“You only said the livestream room could grant wishes, but you didn't say I had to be the one to fulfill them.”
In an abandoned residence in Wenshan Village, Song Mo sat on an old pear tree, earnestly lecturing the off-duty Mouse Servant:
“This is what we call ‘all rights of final interpretation belong to me.’”
—What? You want money?
Go ahead, then. As long as you complete quests in the Instance, you can get gold ingots.
—What? You say you want beauty?
There are all kinds of magical items in the Instance. If you can't find them, that has nothing to do with her.
After all, who doesn't have to hit hard pity when pulling from a gacha?
She was already being plenty conscientious by not setting up a prize pool with a 0.0001% win rate and stuffing it with trash.
—What? You say you want your enemy dead?
Go on, then. Awaken a class in the Instance and obtain items. As long as you can leave the Instance alive, you can stab your enemy as many times as you want.
In the wishing livestream room, you made a wish, didn't you? Did she not give you the chance to make that wish come true?
She was a complete genius of a scammer.
But she had no choice; she was poor.
Song Mo didn't have a single thing the livestream viewers wanted. She could only play word games to trick new users.
...
The Mouse Servant listened, only half-understanding, while A'yan, who was busy gathering Materials for Song Mo, tilted her head:
“My Lady, I... I still do not understand. Why did you insist on pulling those three into the Instance as well?”
“Having veteran Players guide new Players can reduce the initial mortality rate to some extent.”
Song Mo casually plucked a pear and fed it to the Mouse Servant. “The difficulty of this Instance has clearly increased. If half of the thirty Players die right at the start, how can the story be exciting?”
A script written by a good screenwriter must never have flat emotions.
What she wanted was a story filled with communication, interaction, mutual suspicion, cooperation, plot twists, and comebacks from desperate situations.
But she couldn't help it; she barely had any veteran Players in her hands right now.
As for why Song Mo didn't choose Fu Qinqin, Zhao Weilai, or the others who had performed better?
People weren't code. To be sent to another Instance less than three days after just coming out of one—
It would be very easy for them to break down.
Just as she was thinking this, the ink-wash text prompted that the Instance status had been updated:
【Instance: 《Old Lady Huang's Birthday Feast》】
【Status: Running (Hour 1)】
【Remaining Surviving Players: 30/30 (Mirrors Active)】
【Unlocked Classes: Architect (Green) (Skills cannot be repeatedly drawn), Silkworm Raiser (Yellow), Swordsman (Yellow), Cowherd (Green), Physician (Green)】
【Estimated Screenwriter Points obtainable from this Instance: 300+】
【Current number of ghosts in the Instance: 5 (Night-Weeping Mother, Night-Weeping Son, Hanged Ghost, Clay Sculpture Ghost, The Cat-Faced Old Lady)】
...
...
...
Why was it so cold?
Since when did the temperature in Jiangcheng drop below freezing?
Upon regaining consciousness, Su Ya instinctively shuddered.
She snapped her eyes open.
Coming into view was the ceiling of an old bus, with yellowed decorations hanging from the rearview mirror.
The musty smell from the old seat cushions mixed with the scent of gasoline, making one feel drowsy.
The vehicle vibrated continuously as the engine let out a low rumble—it was clearly in motion.
Almost instantly, Su Ya concluded that she was no longer in Jiangcheng.
Outside the window, massive snowflakes pelted the glass in dense sheets, making it almost impossible to see the scenery outside.
The guardrails of the winding mountain road receded rapidly, with the dark silhouettes of mountain cliffs visible in the distance.
It rarely snowed in Jiangcheng.
Even more so since it was currently June.
Yet right now, heavy snow fell outside, and the trees were barren. As far as the eye could see, it was a desolate scene of deep winter.
No.
This was definitely not reality.
Su Ya's heart sank heavily. She instinctively reached for her neck and felt a warm porcelain bottle.
—It was the Thousand-Mile Hunger-Free Pill she had brought out from the Taiping Cemetery Instance.
The rewards Players obtained from Instances were returned to them individually by the authorities after being verified as harmless and sampled.
Because that Route 404 Ticket was deemed to carry a certain level of danger, the authorities had repeatedly requested her to use it with caution.
The Bone-Grown Flower was temporarily stored in the Special Investigation Department's laboratory, while the Thousand-Mile Hunger-Free Pill and the silver bell were carried on Su Ya's person.
She had previously had a faint premonition that the Instance would not let her go so easily.
Sure enough, she had been pulled into an Instance again.
Su Ya took a deep breath, suppressing the panic rising in her throat.
That bizarre wishing livestream room was indeed a new Instance.
She turned her head to look around, feeling none of the panic she had experienced during her first entry.
Because Su Ya knew that crying was useless, and being afraid was equally futile.
If she could leave the cemetery alive last time, she could definitely do it this time too.
...
...
Including Su Ya, there were ten people scattered across the bus.
There were men, women, young, and old, all dressed uniformly in summer clothes—short sleeves, shorts, and dresses—looking completely out of place against the freezing, snowy world outside.
