Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 263 Confusing Clues

The witch's reaction cast a shadow over Jiang Jin and Lin Lu's hearts.

No matter how you look at the wedding photos, even with the help of a special vision device, you can't see anything unusual.

Moreover, even after Lin Lu was clearly "enhanced" by the exploding puppet, the witch still showed extreme fear.

Combined with the "fear" of the spirits inside those pottery jars...

In an instant, Jiang Jin fully realized that this was a terrifying dungeon that he had to go all out for!
He'll probably have to pull out a lot of cards in this instance!
We might even resort to using the coffin nail obtained from the [Terror Resurgence] instance!
Next, Jiang Jin used Atai's Line account to send a message in a small group of university friends, inviting everyone to meet up this afternoon under the pretext of discussing the specific arrangements for returning to their alma mater for the school anniversary.

After the message was sent, only Saiti and Saran, the girl who seemed to have a cheerful personality, replied that they were free, while everyone else said they were busy and couldn't come.

This result was within Jiang Jin's expectations.

The clues he has gathered so far are somewhat disjointed: the game information provided by Lin Lu points to an evil sorcerer who needs to collect the souls of the "Five Deadly Sins," and this sorcerer is likely the same Pombason he just killed. Of the so-called Five Deadly Sins, Lin Lu only remembers that the game's female protagonist, Jane, committed the "sin of adultery" because her husband, Tim, was too busy with work. The female ghost wielding the utility knife is a female college student, perhaps connected to their alma mater. Other clues include Lubana's deeply secret, the college abortion incident mentioned by Seti, and the "woman wearing a hair clip" repeatedly emphasized in the rules…

He needed to subtly extract some useful information from these old classmates, especially from Seti and Saran, who might know the truth.

An invisible network of clues seemed to unfold in Jiang Jin's mind, each line blurry yet subtly pointing to a dark core.

"The Five Deadly Sins..."

He chewed on the word softly. The game information Lin Lu provided was like a broken key.

Was the evil sorcerer Pompa Song, who had just died at his hands? That greedy exploitation of souls and resentment is typical of Southeast Asian sorcery. But… an evil sorcerer who needed to collect the “Five Deadly Sins,” an element clearly influenced by Western religion? That in itself seems somewhat incongruous. If it was Pompa Song, what was his purpose in collecting the Five Deadly Sins? To complete some powerful evil ritual? And what does this have to do with the Buddhist treasures he stole?
Furthermore, Lin Lu currently only remembers one of the five deadly sins, "adultery"... Well, content involving romantic scandals is indeed more memorable. Since Jane in the game becomes a target because of infidelity, what about in this modified real-life scenario? If Atai and Lu Ni are modified versions of Tim and Jane, then this seemingly loving couple actually have close opposite-sex friends—Atai shares a fatal secret with Lubana, and Lu Ni confides her marital troubles to Seti. Is this just a coincidence? Lu Ni hasn't "disappeared" yet, and there's no inappropriate content in the chat logs, so does that mean she hasn't had a chance to commit adultery?

His thoughts drifted back to the female ghost wielding the utility knife. Lin Lu only remembered that she was a female college student involved in black magic. This immediately reminded him of the university abortion incident that Saiti had mentioned. The girl who sought help from Atai… what happened to her? In Thailand at that time, abortion was not only prohibited by law, but also carried a heavy social stigma and a sense of religious sin. Did she suffer immense pressure because of it, or even… meet with misfortune? Did the dead child also become part of the vengeful spirit? A female college student's ghost filled with resentment because of an abortion, holding a utility knife representing "cutting" and "pain"… this image became clearer and clearer. Could she be his and Lu Ni's college classmate? Or even… someone Lubana or Saran knew?
“And then there’s Lubana’s secret…” Jiang Jin’s brows furrowed. This was the most unsettling variable at the moment. She repeatedly emphasized this “secret” to Atai, her emotions extremely unstable, even mentioning suicide on several occasions. What kind of secret could cause such immense psychological pressure? Was it related to the abortion incident? Was she involved? A helper? Or an insider? Or was this secret entirely independent, involving other, darker, more unspeakable matters? —Fraud? Theft? Even…accidental death? This secret was probably like a ticking time bomb, threatening not only Lubana herself but also potentially obliterating those around her. Atai was drawn into this because of the secret, but what about Lu Ni? What about Seti? How much did they know?

