and the positions of the moles on their faces were exactly the same; however, the elder sister was more lively compared to her quieter sibling.
Standing together, they spoke not a word, even Xu Junyue couldn’t tell who was who.
As for the three boys, Tong Yang didn’t remember much about them, one had a buzz cut, one dyed his hair white, and another seemed very well-behaved.
Had someone among them been replaced by someone from the parallel world?
Who could it be?
Could Xu Junyue or Chu Shiyu have been replaced?
Xu Junyue’s personality had indeed changed drastically, and she had effortlessly blended into the group of attackers; could it be that she had already been replaced by then?
And Chu Shiyu?
Throughout this period, Tong Yang hadn’t felt anything off about her, but she had never mentioned anything like real-life murder games before. Why had they agreed so readily last night, wanting to join the game on purpose?
Although Tong Yang didn’t want to suspect Chu Shiyu, nor did she wish to believe that the person replaced was her, she didn’t know what happened in the old town district. What if Chu Shiyu had experienced something by herself when Tong Yang wasn’t around?
What’s more crucial, Tong Yang couldn’t distinguish the two Ye Tianlins, but other people might not show any differences.
If it were others besides them three, even if Tong Yang and Chu Shiyu didn’t participate in the game tomorrow, they would probably choose to enter the game venue, and the result might then turn out differently.
[Tong Yang, let’s meet up at Changshui Street at 6 pm tomorrow, we’ll have dinner before heading to the mall.]
Xu Junyue sent several messages along with the mall address.
Should she tell her?
What if she was from the parallel world? Would that trigger a butterfly effect and cause worse events?
Should she continue to participate in the game?
If she ignored it, the outcome would definitely not be better than the future news, and perhaps more innocent people would be dragged into it.
Through Ye Wen’s matter, Tong Yang had already realized that such things were inevitable. As long as people from the parallel world were lurking in the shadows, it was only a matter of time before something happened.
Thus, Tong Yang decided to participate.
Learning is for Making Money: [Got it.]
The only people Tong Yang could trust were Chu Shiyu and Xu Junyue, but until she was certain they weren’t from the parallel world, Tong Yang wouldn’t speak of this matter.
Returning to the Melon Eating Netizen group, Tong Yang replied: [Keep an eye out for me.]
[Sister Tong, are you still going?]
[Can’t not go, don’t know who’s been replaced, don’t know what’s really happening.]
[But it feels very dangerous, in a closed space with all the cameras out, no one knows what really happened.]
[Sister Tong, what are you going to do?]
Learning is for Making Money: [Going.]
After Tong Le’s incident, she had realized that completely avoiding danger was impossible; sometimes, you had to take the initiative. Kill one if you can.
[(Raises hand) I request video.]
[Me too!]
[Please let me see it through just once!]
[Want to see, want to see, want to see!]
[I pledge a hundred to let us watch the live broadcast!]
[But usually, such places don’t allow electronic devices, not even watches.]
[Ah… that’s too bad, I want to see! Just like a horror movie!]
Learning is for Making Money: [We’ll see when the time comes.]
Ending the chat, Tong Yang went to wash up and sleep.
The next day, August 12th, Monday.
Tong Yang had no tutoring lessons and took Tong Le out to play.
Chu Shiyu’s parents came over, and the family went to visit Grandma Yu. They had invited her, but Tong Yang had declined.
“Tong Le, has Sister Shiyu changed recently?”
Tong Yang tried to rule out the possibility of Chu Shiyu being replaced. She had helped Tong Yang, they had been through a lot together, and now her family was also helping take care of Tong Le. Tong Yang didn’t want Chu Shiyu or anyone close to her to be harmed because of her and Tong Le.
Tong Le shook his head and said, “No, Sister Shiyu is the same as before.”
In Tong Yang’s view, she hadn’t changed either.
Approaching evening, Tong Yang sent him back to where he was staying, then met up with Chu Shiyu to head to Changshui Street.
“Be careful tonight,” Tong Yang said.
“Are you worried about what might happen?”
She hadn’t told anyone that she had the Melon Eating Netizen group.
Hearing this, Tong Yang smiled wryly, “Not might.”
