The organization I founded has been exposed by the reborn!

As the four coffin-bearing ghost soldiers turned into a shower of gray-white ashes, the inner courtyard, which had been filled with howling winds, instantly fell into an eerie silence.

The suffocating sense of oppression in the air did not diminish with the elimination of the ghost slaves; on the contrary, it seemed to be brewing an even more terrifying storm.

The five members of the team looked at the ashes on the ground, then at the tall figure in front of them, and were deeply shaken.

The situation changed far too quickly.

Just a second ago, the iron chain that the leader had thrown out seemed to be restrained by the pale white paper coffin, resulting in a stalemate.

The next second, the chains broke free of their restraints and, with overwhelming force, shattered the four ferocious ghost servants along with the paper coffin, turning them into ashes that fell from the sky!

This method of dismantling a deadly situation with a mere gesture made everyone understand what a "dimensional reduction attack" truly meant.

This also refreshed their understanding of the words "Dawn Leader".

"Creak—Boom!"

at this time,

The heavy, mottled vermilion gate, propelled by an invisible force, swung wide open to both sides.

The door hinges rubbed together, producing a dry, harsh sound, and a stench of mold and mildew accumulated over a century wafted up, mixed with the burnt smell of cheap paint and amber.

The main hall behind the gate was deep and spacious.

The pale moonlight slanted in, illuminating the rows of neatly arranged rosewood armchairs on the ground.

The chairs, covered in thick cobwebs and dust, stood motionless in the dim light, their backs to the door, resembling a group of headless onlookers sitting upright.

At the far end of the main hall, an old stage, half a meter off the ground, stands out abruptly.

Above the stage, a huge, semi-transparent curtain, pale and yellowish in color, resembling a shroud, hung down.

Behind the curtain, two flickering, dim candlelight had appeared out of nowhere.

Amidst the interplay of light and shadow, several flat, distorted paper shadows clung tightly to the screen.

Their joints twitched and swayed violently in various reverse zigzag patterns, accompanied by the crisp "click" of wood and bone colliding with each other, dancing silently behind the curtain, as if being pulled wantonly by invisible, suspended threads.

"Eeya—"

A faint erhu melody, accompanied by the sharp, mournful vocals of a Republic-era female opera singer, like fingernails scratching a blackboard, drifted out from the depths of the main hall on the night breeze.

The moment the opera singing entered my ears.

Suddenly, an irresistible and eerie gravitational force appeared in the air.

This gravitational force was like a tangible chain, forcibly pulling at the nerves of everyone present.

next moment.

Behind the pale white curtain, under the dim light of the two candles, a withered, dark figure sitting upright in a grand chair suddenly solidified.

Through the semi-transparent white cloth, one could vaguely discern a dark red skeleton whose skin and flesh had been brutally stripped away!

The remaining blackened meat shreds and viscous corpse oil adhered to the surface of the bones.

Its face was flat and bald, with no facial features to be found. The only thing that was drawn out was a stiff smile that was exaggerated to the ears, using bright red cinnabar and blood.

Its left hand tightly gripped a worn-out bronze gong covered in dark brown bloodstains.

In his right hand, he dragged a pair of massive scissors, two meters long, made from pieces of human bones!

The two pieces of white bone scissors interlocked, radiating an extremely cold and sinister light that seemed to sever all life.

The onlookers have all left...

"Who will accompany me to the end of this final act?"

A sharp, mournful whisper, mixed with the sound of air leaking from a broken trachea, suddenly exploded in the depths of everyone's minds without warning.

As the dark figure appeared, a terrifying aura of death, almost tangible, erupted from the stage, cascading down like a collapsing mountain!

The air inside the hall instantly became as thick as congealed blood plasma.

Under this pure suppression of rules, Qin Xinran and the others felt as if they had been struck in the chest, and their breathing suddenly stopped.

The biting coldness shot up the spine and straight to the top of the head, even causing the circulation of extraordinary power within the body to become noticeably sluggish and dull.

Facing this D-rank entity directly, the difference in their life rank and the dimension of rules caused their souls to tremble violently instinctively.

at the same time.

As the vengeful ghost appeared, the pages of the "Book of Strange Things," which Su Yu had never put away, began to turn rapidly without any wind.

The blood-red eyeball on the cover suddenly opened, flashing red light.

Rows of detailed data panels appeared on the pages of the book.

【Title: The Shadow Puppet Ghost - The Troupe Leader and the Puppet】

[Rank: D]

【Rule 1 (Sit in Your Seat)】: Before the opera begins, all living people must find an empty seat. Anyone who is still standing, walking around, or damaging tables and chairs at the start of the performance will have their shadow cut off instantly.

