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

Overseas social media platforms have also been severely impacted.

At first, many people thought that Hong Kong would become the second Tokyo and were waiting to see what would happen.

It wasn't until more and more Reuters videos appeared, along with on-site reports from foreign media correspondents in Hong Kong, that many people realized—

The underworld is actually real.

A portal to the afterlife has truly appeared in Huaxia Port City!

My God! This is incredible! The afterlife really exists!

I need to go to Hong Kong! I need to see my wife! She died in a car accident last year, and I didn't even get to see her one last time!

So is it heaven or hell there? I don't understand.

[Flying devices? Superpowers? This is practically a real-life metaverse!]

The Chinese government must release all copies of this information! This is a treasure for all humanity!

On Reddit and Twitter, related topics have been discussed repeatedly.

Countless people booked flights to Hong Kong.

Adventure blogger, paranormal enthusiast, tycoon, mercenary, missionary, agent of the American Bureau of Paranormal Investigation, sorcerer of the Japanese Yin-Yang Bureau, researcher of the Russian Special Phenomena Committee...

Everyone knows what game items mean.

Whoever masters the secrets first will likely gain an advantage in the next era.

People with different purposes flock to this modern city from all over the world.

There is only one purpose: the underworld ghost market.

……

……

……

On the day the "Interim Regulations on the Control of the Import and Export of Supernatural Items" were officially announced, the number of inbound passengers at Hong Kong Port International Airport reached a peak in nearly 20 years.

The regulations clearly stipulate:

1. All supernatural items obtained in the instance are personal property, but are specially controlled items. After obtaining them, they must be registered with the special investigation department.

2. All transactions involving supernatural items must be conducted through a legitimate platform (Lingjing). The private sale, purchase, or smuggling of supernatural items is strictly prohibited. Violators will have their items confiscated and will be subject to criminal prosecution, with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

3. It is strictly forbidden for any foreign individual or organization to send personnel to the copy without authorization. Violators will be severely punished in accordance with the law.

IV. Customs and ports will strengthen inspections and strictly prohibit the unauthorized export of supernatural items.

The regulations sparked another round of heated discussions online.

[This should have been regulated a long time ago! What if they sell all the equipment if they don't stop?]

[Why register? They risked their lives for this, why should they register? Is it so that those in power can choose them?]

[Upstairs, it's not confiscation, it's registration! The items are still yours, but you can't sell them overseas! They have to be traded through legitimate channels! You have to pay taxes!]

[I'm laughing so hard I'm getting rich! Even game items have to be taxed by the government, hahaha. It feels absurd yet incredibly reassuring.]

Why not just trade within the instance?

[Are you kidding me? If you get killed and robbed in a dungeon, nobody will know. At least your life is guaranteed if you go through legitimate channels.]

[Yeah, if you don't pay taxes, where will the money for infrastructure come from? Do you think those dungeon shelters came from?]

I support this. If foreigners buy up all the rare items, we'll be the ones who suffer in the end!

The majority of people support the regulations, but many others feel they are too strict and choose to conduct transactions privately.

However, many people have misunderstood the power of the "law" and the state apparatus.

On the afternoon the regulations were implemented, customs uncovered three cases of smuggling game items, seizing more than a dozen items including amulets, yin pills, blood-replenishing pills, and water grass, and arresting seven smugglers.

……

……

……

The arrival hall was packed with people of all skin colors and speaking various languages, carrying large and small bags, their eyes filled with curiosity and excitement.

Two Japanese men stood in the queue, their brows furrowed, conversing in hushed Japanese:

「ここまで copy が openly と existence しているとは...Tokyo でも口开け女の目撃talk がphase times いでるのに、governmental はまだ「rumourだ」と言い张ってる. What is the true nature of the Chinese nation and the blessing and protection of God? "

(I never expected that the copy here would be so openly displayed... The sighting reports of the Slit-Mouthed Woman in Tokyo are piling up, but the government is still stubbornly insisting it's a rumor. Is there really a divine protection in China?)

Two young British men with backpacks next to me were taking pictures of the security setup in the lobby with their phones. One of them turned around and said something:

"...Friends, the banshees of death in the Scottish Highlands have been howling for a whole month, and the authorities have even labeled the witnesses as having 'mass hysteria'."

