This bug is amazing!

Chapter 173 The Mysterious Four-Corner Game in the Tower (6.4k)

Seeing the pitifully low chance of escape, Ji Yi decided to give up the idea of ​​running away.

It's not that I can't participate in the little boy's games, but if possible, I really hope to bring Ye Luoyanyu along.

"Alright, everyone's here. What are your plans?"

The number one scoundrel asked the little boy, his voice muffled and suited to his dark complexion.

Ji Yi looked at him.

[Top Loser: LV.18]

Occupation: Assassin

【Strength: 35】

[Spiritual power: 10]

[Defense: 15]

【Speed: 20】

[Agility: 25]

[Skills: Concealment, Hasty Ambush, Surprise Attack]

Well, aside from the fact that his profession is relatively rare, his skill level is probably among the second-tier players.

The others were in similar situations, and the one who was the biggest loser was actually the strongest of the three.

With only this level of strength, there's no way they can expect the four of them to work together and defeat the little boy.

At this moment, the little boy spoke softly, "Come to my house, you have to come play at my house~"

As he spoke, he took two steps in a certain direction: "Keep up."

His childish voice sounded like that of an ordinary kid, but no one dared to disobey his orders.

The four people followed him out onto the street.

Along the way, the scenery was eerie.

The sky was dark, and if you looked closely, you could even see a black sun hanging in the sky.

Perhaps it was because of this black sun that, although the temperature felt damp and cold, it was still just over ten degrees Celsius. Given the players' physical condition, even wearing short sleeves wouldn't have a significant impact.

The city appears as if it's been shrouded in layers of black, and even the most ordinary green plants look like ghosts.

All the buildings were covered in rust, and even the air seemed to have become unpleasant to smell.

The group passed by a dam surrounded by cherry blossom trees.

I don't know what season it is now, no, this place doesn't even have a concept of seasons. Anyway, the cherry blossom trees are in full bloom at this moment, and the cold gray-black petals are fluttering in a cold wind.

This is more than just a ghost town.

If we're talking about eeriness and horror, this scene is even scarier than anything Ji Yi has ever seen before.

However, apart from feeling uneasy, he doesn't seem to feel any fear.

Is it my fault? Or is this place actually not that scary?

Thinking about it, Ji Yi saw Pangci-kun beside her, his thighs trembling as he walked forward. Under the light, it was clear that his leopard-print shorts were soaked with cold sweat.

Wait, what is he wearing?
'Damn it, my eyes!'

He shook his head vigorously, trying to forget what had just happened.

This caught the attention of several teammates, but in their view, Ji Yi's reaction was simply that she was frightened and nothing to be surprised about.

It's perfectly normal for a newbie who's only level 14 to react like this.

Look at us, we didn't even flinch when we peed our pants.

'In short, this place is definitely terrifying enough; there must be something wrong with me.'

Even when Ji Yi shot Long He in real life, he was unusually calm, as if he had no negative emotions.

'Wait. Let's put aside the impact of the two dormant consciousnesses within me for now. Speaking of which, could the abnormal, malevolent energy in this world affect the virus within me?'

At the time, Data Eye stated that as long as there were no external stimuli, there shouldn't be any problems. However, with such a terrifying level of toxic substances, there's no guarantee that something won't go wrong.
I closed my eyes and carefully sensed it.

Ji Yi entered her own consciousness space.

I learned this skill after that incident, but it's unusable in the real world, and there's no need to use it when entering dungeons.

When Ji Yi opened his eyes again, he found himself on a vast, boundless sea. There was no sea breeze, and the water was as calm as a mirror.

Ji Yi walked out of the sea, creating ripples.

Then, not far away, they spotted the two people lying quietly on the water.

One is a tall, dark figure, a product of the virus's fusion with Ji Yi's tyranny and anger. Calling it a virus is not accurate; let's call it "Black Yi" for now.

The other person who looks exactly like Ji Yi is Jin Yi, a product of the illusory mask, another consciousness of Ji Yi, which is equivalent to a completely different Ji Yi.

