Chapter 4

Chapter 4

All the movements within this ancient mansion were under my control, and I wasn’t the only one in mortal danger. The players who had scattered in all directions were likewise encountering all sorts of deadly things.

In the west wing, Wang Wei was leading those who had just fled the wedding hall through their exploration. The people beside him still felt resentful: “That lunatic Yang Xi really screwed things up. Otherwise, Brother Wei’s Forbidden Doll would have taken down the Ghost Bride by now.”

Among the clearing methods, there was one most thankless path: kill the final boss. But most people wouldn’t pick such a violent approach right off the bat because it was the most suicidal.

Wang Wei was more cautious than they were. “Not necessarily,” he said. “The Ghost Bride isn’t that easy to deal with. Let’s look for clues first.”

The key to clearing the dungeon: explore the storyline and find the clearing method. For the Ghost Bride scenario, according to those who had gotten out, the clearing condition was to find the groom, but the storyline was always different each time and had to be explored on your own.

This team had a few newcomers, still in shock within that gloomy environment.

A man wearing a white lab coat suddenly cried out in alarm, “Why are there so many paper effigies here?”

Everyone followed his gaze. Under the candlelight, inside the room were two or three neat rows of paper effigies, all roughly human height, men and women alike. Their features were extraordinarily lifelike-at a glance, they looked just like people. No wonder the man was spooked.

“Paper effigies?” someone murmured. “They can’t actually move, right?”

The man who’d just been scared now worked up the nerve to touch one. “It really is just paper.”

Wang Wei’s gaze darkened. In a heavy voice, he said, “Don’t touch anything carelessly.”

The dungeon was full of pitfalls. The man withdrew his hand.

“Stay away from the paper effigies. Keep searching for clues.”

In that side room they found various items prepared for a wedding night, as well as a letter. Opening it, they saw what appeared to be the groom’s tone:

“I won’t take a wife! She’s a lunatic, she’ll kill me! She is not her!”

“What does this letter mean? The groom didn’t want to marry?”

“I thought he was in love with someone else, or angry about an arranged marriage, so he ran away. What does ‘She is not her’ mean?”

“The bride isn’t who he was originally supposed to marry? Then what was that Ghost Bride we just ran into?”

At that moment, a new prompt appeared on the mission progress in their minds:

[Side Mission: Investigate the truth behind the groom’s escape.]

Before they could start discussing this mission, someone suddenly screamed.

A newcomer pointed at the paper effigies and shrieked, “A paper effigy just moved! I saw it blink!”

Everyone looked over. The paper effigies remained motionless.

“You must have been seeing things. They’re all perfectly still.”

“No, seriously. First row, third from the left. I really saw it move just now,” the man said, trembling.

Inside a dungeon, such things weren’t necessarily illusions.

The man beside Wang Wei produced a sharp sword from somewhere and thrust it straight into one of the paper effigies with a wet “slash.” From the blade, blood suddenly oozed out.

“Brother Wei?”

“Everyone, fall back!”

The bleeding paper effigy’s smiling expression slowly twisted into rage. Its face became more and more lifelike, and the other paper effigies around it also came to life.

Everyone backed away, watching with utmost caution.

From the eaves outside, a mournful cat’s cry rang out. Turning, they saw the black silhouette of a cat dart past the doorway.

A black cat, paper effigies, and the groom’s letter. No matter how you looked at it, it was eerie enough.

But the immediate threat was the now-living paper effigies.

Once the paper effigies came to life and turned into beings indistinguishable from humans, blades became useless against them-no more bleeding wounds.

“Brother Wei, try fire!” someone shouted.

Wang Wei pulled out a fire starter, lit it, and threw it directly at them. The moment the flames licked the paper effigies, the fire spread. Agonized expressions appeared on their faces, and they let out human-like screams-as if real people were being burned alive.

It was a horrifying sight, one that made it easy to empathize.

“Get out! This place is going up in flames!”

Everyone filed out in a rush, but the fire spread fast. The man in the white lab coat who had touched the effigies earlier was about to leave when a spark landed on him.

“Ah! Why am I on fire?” Those who had already gotten out heard that sudden scream.

Turning back, they witnessed a ghastly scene: the man who’d just been speaking was now wreathed in flames.

“Save him! What are you standing there for?” someone yelled.

“Can’t save him,” Wang Wei said grimly. “He’s been assimilated by the paper effigies.”

The dungeon’s horrors went far beyond that. Accidentally touching the wrong thing could turn you into a monster yourself. A living human being burned to death right before their eyes; as the lab-coat man tried to rush out, many burning ghostly hands from inside dragged him back.

The sight terrified many of them, even those who’d been through other dungeons. Bloody and brutal.