“…Definitely?”
“Ninety-nine percent.”
“That means definitely.”
“You can choose not to go now.”
Chu Shiyu pouted, “I’m going.”
“Aren’t you afraid of dying?”
Chu Shiyu said, “With you here, what do I have to fear?”
Tong Yang: “…”
“You really trust me.”
“Without you during those two days of the college entrance exams, we would’ve died a long time ago. The last science test was a total trap.”
Tong Yang shook her head, “Even if I can enter the loop…”
“Even if you can’t, I think it’s also fine.”
Chu Shiyu smiled at her, “Anyway, we can’t kill all the people from the parallel world, so just kill all those who come to the real world, right? That’s your idea, isn’t it?”
Tong Yang nodded, “Right.”
“I’ve said it, I’ll be with you, and I think this way the experience will be even better!”
Tong Yang lowered her eyelids, “Among us eight people, someone has already been replaced by someone from the parallel world.”
After saying this, Tong Yang looked up to see her reaction.
The cool evening breeze lifted their hair at the temples. The sun hadn’t completely set yet, and behind Chu Shiyu, the twilight seemed to whirl like disordered smoke in the sky.
Hearing Tong Yang’s words, Chu Shiyu’s expression gradually became restrained, her eyes mocking, and her lips curved into a sinister arc.
“You guessed it.”
Tong Yang’s breath hitched, and she quickly pulled out a fruit knife hidden in her bag.
“Tong Yang, I didn’t expect… Ah! Fuck! Wait! Wait! I’m just joking!”
Before Chu Shiyu could finish speaking, Tong Yang turned her hand and stabbed the fruit knife towards her neck, the tip of the knife stopping just above the skin at her throat.
Chu Shiyu raised her hands, sweating profusely, “Put the knife away! I was just joking!”
Tong Yang glanced at her, casually retracted the fruit knife, and put it back in her bag.
“Tong Yang, you’re really something! Carrying a knife with you, and you don’t hesitate at all when using it.” Chu Shiyu patted her chest in fear, “I was just joking with you, can’t you tell? You scared me to death.”
Tong Yang chuckled, “If I hadn’t figured it out, would I have given you a chance to beg for mercy?”
Chu Shiyu squinted her eyes, slapping her lightly, “Fine, you! I just wanted to scare you, but you had to scare me back, huh? Can’t you take a little loss?”
“Is this your first day meeting me?”
As they spoke, Chu Shiyu remembered the time her friend knocked over her desk and chairs, and she had to pay Tong Yang to help her pick them up. Thinking back, she was just a stupid and foolish victim, never gaining any advantage from Tong Yang.
Soon after, the two arrived at Changshui Street, Tong Yang prepared to call Xu Junyue to ask where the others were.
Just then, someone suddenly tapped them on the shoulder from behind.
Both turned their heads and saw two identical faces appear behind them.
“Hello.”
“Hey there.”
The twin sisters were dressed in the same style of sportswear, but in different colors, greeting them.
“Hello.”
“I didn’t introduce myself yesterday, I’m the elder sister, He Jingjing.”
“I’m the younger sister, He Jingjing.”
“I’m Chu Shiyu, and this is Tong Yang. Your names are quite similar.”
Elder sister He Jingjing, more talkative, smiled and explained, “We’re twins, everything has to be the same. She used to be called He Lili, but she thought it was unfair only I was called Jingjing. Our parents were so troubled they changed her name to Jingjing.”
Tong Yang glanced at the two, asking, “Have you two always been together since you were young?”
“Yes, we’ve never been apart.”
He Jingjing stood quietly by their side, her head lowered.
“Where are you?” Tong Yang called Xu Junyue.
“We’re at the Cantonese restaurant over here… Here! Tong Yang!”
Xu Junyue’s voice sounded in her ear and not far away simultaneously.
The four turned their heads and saw Xu Junyue waving her phone, standing behind the three boys they met last night.
“Why are you with the twin flowers?”
Tong Yang said, “We met.”
Xu Junyue was wearing a crop top and jeans, sporting a Western makeup look.
The three boys were dressed casually, the buzz-cut guy nodding at them with a cigarette between his fingers.
