"The duration of this event is from 19:00 to 24:00, lasting five hours."
"Lanterns have been hung throughout the event area. Players who correctly answer the riddles on them can receive random rewards from inside. Lanterns with solved riddles will then disappear. Incorrect answers will not be penalized..."
"However, players should take note of the following rules!"
"Every lantern harbors a ghost. Every fifteen minutes, these ghosts will emerge for five minutes to hunt for players in the area. Please avoid them!"
At this point, Gu Mian had found the door to the dilapidated house and pushed it open.
Only after opening the door did he take in the sights outside.
It was a small alley, resembling one from a Qing Palace drama, with red walls, gray tiles, and bluish-gray flagstones.
Looking further into the distance, he could even see rooftops that existed only in period dramas, though Gu Mian didn't have time to properly take them in.
The place was indeed full of lanterns. White lanterns hung everywhere overhead in the alley, swaying in the wind. The sight was eerily similar to a funeral procession.
A white strip of paper with black words hung from every lantern, looking like mourning couplets. However, Gu Mian knew they were riddles.
There seemed to be loudspeakers installed everywhere outside, all playing sounds in unison.
Gu Mian figured the game had definitely modified this place, as there hadn't been so many loudspeakers before.
"The countdown has started. The ghosts will make their first appearance in fourteen minutes..."
Gu Mian checked the time – it was 19:01.
"Players, please be aware: death in this event is real death!"
"Death in this event is real death!"
Apparently, the organizers deemed this rule quite important, so the loudspeakers emphatically repeated it.
Gu Mian silently listened. He was alone, with no idea where Fatty and Chu Changge had been dispersed to.
"After the conclusion of the event, players who are still alive will be directly transported out of the event area..."
It then repeated some auspicious phrases like, "Wishing you luck," and, "Good fortune awaits at the doorway," before finally cutting out.
Gu Mian stroked his chin, mulling over the fascinating rules. This event seems like a lantern riddle game but is actually more of a hide-and-seek.
Every fifteen minutes, the ghosts would appear for five minutes.
So, within these fifteen minutes, players not only had to guess riddles but also find good hiding spots. Otherwise, losing one's life trying to solve riddles wouldn't be worth it.
Upon reaching this thought, Gu Mian checked the time displayed in the top-left corner of the game panel.
Counting from when he entered the game, there were twelve minutes left until the ghosts' first appearance.
Gu Mian looked up at the numerous lanterns hanging overhead. Their abundance is probably meant to create a 'Night Parade of One Hundred Demons' atmosphere twelve minutes from now.
Gu Mian casually pulled off a strip from a lantern and discovered the riddle wasn't easy.
"Walk fifty meters ahead and turn left, then continue twenty meters and turn right. You will see a well. If you jump in headfirst, what will appear inside?"
He had never come across such an eccentric lantern riddle before.
"Well, I'm not jumping into a well, so you can give up on that," Gu Mian said, putting down the riddle strip.
While speaking, he glanced around his surroundings.
The place had an ancient charm. Gu Mian knew Hengdian Film City had many attractions, but he'd never been, so he couldn't immediately recognize this one.
Nevertheless, he hadn't signed up for this event to guess which attraction it was.
Gu Mian had no intention of solving this riddle. He took a few steps forward. I'll figure it out once I get out of this alley... As he walked forward, he glanced at the time. Ten minutes remained until the first appearance of the 'hundreds of ghosts'. I need to figure out how these ghosts operate. The priority now is to find a good hiding place, Gu Mian thought, moving towards the end of the alley.
At this moment, Fatty was thinking along the same lines.
Upon entering and hearing the rules, he immediately began looking for a place to hide.
Fatty was in an antique-looking room, like the boudoir of a young lady from a prestigious family. This was his starting point.
Who knew I'd have to split up with the Doctor by entering this event! Fatty grumbled to himself, frantically pacing the room.
He first bent down to lift the bed curtains, intending to hide underneath, but considering this was also a likely spot for ghosts, he abandoned the idea.
Fortunately, there was a large, empty wardrobe nearby. This wardrobe was probably just a prop for filming, which explains why it's empty—not even any shelves, Fatty thought, gleefully cramming himself inside.
Once inside the wardrobe, he checked the time – it was already 19:10.
Only five minutes were left before the ghosts would appear.
Fatty glanced at the lanterns hanging outside. There were quite a few. If each one turns into a ghost, this place will be crawling with them soon, he thought.
SIGH. Fatty sighed softly in the wardrobe. "If I'd known, I wouldn't have joined this damn event..."
Right as he was sighing softly, he suddenly heard a rustling noise outside.
The noise didn't come from his room; it was from outside the window.
Fatty immediately held his breath, listening carefully to the sounds outside.
It's not time yet. There shouldn't be any ghosts, right? Fatty grew anxious.
Because the wardrobe was close to the window, he could hear some of the quiet sounds from outside.
It sounded like people talking.
First, he heard a fearful male voice: "Boss, I was here when I came in. I didn't see anyone else."
Then, a slightly shriller voice followed, "Don't worry. Since we've been split up, the others must be separated too."
This must be the 'Boss' the previous voice mentioned, Fatty thought.
Fatty heard the Boss pause for a moment before asking, "So, besides me, you haven't seen anyone else since you came in?"
"I think I saw a woman, but I didn't pay attention. She disappeared in a flash."
"HMM," the Boss's voice came again. "Don't worry about others. Let's find the person we're looking for—that Doctor. Old Two has the tracker. Let's meet up with him first."
"What about the fatso and the Four-Eyed Boy with the Doctor..."
"Don't bother with them, they don't seem useful, and besides, he didn't ask us to catch them."
Fatty was startled. The description clearly referred to them! Why were these people trying to capture the Doctor, and just who was 'he'?
Then he heard the voices continuing outside.
"Damn, it's almost time, find somewhere to hide!"
Next came some hurried footsteps.
Fatty checked the time: 19:13. Two more minutes and the ghosts will officially appear.
He tried to open the friends list to contact Gu Mian but found the function was locked during the event.
Having no other option, Fatty gave up.
Just then, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching from another direction.
These footsteps were also hurried, coming directly to his door. Then, the door was flung open.