Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 113 Revolving Lantern

When the ten minutes were up, Jiang Jin and the others rushed out of the office area, only to find the lobby completely empty.

On the floor in front of the cashier, the wine bottle that Qiu Feng had been holding was now shattered, with glass shards scattered all over the floor. The strong smell of alcohol mixed with the pungent aroma of incense filled the air.

At the same time, they also saw water stains on the floor in front of the freezer, and all the chairs in the food area were upside down on the table.

Wu Ge strode to the bookshelf and picked up the cell phone he had placed there beforehand.

He opened the video and watched the moment the customer reached out and ripped off the mask covering.

However, the scene that followed was filled with static and noise, a continuous and chilling spectacle—

The sound of chewing.

He didn't buy lime juice.

Wu Ge turned around and stared at the freezer, where eight cans of drinks were neatly arranged.

But Qiu Feng still...

A third person has died!
There were seven people in total, and the staff reduction rate is close to half.

The remaining four people—Jiang Jin, Wu Ge, Dr. Lin, and Murong Yan—all looked very unpleasant.

Now, they are basically certain of one thing.

The "masks" worn by those ghost customers are actually their real faces! However, those faces look very much like the masks used in Guichi Nuo opera.

Dr. Lin gestured: "We wear masks to disguise ourselves as 'our kind' during the Ghost Festival. Using sign language is probably for the same purpose; ghosts never speak, and if we speak, it will reveal that we are alive."

His gaze swept over the Nuo opera masks on everyone's faces: "But now it seems that the puppet can communicate with the 'customer' in ways we can't understand, and see right through the disguise!"

Jiang Jin's gaze returned to the doll in the food section. It still maintained its eerie smile, the gold thread on its red bib shimmering under the light.

[The customers' reactions were all related to the doll.] He gestured slowly, [and said,] "Previously, some customers had stared at it."

"But the rules say it can't be moved." Murong Yan gestured weakly with her fingers.

Dr. Lin suddenly walked towards the warehouse, and then he took out a piece of dark red velvet cloth.

It cannot be moved or touched.

But it didn't say that you can't cover it up, did it?

"Let's draw lots."

The result of the lottery—this time Dr. Lin is on duty.

He walked steadily toward the puppet, the red cloth in his hand like a flag. As the cloth slowly covered the puppet, everyone held their breath.

Dr. Lin remained expressionless throughout, continuing to cover the patient completely with the cloth, even carefully tying a knot.

"Go to the office area," Dr. Lin gestured. "Come out and change shifts in ten minutes."

Jiang Jin, Wu Ge, and Murong Yan were crammed into the small office area, falling into a stifling silence.

Wu Ge repeatedly reviewed the video on his phone, trying to find clues from the static and noise. Jiang Jin stared at the SAN value on his watch—it had dropped to 50%.

Meanwhile, outside...

Dr. Lin stood in front of the food shelf, his face looking rather grim.

The red cloth lay limp on the ground, and the doll was once again exposed to the light.

Even more terrifying is that the four characters "长命百岁" (meaning "live a long and healthy life") on its bib are oozing red liquid from the character "命" (meaning "life").

Just then, the automatic door opened again.

This time, a customer wearing a "mask" entered and quickly headed towards the food section. When it saw the doll, it suddenly froze for a full ten seconds.

Dr. Lin quickly picked up a red cloth, preparing to cover the doll, but the customer stopped him!

In that instant, Dr. Lin's mind was involuntarily drawn into a revolving lantern of life.

This wasn't the first time something like this had happened; a similar revolving lantern appeared in the Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons) instance as well.

Then, the customer in front of him began to look at the doll.

He carefully observed the customer; indeed, the customer's "mask" had no visible seams and was truly an extension of his face.

This doll probably has a unique way of communicating with ghost customers, telling them that they are imposters wearing masks, but are actually living people.

This puppet...

Just like I used to be.

A single mental illness diagnosis report can determine a person's life or death.

Dr. Lin's real name is Lin Ye. He was a highly respected psychiatrist who specialized in criminal psychology.

He was calm, rational, and firmly believed that science could explain everything—until he took on the "Rainy Night Butcher" case.

