Chapter 29: A New Instance World

[Page 1/3]
【Thick fog is rising, making it hard to distinguish between human and ghost. Please do not enter the fog.】

After passing through that door in Wuguan Village, all the players lost consciousness. When Lu Xi opened her eyes again, she found herself lying on a rooftop. Ji Chenling was lying not far away, his eyes closed, looking as if he were asleep. She walked over and patted the young man’s face.

"Ji Chenling, wake up."

Ji Chenling opened his eyes, his gaze as calm as water, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Sister, now that we’ve left Wuguan Village, do you feel any better?"

"What?" Lu Xi asked, suspicious. "That Wuguan Village instance was cleared so inexplicably—you didn't have something to do with that, did you?"

The young man chuckled, his eyes curving. "How could I have such ability?"

"Let's get up. This seems to be a rooftop, and there isn't even a guardrail around. We’d better find a way inside quickly." Lu Xi was always carefree; she didn't like to trouble herself with things she couldn't figure out.

"Ding-dong."

Her phone suddenly chimed with a notification. Only then did Lu Xi realize she still had her phone in her pocket.

"Electronic devices are allowed in this instance?" Lu Xi felt more pleasantly surprised than shocked.

Opening the phone, she saw a message in the class group chat: "Attention students, please report to the classroom for a meeting at 7:00 PM sharp. Remember, everyone must wear their school uniforms."

NPCs issuing tasks—according to the rules of escape games, completing them didn't necessarily bring rewards, but failing to do so would certainly bring unexpected "surprises." She didn't want any of those surprises.

The sender was "Teacher Qin," whose profile picture was a middle-aged man with a square face and a smiling expression. Soon after, replies of "Received" began to flood the group. After a moment of thought, Lu Xi sent a "Received" as well. Ji Chenling followed suit.

"What if we don't have uniforms?" Lu Xi scrolled through the list of group members. There were over fifty members in the group; it was impossible for there to be that many players, so a portion of them must be NPCs.

"Let's check which dormitory we're in and go find them," Ji Chenling said. "Mine shows 502."

Lu Xi replied, "I'm 601."

But clearly, the male and female dormitories were separate, meaning they were in different buildings. This meant they would have to part ways for a while.

"Sister, let me walk you to your dorm to get your clothes," Ji Chenling said.

"No." Lu Xi refused without a second thought. She glanced at the time on her phone; there were only twenty minutes left until the 7:00 meeting mentioned by Teacher Qin. Going back and forth would be a waste of time. "Hurry, let's meet at the classroom." With that, she pulled him toward the stairs.

They were currently in the cafeteria, where a few scattered students were eating late-night snacks.

"Xiao Xi! What a coincidence," a girl she didn't recognize greeted her.

[Page 2/3]
Lu Xi immediately understood—this must be an NPC. This instance was special; every player had their own designated identity, and Lu Xi was playing the role of an ordinary student. She smiled and nodded.

"Hey, Xiao Xi, is this your boyfriend?" The girl, clearly an NPC, came over to hook her arm, eyeing Ji Chenling with intense curiosity.

Oh no, she was trying to delay them on purpose.

Lu Xi yanked her arm back. "Bye, I have something urgent to attend to. Let’s talk next time!"

The girl covered her mouth and giggled. "I get it, I get it."

Lu Xi ignored the confusion and took off running. According to the signs, the male and female dorms were in opposite directions.

"See you at the classroom," Lu Xi waved. Ji Chenling stood still, watching her figure disappear as she sprinted away.

Lu Xi ran until she reached the female dormitory building. Based on her years of reading horror novels and watching ghost films, school buildings and female dorms were prime spots for hauntings. She opened her chat app and sent a message to Ji Chenling: "I've arrived. How are things on your end?"

There were 14 minutes left until 7:00.

"I’ve arrived, too," Ji Chenling replied instantly.

Looking up, the lights in the hallway flickered on and off. Lu Xi silently cheered herself on: "They’re all NPCs, they’re all fake, there’s nothing to be afraid of..."

"Ah!!" A scream pierced the night sky.

As soon as Lu Xi entered the building, she was startled by a high-pitched shriek echoing through the hall. Unsurprisingly, another player had fallen victim. Lu Xi immediately bolted in the opposite direction. Fortunately, the dorm had multiple entrances and stairwells.

"Lu Xi..."

An ethereal, drifting voice suddenly sounded from behind her, causing Lu Xi, already on edge, to bristle. Out of the corner of her eye, reflected in the glass of the stairwell, she saw her hair standing straight up on her head. So, it was true—when humans are terrified, their hair really does stand on end. Anime had not lied to her.

[Page 3/3]
"Lu Xi..."

Something was approaching from behind. A dull, dragging sound echoed against the floor, accompanied by the occasional harsh, grating friction. Lu Xi could feel a chilling cold closing in on her. In extreme fear, people hallucinate; in other words, she was scaring herself. Just like now, she felt as though someone was hovering right behind her, blowing cold air onto her neck.

"It’s fake, it’s all fake. They’re just NPCs, just data in a novel, nothing to be afraid of..."

Lu Xi was a coward, but she had one unique trait: like Ah Q, she was a master of self-deception and self-brainwashing. Thinking of this eased her fear slightly. She clenched her fists, spun around, and threw a left hook.

It missed, cutting through thin air. Lu Xi held her breath and cautiously opened her tightly shut eyes.

The next second, her heart nearly stopped.

In the dimly lit corridor, two meters away, stood the figure of a woman. She was the standard horror-movie ghost: long, black hair, face obscured, exuding a grim and eerie atmosphere.

Perhaps it was a hallucination in her moment of disorientation, but she felt as if the ghost looked a bit surprised when she turned around. The woman began to drift toward her, bringing a gust of chilling wind. Lu Xi wrapped her black robe tighter around herself; with her gear, she didn't feel too cold. But her legs felt like they were filled with lead. She wanted to run, but there was nowhere to go.

It’s over. I’m done for.

Lu Xi stood still, not even blinking. Within seconds, the ghost drifted right up to her, raised her hands, detached her own head, and held it out before her.

Only then, up close, could Lu Xi see her features. She looked like those white-clad ghosts in films: a pale, sickly face with a faint blue-gray tint, eyes with no pupils—just white—and blood leaking from the corners.

The human and the ghost stared at each other.

The enemy didn't move, so she didn't move.

"Lu Xi," the ghost crooned hollowly.

Lu Xi: "..."

The enemy moved, but she still didn't move.

"Lu Xi... if I call your name, would you dare to answer?"

Answer, my foot.