Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 275 The Location of the True Body

The next morning, at exactly eight o'clock.

Jiang Jin and Lin Lu held their breath, waiting for the familiar chanting sounds from downstairs.

However, as time passed, all that could be heard outside the window was the usual street noise of a Bangkok morning.

There was no chanting!
Their hearts sank simultaneously!
Rule number four has been triggered!
Today, they must do something to "atone for their sins"!
"Let's go to the nearest temple!" Jiang Jin decided immediately.

The two quickly went outside, found a nearby temple, and respectfully offered money to the monks, thus completing the ritual of "atonement."

But an uneasy premonition lingered in my mind, as if this was only the beginning.

Afterwards, with heavy hearts, they went to Rama IX Royal Institute of Technology in Bangkok to attend the university's anniversary celebration.

The campus was still brightly decorated, but the atmosphere was noticeably different from yesterday, with a sense of oppression and whispers.

The scene of the boy's bizarre death yesterday has been cordoned off by the police, casting a heavy shadow over the festive occasion.

What made Jiang Jin even more uneasy was that Seti didn't come!

I called him, but no one answered. I asked other classmates I knew, but they all said they hadn't seen him either.

An ominous premonition grew stronger.

The school anniversary celebrations proceeded as planned, as if to forcibly dispel the gloom brought by yesterday's bizarre death.

The principal, dressed in a sharp suit, delivered a passionate speech into the microphone in loud and infectious Thai.

Jiang Jin, representing "Atai"—the "Siam Pixel" studio, was also invited to the stage.

He stood among several other equally successful graduates, but his eyes sharply scanned the crowd below the stage, especially the possible location of Saiti, but he found nothing.

The speech finally came to an end, and polite applause rang out from the audience. The host announced that the next segment would be a group photo of outstanding alumni.

Jiang Jin and several other representatives were guided by staff to stand in a row in front of the podium.

A school staff member wearing a photographer's vest quickly stepped forward, holding a rather professional-looking digital SLR camera.

He skillfully adjusted his position and directed in Thai: "Fellow alumni, please move closer, smile, and look at the camera!"

Jiang Jin looked at the camera lens as instructed, a formulaic smile on his face, but in his mind he was counting down the time and the possible anomalies.

The photographer crouched down, searching for the best angle, his finger on the shutter button. "Alright, ready, one, two, three!"

Click! Click! Click!

The shutter sound in continuous shooting mode is crisp and continuous, accompanied by a burst of bright light from the built-in flash, freezing the smiles on everyone's faces.

After taking the photos, the photographer straightened up and habitually looked down at the bright LCD screen on the back of the camera to check the results. Several other alumni also gathered around, smiling, wanting to see the pictures.

Jiang Jin's heart stirred, and he pretended to be curious, taking a few steps closer and looking at the small screen.

The photographer swiped his finger across the touchscreen, flipping through the photos he had just taken. The first few were all normal; everyone was smiling brightly, and the images were clear.

However, when the photos were flipped to the third one...

The photographer's sliding fingers suddenly stopped. He let out a soft, almost inaudible gasp.

Jiang Jin's gaze froze on the screen instantly!
In the back row of that group photo, on the auditorium steps that should have been empty and serving as a backdrop, there was a blurry figure!

It wasn't a student who squeezed in later, nor was it the shadow of any staff member. The figure was very faint, as if composed of a layer of translucent gray mist, completely out of place with the clear surroundings. It stood there quietly, its posture somewhat stiff, facing the camera, but its facial features were entirely blurred.

However, what made Jiang Jin's heart stop was that, at the head of this blurry figure, a few faint, light-reflecting bright spots could be seen!

Although I can't see the exact shape and number clearly, the position and feel... are just like hair clips!

"Huh? This photo..." The school staff member in charge of taking the picture also noticed the anomaly, muttering, "Why does it look like there's an extra person? Did some student squeeze in?"

Jiang Jin's academic advisor, Dr. Zhalunpeng, also came over to take a look, frowning as he tried to recall: "This shadow... seems somewhat familiar... but... I can't remember where I've seen it before... Strange..."

Jiang Jin's heart suddenly raced!
He forced himself to remain calm and said to his professor, "Professor, perhaps one of the junior students accidentally appeared in the photo. It's alright. By the way, Professor, I'd like to look at our graduation album from back then to reminisce. Where can I find it?"

