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

"Bang bang bang".

The knocking on the window became more frequent, and it wasn't just from one side.

The faces of the dead players were pasted on the windows of the car from all sides.

There were men and women, and every face looked particularly grotesque because of the pain they were in before they died.

Each corpse had a malevolent glint in its eyes, as if questioning the living: why weren't they the ones who died?

"They're coming in..." Zhou Chang's teeth chattered, and his voice cracked.

"What are you standing there for? Close the door if you don't want to die!"

Jiang Chen suddenly roared and lunged at the open car door, trying to force it open:

"Zhou Chang! And that girl! Come help!"

Kang Xiaojia shuddered, and Zhou Chang, realizing what was happening, immediately rushed over and frantically tried to open the car door with both hands.

—When a person is in extreme fear, their mind goes blank and their limbs become unresponsive.

"Pull, pull! The doors on these old-fashioned buses can be opened and closed manually—"

Zhou Chang shouted in a hoarse voice and reached out to grab the doorknob.

The metal handle was icy cold, like holding a block of ice.

He and Kang Xiaojia each grabbed one side and pulled back with all their might.

The car door was ridiculously heavy, as if it were frozen to the door frame, or as if something was pushing it in from the outside, not wanting them to close it.

The three of them turned red in the face before they finally heard a loud "bang".

The car door slammed shut, and the pneumatic latch clicked into place.

The wind was kept out.

The carriage fell silent for a moment, with only the banging sounds from the windows continuing.

Before they could catch their breath, wisps of cold air seeped in through the cracks in the door, condensing into a layer of white frost on the floor.

The gap in the door is too wide.

The old-fashioned car door was not airtight to begin with, and with the stretching and deformation it had just created, a gap about an inch wide was left underneath, through which the wind was whistling in.

If this continues, they'll either be taken away by the ghosts or freeze to death in the car.

"Block it! Block it!"

With a sob in her voice, Kang Xiaojia hurriedly took off her school uniform jacket, crumpled it up, and stuffed it under the door.

But the coat was too thin; it billowed up in the wind and offered no protection at all.

Zhou Chang also realized what was happening, hurriedly took off his suit jacket, and then went to pull off the fabric cover on the seat—

"It's no use! It's no use!" He was sweating profusely and his hands were trembling.

The footsteps outside grew faster and more urgent.

It's like the more panicked the people inside become, the more excited things outside get.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Clang! Clang!"

The force of the blows on the glass suddenly increased, and the entire car window shook.

The car body groaned and creaked, as if it might fall apart at any moment.

Kang Xiaojia was so frightened that she squatted down on the ground, tears streaming down her face.

Zhou Chang also leaned against the car door, his face pale.

It can't be stopped.

This old car is full of cracks; those things will get in sooner or later.

"I'll go get the car!"

Jiang Chen didn't want to die in this godforsaken place, and he didn't want to become that kind of ugly thing after he died. He flung open the driver's side curtain and jumped into the driver's seat.

The driver had long since disappeared.

But the moment he saw the driver's seat, his blood ran cold.

No.

There was nothing there.

The driver's seat was empty.

There is no accelerator, no brake, and no clutch pedal.

There was nothing beneath my feet, just a layer of cardboard flooring with black patterns drawn on it.

The dial was painted on, and it was crooked and uneven.

The fuel gauge, tachometer, and water temperature gauge were all drawn with ink, the pointers were fixed at zero, and even the scales were crooked.

The steering wheel is made of cardboard with paper edges curling up, and it has realistic anti-slip textures drawn on it.

The seats are made of paper and covered with imitation leather patterns.

This car is made of paper.

As the thought crossed his mind, Jiang Chen cursed the dungeon in his heart.

This is the kind of paper car that's burned for the dead during the Qingming Festival!

So many of them, riding in a paper bus used for burning as offerings to the dead, drove all the way along the winding mountain road.

Jiang Chen broke out in a cold sweat, which dripped straight down his forehead.

He guessed that the things in the dungeon were evil, but he didn't expect them to be this evil!

How do you drive a car made of paper without an accelerator or brake?

