Chapter 273: Wraith (Part 20) — No Telling Where the Dead Go

Luo Haihua’s message ended abruptly, aligning perfectly with the information provided by the text at the Residence in the east of town.

From her answer to the first question, it was clear she was indeed a player; otherwise, she wouldn’t have known the details of the Eerie Game like the back of her hand.

There was also no issue with the timing of her entry into the instance. She had indeed entered with the three of them in the same batch and was likely not an NPC transformed from a dead player like Li Yao.

As for the answer to the second question… Qi Si gathered the papers from the floor, returned to the room, and placed them back on the nightstand.

He removed the paper shade from the lantern in his hand and put it into the backpack in his inventory.

The white candle, losing its shade, changed color the moment it touched the air. A cyan flame shot up high, the distance from the outer flame to the core almost exceeding the length of the candle itself.

Qi Si leaned down slightly, lifting a corner of the bedsheet with his left hand while holding the candle close with his right, carefully and meticulously roasting the sheet with the candle’s flame.

Tang Yu and Lin Chen followed him back into the room.

Tang Yu watched his actions with a strange expression. “Lin Wen, don’t tell me you want to try setting the room on fire again?”

“There are plenty of rooms anyway; it doesn’t hurt to try. The door isn’t locked; if the fire gets too big, we’ll just run out.”

Qi Si spoke indifferently. The candle in his hand burned brighter and brighter until a small cluster of flames finally appeared on the corner of the bedsheet.

Unlike the cyan of the candle flame, this newly ignited flame was orange-red. It spread slowly and steadily along the contours of the sheet, burning from the outside in. Soon, using less than half the sheet as fuel, a bright bonfire was lit in the room.

Qi Si turned his head to look at the two behind him. “Do you have any water?”

Veteran players usually kept daily necessities on them, including food, drinking water, and a change of clothes, just in case.

Tang Yu blinked a couple of times, pulled a cloth bundle from his inventory, grabbed a bottle of water from inside, and tossed it to Qi Si.

Qi Si caught it, unscrewed the cap, tilted the bottle, and poured a line of water on the floor, encircling the fire.

The flames within the water ring roared. At the edges, the colors twisted and shook, stretching and contracting. The bright yellow outlines glazed his vision, and from certain angles, flickering human shadows flashed by.

Starting near the fire, those shadows blurred like ink dropped into clear water, spreading in all directions and floating on the ceiling to look down at the players below.

Qi Si felt a familiar sense of dread originating from those loose-formed shadows.

He lowered his eyes to avoid looking directly at them, confirming his suspicion: there was a large amount of Nothingness in this room—Nothingness that could be reflected by firelight.

No wonder all the lighting tools dimmed the moment they entered the room. It was likely because the room was crowded with Ghosts, necessitating the dimming of the lanterns to avoid offending those invisible existences.

At the same time, it prevented what was happening now: the fire burning too brightly and revealing the Nothingness, which would frighten some players.

“Observing demons and Ghosts by the light.” Although the records in the Underworld Record were bizarre, they indeed had their merits.

“So… just by lighting a fire, we can see the other space of this instance?” Tang Yu sized up the fire on the bedsheet with interest. “These faces look like the same type as the ones in the mirror at the Meng Residence. Could they all be Nothingness?”

The faces flickered in the fire along with the refraction of the air. There were no exact details; one could only vaguely see the outline of a human shape without being able to make out specific features.

Therefore, the players had no way of knowing if Luo Haihua and her husband were among this batch of Nothingness.

Lin Chen thought for a moment and said, “I’ve heard a theory. The air around a fire expands when heated, and its refractive index changes, making the surrounding scene appear to swim to the naked eye. At first glance, it looks like another space has opened up.

“Ancient people didn’t know the scientific principles behind it, so it became conventional to treat fire as a channel to communicate with the gods. Whether it was ancient sacrifices or modern temple fairs, fire was always used. That’s how bonfires and incense came about.

“This instance probably adopted these settings, using fire as the key to open another space.”

He paused and continued, “Ancient people believed there were three kinds of mirrors in the world: gold, water, and fire. Gold mirrors were surface mirrors made of metal or colored glass; water mirrors were rivers, lakes, seas, or even dewdrops and rain; and fire mirrors were the heated air near a bonfire.

“All three can reflect images. In the setting of this instance, that means being able to see the images of Nothingness through all three.”

With the clues analyzed to this point, it was basically certain that Luo Haihua and her husband were not dead for the time being.

A whole day had passed, and aside from Qiu Xin, who had actively left the team, the player group hadn’t lost any more members, which was truly worth celebrating.

Tang Yu patted Qi Si’s shoulder and asked, “So, we can meet up with Teacher Luo and the others at any time just by lighting a fire?”

“Not necessarily.” Qi Si put the candle back into the paper lantern and shook his head gently. “From the time we lit the fire until now, we’ve at most been able to see some phantom images of Nothingness, but we haven’t seen more scenes belonging to the other space. From this, it seems that just lighting a bedsheet isn’t enough.

