I, the screenwriter, have experienced a resurgence of inspiration.

As evening fell and the sky began to lighten with a gray haze, businesses along the ten-kilometer stretch of Taiping Cemetery gradually began to close.

The once bustling hot pot restaurant suddenly became deserted after 6 p.m., as if the diners and the owner had some tacit agreement. Customers were leaving but not coming in.

……

The aroma of butter wafted out with the drizzling rain. Song Mo sniffed it twice, but couldn't smell anything.

One shopkeeper, mistaking her for a customer, shook his head and sighed at her.

"Little sister, if you can't have hot pot, you should hurry home too."

"Boss, are you closing so early?"

Song Mo readily chimed in, "Your business seems to be doing quite well."

"Business has been booming lately. We've had people coming in for hot pot every day during the day, but they don't let us leave at night. I heard they're having a 'dungeon raid' then!"

The shop owner smiled, revealing two dimples on his cheeks, and a customer struck up a conversation with him:

"Boss, give me some chili powder—you know, who would have thought that I'd have to check the 'instance warning' first thing in the morning, more often than the weather forecast?"

The shopkeeper skillfully weighed out the items the customer wanted and then replied:

"That's right. In the past, people would say that 'ghosts' and 'monsters' were feudal superstitions, and burning paper money at graves was considered a bad custom."

Now, things have gotten really bad. Just yesterday, our community received some kind of "Safety Guidelines for Citizens," a red-covered booklet, delivered door-to-door like the old fire prevention manuals.

My child's school has added emergency drills, supposedly to teach them how to hide in case of paranormal phenomena and how to call the Special Investigation Bureau.

"That's right. My sister told me last week that everyone in college wears amulets, and these days amulets are very expensive at temples."

Diners lowered their voices and shared gossip without any reservations with a "stranger" from the late Song Dynasty:

"My nephew works as an auxiliary police officer in the Special Investigations Bureau. He says that although there are only three visible agents, there are actually hundreds more hidden, and they're all incredibly dangerous. Anyone who goes in will die!"

Copy creator Song Mo: "..."

She tried hard to recall, but couldn't find any information about "hundreds of copies".

"Keep your voice down, don't talk nonsense." The boss waved his hand but didn't object.

……

……

This is Jiangcheng after its spiritual energy has been restored.

Everyone knows about dungeons, but everyone also fears them.

No one knows exactly when the changes occurred.

These changes came quickly and suddenly, even happening quietly.

Sometimes, it's a clap of thunder, a summer rain, or a strong wind.

Changes have already occurred.

Just like ten years ago, if someone said, "Ten years from now, the streets will be full of trams, drones will be able to deliver food from the sky, and you can order anything you need online."

Everyone would think this is a fantasy.

But when people truly come to their senses and realize that "change" has occurred:

Hybrid electric cars are already on the road, and drone technology is being applied to all aspects of life.

The changes regarding dungeons and the supernatural have also subtly and pervasively seeped into everyone's daily lives.

Perhaps by the time everyone realizes it, they'll all be used to it.

The late Song dynasty never doubted the resilience of "human beings".

She rode a shared bicycle, pulling Ah Yan, who was invisible to ordinary people, all the way up Binjiang Road.

Half of the bus stop space is occupied by real estate developments and bubble tea shops, while the other half is occupied by public service advertisements from the Special Investigation Bureau.

"Stay away from the restricted areas of the instance. If you encounter any abnormalities, please call 12379."

The large screen in the square plays safety science animations on a loop, with cartoon characters demonstrating "Don't turn around when you hear strange crying" and "Don't go into unfamiliar doors".

The art style is exactly the same as that of anti-fraud propaganda videos.

In each community's bulletin board, besides notices of water and power outages and anti-fraud propaganda, the most prominent position is always occupied by a copy of the security guide.

The text is in black on a white background, and below it is the contact number for community staff.

In addition to urging for vaccines and checking fire safety, the neighborhood committee aunties have taken on an extra task:

They went door-to-door to count whether any residents had visited the copy, registered them, created files, and conducted regular follow-up visits.

"Emergency preparedness and safety lessons" have been added to the curriculum of primary and secondary schools.

Do not pick up unfamiliar items on the roadside, do not accept paper from strangers, do not answer if you hear someone calling your name but do not see the person clearly, and walk around areas under lockdown.

In addition to textbooks and water bottles, students' backpacks should also contain an official emergency kit, which includes a flashlight, whistle, cinnabar powder, a positioning device, and a one-button alarm.

Guiyuan Temple, located on the west side of the city, used to be crowded with worshippers only on the first and fifteenth of each lunar month, but now it is packed with people every day.

The pilgrims are not only elderly, but also include more students in school uniforms and white-collar workers in suits.

Praying for peace and good fortune, the price of amulets blessed at the temple has risen to 188 yuan each, and even then, demand still exceeds supply.

Fortune-telling, face reading, and tarot card shops have sprung up like mushrooms after rain.

Of course, whether it can actually exorcise ghosts is debatable, but it certainly made a lot of money.

