Lin Xiao was once again standing at the entrance of Miaoqing Village. The village appeared barren and desolate, with narrow, winding paths and darkened windows in every house.
The eerie silence hung heavily in the air, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves in the cold breeze.
The sky above was clear, with a single normal moon casting a pale light over the deserted streets, providing a false sense of normalcy.
As he stood there, options appeared in front of him:
[1. Go to the village well once again]
[2. Go to the weird temple and talk to the teenage kids]
Time was frozen, and Lin Xiao hesitated, weighing his options. Should he go back to the well and try something different this time, or should he head to the weird temple and talk to the kids again?
Deciding to try a different approach, Lin Xiao chose the second option. His character began to move toward the weird temple shaped like a drum.
The temple stood out against the dark village, its silhouette eerily outlined by the moonlight.
Pushing the heavy wooden door open, Lin Xiao entered the temple once again. The air inside was thick with the scent of incense, mingling with the musty smell of old stone and wood.
The flickering light from a few remaining candles cast long, dancing shadows on the walls, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
Inside, he saw the group of teenagers huddled around a small fire, their faces illuminated by its warm glow. They seemed to be trying to make the best of their situation, laughing and talking in hushed tones.
The leader of the group, Wang Mei, noticed him first.
She pointed at him, alerting the other kids to his presence. Some of the boys stood up and positioned themselves protectively in front of the girls. One of them spoke up, "YOU! Who are you??"
Lin Xiao, remembering that the kids wouldn't recognize him because he had died and restarted the game, put his hands up in a gesture of peace. "I'm one of the villagers," he said calmly. "What are you doing at the temple?"
Hearing that he was a villager, the kids' defensive stances relaxed a bit. Wang Mei, who had been standing behind, stepped forward. "We're sorry for entering the temple. Our bus broke down a few hours ago. We knocked on every door, but nobody opened, so we decided to come here for some rest," she explained.
Lin Xiao nodded, already familiar with their story. Suddenly, time stopped once again, and options appeared in front of him:
[1. Tell her the truth that you are not a villager]
[2. Kill her]
[3. Tell her about the ritual and ask the kids if they noticed something amiss or something important]
Lin Xiao hesitated, considering his options. He decided that sharing information and working together might lead to a better outcome. He chose the third option.
Time resumed its flow, and Lin Xiao spoke up. "I understand your situation. There's something important you need to know. This village has a ritual that takes place to protect everyone. Did any of you notice something unusual or important while you were knocking on doors or walking around?"
Hearing the word "ritual," Wang Mei and the other kids exchanged glances. Lin Xiao noticed their wary expressions. Wang Mei spoke up, "What kind of ritual are you talking about, old man?"
Lin Xiao's eyes twitched at the "old man" comment but realized his character was indeed older than these teenagers. Even though he didn't know the specifics, his character responded automatically, "It's a huge ritual for the protection of the village. Because of it, all the villagers left for safety. You all should leave too."
The teenagers looked at each other incredulously before one of the boys spoke up, "Are you crazy, old man? Where are we supposed to go? It's a forest all around us. And it's 2024! You shouldn't believe in superstitions like that. Those kinds of rituals are fake."
Lin Xiao's character sighed, trying to find the right words to convince them. "I understand it sounds unbelievable, but there are things in this world that we can't explain. The villagers left because they know the danger is real. Please, for your own safety, take this seriously."
Wang Mei crossed her arms and looked at him skeptically. "So, what exactly are we supposed to do? Wander aimlessly in the forest until we get lost or something worse happens?"
Lin Xiao, feeling the pressure, shook his head and said, "No, of course not."
Wang Mei pressed on, "So what should we do then?"
Lin Xiao felt his character's confusion, mirroring his own uncertainty. Suddenly, time stopped, and options appeared:
[1. Kick them out of the village]
[2. Let them stay at the temple]
Lin Xiao was speechless at the first option. How could he, a single person, kick out an entire group? Ignoring that, he chose the second option.
His character sighed and said, "Okay, you guys can stay. But tell me, have you seen anything suspicious?"
Wang Mei's eyes narrowed. "Why are you asking, old man?"
Lin Xiao's eyes twitched at being called "old man" again. He quickly concocted a lie, trying to sound as if he had lived in the village for years. "There have been a lot of thefts in the village recently. That's why I was asking if you guys have seen anything suspicious."
The kids exchanged glances again. One of the boys spoke up, "We haven't seen anything unusual. Just the closed doors and windows. And, of course, the creepy vibe of this place."
Another girl added, "When we were knocking on doors, we did notice some strange symbols carved into a few of them. It looked like some kind of language or code."
Wang Mei nodded. "Yeah, we thought it was just graffiti at first, but maybe it's connected to this ritual you're talking about."
Lin Xiao also knew about these symbols. He had seen them in his previous session of the game. "Anything else?" he asked.
Before anyone else could speak, Wang Mei interjected, "No, nothing else. You should leave, old man. These questions are making us uncomfortable. Are you suspicious that one of us stole something from your village?"
Lin Xiao was speechless. What did she mean by making them uncomfortable? He wasn't asking anything inappropriate. He wanted to stay and gather more information, but his character automatically responded, "Okay, okay, I'm leaving. Take care, kids."
Lin Xiao was once again speechless at his character's actions. Back outside the temple, new options appeared.