“Hey,” the white-haired boy raised his hand, showing just the right amount of a friendly smile.
He Jingjing whispered, “The buzz-cut one is called Hu Shuo, the white-haired is Zhou Jingyun, he dreams of becoming a pop idol, so he pays extra attention to his image management, and the well-behaved boy beside him…”
“You guys are great, I’m Tao Bai.”
Before He Jingjing could introduce him, the boy had already stepped forward to greet them.
“Tong Yang.”
“I’m Chu Shiyu.”
Xu Junyue wrapped an arm around Tong Yang’s shoulder, “Come on, let’s go eat! Tao Bai knows you don’t like spicy food, so he specifically chose a Cantonese restaurant.”
As they walked by, Tao Bai showed a polite smile.
Tong Yang’s gaze swept over his face.
Among the three boys, Tao Bai left the deepest impression on her.
Of course, it wasn’t about looks or outward appearance, Tong Yang felt his personality resembled Tong Le’s—obedient and considerate, wondering if Tong Le would grow up to be like him.
During the meal, everyone discussed the murder game starting at eight o’clock, but Tong Yang and Chu Shiyu didn’t join in.
Tong Yang was observing them, including Xu Junyue.
But she hadn’t known everyone for long and couldn’t detect any clues.
“Not to your taste?”
Maybe noticing that Tong Yang hadn’t moved her chopsticks much, Tao Bai, sitting to her left, asked quietly.
He was taller than Tong Yang, slightly leaning over, his eyes sincere as he didn’t rashly close the distance.
“Thank you, it’s nothing.”
Tao Bai nodded, refilling her half-drunk glass of orange juice, “You can buy some snacks you like later to take inside.”
“Can we take snacks inside?”
“Yes, unlike other real-life murder games.”
“Can we bring phones?”
“You probably can, but try not to turn them on or play with them.”
“Thank you.”
Tong Yang took out her phone, and Tao Bai naturally looked away, ending the conversation.
Learning is for Making Money: [You can bring phones.]
[Video video video!]
[I want to watch!!!]
[Sister Tong, please! I really want to see it!]
Learning is for Making Money: [But you can’t play with it.]
[That’s true, you can’t just hold it up all the time.]
[Voice should be okay, right? Let me hear what’s going on!]
[Voice voice voice!]
[My life is hanging by a thread on sister’s words.]
Learning is for Making Money: [Transfer, fifty.]
[To Ando Tetsuo from Learning is for Making Money transfer fifty.]
[To Hu Er Gou from Learning is for Making Money transfer fifty.]
[To Cai Cai from Learning is for Making Money transfer fifty.]
[To Cheese Child from Learning is for Making Money transfer fifty.]
…
Learning is for Making Money: [Eight o’clock, wait for it.]
[Received.]
[Waiting.]
[Hope it won’t disappoint (pointing and pointing).]
[Who are you pointing at (pointing and pointing).]
[Rubbing hands, so excited.]
Tong Yang turned off her phone, taking out her Bluetooth earphones from her backpack.
After dinner, Xu Junyue indeed led them to buy two big bags of snacks.
At 7:50 PM, all eight of them squeezed into the elevator on the seventh floor, where the seventh to ninth floors were all dedicated to the murder game.
As the elevator doors opened, the first thing that caught their eye was a strange light, pale and dim, shining on the wall opposite the elevator.
“Fuck!”
The one in the front, Hu Shuo, jumped in fright because the wall opposite the elevator was reflecting several shadows.
“What are you freaking out about! You scared me.”
“Just shut up, I saw it wrong.”
“Isn’t it just our shadows?”
“To be honest, this place really immerses you. The entrance is on the first floor, the boss let us come up by ourselves, didn’t even give us walkie-talkies.”
“This isn’t our shadow.” Chu Shiyu said.
“Ah? If this isn’t our shadow, then whose is it?”
Tong Yang stood at the back of the group, glancing forward.
“Don’t be scared, it’s all fake.” Tao Bai stood by her side, softly reassuring.
Tong Yang pursed her lips, not understanding which eye of his thought she was scared.