But the commotion outside the window grew louder; several corpses seemed to have noticed his movements, pressing themselves against the windshield, their faces distorted and deformed against the glass.

Jiang Chen steeled himself and turned the paper key, a fierce glint in his eyes:

"Come on, today it's either you or me who die! Come on!"

He doesn't believe in any inevitable death trap.

—Since the instance has a rule that "it is temporarily safe while the vehicle is in motion," then this thing will definitely be able to move!

The next second, a miracle happened.

The car body shuddered slightly, and the roadside guardrail slowly receded.

The body in front of the car was crushed, and the tires shook violently as they ran over it.

The other three people in the car clung tightly to their seats, their mouths shut like clams, their eyes filled with the joy of surviving a disaster.

Really!

The bus left the corpses on the highway and moved slowly forward.

……

After driving for an unknown amount of time, a faint light appeared in the fog ahead.

The twinkling lights stood out vividly in the dark night.

"There's light ahead!" Zhou Chang suddenly shouted, his voice filled with surprise. "Is it a village?!"

The existence of a village means that there are people there.

At least they won't freeze to death in the car tonight.

Jiang Chen's spirits lifted, and the paper cart slowly accelerated, heading towards the light.

Getting closer.

The group could even see rows of lights, scattered houses, and faint sounds of music drifting in with the wind and snow.

But Jiang Chen's brows slowly furrowed.

He stared at the village ahead, a heavy feeling settling in his heart.

The village was filled with white lanterns, and although it was the middle of the night, the sound of suona playing never stopped.

It sounded like both joy and sorrow, the two melodies mixed together, creating an indescribably eerie atmosphere.

Something about this village doesn't look right.

……

……

……

First mirror copy.

The bus slowly drove to the village entrance and came to a stop.

Su Ya and the others left the carriage with trepidation, still wearing the winter clothes they had taken out of their luggage.

To be fair, the dungeon is quite thoughtful.

The group was assigned the role of a film crew, and their luggage contained winter clothes, toiletries, and some props for filming.

The death announcements never stopped along the way.

The players were already numb with fear, following Su Ya like quails, step by step.

"Is this Wenshan Village?"

Chen Na stamped her foot and exhaled a puff of white mist. "This village looks quite wealthy. I thought it was some poor, remote mountain village."

It was indeed beyond everyone's expectations.

I thought it was a dilapidated village deep in the mountains, but all I could see were mud houses and muddy roads.

As soon as I got off the bus, all I could see were impressive little villas and detached houses.

Three- or four-story villas stand side by side, their exterior walls covered with shiny off-white tiles, their courtyards featuring artificial hills and flowing water, and cars parked in front of their doors.

In the snowy night, the car headlights flashed, and Wenshan Village looked like some kind of upscale residential area.

Young men and women occasionally stroll through the village, all dressed in fashionable down jackets, chatting and laughing, looking even more glamorous than city dwellers.

The sounds of music and drumming came from deep within the village.

The sounds of suona horns, gongs, drums, and electronic speakers mingled together, creating a lively and festive atmosphere, like a grand celebration.

"This doesn't look like a mountain village at all..."

One of the players muttered to himself, "This is more prosperous than our hometown county."

Lin Jianguo remained silent.

He had spent half his life in business and had seen many villages.

In a village deep in the mountains, with no resources and no industry, young people all leave. How could every household possibly live in a villa and drive a luxury car?

This is very unusual.

The man who was there to pick them up quickly came forward, smiling broadly and revealing a few teeth stained yellow from smoking.

"Oh, how I've been waiting for you! I'm Huang Shou-cai, the eldest son of the Huang family, and also the village chief. I'm the one who contacted you before!"

He spoke loudly and was excessively enthusiastic, reaching out to shake hands with Su Ya.

Lin Jianguo stepped forward, reached out his hand, and touched it with his.

It's ice-cold to the touch, almost like a living person.

Huang Shoucai seemed oblivious, withdrew his hand, and turned to lead the way into the village:

"Come on! Everything's arranged at home. There's a feast going on in the village these days, and you'll be there tomorrow for my mother's funeral. That'll make the photos look the best and ensure they're authentic!"