The tutor, unsuspecting, pointed in the direction of the school history museum.

Jiang Jin immediately grabbed Lin Lu and rushed to the school history museum.

As he flipped through the thick graduation album, his mind raced, connecting the clues from before one by one.

He carefully recalled his conversation with Seti and Parang:

"A hair clip? Atai, what... what are you talking about? Are you alright?"

Parang: "Atai, what... what are you talking about? Are you alright? What ex-girlfriend? What hair clip?"

They never explicitly said that "Atai has no ex-girlfriend," but rather reacted with surprise, evasion, and attempts to change the subject when he asked the question!

An astonishing conjecture popped into Jiang Jin's mind!
"Lin Lu!" Jiang Jin suddenly grabbed Lin Lu's shoulders, his voice trembling with excitement. "Were we misled from the very beginning? The system mission said 'find the true identity of the third person,' and the first rule emphasized 'there is no third person,' so we naturally assumed that the true identity of this 'third person' was hidden somewhere in 'Sweet Home'!"

Lin Lu instantly realized what was happening, her eyes widening: "You mean... the true form of the third 'person' is actually... inside the school?! That home is just where it operates?!"

“That’s possible!” Jiang Jin’s eyes sharpened as he quickened his pace of flipping through the photo album. “We must find evidence that it exists!”

Just then, his finger stopped on a photograph.

At the edge of the photo, in a rather inconspicuous corner, is the figure of a girl with her back to the camera. Most striking are the seven different colored, sparkly hair clips adorning her long, black hair!
Seven hairpins! The correct number mentioned in Rule 5!
"Found her!" Jiang Jin's heart pounded as he cautiously pointed to the figure from behind. "It's her!"

He immediately took the photo album and found Professor Charonpong, who was chatting with other alumni.

“Professor! Look at this girl! Do you remember her?” Jiang Jin pointed at the figure with seven hair clips and asked eagerly. Professor Zhalunpeng pushed up his glasses, looked carefully, and a look of realization appeared on his face: “Oh! It’s her! I remember now! Her name is Natre! I think she’s in the photography club? She’s a rather quiet girl, but… she doesn’t have a very strong presence.”

Nata!

The moment Jiang Jin heard that name, it was as if his mind had been struck by lightning! Countless clues instantly connected!
Pompasong's dying curse: "You are not far from death... I can see it clearly..."

What he saw was not the future, but the present!

He saw something on Jiang Jin!
And...the elevator was overloaded...how come he didn't notice it at the time!
Rule 11: [Avoid facing any mirror with your eyes open] – Is it because… mirrors reflect reality?!
All the clues point to a terrible truth!

"A mirror! It's a mirror!" Jiang Jin roared, rushing towards the nearest men's restroom without regard for anything else!

Although Lin Lu didn't understand why, she immediately followed.

Rushing into the empty men's restroom, Jiang Jin stood in front of the mirror by the sink, took a deep breath, and concentrated all his energy!
"Use the trickster lawyer's rule-based argumentation skills!"

He used his Level 2 abilities to forcibly modify Rule 11!
The original instruction, "[Avoid looking directly at any mirror with your eyes open; if you accidentally look directly at a mirror, immediately look away or close your eyes]," was altered by him to:

[By facing a mirror directly and focusing your attention on its reflection, you can glimpse the hidden truth.]

Modification successful! SAN value deducted!

It's great that there's no word limit!
Immediately afterward, Jiang Jin activated his Ghost Eyes at full power! He stared intently at his reflection in the mirror!

The mirror surface seemed to ripple, the materialistic appearance began to fade, and the mysterious and even deeper scenes began to appear...

……

Meanwhile, far away at Nirvana Villa in Yihai Camp.

Xu Yinqiu sighed as she watched the horror movie "Shutter," saying, "The male lead in this movie is the epitome of scum! He just watched his three college classmates gang rape his girlfriend Nata, and instead of stopping them, his friends egged him on to take pictures, and he actually did it! He's worse than an animal!"

Yu Tianlun nodded solemnly: "Yes, it's because of cowardice and selfishness, participating in evil deeds under the guise of so-called 'fitting in.' After Nata died, she turned into a vengeful ghost, constantly riding on the male protagonist's neck. This kind of relentless revenge is more despairing than direct killing."

……

In front of the bathroom mirror.

