On the bus, the production team handed each of them a guide to "Infinite Slaughter."
"Background time. The year is 2230. A mysterious virus sweeps the globe, and you and your companions are in a building, awaiting the arrival of death."
"Ensure your survival. Become a lucky survivor!"
This was the background, a few simple lines that could make one's heart clench.
"Is this all the clue?"
Ou Ruola raised her head with a hint of worry.
"It feels very much like a post-apocalyptic themed murder mystery."
Indeed, "Infinite Slaughter" combined a doomsday scenario with a dark narrative, a murder mystery that severely tested humanity. The viewers watching the live stream were already on the edge of their seats.
Han Jiuzhen, being a bit older, turned to the other three girls.
"Once we go in, let's not get separated. We'll stick together."
"The director already said this is very dangerous. I suspect there will be some kind of hunter in this script, who will hunt us all down!"
Hearing Han Jiuzhen's words, everyone nodded.
"Okay! We'll follow your lead."
Lin Mucí then looked towards the director.
"Will Tutor Ling also enter this 'Infinite Slaughter' instance with us?"
Behind her, Ling Qianhe's light laughter could be heard.
"Do you really want to know?"
Lin Mucí hummed in response.
Ling Qianhe said,
"You go ahead and play."
"I won't be entering the instance with you."
Lin Mucí felt as though these words weren't as simple as they sounded.
The bus quickly arrived at the base of the building.
The girls entered the second floor, an entire floor that had been transformed into a dedicated venue. The director began to explain.
"When you push open the door, you will officially enter the game's scene. We will no longer provide you with any assistance."
"This game is very realistic. You will even experience a sense of near-death. Please make every decision cautiously. There are cameras in every corner. We have set a safety action. Until you perform this safety action, no matter what happens, we will not let you out."
"Next, I wish you good luck."
...
The year is 2230. A mysterious virus sweeps across the globe, leaving only the skyscrapers of a few cities as safe havens untouched by the virus.
A few girls have formed an alliance, hiding in the skyscrapers of the city, safe from the virus's reach.
But now, the safe haven they were hiding in is no longer safe!
The door creaked open.
Cobwebs hung tattered overhead, and dust billowed everywhere.
Ou Ruola took a deep breath and murmured.
"This is too realistic, too thrilling."
She could even smell the strong scent of disinfectant. The space was divided into different rooms, and the sky was not visible.
However, there were many bloody murals on the walls, and someone had directly written "Save me," which looked shocking and terrifying.
"Let's look for clues first. I guess there must be key items to clear the game."
"Doesn't the background mention a mysterious virus?"
"Perhaps we can find an antidote."
Lin Mucí remained very calm.
This program was being broadcast live, but the "Infinite Slaughter" instance had previously partnered with Fox, the world's largest streaming platform.
Therefore, this live broadcast was directly uploaded to the world's largest video website and was pinned to the top!
Compared to group variety shows about games, this bloody murder mystery that felt as if one were there could capture the attention of global audiences even more effectively.
"My God, what is this?"
"This looks like the beginning of a horror movie! I can't help but sweat for these four girls."
Because the live broadcast had built-in translation, there was no need to worry about foreign viewers not understanding.
Lin Mucí was not aware that the program had already been launched globally.
She was completely immersed in the game.
She squatted down, picked up torn paper slips and photographs, and then said.
"You all quickly come and see. What is this?"
Everyone gathered around.
It was an old newspaper, with the date reading 1874.
"Globally wanted murderer Z!"
"He was the gardener's son. He killed the master's daughter, burying her body in the soil. People scorned him, viewing him as a child of the devil, and sent him to the stake. Amidst the raging flames, he let out a hideous laugh!"
"His withered skeleton was buried in the tomb."
"But countless years later, he crawled out of the tomb from the darkness once more. His flesh was reborn, his skin regained human sensation, and he became Doctor Z, who brought the virus!"
Then, a line of red text slowly appeared on the ground.
"Uncover the truth behind why Doctor Z was sent to the stake, and only then can everything be stopped!"
A photograph, half-burned, lay there.
Lin Mucí's heart pounded rapidly. She picked up the photo and spread it flat on her palm.
On the photograph in her palm, a boy's somewhat sinister smile appeared. Although it was only half of his profile, she could recognize him at a glance.
She gasped.
"It's Qianhe!"
"He's the final boss!"
This damned plot.
Lin Mucí felt a headache coming on. No wonder he had smiled so inscrutably when they got off the bus earlier.
So he was the final boss of this storyline.
Ling Qianhe must know how to pass it!
Lin Mucí's gaze fell on the photograph in her palm.
To be honest.
Ling Qianhe looked quite good in this photo, but that smile, no matter how you looked at it, was incredibly eerie.
Worldwide.
People were very familiar with Ling Qianhe.
The viewership count directly soared to the tens of millions.
"Is this Qianhe's new movie?"
"How mysterious. Is he playing an anti-social personality type, similar to the Joker, this time?"
Everyone quietly watched the girls huddled in the room. Ou Ruola glanced around, and her voice suddenly trembled slightly.
"Wait a minute! Mucí, look quickly!"
Lin Mucí froze. Then she saw a green liquid being released from a corner outside the door, carrying a strong chemical odor that made her heart pound. Her breathing quickened, and she gritted her teeth.
"Don't look—run!"
"This stuff might be poisonous!"
Poisonous meant instant elimination upon contact.
Lin Mucí turned directly and tried to run outside. Fortunately, there were two doors here. She pushed open the other door. Yang Weiyang pulled the other girls, following Lin Mucí as they fled in panic, but this room caused the girls to cover their mouths and noses.
A strong stench assaulted them.
A half-scorched, dilapidated plastic doll lay in front of them.
Thick, viscous red liquid flowed from a refrigerator at their feet.
No one dared to open that refrigerator!
Lin Mucí heard a cold laugh by her ear. The sound made her blood run cold, but it wasn't Ling Qianhe. It was a colder, more terrifying mechanical synthesized voice transmitted from the speaker above.
"You can't escape... Heh."
"After all, this is..."
"The end of the world."
"Don't think of escaping, I will find you soon... and kill you."
"My subordinates have already started entering this building, ha ha... you're dead!"
Lin Mucí desperately wanted to summon the system, but the system was playing dead at this moment.
She could only grit her teeth, raise her head, and look around. The refrigerator emitted a strong stench, and Yang Weiyang was almost in tears.
"What do we do? Should we open the refrigerator?"
Lin Mucí hummed.
"I'll open it."
She opened the refrigerator. Red liquid continued to flow. Amidst a pile of rotten fish and shrimp, a doll's head lay quietly.
Lin Mucí felt her heart almost stop, but she endured the stench and took out the doll's head, piecing it onto the doll's body.
"It's still missing arms and legs."
"Go find them. If we can piece the doll together, there should be a reward!"
As she gritted her teeth, giving instructions for the other girls to move, she wondered in her heart if this damned murder mystery was designed by Ling Qianhe.
Besides him, who else would have such a deep obsession with dolls?
It must be him. Did Ling Qianhe have to play this big?