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

Chapter 25 : High School Ghost Stories

Song Mo organized the skills she currently possessed.

Aside from the twin ghosts in red and the bus ghost, there are also the [Rooster Crows Ghost] and the [Skyscraper Rise from Flat Ground].

Neither of these skills has much offensive power. Only the temporary shelter generated by [Building a High-Rise from Flat Ground] can be considered a basic defensive item—and it's a one-time use item.

That's why she was so happy to see Liu Guilan awaken her innate professional talent.

"Clay sculptor... Su Ya awakened her profession because she obtained a special item from a dungeon, while Chen Xi did so because her real-life profession is a criminal police officer."

Song Mo stroked his chin. "Zhao Weilai, Deng Ziwen, and Fu Qinqin can be observed further. I haven't noticed anything special about Ding Feifan yet."

Although Tan Moli is timid, she is very meticulous in her work. It's Weng Yang, on the other hand… who is much calmer than the others.

She plans to use the [Doctor] and [Butcher] cards in this dungeon to see if she can randomly draw the skill rewards for these two professions.

But we still need to look at the candidates.

She can't just use the card and then the card owner dies in the dungeon.

……

The distance from the auditorium to the artificial lake is only 500 meters.

Students can usually walk there by themselves.

But today, it took seven people almost twenty minutes to walk a 500-meter stretch.

The fog is too thick.

Visibility was less than three meters, and the road beneath our feet was barely visible.

Weng Yang, who was leading the way, could only rely on his memory and slowly led the way along the camphor trees by the roadside.

The surroundings were eerily quiet, with only the sounds of their footsteps and breathing.

As the wind blew across the lake, the stench of the dead fish grew stronger and stronger, until it was almost suffocating.

"We're almost there."

Weng Yang said in a low voice, "The artificial lake is just ahead. Everyone be careful and don't get too close to the lake."

Everyone held their breath and took a few more steps forward. Finally, the complete outline of the lake appeared in their field of vision:

The dark lake surface was shrouded in thick fog.

The moment the group entered the lakeside area, the ink-wash characters reappeared:

[First location of the ghost story: Artificial Lake - The Water Ghost Seeking a Substitute]

[Check-in task: Retrieve a candle from the pavilion in the middle of the lake, and walk around the lake once while holding the candle.]

Return to the pavilion in the middle of the lake before the candle burns out and put it back in its original place; this completes the check-in.

[Mission Hint: It will follow you. Shh, don't turn around. Be careful, be careful of the candle in your hand.]

After reading the task, everyone felt uneasy.

The task prompt is quite clear: hold a lit candle and walk around the lake once, without looking back, and the candle must not go out.

No one thought about what would happen if they turned back.

"The pavilion in the middle of the lake... I remember it being in this direction?"

Zhao Weilai pointed to the center of the lake, "There's a pavilion there where many senior students preparing for the postgraduate entrance exam usually study."

In the thick fog, the outline of a pavilion in the center of the lake could be vaguely seen.

The pavilion is connected by a winding bridge. The wooden planks creak when you step on them, and underneath is a large patch of rotting lotus leaves, making it look particularly desolate.

"Let's go take a look."

Ding Feifan led the way along the lakeside path toward the pavilion in the center of the lake.

The bridge railings were covered in moss and were slippery.

Places that you could normally walk through with your eyes closed now seem especially terrifying and unfamiliar, hidden in the thick fog.

The group carefully walked onto the bridge, almost inching their way into the pavilion.

The pavilion is small, with upturned eaves at all four corners, and inside there are stone tables and benches.

Unlike in reality, there were four white candles placed in the center of the stone table.

The three sticks were extinguished, standing neatly in place.

Only the very middle one was burning, emitting a faint green glow.

The tiny candle flame flickered and swayed in the wind, seemingly about to go out at any moment.

"Four candles?"

Deng Ziwen frowned. "One is lit, three are off... what does this mean?"

"The middle one was probably used to start a fire."

Weng Yang walked over and looked at them carefully. "These three over there are mission candles, for carrying around the lake. That means... there are only three slots for completing the task?"

The atmosphere froze instantly upon hearing this.

……

Three spots available.

But there were seven of them.

But there are only three candles here, which means that only three people can complete the check-in?

"How could this happen..." Tan Moli said softly, her eyes a little red. "What about the rest of them?"

"Could it be that they refresh three times a day?" Zhao Weilai guessed with a hint of hope. "Three today, three more tomorrow?"

"I don't think it's that simple."

Ding Feifan sighed, "Although the hint says that you can complete the task by successfully checking in on any ghost story, don't forget that there are three ghost stories in the school."

But what if it doesn't refresh? What if these three are all the available spots?

No one spoke.

Nobody dares to gamble.

If you lose the bet, you'll die here.

The atmosphere suddenly became subtle.

We looked at each other, and saw hesitation and selfishness in each other's eyes.

Everyone wants to check in first, complete a task first, and have more assurance.

But no one dares to try it easily.

The unknown is the most terrifying thing. Just the thought of a water ghost wandering in circles in the thick fog sent chills down everyone's spines.

"How about I go first?"

Weng Yang was the first to speak, breaking the silence.

She took a step forward, looked at the candles on the stone table, and said calmly:

"I'm a bit bolder, so I'll go test the waters first and see what's on the way. I'll come back and tell you. If everything's alright, then you can go ahead."

"Weng Yang..." Tan Moli tugged at her arm, a little worried, "Are you really going?"

"It's alright, I'll go scout ahead."

Weng Yang patted her hand. "The mission requires us not to turn back and the candles not to go out. I'll just be more careful."

After she finished speaking, she picked up an unlit candle, brought it close to the middle candle, and carefully lit it.

The green candlelight lit up, casting a soft green glow on the mist around her, reflecting a faint green hue onto her face.

"Wait for me here."

Holding the candle, Weng Yang turned and walked out of the pavilion.

Her figure quickly disappeared into the thick fog, leaving only a faint green light moving slowly within it.

Everyone in the pavilion held their breath, staring intently at the flickering candlelight.

Only Liu Guilan, I don't know when, picked up a lump of mud and started kneading it.

……

Weng Yang walked very slowly.

The candle in her hand was very light, but she held it as if it weighed a ton.

She carefully protected the candle flame, trying her best to keep it from being blown away by the wind.

The path along the lake was narrow, with black lake water on one side and eerily green willow trees on the other.

The fishy stench in the air grew stronger and stronger—like the smell of rotting seaweed after being exposed to the sun for hours on a hot summer day.

The tiny green light landed steadily in Weng Yang's hand. She walked for about ten minutes, and everything was normal.

There was nothing but the sound of wind and footsteps.

Weng Yang breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Is the mission really just to walk around the lake?

Just as she relaxed slightly, an extremely piercing "splash" of water came from behind her.

It looked like something had emerged from the water.

Weng Yang's heart tightened suddenly, and he paused for a moment.

Immediately afterwards, she heard heavy breathing behind her.

"Huff... huff..."

The voice was very close, just a few steps behind her.

A damp, foul odor wafted over, and the candlelight flickered eerily.

Something was following her.