Chu Shiyu said, “It really isn’t!”
“Haven’t you guys learned physics?” Tong Yang asked.
[Sister Tong! You really have no EQ! How can you say that directly!]
[You really, self-taught sarcasm.]
[I’m dying laughing haha haha.]
…
Even though Tong Yang had turned the volume to the minimum, she could still clearly hear their endless chatter.
Tong Yang didn’t respond, as everyone turned to look at her, she said, “It’s just a normal wall opposite, it doesn’t reflect.”
Chu Shiyu said, “Also, if the shadows are caused by the light, the light source should be behind us, but the light in the elevator can’t reach the opposite wall, our shadows should be on the floor.”
“They really are on the floor!”
“To be honest, I haven’t really studied physics since high school.”
“No, what is that thing on the wall?”
[I’m also curious!]
[Ah ah ah I really want to see what it looks like.]
[I wish I could turn on the video, wuwu.]
“Let’s go out and see.”
Seeing them dawdle for a long time without leaving the elevator, Tong Yang urged them.
“The boss said it, as soon as we enter the elevator, it starts, better to be cautious.” Hu Shuo said.
Before entering the elevator, he volunteered to stand at the door, saying he would act as a meat shield for them, but now he was just wasting time with this ghostly behavior.
“Move, I’ll go take a look.” Tong Yang stepped forward, suddenly stopped by someone.
Tao Bai said, “It’s okay, I’ll go.”
Without giving Tong Yang time to react, Tao Bai walked through the crowd and out of the elevator.
Usually, such situations just lack a leader, and once Tao Bai stepped out of the elevator, the others followed one by one.
Tong Yang was the last to leave. As she exited, the elevator door closed behind her with a “bang”.
The sudden closing startled the few in front, but Tong Yang remained unflappable, surveying her surroundings.
To the left of the elevator was a completely enclosed wall, and to the right was a huge iron door. Upon closer inspection, the iron door was made up of rusty steel bars, with a small door at the bottom right that could be opened.
The area behind the iron door was tightly covered with a blackout cloth, unclear what was inside.
“It’s not a shadow, it’s inside the wall.”
“Inside the wall?? Are we filming a horror movie??”
“You didn’t say it, but our murder game is terrifyingly high-level.”
Tong Yang stood between the elevator and the shadow wall, looking towards the area near the small iron door, where a simple table stood, with a black box on it.
Above the table hung an old light bulb, the only source of light here.
[Sister, can you describe the environment for us?]
[I really want to know, it was more interesting with the video before.]
[I’m watching a horror movie right now while on voice chat.]
[What horror movie are you watching?]
[《School Graveyard》]
“The shadow is moving!”
“Hey! Don’t talk nonsense!”
“Fuck! It really is moving!”
Tong Yang turned to look at the wall, the shadows slowly moving closer to the wall, as if they were about to emerge from it.
Corresponding to the number of people, the eight shadows moved at different speeds towards the wall, probably soon to completely pass through.
Tong Yang ignored them, walked to the old table, and observed the strange box, noticing a line of small letters on the left: Please draw a number card in the order you left the elevator.
“You guys come here.” Tong Yang called out.
The crowd, gathered at the wall inspecting the shadows, heard her voice and walked over.
“What is it?”
Tong Yang said, “Draw a number card.”
“Oh right, why did the game start directly? Shouldn’t we first draw identities, then get familiar with the script?”
“I don’t know, maybe it’s different from regular murder games, there’s a secret room too.”
“Wait… are we going to do tasks separately? No no no! I’ll be scared to death!”
“Thanks, I felt scared just standing at the door.”
Tong Yang glanced back at the wall shadows, now much closer, and urged, “Hurry up, those shadows started moving since we came in.”
Tao Bai walked up to her, saying, “I was the first to leave the elevator, I’ll draw first.”
“Mhm.” Tong Yang stepped aside.
Facing the pitch-black box, Tao Bai hesitated for a moment, slowly reaching his hand into the circular black hole just big enough for one hand.
Suddenly, as if he touched something, he quickly withdrew his hand.
“What’s wrong?”
“Why aren’t you drawing?”
