Ding-a-ling!
The next morning, Qin Nuo was awakened by the sound of his alarm clock.
Opening his eyes, the warm sunlight streamed through the curtains, casting a glow on his face.
There was no gray sky, no filthy dorm environment, and no scent of blood or decay in the air.
Having grown accustomed to the Horror World, Qin Nuo couldn't help but marvel.
In comparison, the scene before him was like paradise!
After washing up, Qin Nuo went to the living room. His sister had left early, leaving breakfast on the table and a message on his phone.
"Visiting a friend's house, will be back soon, don't wander off."
The way she put it, it felt like he was being treated as a pet.
But Qin Nuo understood his sister well.
She was a protective sister to the core.
Ever since their parents disappeared, she had taken on the role of a mother, meticulously arranging everything in Qin Nuo's academic and personal life.
Tossing his phone aside, Qin Nuo started eating breakfast, but halfway through, there was a sudden knock on the door.
"Who is it?"
Qin Nuo asked, biting into a fried dough stick as he went to open the door.
Outside stood two men in suits, wearing sunglasses, dressed like black-clothed individuals, as if afraid people wouldn't know they were special.
"Who are you looking for?"
"Are you Qin Nuo?"
Qin Nuo paused before replying, "What's the matter?"
"Do you have time now? Come with us," one of them said expressionlessly.
"I'm a bit busy now, still having breakfast."
"Besides, I don't go with strangers, and you don't look like police."
Qin Nuo returned to the table, continuing his breakfast with a calm demeanor.
Internally, however, he was filled with suspicion.
Could it be that his identity as the Phantom had been discovered?
The two men glanced inside and asked, "Are you alone? Can we come in?"
"Not really, my floor is very clean, and I don't want it dirtied," Qin Nuo said while sipping his porridge.
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The two men in suits: "..."
"You don't have to worry, we're not bad people, we're also part of the police, and we're here to explain some things to you," one of them explained, seeing Qin Nuo's resistance.
"Explain some things?"
They entered, placing their IDs on the table, and said, "Come with us and you'll find out. Your classmates are almost all there."
Qin Nuo thought for a moment and nodded.
With the Blood-Eyed Ghost around, he wasn't worried about danger.
After all, this wasn't the Horror World, and dealing with two ordinary adults was more than manageable.
About twenty minutes later.
A jeep stopped in front of a building, and Qin Nuo got out, following the two men inside.
In the hallway, people dressed as officers came and went, which reassured Qin Nuo a bit.
The Blood-Eyed Ghost muttered, "There's a familiar scent."
"What?" Qin Nuo asked.
"Same kind."
Qin Nuo's expression changed slightly, but he said nothing and continued walking.
Soon, they arrived at a meeting room.
Tang Ming, Liu Jiaqi, and other familiar classmates were all present.
"Old Qin, you're finally here, we were just waiting for you!" Tang Ming had saved a seat for Qin Nuo.
"I don't quite understand the situation," Qin Nuo said as he sat down.
What did they want by gathering all the classmates who were forcibly sent into the Horror Game for the first time?
"Don't worry, it's just to explain some things."
"You look so tense, like you've done something guilty!" Tang Ming joked.
"Qin Nuo, how have you been these past few days?" Liu Jiaqi asked.
She was sitting behind Qin Nuo, having saved a seat for him, but as soon as Qin Nuo came in, Tang Ming pulled him over.
Qin Nuo knew she was referring to the Horror Game and shrugged, "Pretty good."
"You have a good mindset. Every time I close my eyes, I dream of those days at the Nether Springs Restaurant, waking up in the middle of the night," Liu Jiaqi muttered.
Besides Liu Jiaqi, the other classmates were the same, some with dark circles under their eyes, some looking haggard, some appearing overindulgent...
Clearly, the Horror Game had become an indelible shadow in their lives.
At that moment, the door opened, and a man with glasses walked in.
"Hello, classmates, let me introduce myself. I'm Ye Ming. You don't need to guess my identity. For the time being, consider me your substitute teacher."
"Substitute for what?" Xiao Yuexin and others were puzzled.
"Substitute for some things about the Horror Game," Ye Ming said with a slight smile.
As soon as they heard those four words, all the classmates shrank back.
One student immediately stood up and said, "No need, I won't have anything to do with that for the rest of my life."
"If this is what you're here for, then goodbye, I need to go back!" Several classmates stood up, ready to leave.
"I understand that you don't want to hear about the Horror Game again."
"But wanting to never have anything to do with it again, that's not something you can choose," Ye Ming said.
"What do you mean?"
"Wasn't there only one forced entry?"
Hearing this, many classmates became uneasy.
Qin Nuo, however, remained calm.
He already knew what was coming next.
"Being forced into the Horror Game at eighteen is inevitable."
"But that doesn't mean it's over. It just changes from inevitable to occasional, or rather, unfortunate."
"According to our statistics starting this year, about 300 to 400 people each month in Dragon Country will have a strange totem appear on them."
"The appearance of a totem is a warning, indicating that in 5 to 10 days, or even longer, they will be sent into the Horror Game."
"We call this totem the Horror Curse."
"In other words, you may still be sent into the Horror Game again!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the meeting room erupted into chaos.
Fear was evident on the faces of all the classmates.
"Old Qin, did you hear that? We might go back! It's terrifying!" Tang Ming grabbed Qin Nuo's arm.
"I heard, it's terrifying," Qin Nuo said, nonchalantly picking his ear.
Seeing the students' reactions, a satisfied look appeared in Ye Ming's eyes as he continued.
"Of course, you don't have to be as scared as the first time."
"When the Horror Curse appears, there's a preparation period, giving the country a chance to intervene."
With that, Ye Ming took out a device the size of a pocket watch and said, "A replacer."
"It can transfer the curse from your body. If the Horror Curse appears on you, using the replacer, you can have someone else enter the Horror Game in your place."
"Each city has a dedicated team of players to replace those cursed, specifically to solve this predicament."
Ye Ming said with a smile.
Hearing this, many people showed expressions of joy.
The country really is reliable!
"And the cost is reasonable, varying based on individual economic situations."
The classmates were stunned.
"This... isn't it free?"
Ye Ming chuckled.
"Classmates, this is a life-risking job. If it were free, who would willingly risk their lives for strangers?"
"The establishment of a mechanism to replace entry into the Horror Game by the country is already not easy. It's impossible to take care of everyone..."
"Of course, you can also choose to enter yourself."
"After all, with the protection mechanism, the mortality rate is greatly reduced. However, if you fail the instance, the Horror Curse will remain!"
"You must complete a set of instances to erase the curse!"
Ye Ming said with a smile, "I'm just explaining this to prepare you mentally, as a precaution."
"If you are truly cursed, how you choose is up to you."
"You only have one life, and money is endless. I'm sure you all understand."
With that, Ye Ming had his assistant distribute a stack of cards to everyone.
"This is our team, a team fighting against the Horror Game."
"If one day, a strange totem appears on you, I hope you can call this number."
"You can also face the challenge yourself, but expertise is needed, and it should be handled by professionals."
"No one wants to gamble with their life, right?"
Qin Nuo rolled his eyes.
He finally understood.
After all that talk, this was a sales pitch!