Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 346 Fantasy
The person died in the early hours of the morning.

According to the student guarding the gate, to prevent the man from doing anything rash, he slept on a makeshift bed at the gate and listened to the crying for almost half the night. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and managed to doze off for a while.

When he opened his eyes again, the crying had stopped. He had assumed that the other person had also fallen asleep because they couldn't bear it anymore. But when he went into the room, he found only an empty bed and nothing else.

Zhou You squatted down and pressed the tear-stained sheets with the back of his hand.

Although it was already cold, judging from the wrinkles and some subtle details, the person hadn't been gone for very long.

Then raise your head.

The luggage was still intact. Although a bunch of things had been rummaged through and messed up, the most important outdoor gear had not been taken.

And most importantly.

There were no signs of fighting or violence here.

He stood up and asked Professor Zhang, who had arrived earlier.

"He doesn't seem to have encountered any trouble. Could he have just walked out on his own?"

However, before Professor Zhang could speak, the male student guarding the door firmly rejected the idea.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible! I was a little confused at the time, but if someone really passed by, they would definitely have heard clearly. Besides, there's only one road, and I was guarding the door. How could a grown man possibly bypass me?"

That makes sense. Zhou You looked around again and then shook his head.

Unlike his room, this couple's room was a separate partitioned room with a narrow passageway and no windows. Unless the person had the ability to burrow underground, there was no way they could just slip out like that.

There's only one possible outcome.

So, this person was also pulled into that illusion?
However, at that moment, the male student started shouting again.

"Teacher, I told you about those guys a long time ago."

Professor Zhang shuddered and hurriedly tried to cover his student's mouth.

"Shut up! How long have I told you not to mess with the locals during the research trip? Why won't you listen?"

Unexpectedly, this time his student did not comply, but instead struggled to break free.

"Teacher, this time I have to say what I should say, and what I shouldn't say! Look at the attitude of these villagers, and think about their sneaky behavior. It's obvious they're behind this person's disappearance! Don't stop me, I'm going to find them right now."

The male student made a move to rush out, while the other female student was completely at a loss and had no idea what to do.

Seeing that the two were each sticking to their own version of events and their argument was getting more and more heated, even to the point of looking like they were about to come to blows, Zhou You shook his head—he couldn't very well say that the two of them were probably still dreaming—so he went outside to get some fresh air.

However, he was suddenly taken aback when he saw the view outside the hotel.

In just one night, the town had been completely transformed.

Bright red lanterns were hung on the eaves, just like in the dream. The shops that had been empty were cleaned out, and although it was only those facing the street, festive couplets were pasted on the pillars.

But these are not the most important.

Most importantly, all the walls in those streets and alleys were covered with strange symbols!
The symbols were deep red and almost distorted, like earthworms crawling all over the stone wall. Zhou You frowned, walked forward, gently wiped off a small piece, and then sniffed it slightly.

A strong smell of blood wafted over him, but it wasn't the human blood he was familiar with; it was something like pig's blood or duck's blood.

Wait, this place is starting to look more and more like the set of a B-movie horror movie?

Zhou You scratched his head, but did not react violently.

The symbol does look quite eerie, but it doesn't contain any magical power, let alone have any connection to the divinity in the dream.

However, just to be on the safe side, he lit a yellow talisman—but as the smoke swirled, his gaze became increasingly interesting. He took a step back, looking at the symbols as if they were some bizarre contraption.

"No way, this thing..."

However, before he could finish speaking, the people inside came out noisily.

Upon seeing this scene, the students' minds went blank for a moment before the male student shouted angrily.

"Professor, have you ever seen this sight anywhere else? This is clearly a lewd and evil ritual, we... Waaaaaah!"

Professor Zhang had to exert a lot of effort to subdue his student. He quickly looked around and, seeing that no one else was around, whispered to Zhou You.

"Well, I discussed it with them, and we think there's definitely something wrong here. So we're planning to go down the mountain to another village to hide for a while, and then look for the two missing people when the police arrive. Young man, you'd better come with us, otherwise, what if something really happens?"

The idea is good; in a horror movie, this character would at least be the last to die. But...
Thirty minutes later, the three stood several miles away from the village, dumbfounded.

This is a bridge—or rather, there should have been a bridge here—but now there is only a dark, precipice.

This Shengyuan Town is located deep in the mountains, and its connection with the outside world depends entirely on this road and bridge built by the national poverty alleviation policy. Now that the bridge is broken, where can they go?
Zhou You held the broken steel bar, tilting his head to look at it for a long time, until Professor Zhang, with a long face, came over to ask him a question, and only then did he look away.

"What should we do? It looks like the bridge was washed away by the flash flood. It's not safe to camp out here, and besides, it's not far away. They could find us anytime if they wanted to. So, should we go back first?"

The group's expressions clearly showed their displeasure, but hearing the faint howls echoing through the mountains, they could only grit their teeth and decide to turn back first.

Fortunately, no one in the town found them—or perhaps the townspeople simply didn't care whether they were missing or not.

The few dozen people remaining in the town were all busy working, and no one paid any attention to them. Before returning, the male student kept saying that it must have been these bastards who blew up the bridge, but now, after being swept by that indifferent gaze, he swallowed all his words in embarrassment.

No one spoke on the construction site; it was as if everyone was mute. Professor Zhang, at least, was quick-witted. After a few minutes of stunned silence, he hurriedly pulled Zhou You and his students to make a quick getaway.

Looking at the townspeople who seemed like zombies, he still sighed.

"Well, it's no wonder they treat us this way. Apparently, when the government wanted to develop this town, these people strongly opposed it, but they couldn't fight city hall, especially since the government meant well. In the end, we, who contributed economically, are caught in the middle."