Tao Bai’s face turned pale, “There’s someone!”
“Ah???”
“What are you talking about?”
“In such a small box, you’re telling me there’s someone?”
The box was about the size of two watermelons, and the area under the table was hollow, with no place to hide anyone else.
Tao Bai pursed his lips, saying, “It felt like a part of a human body.”
Everyone: “…”
“Fuck! We still have to touch it! Don’t joke around!”
“I’m not lying to you, it’s true.”
“Probably a prop, right? Hurry up! The first shadow is about to come out!”
Tao Bai took a deep breath, reinserted his hand into the box, and randomly grabbed a card in a flash.
“Number three.”
The second person to draw a number card was Hu Shuo.
He cautiously reached his hand in, touched something, and immediately retracted a bit.
“It really feels like something, cold, like human skin…” Hu Shuo quickly felt a number card and pulled his hand out.
“It’s my turn it’s my turn!” Xu Junyue excitedly said.
She eagerly reached her hand in, not rushing to draw a number card, but instead kept feeling around inside, telling Tong Yang, “This is a hand!”
“Ah?? A hand?”
Only Tong Yang and Chu Shiyu knew that tonight’s event wasn’t that simple. Compared to the others’ fear and vague excitement, their expressions were particularly serious.
“Don’t waste time.” Tong Yang glanced back at the wall shadow again, urging.
“Oh.” Xu Junyue pulled out a number card.
Next, it was the twin sisters’ turn to draw number cards.
“Ah! There really is something!”
“I don’t know what prop it’s made of, the touch is so weird.”
Chu Shiyu stepped forward, exchanging glances with Tong Yang, took a deep breath, and reached her hand in. As there were fewer and fewer number cards left, and the box still had ample space, it took quite a while before she successfully grabbed a number card.
“The touch is very realistic, but indeed a bit strange.”
Zhou Jingyun, with a head full of white hair, approached the table, acting nonchalant, and reached his hand in.
The next second, he clearly felt something unusual, his shoulders shook, but he didn’t blink an eye, managing his expression quite well.
“Is there something?” Tong Yang asked.
Zhou Jingyun calmly nodded, “Just a small thing, nothing to fear.”
During the process of drawing number cards, Tong Yang didn’t speak, always quietly observing their reactions, hoping to use this to deduce who might be from the parallel world.
Originally, Tong Yang suspected Zhou Jingyun because since they entered the elevator, his reactions had been quite different from the others, always looking deep in thought, as if he was brewing some ideas.
So Tong Yang deliberately tested him, also drawing a conclusion that he was probably just strict in managing his expressions, also wanting to act tough.
Finally, only Tong Yang had not yet drawn a number card.
“I can help you.” Tao Bai, not knowing when, stood behind her, softly speaking.
[No, who’s the talker? I’ve been tolerating you for a long time!]
[Always courting our Sister Tong!]
[Big brother! Open your eyes and see, does she look like she needs your help? Do you want to see her expression? She’s definitely looking at you like you’re a mosquito!]
[What? You ask why I can tell Sister Tong’s expression even without turning on the video? Please, she always has a look of disdain in her photos! The only time I saw her expression change was when her little brother caught her.]
[Makes sense!]
[Don’t know what the little brother looks like, he’s not interested in our Sister Tong, right?]
[My Sister Tong is beautiful, strong, and so smart, can’t she just be by herself without dating someone, I don’t want to see Sister Tong in love wuwuwu]
[I get what you mean! No man matches her beauty, I feel it’s awkward!]
[To be honest, in terms of looks, the Ye family’s young master is barely on the same level as our Sister Tong…]
“You guys are sick, right?”
Hearing the incessant discussion in her earphones, Tong Yang couldn’t help but curse out loud.
[Sorry, manually muted.]
[My bad, my bad, you continue.]
“What?” Tao Bai was stunned.
Tong Yang glared at him, “Thank you, no need.”
Chu Shiyu really understood Tong Yang’s temper; she barely had any friends, and when she got angry, not even the king of heaven could save face.
Chu Shiyu said, “Since we’re out playing, let her draw herself, it’s more participatory.”
“Right right right!”