【Rule Two (No Loudness)】: From the moment the gongs and drums sound and the opera begins, all living beings within a 100-meter radius are considered "audience members." Audience members must not interrupt the opera, make loud noises, or turn around and run away during the performance.

【Rule 3 (Eye Contact)】: The audience must never look directly into the cinnabar eyes of the paper puppets on the stage for more than 3 seconds.

【Rule Four (Simultaneous Applause)】: When the opera ends and the gong sounds, all audience members must clap and cheer in rhythm with the gong within 3 seconds. Those who are slow to react, out of sync, or refuse to clap will be frozen in a dazed state until their shadows are cut off.

[Ability 1 - Silhouette Kill]: A pair of [scissors] made of bones will forcibly condense in the void, instantly severing the shadow of the living. The moment the shadow is cut off, the flesh of the living will wither and peel off within seconds, and the soul and body will be forcibly sewn together into a silent cardboard puppet, forever hanging behind the curtain and swaying in the wind.

[Ability 2 - Soul-Shaking Gong]: When the gong sounds, the sound waves transform into an invisible mental hammer that directly strikes the soul of the living. The target, stunned, will instantly experience a blank mind and dizziness, disrupting their mental defenses.

[Ability 3 - Cinnabar Bewitching]: The eyes of the paper puppet, outlined with blood-red cinnabar, possess strong hallucinogenic properties. When a living person's gaze meets that of the puppet, its cinnabar eyes will flow with a blood-red light as if alive, instantly pulling the living person's consciousness into a realistic illusion.

[Ability 4 - Behind-the-Scenes Puppetry]: Controls dozens of [paper puppets] stitched together from the skins of victims throughout history, using transparent, supernatural threads twisted from vengeful spirits. The puppets' joints are made of bone, with cinnabar veneer, and can be instantly reassembled and repaired using yin energy after being broken.

【Ability 5 - Paper Substitute】: When suffering a fatal blow, the user can switch positions with any paper puppet behind the scenes, allowing the puppet to bear the devastating damage and thus achieve a substitute death.

[Description: "One minute on stage requires ten years of practice off stage. The audience has all left, who will accompany me to finish this last play?" A hundred years ago, a troupe leader from the Republican era died a tragic death in the old days, his skin peeled off and tendons removed, abandoned in the wilderness. His overwhelming resentment merged with the cinnabar, bones, and paper scraps on the stage, completely transformed under the erosion of the resurgent energy of the abyss. He stubbornly searches in the ruins for "an audience that never leaves," until he cuts out the shadow of every intruder and sews it into a puppet on the stage that never ends.]

【…】

Looking at the densely packed rules and abilities on the screen.

Su Yu felt a chill run down his spine.

As expected of a Class D vengeful ghost, the rule-based killing chain it constructed actually formed a complete closed loop.

The opening uses the "Soul-Shaking Gong" to create a mental control effect, forcibly compelling the target to trigger either "Accept the Target" or "Forbidden Noise".

During the performance, use the "Cinnabar Bewitching" spell to lure the audience into eye contact; once they fall for it, they will be trapped in a hallucination. At the end of the performance, use the "Applause in Sync" spell to freeze the reaction time limit.

What's more troublesome is that even if someone manages to break through the multiple blockades and launch a counterattack, it can still use [behind-the-scenes manipulation] and [paper substitute death] to transfer all the fatal damage to the paper puppet, thus achieving a substitute death escape.

This all-encompassing rule-based killing scheme is nothing short of an abyss of despair for awakened individuals who lack information.

If it weren't for having the "Book of Strange Things" to check the information beforehand, even Su Yu might have suffered a major setback facing such a powerful ghost with these rules.

……

In just a few seconds while Su Yu was checking the panel,

Behind the stage curtain, the two flickering, dim candlelight suddenly flared violently.

The withered, terrifying dark red skeleton on the armchair vanished into the deep darkness like melted ink.

The heavy aura of death that had been hanging over everyone's heads lifted, and Qin Xinran and the others breathed a sigh of relief.

but……

In the next instant, a sudden change occurred!

"when--!!!"

A sharp, piercing gong suddenly exploded in the center of the hall without warning!

The sound waves swept past at close range like a violent mental hammer, causing the wooden beams and frame of the main hall to tremble violently, and broken tiles and dust to fall from above.

The mournful sound of the erhu changed its tune, mixed with the crisp yet lifeless sound of the clappers, striking out an authentic traditional opera interlude.

