To her astonishment, the spectral woman in the crimson wedding dress did not move forward. Instead, those eerie black-and-red eyes remained fixed upon her.
So long as she didn't reveal that she could see the specters, was she truly free to move in their presence?
Seeing that the ghostly bride had made not the slightest attempt at aggression, Ye Shu found her courage bolstered.
She finally realized that this was no ordinary stage—it was clearly a wedding hall from ancient times. Across from her stood a man dressed in a red mandarin jacket; he must have been the groom, and the crowd of spirits below were their guests.
Not far away, a massive double happiness character hung from the wall. On a table of willow wood rested a photograph of the newlyweds, their beaming smiles a jarring contrast to the sinister scene. Two dragon-and-phoenix candles, burned halfway down, cast their wan, uncanny light over the room, amplifying the uncanny feeling of Chinese horror.
Could the "light" mentioned in the hint also include these two candles before her?
After a long moment, Ye Shu looked away and reexamined the bride in her wedding finery, standing so eerily still.
A wedding, but where are their parents? Why only the couple? And this ghostly bride—was she bound by some mystical restraint? All of it felt shrouded in mystery, impossible to grasp.
"Heroine Ye."
Pang Tong stumbled onto the stage, his head ducked, unable to even glance at the patch of red a mere few meters away. He was timid by nature; if not for Ye Shu's inadvertent trespass, he might have already been driven mad by the supernatural.
"K-ka... Save me... I can help... you get out..."
The ghost bride suddenly turned her head. Unprepared, Ye Shu found herself locking eyes with her in an intense, maddening stare.
"...?"
Ye Shu didn't reply; she continued pretending she couldn't see.
Supernatural entities were sly and treacherous. Admit to seeing them, and the next moment your head might part ways with your body.
The ghost bride grew desperate.
"K-ka-ka... I'm not a spirit—I'm trapped here... Ka-ka, a player. Consumed the banquet—ka-ka, severely polluted."
Since earlier, she'd noticed that some of the floorboards bore signs of being tampered with. Perhaps the path out was hidden below.
"Pang Fatty, give me a hand."
"O-okay!"
Ignoring the ghostly woman beside him and under immense pressure, Pang Tong complied.
Ye Shu rapped on the ground—it sounded hollow beneath.
She pried up the wooden planks, revealing a coffin concealed below. The blood-red wood glistened as though steeped in fresh blood, black iron chains wound around the sides, and the air was thick with the stench of rust.
Neither of them noticed the deep-seated hatred—and fear—in the bride's eyes as she watched them.
It was a cramped, shallow cavity; Ye Shu wasted no time and lifted the coffin lid.
Sure enough, inside was another bride in red—but this one was charred beyond recognition, her face twisted in agony, her mouth, neck, and limbs all nailed down with wooden stakes.
"Heroine Ye... Why... are there two brides?"
Pang Tong was close to tears. One ghost bride was more than enough, but now a second appeared. Where was the promised newbie protection period?!
"True or false, false or true. One masks the other."
She rummaged through the charred bridal shroud, making Pang Tong's own heart seize in panic.
If it weren't so inappropriate, he might have uttered, "Heroine, what nerves! Even daring to lay hands upon the supernatural…" It wasn't something he could have managed.
The icy chill sent a tremor through Ye Shu, but the vermilion bead bracelet on her wrist remained utterly still—one of the reasons for her boldness.
She suspected that this coffin-bound spirit could only awaken under certain conditions.
Ye Shu kneaded her aching temples—what did the game hint say again?
"The red lotus flames from hell cleanse all impurity... Fire can purify all."
Perhaps…
She retraced her steps. Under the bride's baleful glare, Ye Shu hurled the burning dragon-and-phoenix candle onto the stage, at the ghost. The flames leapt up the red wedding dress, engulfing both the bride and groom, filling the air with the sickening stench of burnt flesh.
"Heroine Ye, about the body in the coffin… How did you know the one outside was a fake?"
Ye Shu glanced inside—the wooden stakes had vanished from the ghost bride's remains, her features now sweet and youthful before dissolving into dust.
"Jin Yu Nu."
Pang Tong: "...Jin what nu?"
"The opera Jin Yu Nu. It's a tale of a treacherous scholar who casts aside his devoted wife in pursuit of office and fortune. The female lead's stillness was because of that story... Her plea for help was a ruse, afraid we'd discover the coffin below."
Ye Shu raised the flickering dragon-and-phoenix candle in her hand.
Though its flame was small, the shrouding gray mists dared not come close.
If not for the game hint, she would never have thought of this.
Being buried alive as a stake in the ground—such resentment would be monstrous. The red wedding dress's grievance was betrayal by her husband and the new bride; Ye Shu had simply helped her find release.
"Pang Tong, take the dragon-and-phoenix candles. Quick, let's go!"
She'd noted earlier that both candle flames leaned in the same direction. So long as they followed wherever the candles pointed, they'd find their way out.
…
Ye Shu and Pang Tong broke out from beneath the hotel's basement.
[Ding! Congratulations, player Ye Shu has completed the hidden quest—Help the ghost bride fulfill her last wish and uncover the truth of that year.]
Emerging once more into the light, Pang Tong wept with relief.
The knot in Ye Shu's chest finally unraveled. She'd barely made it back.
She pocketed the dragon-and-phoenix candles and returned to her room. Whether it was the elevator or the basement, both had left her nerves and strength depleted. All she wanted was to collapse into bed and sleep.
At least, she thought, she was far braver now than before.
As for Pang Tong, he spent that night retching up dark, foul-smelling slime.
Day five of the game.
Daylight waned faster than ever—every player, in fact, anyone could sense it.
F City, the first city to experience the supernatural, had grounded flights, suspended subways and trains, and forbade anyone from leaving. The signs were clear for all to see.
Someone had uploaded a blurry, days-old video from the subway. The horrific truth was fully exposed.
Once the public learned, it was already too late—cars overflowed the streets, all trying to flee.
[Prosperous Flowers: It’s getting dark so quickly these days, is there an expert explanation?]
[Digging in a Tiny Garden: Does anyone know what’s happening in F City? My sister-in-law hasn’t contacted me in three days.]
[Blue and Mushrooms: Help! My whole family’s trapped outside the city, nowhere to go, can’t even get a drink of water... ]
[I’m Old Six: Same here—they say monsters have escaped into the city, but now we can’t get home.]
[…]
Yet many bloggers kept streaming live, joined by pleas from desperate citizens, all demanding official answers.
Ye Shu scrolled through the comments, worry knotting her brows.
It was indescribably dangerous outside. With no food or water, nowhere to hide when specters fell upon you—it was like walking rations for the supernatural.
Suddenly, the feed trembled—a shadow flickered across the screen, screams sliced the air, and a brown mass covered the lens.
Startled, she dropped her phone.
If she wasn't mistaken, that was... blood?!
It was only ten in the morning, in daylight's full glow. How could something so unnatural happen now?
Ye Shu tried to rewind, but the livestream had already been taken down.