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

When the group arrived at the front hall, two small teams were already waiting there.

On the left was the pair of twins Zhao Weilai and the others had met yesterday. They looked almost identical and were both wearing long dresses, making it impossible to tell which one was older.

The two sat in chairs, each with a cup of tea in front of them, completely still, their breathing barely perceptible.

One of the twins, a woman, was holding a toy that looked like clay, but upon closer inspection, it became clear that the clay was a "creature" with a nose and eyes.

……

The group on the right is clearly comprised of "modern players".

The leader was a woman, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a mixed-race face, wearing a black short jacket with the cuffs rolled up, revealing a dark blue snake tattoo on her forearm.

The snake's tail disappears into the palm, while its head protrudes from the wrist, creating a scene that is both dangerous and alluring.

"You're here?"

The woman, who called herself Jiang Youzi, sat casually with one leg crossed over the other and her upper body leaning back.

Four male players stood behind her, all looking wary, their hands resting on the ground within easy reach of their weapons.

Jiang Youzi herself was quite relaxed. When she saw Zhao Weilai and his group enter, she quickly looked them over before turning her gaze away.

A slight smile played on her lips, like a leopard lurking in the shadows.

Zhao Wei nodded to the two groups of people, gave a brief self-introduction, only saying that his surname was Zhao, and didn't say anything else.

The twins on the left didn't react, but Jiang Youzi smiled and waved.

As soon as she finished speaking, the butler helped a large, fat man into the main room.

—Before he even stepped into the front hall, the sound of his panting reached him first, "huffing and puffing," sounding like a broken old bellows.

Once inside, everyone could see the full appearance of this "Master Hu".

My first impression was that he was fat.

His head was surprisingly round, almost like an over-fermented rice cake, and his features were so squeezed by flesh that they were almost embedded in his face.

His eyebrows drooped down from his brow bone, forming a perfect "囧" shape. His chin had three layers, completely covering his neck, and his head sank down to form a soft, sloping slope with his shoulders.

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear—"

When this wealthy man, Mr. Hu, finally opened his mouth, it was as if he were performing in an opera:

"Masters...Masters! You've finally arrived! If you hadn't come, I really wouldn't know what to do with my family!"

As he spoke, the tall, thin butler helped him to the head seat, where he plopped down, causing the rosewood chair to groan heavily.

The butler stood behind him, his cheeks sunken, as thin as a grasshopper.

The two, one fat and one thin, together looked like an illustration from a supernatural tale, or a comedian.

……

"Our Hu family has lived in this Orchid Garden for generations, always keeping to ourselves and treating others kindly. I, too, would never dare to harbor the slightest ill intentions."

During festivals and holidays, they would always distribute porridge and medicine. If they encountered poor families who were struggling to make ends meet, they would visit them and provide some relief.

Even the cats and dogs outside have never taken a life.

But who would have thought that even a kind and honest family like ours would be visited by evil spirits?

As Hu Gong spoke, he rubbed his eyes with his short, fat fingers, revealing several dimples on the back of his hand:

"The evil spirit lingered outside the garden for many days, disappearing during the day but emerging as soon as it got dark."

It barks and breathes fire outside the garden every day, causing my family endless suffering. These past two days have been especially terrifying; it calls me "father-in-law" every day, saying it wants to force my daughter into marriage. What am I to do?!

As Hu Gong spoke, his voice choked, his eyebrows trembled, and tears streamed down his face.

The butler hurriedly handed him a handkerchief, which he took and pressed to his face, the wide sleeves of his robe covering half of his face.

"If no one can subdue this evil spirit, we will have no choice but to close this orchid garden and return to our hometown to avoid disaster."

As soon as he finished speaking, quest prompts popped up in the players' fields of vision:

Main Quest Two: Drive Away the Evil Spirits

[Mission Note: This is a competitive mission; rewards will be distributed based on each team's performance.]

[Team Mission Rewards: 2000 points, Orchid Garden Set Part 1 "Robe" (All Attributes +8%), Orchid Garden Set Part 2 "Beaded String" (Healing Effect +15% when worn), Pet Hatching Manual x1, Pet Food x5, Dungeon Preview Card x1.]

……

Su Ya's eyes lit up.

She and Yang Asha obtained a kitten egg in the previous dungeon.

The two were unfamiliar with the details of pet ownership, so they did not choose to hatch the animal.

Now, things are just getting better; a pillow has appeared just as I was getting sleepy.

Although Su Ya was tempted, she didn't lose her head. She only glanced at Zhao Weilai out of the corner of her eye.

Zhao Weilai's expression remained unchanged, and he gently pressed his fingers down on his knees.

Su Ya understood what she meant: to observe first.

Jiang Youzi reacted even more strongly. She put her leg down, leaned forward slightly, and clasped her hands in a fist salute to Hu Gongyi.

"Don't worry, Master Hu. My companions and I may not have any other skills, but we are experts at catching ghosts and exorcising evil spirits. With us here, we guarantee that evil spirit won't last past tonight."

She spoke with great confidence.

"Thank you, Immortal Master! Thank you, Immortal Master! If you can truly drive away the evil spirits, this old man will present you with an even more generous gift!"

Hu Gong thanked him repeatedly:

"Now arrange for servants to take you to the guest rooms. If you need anything, just tell the servants. But there is one thing: the flowers and plants in the garden were carefully cultivated by my seven daughters. I want the Immortal Master to know this, so please cherish them and don't trample them."

After saying this, Fat Hu Gong was helped away by the steward.

……

……

Jiang Youzi waited until Master Hu had walked a distance before slowly withdrawing her gaze, her eyes fixed intently on Zhao Weilai and the others:

"Captain Zhao."

"I never beat around the bush. We desperately need this mission reward. You and the other two don't need to take any risks. Just wait for us to expel the monsters, and then hitch a ride out of the instance together."

As for the points, I can compensate each person with 500, as a way of making friends.

—Can you get 500 points without taking risks to complete the mission?

The three newcomers on Zhao Weilai's team were clearly interested.

But before Zhao Weilai could speak, the twins had already stood up.

"Don't worry about us."

"Hehehe, our target isn't that evil spirit."

The brother and sister moved almost in sync, one aloof and the other cheerful, and quickly left after uttering those two sentences.

For a moment, no one could tell whether they were telling the truth or lying.

"Tsk."

Jiang Youzi curled her lips slightly, then turned to Zhao Weilai and lowered her voice: "Those two people are not right. They don't seem like real players. Captain Zhao, you should have noticed that too, right?"

It's no secret that non-human players can appear in dungeons.

Previously, some people shared their experiences of encountering foxes, snakes, and ghosts on the Lingjing APP.

Zhao Weilai smiled somewhat distantly: "Captain Jiang, thank you for your kindness, but we don't plan to withdraw from the mission."

Jiang Youzi didn't seem surprised, and quickly changed the subject:

"Recently, some extreme players in the dungeon have been hunting down low-level players, specifically to steal items and points."

The two players who died in the dungeon yesterday didn't receive a "Player dead" notification from the system; instead, they received a notification about "Player points and item drops"—meaning they were killed by other players.

Jiang Youzi paused deliberately at this point, then looked at Zhao Weilai's expression:

"Does Captain Zhao know anything?"