He kept muttering to himself as he walked.

One moment they were talking about his mother, Old Mrs. Huang, who was blessed to die peacefully at the age of eighty, and whose four sons were all filial.

Then they said the villagers were very enthusiastic, and that the birthday banquet was a grand affair with every household in the village helping out, making it a very lively event.

Su Ya didn't even have a chance to ask what kind of special birthday banquet ceremony "Xiao Lian" was.

Although it was late at night, the village was still noisy.

The villagers were all dressed smartly, with smiles on their faces. They nodded and greeted the players, appearing warm and simple.

But if you look closely, you'll find that their smiles all look like they were made from the same mold, and their eyes lack any sparkle.

Yang Asha stayed close to Su Ya, her small hands clutching the hem of her clothes, her palms sweaty.

Even though there was constant banging and drumming, and so many living people around, it still gave me the creeps.

……

……

Only after reaching the large archway at the village entrance could the group finally see the village clearly.

Upon seeing this, everyone froze on the spot.

This is hardly the grandeur of a wedding celebration—

The whole village was covered with white paper lanterns, which swayed back and forth in the wind.

White paper strips were strung under the eaves of the Huang family's house, mourning sticks stood at the door, and wreaths were placed outside the road.

The couplets on the wreaths were written neatly, but instead of the character "奠" (meaning "memorial"), they were written in crooked red characters: "恭喜" (meaning "congratulations").

The white paper banners fluttered in the wind, like countless pale white hands hanging down.

—It looked "lively" from afar, but when I got closer, I realized that it was clearly a funeral procession.

The suona band sat in a shed at the village entrance, puffing out their cheeks as they played funeral music. The tunes mixed with opera excerpts from electronic speakers, creating an indescribably strange and jarring sound.

"This...this is a funeral?" a player named Xiao Ding exclaimed, his face deathly pale. "Wasn't it supposed to be a birthday celebration?"

Whose kind old lady uses a white floral wreath for her birthday?

Besides, the main quest is to "fulfill Old Lady Huang's wish," but how am I supposed to know what the old lady wants when I'm already hard?!

"Yes, it's a joyous funeral!"

Huang Shoucai turned around, seemingly not finding it strange at all:

"My mother passed away three days ago. She was seventy-nine when she died. In seven days, it would have been her eightieth birthday."

My mother suffered her whole life and never got to celebrate her 80th birthday. We sons are filial, so we thought we'd take advantage of the seventh day after her death to celebrate her 80th birthday together!

Let's send her off in a grand and spectacular way, so that she can bless us with great wealth from the afterlife!

He spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, leaving the group of people looking on with bewildered expressions.

What a filial son.

Instead of burying his own mother properly after she passed away, he had to make this scene.

I've never heard of combining the terms "first seven days" and "eightieth birthday".

Talented people came.

"Celebrating his birthday on the seventh day after his death?"

Lin Jianguo hesitated before speaking, "This rule... I've never heard of it."

"That's the rule in our village!"

Huang Shoucai chuckled twice and lowered his voice, "To be honest, my brothers and I have consulted a fortune teller!"

"If my mother is happy in the afterlife, she can bless our descendants with great wealth. Look at the conditions in our village now, it's all thanks to the blessings of our ancestors!"

He pointed to the "small Western-style building" next to him, looking smug, as if he had really gotten a great deal.

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines.

Su Ya stared at Huang Shoucai's face, feeling a wave of nausea.

"Let's go, let's go. You can stay in the ancestral hall for the next few days. Everything has been prepared there."

Tomorrow is the small funeral, so the village won't be cooking; everyone will be having a feast. The dishes will be very substantial, all prepared by top chefs from outside. Everyone should eat and drink to their heart's content.

Huang Shoucai didn't take it seriously and turned to continue leading the way:

"I just want to give my mom a grand send-off. Remember to take lots of pictures, especially of how we show our filial piety. You'll definitely get a red envelope from us later."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a long, thin, mournful meow came from the village entrance.

"That damn cat."

Huang Shoucai cursed, "I'll skin it alive sooner or later."