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

"Although there are few clues, this kind of thing happens quite often in reality, so it's easy to guess."

Lin Jianguo spoke first. Having lived most of his life, he had seen many similar things:

"Based on this clue, Old Lady Huang's death should be related to her four sons, and if she gets any older, it might even be related to the entire village."

The old woman's body was so emaciated; she must have died of starvation or disease.

In reality, there are quite a few "filial sons" who refuse to treat their own parents when they are sick, letting them die before they receive proper care.

"That's right. Didn't the previous announcement mention that a player had achieved the first kill by killing the human-faced rats? Those rats all have names and surnames, and they sound like members of the Huang family."

Yang Hexuan actively participated in the discussion:

"What a cliché script: the son is unfilial to his parents, and then he either starves to death or abuses his mother to death."

Everyone in the village knew the truth, but no one spoke up for them. Then, the old woman's big black cat came to life and turned everyone in the village into rats.

"It is said that there are no filial sons at the bedside of a chronically ill patient, let alone an unfilial beast."

Lin Jianguo sneered:

"They think the elderly are useless and a burden, and they can't wait for them to die so they can divide the inheritance. This kind of thing is common not only in the countryside but also in wealthy families."

"So, the black cat came back for revenge and turned some of the villagers into human-faced rats."

Suya suddenly remembered something—someone in her family was a Buddhist, so she knew a little about some folk rituals and customs:

"Have you noticed that the copper coin placed in the mouth of the deceased, the white rice offered, the burial clothes, and the white cloth covering the face are all meant to appease the dead?"

I think, the old lady…

She lowered her voice and glanced quickly at the coffin: "I think the old lady might become a ghost too."

"Seriously? This is unbearable!"

Yang Hexuan curled his lip. "There are already so many strange characters, like those who turn into mice or cats eat mice, why do we have to add an old lady ghost?"

At this point, he chuckled and gave Yang Asha a fawning look:

"Sasha is so powerful, she could kill even a ghost with one blow. Besides, it's just an old lady ghost—"

"Shut up! Haven't you learned that the more you talk, the more mistakes you make?"

Lin Jianguo glared at him, and the latter slapped his face sheepishly: "My bad, my bad, I won't say it again next time."

"The villagers have all turned into rats with human faces."

Su Ya ignored Yang Hexuan and continued her analysis: "The black cat's curse turns people into rats, which are then eaten by wild cats. That's why some villagers say that someone has been eaten by a cat."

Cats catching mice is a natural thing.

Turn your enemy into a rat, so that they may be hunted by cats for generations to come, never to be reincarnated.

This curse is too cruel.

"If we don't fulfill Grandma Huang's wish as soon as possible, will we also turn into mice and be chased by cats?"

Lin Jianguo's face darkened as he touched three fresh scabs on his arm:

"No wonder stray cats attacked us when we were digging up the grave today."

—If you help the villagers with their tasks, the black cat will hold a grudge against you, and you will slowly turn into a rat, becoming a human-faced rat, and be chased by the cat.

This logic seems to make perfect sense.

Yang Hexuan scratched his head and suddenly exclaimed "Hey!" as if he had suddenly unlocked his Ren and Du meridians.

"I get it! So this is what factions are!"

He slapped his thigh excitedly, his voice rising several decibels: "Exactly the same as an online game! The two factions are opposing each other."

"The villagers are one faction, the black cat is another! Just like the Alliance and the Horde, mortal enemies!"

"When we help the villagers with tasks, such as arranging the old lady's funeral, digging the grave, placing her in the coffin, and comforting her ghost, it's equivalent to joining the villagers' camp."

So the black cats see us as enemies, the cat pack chases after us to kill us, and even curses us with rat-like transformation!

"If we turn around and help the black cat against the villagers, that's joining the cat's side, and maybe we won't grow mouse fur anymore. But the villagers might attack us!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, gesturing wildly, and connecting all the previous unusual occurrences:

"No wonder Huang Facai was so polite to us as soon as we entered the village! He gave us lime, pointed out a safe spot, and even assigned us tasks. We're one of our own!"

"Xiao Ding and the others don't do missions, so they're in the neutral camp, which is why they didn't turn into rats."

His words were very logical and well-reasoned.

Suya's eyes slowly brightened.

Yang Hexuan's game theory can explain all the things that are not right.

She recalled the funeral arrangements: pressing money on the mouth, covering the body with a white cloth, and setting out the final meal—all traditional funeral procedures for appeasing the soul and putting the body in the coffin.

The villagers were holding a funeral not because they truly wanted to send the old woman away, but because they wanted to appease her spirit, suppress the black cat's resentment, and allow themselves to live on.