“The key to Teacher Luo and her husband going to the other space was ‘knocking over the lantern.’ I suspect that extinguishing or destroying the lantern is a necessary condition for obtaining the chance to go to the other space—but do you dare to gamble?

“Even if you dare, what’s the use if you go and can’t come back?”

As if to confirm Qi Si’s words, the bonfire that had been burning vigorously just seconds ago finished consuming the bedsheet and died out pathetically, leaving behind a pile of embers that flickered with scattered sparks.

The steaming heat cooled rapidly, and the forms of Nothingness floating in the air gradually faded. The vision soon returned to the calm and clarity it had before the bonfire was lit.

“I understand a bit now. Our division of labor can be made clear then.” Tang Yu pulled his thoughts back and said in a joking tone, “Teacher Luo and her husband are responsible for collecting clues in that space belonging to Nothingness, we are responsible for exploring during the day, and Qiu Xin is responsible for exploring at night.

“Now we just need to figure out what exactly is going on in the east of town, and what happened with Teacher Luo and the others we saw there.”

As he spoke, he picked up a ballpoint pen and wrote lines of text on the paper, briefly describing the three’s discoveries during the day.

This included the fact that the townspeople were actually scarecrows, that killing the Tiger Demon was the true main quest, and… the possible existence of a clearance plan that involved directly destroying Yanghua Town and bypassing the main quest.

At the end, he also made a request, hoping that Luo Haihua and her husband could figure out the situation in the east of town and, ideally, use the advantage of Nothingness being invisible and untouchable to check out the Tiger Demon’s situation in the Bamboo Forest outside town.

No matter where Luo Haihua and her husband were right now, as long as they were veteran players, they would definitely remember to come back and check, and they would see the message on the paper.

“I have some speculations regarding the situation in the east of town.” Qi Si took the pen from Tang Yu and toyed with it. “In Teacher Luo’s perspective, the west of town is a wasteland left after being burned by a great fire, while the east of town is a mirror image of the west, yet perfectly intact.

“According to clues like the letters, Yanghua Town was burned down by government troops. This means it’s very likely that the pitch-black west of town is the real terrain, and the prosperous, bright east of town is just an illusion created based on a mirror image.

“All deceased existences live in the east of town, including players and NPCs. That place might be a Peach Blossom Spring specifically used to appease the souls of the dead, allowing Nothingness to dissipate in unconscious peace.

“Oh, and there might be another benefit. Nothingness can be revealed by mirrors. The Meng Residence just happens to have a mirror that can show the scenes of the east of town, which is quite good for scaring people.”

Qi Si used a joking tone for his last sentence. Lin Chen just took it as his usual dark humor and gave a supportive laugh.

Tang Yu thought for a moment and asked again, “Since the base for those Nothingness is in the east of town, why would they travel all the way to the west to push our lanterns?”

“Who knows? According to the diffusion of responsibility effect, maybe since they’ve become Nothingness themselves, they want to drag others down with them…”

Tang Yu: “…Fine.”

Lin Chen pondered for a while, his thoughts branching out. “By the way, I remember when we first entered Yanghua Town, a townsperson said in front of us that this place has ‘no worries about food or clothing, and even the Peach Blossom Spring is no better than this.’

“Meng Fang and the townspeople settled in Yanghua Town to escape the disasters of war and live in peace and prosperity for a long time without illness or disaster. Do you think the meaning of Yanghua Town’s existence is to create a Peach Blossom Spring for all kinds of spiritual bodies?”

Qi Si looked at Lin Chen’s naive expression of “believing in fairy tales” and sighed. “If you’re unlucky enough to die in this instance, living peacefully in the east of town might be a good choice. But for now, I think you need to go to sleep.”

“Ah?…Oh, right!”

The exchange of clues was mostly done, and it was getting late.

Tang Yu pulled Lin Chen out the door, leaving Qi Si alone in Luo Haihua and her husband’s room.

The bed near the window was already covered with fresh ashes. Thanks to the barrier of the water ring, the bed near the door was still intact.

Qi Si closed the door, sat down on the intact wooden bed, and wrote on the paper:

【Teacher Luo, as far as I know, many items are not affected by the instance’s mechanics. Can you try to send the ‘Photographic Negative’ over? I might need to use this item for tonight’s exploration.】

Based on Luo Haihua’s description, the “Photographic Negative” was an item specifically designed for collecting clues.

If it could be sent over, it would naturally be the icing on the cake; if not, it wouldn’t have too much of an impact on the next plan.

There was no movement on the paper, and it was unknown where Luo Haihua and her husband were.

There was still some time before the Zi Hour. Qi Si set down the pen, carried the lantern to the window, and pushed it open.

Thick darkness almost invaded the room. The bloody scent brought by the corpses lingered at the tip of his nose. Perhaps due to psychological effects, that bloody scent was also mixed with a hint of the burnt smell of roasted meat, making one salivate while simultaneously feeling nauseous.

Qi Si extended the lantern out the window to shine it downward. Highly decomposed corpses were piled as densely as mountains, the peak reaching almost as high as the second floor of the Residence.