And look here—they've started auctioning off dungeon items! My God, this is insane!

Have you heard about the Jersey Devil?

Last week, the U.S. government announced that they had caught one in Pinewood and transported it directly to Area 51 for dissection.

There is also a weeping woman in white who kills lone children every day on the banks of the Grand River.

So, could the port city instance be considered the first large-scale instance to be publicly revealed—hey, we're practically adventurers in the game!

"To be honest, I thought Hong Kong would become the next Tokyo. It's unbelievable. How did China manage to do that?"

"Does such a thing as 'gods' really exist?"

"...I don't know about that, but paranormal events have already occurred outside Moscow—there are people here walking out of the instance with props. We need to figure out how the Chinese did it."

……

……

The airport hotel shuttle buses are running one after another, but they are still in short supply.

Hotels in Mong Kok, Yau Ma Tei, and Tsim Sha Tsui have seen prices increase fivefold, yet rooms are still hard to find.

Many private houses have been converted into temporary guesthouses, specifically to accommodate out-of-towners who come to "seek their dreams".

On the streets and alleys, you can see foreigners carrying backpacks and holding maps, asking around for directions to the Shengjing Building.

The dungeon entrance is no secret.

With so many returning residents, the location of the unfinished Shengjing Building has long been thoroughly investigated.

But no one dared to go in casually.

Of those who go in, only one or two out of ten will come out; most become wandering ghosts in the underworld.

Most people are taking a wait-and-see approach.

Teams are forming, equipment is being purchased, and intelligence is being gathered, all waiting for the most opportune moment.

In the tea restaurant, those sharing tables are all "adventurers" from different countries.

A small team of players from mainland China, fully equipped, were studying the route on the map.

"...Shengjing Building is the entrance to the instance. Once inside, find a security guard and stay there."

"Only by entering the Shengjing Building will you obtain a player identity; otherwise, you will be sent back by the Black and White Impermanence."

"When the Black and White Impermanence are patrolling the streets, you must hide inside a building, don't look up, and don't make eye contact."

"If you encounter a ghost in the stairwell and it makes a request of you, you must grant it."

"If you encounter an old woman who's been 'villainous' (or 'petty' in Chinese folklore), you must quickly kick over the memorial tablet at her feet before you can leave—"

The information, both true and false, was all bought at high prices from the returnees.

……

……

At the next table were two sorcerers from Southeast Asia, dressed strangely, with Buddhist amulets around their necks, and speaking in a language I couldn't understand.

There was a small jar on the table, but I didn't know what it contained.

Another table was filled with mercenaries from America, wearing tactical vests, with guns tucked into their belts, and looking wary.

The unfinished Shengjing Building has suddenly become a popular tourist attraction worldwide.

—If Lu Bingkun were still alive, the Lu family would probably develop this unfinished building directly and make a fortune through the dungeon.

Unfortunately, almost all of the leaders of the Lu family are dead, and the group is currently in a chaotic power struggle.

Therefore, the development of the unfinished building was completely shelved.

Every night, people wait in the unfinished building with paper money in their hands, and some even pay a lot of money to move in directly.

In this way, even the Special Investigation Bureau couldn't do anything about it.

Some want money, some want to see their relatives, some want to become players, and some want excitement.

The Shengjing Building is like a giant beast with its mouth wide open—swallowing countless people with obsessive desires.

Everyone was obsessed with the idea that they were the special one.

……

……

……

The underworld is turned upside down, within the magnificent mansion.

Chen Xi opened her eyes and found herself hanging on a clothes rack made of human bones.

Fang Jie, who was faceless, was facing away from her, her scissors gently cutting through the human skin, making a crisp "snip snip" sound.

Was it Sister Fang, the skinning ghost, who saved him?

Chen Xi's eyes showed suspicion when a pale, cold hand suddenly fell beside her ear:

"Beautiful lady, don't be afraid."

Even through a white cloth, Chen Shulan's smile was palpable as she stood before Chen Xi.

"You are Miss Chen, and I am Miss Chen too."

"You're a player, and so am I."

Ghosts can also be players?

Chen Xi even ignored his current situation and fell into deep doubt.