Soon, a bunch of options appeared on the screen.
[1. She's a ghost, kill her.]
[2. Don't kill her, she is not a ghost.]
[3. Introduce yourself: "Hey, my name is Peng Lai."]
Lin Xiao looked at the options speechlessly and decided to choose option 3. His character, Peng Lai, smiled and said, "Hey, my name is Peng Lai."
The girl nodded. "I'm Wang Mei," she introduced herself, but she didn't introduce the rest of her group. Lin Xiao wondered why she did that but didn't ask.
Wang Mei continued, "Do you know anyone in this village? We literally knocked on every door, but nobody answered."
Lin Xiao's character shook his head and automatically replied which shocked Lin Xiao. "No, I don't know anyone here. I just stumbled upon this place while exploring. It's strange that it's so deserted."
"Exploring?" Wang Mei whispered and frowned and then said. "Yeah, it's really creepy. We were hoping to find someone who could help us or at least tell us what's going on."
Lin Xiao looked around the temple again, noticing the eerie silence that hung in the air. "There must be some reason why everyone's gone. Maybe we can find some clues if we look around more carefully."
Wang Mei frowned and said, "No, we will go out after the night is over."
Lin Xiao knew that the village had ghosts and other dangers, but Wang Mei's insistence on staying put puzzled him. He wondered if she knew something he didn't. As he mulled over his options, a bunch of choices appeared before him:
[1. Chop her: "How dare you defy me."]
[2. Tell her it's dangerous in this temple]
[3. Entice her to go outside]
[4. Say okay and go out alone]
Lin Xiao obviously chose the fourth option. "Okay, you guys stay here. I'll check those houses again," he said.
Wang Mei gave him a cautious look but nodded. "Be careful out there."
Lin Xiao's character stepped out of the temple, the night air feeling colder and more oppressive than before. The village was eerily silent, with only the occasional rustle of leaves breaking the stillness. He made his way down the narrow, winding paths between the houses, noting that every door remained firmly shut.
....
....
Back in the temple, tension was growing among the group of teenagers. One of them, a boy named Chen, approached Wang Mei, his curiosity evident in his wide eyes.
"Why didn't we go with that guy? Aren't you curious about what's happening in this village?" Chen Li asked, his voice low and hesitant.
Wang Mei glared at him, her eyes narrowing. "I'm curious too, but we can't trust him," she said, her tone firm. "Did you see how he looks? So fierce, like a murderer. And he said he was exploring this village? This place is miles away from anywhere worth exploring. He must be someone dangerous."
Chen Li's eyes widened in shock. "Ohhh... I didn't think of that."
Wang Mei sighed and looked around at the others, who were huddled together, their faces pale and anxious. "We need to be careful. We don't know who he is or what he wants. Staying here until daylight is our safest bet."
....
....
Back outside, approached the first house and knocked again, but there was no response. Lin Xiao tried the handle, and to his surprise, this time the door creaked open a bunch of options came once again.
[1. Enter the house and search]
[2. Go back to the temple and tell the group]
[3. Pretend the door never opened]
Lin Xiao obviously chose the first option.
He stepped inside cautiously, his flashlight illuminating the dust-covered furniture and cobwebs that filled the room. It looked like the place had been abandoned for years, despite the fact that the village was supposed to be inhabited.
As he moved through the house, he noticed more of the strange symbols he had seen in the temple, etched into the walls and furniture. They seemed to form a protective barrier around certain areas. Lin Xiao made a mental note of their placement and continued his search.
In one of the bedrooms, he found a diary on a nightstand. He opened it, hoping to find some answers. Some entries were torn apart and some entries were written in a hurried, frantic hand:
"March 12th: Ever since the ritual, people have started disappearing. First, it was old Mrs. Chen, then the Liu family. No one knows where they went. The village is in a panic."
"March 15th: Strange noises at night. I saw shadows moving outside my window. The temple priest says we must stay indoors after dark. He believes the ritual failed."
"March 20th: The priest has placed protective symbols around the village. He says they will keep us safe, but I'm not so sure. The fear is getting worse. I can hear whispers in the night."
Lin Xiao felt a chill run down his spine. A ritual, did these people perform a ritual that awakened the ghost?
He needs to find the priest or know how the ritual was performed just in case he needs to find more clues and figure out how to deal with the evil presence haunting the village.
As he left the house, he noticed that the moonlight seemed to grow dimmer, as if something was blocking it. Lin Xiao glanced up and saw dark clouds gathering, obscuring the sky. The air grew colder, and a sense of foreboding settled over the village.
Lin Xiao continued his search, moving from house to house. Each one was eerily silent, filled with the same protective symbols and signs of abandonment.
As he approached another house, he noticed something different. He saw a piece of paper fly out a window and land in front of him. Options popped up in front of him:
[1. Pick up the paper and read it]
[2. Pretend the paper doesn't exist]
Lin Xiao chose the first option and picked up the paper. It was one of the torn pages from the book he had just read. The page read:
"April 1st: The priest believes the source of the evil is the old well at the village's edge. He plans to perform a new ritual tonight to seal it. We must all stay indoors and not interfere. If the ritual fails, everyone will die."
Lin Xiao's eyes widened in shock. What if today was April 1st? That could explain the disappearance of the villagers. But Lin Xiao didn't know the current date. He realized he needed to find out quickly.
"Maybe those kids back at the temple know," Lin Xiao thought.
He turned around and made his way back to the temple.