Although they seem very different, their ultimate goal is to compete for control of Ji Yi's body.

I know what you want to see, but no matter how high the concentration of external evil elements is, "Black Mood," which has already transformed, merged, and given birth to consciousness, will not be affected.

"very good."

The answer was reassuring.

Ji Yi has some ideas about how to utilize the two things inside her body, but she lacks the means to implement them, so she can only put it aside for the time being.

I opened my eyes, and my consciousness returned to my body.

"Hehehehehehe."

The little boy leading the way let out a suppressed laugh.

The sound was truly chilling, sending shivers down the spines of the other three.

[As you suspected, this kid is plotting something, and your escape success rate has now reached an astonishing 1.6%, congratulations!]

S-rank is still S-rank, and the difference in strength between S-rank and A-rank is far greater than the difference between A-rank and B-rank.

'Since we can't escape Comrade Small Eyes for the time being, is there any other important information?'

A man-made disaster has occurred here, but it wasn't caused by locals.

Because the concentration of malevolent substances in the air was so high that it could elevate any supernatural tale to S-rank strength, making human survival impossible, the entire area was deserted on the fourth day after the outbreak of the "Forbidden Zone for Supernatural Tales."

[Of course, this doesn't include later arrivals. You might find a few native NPCs in the nooks and crannies, but the probability is very low.]

[You are currently in a city called Dayan City, which is more than 200 kilometers away from the nearest edge of the Ghost Story Forbidden Zone. Along the way, you will encounter at least several hundred S-rank or higher ghost stories, and no fewer than a dozen SS-rank ones.]

Is it that dangerous?

If even one SS-class enemy were to escape, it could wipe out the entire island nation.

However, the power that the ghost stories gain should only be effective within the restricted area.

Moreover, they probably don't have the ability to leave this area and can only roam freely within the restricted zone.

In terms of combat power alone, this instance is the highest level that Ji Yi has ever encountered. Even the first instance he participated in, the [Beast Siege] instance, was far less terrifying.

Is there any way to escape?

I don't know. I just have a keen eye for observation; I'm not an encyclopedia.

Ji Yi: "."

Interestingly, this disaster was caused by a player. It seems someone is even better at causing trouble than you are.

Pshaw. Who would compare themselves to others like that?

When Longyue City was destroyed last time, Ji Yi thought it had little to do with him.

However, since the Forbidden Zone of Strange Tales was created by players, could it be related to the Headhunter Alliance?

The timing is perfect. Could this be the Headhunter Alliance's big move to sabotage the instance?
Ordinary players don't have this kind of strength, but it's hard to say for sure if someone at Ye Luo Yan Yu's level could.

My thoughts are getting a bit too jumbled.

Ji Yi shook her head again, refocusing her attention on the current goal:
First, find a way to escape the restricted area and complete the dungeon mission.

Secondly, to overcome the immediate and certain death trap, survive the little boy's game, ideally by surviving with your teammates.

Finally, you need to find an opportunity to approach Ye Luo Yan Yu (carrying a bag of rice up several floors), and at the very least, naturally add her as a friend so that you can make further plans.

As for what happened here, Ji Yi will have plenty of opportunities to investigate later.

After some thought, the group finally arrived in front of a tall building.

This is a commercial office building, but its shape is extremely unusual.

Unrelated to the evil spirits or restricted areas, this building seems to have always been designed this way. Its exterior is crooked and twisted, and just by looking at it from the outside, one can imagine that the internal structure must be even more complex.

This building is where the little boy's parents work.

The data eye provides the text.

His parents run a small company here, and the little boy, who is often left unattended, is frequently brought here for easy care.

As the text popped up in the Data Eye, Ji Yi seemed to see a scene before her eyes.

His parents, as the owners, often had their employees play with the little boy in various corners of the building. The boy enjoyed playing games like tag with everyone around him. The complex building structure always seemed to offer something new and exciting.

