666
"Pretty '6', right?" Mu Anqi patted her body, but didn't find anything. However, she quickly noticed the tattered backpack beside her. The backpack, which had been sluggish, was now bulging. When she opened it, she found it filled with translucent, round crystals, which appeared pale green when stacked. Each one was extremely thin and light, only the size of a thumb. Even with 666 of them, they had no weight at all.
Well, it's for Ghost, so it's weightless... I can understand that, right?
Mu Anqi stood up. She seemed to be in a hotel room, dressed in simple casual clothes and sneakers. Seemingly ready to go out, she glanced into the bathroom and saw her true appearance in the mirror—well, it wasn't a quick transmigration story. She sighed, splashed cold water on her face to calm herself down, and thought, "666." She wondered if Guan Si was worth anything, and if she could hire a ghost…
" Taiyin Circus is about to begin! Taiyin Circus is about to begin!" Someone shouted from below the hotel, holding a small megaphone. Mu Anqi wasn't sure if it was a person, but it looked like one, only that the person cast no shadow in the sun.
Yeah, that's all.
Mu Anqi slung her backpack over her shoulder, quickly left the hotel, and hurried downstairs. Who knew if she'd be late and something unexpected would happen? In this endless loop world, she couldn't afford to recklessly court death. When she arrived, there were already a few tourists there. Mu Anqi scanned their clothes but didn't notice they were carrying beginner backpacks.
That's true, after all, the backpack was empty... and it would be too conspicuous for a newbie to have one. However... there were other styles of travel bags as well. Mu Anqi carefully observed them, but couldn't tell which of these people were novice players and which were experienced players. Because of the unknown, Mu Anqi didn't dare to ask anything rashly.
Perhaps there are more than one style of backpack for beginners.
The person with the megaphone waited a while longer, and then a few more people came over. Mu Anqi saw not only a girl with red eyes, but also a boy sobbing uncontrollably…
A tough guy bursting into tears is the most deadly.
This looks just like something a player would do. After all, what kind of Ghost would cry and whine while watching their own people perform? Mu Anqi didn't give her much of a look. Although she had a rich inner monologue, she didn't want to reveal herself at this moment. As for the backpack… as long as her acting was convincing, no one could say she was a player. After all, who says Ghosts don't carry backpacks?
A group of about a dozen people, led by a loudspeaker, entered the large Circus. It seemed Taiyin Circus had been advertised here for quite some time; Mu Anqi had even seen large posters and flyers on the wall below the hotel. Many passersby were also heading in.
"You are all spectators, and you can sit in special seats to watch the show and have the opportunity to participate in interactive activities." The little loudspeaker enthusiastically introduced the Circus as he walked around. " Taiyin Circus is the most famous and largest Circus in our Shattered Mirror Continent. It's a favorite among those big shots who can only dream of visiting!"
"What shows are on today?" one of the tourists asked. Mu Anqi turned around and saw a young man wearing a white baseball cap.
"There are so many! There are several magic shows, like the 'disappearing person' and 'beauty turning into a tiger,' as well as acrobatics, such as Exploding Poker, the 'Disaster Roulette,' aerial silk dance, and the wave bridge. Oh, and there are also trapeze artists, haha... There are too many to remember, you'll see when we get there." The tour guide with the megaphone was extremely enthusiastic, laughing a few times at the end. Some people in the group laughed along, while others glanced at their companions and smiled, saying, "I've been looking forward to this for so long!"
The man who asked the question, along with several other tourists, did indeed look rather unpleasant.
They're just trying to survive; the more projects they undertake, the more dangerous it becomes. With so many performances going on, how could they possibly laugh?
Mu Anqi subtly touched her backpack and sighed. She hoped the performers at Circus —no, Ghost —would lower their fees to save her life.
They entered Circus's large tent, which was truly enormous. Inside, there was a dense crowd of people, at least several hundred. The performance stage was also large, but now that the curtain was covering it, they couldn't see any props.
The little loudspeaker led them forward, and gradually some people began to feel uneasy. "Can we sit in the back?"
Before the tour guide could speak, someone in the group complained, "Those are reserved seats! What's wrong with the Circus's reserved seats?!"
As the "person" questioned the speaker, he stared venomously at the one who had spoken. The speaker felt a chill run down his spine and immediately shrank back, not daring to utter a sound. The rest of the uneasy people also remained silent.
Mu Anqi thought, this is all part of the plot, why struggle? She followed the little loudspeaker openly, and the middle-aged man who had just been dissatisfied glanced at her with slight surprise, as if he had never seen such a bold player before.
"This row is all seats, please sit down." The man with the loudspeaker smiled and pointed to the row of empty seats. "I'll come back and see you out after the performance."
Although some members of their team were ghosts, it was clear... that they were exclusively for the players. Because those people behind them, whose expressions were obviously off, were already lined up, waiting for the players to go in first, and then they would sit on the outermost edge.
Strangely, Mu Anqi glanced inside and saw that there seemed to be someone sitting there too—since it seemed like there was only one team of players, the one inside was probably a ghost.
This is truly a double bind.
With a sigh, she had no choice but to walk inside first, unconsciously tightening her skill as she went.
