Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 20 Crossroads
But the child didn't continue the story; instead, he abruptly started singing something else.

"Ten little black people are running around trying to get food."

"If one chokes to death, there's no saving him; if ten choke to death, only nine will survive."

"Nine little black figures, sleepless and exhausted in the dead of night."

"He fell asleep and died, leaving only eight out of nine."

Why is it Mother Goose Rhymes again?
Zhou You frowned, but still followed the instructions of the song, lifted his leg, and jumped out.

After that, the child sang more than a dozen songs in succession, but they were mostly well-known 'dark nursery rhymes' from around the world. However, the speed was getting faster and faster, and Zhou You was finding it increasingly difficult to keep up.

Fortunately, he managed to hold on.

However, just as he was about to reach the exit, the child's voice suddenly changed again.

However, this time the sound was not a solo performance—the grotesque faces on the walls suddenly broke free from their restraints and began to sing along with him.

The nursery rhyme instantly became chaotic and terrifying, as if all the sounds had materialized and were forcibly stuffed into the ears, causing one to feel an intense urge to vomit after just a few lines.

“All the children were taken there.”

"That's the master's mansion."

"The house was dark and gloomy, and bloodstains were everywhere."

"The solemn Bodhisattva statue has also been covered with a deep red coat."

"The children were so frightened by the sight that they cried."

"But at this very moment..."

"They suddenly heard a voice say."

"Don't be afraid, please don't be scared."

"Because very soon, we will become one."

As the deafening chorus stopped, a system notification sounded.

"You have been corrupted and your sanity has been impaired. Your current sanity is 80/100."

—Holy crap, the difficulty increased? You didn't even give me a heads-up??

Zhou You gritted his teeth, enduring the dazed feeling that came from the loss of his rationality, and finally found a head with a fused body drawn on it just before the deadline, and jumped on it.

"After this."

"The master has finally received the reward he has been waiting for."

"But that's still not enough."

"It will never be enough."

"So if we don't find any more."

"Then he himself will be next."

"—You have been corrupted, your sanity has been damaged, and your current sanity is 75/100."

The sense of disorientation grew stronger and stronger. Zhou You felt as if he was hallucinating again—he saw layers of rotting flesh emerging in the alley, piling up layer by layer, and finally transforming into a strange face.

For some reason, he felt that the face was somewhat familiar, but there was no time to think about it. He looked around and finally found a matching 'master'—a picture of a chubby rich man—and then hurriedly jumped down.

The alleyway exit was almost within reach, but it was clear that the other party didn't want him to escape so easily, so the final song began.

"As a result, there are fewer and fewer children."

"Until one day it became unsustainable."

"The magistrate could only set a fire and destroy all the evidence."

"But things won't end like this."

"So who's next?" The voice paused, and then the child, the face, the walls, and even the floor all burst into laughter.

"It's you, it's you, it's you!"

The singing was like a tsunami, almost stirring up brain matter. Normally, it would be impossible for an ordinary person to escape, but Zhou You suddenly grinned.

Although he is often ignored and forgotten, he has a skill that ignores impaired sanity.

"Enter the state of selflessness and samadhi, now open,"

His muddled mind cleared up again. Zhou You glanced at the map briefly, then immediately chose his target—his own face—and leaped with all his might!
Then, the surroundings instantly became quiet.

Zhou You turned around and found that all the faces had shrunk back, and the alley had become dark again.

The child standing on the other side also stopped singing. Although the cruel smile was gone from its face, it had no other expression either. It just stared indifferently at Zhou You for a while, and then, with a gust of wind, it dispersed like ashes.

"Congratulations to the player for completing the side quest: Escape."

The player has gained a temporary green talent: Basic Acting.

"Effect: In interactions with others, you can use acting skills to forcibly conceal your emotional fluctuations, so that the other party will not suspect you."

"Fooling people is an art, fooling ghosts is an even greater art, and what you've learned so far is just the tip of the iceberg."

"The game progress has been automatically saved."

"The night patrol mission is halfway complete. Players are encouraged to keep up the good work and complete this scenario as soon as possible."

Hearing this voice, Zhou You was not at ease; instead, his expression turned somewhat strange.

—The mission is indeed completed, but more and more problems are arising.

First, the identity of the lord should be confirmed. He is the richest man in the city, surnamed Liu, and the instigator of all this. But how did he, a human being, come up with this script?
Secondly, what was the sound the children heard in the mansion? Was it related to the Buddha statue? And what does it mean to be integrated into one?
Thirdly, it seems the patriarch received some reward through those children, but why did he later say that if he didn't find more, he would be the next one to sacrifice himself?

Now there are many more clues, but unfortunately, as mentioned before, there are still no key points that can be connected.

"It seems the script reveals more and more as we go on—but never mind, I can't think of anything right now, so let's just continue this patrol."

Thinking of this, Zhou You looked ahead.

There's a crossroads after the alley.

According to the patrol map, this intersection leads to the final destination, Changsongpo, no matter which direction you take. It seems very simple, without any special markings. However...
"Isn't this obviously asking me to gamble?"

There's one path forward, one to the left, and one to the right. Choose one of these three paths and then gamble on whether you can find the exit.

Zhou You actually disliked this kind of game that relied entirely on luck—because for some reason, he always had bad luck when it came to this kind of game—but since the other party had designed it this way, he had no choice but to comply.

"Men go left, women go right, ladyboys go to the middle, so I'll go to the left first."

Zhou You chose one side and went straight in.

The night grew deeper.

In this dilapidated neighborhood, only the rustling sounds from the stairwell could be heard.

Having already patrolled several times, Zhou You had become quite accustomed to the current environment, so his pace was very steady, and he quickly completed half of the journey.

Unfortunately, what was that saying again?

Things in this world rarely go as planned.

Zhou You's predictions about his luck have always been correct.

Just after he turned a corner, the bell on his wrist suddenly rang.

Then, this person saw something they absolutely did not want to see.

A woman in a white dress sat in the middle of the road, hugging her knees, looking as if she were crying.

But under the streetlights...
She has no shadow.

(End of this chapter)