Everyone was waking up one after another, their faces filled with confusion, bewilderment, and a gradually mounting panic.
Sitting next to Su Ya was a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl with a healthy wheat-toned complexion, wearing a faded blue short-sleeved shirt.
The girl's eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes. Seeing the snow outside the window, her eyes widened:
“It's snowing?”
Her voice carried a thick accent, but it sounded very soft. “Wasn't I just mending clothes at home? When did I leave the mountains?”
No one answered her.
A young man in the front row sat up straight, his face filled with astonishment. “I was clearly submitting resumes at an internet cafe... What's going on? A kidnapping?”
On the other side of the aisle, a middle-aged man frowned as he took out his phone and pressed a few buttons. His suit was crumpled and reeked of alcohol. “Do any of your phones have a signal?”
“What a dump, I'm freezing to death!”
A woman wearing a camisole nightgown hugged her arms, goosebumps rising on her skin:
“I only wished for my colleague to die. Why did I end up here?”
The commotion spread outward like ripples from a stone thrown into water.
Someone stood up to pull the bus door, but the handle wouldn't budge at all.
Someone tried to slam their hands against the window to call for help, but the glass was as hard as a steel plate, making their hands throb with pain.
“I was just at home—did you guys also make a wish in that creepy livestream room?”
“I wished for my boss to die, not for myself to die!”
“Is this real or fake? What on earth is going on? Hypnosis? A magic trick, or a kidnapping?”
The noisy voices filled the cramped carriage.
The next second, faint black ink-wash text materialized out of thin air in everyone's field of vision:
【Welcome to the Instance: Old Lady Huang's Birthday Celebration】
【Current Total Players in Instance: 30/30. You are in Mirror 1. Players in this Mirror: 10/10】
【Instance Type: Folkloric Puzzle-Solving】
【Main Quest: Fulfill Old Lady Huang's wish and successfully survive the birthday feast seven days from now】
【Identity Setting: Members of a folklore documentary crew. You are the team's cameraman/makeup artist/director/sound recordist/script supervisor... You are traveling to Huangshan Village to shoot a folklore documentary. The trip will last for seven days.】
【Tip: Completing side quests will grant survival clues. You can leave by surviving until the end or completing the Main Quest.】
【You are safe while the vehicle is in motion.】
【Today is Day 1.】
The ink-wash text lingered for over ten seconds before slowly fading away.
...
The carriage fell silent for a few seconds before an even more intense commotion erupted:
“What the hell? Old Lady Huang's Birthday Celebration? Shooting a documentary? I'm not an actor!”
“Is this a prank? Who made these special effects?”
“An Instance? What kind of survival game is this? Can we stop messing around and let me off!”
“I knew that wishing livestream room was sketchy! It really was a scam, this is kidnapping! I want to go back!”
The carriage was in an uproar, but the driver sat like a statue, remaining completely silent as if he couldn't hear the noise at all.
Su Ya's heart sank heavily.
She stared at the ink-wash words, her fingertips tightening slightly.
【Player Class Detected: Architect (Green)】
【Skill Effects:
Can quickly identify architectural structures and terrain layouts to discover hidden passages and safe zones (Passive).
Can generate a 2x2x2 temporary random shelter to block spiritual attacks, lasting for 3 minutes, with a 24-hour cooldown (Active).】
【Side Quest: As a veteran Player who has survived life and death, reassure the newcomers. (+100 points * number of surviving Players at the end of the Instance)】
【Point System activated: Completing side quests and exploring hidden plots will reward you with points. Points can be exchanged for items in the shop.】
Su Ya licked her lips, starting to feel nervous again.
So she was the only veteran Player in this Instance.
As for what the Point System and shop were?
She was completely in the dark.
But somehow, Su Ya just knew that "points" were extremely useful.
...
...
“Big Sister, aren't you scared at all?”
The girl beside her spoke up timidly, pulling Su Ya back from her thoughts. “Big Sister, do you know what those words... mean? What is an Instance?”
The girl stared with round eyes, her face filled with fear and bewilderment.
“My name is Su Ya.”
Su Ya softened her voice, drawing closer to the girl to share some warmth. “And you, little sister? What's your name?”
“My name is Yang Asha.”
The girl was clearly a bit shy, her eyes falling on Su Ya's dress. “Your dress is so pretty, Big Sister. Are we leaving the mountains?”
“The situation is a bit complicated.”
Su Ya comforted her softly. “You might not believe what I'm about to say, but what we are experiencing right now is neither a kidnapping nor a prank. It's a very special place called an Instance.”
“Instance?” Yang Asha blinked, showing her lack of understanding.
“Simply put, we have to stay here for seven days and complete quests as required before we can leave alive.”
Su Ya tried to explain as plainly as possible. “If you run around recklessly and don't follow the rules, you will die.”
“Die?” Yang Asha's face instantly went pale, her lips trembling. “I don't want to die. I haven't even sold the ducks and chickens I raised at home yet.”
