Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 164 Horrible Memes

The group arrived at Sato's house. Jiang Jin said to Deathstroke, "Deathstroke, could you please go in and check first?"

Using Hunter's Vision consumes SAN points, so it's better to use Deathstroke, a free laborer.

Deathstroke shook his head and then darted into the house.

Yu Tianlun couldn't see the Death Knell; non-hunter class reincarnators could only see it when their SAN value was below 60%. However, he estimated that in this terrifying dungeon, he would definitely be able to see what Jiang Jin's hound looked like.

A minute passed, and the death knell still hadn't sounded.

Everyone's expressions began to turn serious, especially against the backdrop of the red sky.

A gust of wind blew by, and the surrounding oak trees seemed to rustle and groan.

“It didn’t encounter any danger,” Jiang Jin said. “It should be fine.”

“I think it was too risky of you to feed it resentment crystals,” Yu Tianlun said to Jiang Jin. “Resentment crystals have two sources: a combination of resentment crystals and the resentment of ghosts, and crystals extracted from resentment corpses… The latter is purer. You probably fed it the former, right?”

"Yes, it's the former."

"Although it is a lower purity type, it may not be a good thing to let it devour the resentment crystal too quickly at this stage. It will take a long time to completely digest it, and it must not be fed a second resentment crystal before that, otherwise it will turn back into a pile of resentment ashes."

"I'm sorry, the situation was a bit more critical at the time..."

"You should be glad it digested it fairly well. You have to understand, this is an undead hound that was created by consuming ashes and black bones. Even for us reincarnators, gradually gaining curse abilities and mastering the power of meme rules by absorbing resentment crystals is an extremely long process..."

"Yes, Captain, it's not Ash Black Bone. I turned it into a Skeleton Hound by attaching an Ash Black Charm to it."

Yu Tianlun was startled upon hearing this.

"Ash Black Runes?" He was quite surprised. "Where did you get them?"

"It's in the new player gift pack that's given out in the first trial dungeon."

Xu Yinqiu was also taken aback: "My god, Jiang Jin, you used an Ash Black Rune to create a Skeleton Hound? That's too extravagant! No wonder your undead hound was able to digest the first Resentment Crystal so well! I really wanted to buy an Ash Black Rune but couldn't bear to part with it, and you actually got it from the newbie gift pack? Was your first dungeon that difficult?"

“I understand,” Yu Tianlun realized, “You and Liu Yan are both suffering from the memetic curse of Rusty Town, so your SAN value has a very high potential to drop. You need to complete a very difficult dungeon trial to suppress the memetic pollution of Rusty Town.”

About three minutes later, Deathstroke finally returned.

It wagged its tail at Jiang Jin and barked a few times, indicating: Something's not right inside!

“There might be danger,” Jiang Jin quickly took out the Mourning Hunting Rifle and switched it to stealth mode. “Captain, we need to be careful.”

Yu Tianlun gripped the Five Emperors Coins and the peach wood sword tightly, nodded, and said, "I understand."

Then they rang the doorbell.

A moment later, the doors opened.

A handsome young face peeked out from the crack in the door—about fifteen or sixteen years old, with black hair slightly obscuring his right eye, and the Black Crow Middle School badge pinned to the collar of his school uniform.

"Who are you?" The boy looked at the four people outside the door warily.

Tomie stepped forward, her beauty mark standing out prominently in the dim light of the red night: "Excuse me, we are from the Folklore Research Club of the Prefectural University. We would like to ask you some questions about the Red Night of Showa 41 (1941)."

The boy's pupils dilated slightly; Tomie's invisible allure made him unconsciously loosen his grip on the door.

Yu Tianlun noticed that the barcode sticker from when he received the supplies was on the inside of his wrist, and the edges were already curled up a bit.

"I... my name is Sato Takero," the boy stammered. "My father is in poor health..."

"It's alright," Tomie's voice possessed an irresistible charm. "We'll be leaving soon."

After hesitating for a moment, Zhu Lang finally opened the door completely.

Everyone squatted down in the entryway to untie their shoelaces and put on the slippers that Zhu Lang had given them.

“Father is in the inner room.” Zhu Lang led them through the dimly lit corridor. “My grandfather passed away during the Red Night back then…”

When he said "passed away," he made a hanging gesture.