……

……

The topics of conversation on the streets have also changed.

In the past, everyone talked about housing prices, wages, and children's schooling.

Now, as the conversation goes on, nine out of ten sentences veer into the topic of dungeons:

"Have you heard? Last week, bus route 404 took someone in again, and the ambulance siren wailed all night."

"My colleague's friend's sister said that after entering a dungeon, she became stronger and could carry two buckets of water up five floors without any effort."

"My distant relative used to work in the public sector, but I heard he awakened some kind of professional talent and has now been specially recruited into a hospital. He's been given a permanent position and the benefits are amazing."

—Although the official channels have tried to control the information, with the increase in the number of non-official players, some information about the "dungeon" is simply impossible to hide.

Some people avoid dungeons like the plague, while others flock to them.

Ordinary people work honestly and live their lives, fearing that one day they might be pulled into a dungeon while walking down the street.

More often than not, people want to enter the dungeon and try their luck, hoping to achieve instant success.

Those with terminal illnesses, those who are desperate, the wealthy, the powerful, and those who are eyeing the extraordinary powers within the dungeon in hopes of achieving immortality…

They were like sharks that had keenly sensed the smell of blood, circling around the instance.

……

……

"Is this Taiping Cemetery?"

At the end of the Song Dynasty, he took off his helmet, stared at the three-kilometer-long cordon for a long time, and finally managed to utter a few words:

"Everyone's a true fan... just joining in the fun."

I thought she was the only bystander.

The area within a three-kilometer radius of the 404 bus route was cordoned off.

Armed police are on duty 24 hours a day, drones patrol along the border, and loudspeakers broadcast safety reminders on a loop from morning till night.

"Dungeon raids are risky; your safety is paramount!"

Don't let momentary curiosity ruin your life!

"Dungeons aren't games; you only get one life!"

What was once a deserted riverside avenue has been transformed into a popular spot for taking photos online.

Even though it was nighttime, the streets were as lively as if it were daytime.

A variety of stall lights and live-streaming lights lined up, illuminating the densely packed crowd.

The cacophony of voices, hawkers' cries, and livestream shouts mingled together, enveloped in the aroma of barbecue and sausages.

"Hello everyone, welcome to Lili's live stream! Lili will be with you while you wait for the dungeon!"

"Bombarded giant squid, whose cold noodles have eggs, stinky tofu, and cheese?!"

"Fragrant and crispy imperial beef pies, ten yuan each!"

"Where's the dungeon? Didn't they say there was a ghost bus? When will we see it?"

"Don't push, you stepped on my shoes! Honey, buy a cup of hot milk rice wine!"

There are vendors selling grilled sausages, grilled cold noodles, and fried skewers; vendors selling bottled water and energy drinks; vendors selling glow sticks and nightlights; and even vendors selling "printed dungeon guides" and "comprehension practice questions."

In short, it lacked any of the eeriness one would expect from a cemetery.

……

……

"I need to reflect on this. I still have a lot to learn about the spirit of 'watching the drama unfold'."

Song Mo squeezed into the crowd, holding two iced coconuts in his right hand and a freshly fried starch sausage in his left, making a "crunching" sound as he bit into it.

She was wearing a plain white T-shirt, jeans, and her canvas shoes were a little muddy.

She blended into the crowd of onlookers and was completely inconspicuous.

No one knew that she was the culprit who had been stirring up trouble in Jiangcheng for the past few months.

The vengeful ghost Ah Yan had never been to such a lively place before, and now she was so excited that she was shedding tears of blood.

"My lord, my lord, there are so many people! But my brother isn't here!"

Ah Yan circled around Song Mo and said, "There are even more people than when I came last time, huh?"

Following her gaze, Song Mo saw an old man who looked to be over eighty years old squatting by the roadside, selling "auspiciously blessed talismans".

A question mark slowly rose above Song Mo's head.

……

……

Seemingly sensing the doubt in the customer's eyes, the old man angrily puffed out his beard and glared, his voice booming with energy:

"This was drawn by a professional Taoist priest. He used lightning-struck wood dipped in century-old cinnabar to draw the talisman on specially made yellow paper, guaranteeing to increase the probability of entering the dungeon—"

This is a life-saving talisman. Once you tear it open, you can escape the dungeon directly, just like a god-tier item in a game, you know?

Also, this is an exorcism talisman, capable of slaying evil spirits and dispelling abnormalities.

"Little sister, if there are frequent noises in your house at night, what other unusual sounds could you hear...?"

The stall owner smiled mysteriously, stroked his beard, and exuded an air of otherworldly wisdom.

"Take this talisman home, and I guarantee no evil spirits will dare to bother you."

The vengeful ghost Ah Yan floated beside him, slowly tilting her head and reaching out to touch the talisman.

The yellow talisman paper showed no abnormalities.

Song Mo took out his phone to scan the QR code: "How much?"

"Eighteen thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight, no bargaining."

"Ten yuan."

"Okay, thank you for coming. Please come again next time."

……