【but.】

The Data Eye abruptly changed the subject, and the staircase in Ji Yi's eyes suddenly distorted, emitting billowing black smoke.

Ji Yi frowned, glanced at her teammates, but they remained calm and unresponsive.

It seems this is just an AR scene provided by Data Eye.

[In the intricate workings of a building, there are always hidden corners and nooks worth exploring, yet no one seems to have discovered them. One day, a little boy died in an accident in one of these corners. His parents searched for days without success, until a nauseating stench of decomposition filled the building. Firefighters then searched and finally found his body.]

The little boy is now a ghost story, but he still loves to play, just as much as he did when he was alive.

【Name: The Haunted Building】

[Danger Level: Extremely Dangerous]

Rating: S+

[Note: The true source of the little boy's power lies in the Ghost Tower, the weakest of the ghost tales on the surface. His true form, the "playful little boy," is merely bait to complete one game after another.]

After reading this, Ji Yi couldn't help but frown.

In the eerie forbidden zone where S-class enemies are everywhere and A-class enemies are as worthless as dogs, even encountering an S-class threat is different.

The difference between S- and S+ levels is significant, with the level of danger equivalent to crossing two orders of magnitude.

The three players were clearly unaware of the problem.

Xiao Mang said, "Your house is quite big."

He tried to liven things up.

Panties, in a coaxing tone, said to a child, "This place looks really interesting. What do you want us to play? Like a ghost-catching game?"

He tried to guide the little boy's thinking.

If players can decide the game content, the situation will naturally be more advantageous.

The players weren't exactly newbies; they were quite experienced in dealing with dungeons with bizarre rules.

However, they didn't have much experience with Nightmare difficulty levels, so they were somewhat hesitant in their actions, preferring to do less rather than make mistakes.

Ji Yi didn't have this concern:
"You little brat, this building looks really weird. Did you set a trap here specifically for us to fall into?"

brush--

Click. The little boy at the very front turned his neck 180 degrees, his gaze fixed on Ji Yi at the back of the line:
"I...I didn't do that."

They're so childish; they gave themselves away so easily with just a simple trick.

The little boy's level is S-. As the lowest-ranking ghost story, he can only protect himself by relying on the immovable haunted building when facing other ghost stories.

It is precisely because of this weakness that he feels afraid when it is exposed, even though Ji Yi is not very strong.

after all
【Title: The Little Boy in the Haunted Building】

[Action Logic: Lure others into the haunted building to play games, and use the building for killing and imprisonment. If the game invitation is verbally or physically rejected, he will become enraged; otherwise, he will not actively attack the target.]

[Note: Before you arrived, he had even trapped three S-rank monsters inside the haunted building.]

After obtaining specific information about the Mysterious Tower, Ji Yi was able to see more complete information.

Generally, ghost stories have their own set of behavioral logic, which is more evident in some ghost stories that seem to lack independent consciousness.

For example, the "Dark Demon," the "Invigilator," and "Senbontsujiko" that we encountered back then all belong to this category.

The little boy wasn't very strong to begin with; it was only because the Forbidden Zone of Strange Tales forcibly raised his strength to the S level that he was more likely to just follow the rules.

Based on the information we have so far, as long as I don't explicitly refuse the game, many things are negotiable.

Thinking to himself, Ji raised his voice a few decibels as he spoke to the little boy:
"Little friend, it's not that the older brothers don't want to participate in your games, but we treat you with sincerity, and you're hiding things in the building that could harm them. Isn't that a bit much?"

As Ji Yi spoke, she walked naturally to him.

The little boy's head didn't move, but his body spun another 180 degrees, his gaze fixed intently on Ji Yi:

"You just don't want to play games, right? Making up such an excuse, hehehe. If you really don't want to play, then just leave."