The paper door to the inner room was half open, and a figure could be vaguely seen lying in the bedding.

Zhu Lang called softly, "Father, a guest has come to ask about Grandpa."

The person in the blankets stirred and slowly sat up.

When the visitors were recognized, the death knell immediately tolled.

Sato's father's head was disproportionately large, with an unusually broad forehead. Even more strangely, his movement to get up seemed to be guided by some invisible string.

"Is it Kurenai again?" Sato's father's voice was hoarse and inhuman. "Father...were you just talking about this?"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately became alert!
Sato Takeo's grandfather, didn't he pass away?

Liu Yan's Gu worms suddenly struggled violently in her sleeve, and Jiang Jin's hand quietly pressed on the boning knife.

"Is your father still alive?" Yu Tianlun asked tentatively.

Sato's father suddenly chuckled, pointing his withered finger to the top of his head: "Here... Grandfather is here too... and above that is Great-grandfather..."

His neck tilted back at an impossible angle, and Xu Yinqiu's Eye of Incantation was passively triggered at this moment!

In the vision of the Eye of Zhuyou, Sato's father's SAN value was only 60.5%! He was almost about to fall into the Lost Layer!

Above his skull, a semi-transparent "centipede" extended out—composed of dozens of human heads, each connected to the skull and flesh below, with the topmost one having rotted away to just bone.

"Ancestors..." Liu Yan said in a low voice in Chinese, her face pale, "It's a manga by Junji Ito! It's exactly the same as the centipede head of the Makita family in the manga..."

Zhu Lang seemed to be used to this scene. His SAN value was 78%, which was still in the shallow layer of the mystery, and he could not see these heads.

Zhu Lang knelt calmly to one side: "My father has been like this ever since my grandfather passed away. He says he cut off the head of my grandfather, who was hanged, and put it on his own head. He keeps saying that he can talk to his ancestors. The doctor says it's hereditary schizophrenia, but..."

The boy glanced at the blood-red sky outside the window: "I think he can definitely see something."

In Xu Yinqiu's eyes, the head attached to Sato's father's head began to speak.

"On November 17th, 1941, at the height of the meteor shower, a crimson night appeared..." The jaw of the human head opened and closed. "The next day, I saw huge balloons floating in the sky, looking exactly like me... But no one else could see them, only I could..."

No one else can see it?

This clearly proves that the balloon exists at a deeper level of pollution.

“This time is different…” the skeleton continued, “This time, more people will see…”

At this moment, the heads of the "centipede" suddenly all turned towards the window.

"They're coming soon..." the head warned in its final moments. "Many people will die this time..."

Immediately afterwards, Xu Yinqiu could see nothing at all.

These heads seemed to have disappeared into a deeper layer of contamination? However, Xu Yinqiu had a hunch that perhaps these heads would never dare to reappear.

……

At this moment, they were in a mansion less than two hundred meters away from the Sato family's house.

Toshihiko Fukasaku went to the home of his classmate, Masahiko Fujita, the advisor of the astronomy club at Kurokaracho Junior High School, to return the astronomical telescope.

"Fujita-kun, thank you so much this time. However, I think I saw some incredible things."

Looking at Toshihiko's dark circles, Fujita Masahiko said, "Actually, there's something that makes me a little... scared. This morning, after listening to the radio broadcast, my parents and I went to the kitchen sink to check..."

Seeing that Zheng Yan's expression was not good, Jun Yan was startled and asked, "Could it be?"

"I saw the faces of my family..."

At that moment, the old-fashioned radio belonging to the Fujita family was broadcasting the news, but the signal was a bit weak, and the female anchor's voice was intermittent.

"Breaking news! In the Pacific Ocean, the Statue of Liberty was simultaneously observed in the waters off Singapore's Merlion Park and in front of the Sydney Opera House in Australia, but the US Navy has confirmed that the Statue of Liberty remains in its original location..."

Upon hearing this, Junyan and Zhengyan exchanged bewildered glances.

"Is this...is this some kind of prank show?" Junyan asked with a forced laugh.

