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

……

【Soul-Guiding Incense (200 points/stick): When lit, it emits a unique fragrance that only ghosts can smell.】

【Returning Soul Incense (500 points/stick): An upgraded version of the Soul-Guiding Incense, effective against vengeful and evil spirits. However, be aware that you may not be able to send away what you attract.】

【Soul-Stabilizing Nails (800 points/set, containing seven): Seven copper nails, driven into the ground according to the orientation of the Big Dipper, can form a temporary safe zone within a seven-foot radius.

Ghosts in the area will become sluggish.

[Spiritual Ink (100 points/bottle): Dipped in a raven feather, it can write messages visible only to ghosts on any surface.]

[Corpse Oil Candle (300 points/candle): When lit, it emits a ghastly green light. Within the range of the green light, all invisible ghosts will become visible.]

……

……

……

While Chen Xi and the others were browsing the store catalog, Evelyn and the others wisely turned their backs.

Chen Xi quickly tallied the remaining points for each person.

Kang Xiaojia, 120 points; Wang Lei, 80 points; Jiang Chen, 80 points.

—Kang Xiaojia's points were earned by healing others. The combined points of the three people weren't even enough to buy a powerful attack item.

"You can buy batons, or security guard uniforms."

Chen Xi quickly analyzed in a low voice: "Doctors are relatively weak in combat and need defensive items. It's unclear whether the building security uniform is a one-time use item, but it can add fifty points of defense."

Most importantly, what's the difference between a defensive item that can be bought for 20 points and one that's given away for free?

After all, the building security uniform plus the security baton only costs eighty points, which is practically a beginner's set.

The three guys, who had pitifully few points, decisively chose to redeem them.

"Officer, what about you?" Kang Xiaojia turned and asked.

"I don't need a security guard uniform, and..." Chen Xi patted the holster at his waist, "I have weapons."

She was staring at the "Resurrection Incense" on the redemption list, feeling conflicted.

Theoretically speaking, her points cannot be touched—she has already agreed to give them to Chen Shulan, which is the price she paid for surviving the tailor shop.

But if you want to find that evil spirit, the Soul-Returning Incense is a must.

Did Chen Shulan also discover the points system and the clay ghost shop long ago?

That's why she wanted to cooperate with real players and get the points they had.

Chen Xi hesitated for a moment before choosing to exchange for the [Soul-Returning Incense].

Her points balance jumped to 160 in an instant. She vaguely felt a cold, damp gaze climbing up from the shadows, and heard barking from somewhere.

Chen Shulan had indeed been watching her the whole time.

……

"I bought the [Resurrection Incense] so that I can find the hidden ghost as soon as possible. You don't want to be stuck in this dungeon forever, do you?"

After saying this in a low voice, Chen Xi ignored the chill around him, held the incense stick, and carefully looked around.

There was no sign of Chen Shulan, and no one knew where she was hiding.

Kang Xiaojia opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but then swallowed it back. She secretly used the remaining balance to buy a baton and a bottle of wound medicine.

—Chen Xi's gun is indeed very powerful, but the blood in a human body is limited.

She had intended to add something else, but she didn't have enough points, so she pursed her lips and somewhat forcefully shoved the extra baton into Chen Xi's hand.

Chen Xi noticed Kang Xiaojia's emotions, but did not refuse, and gently patted her head with tender eyes.

……

After the group finished exchanging their items, they tacitly made way for another group to open the shop.

Chen Xi stood on the outermost side, holding a baton, his gaze sweeping over the ghostly figures still burning paper money on the rooftop.

No exception.

The ghosts remained with their heads tilted back, motionless.

The four mixed-race children stood in front of the store for a long time. Chen Xi wasn't sure what they had exchanged for.

The situation of these four people was completely different from hers—they had only completed one night patrol and one emergency registration, and apart from Evelyn, each of them should have less than 100 points.

But this is on the premise that they only participated in one instance.

……

……

The mixed-race team finished their exchange, and the expressions of the members changed to varying degrees, suggesting that they had gained something.

Chen Xi noticed that Ashan and Amin each had an extra iron knife, the priest had an extra axe, and the mixed-race child had exchanged for a [Building Security Uniform] and a [Security Baton].

—It seems that the mixed-race person has the highest score among the group.

"I'm going to light the 'Returning Soul Incense,' which might attract vengeful ghosts, or even more terrifying indiscriminate killers. It will be very dangerous, so I suggest you leave as soon as possible."

Chen Xi spoke to the mixed-race man who had walked over.

The other person glanced at the [Resurrection Incense] in her hand, hesitated for a moment:

"We haven't found our mission target yet, but we'll take care of ourselves. Thanks for reminding us..."