"what"

Ji Yi was startled. How could this kid suddenly be so unafraid? Could he possibly have that kind of intelligence?
【Name: Mischievous Kid】

[Danger Level: Extremely Dangerous]

Rating: S

[Note: This is a ghost story about a woman who enjoys playing pranks and has a "bad luck" effect on her surroundings. Trapped in the haunted building, she's incredibly bored, and now she's finally found someone to play a prank on.]

Ji Yi: "."

This is blatant targeting.

"Alright, then I won't haggle anymore."

Ji Yi gave up struggling: "You can play whatever you want."

"Hehehe." The little boy laughed. "Everyone, follow me! The first rule of the game is 'Quiet'."

As he uttered the last two words, his voice seemed to take on a strange, eerie distortion, sounding very odd.

But as soon as the words were spoken, everyone noticed...
They were unable to speak.

The area affected by the Haunted Building's ability has been expanded; this is a prank by the Mischievous Ghost.

Damn, this is going to be tough.

Ji Yi has a mouth-spoofing card that can speak for the user, but he doesn't think it will work.

Even if it takes effect, the consequences of breaking the rules of the game would likely be far more dire.

"Come with me, brothers, you'll definitely love this game."

With that, the little boy walked toward the gate without looking back, while the remaining four exchanged glances and chose to follow.

Desperate measures, they could only hope to survive the game.

The haunted building was incredibly cold, with the air temperature dropping by nearly ten degrees Celsius.

The light bulbs inside the building emitted a dim, snowy white light, which seemed to add to the chill.

Everyone took out thick clothes from their inventory and wrapped them around themselves.

Ji Yi looked them over.
'Depend on.'

He cursed under his breath, realizing he seemed to have only ever worn one set of clothes.

Normal players originally start with two sets of clothes, but after he became the Destroyer, the clothes were damaged, and he never went to the game store to buy more.

Seeing this, Panties very kindly took out another set of clothes for him.

Ji Yi nodded to him as a token of her gratitude.

The group followed the little boy into a room.

The room was completely dark, with no lights or windows. If the door hadn't been open, allowing some light to filter in from outside, everyone's vision would have been completely obscured.

The room has a strange structure; it is a perfect cube with a volume of 8*8*8 meters.

While an 8-meter length and width is somewhat understandable, an 8-meter height seems rather strange, as the space above is entirely redundant.

The room was empty of clutter, with only clean, bare walls.

At this moment, four people and one ghost are standing in the very center of the house.

The little boy spoke again:

"Alright, now I'm going to announce the rules for the rest of the game. Oh right, I forgot to tell you the name of the game; it's called 'Four Corners Game.'"

Upon hearing this, the group exchanged glances, clearly indicating that some of them had heard of the game before.

"Rule number one has already been explained: talking is not allowed," the little boy repeated.

"Rule number two: Each of you must choose a corner to stand in, and you may only face the corner and are not allowed to turn around."

"Rule number three: I will choose a person, let's call him A. A will be the one to start the game and walk along the wall to the left until he encounters B in the other corner."

"A needs to tap B on the shoulder and then take B's place. B, whose position has been taken, needs to repeat A's action, walk along the left-hand wall to C's position, and tap C on the shoulder."

"Continue the loop. C needs to go to D's position, pat D on the shoulder, and finally, D will set off for the empty position where A was originally."

"If D finds a spot empty, D needs to cough twice to indicate that the spot is vacant and alert everyone in the room. Then, D moves on from A's original empty spot to A's location."

Rule number three sounds long, but it's also the core gameplay of this game.

In summary, the game involves four players occupying four corners. However, from the start of the game, it becomes three players occupying the corners, with one player always on the move and one corner always empty.

"Sorry, rule four is that you win as long as there are three coughs. Simple, right?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Yi frowned.

He had heard of this game before; it came from an urban legend.

It is said that once the project progresses to a certain stage, an extra person will inexplicably appear, with four people occupying the four corners and one person acting alone.

If things really do turn out this way, then the non-existent fifth person will continue to play along with the four people.

This game will never end.