The radio voice suddenly switched to a serious male voice: "Breaking news! A large number of walking fish, including large fish such as sharks, have been confirmed to have landed in Tokyo Bay. The Self-Defense Forces have sealed off the coastline..."

Upon hearing this bizarre news, one could vaguely hear the clicking sound of some kind of mechanical joint moving, as well as screams from the crowd, in the background.

"Let's change the channel, this must be some kind of program, it's not April Fool's Day..."

So, Masahiko turned the knob, and suddenly a strange nursery rhyme came from the radio:

"Balloon, balloon, fly, fly..."

Fly up to the sky to find someone...

I'll go with you once I find you...

The rope was wrapped around her neck…

The nursery rhyme abruptly stopped, replaced by a hissing noise. What... is going on? Is this another prank show?

Junyan suddenly thought of Yuko—was she safe now?
Did that stubborn girl who always loved studying astronomy and military affairs hear this chilling broadcast at this moment?
Unexpectedly, the red night suddenly faded away at 6:32 PM.

Yuko knelt by the window, watching the sky gradually turn black, like diluted blood.

As the last wisp of red faded, the entire town of Black Crow breathed a collective sigh of relief—Yuko heard the sound of several residents opening their windows in the distance, and the convenience store lights turning back on.

"See?" Yukiko placed the dinner on the low table. "I told you things would go back to normal."

Yuko rubbed the barcode sticker on her wrist; she had a feeling this wasn't the end.

The phone rang suddenly.

Yukiko frowned as she answered the call, gave a brief reply, and then hung up: "It's a call from the Disaster Prevention Office."

She forced her daughter to sit down and eat, saying, "From now on, a curfew will be in effect from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next day. Patrol teams have already been deployed to the streets. During this time, residents are also prohibited from leaving Black Crow Town. This announcement will also be broadcast later."

Curfew or martial law?
what's the situation?
The rice tasted like cardboard in her mouth, and Yuko looked out the window and saw several figures wearing silver armbands checking doors and windows from house to house.

"Mom, those patrolmen—"

"Don't talk while you eat," Yukiko interrupted, her chopsticks tapping crisply against the rim of her bowl. "There's no official notice yet about schools resuming classes, so you should stay home and study hard these next few days..."

A piercing bark interrupted her.

Yuko suddenly stood up—it was Xiao Hei's voice!

Before Yukiko could stop her, her daughter had already rushed to the backyard.

The doghouse was empty, with the collar and chain scattered on the ground!
“I’ll go find it!” Yuko grabbed the flashlight.

Yukiko grabbed her daughter's wrist: "There's a curfew outside!"

“Little Black never breaks free from its chains!” Yuko shook off her mother’s hand. “It must have smelled something terrible…”

Before he could finish speaking, the sound of orderly footsteps came from afar.

A patrol team turned the corner, their silver armbands gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

"I'll buy you another dog later! But you're not allowed to go outside!"

"Xiao Hei is my family!"

Yuko broke free from Yukiko's hand without looking back and rushed into the night.

After turning two street corners, Yuko was suddenly pulled into an alley. Just as she was about to scream, she was surrounded by a familiar presence—it was Toshihiko.

"Are you crazy?" The boy covered her mouth tightly. "It's curfew! The Self-Defense Forces have moved in here! Do you know what martial law means? I just saw you run out of the window, I didn't even have time to call you!"

"Little Black is gone!" Yuko broke free. "I can't just leave it here!"

Junyan's Adam's apple bobbed, and he could only say helplessly, "I'll go with you. But promise me, retreat immediately if you see anything unusual."

They arrived at the forest that Xiao Hei frequented, where the iron fence at the entrance was wrapped with brand-new warning tape.

They crossed the cordon and went deeper, the sound of their footsteps crushing the dry branches particularly jarring in the silence.

After walking several hundred meters, they finally saw Xiao Hei growling at a cedar tree in an open space twenty meters ahead, its fur standing on end.

"Little Black!" Yuko called softly.

The Shiba Inu didn't rush over as usual; instead, it took a few steps back.

Junyan looked up at the top of the cedar tree and suddenly froze.

"Don't move." His voice was taut like a bowstring. "Close your eyes and take three steps back."

Yuko subconsciously looked up, just as the moonlight poured down—two huge, face-shaped balloons floated silently behind the tree canopy.

