Xiao Gui'an entered the residential building with a tense, expressionless face, then switched to the player identity of [Student].
In the eyes of others, the figure of [Writer] transformed into a wisp of blue smoke and vanished without a trace.
At the same time, near the fitness equipment on the other side of the residential area, the seemingly cheerful-looking [Student] appeared on the slide.
Xiao Gui'an immediately covered his face, screaming silently in his heart.
Ahhhhhhh.
Why was everything so different from what he had imagined?
Why didn't the System notify him when people entered the game?!
It's fine, it's fine—
Even if the other party became aware of his existence, it wasn't a big deal.
Wasn't he just an NPC? He would be bold when necessary and cautious when needed—he would deliver a sufficiently spectacular performance.
Who could have guessed that the seemingly player [Student] was actually also a member of the horror game NPCs, constantly switching sides between humans and ghosts, being a pure double agent.
Alright, the fundamental quality required of an actor was to immediately get into character once the performance started.
Xiao Gui'an slowly exhaled a breath, then gently adjusted the expression on his face.
The short-haired young man's face showed some fear, but his eyes held a trace of eager anticipation as he looked around.
He hadn't noticed before, but one look was enough to give him a shock.
From the perspective of [Student] Gui Yi, the color palette of Sunshine Residential Area had dropped several more shades. The surrounding environment appeared deep and terrifying, with a foul, rotting smell hitting his face. The air seemed to have become thick and heavy.
Gently supporting himself on the slide's handrail to stand up, his hand touched something sticky. Xiao Gui'an glanced down slightly—it was a messy clump of hair mixed with several pieces of broken scalp covered in white spots.
"Ahhhhhhh!—"
Xiao Gui'an couldn't help but scream, his feet slipping as he tumbled somewhat awkwardly off the slide, hitting the ground hard.
"Hahaha, where did this guy come from, screaming so loudly..."
Mocking laughter came from nearby. Xiao Gui'an randomly wiped his hands on the floor and looked up to see a pair of twin sisters standing not far from him.
They looked extremely similar, but their different hair lengths—one long, one short—made it possible to tell them apart.
The one with longer hair who appeared more aloof was the older sister, Tang Keke.
The one with clean, short hair who had just laughed at Xiao Gui'an was the younger sister, Tang Ke'er.
Their eyes held faint contempt, clearly looking down on Xiao Gui'an's loud screaming.
All of them were players who could already enter C-level game instances—each had experienced multiple life-or-death crises. How could anyone still act like they'd never seen the world before?
Could the other party be one of those extremely unlucky individuals who entered a C-level instance right away without any experience?
Looking at how clumsily Xiao Gui'an was getting up, this possibility couldn't be ruled out.
Xiao Gui'an's voice attracted players scattered in other areas, and others began walking toward his direction.
There were six players participating in this adventure instance in total.
A middle-aged, muscular man who clearly maintained regular exercise—Liang Weiguo, who had previously served in the military.
Walking beside him was a flattering, chubby man named Chen Ze. Despite his wobbling fat, he carried a strange agility, with an almost imperceptible glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.
The last one was Xu Zisheng, who came around from the other side alone, his expression calm.
[Ding—]
[『Seekers』 have assembled. Please wait in place for 5 minutes. 『Hiders』 have been dispatched—]
"Hehe..."
"Better go find a place to hide quickly..."
"Hahahaha..."
Clear, childlike laughter came from far away, carrying a slightly distorted quality—as if both distant and close at hand.
Bringing waves of heavy chill, it felt like pale-faced little ghosts were pressing against their backs, cold hands wrapping around their necks, whispering, "Come find me..."
Everyone clearly had their own thoughts, standing in place while subtly sizing each other up.
Chen Ze, the chubby man, seemed like a smooth operator. Squinting his small eyes, he greeted the other players enthusiastically and introduced himself.
Clearly, according to the given game rules, these players temporarily belonged to the same faction. If they wanted to better find the 『Hiders』, helping each other was the best approach.
All were experienced players who had played this type of game-like instance once or twice before. Some loopholes in the system's rules were worth testing.
Like that sentence—[When players are 『Seekers』, each player must find a certain number of 『Hiders』 within the specified time]
Each player needs to find them—as long as someone finds them, that should count, right?
What exactly does "a certain number" refer to?
Does it only count if found individually? Probably not, right?
If one person finds them, then lets others share the credit, that should also count as having found them. Wouldn't that make completing the task much easier?
If the rules weren't like this, and they needed the system to determine who actually found them after cooperating in the search, then they would probably have to rely on their own abilities.
The hint information in this sentence was still worth them trying out slightly.
"Sorry, everyone, my sister and I are together..."
The pretty younger sister Tang Ke'er said with a light laugh while holding her sister's arm, her voice gentle but her eyes flashing with a snake-like coldness.
Since those two had teamed up, the one here who still had the ability to choose partners seemed to be the ex-soldier Liang Weiguo.
Although Chen Ze looked quite fat, upon closer inspection, he did have some muscle definition.
At the very least, he looked much more durable than Xiao Gui'an and Xu Zisheng.
Of course, Chen Ze understood that in the horror game world, you couldn't judge by appearances alone, so he still wanted to invite Xiao Gui'an and Xu Zisheng. "There's strength in numbers! Actually, the four of us going together wouldn't be bad either!"
Xiao Gui'an's gaze shifted slightly toward Xu Zisheng, wanting to see his reaction.
Old tricks win hearts. He felt that following the other party would make it more likely to find the other [Real Ghost].
But Xu Zisheng gently shook his head, "No need, pairing up in twos is fine."
"Alright, what a pity..." Chen Ze, playing the nice guy, showed a somewhat regretful smile and could only follow Liang Weiguo on the other side.
"Let's share information if we have any!" he said before leaving.
Only the two of them remained.
The left-behind curly-haired youth, currently Xiao Gui'an, wearing a harmless expression, somewhat clumsily rubbed his hands and gave Xu Zisheng a slight smile. "Bro, let's go together."
Looking at the somewhat thin and weak Xu Zisheng, he wondered if the current protagonist hadn't grown up yet.
Then it should be fine if he caused some trouble behind the scenes.
However, a faint sense of responsibility rose in Xiao Gui'an's heart. Remembering he also had a D-level ghost identity, he felt it wasn't a big problem. "Don't worry, bro! I'll protect you! By the way, I haven't asked for your honorable name yet?"
Looking at the brightly smiling young man before him, whose eyes shone with the clear foolishness of a college student, Xu Zisheng belatedly realized—what had the other been wiping his hands on the ground about earlier? Wasn't that a bit dirty?
Who would be protecting whom remained to be seen.
But Xu Zisheng still accepted the kindness from this stranger.
In this world, at least surface-level friendliness needed to be maintained.
He nodded at Xiao Gui'an, smiling gently, though little warmth reached his eyes. "Okay, cooperating might really make things much easier. Can you follow my directions?"
He would help if possible, but if someone didn't want to heed his advice, Xu Zisheng could only say he was powerless to assist.
He started walking, and Xiao Gui'an immediately caught up beside him, lowering his voice.
"Of course! Partner, I can tell just by looking that you're someone with brains. If there's any physical work, leave it to me—I'm better at fighting than you might think..."
"Mmm..."
Xu Zisheng responded while continuously familiarizing himself with the surroundings, his mind working rapidly. "I'm Xu Zisheng. Pleased to meet you."
"Me, I'm..."
Xu Zisheng saw the young man beside him smile, revealing two sharp little canine teeth. For a moment, the eyes reflecting his own image became so dark they seemed bottomless. He heard the other say—
"I'm Gui Yi!—"