She quickly realized something was wrong. The nearby... audience seemed to be very afraid of the female ghost... lady on the far left of the first row.
As Mu Anqi approached the seat, the woman casually leaning back did not turn her head to look at her. Even her profile was exquisitely beautiful. Mu Anqi drew closer, and the woman turned her head slightly to look. She was strikingly handsome, with a touch of heroic spirit and a hint of boldness in her eyes. A single, calm glance was enough to make one afraid to look directly at her.
Mu Anqi stopped.
Those eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, and a cold and fierce aura made alarm bells go off in Mu Anqi's mind the moment they met!
That's a dangerous person! But... but this is only her first instance, it can't be that bad, right?
Fortunately, the woman (ghost) only glanced at them before looking away and continued to lazily wait for the performance on stage. Mu Anqi felt that the players behind her were also crowding here. She mustered her courage and finally stepped forward, quietly sitting down in the seat next to her.
The female ghost beside him was extremely attractive, and she was the cool and aloof older sister Mu Anqi had liked in his previous life… Unfortunately, this ghost was clearly not someone to be trifled with. Under her powerful aura, Mu Anqi dared not make a move. He simply sat silently with his head down, at most trying to distract himself with random thoughts. Mu Anqi could feel the faint chill emanating from this woman, but upon closer inspection, it might not be an aura or imposing presence, but simply… yin energy? It was an extremely mysterious experience, but since he was in an escape game, it wouldn't explain anything scientific. Mu Anqi's left side was much colder than his right, as if he were sitting at the entrance of an icebox.
Just then, a slight commotion seemed to arise on her right. She turned her head and saw that what had come next was not the middle-aged man who had been behind her all along, nor the group of NPCs who looked like Ghosts … but a sobbing young woman, followed by the young man who had just asked the question. The NPCs who appeared to be Ghosts … were sitting on the outermost edge, blocking the player's path.
Immediately afterward, Mu Anqi realized something was wrong. —There was an NPC standing there.
The number of seats in the row should have been arranged correctly, and they had just settled in for their group of tourists. But now there was one extra seat, and that extra seat was clearly—
Mu Anqi instinctively looked at the woman next to her. The woman had a cold face and an unapproachable demeanor. Sensing her gaze, the woman did not react, but simply met her gaze calmly. Mu Anqi couldn't bear it and silently looked away.
For some reason, she always felt... the way this ghost looked at her and the other players was like looking at dead people. It was as if they weren't alive, nor interesting, leaving the female ghost with absolutely no interest. Was this ghost... looking down on the players?
Ghosts actually dislike people?! Does this game even have any logic?!
Immediately afterward, Mu Anqi saw the woman beckon. A moment later, someone trotted over, looking extremely respectful. "Sir, is there anything I can do for you?"
"Where is this?" the woman's voice was extremely cold.
"This…" The man looked flustered. "This is indeed a seat, and you will have the closest possible circus experience." He emphasized "closest possible" and glanced at Mu Anqi and the other tourists. After explaining, he immediately smiled apologetically and said, "But if you don't like it, I'll change your seat for you right away."
"Oh, no need." The woman didn't say anything more. The man waited for a while, and seeing that the woman really had no instructions, he backed away.
For some reason... Mu Anqi felt that this cryptic and brief conversation was filled with anticipation for how the player would die.
Mu Anqi gritted his teeth inwardly. "If you didn't look so intimidating, I would have let you take my place if I got chosen! You mere idiot..."
—If 666 could get you to the top… well, that seems unrealistic.
As she daydreamed and comforted herself, the man next to her couldn't help but sob again. Mu Anqi's head throbbed with pain. She thought, "The performance hasn't even started yet, why are you already wailing?" His sobbing was heart-wrenching, and his voice was incredibly rough. Didn't you see the girl to her right forcefully suppress the tears welling in her eyes amidst his violent weeping?
Mu Anqi couldn't help but roll his eyes, which was just noticed by the female ghost on his left. The woman's brows furrowed, and her impatience became more and more obvious. Just then, she suddenly stood up. Her expression was not clear in the flickering light of the Circus lights, but her slender white hand was raised in mid-air—and then stopped.
The weeping man was lifted up by an invisible force. His crying vanished instantly.
No, it wasn't just crying. The moment the woman stood up, the somewhat noisy Circus fell into complete silence.
Mu Anqi, who was closest to the woman, couldn't help but swallow hard. Good heavens... what kind of background does this woman have? Mu Anqi couldn't help but look up at the female ghost's expression. In the dim light, he could only see that the female ghost's two thin, pale lips were slightly upturned, as if outlining a cold and beautiful smile.
With just this one movement, the woman sat down again. The man was left hanging in mid-air, his face flushed red, and his struggles gradually weakened. But just then, he suddenly fell back into his seat.
"Hah—" Death was so close to him. He gasped for breath, the sound amplified by the absolute silence of Circus. After a few deep breaths, Man realized this too and carefully suppressed his urge to breathe. Tears streamed down his legs, but he dared not make a sound.
The author has something to say: Mu Anqi has to say, this female ghost model is really beautiful.