All these clues seem subtly intertwined with the ominous "woman with a hairpin" that recurs repeatedly in the rules. The rules require counting the number of her hairpins, confirming she isn't in the photos, and burning the seventh photo... Is the seven hairpins and the seventh photo a coincidence? She's like a ghostly symbol, permeating the taboos of the entire "family." Who is this woman with the hairpin? Is she the female college student who had an abortion? Or another woman yet to surface? Is the hairpin some kind of mark? Is it a manifestation of resentment, or a beacon of some evil ritual?

Jiang Jin felt a throbbing sensation in his temples.

These clues are intricate, intertwined, and contradictory. The evil monk Pompasong who collects the five deadly sins, the vengeful spirit of the female college student, Lubana's secret, the potential betrayal between husband and wife, the warning from the woman wearing a hair clip... all of this seems to revolve around Atai and Luni's college circle and their "sweet home".

"What role did Atai play in this vortex?" Jiang Jin couldn't help but ask himself.

Artest's current image seems to be that of a "nice guy"? A "people-pleasing personality"? "Cuckolded by his wife"?
This seemingly harmless personality trait, under extreme circumstances, can also become a catalyst for tragedy. His "good intentions" might unintentionally drag more people down with him, or cover up deeper sins. As for Lu Ni, were her complaints and confiding in other men simply emotional release, or were they the fuse that led to more serious consequences?

He glanced at Lin Lu, who was also deep in thought beside him.

She is now playing the role of Lu Ni. Will these potential original sins also come true for her in some way? The threat of the rules is everywhere.

Keeping the appointment was imperative. Saiti and Saran, as friends from their university days and partners in Atai's business venture, served as both windows into the secrets of their university past and perhaps were themselves part of this intricate network of relationships.

Especially Seti, who is both close to Luni and seems to know everything about the past. From him, perhaps we can uncover more unknown aspects about the abortion incident, about Lubana, and even about Atai himself. As for Saran, as another woman in the studio, she might offer a different perspective, or... she herself might be hiding something.

Jiang Jin took a deep breath, temporarily suppressing his chaotic thoughts. There were many clues, but a crucial link was lacking to connect them.

This meeting must be approached with extreme caution. He must extract information without alerting the enemy, and he must not even reveal that he is not the real "Atai." He needs to detect subtle anomalies and deliberately avoided topics during what appears to be an ordinary alumni gathering.

This gathering is destined to be anything but relaxing.

Around noon, Jiang Jin walked to the refrigerator again. He took a deep breath and opened the refrigerator door—sure enough, another fresh and tempting serving of mango sticky rice was quietly placed inside, emitting a sweet and cloying aroma.

It's important to know that Deathstroke was always lying in front of the refrigerator door, never leaving. Given Deathstroke's keen senses of living beings and spirits, there was no way he could have missed any "person" or "thing" approaching the refrigerator.

But the truth is, Deathstroke didn't react at all. The meal seemed to have appeared out of thin air!
"I can't even sense the death knell..."

Jiang Jin felt a chill rise up his spine.

It seems that the "third party" is hiding in a deeper layer of pollution.

Actually, Jiang Jin could consider using the [Annihilation Layer Pass] to infiltrate the "Sweet Home" within the Annihilation Layer and take a look. Alternatively, he could temporarily send Deathstroke into the Lost Layer to investigate who was making this mango sticky rice!

After much deliberation, Jiang Jin finally gave up. He felt it was still too dangerous. Besides the ability of the "Cunning Lawyer," the Reincarnation System would definitely fully evaluate all his trump cards when assigning tasks. Therefore, it was clearly not something that could be found simply by searching within the Lost Layer.

