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

"You only said that the live stream could grant wishes, but you didn't say that I had to fulfill those wishes for them."

In an abandoned house in Wenshan Village, Song Mo sat on an old pear tree, earnestly lecturing his rat servant who was coming home from get off work:

"This is what we call 'I reserve the right of final interpretation'."

—What, you want money?

Go ahead, you can get gold ingots as long as you complete the tasks in the dungeon.

—What? You say you want beauty?

The dungeon is full of amazing items; if she doesn't find them, it's none of her business.

After all, who doesn't have a guaranteed minimum in a lottery?

She's already being quite conscientious by not creating a prize pool with a 0.0001% chance of winning and just stuffing it with garbage.

—What? You're saying you want your enemy dead?

Go ahead, awaken your class in the dungeon, obtain items, and as long as you can leave the dungeon alive, you can stab your enemies as many times as you want.

In the live stream where people make wishes, didn't you make a wish? Didn't she give you a chance to have your wish granted?

She's a genius shrewd businesswoman.

There was nothing she could do; she was poor.

Song Mo had none of the things the viewers in the live stream wanted; he could only resort to word games to fool new users.

……

The servant seemed to understand but not quite, while A-Yan, who was gathering material for Song Mo, tilted her head:

"My lord, I still don't understand why those three had to be dragged into the instance as well."

"Experienced players helping new players can reduce the early game death rate to some extent."

Song Mo casually picked a pear and tossed it to his rat servant: "This time the dungeon is significantly more difficult. If half of the thirty players die at the start, how can the story be exciting?"

A script written by a good screenwriter will never be emotionally flat.

What she wants is a story full of twists and turns, where players interact, distrust each other, help each other, and turn the tide in desperate situations.

But there's nothing she can do; she doesn't have many veteran players left.

As for why Song Mo didn't choose Fu Qinqin or Zhao Weilai, who performed better?

People aren't code; they're not like code that gets sent to the next instance just three days after leaving the previous one.

It's very easy to crash.

Just then, a notification appeared in ink-wash style text indicating that the instance status had been updated:

[Copy: "Grandma Huang's Birthday Banquet"]

Status: Running (1st hour)

[Number of surviving players remaining: 30/30 (Mirror image activated)]

[Unlocked professions: Architect (Green) (skills cannot be duplicated), Silkworm Girl (Yellow), Swordsman (Yellow), Cowherd (Green), Healer (Green)]

[Estimated crafting points gained from this dungeon: 300+]

[Current number of ghosts in the instance: 5 (Night-crying Mother, Night-crying Son, Hanged Ghost, Clay Ghost, Cat-faced Old Woman.)]

……

……

……

Why is it so cold?

When did the temperature in Jiangcheng drop below zero?

After Su Ya regained consciousness, she subconsciously trembled.

She suddenly opened her eyes.

The first thing you see is the roof of an old bus, with yellowed interior trim hanging on the rearview mirror.

The musty smell from the old seat cushions mixed with the smell of gasoline, making people drowsy.

The car continued to bump along, and the engine emitted a deep roar—clearly, it was moving.

Almost instantly, Su Ya realized that she was no longer in Jiangcheng.

Outside the window, large snowflakes pounded against the glass, so densely packed that it was almost impossible to see the scenery outside.

The guardrails on the winding mountain road receded rapidly, and in the distance, the dark outline of the mountain walls stretched out.

It rarely snows in Jiangcheng.

Moreover, it's June now.

But now, snow is falling heavily outside the window, trees are bare, and as far as the eye can see, it is a desolate scene of winter.

wrong.

This is not reality.

Su Ya's heart sank suddenly, and she subconsciously reached for her neck, where she touched a warm, smooth porcelain vase.

—It was the Thousand-Mile Hunger-Free Pill that she brought out from the Taiping Cemetery instance.

All rewards obtained by players from dungeons were returned to the individuals by the official team after confirming they were harmless and taking samples.

Because the 404 ticket was deemed to pose a certain risk, the authorities repeatedly urged her to use it with caution.

The Bone-Growing Flower is temporarily stored in the Special Investigation Department's laboratory, while the Thousand-Mile Hunger-Free Pill and the Silver Bell are carried by Su Ya.

She had a vague feeling that the dungeon wouldn't let her off easily.

Sure enough, she was pulled into the dungeon again.

Suya took a deep breath, suppressing the panic rising in her throat.

That strange wish-granting livestream room is indeed a new instance.

She turned her neck and looked around, showing none of the panic she had felt the first time she entered.

Because Suya knew that crying was useless, and being afraid was useless too.

She was able to leave the cemetery alive last time, and she will surely be able to this time as well.

……

……

There were about ten people scattered on the bus, including Suya.

Men, women, young and old were all there, all dressed in the same summer clothes: short sleeves, shorts, and dresses, which seemed completely out of place with the snow and ice outside the window.

