The person who was reminded immediately turned around in alarm to look at the painting on the wall.
Among the paintings with closed eyes, one could catch a glimpse of a person with open eyes, and the direction of that gaze was indeed in Yin Xiu's direction.
"Hiss... I'd better stay away from him... Following him will probably only bring trouble."
"Listen to Boss Zhang Si, you can't go wrong. Just stay away from him!"
The player, trembling, hurriedly gathered his dishes and went to the side.
Yin Xiu was unwittingly isolated by the player community once again.
This result silenced the comments section: "Why is Yin Xiu so unsociable everywhere?"
"Stop talking nonsense, it was Yin Xiu who isolated them."
"Although I can understand, it's really infuriating to watch from God's perspective. I'm just waiting for them to discover that the useless Zhang Si is the real piece of trash."
"Hahaha, we're all waiting too, but Yin Xiu has a better temper. If anyone targeted me like this, I would have slapped them twice across the face."
"I bet Yin Xiu holds a grudge."
"bet!"
After dinner, the players all went back to their houses and obediently followed the rules. After all, their conditions for passing the level were to protect the little girl to complete the mission and to inexplicably place the corpse on the altar. Now, they shouldn't wander around aimlessly, as it would be easy to break the rules.
After bringing the little girl back to the house, Yin Xiu wandered outside alone to check the structure of the house.
He remembered the rules mentioning a basement, so he searched around and finally found a hidden door in the lobby on the first floor. It was under the stairs, not particularly well hidden, but you wouldn't notice it unless you were specifically looking for it; this was probably the entrance to the basement.
The walls near the entrance are covered with many portraits, so densely packed that they almost cover the entire wall. Countless gazes have been drawn to Yin Xiu ever since he appeared there, and they can't be shaken off. But if you look up, all you see are countless beautiful and delicate faces in the frames of various sizes.
When a wall is covered with a series of faces, all with the same expression, it can be quite unsettling.
Yin Xiu stopped staring at the painting, turned his head and touched the crack in the wall. He tried to push it gently, and the door slid in easily, without being locked at all.
Whether or not a player goes to the basement depends entirely on their own discretion.
When the rules state not to go to the basement, and there are no precautions taken in such a dangerous place, then the place is 100% dangerous, and you may encounter unexpected events once you step into it.
Now is not the time to go in and explore.
Yin Xiu released his grip, took a step back, and prepared to leave.
As he turned around, he heard a soft thud behind him. Looking back, he saw a painting hanging on the wall had fallen down, and something seemed to be stuck to the back of the painting.
Yin Xiu squatted down, picked it up, and examined it; it was a photograph.
The photos depict what the town used to look like: a brand-new, harmonious town bustling with busy residents, all smiles, happily taking pictures in the square. The background of the photos doesn't include the woman's statue or the house they live in now. Everyone's expressions look harmonious and happy, completely unlike the gloomy and tense atmosphere that permeates the town during the day.
There are even one or two slightly familiar faces in the photos; if you look up, you can find the same faces in the surrounding frames.
This town, filled with monsters, seemed to have been just an ordinary town before. The changes probably occurred after the appearance of the woman statue in the square and the house they now live in.
The sense of being watched from the surroundings hadn't dissipated. The person in the portrait didn't directly invade his consciousness like before, but their aura continued to extend outwards, trying to attract Yin Xiu's attention again, making him feel like his mind wasn't quite clear.
He bent down and picked up the portrait that had just fallen from the ground; it was actually the man from the second floor.
The person in the portrait still has his eyes closed and is quiet. The background of the frame is pitch black, and like other portraits, the image is upright, but he is lying down.
Yin Xiu carefully studied his dark background, which had a faint texture, and wondered what he was lying on.
The black surface slightly reflects a dull light, and the somewhat blurry vertical grain indicates that it is a wooden board painted black.
After a few seconds of contemplation, Yin Xiu meaningfully hung the portrait back on the wall, saying, "It's a coffin, isn't it?"