The murderer, Chen Zhiming, was a seemingly mild-mannered office worker who indiscriminately killed 11 people on the street with a knife, using extremely cruel methods.

The court ordered the forestry department to conduct a mental evaluation of Chen Zhiming. After several months of assessment, the forestry department issued a report stating that Chen Zhiming did indeed suffer from severe schizophrenia, but it could not be determined whether he was in an acute episode at the time of the crime.

This conclusion allowed Chen Zhiming to escape the death penalty, receiving only a life sentence. Public opinion was outraged, and the victim's family was extremely angry.

Some busybodies even went so far as to dox Lin Ye and post all sorts of information about him online, which quickly led to a deluge of curses and insults. At one point, he was hated more than Chen Zhiming himself and his lawyer.

One rainy night, Zhang Yongnian, the father of one of the victims, broke into Lin Ye's home, poured gasoline, and set the entire house on fire.

Lin Ye escaped the fire because he was on duty, but his wife and five-year-old daughter were trapped and burned alive. Ironically, the arsonist, Zhang Yongnian, was later diagnosed with intermittent psychosis and spared severe punishment.

Forestry has completely collapsed.

He no longer believed in the law, no longer believed in humanity, and even no longer believed in his profession.

One day, he deliberately violated a "monthly rule" issued by Muxu City—to recite "The Divine Comedy" in front of a mirror at midnight.

His intention was self-punishment, to allow himself to be contaminated by memes in a state of madness, and then die a painful death. Of course, to avoid infecting others, he did so in a deserted place in the suburbs.

However, fate bestowed upon him an even crueler "gift"—he did not die, but was instead sent to an isolation zone by the cleaners, becoming a reincarnator.

The first instance of the forestry project is a horror instance based on the classic Taiwanese horror film "Minxiong Haunted House".

The mission location is the Liu Family Old House in Minxiong, Chiayi (the top of the four haunted houses in Taiwan). The mission is to survive until dawn on Qingming Festival and find Xiaoqi, a girl possessed by an evil spirit.

He still clearly remembers the rules inside the haunted house:

First, do not look directly at the well opening.

Secondly, we must not respond to He Dexin's call.
Third, the sealed jar on the third floor must not be touched.
fourth……

Frankly, Lin Ye never imagined he would have such an experience. So, he chose the Soul Reaper, a dark profession that could manipulate souls and resonate with the dead, becoming a Soul Reaper LV1: Soul Locker. Then, he was assigned the role of an "Exorcist Doctor," tasked with assisting the female lead, He Shengxin, in finding her daughter.

However, he inadvertently broke the rules, looked at the ancient well, and was pulled into an alternate dimension where the left and right were reversed, where he met the real vengeful spirit—the heroine's twin sister, He Dexin.

In the end, he used his soul-capturing ability to forcibly separate He Dexin's vengeful spirit from Xiao Qi's body, but at the cost of his own SAN value plummeting to 40%, almost preventing him from returning from the Lost Layer.

He Dexin's ghost is inside the medical kit in his watch, the same one Jiang Jin first saw on the subway!
Ironically—

He once used scientific identification to save a "madman" from the death penalty, but now he himself has become a marginal figure teetering on the edge of madness. He once wanted to punish himself with death, but now he struggles to survive time and time again in terrifying dungeons.

If Lin Ye still possessed his Soul Reaper abilities, he would have many ways to deal with the ghostly customer before him, but now...

The revolving lantern display continues.

After surviving the haunted house raid in Minxiong, Lin Ye was recruited by team leader Yu Tianlun and joined the Dawn team.

Yu Tianlun valued not only his ability as a soul-capturing master, but also his high level of identification and analytical skills as a professional psychiatrist regarding pollution.

He remembered that the first instance he entered after joining Dawn was modeled after the Taiwanese horror film "Silk." Moreover, he immediately experienced a team battle. In the instance's storyline, a research team captured the ghost of a thirteen-year-old boy and established eight rules to be followed in the laboratory.

Memes have corrupted this horror instance, turning it into an even more brutal battlefield. The main mission is to stop the imprisoned boy ghost "Yoshi" from going berserk while investigating the truth behind his death.

