Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 6 The Cleaner

Thirty minutes later.

Jiang Jin's SAN value has already dropped below 98%.

At this moment, he held the red cloth he had just bought with a worried expression.

Just as he drank the water from the pool, he received a notification that main quest 1 was complete and that he needed to find a secluded spot to wait for the newbie gift pack to be airdropped.

Afterwards, Jiang Jin discovered an unexpected surprise.

When he casually put his hands into his two trouser pockets, he discovered that one of the pockets contained a large wad of Hong Kong dollars and a Hong Kong Island identity card.

This thing... could it be funding to make it easier for these reincarnators to move around in the horror dungeon?

He counted it; it was a full three thousand Hong Kong dollars.

"Wait a moment……"

He suddenly realized something.

The design of these Hong Kong dollar banknotes is completely different from the ones we used when our family traveled to Hong Kong Island a few years ago!
He recalled the Hong Kong dramas he had watched in the last century: "This...this is Hong Kong dollars that only circulated a long time ago!"

When Lu Zhao saw the banknotes in Jiang Jin's hand, he also took out Hong Kong dollars and his ID card from his pocket.

"No way? What time of day is it now?"

"My cell phone can still make calls, so it must be at least Hong Kong Island in the 1990s."

So the two of them immediately went and bought several pieces of red cloth that could cover up the strange images in the mirror.

But I never expected that as soon as I bought the red cloth, I would immediately face the situation of losing 2% of my SAN rating within half an hour.

The rapid drop in SAN value put immense pressure on Jiang Jin.

Fortunately, the new player gift pack will be airdropped in an hour and a half.

We can only hope that the rules will be changed once the CD expires.

He has carefully examined the specific capabilities and limitations of the rule tamperer:
SAN value deduction rules: First, modifying the real-world monthly rules deducts 2% SAN value per word. Second, modifying the Red Code Restricted Area rules deducts 3% SAN value per word. Third, modifying the Isolation Restricted Area rules deducts 3% SAN value per word, but this only lasts for 24 hours; after 24 hours, the rules revert to their original effect. Fourth, modifying the Horror Dungeon rules deducts 5%-50% SAN value per word (depending on the rule's importance). Each modification will have a 12-hour cooldown period during which no further rule modifications can be made.

Note: 1. The revised rules only apply to the Lawyer himself. To apply them to others, an additional SAN value will be consumed for each additional person.

2. You can only modify the rules, not the content of the tasks issued by the reincarnation system.

Jiang Jin finally tried to persuade Lu Zhao to drink the pool water, since Lu Zhao would be a help to him. If Lu Zhao were "eliminated," then he would have to struggle to survive in the terrifying dungeon alone. However, Lu Zhao was extremely stubborn and refused to listen to reason.

Jiang Jin could only say in the end, "How about we split up and gather intelligence? That would be more efficient."

"Alright then. When and where should we meet again?"

"We'll meet here in two hours."

Jiang Jin had two reasons for not traveling with Lu Zhao: First, the cleaner was coming to "clean up" Lu Zhao, and he didn't want to be near him, lest he be caught in the crossfire. Two hours later, he knew it was highly unlikely he'd see Lu Zhao again. Second, if he actually succeeded in "communicating" with the cleaner, once the newbie gift pack was opened, there was no guarantee the cleaner wouldn't be tempted to steal it. After all, the cleaner's sanity wasn't fully restored from drinking the pool water, while Jiang Jin's sanity was constantly decreasing, quickly widening the gap between them.

After Jiang Jin and Lu Zhao parted ways, they prepared to find a secluded place to receive the newcomer's gift pack.

Just half an hour after drinking the pool water, Jiang Jin's SAN value dropped by 2%. At this rate, by tomorrow, Jiang Jin's SAN value will drop below 60% again!

Before that happens, he absolutely cannot sit idly by and wait for his death!
He walked through the village, feeling his SAN value drop.

Whether it's modifying the rules or using the newbie gift pack, both will consume SAN points. The less SAN points he has, the more disadvantageous it is for him.

Within these 12 hours, he must make full use of the time to first gather clues and consider what rules he can change to maximize his benefits in the future.

Most importantly, he needed to obtain information about the Soul-Suppressing Ritual as soon as possible.

It was already noon in the village.

As Jiang Jin walked along the bluestone path, he felt that the village was eerily quiet, and even the sound of the wind seemed to be deliberately suppressed by something.

The bronze mirror hanging under the eaves gleamed coldly in the thin mist, its surface slightly tilted, like countless eyes peering from the shadows.

