**"Dong Dong Dong"
Just as Jiang Xiuxiu picked up the flashlight, she heard an intense banging on the metal above her head.
Immediately, the metal cover that had been shut was pulled open, and sunlight poured in from the ground above.
"Xiuxiu, are you okay in there?"
It was Ye Ming's voice.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiuxiu quickly responded, "I'm still alive, come down, it's safe here now."
Hearing her words, Ye Ming swiftly came down.
The two stood on the steps and chatted for a while, mainly with Ye Ming asking what had happened to Jiang Xiuxiu, and Jiang Xiuxiu asking why he had stayed up there and not followed her down.
Jiang Xiuxiu recounted her clever battle with the ghost children, selectively sharing some of her gaming experiences along the way.
For example, the fatal points of ghosts often lie in their past experiences, and the objects that caused their deaths can inflict fatal damage on them.
She wasn't the type to hide things, especially since Ye Ming had a good character. Teaching him more would make their team stronger.
As for Ye Ming, when he explained his situation, he looked utterly confused.
"Right after you found the metal cover, you went straight in and shut the cover behind you," he said. "I noticed you seemed off, so I called out to you a few times, but you didn't respond."
Hearing this, Jiang Xiuxiu frowned and asked, "What about the metal cover? Was it impossible to open?"
"Yes," Ye Ming nodded. "There seemed to be some force holding it shut from below. It couldn't be opened until just now, when that force suddenly disappeared, and I was able to lift it."
Jiang Xiuxiu looked at Ye Ming. His expression was puzzled, his tone natural, and his eyes sincere, showing no signs of lying.
So, what he said must be true.
The moment she opened that metal cover, she was bewildered by the ghost or something else inside.
She mistakenly thought she had pulled Ye Ming down with her, but in reality, she was the only one who went down. What she was holding wasn't Ye Ming, but something else.
Come to think of it, ever since she entered the yard, she hadn't heard Ye Ming say much of anything.
Such prolonged silence itself indicated something was off.
If she hadn't realized this in time and had truly mistaken the "Ye Ming" behind her for the real one, the outcome would have been anything but good.
There were indeed quite a few eerie places in this basement.
After reflecting for a moment, Jiang Xiuxiu decided not to delay any longer.
"It's getting late, let's go down and check things out," she said to Ye Ming. "There must be many secrets in this basement. I suspect there will be information about the boss."
Her mission to clear the level was to change the boss's outfit. How could she proceed without understanding the boss?
Ye Ming smiled at her. "Alright."
He had a fair and clean appearance, with black hair smoothly framing his face, looking very well-behaved.
Jiang Xiuxiu glanced at him a few times, inexplicably feeling a strange sense of déjà vu.
She seemed to have forgotten to ask about his mission.
"What special ability do you have for your mission?" Jiang Xiuxiu asked casually as she turned on the flashlight and started down the steps.
"What about you?" Ye Ming asked back instead of answering.
Jiang Xiuxiu thought he might be cautious, so she didn't mind and smiled. "My special ability is pretty unique. I can swap anyone's clothes and wear them."
"And your mission?" Ye Ming asked.
Jiang Xiuxiu chuckled, "The mission is to put the boss in women's clothes."
Ye Ming: "..."
Seeing Ye Ming stunned, Jiang Xiuxiu thought he was shocked by her mission.
Honestly, even she felt a strange sensation every time she thought about her mission, a mix of wanting to say something but finding no words to express it.
Perhaps thinking her mission was too bizarre and fun, she impulsively opened her backpack and pulled out a maid outfit, showing it to Ye Ming.
"Looking closely, this outfit is quite pretty," Jiang Xiuxiu said, touching the bow on the maid outfit. "I wonder what the boss looks like. Someone who can wear such a cute outfit must be an adorable girl."
As she spoke, a mysterious fan-girl smile appeared on Jiang Xiuxiu's face.
Ye Ming: "..."
He grew even more silent.
After a while without a response from Ye Ming, Jiang Xiuxiu looked up in confusion. "Ye Ming, what's wrong?"
Ye Ming said, "Nothing, just that we've arrived."
Hearing his words, Jiang Xiuxiu looked up and realized they had indeed reached the bottom.
A slightly narrow basement lay before them.
"Let's go in," Ye Ming said.