The man in the portrait suddenly opened his eyes and met Yin Xiu's gaze. His eyes were blue, and his face had a hint of mixed Eastern features, making him handsome and pure. But at this moment, his face showed only panic as he stared at Yin Xiu, repeating the words he had spoken in the corridor over and over again.
"Leave, leave, leave..."
"He...he...he..."
Before he could finish speaking, an indescribable chill suddenly descended upon the hall, causing Yin Xiu to shiver.
A gaze seemed to descend from above, startling Yin Xiu so much that he quickly looked up.
He is the town mayor.
He appeared on the stairs at some point, leaning against the railing, looking down at Yin Xiu.
After most players had returned to their rooms, the lobby on the first floor was unusually deserted, with only the two of them standing under the pale white lights.
The mayor glanced at the photo in Yin Xiu's hand, a cryptic smile playing on his lips. "Are you curious about the town's past?"
"Hmm," Yin Xiu replied calmly and softly.
"It's normal for outsiders to be interested in everything in town, but wouldn't it be better to ask me instead of trying to figure it out on your own? I'm the mayor, after all." The mayor said as he slowly walked down the stairs.
He was backlit, his face shrouded in shadow, and his smile held an undisguised ill intent. "If you'd like to have some tea and a chat with me, I'll tell you whatever you want to ask."
Yin Xiu watched him come down warily, wary of his approach.
The town mayor strolled leisurely to Yin Xiu's side, skillfully and naturally hooking his arm around his shoulder and taking the photo from his hand.
His arrival plunged the surroundings into an eerie silence. The previously noisy portraits fell silent, and the cold aura inexplicably cleared Yin Xiu's mind.
The chill that surrounded him reminded Yin Xiu of the eerie creature that would break into his room at night. The similarity between the two was that they would dispel other anomalies and then leave their presence around Yin Xiu.
However, this town mayor had a very strong sense of purpose and a rather chilling aura.
"Where shall we talk?" Yin Xiu asked, unmoved.
The mayor's eyes lit up, clearly pleased with Yin Xiu's relenting. He immediately pointed to the door, "A sacrificial ceremony will be held in the square in a while. As a special favor, I can take you to see it up close. While you're there for the ceremony, I'll also tell you about the town. How about that?"
This condition is quite tempting for players who need information. The mayor knows exactly what players need, and the conditions he offers are very pertinent.
The sacrificial ceremony is written into the rules and is of great importance to the town; it's best to be able to participate in it up close.
"Is it just me going with you?"
"Of course." The mayor smiled with narrowed eyes, his arm around Yin Xiu's shoulder tightening silently. "If it were anyone else, I wouldn't care, but you are special."
The meaningful tone in his voice shocked the viewers in the live chat: "Holy crap, what's going on? Is he flirting with Yin Xiu???"
"It's a shady deal, guys! This weirdo wants to seduce Yin Xiu!"
"I noticed before that the way he looked at Yin Xiu was strange! He definitely wanted to take advantage of me!"
"But he made special conditions."
"It's so upsetting! We're all straight men, okay? And you show me this? I can't accept it!"
"I strongly demand that you two, that weirdo who used to sneak into Yin Xiu's room, have a fight!"
"That's already been identified as Yin Xiu's roommate!"
"So you're my roommate? Now that you mention it, I'm wide awake. I love this kind of thing. I'd like to see you two, roommate and mayor, fight it out. I want to see it."
"I want to see it too, hahaha. In that case, I'll vote for the mayor. At least the mayor is good-looking."
"Hahaha, I'll vote for the mayor too. My roommate is nice, but he's too gloomy and a bit scary. The mayor is also weird, but he's more human. He knows how to flirt with people, okay?"
"If you all vote for the mayor, be careful your roommates find out and come looking for you in the middle of the night."
"Hahaha, that's hilarious! Let him come if he dares."
The chat was filled with laughter when suddenly the entire live stream screen flickered twice, and all the players instantly fell silent.