People are still waking up one after another, their faces showing confusion, bewilderment, and a growing sense of panic.

Sitting next to Suya was a girl of about sixteen or seventeen, with healthy wheat-colored skin, wearing a faded blue cotton short-sleeved shirt.

The girl's eyelashes fluttered, she opened her eyes, saw the snow outside the window, and her eyes widened:

"Is it snowing?"

Her voice had a thick accent, but it sounded soft. "Wasn't I at home mending clothes? When did I come down from the mountain?"

No one answered her.

A young man in the front row sat up straight, his face full of astonishment: "I clearly submitted my resume at an internet cafe... What happened? Kidnapping?"

On the other side of the aisle, a middle-aged man frowned, pulled out his phone, and pressed a few buttons. His suit was wrinkled and reeked of alcohol. "Do you guys have a cell phone signal?" he asked.

"What a lousy place! It's freezing!"

A woman in a spaghetti strap nightgown crossed her arms and rubbed her skin to get goosebumps.

"I only wished for my colleague to die, why am I here?"

The riots spread outwards in concentric circles, like pebbles thrown into water.

Someone stood up and tried to pull the car door handle, but it wouldn't budge.

Some people tried to bang on the windows for help, but the glass was as hard as steel, and the banging hurt their hands.

"I was just at home—did you guys also make a wish in that weird livestream room?"

"I wished for my boss to die, not that I wanted to die."

"Is this for real? What's going on? Hypnosis? Magic trick or kidnapping?"

The small carriage was filled with a cacophony of noise.

The next second, pale black ink-wash characters appeared out of thin air in everyone's sight:

Welcome to the instance: Old Master Huang's Birthday

[Current total number of players in the instance: 30/30, you are in the first mirror image, number of players in the mirror image: 10/10]

[Instance Type: Folklore Mystery]

[Main Quest: Fulfill Grandma Huang's wish and successfully celebrate her birthday banquet in seven days.]

[Position Setting: Member of the folk documentary film crew. You are the team's photographer/makeup artist/director/sound engineer/script supervisor... This trip is to Huangshan Village to film a folk documentary, a seven-day trip.]

[Hint: Completing side quests will grant you survival clues. You can leave once you survive to the end or complete the main quest.]

You are safe while the vehicle is in motion.

Today is the first day.

The ink-wash characters remained for more than ten seconds before slowly fading away.

……

The carriage was quiet for a few seconds, then erupted into an even more intense commotion:

"What the heck? Is it Old Master Huang's birthday celebration? A documentary shoot? I'm not an actor!"

"Is this a prank? Who did the special effects?"

"Dungeons? What kind of endless loop are you talking about? Stop messing around, let me down!"

"I knew something was off about that wish-granting livestream! It was a scam, a kidnapping! I want to go back!"

The carriage was noisy, but the driver remained silent like a statue, as if he couldn't hear the noise at all.

Suya's heart pounded.

She stared at the ink-wash calligraphy, her fingertips tightening slightly.

[Player class detected: Architect (Green)]

[Skill Effect: 1. Can quickly identify building structures and terrain features, and discover hidden passages and safe spots (passive)]

2. 可生成2×2×2临时随机庇护所，抵御灵体攻击，持续3分钟，冷却时间24小时（主动）】

Side Quest: As a veteran player who has faced life and death, comfort the newcomers. (+100 points * number of players surviving after the dungeon ends)

[The points system is now open: You can earn points by completing side quests and exploring hidden storylines. Points can be exchanged for items in the shop]

Suya licked her lips and started to get nervous again.

It turns out she was the only veteran player in this instance.

As for the points system and the store, what are they?

She was completely baffled.

But Suya inexplicably knew that "points" were very useful.

……

……

"Sister, aren't you scared?"

The girl beside her spoke timidly, pulling Su Ya back to reality, "Sister, do you know what those words mean...? What is a copy?"

The girl's round eyes were wide open, her face filled with fear and confusion.

"My name is Su Ya."

Su Ya softened her voice, trying to get the two of them closer together for warmth, "And you, little sister, what's your name?"

"My name is Yang Asha."

The girl was clearly a little shy, her eyes fixed on Su Ya's dress. "Sister, your dress is so pretty. Are we going down the mountain?"

"The situation is a bit complicated."

Suya gently comforted her, "You might not believe what I'm saying, but what we're experiencing now isn't a kidnapping or a prank. It's a very special place called a copy."

"A copy?" Yang Asha blinked, indicating that she didn't understand.

"Simply put, we have to stay here for seven days and complete the tasks as required in order to leave alive."

Su Ya tried to be as blunt as possible, "If you move around recklessly and don't follow the rules, you'll die."

"Death?" Yang Asha's face turned pale instantly, her lips trembling. "I don't want to die. I haven't sold the ducks and chickens I raise at home yet."