At the very top lay six body parts, appearing to belong to the old man and the little old lady who had been hacked to death by Tang Yu. But looking closely, they were different from those of the first night.

There was no trace of blood at the severed ends of the body parts, and the limbs and torso were much more haphazard and scrawny. Looking closer, they were clearly severed bundles of straw, obviously not belonging to a human.

After discovering the reality of the world, the previously impenetrable illusions had all dissipated, and the monstrosity beneath revealed its true form before his eyes—absurd, bizarre, and laughably ridiculous.

Qi Si leaned against the windowsill, leaning his upper body out the window. He was only half a meter away from the pile of corpses; if any corpse sat up, it could touch him.

But as the minutes and seconds ticked by, the layers of corpses outside remained calm and steady, as if they were just ordinary deceased, having absolutely no connection to those that had reanimated on the first day.

The Ghosts that walked the night in Yanghua Town would not harm players whose faction was “Wraith.” This was the foundation upon which Qi Si dared to explore Yanghua Town at night.

Yes, from the very beginning, he hadn’t planned on using the Pocket Watch of Fate.

After all, this item could only be used once per instance, and that single use had already been consumed yesterday to determine information such as “Ghosts will not harm Wraiths,” “Ghosts flock to lanterns,” and “there are invisible existences that want to knock over lanterns.”

Based on this, the one who went out to explore had to be Qi Si, and could only be Qi Si.

Other players, lacking the step involving the Pocket Watch of Fate, would definitely not be able to return to the Residence in time. Nine times out of ten, they would be pointlessly lost on the streets, reducing the margin for error in subsequent plans.

As for Qi Si, even if he slept on the streets after the Zi Hour, besides potentially catching a cold, he wouldn’t suffer any other harm.

A rustling sound came from behind, like something being scattered from mid-air.

Qi Si turned around and walked toward the direction of the sound.

On the nightstand, above the paper used for communication, a few black plastic strips had appeared, with a neat row of small holes punched along both edges.

Qi Si picked up one of them.

【Name: Photographic Negative】

【Type: Item】

【Effect: Records images; may be able to capture things invisible to the naked eye】

【Remark: Two paranormal enthusiasts went missing in an abandoned building, and rescuers only found their belongings. The negatives that failed to develop lie quietly in the backpack, only reflecting terrified faces at certain moments of the night.】

Luo Haihua and her husband had sent the Photographic Negatives over.

All the useful items were gathered; once the time came, the established plan could be executed.

Qi Si sat on the wooden bed, looking down as the hands of the Pocket Watch of Fate moved tick by tick.

Just waiting for the Zi Hour… “Just waiting for the Zi Hour.”

Qiu Xin lay on the roof, placing her lantern beside her, looking at the night sky with boredom.

During the day, she had only chatted with that child for a few sentences before scaring the latter to death. It took her half a day to dispose of the body without letting anyone see a flaw.

When she returned to the alley where she met the child, she saw the child’s grandmother leaning on a cane, limping around looking for her grandson, calling out: “An’an, my dear grandson, the sun has set, where are you?”

She was clearly an NPC, yet she behaved like a living person. Large tears rolled down from the corners of her wrinkled eyes. Like all elderly people who depended on their grandchildren, she was anxious and sorrowful over the child’s disappearance.

Even though Qiu Xin wasn’t a saint, seeing the panicked expression of that white-haired old lady made her feel sad in spite of herself, wishing she could give her a stab and send her to reunite with her grandson.

Yes, Qiu Xin was a person with overflowing empathy. When she was interning at the hospital, seeing those wailing families of patients, she would always empathize and feel sorrow and pain along with them.

Over time, she thought, living is so bitter, why not just die?

Since Ghosts existed in the world anyway, wouldn’t everyone be able to live happily together in another world if they all died?

She knew this was pathological, so she began to consciously take medicine to control herself. After an overdose during one instance of medication, she entered the Eerie Game.

That’s right, she forgot to take her medicine before entering the game this time, and having seen too many scenes of death in the instance, her condition was becoming a bit bad… “Wuuu… wuuu…”

Under the eaves, the old lady who couldn’t find her grandson was still weeping mournfully.

Qiu Xin heard it and felt irritable. She raised her hands to block her ears and began to sort through the known clues one by one.

“In that little ghost’s perspective, I am a ghost, and that little ghost itself is also a ghost. According to the prior hints, a ghost in a ghost’s eyes is a ‘Zhan.’ Ghosts are afraid of Zhan and will be scared to death upon seeing them.”

“As a Wraith, my nature is that of a ‘Zhan.’ By analogy, ‘Zhan’ are afraid of ‘Nothingness.’ Wraiths will be scared to death upon seeing a mirror, which is to say, there is Nothingness in the mirror…”

“I will fall into a deep sleep exactly at the Zi Hour; this is a mandatory mechanism of the instance. Something will likely happen at that point in time. If only I could stay conscious for a few more seconds…”

“Bang, bang!”

The sound of a wooden clapper rang out. A gust of wind blew, bringing the sound of the Watchman’s Call from the distant streets—

“The second watch of the Hai Hour! Close your doors and windows; beware of people and Ghosts!”