When they returned to the hotel, everyone except Zhou You looked fearful and uneasy.

But how do you say that?

When people are pushed to their limits, they will always unleash some of their potential.

Faced with a life-or-death crisis, the group quickly devised a plan.

First and foremost, everyone had to take turns keeping watch before bed each night—of course, this wasn't a long-term solution, but Professor Zhang confidently assured them that in their line of work, if they couldn't be contacted for several days, there would definitely be rescue from outside, and everyone should be able to hold out for a few days and be rescued. As for what happened after that... Zhou You didn't listen anymore.

Throughout, he remained noncommittal, only nodding and giving a perfunctory response when actually asked.

And time just passed by little by little.

Before you knew it, it was dark again.

The innkeeper had not returned, and it was unclear whether he was still preparing for the mountain god ritual or something else. The restaurant was also not open—and even if it were open, no one dared to eat there now, and people just made do with compressed biscuits and well water.

Zhou You was on guard duty until the latter half of the night, so after greeting Professor Zhang, he went back inside.

Unlike the others who were filled with fear and anxiety, he wasn't worried about anything happening. He had already seen everyone in the town; although they all had strange personalities, they were all ordinary people without any magical powers. As for the deity he had glimpsed in his dream, it had indeed startled him, but he hadn't seen any of its tentacles extend into reality.

So Zhou You is now more curious.

—I am very curious.

Besides that god, there is clearly an invisible ghost guiding everything in this town—entering dreams, disappearing, and performing sacrifices. But what is its purpose? And is it friend or foe?
And all of this, perhaps, can only be seen in dreams.

When I woke up again, the first thing I felt was excruciating pain all over my body, as if my body had fallen apart.

—Holy crap, this guy got beaten up again?
Zhou You grimaced and lifted his shirt. Sure enough, the guy's injuries hadn't improved; in fact, they had gotten worse.

No, it's not just "more serious" that's an understatement.

The kid was covered in bruises and wounds of all sizes, and some places even showed signs of necrosis. Zhou You gasped and groped around, the only saving grace being that his bones weren't broken—but after being beaten like this, it didn't really matter whether they were broken or not.

Zhou You gritted his teeth, first took out the Wine Immortal Gourd from the Diancang Ring, gulped down a few mouthfuls, then filled his mouth with it and sprayed it onto the most severely necrotic area. Finally, he tore off a few strips of cloth from his body and used them as bandages to wrap around the area.

Only then did he regain some of his mobility.

The excruciating pain was still eroding his nerves, and when he stood up, his vision blurred for a moment, and he collapsed to the ground while donating blood.

—This is clearly a symptom of excessive bleeding.

Similarly, he hadn't experienced these symptoms in a long time since he became a night watchman.

"Well, this is certainly novel enough..."

The stable was now empty, with only rotting straw emitting a pungent stench. Zhou You staggered to his feet and, as he had done before, pushed open the door.

however.

next second.

He immediately turned it off.

Rubbed his eyes.

Wait, did I just misread something?
He took a deep breath and opened the door again.

The market outside is still the same.

The people being bought and sold are no longer people.

The traffic was heavy and the noise never stopped.

The lanterns along the street are still there, creating a festive atmosphere—but if you look closely, you'll see that they are actually one lantern after another.

As for what happened below, it wasn't a normal business transaction either.

The meat skewers sizzled and dripped with oil over the charcoal fire, their aroma wafting through the smoke, but the ingredients were—

(The review failed due to the following keywords: manpower, sugar figurine, human head lantern)
The entire street seemed to have turned into a demonic realm, where the shops and vendors were no longer selling goods, but living human lives!

Zhou You naturally recognized it, after all, he had just seen something similar not long ago.

"Damn it, that dead baby is still chasing me!"

Zhou You carefully bolted the door, then dragged himself, inching toward the window.

If he had descended in his original form, he could have tried to fight his way out—after all, these ghost merchants weren't particularly strong. But unfortunately, his body was as broken as a rag, and Duanxie was unusable, so he had to settle for second best.

First, avoid their sharp edge, find the key point of this script, and then talk about the childhood sweetheart of this body, Ruan Yuanqing!

The dark clouds in the sky pressed down harder and harder, as if they were about to engulf the small town. Countless distorted faces appeared on the surrounding walls, each with its mouth agape, each with a look of wanting to devour—

However, every time they approached, an angry shout would rang out.

"I don't have time for you, get out of here!"

The sound seemed to transform into rolling waves, with even Buddhist chants within it, causing those faces to involuntarily retreat slightly.

Although they immediately broke free of their restraints and peered into the alley again.

But at this moment, before their very eyes, the person had already vanished without a trace.

And so, after an unknown amount of time, until his body felt completely exhausted, Zhou You finally arrived at his destination.

Pain has become the only sensation now, and even the Wine Immortal Gourd can hardly suppress it. However, the owner of this body still knocks on the door with amazing perseverance.

After a while, a lazy voice finally rang out.

Who is it?

Upon opening the door, laziness instantly turned into mockery.

—It was still the missing wife. Unlike the other strange occurrences around her, her face remained unchanged. She yawned, looked at her bruised and swollen face, and sneered disdainfully.

"What? It's you again, you self-righteous idiot! Do you really think you can escape Master Jiang's men and leave this town? You're dreaming. Let me tell you, stop harassing my daughter—her father has already agreed, and after the mountain god festival ends in a few days, she'll be marrying into the Jiang family as Master Jiang's concubine!"

P.S.: Just to clarify, this chapter went through several revisions, and each time it was sent back for rewriting. It's probably because the cannibalistic descriptions are really unacceptable. You guys can imagine it, folks; there was just no other way.
(End of this chapter)