However, another hostile group, "Bloodskull," lurks in the instance. They believe that "killing is power" and act in an extremely insane manner.

The Bloodskull raid leader, "The Butcher," was a complete madman who firmly believed that releasing Yoshi's resentment would grant him even greater power. Therefore, upon entering the dungeon, they headed straight for the research team's hideout and unleashed a bloody massacre:

Yosuke Eguchi plays Hashimoto, a Japanese scientist in a research team. He was originally a key NPC in the dungeon, possessing the "Mengjie Sponge" technology that could temporarily seal ghosts. However, the Butcher led a raid on the laboratory and used a specially made chainsaw to saw off Hashimoto's limbs, forcing him to watch helplessly as he was dismembered.

Before dying, Hashimoto tried to trap the butcher with the last piece of Mengjie Sponge, but was burned to a crisp by the butcher's flamethrower.

Even more perversely, Valeria, the female member of the Blood Skull team known as "Blood Spider," grabbed Su Yuan, a female researcher in the research group, and stripped her naked in front of everyone.

Because she was played by Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu, she immediately aroused the morbid desires of this group of demons. Then, the leader, Butcher, grinned and ordered: "Go up one by one, play with her until she's broken, and then feed her to that little devil."

Just as Su Yuan was about to be brutally tortured by the Blood Skull team members, the Dawn team stormed in and successfully rescued Su Yuan. Through a fierce battle, they almost wiped out the entire Blood Skull team.

Su Yuan recognized Yu Tianlun's abilities, and since she was originally a paranormal researcher, she expressed her desire to join Dawn. Within the Reincarnation System, one could purchase a Reincarnator's Watch, which, when worn by a character in the storyline, could be used to transport them out of terrifying instances.

Considering Su Yuan's talent as a paranormal researcher, Lin Ye thought it was worth considering and persuaded Yu Tianlun to agree. Finally, after weighing the options, Yu Tianlun gave Su Yuan the Reincarnator Watch. Thus, Su Yuan, who looked exactly like actress Barbie Hsu, joined Dawn.

Lin Ye never dreamed that Su Yuan would later become the wife of the leader of the Dawn Team, and now... she is the current leader of the Dawn Team.

He clearly knew how Su Yuan had gradually transformed from a dungeon NPC into the wife of the Dawn Guild Leader, yet he still chose to submit to Su Yuan when Yu Tianlun left the guild.

Now, Lin Ye always carries photos of his wife and daughter. Whenever his SAN value is on the verge of collapse, he looks at the photos and whispers:

"If hell exists, we will meet again."

Now, will he finally be able to reunite with his wife and daughters, as well as Night Owl, Iron Wall, and others who died in Heian-kyo?

Soul Reapers are a profession with severe side effects. They consume more resentment crystals than normal people, and their SAN (Sanity) value is even more unstable than that of mediums. To advance to the Soul Refiner level, they even need the absurd condition of a full five resentment crystal fragments.

However, once they successfully advance to the Soul Refiner level, the Reincarnators are less likely to kill them easily. At this stage, their consciousness is highly bound to the ghosts, and their death will cause a huge backlash of resentment, whether from the Reincarnator or the ghost.

Lin Ye returned to the cashier's counter and began preparing. Although he had been demoted and was no longer a Soul Refiner, the resentment crystals and fragments he had absorbed into his body were still there!

Unfortunately, he had already determined that the incense sticks did not contain crystals of resentment. Otherwise, he could have absorbed some by now; Soul Reapers absorb resentment crystals much faster than other reincarnators!

At the moment of death, can he break through the limitations of a completely rule-based mission? Once the resentment backfires, can he use it to attack the ghost before him?

He may die, but killing him will come at a price!
Lin Ye's eyes were fixed on the ghostly figure before him, recalling Zhang Yongnian, the arsonist who had killed his wife and daughter.

The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons in Heian-kyo, Shuten-dōji inserting his tongue into his comrades' bodies, and the Flying Head Ban biting off their necks...

Scenes flashed through his mind, causing his resentment to reach its peak in an instant!
Then, the ghostly customer also walked towards Lin Ye...

(End of this chapter)