"Oh, I forgot to mention. Rule five: You are not allowed to leave the game unless you achieve the victory condition. Okay, everyone, have fun! This is a game that can only be played with a lot of friends. You are very lucky and happy!"

The little boy chuckled, his smile indistinct in the dim room, yet it sent chills down everyone's spines.

"Alright, quickly choose your positions, the game is about to begin."

Seeing this, everyone had no choice but to grit their teeth and continue.

The most frustrating thing for everyone right now is that the four of them have absolutely no time to discuss things before the game starts. Cooperation, tactics, and sharing clues are all impossible.

This was their first time working together, and they had little in common.

Anyway, for Pantsu-kun, he had absolutely no idea how he could win.

As a otaku who loves anime and manga, Pantsu has some knowledge of Japanese urban legends and supernatural tales.

What if a fifth person actually appears? How do we break this deadlock? I have absolutely no idea!
But let's look on the bright side.

According to the rules, unless someone leaves the game midway or violates other rules, there will be no death even if there is an extra "non-existent person".

If we keep delaying, we should eventually find a way out.

Panty's thinking was very simple: there was no better way than to wait and see.

Thinking it over, he first chose a corner closest to the door, which would give him a sense of security.

For his second move, the number one idiot chose the corner furthest from the door, walked straight into the depths of the room, and disappeared into the darkness.

The third person to act was Xiao Mang, who chose the second closest spot to the entrance.

The last remaining corner was left to Ji Yi.

At this point, the people from all four directions were present.

"Hehehe, it seems everyone is ready. I'll go out and wait for you guys to finish this game. Don't worry, brothers, I'm very patient. I hope you like the game I prepared."

Then, he pointed in Ji Yi's direction: "The talkative older brother, let's start with you, hehehe."

As soon as he finished speaking, he disappeared from the spot.

boom!
As the room door slammed shut, the only light source in the room disappeared completely, plunging everyone into absolute darkness.

Pant's heart skipped a beat; the fear brought by the darkness was far more intense than she had imagined.

This kind of psychological terror of the unknown is, in some ways, even more frightening than a female ghost jumping in your face.

soon.

There were footsteps behind me.

That was Ji Yi slowly walking towards him.

According to the route, the process for one loop should be:
Ji Yi → Get some panties → Little busy → Number one loser.

It's unclear at what stage the so-called fifth person will appear. If they appear in the first round, then not a single cough will be heard, and the fifth person will become the one who gets knocked down, patted on the shoulder, and then patted Ji Yi's shoulder.

If a second round occurs, the fifth person will be patted on the shoulder by Xiao Mang, and then patted on the ground.

In both cases, the panties will not be involved in direct contact with the fifth person.

But if the fifth person appears in the third round, Panty will pat the fifth person on the shoulder.

It's so scary.

"Da da da"

Footsteps were heard behind me.

Before today, Pangci had never paid attention to anyone's footsteps, but now, he was concentrating intently, trying to remember Ji Yi's footsteps.

Meanwhile, the random thoughts running through his mind continued unabated:

"But what if this isn't a typical four-cornered game? What if, from the moment the door closes, everyone else has been replaced by ghosts, and I'm going to have to play this game with a bunch of ghosts?"

Thinking of this, his legs began to tremble.

This is not impossible, after all, the room was pitch black, and he couldn't possibly tell anyone's identity!

Looking at the increasingly solid shadow in the corner, I felt a sensation like panties.
Wait, where did that shadow come from?
Light! It's firelight!
The footsteps behind me grew closer, accompanied by an ever-brighter flame.

Panty even felt a heat rising in her back.

"clatter."

As Ji Yi placed his right hand on his shoulder, he felt a burning sensation on his left cheek.

No need to feel it, he really got burned!
Ji Yi stretched out his left arm, and a hand holding a torch appeared in Pang Ci's peripheral vision, as if to say, "Take it."

Panties suddenly realized:

"Holy crap! You can do that?!"

　I'm not feeling well today, I'll write more tomorrow.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)