After he spoke, he paused briefly and then casually suggested, "You know more than I do. We still need your help to search. If holding the bag is inconvenient, I can carry it for you."
Handing the bag to Ye Ming?
Jiang Xiuxiu thought about it and found his suggestion reasonable, so she nodded, "Sure."
She indeed needed to focus on searching the basement, and carrying a bag would be inconvenient.
It was better to give it to Ye Ming since, as a man, he must be stronger and could run faster if they encountered danger.
Thinking this, she put the maid outfit back and handed the bag over.
Then she turned her attention to the basement beside her.
To avoid attracting attention, the couple had not connected the basement to electricity when renovating the old house.
Jiang Xiuxiu didn't find any light bulbs but saw many candles and matches.
She lit three candles in one go and carefully observed her surroundings.
She found that this basement seemed to have existed for a long time. The interior decoration was very old-fashioned, and even the candle holders looked like they were from the 1950s or 60s.
On the basement floor, there was a strange formation made of talisman papers and blood.
Next to the formation, there was a small fire pit for burning talisman papers, from which the burnt smell emanated.
Along with the burnt smell, there were two black, human-shaped marks on the wall.
Near these marks, there were black stains spreading from the floor to the wall, with some places having black, powdery residue.
Jiang Xiuxiu touched it and realized it was the residue left after something was burnt.
So, the owners of the old house accidentally burned themselves while playing with talisman papers and fire down here?
The house had no fire damage, probably because their "playing" happened in this basement.
But to think their death was just due to playing with fire!
Jiang Xiuxiu was somewhat shocked.
She squinted her eyes, observing the area for a moment, then turned to see if there was anything else nearby.
The basement situation was strange, the signs of a fire were only present on the left side.
One side was in ruins, while the other half remained intact.
Jiang Xiuxiu looked around and noticed that the right side of the basement had no extra furniture. Besides two chairs and a wooden table, there was only a small bookcase.
After entering, Ye Ming glanced around and headed straight for the only bookcase.
The bookcase often held the most information.
Jiang Xiuxiu originally intended to check out the bookcase as well, but seeing that Ye Ming was already there, she decided to divide the work and focus on other details in the basement.
For instance, there were a few books on the wooden table next to her that were clearly brought in later, with relatively recent publication dates.
Jiang Xiuxiu flipped through them and saw that they were all related to the supernatural.
Unlike the storybooks in the study, these were more "functional," recording various dubious folk methods and secret recipes.
Many of the books didn’t even have a publisher or a proper ISBN, likely indicating they were illegal publications.
Jiang Xiuxiu skimmed through the marked pages and realized that the couple was practically obsessed.
In addition to drawing talismans, they tried various practices from supposed shamans or frauds, such as burning a child’s hair and drinking it with talisman water or using their own blood to draw talismans.
After seeing their collection of supernatural and ghost stories in the study, Jiang Xiuxiu had vaguely guessed that the couple must have been doing something unusual.
Now, witnessing this firsthand, she wasn’t surprised.
Though she still felt like mocking their superstitions, Jiang Xiuxiu thought that in a world with ghosts and souls, their actions seemed understandable.
Still, she was curious about why the couple chose to live in this old house.
If it was just to draw talismans or engage in some folk practices, it would be understandable. Her grandfather’s house had a Buddha statue, and they would offer fresh food and burn incense during festivals. Many families did similar things.
For a couple living in a world with ghosts, being superstitious seemed normal.
But choosing to live in this house and using the basement for these activities seemed excessive.
Were they doing something more secretive or forbidden?
Moreover, Jiang Xiuxiu doubted that their deaths were merely due to playing with fire and burning talismans.
Given the half-ruined, half-perfect fire scene, there had to be other abnormal factors in the basement.
But what could it be?
"Isn’t it ridiculous?"
While Jiang Xiuxiu was lost in thought, Ye Ming, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.
Ridiculous?
Jiang Xiuxiu looked up in surprise to see Ye Ming holding a book from the bookcase, looking at a page.
In the dim candlelight, she could only see his slightly turned profile, unable to discern his expression.
"Powerless themselves, they sought help from spirits, not considering the consequences of bargaining with demons."
His voice was light, his tone calm, as if stating an ordinary fact.
Finally, he chuckled softly, concluding, "Seemingly crazy, but just foolish. Seemingly bold, but truly ignorant. Their end was inevitable."