These players were the "helpers" brought in by the villagers.

Helping to appease the souls of the dead and fight against the black cat naturally comes at a price—being cursed by the black cat and slowly turning into a rat.

This is the price of choosing a faction.

……

……

"You're right, it's terrifying."

Su Ya took a deep breath and finally understood:

"The overt storyline of this instance is to help Old Lady Huang with her funeral and live to the end of her birthday banquet on the seventh day, but the covert storyline is actually forcing us to choose a faction."

"The choice began on the first day we entered the village, when the village chief gave us lime and pointed out the safe house."

Accepting the villagers' help and doing their tasks means standing on their side.

"Refusing quests and not accepting things from villagers means being neutral, and you can even side with the cats."

Lin Jianguo finally understood: "It's like a cat catching a mouse."

Yang Asha had been silent, tilting her head as she listened to them talk, when she suddenly spoke up:

"What will happen if you neither help the villagers nor the cat?"

The little girl's question was straightforward and sharp, hitting the nail on the head immediately.

After Xiao Ding and his friends moved out of the west wing, they moved directly into the small villa next door, where the lights were on day and night.

Su Ya was about to speak, but then swallowed her words back.

she does not know.

Without any clues, she couldn't speculate on the fate of the neutral players.

But she had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

"If you don't do missions, there's no such thing as a free lunch. If you don't side with either the mouse or the cat, neither side will treat you as one of their own, and you won't even know how you died."

Lin Jianguo saw things clearly:

"If you don't get involved with either side, it's like they can kill you from either side."

That's how business is. Choosing the wrong side can be fatal, but if you don't choose a side, you'll be the first one to be held accountable by both sides afterwards.

It may seem safe, but it's actually where you die the fastest.

……

……

As the group was engaged in a heated discussion, a sharp "Meow—!!" suddenly rang out from near the threshing ground.

The voice was shrill and hoarse, rough and deep.

It sounded like an old woman howling at the top of her lungs, or like an old cat roaring when cornered.

"Meow—"

All four of them simultaneously shrank their necks, feeling a sharp pain in their eardrums.

Immediately afterwards, a muffled thud was heard, as if something heavy had fallen onto the field.

The snow crunched underfoot, and the sound moved slowly.

The flame of the ever-burning lamp suddenly dipped low, plunging most of the room into darkness.

The four of them looked up at the outside of the mourning tent.

The light from the white lanterns shone in from outside, casting shadows on the window paper.

It wasn't the shadow of any cat.

It was a hunched figure.

He was short, had a bad hunchback, and a big, round head.

Its ears were pointed and stood upright, with beard-like shadows on either side.

It bent over, its claw-like hands hanging at its sides, its long, sharp nails casting a ferocious silhouette on the window paper.

Cat face, human body.

Her back was hunched over, like an old woman.

It stood on the roof, head bowed, looking through the tiles, as if watching the people inside.

"Gurgle."

Yang Hexuan swallowed hard, his voice trembling, "Th-what is that...the cat-faced old lady?"

No one replied.

Everyone froze in place.

It was worse than they had guessed.

The black cat possessed a person's body and became an old woman with a cat face.

……

……

"No, no, that's wrong."

Su Ya suddenly seemed to have figured something out; her face grew paler and paler, and her lips trembled.

We were all wrong.

She muttered to herself, her voice trembling uncontrollably, "Do you all remember what Huang Facai told us on the first day?"

An old woman with a cat-like face stood outside, while the eternal lamp flickered inside the mourning hall.

Su Ya turned her face, her expression a mixture of laughter and tears, extremely unpleasant:

He said, "My mother passed away three days ago at the age of seventy-nine. In seven days, it would have been her eightieth birthday."

Lin Jianguo's expression immediately changed. Yang Asha and Yang Hexuan hadn't reacted yet, and were just staring intently at the shadow outside.

"The day we entered the village, Huang Facai said the old lady had been dead for three days, then on the fourth day she was put in her coffin, on the fifth day we went to look for clues, and on the sixth day, which is today, we dug up the grave—"

His fingers trembled as he did the calculations, muttering to himself:

"After midnight tonight, it will be the seventh day—the seventh day since she died!"

Su Ya felt as if she had been doused with wasabi, a chill running down her spine.

They were all misled by the clues given in the instance!

The film crew's trip was seven days, but that doesn't mean the old lady's birthday banquet was on the seventh day after their arrival.

Grandma Huang's 80th birthday celebration is calculated from the day she died, which is today!

Today is both the seventh day after his death and his eightieth birthday!

So today is the last day!

Damn word traps, damn word games!!

They've all been scammed!