The candlelight behind the curtain was bright, clearly projecting an exquisite yet eerie shadow puppet scene onto the pale screen—a few twisted, withered willows cut from joss paper, and a small vermilion building hidden in the dim light.

Accompanied by the delicate beat of gongs and drums, several shadow puppets, carved with neat patterns, stepped out from both sides of the screen.

The shadow puppet show has begun!

"not good!"

Su Yu's eyes narrowed slightly, and he closed his hands, instantly putting away the heavy "Book of Strange Things" in his palm.

[Rule 1: Match the description to the corresponding category!]

Once the opera begins, all the living who are not yet seated will trigger the rule that their shadows will be instantly cut off!

"Find a chair and sit down right now!"

Su Yu shouted in a low, stern voice.

however.

The power of the [Gong Soul Shock], which erupts at close range, increases exponentially.

The terrifying sonic mental hammer slammed heavily into the souls of the five team members.

Their minds went blank and they felt dizzy for a moment, their bodies stiffened on the spot, unable to respond to Su Yu's instructions at all.

This is a hopeless dead end.

The gong's soul-shaking effect provides hard control, allowing for the execution of rules and elimination based on specific criteria.

The combination of these two elements creates an unstoppable attack.

now.

The five team members, frozen in place, were unable to move their bodies, but their subconscious and instinct for survival were screaming wildly!

That feeling was like experiencing "sleep paralysis".

My brain was filled with white noise, and my body felt like it was welded to the floor.

But subconsciously, one can perceive with unparalleled clarity and terror that, in the darkness, a gigantic pair of bone scissors radiating endless death energy is slowly taking shape in the void above one's head!

A bone-chilling coldness ran from the top of my head straight to the soles of my feet.

The cold, sharp blade of the bone shears had already locked onto their shadows cast on the ground.

The "click" of the shearing echoed deep within my soul.

The countdown ticked away second by second. They were powerless to resist and could only watch helplessly as they slid step by step into the bottomless abyss where breaking the rules meant certain death.

The despair of facing death instantly overwhelmed everyone's minds.

At the critical moment.

Su Yu didn't have time to use his aura to relieve the dizziness.

The judgment of the rules often happens in an instant.

"Whoosh whoosh!"

With a thought racing through his mind, Su Yu unleashed five rusty Shadow Chains, carrying the deathly aura of the Yellow Springs!

The chains wrapped around the waists of the five people who were frozen in place with perfect precision.

Pull hard!

"Bang bang bang bang bang!"

Accompanied by five dull thuds.

Just before the bone shears were about to close and the first line of the shadow puppet show began, Su Yu used iron chains to throw each of the five people into a grand chair!

at the same time.

Su Yu flashed forward, his trench coat billowing, and he sat down imposingly on a grand chair.

"Clang!"

"The vibrant colors of spring have faded, leaving only broken wells and crumbling walls..."

A sharp, mournful female lead's voice drifted out from behind the curtain. Although it was singing classic lyrics, the words were filled with a strong sense of death and resentment, as if a demon was whispering in your ear.

Almost at the same instant the singing began, all six people settled into their seats.

In the void, the enormous bone scissors, pieced together from stark white bones and just formed, lost the causal lock of the rules and emitted a low, unwilling tremor before quietly dissipating into the darkness.

A few breaths later.

The awe-inspiring echo of the gong finally dissipated.

The five team members sitting in the armchairs suddenly woke up, their bodies already soaked in cold sweat, as if they had just been pulled out of the water.

"Huff...cough cough..."

Zhou Tian gasped for breath, glancing at his shadow with lingering fear: "Just now... what happened? I felt like my soul was being severed."

"It's the rule."

Su Yu sat in the armchair in the front row, his gaze calmly fixed on the paper puppets dancing on the stage. He spoke in a low voice: "Before the opera begins, you must find an empty seat. Anyone who stands or walks will have their shadow cut off instantly and sewn into a paper figure behind the curtain."

Hearing Su Yu's explanation.

The team members gasped, a chill running down their spines.

If the leader hadn't acted decisively earlier, they would probably have triggered the rules and become paper dolls.

This is the terror of a Class D vengeful ghost.

We don't talk about combat strength, we only talk about the rules.

"Of course not."

Su Yu leaned back in the rosewood chair, a chilling purple glint flashing in his eyes beneath the mask.

"I'm listening to music just to avoid triggering the death condition."

"Wait for it to show itself. I will personally teach you how to overcome the rules when they become an obstacle!"