After all, in the depths of the Lost Layer, and even the Annihilation Layer, the physical spatial concept of the Material Layer is different. In the Material Layer, if two people are in the same room, they can definitely see each other unless they are blind. However, in the Lost Layer, the spatial dimensions are completely distorted, and normal human perception of space ceases to exist. Even if they are both in the Lost Layer, even if a ghost is standing in front of them, they may not be able to see or even sense it. The spatial concept of the Material Layer no longer exists. This is especially true for Jiang Jin, a Level 2 reincarnator. Only after becoming a Level 3 and adapting to the corruption of the rules can he possibly adapt to the distorted spatial perception in the Lost Layer and search for traces of ghosts.

Once inside the Annihilation Layer, even with an Annihilation Layer Pass, it's like going blind to a Level 2. In the Annihilation Layer, almost all physical concepts from the material world cease to exist. Forget about seemingly existing in the same space; there might even be infinite branches of timelines. People could see parallel timelines leading to their own deaths, or be killed by evil spirits from the past and future. Even among ghosts, only figures like Kayako from "The Curse of the Undying," Mimiko from "One Missed Call," and Freddy from "Nightmare Street" could possibly remain in the Annihilation Layer indefinitely. The last time Jiang Jin briefly entered a shallow layer of the Annihilation Layer, the world appeared as a chaotic mess to him; he even had difficulty walking.

Of course, everything has its advantages and disadvantages. The deeper the pollution layer is from the material layer, the more difficult it is to erode the material layer. Most people's encounters with "haunted" things happen in the mysterious layer, or at most the lost layer. In those situations, apart from encountering ghosts, the surrounding world mostly follows the laws of physics. Even someone as terrifying as Kayako cannot enter the material layer to kill; she can only kill someone who has entered the haunted house she inhabits and whose SAN value has dropped into the pollution layer. This is because the more terrifying the annihilation layer evil spirit, the less its existence is supported by the physical laws of the material layer.

Therefore, the power of evil spirits lies entirely in the erosion of the materialistic physical laws by the contamination of meme rules. This is precisely the terrifying aspect of meme contamination!
With his current mere LV2 strength, Jiang Jin wouldn't have many ways to find the "third person" even if he entered the contaminated layer. But the "third person" was able to make this mango sticky rice and then put it in the refrigerator of the material layer! "Lin Lu, I'll show you something."

Jiang Jin took out some spoils he had brought back from Pombasong's lair from his Reincarnator Watch: some pottery jars with talismans on them, and the bone dagger that had wounded Deathstroke and was wrapped in ominous black energy.

Lin Lu looked at the knife curiously, and a notification from the Reincarnation System immediately appeared before her eyes. She took the knife, sensed it, and said to Jiang Jin, "The Reincarnation System says this is the [Poisoned Bone Blade of a Voodoo Master]. Only a Voodoo Master can unleash its true power. It is tempered with a cursed poison that can harm spirits."

Then, she carefully reached out and touched the cold earthenware jar. She closed her eyes, concentrated, and tried to use the sensory techniques she had learned from the "Secrets of Guletai Black Magic" to communicate with the contents of the jar.

After a long while, she opened her eyes, her face pale, her voice trembling slightly: "They... are afraid."

"Scared?" Jiang Jin frowned. "Scared of what? Us? Or this house?"

“I don’t know…” Lin Lu tried to discern the vague feeling, “It’s a very strong feeling of fear… These little devils that Pompasong has imprisoned and raised with evil magic seem to be afraid of something… deeper, something more terrifying.”

She recalled the description of the Ghost Seed Technique in the book, a being that could instill fear in even these resentful little ghosts, whose power was simply unimaginable.