“Tao Bai you’re biased! Me and Jingjing drew it ourselves!”
Tao Bai sheepishly smiled, saying, “She’s younger, I always feel like I should take care of her a bit more.”
“Yo yo yo!”
“Just because she’s younger, huh?”
Tong Yang reached her hand into the box, turned her head, and looked at everyone expressionlessly.
Xu Junyue, sensing a danger signal, immediately wrapped her arm around the teasing Hu Shuo’s neck and walked to the iron door, pretending to inspect the situation, lest the fire at the city gate affect the fish in the moat.
Tong Yang felt utterly annoyed. Tong Le better not become this annoying when he grows up; if he did, she’d definitely kick him far away.
[To be honest, I think this guy isn’t suitable for Sister Tong, he has too many stereotypes about women.]
[Girls can do things too, hey.]
[And they don’t need to be taken care of in everything! Don’t treat people like they’re useless.]
[You’re right.]
Tong Yang, tired of their chatter, fumbled in the box, indeed feeling a piece of ice-cold skin, and the touch was very strange, not like something simulated by any material, more like the skin of a human who had lost vitality, the temperature dropped and elasticity lost, becoming stiff.
Tong Yang felt the index joint of that hand, gently bending it, very stiff.
She knew what this stiffness meant, just like a living person losing vital signs after a few hours, blood no longer circulating, the body becoming rigid.
Tong Yang’s expression was particularly solemn, making Chu Shiyu’s brow twitch.
“What’s wrong?”
Tong Yang glanced at her, shook her head, then continued to feel downward, searching for the cut on this severed hand.
Feeling the wrist area, Tong Yang discovered the wound was not smooth, able to feel some cold, protruding flesh and tendons; she felt the bone, her fingers squeezing into the slightly soft wound.
“What’s going on?”
“What’s wrong?”
Others looked at her, puzzled.
Tong Yang said nothing, pulled out the number card, turned to Chu Shiyu, and asked, “Do you have paper?”
“Oh… yes.” Chu Shiyu handed her a piece of paper, seeing Tong Yang’s right index finger stained with brownish blood, “Why are you bleeding?”
“It’s not my blood.”
He Jingjing exclaimed, “Not your blood, then whose blood is it…”
Her words trailed off, as if realizing something, her gaze shifted to the box, her eyes wide in shock, “No, it can’t be from that, can it?”
Tong Yang wiped the blood off her fingertip, nonchalantly saying, “What do you think?”
He Jingjing breathed a sigh of relief, “I think it definitely isn’t.”
Tong Yang said, “It is.”
He Jingjing: “…”
“I don’t believe it!”
“You put your hand in and try, there’s still a bit of blood left, it hasn’t dried up.”
“Tong Yang, what’s really going on? Why is there blood?” Xu Junyue asked suspiciously.
Tong Yang glanced at her, “You felt it for so long, didn’t you realize that was a human hand?”
“Fuck?”
[Fuck??]
“Whose hand??”
[Whose hand???]
Xu Junyue said, “I did notice.”
“You noticed???”
[You fucking noticed???]
“But when I touched it, it didn’t bleed.”
“You’re sick, huh? Is that the point?”
[You’re sick, right! Is that the point?]
“I tore open its wound, if it was just a prop, there wouldn’t be blood.”
“You tore open its wound?!!”
[Damn… worthy of you.]
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
Xu Junyue innocently said, “If I had said it, they wouldn’t have touched it, then I’d be at a loss.”
“Fuck! Xu Junyue, you’re such a scoundrel!”
“Ew!”
“I’m about to throw up everything I ate tonight!”
“Did the boss murder someone?”
“What should we do? Let’s call the police!”
“Fuck! No signal on the phone!”
“I can’t make emergency calls…”
Tong Yang took out her phone, indeed showing no signal, but her voice chat with the Melon Eating Netizen group was not affected.
However, around May 28th and after entering the parallel timeline during the college entrance exams, she had encountered similar situations, only able to send messages in specific groups.
Could it be that they had already entered the parallel world?
“The elevator can’t go back…”
“The boss said it, this elevator can only go up, if you want to leave, you must pass the level and take another subway back!”