—Her voice wasn't loud, but several people around her heard it.

Lin Jianguo, reeking of alcohol, sat in the back row, his gaze fixed on Su Ya, staring intently at her: "Young lady, you seem to know a lot? Have you been through this before?"

"My name is Lin Jianguo."

He introduced himself, asking, "Do you know what a dungeon is?"

Su Ya looked up and found that everyone in the car was staring at her expectantly, waiting for her to explain.

"Yes." She didn't hide anything and nodded. "I went through a dungeon once, and I barely survived."

As soon as he said that, the surroundings became much quieter.

Even the loudest people stopped arguing and turned to look at her.

"Really? This is a dungeon?"

Yang Hexuan looked on incredulously, "There really are dungeons in the world? No, this is way too fantastical!"

The woman in pajamas immediately pressed, "Beautiful lady, how did you get out last time? Was it dangerous in there?"

"It's very dangerous."

Su Ya recalled Lin Hao and Wang Lei's ordeal and said solemnly, "Believe me, people really will die. Remember the mission instructions."

"Then, what do we do?" The office worker in the sundress looked grim. "I just made a wish, why do you want me to die?"

"If you don't want to die, I suggest you follow orders."

Lin Jianguo said in a deep voice, "Since Su Ya has experience, let's listen to her first."

He could tell that Su Ya wasn't lying.

In situations like these, having an experienced person lead the team is more valuable than anything else.

"I agree!" Yang Asha nodded immediately, hugging Su Ya's arm tightly.

Yang Hexuan nodded, "I'll listen to Sister Su Ya too."

Li Na wiped away her tears, neither approving nor opposing.

Su Ya breathed a sigh of relief.

……

……

Second mirror copy.

Lin Hao also received the task of reassuring the new players.

"What the hell is that?!"

Before Lin Hao could react, a furious curse came from the front row, interrupting his train of thought.

A young man suddenly stood up and kicked a chair: "Who's messing with me?! I just made a wish to get my money back, and this is what they do to me? Is this a kidnapping?"

"Open the door! Let me down!"

He rushed to the car door and yelled at the driver, "If you don't open it, I'm calling the police!"

"Young man, don't rush."

The driver spoke in a difficult-to-understand local dialect, seemingly unconcerned about the group's unusual behavior. "You can get off when we arrive at our destination."

Lin Hao didn't want to care at all, but when he touched the umbilical cord hidden under the scarf, a shadow of gloom flashed in his eyes:

"It's snowing outside. Go down there if you miss."

"It's none of your business where I want to go! You're in cahoots with this weirdo, aren't you?" Du Yu yelled at the driver. "I'm getting off now, are you going to drive or not? If not, I'll smash the window!"

The driver reluctantly stopped the car.

The car door creaked open.

A cold wind carrying snowflakes rushed in instantly, making people shrink their necks.

"What a piece of junk!" Du Yu cursed, then strode off the road. "I'm not playing with you guys anymore! This is bullshit dungeon, you're all lunatics!"

He leaned half his body out, his feet almost touching the ground.

Everyone in the car was looking at him.

Some hesitated about whether to go down with him, while others waited to see if he would regret it.

The man had just put one foot on the ground, his face still showing resentment.

next second.

"laugh--"

It was a very soft sound, like a thin thread cutting through fabric.

The man's smile froze on his face.

His head slid slowly down his neck at an odd angle.

Blood gushed out like a fountain, splashing onto the pristine white snow.

His body was torn to pieces and fell to the snow with a "plop," his head rolling far away.

His eyes, wide open in death, were still staring, filled with resentment and disbelief.

[Player Du Yu has died. Current number of players in the mirror image: 9/10, total number of players: 29.]

The cold, ink-wash characters appeared before my eyes, announcing his end.

Someone on the bus was trembling and let out a silent scream.

……

……

The third mirror copy.

Wang Lei, dressed in a hospital gown, huddled in the back seat of the bus, covering his ears and avoiding looking at anyone else.

The car was in chaos.

The bus doors were wide open, and the wind and snow outside rushed in all at once. A long, messy trail of footprints hung near the doors.

The footprints disappeared after only a few steps.

There was a constant knocking sound outside the car window.

"Thump, thump, thump."

"Thump."

Six corpses with bluish-purple faces and bulging eyes were hung on the roof of the car. When the wind and snow blew, their taut toes would gently tap against the car body.

[Player Ding Kai has died. Current number of players in the mirror image: 9/10, total number of players: 28.]

[Player died safely. Current mirror image count: 8/10, total player count: 27.]

[Player Hu Sheng is dead. The current number of players in the mirror image is 7/10, and the total number of players is 26.]

……

[Player died. Current number of players in the mirror image: 4/10, total number of players: 23.]