"Welcome to the Horror Game!"
"This dungeon's name: Yellow Springs Inn!"
"Mission Objective: Work hard, and survive for two days!"
"Current number of survivors: 6."
As the countdown hit zero, three lines of blood-red text floated before Lin Yu's eyes.
In the blink of an eye, he found himself standing in a dilapidated courtyard, reeking of blood and gloom!
The bluestone paving was stained with dried blood. Beside it, a flowerbed swayed with scarlet otherworldly blossoms.
A broken wooden door stood ajar, hiding what lay beyond.
At his side were five strangers, each dressed differently, each wearing a different expression:
A middle-aged man in a business suit, slightly overweight, radiating the aura of a successful professional.
A flashy young man with bleached yellow hair, tattoos crawling up his arms, looking every bit a street punk.
A burly, bearded man in a hoodie, silent but wary, eyes scanning his surroundings.
A mature woman, not particularly pretty, but dressed provocatively.
A petite student girl wearing glasses, shoulders hunched, eyes downcast in fear.
They all exchanged uneasy glances, fear written plain across their faces.
Even the cocky, yellow-haired punk wasn't shouting or posturing—
Clearly, everyone understood how deadly this so-called Horror Game was.
In the end, it was the silent, bearded man in the hoodie who spoke first.
"Looks like… I'm the only veteran here."
He sighed as he said this.
The other five, Lin Yu included, immediately perked up.
The mature woman thought for a moment, forced down her fear, and managed a faint smile.
"So, big brother… you've been through this before?"
The bearded man nodded.
"Correct. I'm part of the fourth batch of beta testers. I've already survived five dungeons like this."
A survivor of five dungeons!
That identity alone made everyone feel a bit of relief.
If someone could survive five times, then maybe… they still had a chance.
But the bearded man seemed to see through their thoughts. He shook his head slowly.
"Don't get too optimistic. Every survival of mine was by the skin of my teeth!"
"In every dungeon, at least half the players die! For beginners like you, the mortality rate is even more terrifying!"
"The first time I entered… there were twenty of us. In the end, only me and another rookie made it out alive. Even the veterans leading us—were all killed!"
As he spoke, he rolled up his hoodie's sleeve.
His arms were covered in horrifying black cracks, rotting flesh and even white bone visible beneath!
"This… is the price of survival."
"And that dungeon only required surviving for twelve hours. This one… wants us to last two full days!"
The faint hope that had just sparked among the group was instantly snuffed out.
"So… this is what a ghost is like? Then we're dead for sure!"
The yellow-haired punk muttered, his bravado collapsing into despair.
"Damn it…"
The suited man cursed under his breath.
The two women clapped hands over their mouths, nearly screaming aloud.
Even Lin Yu was startled for a moment—
But he quickly regained his composure.
"At least I have my system. My chances of survival… should be a little better."
The bearded man lowered his sleeve again, shaking his head at the four who had lost control. Disappointment flashed in his eyes.
Only when he looked at Lin Yu, still relatively calm, did he show a trace of relief.
This newcomer… had a steadier mindset than the others.
And sometimes, in these dungeons, even the smallest difference in mentality… was enough to decide life or death.
He steadied himself and continued,
"It's not completely hopeless. As someone who's been through this, I'll give you a warning."
"Dungeons run by ghosts do have rules. They don't act without restraint!"
"As long as you follow those rules, and don't trigger their killing conditions, you might get hurt… but you won't die."
"The rules… the most important ones will usually be told to you by the ghosts themselves, or written somewhere obvious. But remember—those are not all the rules!"
Lin Yu gave a slight nod.
That matched what he'd learned from his own investigations…
And since it came from a man who had survived five dungeons, its credibility was even higher.
Still, the bearded man hadn't mentioned the link between the number of rules and the dungeon's difficulty.
Was it because he didn't know? Or because he didn't want to stir panic?
Or… maybe the information Lin Yu had was false.
He didn't argue. In his view, this bearded man couldn't be fully trusted anyway.
To survive five dungeons, one needed an unbreakable will to live.
And for people like him… these rookies might well be nothing more than expendable pawns.
The other four were still reeling, fear and confusion etched on their faces, each lost in their own thoughts.
And then—
A raspy cough broke the silence.
"Cough… cough…"
An old man stepped into the courtyard, pushing open the broken wooden door. His skin was ashen, his face shriveled and covered in liver spots, every feature sagging with age.
Everyone's hearts clenched tight.
The ghost… had arrived!