Jiang Jin's dark eyes pierced through layers of mist and finally saw... the truth!
On the shoulder of his reflection in the mirror, there was a female ghost riding on the ground, dressed in a white dress with long hair covering her face!

Her hands were slowly reaching out from behind, as if to cover his eyes! And through her thick, long hair, the outlines of seven hair clips could be vaguely seen!
Nata's ghost has been riding on his neck all along!
From the moment we entered this instance, she's been riding on my shoulders!

Therefore, Pompasong can be seen!
Therefore, the elevator will be overloaded!

Therefore, the rule is to avoid looking in the mirror!
That flash was actually the light from the camera!

She is the owner of Lucky, the calico cat!

She also makes a serving of mango sticky rice every day and puts it in the refrigerator!

Even with Jiang Jin's willpower, he couldn't help but gasp when he saw this horrifying scene!
This instance isn't "Sweet Home" at all! It's "Ghostly Shadows"!
Atai corresponds to Thun, the scumbag photographer in the movie! And Nata is the female protagonist who was betrayed, hurt, and ultimately committed suicide, becoming a vengeful ghost!

"Reincarnation System! I'm reporting this!" Jiang Jin roared with all his might, "The third 'person' is riding on my neck!"

Almost the instant he shouted out the truth!
"Hehehe..." A sickening laugh filled with endless resentment rang out from behind Jiang Jin's head!
Then, the ghost of Nata, who was riding on his neck, was forcibly revealed and burned by the power of the rules of the reincarnation system, letting out a shrill scream! She no longer hid and went completely berserk!
A chilling, bone-chilling resentment erupted instantly!

The toilet lights flickered wildly, the mirror shattered, and countless bloody handprints appeared on the walls!

Nata's ghost stretched out its pale claws and frantically grabbed at Jiang Jin's head and neck!

"Get out of my way!" Jiang Jin roared, his left hand suddenly swinging backward, Zhong Kui's Judge's Pen shining brightly with golden light, fiercely stabbing at the female ghost behind him!
laugh--!
The golden light clashed fiercely with the resentment, and Nata let out a painful howl, but the resentment only intensified!

At the same time, Jiang Jin swiftly retrieved the farmer's chainsaw from his watch space with his right hand!
He pulled the starting rope—whoosh!

The chainsaw engine roared furiously, and the rusty chainsaw chain spun wildly!
"You like riding, don't you?! Get off me!" Jiang Jin swung the roaring chainsaw back at the female ghost riding on his neck!

"what!!!!"

The sound of a chainsaw tearing through a spirit, mixed with Nata's ghostly screams of extreme pain, echoed throughout the entire toilet!

That weapon, originating from the killer in Dead by Daylight, also has a shockingly damaging effect on spirits!
The mirror shattered under the powerful energy impact!
In her final, frantic counterattack, Nata's ghostly figure grew fainter and fainter, her resentment rapidly purified and dispelled by the power of the reincarnation system's rules and Jiang Jin's fierce attacks...

Finally, everything returned to calm.

Jiang Jin, panting heavily, looked at the mess in the toilet and the shattered mirror, and finally breathed a sigh of relief as the constant coldness and weight on his neck disappeared.

Just then, his Reincarnator watch vibrated, indicating that the mission was complete.

Meanwhile, on the table in "Sweet Home," a seventh photograph appeared—a photo filled with despair and humiliation, taken by "Atai" himself when Nata was gang-raped by Seti and others.

Jiang Jin had seen "Shutter" and understood everything when he heard the name "Nata".

The so-called "Sweet Home" is nothing more than a product of meme contamination that distorts and combines the core plot of "Ghost" with a family scene that seems very similar to the game's Sweet Home, in order to mislead the reincarnators.

Atai's people-pleasing personality and inability to refuse his friends, coupled with his cowardice and betrayal at a crucial moment, led to Nata's tragedy and ultimately brought about this relentless and death-defying revenge.

"Reincarnator Jiang Jin has completed the [Ghost Shadow] horror dungeon quest: find the true location of the 'Third Person' Nata."

80 resentment crystals have been distributed.

Obtain the special item dropped in this instance: Nata's Remnant Hairpin.

Effect: After wearing, one can completely conceal their aura and presence for a short period of time, like a 'shadow,' avoiding most spiritual and non-physical detection.

Jiang Jin looked at the old hair clip that had appeared out of thin air in his hand. It looked ordinary, but it still held a trace of cold resentment!

(End of this chapter)