I started on a rocking horse and relied on watching ads to dominate the highway survival charts.

A blue light enveloped Huo Yunzhi.

When she opened her eyes again, there were six people standing around her.

Qin Yuanshan and his group were dressed similarly to before, except that each of them carried an extra hiking backpack.

Apart from……

Huo Yunzhi looked at Shen Chilie and thought she was seeing things.

This guy's firepower... is a bit too intense, isn't it?

He had a SCAR-H heavy combat rifle slung across his shoulder, with an M320 grenade launcher hanging below the barrel, and his waist magazine was full of 40mm grenades.

The backpack had several AT4 anti-tank rocket launcher tubes stuck in its side pockets, along with various other individual firearms whose names I don't know. It was basically like wearing the belongings of an entire platoon on my back.

Moreover… Huo Yunzhi looked at the markings printed on these weapons.

"Have you sold these before?" Huo Yunzhi pointed to the belongings.

"Huh?" Shen Chilie blinked. "I've never sold these. I've sold some simple ones though."

Huo Yunzhi pursed her lips and nodded.

Alright, we've found the source of the stuff we seized.

"Then why didn't you put your backpack down?" Qin Yuanshan casually put his hand on Shen Chilie's shoulder.

Shen Chilie looked a little embarrassed: "My backpack is full."

"Huh? It's full? You didn't unlock the expansion cube?"

"We've opened the facility, but we haven't received the warehouse expansion permit yet, so we can't use it."

"Warehouse expansion permit? What's that?" Miao Miao also stuck her head over.

"It's the item that unlocks the second page of your inventory," Shen Chilie belatedly realized. "Didn't you guys know?"

"This is the first time I've heard of this item." Wen Zhaoye, who is always well-informed and quick-witted, pushed up his glasses: "You've unlocked all 100 slots in your backpack. That's fast."

"What! You said you were fully loaded?! Where did all these weapons come from?! Did you rob that service area?!"

Qin Yuanshan screamed, startling Su Anning so much that she frowned and covered her ears.

Wen Zhaoye and Huo Yunzhi both twitched their lips simultaneously.

I was too conservative in my thinking. This guy is a whole platoon! He's a mobile arsenal!

Welcome to the Qiao Family Residence.

While everyone was still reeling from the shock of discovering an armory right next to them, an aged voice rang out, interrupting their unfinished conversation.

Huo Yunzhi immediately realized what was happening and began cautiously searching for the source of the Sacred Heart.

Unfortunately, the sound seemed to be the system sound from a game, and the group searched around the main entrance but couldn't find the source.

Have you ever heard of the wandering spirits?

The voice continued to speak, but it sounded weaker than before, and spoke very slowly, as if the person was on their deathbed and about to die at any moment.

That's an old tradition that's been passed down for hundreds of years here. On auspicious days, villagers bring out a palanquin from their old houses for a procession, with incense burners leading the way, gongs and drums clearing the way, and firecrackers going off all along the route, praying for good weather, abundant harvests, and national peace and prosperity.

However, many years ago, the feng shui of the old house was maliciously damaged. Since then, evil spirits have begun to appear in the old house, and the spirit procession has never been performed again.

【Guests from afar, you are capable people. I trouble you to find the ink line, paper boat, and axe in the courtyard within two hours, take them to the palanquin and burn them to restore the feng shui arrangement, and then carry the palanquin out of the old house to restart the procession of the gods.】

If the palanquin is not carried out within two hours, the bells of the ancient mansion will ring, resetting the location, and everyone will be teleported back to the starting point, where everything will begin anew.

[The old house is fraught with danger. I have prepared a paper doll as a substitute for each of you, which can save your lives in a critical moment.]

I'm leaving everything in your care.

After saying this, the aged voice coughed a few more times and then disappeared, and the surrounding light also disappeared as well.

Directly ahead, the old, tightly closed gate slowly opened.

[Remaining time for the instance: 3:59:59]

A flash of fire appeared before Huo Yunzhi's eyes, and a light paper figure landed in her palm.

[Item: Substitute Paper Doll. When the holder receives fatal damage, the paper doll will automatically burn and become completely immune to the damage. It can also be used on teammates who have already died (only usable in the Qiao Family Mansion).]

"Seven chances to revive in total, increasing the margin for error so much, is not a good thing." Wen Zhaoye said seriously.

"Moreover, the voice was only explaining the content of the instance from beginning to end, without introducing the specific rules like in previous instances or service areas." Huo Yunzhi also frowned.

"There's not even a hint of the mechanisms related to vengeful ghosts," Xu Xiu added.

"Hmm...so you mean we have to actively try and fail ourselves, and the paper effigy is for this purpose?" Su Anning tilted her head, looking at Huo Yunzhi and Wen Zhaoye. "Isn't that the mechanism of risking our lives to find the vengeful ghost?"

"Yes, risking one's life." Wen Zhaoye took a deep breath: "Do you remember what that voice said just now?"

Xu Xiu and Su Anning nodded. They remembered most of what the voice had said about needing a few things.

As for Qin Yuanshan, Shen Chilie, and Miao Miao...

"How much do you remember?" Qin Yuanshan asked Shen Chilie and Miao Miao in a low voice.

"Welcome to the Qiao Family Residence."

"I'm counting on you for everything."

One of them remembered the beginning, and the other remembered the end... isn't that a kind of remembering too?

Wen Zhaoye overheard their hushed conversation and sighed helplessly, "I'll post it in the group chat, and you can check if anything's been missed."

You have received a group message.

Huo Yunzhi quickly browsed through Wen Zhaoye's messages.

"No problem, not a single word is wrong."

"So, what did you figure out?"

"Find these three things: an ink line, a paper boat, and an axe," Xu Xiu replied.

Wen Zhaoye shook his head: "No, we are looking for six things."

"Why are there six items?"

"Our ultimate goal is to restart the procession of deities. Let's see what the previous words said: incense burners lead the way, gongs and drums clear the path, and firecrackers are set off along the way."

"I understand. Besides the three items that change the feng shui, we also need to gather the three essential items for the procession of the gods: incense burner, gongs and drums, and firecrackers." Huo Yunzhi immediately realized.

Shen Chilie's expression shifted to one of sudden realization: "Anything else? Did you guys figure anything else out?"

"And this sentence: [If the palanquin is not carried out within two hours, the bell of the old house will ring, resetting the place, and everyone will be teleported back to the starting point, where everything will begin anew.]"

It's clear that the key to restarting lies in the sound of a bell, or something that emits a bell. Let's tentatively label it as a vengeful ghost, and call it... the Clock Ghost.

Upon hearing this, Huo Yunzhi couldn't help but twitch her lips.

This person... still really likes to name vengeful ghosts.

"Why is it a 'vengeful ghost' mechanic?" Qin Yuanshan asked, puzzled. "Why can't it be a rule of the instance itself?"