Jiang Jin's heart sank. He recalled the battle with Pompasong, where the vengeful spirits were extremely ferocious, yet now they evoked this pure fear? Combined with the inexplicable mango sticky rice in the refrigerator…

"The true form of the 'ghost' hidden in this 'home'," Jiang Jin's voice was extremely solemn, "is probably far more terrifying than we imagine. It is very likely not in the Mysterious Layer, but deep within the Lost Layer, or even... located in the gap between the Lost Layer and the Annihilation Layer."

Of course, he hoped it wouldn't come to that.

After feeding Lucky, the calico cat, plenty of food and water, the two left for their appointment with even heavier hearts. They met with Seti and Saran at a rooftop restaurant in a shopping mall in Bangkok's Sukhumvit district.

Stepping out of the "Sweet Home," the bustling and vibrant atmosphere of Bangkok immediately hits you.

Sukhumvit is one of Bangkok's bustling commercial districts, with streets teeming with traffic and tuk-tuks weaving through the crowds, their smoke billowing as they pass by. The air is thick with the complex aromas of spices, street food, and strong perfumes.

Jiang Jin had never been to Thailand before, and Bangkok was far more modern than he had imagined. Fashionably dressed young people, curious tourists, and locals hurrying by created a vibrant and surreal scene. In the distance, golden pagoda spires shimmered in the sunlight, a reminder of the city's profound religious heritage.

"There are so many temples in Bangkok," Lin Lu looked at the street scene and suddenly felt a glimmer of hope. "Could we go to a temple and ask a high-ranking monk for help? Maybe we can break the curse?"

Jiang Jin shook his head, pouring cold water on her: "Don't have too high hopes. More than one reincarnator who has experienced the Thai horror dungeon has tried to seek help from monks, but 99% of the monks in the temples simply cannot detect the memetic contamination, or their power level is too low to be of any use. The curse of the reincarnation system is not so easily resolved by external forces."

He paused, then added, "However, the shrine in 'Sweet Home' is indeed a bit unusual, perhaps... an exception, or one of the key points. But don't count on the ones outside."

Upon arriving at the agreed-upon location on the first floor of the mall, they quickly spotted Seti and Saran already waiting there. Seti, just like in his social media photos, was sunny and handsome, waving and smiling. Saran, on the other hand, was a petite girl with a sweet smile, appearing very lively.

"Atai! Luni! Over here!" Saran greeted them warmly.

The four exchanged a few pleasantries, and the atmosphere seemed relaxed, but Jiang Jin and Lin Lu were both on edge.

Just then, an elevator arrived, and the four of them followed the last person in the crowd to enter.

Saran has a lively and playful personality. As she entered the elevator, she happily exclaimed, "Yay! I'm the seventeenth one to come in! 17 happens to be my lucky number!"

As Seti walked in, he smiled and said, "Looks like something good is going to happen to you today."

Then, Jiang Jin and Lin Lu followed them inside, and the elevator suddenly emitted a piercing overload alarm. Everyone in the elevator looked at them.

"It's overloaded, you'll have to wait for the next one," someone in the elevator said.

Jiang Jin and Lin Lu then withdrew.

"You guys go up first, we'll be right there," Jiang Jin said to Saiti and Saran.

The elevator doors slowly closed, carrying Saiti and Saran up first.

Lin Lu stared at the closing elevator doors and whispered to Jiang Jin, "Could it be... because of Deathstroke? Even though it didn't fully appear, could it be..."

“Impossible,” Jiang Jin denied definitively. “Death Knell exists within the contamination layer and does not affect the physical rules of the material layer. What happened just now was simply overcrowding due to too many people.”

Lin Lu nodded and said, "I wonder how much longer we can stay in the materialist layer..."

Soon, another elevator arrived. This time, there weren't many people inside, and the two entered smoothly. The elevator ascended steadily and finally arrived at the rooftop restaurant.

Jiang Jin and Lin Lu stepped out of the elevator, with Deathstroke following behind.

At that moment, Death Knell raised his head and looked at the numerical display above the elevator car—[Maximum Passenger Capacity: 20 people]

(End of this chapter)