Each one is about one meter in diameter, with a rope loop made of steel cable hanging below, swaying slightly in the wind.

The most terrifying thing is the faces of the balloons. The one on the left has Yuko's signature shoulder-length black hair and oval face, while the one on the right has Toshihiko's narrow eyes and slightly thick lower lip.

However, their expressions are empty and dull, with drooping corners of their mouths, which is completely different from the rule description of "being able to mimic expressions".

"Don't look at each other for more than three seconds, close your eyes..." Junyan pulled Yuko back slowly, "Remember rule number three..."

"Little Black, come here quickly..." Yuko closed her eyes and called to her beloved dog.

The two took three steps back, each step carefully.

Then they opened their eyes again. Thankfully, Little Black was in front of them.

The two quickly left the area.

After passing through a dense grove of trees, they came across a pond.

The water reflected the two terrified faces and the shadows of the trees behind them—there was no trace of the human head balloon.

Yuko mustered her courage and turned around. The forest was empty, with only the moonlight illuminating the spot where she had just been.

The two balloons vanished without a trace.

"Let's go!" Junyan grabbed her and ran.

They didn't exchange another word until they rushed out of the forest.

……

Inside the abandoned sewage treatment plant in Kuroyacho.

Several human fat candles were arranged in a bizarre shape.

Just ten minutes ago, the Shadowblade team finally entered this terrifying dungeon!
Qin Mei knelt in the center of the formation, holding an animal's heart in her hands.

The team members began to whisper among themselves.

"The reincarnation system hasn't issued any missions yet, so when can we go back?"

"Also, what exactly is this town called Red Rust Town? Has an eighth quarantine zone appeared in Muxu City?"

"No, the reincarnation system didn't indicate that it was a containment area."

"That's strange..."

Blood flowed in the ground trenches, gradually forming obscure hexagrams.

“Strange…” Qin Mei’s spiritual eye glowed with a ghostly blue light. “Is there an array interfering? Could it be that Yu Tianlun bought the array diagram at any cost…”

A teammate exclaimed from outside the formation, "What's that?"

"What? What are you looking at?"

"Can't you see it?"

Qin Mei turned around angrily and saw a reincarnator on guard pointing to the sky.

Looking in that direction, a strange human head balloon was floating above the dilapidated roof of the factory!
"what?"

Qin Mei's spiritual eye discovered that the human head balloon looked exactly like that reincarnator!
As the reincarnator gazed at the balloon, the balloon's expression gradually came to life, mimicking the terrified look of the reincarnator below.

Apart from Qin Mei, who possessed the Eye of the Medium, and the reincarnator himself, no one else seemed to be able to see the balloon.

"Wait, Duan Pei, don't look!" Qin Mei shouted, but it was too late.

At this moment, the balloon expanded at a visible speed, and its diameter soon exceeded three meters.

Even more terrifying, its facial features began to appear distorted and ferocious!
The team member named Duan Pei was horrified to discover that he was looking in a mirror, and the balloon's expression was completely synchronized with his!

The Shadowblade team had just entered the horror dungeon and hadn't had time to check the rule notices posted throughout the streets and alleys of Black Crow Town!
This is also a way for the reincarnation system to compensate for the excessive gap in strength between teams, allowing them to descend to this location where the rules and announcements are temporarily not visible!
"Prepare for battle!" Qin Mei noticed that the balloon was starting to float down, and the steel cable noose around the neck of the human-shaped balloon was reaching towards Duan Pei's neck!
"Wait a minute..." Qin Mei suddenly realized that the human head balloon looked familiar; she felt like she had seen it somewhere before...

"Stop! Don't attack!"

But unfortunately, it was too late...

The reincarnator named Duan Pei had already launched an attack on the balloon!

One minute later.

Qin Mei stared in astonishment at Duan Pei's corpse on the ground.

"I finally understand! That's why the Nirvana team lured us into this terrifying instance!"

Qin Mei's eyes were practically bleeding; she had only been inside for ten minutes and one of her team members had already died!
As a medium, her eyes were bloodshot, and she began to show some characteristics of a vengeful ghost!

"Find them, I'm going to kill them all!"

(End of this chapter)