You made all the streamers on the internet kneel before you when you were asked to make a game.

[System notification: You have drunk the "Wine of Unity".]

[You have acquired the temporary status: The Ghost Bride's Son-in-Law.]

[Status Effect: Your "Yang Qi" has been obscured by Yin Qi. Within the Village of the Wrongfully Dead, ordinary wandering spirits will regard you as one of their own and will not attack you unless provoked.]

[Status Restriction: Every 30 minutes, you must return to the "Wedding Room" and be with your bride; otherwise, the yin energy will erode your soul, causing a "frozen" effect that continuously drains your health.]

Brother Long was stunned. Such a good thing?

Isn't this just a protective buff?

He looked at the ghost bride who was still covered by a red cloth. She seemed very satisfied with his drinking, and her stiff body swayed slightly as if to express her joy.

"My lord..."

The ghost bride's hoarse voice rang out again, and she reached out her cold, stiff hand, as if she wanted to take his hand.

Brother Long was startled and quickly took half a step back, forcing a smile.

"Honey, I...I'll go out and find you something good to eat!"

After saying that, he turned and ran, not daring to stay a moment longer.

This time, the ghost bride didn't chase after him; she simply stood quietly and watched him leave.

After running dozens of meters away, Brother Long dared to look back, and the ghost bride was still standing at the door.

"Phew... I survived."

Brother Long let out a long breath, feeling that his back was completely soaked.

He opened his live stream, ready to boast to his viewers about his wit.

But when he looked at the game screen, he froze.

The village, which was originally gray and lifeless, now appeared strangely vibrant in his eyes.

On the collapsed earthen wall, the moss was a dark, almost blackish green, like flowing pus.

The scattered paper money on the ground was no longer a ghastly white color, but instead shimmered with an eerie seven-colored light, and the faces on each one seemed to be smiling at him.

The blood-red disc in the distance now appeared even more crimson, like a giant eyeball covered in bloodshot veins.

"Holy crap... what's going on? The color is fading?"

Brother Long rubbed his eyes, but the scene before him remained unchanged.

The live stream chat was filled with blank stares.

[Brother Long, what are you saying? Hasn't the game screen always been like this?]

Yeah, it's so gray and drab, it's almost blinding me.

Is the streamer hallucinating? We suggest restarting the stream.

Brother Long's heart sank.

He got it.

It's not that the game's colors have faded.

His vision has been "alienated".

What he is seeing now is the world as seen through the eyes of a ghost.

Just then, a player ran out from the alley next door and saw Brother Long as if he had seen a savior.

"Bro! Any food? I'm starving!"

As the player spoke, he took a white steamed bun from his inventory and handed it over.

To the viewers in the live stream, it was just an ordinary steamed bun.

But in Brother Long's eyes, what the player handed over was a lump of rotting flesh wriggling with white maggots.

A strong, foul stench assaulted his skull.

"vomit--"

Brother Long vomited on the spot.

He backed away, pointing at the player and shouting in terror, "Get it away! Get that thing away from me!"

The player was completely bewildered by his outburst.

【What?! Brother Long has gone mad? It's just a steamed bun.】

I understand! This is the price! The price of becoming a demon!

[Damn, this setup is insane! He sees normal things as disgusting, so... what things are normal to him?]

The answer to this question came quickly.

Brother Long stumbled and ran, his hunger growing stronger.

He passed by a dilapidated house and saw a bowl of rice on the altar inside.

A bowl of rice with a pair of chopsticks stuck in it.

To others, it was food for the dead, emanating a cold, deathly aura.

But in Brother Long's eyes, the bowl of rice was steaming hot, the grains were crystal clear, and it was emitting an enticing aroma.

His throat bobbed involuntarily.

"Gulp."

"Brothers...I..."

Brother Long's rational mind was screaming frantically, telling him he couldn't eat it.

But his body seemed to move out of his control, and he walked step by step toward the altar.

In the live stream, tens of millions of viewers watched as their tough-guy anchor, like a beggar who hadn't eaten for three days, picked up the offering for the dead.

Without even hesitation, he shoveled a large mouthful into his mouth.

"Smack, smack..."

The sound of chewing was exceptionally clear in the quiet, dilapidated house.

As Brother Long ate, tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.

His mouth was filled with the taste of dirt and rotting leaves.

But his game character was letting out a satisfied sigh.

His brain was resisting, his soul was crying.

But his body was enjoying it.

"Brothers..."

Brother Long spoke indistinctly to the live stream audience.

"I...I feel like I can't go back."

"But this food..."

"It smells so good!"

At that moment, the mockery in the live stream stopped.

The chat fell into a long, silent silence.

A fear deeper and more powerless than being chased by ghosts enveloped the hearts of every viewer.

They looked at the man on the screen, wolfing down his food, as if they were seeing a soul being swallowed up by the world.

Happiness Apartment, Room 404.

Hao Ren held his coffee and calmly watched this scene.

The shock level in the background didn't explode as instantly as before.

But it continues to rise in a slow and steady manner.

[Deep Fear from "Audience A" +10]

[Cognitive confusion from "Audience B" +15]

[Physical discomfort from "Audience C" +12]

……

While the rampaging dragon brother embarked on an irreversible path of "food," most ordinary players faced a more realistic problem.

survive.

The village was filled with danger, where people died unjustly.

The little girl crying by the roadside might be a faceless demon.

The woman retrieving things from the well might be a water ghost.

Even a seemingly safe empty house might be inhabited by a ghost bride who wants to "consummate your marriage".

Players quickly discovered that simply hiding wasn't enough to survive in this horrific place.

You need supplies.

You need information.

You need... money.

But here, federal credits are worthless.

The currency used in the Village of the Wrongfully Dead is a different kind.

Ghost money (paper money used for the dead).

After cautiously exploring for half an hour, a player with the ID "I'm Not a Navigator" finally discovered a strange market on the edge of the mass grave on the west side of the village.

There were no hawkers' cries, only utter silence.

A dozen or so stalls were scattered along the roadside.

The stall owners were also "ghosts" in various forms.

Some were missing an arm, some were missing a leg, and some only had half a head.

They sat expressionless behind their stalls, staring blankly at the "people" passing by.

"I'm not bad at directions," I said, mustering my courage as I walked up to a stall.

The stall owner was an old woman without a chin, who was using a bone needle to mend a tattered funeral shroud.

There were a few items on her stall.

A dark, lumpy object, resembling the hoof of some kind of animal.

[Black Donkey Hoof (Imitation): Has a slight effect against zombie-like creatures. Price: 100 Ghost Coins.]

A stack of yellow paper talismans drawn with distorted symbols.

[Home Protection Talisman (Inferior Quality): Placed on the door, it can ward off a low-level wandering spirit once. Price: 50 Ghost Coins.]

There was also a small bottle containing a red liquid.

Chicken blood (congealed): A substance of yang energy; applying it to the body can temporarily dispel yin energy. Price: 20 ghost coins.

These are all life-saving items!

"I'm not bad at directions!" he exclaimed excitedly, and quickly opened his inventory.

Empty.

"Um...Grandma," he asked cautiously, "how can I get this ghost money?"