The rooftop is full of ghosts; what kind of mission target are they looking for?

Could it be that they weren't looking for a living person in the first place?

Chen Xi couldn't see through the other party's plan, and the mixed-race person also frowned, not understanding her actions.

At the same time, the same thought arose in both of their minds:

What exactly is the other party looking for/what mission have they accepted that would risk being chased by ghosts to attract evil spirits?

Both sides turned around simultaneously and led their respective teams into the horde of ghosts.

Chen Xi planned to light the "Resurrection Incense" and then proceed from the edge of the rooftop toward the building.

Finding the last evil spirit will allow you to obtain the remaining residents' information from Chen Shulan and complete the main quest.

She had already realized that this instance had its share of pitfalls.

First, unarmed players entering the night patrol directly may encounter various ghosts and monsters.

Secondly, there's the Clay Sculpture Ghost Shop. If you enter the rooftop and miss the patrol, you might get chased down by Uncle Biao again.

If players have enough points, they can go to the top floor first to exchange for the [Building Security Guard Uniform] and [Security Baton], and then purchase the [Resident Registration Form].

This will not only allow you to complete the main quest quickly, but also greatly increase your survival rate.

But there was nothing they could do; they were the first professional players to enter this instance.

Without any guides or experience, we could only try and fail step by step.

……

……

"Doctor, paper doll, listen up, I'm about to set it on fire."

Chen Xi took a deep breath and, using the phosphorescent glow from the burning paper money, lit the thin, long "Returning Soul Incense".

Chen Shulan once said that there are four evil spirits in the building. One is a water ghost and one is a ghost that was burned to death. She has a clue about the third one, and the fourth one is hiding on the rooftop.

—The evil spirits hide here, mingling among the ordinary ghosts, and do not need to hide in any special way.

Because hundreds of ghosts burning paper at the same time is the best disguise.

They lit the "Resurrection Incense," searching for the one who was clearly abnormal.

But what is abnormal?

The smoke rose gently, thin and long wisps of smoke trailing in the air.

There is no scent of incense.

But a change did occur, and Chen Xi noticed it out of the corner of his eye:

Not far away, a ghost's eyeball twitched.

It was very slight; the pupil just shifted a little bit to the edge of the eye socket and then immediately returned to its original position.

It was so fast it was almost like her imagination.

Chen Xi immediately stared intently at the ghost:

It was a young male ghost dressed in wrinkled clothes—his face was so thin that his cheekbones were high, his eyes were sunken, and his hair was shaved into a buzz cut.

His hands were at his sides, his fingers slightly bent, as if he were clutching something.

The eyeballs did not move.

Is this just an evil spirit that Chen Shulan found?

Chen Xi hesitated for a moment, then caught something moving out of the corner of her eye.

It wasn't the ghost from before—it was an old man ghost dressed in a dark blue funeral shroud, only three steps away from her.

Her eyes darted around quickly, glancing in Chen Xi's direction before returning to normal.

Then came the third one.

The fourth one.

The fifth one.

Every ghost's eyeballs moved, but each movement occurred the instant her gaze shifted away.

It's like a game—Red Light, Green Light.

Her back began to feel cold.

Then she heard a sound, very soft, a rustling friction, like stiff joints slowly moving.

The group turned around at the sound and saw the fingers of the man in the hospital gown from before moving.

The five fingers bent one after another, the joints making a dry, cracking sound, as if they were moving bones that hadn't been used in a long time.

Then his ankles, his neck—all the joints were moving one by one at an extremely slow pace.

Kang Xiaojia saw it too.

Her fingers were hooked around the rope on Chen Xi's wrist, and her lips were trembling.

Chen Xi squeezed Kang Xiaojia's hand tightly, meaning "Don't make a sound," and then pulled her back slowly.

Then, Wang Lei saw it too—he unconsciously tightened his grip on the baton, and a slight creaking sound came from the joints as the bamboo strips were squeezed.

Jiang Chen stared at the ghosts without saying a word.

All the ghosts, all the joints, are in motion.

Hundreds of eyes turned at the same time.

The whites of their eyes rolled back, their eyeballs bulged, and finally their pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints—their gazes fell upon them.

All the ghosts on the rooftop looking up at the sky had gazes like hundreds of needles piercing from all directions.

Deep within his eye sockets, his eyeballs swayed wildly from side to side like glass marbles in a toy doll, and his pure white pupils almost popped out of his eye sockets!

Their mouths opened and closed constantly—but the range was extremely abnormal, stretching from the corners of their lips all the way to their ears, revealing their dark, gaping mouths.

These ghosts are all saying the same thing, silently, only their mouths are moving:

Come find me.

Come find me.

Come find me.