Jiang Xiuxiu was speechless.
"Actually, they had no other choice," she said.
From Ye Ming’s words, it was clear he thought the couple deserved their fate.
Jiang Xiuxiu originally had the same thought. The book "The Selfish Gene" also hinted at the couple’s problematic attitude toward their children.
If they had treated their children equally, the girl might not have ignored her brother’s abduction.
Of course, this didn’t absolve the girl of guilt. There were consequences for every action, but her parents were also guilty.
Understanding their desperation after losing their children, Jiang Xiuxiu felt a sense of inevitable fate.
However, as a player, she didn’t dwell too much on it.
Her perspective might seem cold, but to her, these were just data, and the story was a fabrication.
While similar situations might occur in real life, there were no ghosts in reality.
Everything was based on an unrealistic world setting, vastly different from reality.
Jiang Xiuxiu prided herself on her cold logic and rationality.
She understood that some players might be moved by the tragic story.
Seeing Ye Ming seemingly caught up in the plot, she thought he was feeling sorry for the ghost of the little boy.
She racked her brain to comfort him, "Don’t be sad. Look at it this way: if they hadn’t done this, the game company wouldn’t have created this story for the game. Otherwise, we wouldn’t get to play this game."
Ye Ming was silent.
What’s wrong?
Did I say something wrong?
Jiang Xiuxiu, not hearing a response, looked up confusedly and saw Ye Ming deep in thought.
In the dim, yellowish light, his dark eyes had an odd gleam.
Noticing her gaze, he blinked and smiled at her.
"You’re right," he said calmly, "their situation is just part of our game."
Jiang Xiuxiu sensed a subtle difference between Ye Ming’s "game" and her own understanding.
But seeing Ye Ming’s acceptance, she nodded.
"Our task is to gather information and clear the game," she said. "We can discuss the plot later. Let’s focus on collecting information now."
"Have you finished with the books over there? If not, I’ll come over and help."
Just then, an unexpected event occurred.
Before Jiang Xiuxiu could finish, she heard a faint bump behind her.
Turning around, she saw that a candle, previously placed aside, was now near the small fire pit for burning talismans.
The next moment, the candle fell, igniting a large flame.
"It’s burning!"
Jiang Xiuxiu’s eyes widened in shock.
What’s going on? Why is it burning?
They hadn’t done anything.
She paused briefly, then realized.
"Ye Ming, let’s go. Something’s wrong here."
The fire was clearly targeting them.
She quickly dropped what she was holding and ran toward the stairs, trying to escape.
The fire spread rapidly. As the candle hit the ground, the whole room was engulfed in flames.
The bookcase caught fire, and the heat surged through the air, almost burning Jiang Xiuxiu.
Though she reacted quickly, the fire spread faster than expected.
Before she could comprehend, the bookcase near the door was ablaze.
In a critical moment, she felt a strong push from behind.
"Jiang Xiuxiu, go."
Someone gently pushed her from behind.
With the push, she fell forward heavily, landing on the stairs just before the flames rose.
As she fell, the bookcase exploded.
The loud cracking sound filled the basement, creating a wall of fire that blocked everything, cutting off Jiang Xiuxiu’s way back.
What about Ye Ming?
Jiang Xiuxiu, coughing from the smoke, tried to find Ye Ming.
She covered her mouth and nose, looking around anxiously, but all she saw was bright fire.
She had been pushed out, so it must have been Ye Ming.
He saved her, but he was still inside.
Realizing this, Jiang Xiuxiu quickly stood up, trying to find him.
But the flames blocked her view, preventing her from seeing if he was still inside.
Staring at the bright basement and the burning bookcase, Jiang Xiuxiu recalled that Ye Ming had been by the bookcase since they entered, never leaving.
So, when the bookcase caught fire, he was likely hurt the most.
Jiang Xiuxiu realized Ye Ming’s fate.
He would be burned and eliminated from the game.
In a few seconds, she couldn’t even tell how she felt.
She hurriedly turned around before the fire could spread further, hastily left the basement, and then slammed the iron cover shut.
After emerging from the scorching, suffocating basement and feeling the cool air from above, Jiang Xiuxiu didn’t leave immediately. Instead, she uncharacteristically stood there in a daze for a while.