—Her voice wasn't loud, but several people around them heard her.
In the back row, Lin Jianguo, reeking of alcohol, fixed his gaze on Su Ya, staring intently. “Young lady, you seem to know a lot? Have you been through this before?”
“My name is Lin Jianguo.”
He introduced himself. “Do you know what an Instance is?”
Su Ya looked up and found that everyone on the bus was looking at her expectantly, waiting for her explanation.
“Yes.” She did not hide it and nodded. “I've been through an Instance once. I barely escaped with my life.”
The moment she said this, the surroundings quieted down significantly.
Even the few who had been shouting the loudest stopped and turned their eyes toward her in unison.
“Is this for real? This place is an Instance?”
Yang Hexuan looked incredulous. “Instances actually exist in this world? No, isn't this a bit too fantasy-like!”
The woman in the pajamas immediately pressed, “Beautiful, how did you get out last time? Is it very dangerous in there?”
“Very dangerous.”
Thinking of what had happened to Lin Hao and Wang Lei, Su Ya spoke solemnly, “Trust me, people really, truly die. You must remember the quest prompts.”
“Then... then what do we do?” The office worker in the camisole dress looked pale. “I just made a wish, why do I have to die?”
“If you don't want to die, I suggest following directions.”
Lin Jianguo spoke in a deep voice, “Since Su Ya has experience, we should listen to her first.”
He could tell that Su Ya didn't seem to be making things up.
In times like this, having an experienced person lead the way was better than anything else.
“I agree!” Yang Asha nodded immediately, tightly hugging Su Ya's arm.
Yang Hexuan also nodded. “I'll listen to Sister Su Ya too.”
Li Na wiped her tears, neither agreeing nor objecting.
Su Ya let out a sigh of relief.
...
...
The second mirror Instance.
Lin Hao had, of course, also received the quest to reassure the new Players.
“Fuck, what the hell is this?!”
Before Lin Hao could react, an angry curse came from the front row, interrupting his train of thought.
A young man stood up abruptly and kicked a seat. “Who's messing with me?! I just wished for some capital to recoup my losses, and you pull this shit on me? This is a kidnapping, isn't it?”
“Open the door! Let me off!”
He rushed to the bus door and roared at the driver in the driver's seat, “If you don't open this right now, I'm calling the police!”
“Young man, don't be in such a hurry.”
The driver spoke in a hard-to-understand local dialect, seemingly not caring at all about the group's strange behavior. “Once we reach the destination, you can naturally get off.”
Lin Hao didn't want to get involved at all, but he touched the umbilical cord hidden under his scarf, a trace of gloom flashing in his eyes:
“It's snowing outside right now. If you want to die, go ahead and get off.”
“It's none of your business where I want to go! Are you in league with this weird thing?” Du Yu cursed at the driver. “I want to get off right now! Are you going to open it or not? If you don't, I'll smash the glass!”
The driver stopped the bus helplessly.
With a creak, the bus door swung open.
The cold wind, carrying snow, instantly rushed in, making everyone shrink their necks.
“What a piece of junk.” Du Yu cursed and took a step down. “I'm not playing along with you guys! Bullshit Instance, you're all crazy!”
Half of his body was already leaning out, his foot nearly touching the ground.
The people inside the bus watched him.
Some hesitated over whether to follow him down, while others waited to see if he would regret it.
The man's foot had just touched the ground, his face still filled with resentment.
The next second.
Ssshh—
It was a very soft sound, like a thin thread slicing through fabric.
The man's smile froze on his face.
His head slowly slid off his neck at a bizarre angle.
Blood sprayed out like a fountain, splashing onto the pristine white snow.
His body fell apart, collapsing onto the snow with a thud, and his head rolled far away.
His unclosed eyes were still wide open, filled with resentment and disbelief.
【Player Du Yu has died. Current Mirror Players: 9/10. Total Players: 29.】
The cold ink-wash text floated before their eyes, declaring his end.
Someone on the bus began to tremble violently, letting out a silent scream.
...
...
The third mirror Instance.
Wang Lei, wearing hospital pajamas, curled up in the back seat of the bus, covering his ears and refusing to look at the others.
The bus was in complete chaos.
The bus door was wide open, and the wind and snow outside rushed in all at once. Near the door was a long trail of messy footprints.
The footprints vanished after only a few steps.
Outside the window, something kept tapping.
Thud, thud, thud.
Thud.
Six corpses with bruised faces and bulging eyes hung from the roof of the bus. Whenever the wind and snow blew, their stiffened toes would gently tap against the vehicle.
【Player Ding Kai has died. Current Mirror Players: 9/10. Total Players: 28.】
【Player An Ran has died. Current Mirror Players: 8/10. Total Players: 27.】
【Player Hu Sheng has died. Current Mirror Players: 7/10. Total Players: 26.】
...
【Player has died. Current Mirror Players: 4/10. Total Players: 23.】
Rate on N.U.