He turned onto a path next to the old woman's house, where moss covered the stone walls and the air was filled with a damp, musty smell mixed with some indescribable fishy odor.

An elderly man with white hair and beard sat on the threshold, a cigarette dangling from his hand. The smoke obscured his wrinkled face. He appeared to be the old woman's husband. Jiang Jin stopped, noticing the old man's kind appearance, and decided to use him as a starting point.

"Grandpa," Jiang Jin spoke, his voice exceptionally clear in the quiet alley, "Can I ask you something?"

The old man didn't look up; he simply took a slow drag of his cigarette, the smoke escaping between his teeth and condensing into a grayish-white line in the air.

"Out-of-towner?" The old man's voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time. "Looking for a guesthouse, right?"

“I came here on foot,” Jiang Jin squatted down to be at eye level with the old man. “Grandpa, it’s like this, I saw the sign at the entrance of the village…”

The old man finally raised his eyelids, his cloudy eyes staring at Jiang Jin as if scrutinizing something.

After a long pause, he slowly said, "I knew you outsiders would ask these questions. Don't ask anything, just follow the rules on the notice board outside the village, and you won't have any problems."

“Those…those bronze mirrors,” Jiang Jin pointed to the mirrors hanging at the alley entrance, “every household has one, with the mirror facing outwards. Is there any particular reason for that?”

The old man's fingers were rubbing the cigarette in his hand. His knuckles were thick, and his skin was covered with brown spots. There were also many strange black substances in the nail beds of his fingernails.

He was silent for a moment before saying, "It's nothing, just for warding off evil spirits."

"What evil spirits are you trying to ward off?"

The old man didn't answer, but took another puff of his cigarette, the smoke filling the space between the two of them.

“Young man, you have too many questions.” The old man clearly didn’t want to delve deeper into the issue: “This has nothing to do with you. As long as you follow the rules on the notice board at the village entrance, and especially remember not to drink the water from the pond, you’ll be fine.”

Jiang Jin smiled bitterly to himself, but he knew he couldn't continue this topic, otherwise the old man would lose all goodwill towards him, and it would be difficult to continue the conversation.

"This village, with its green hills and clear waters..." Jiang Jin looked at the vast expanse of green mountains surrounding the village and began to praise it in an attempt to win the old man's favor. "It's truly a sight to behold, the scenery is so beautiful."

The old man gave a cold laugh and took another deep drag of his cigarette.

"Green mountains and clear waters?" He grinned, revealing a few yellowed teeth. "Yes, the scenery is indeed very beautiful."

Jiang Jin didn't reply, but just stared at the old man. The old man took another puff of his cigarette, and in the smoke, his eyes became unfocused, as if he were lost in some kind of memory.

He could tell that the old man's words seemed to carry a hint of sarcasm.

"Not long ago, a stranger came to the village and asked about the pool," the old man said slowly. "And later, he didn't believe in superstitions and even drank the pool water."

A stranger who visited not long ago?
Jiang Jin immediately sensed this was an important clue and hurriedly asked, "Then... what happened next?"

"And then?" The old man grinned, his smile strange. "You wouldn't want to know."

Jiang Jin's fingertips unconsciously rubbed together, considering how to continue the topic.

The old man stared at his movements and suddenly asked, "Do you believe in ghosts and spirits?"

Jiang Jin didn't know if gods existed, but ghosts? He had already witnessed one an hour ago.

"I can't really say for sure," Jiang Jin replied. "What happened to that outsider afterward?"

The old man laughed, a laugh that sounded like it was squeezed out from deep in his throat, with a phlegm-like quality.

"It's better not to believe. If you don't believe in ghosts, you won't be bothered by them," he said. "Alright, you should go now. There's nothing fun here, so you'd better leave as soon as possible."

The old man said nothing more, stood up, went back inside, and closed the door.

Under these circumstances, Jiang Jin had no choice but to ask any more questions.

At this moment, Lu Zhao lit a cigarette in front of the iron fence by the pool.

An hour will be up soon.

"Anyway... if things don't work out by then, I can always drink water from the pool again..."

At this moment, a notification appeared in his left eye: "One hour has passed. Reincarnator Lu Zhao has not completed main quest 1 and will be cleaned up by the cleaners..."

Then, Lu Zhao suddenly sensed something, turned around and looked...

It was a person wearing an orange sanitation worker's jumpsuit and a black mask!
(End of this chapter)