It would be unrealistic to say that Jiang Xiuxiu felt deeply shocked or saddened by Ye Ming’s actions. After all, they had only known each other for less than two days, and this was just a game, not reality.
Ye Ming was still alive somewhere in the real world, and his recent “death” could be seen as nothing more than a vivid dream.
However, it was also impossible to say that Jiang Xiuxiu was completely unaffected. Since the moment she entered the game, or perhaps since she was very young, she had never encountered someone like him.
Even though they were strangers and she initially rejected him, he was still willing to do so much for her without expecting anything in return. Even if it was just a rescue within a game.
But...
Her maid outfit and the food in her backpack were still with him.
When Jiang Xiuxiu and Ye Ming went to the courtyard in the morning, it was around 8 a.m. By the time Jiang Xiuxiu had cleaned up and returned to the old house, she checked the time and found it was already 1 p.m.
She didn’t see any other players on the first floor; they had probably finished lunch and gone off to do their own things.
Jiang Xiuxiu quickly went to the kitchen to check. The food, which had been piled up like a small mountain in the morning, was now almost gone.
The cupboards were empty, not even a single packaging left.
She paused, rummaged through several cupboards, but found nothing.
She had a suspicion that other players might have already noticed the dwindling food supply.
Sixteen players remained, including Ye Ming, who had encountered trouble. Without him fifteen.
Every one of them needed to eat, including the male player and the long-haired female player who had been taken away earlier.
The decrease in food would alert the players, and given the latent competition among them, they were more likely to fight for the food rather than share it equally.
Jiang Xiuxiu narrowed her eyes and went to check her room.
As expected, her door lock had been tampered with, and many corners of her room had been searched.
Now, she had nothing left.
She looked at her dirty self, sighed, and went to take a bath.
Afterwards, she lay on the bed, resisting her hunger, and reviewed everything she had just experienced.
Jiang Xiuxiu’s goal was clear: she needed to uncover all the secrets of the old house and clear the game as soon as possible.
No matter what, she couldn’t let her efforts, nor Ye Ming’s sacrifice, go to waste.
She pushed aside useless negative emotions and took a deep breath to calm herself.
Then she carefully recalled everything she observed in the basement under the iron cover.
The strange formation made with blood and talismans.
The layout of the basement, half destroyed by fire, half intact.
The black marks on the wall shaped like two human figures.
The remnants of various folk magic attempts by the couple.
And the subtle information Ye Ming inadvertently revealed during their conversation.
“Lacking ability, they sought help from spirits and gods, but didn’t consider the consequences of bargaining with the devil.”
Bargaining with the devil...
Noticing this phrase, Jiang Xiuxiu’s fingers twitched slightly.
Why did Ye Ming use this phrase?
She clearly remembered that when they were in the basement, Ye Ming went directly to the bookshelf.
Meanwhile, she had been paying attention to other places and didn’t get a chance to look at the bookshelf.
Bookshelves typically contain important information.
Did he notice something unusual?
As she thought about this, a flash of insight passed through Jiang Xiuxiu’s eyes.
If the spirits the couple sought help from were normal, Ye Ming wouldn’t have used that phrase.
Unless the entities they summoned after setting up the formation were not the usual deities like the “Three Pure Ones” or “Guanyin Bodhisattva.”
Indeed, the couple, after believing in spirits, would have likely gone to temples to worship.
But clearly, it had no effect.
Considering the books on the table in the basement and in the study, it was evident that the couple never gave up on their obsession with the supernatural.
Since conventional deities didn’t respond to their obsession, their only option was to turn to evil gods or demons.
Realizing this, Jiang Xiuxiu felt as if a veil had been lifted from her mind, clearing up the accumulated mysteries one by one.
This explained why the couple had to conduct their activities in the basement and why they were so secretive.
Worshipping evil gods or summoning demons equates to joining a cult, which would be reported and result in arrest and reeducation in the real world.
Presumably, this rule also existed in the game’s world setting.
Recalling how the little boy dodged her question about returning home, and thinking of the neatly arranged talismans in the basement and the sudden fire, Jiang Xiuxiu felt a chill in her heart.
It was likely that the couple had successfully summoned an evil god.
Otherwise, the little boy wouldn’t have returned, the couple wouldn’t have died, and there wouldn’t be so many strange occurrences in the old house.
The entity was likely hiding somewhere in the old house, secretly watching them.
And this entity was the final boss of the game.