“Hu Shuo! What kind of friend is he! He’s clearly trapping you!”
Hu Shuo stoically said, “It won’t be… it’s not necessarily a dead person’s hand in the box, maybe it’s just a prop the boss bought from somewhere. It’s originally a horror real-life murder game, don’t freak out, okay?”
Hu Shuo’s words might be possible; the boss spent so much money, he definitely wouldn’t send himself to jail, it should just be a realistic prop.
“It’s getting more interesting!”
“I wonder if the NPCs inside will also be very realistic?”
“I love realistic effects!”
Tong Yang threw the paper on the table, offhandedly saying, “If you say it’s not, then it’s not.”
[Sister Tong’s OS: Play play play, just know how to play, who can play more than you?]
[I bet fifty cents, the box really has a human hand.]
[You look down on Sister Tong? I bet fifty.]
“That thing… seems like it’s about to come out.” He Jingjing timidly turned back for a glance, reminding everyone.
Everyone turned their heads and saw that a piece of the original smooth, clean wall had somehow bulged out, the wall peeling off as if something inside was about to emerge, like a chick breaking out of its shell.
“Let’s go! There’s a door over there!”
Unclear what was hidden in the wall, everyone’s faces showed panic, crowding around the small iron door.
The iron door had an iron lock hanging on it, but it was unlocked.
Xu Junyue swiftly removed the iron lock, opened the iron door, and faced the black blackout cloth blocking the front, unclear what was behind it, hesitant to act rashly.
“Xu Junyue, you opened the door, you go in first.”
“I opened the door, so you guys should go in first.”
“Rock paper scissors, whoever loses goes in first.”
“That thing is coming out.” Tong Yang shouted from behind.
At the same time, a piece of wall peeled off, falling to the ground with a “clatter”.
“Go go go!”
“Don’t block the way!”
Everyone didn’t care what was in front of them; clearly, the thing inside the wall was more terrifying, who knew what could crawl out of that spot!
Seven or eight people rushed out of the black blackout cloth, Tong Yang still walking at the back.
The blackout cloth slowly fell, blocking the dim light from the elevator hall, the iron door behind them slammed shut, Tong Yang instinctively reached out to push, already locked tight.
In front of her was pitch darkness, as if standing in a corridor.
As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Tong Yang saw they were standing in a huge oval corridor similar to a shopping mall.
Only the emergency exit signs were lit around, emitting a faint green light, dimly illuminating the surroundings, but more places were completely hidden in the darkness.
“Hiss…”
“Help…”
“Should we go back? I feel like it’s even less safe inside.”
Tong Yang regretfully said, “Too bad, we can’t go back.”
“This place is just like a shopping mall, look at the mannequins inside that display window!”
“What exactly are we supposed to do? There’s no hint at all.”
“Yeah, how can we pass the level?”
Tong Yang looked left and right. Although some areas were unclear, the structure of the seventh floor was similar to a large shopping mall, the central oval pit was sealed, and covered with blackout cloth, looking like an endless black hole.
“Please, the player who drew number one, go to the 7-11 shop alone.”
Suddenly, in the quiet, spacious environment, a woman’s voice sounded.
Her voice didn’t sound mechanical; instead, because the place was so empty, it sounded very ethereal.
“Who is number one?”
“Thank goodness it’s not me! Doing a side quest alone in such a place is too scary!”
“Who’s number one?”
Chu Shiyu tightly clutched the card in her palm, saying, “It’s me.”
“It’s over…”
“What do we do? Don’t let the young lady go alone, it’s too scary.”
“Can we swap number cards with a boy?”
“Don’t swap! I’m scared too!” Hu Shuo tightly protected his number card.
Chu Shiyu looked towards the dark corridors hidden on the left and right, her palms sweating.
She almost subconsciously looked for Tong Yang’s figure.
Tong Yang, arms crossed, leaned against the wall, the green light from the safety passage sign above her spilling over her body.
Her expression was as usual, almost indifferently aloof.
When Chu Shiyu looked over, Tong Yang nodded slightly.
Strangely enough, just a nod from Tong Yang made her feel that the unknown ahead wasn’t so frightening.
