Horror games? Whatever, I'll die.

Liang Zaibing stared intently at the photo for a few seconds, and the added effect of a family portrait appeared before him.

[Passive Effect: No need to use Family Portrait; dungeon spirits will automatically generate an overheat warning when they enter within 10 meters]

[Active Effect: Dispels approaching ghosts]

As for how much evil spirit attack it can withstand, you'll have to experience it for yourself to know.

Looking at the quiet and well-behaved boy in the photo, Liang Zaibing asked herself, "Why did you kill your own father?"

How did you manage to do that?

He was probably only a teenager at the time, so how could he kill a strong and healthy adult?

As if in response to his question, the photo flickered, and the scene transformed into a cozy bedroom. Under the warm yellow light, the boy sat at his desk, diligently working on the math problems assigned by his teacher.

But in this heartwarming scene, an incongruous black ghost appeared, with a rope deeply embedded in its flesh hanging from its neck, dangling from the ceiling, its pale feet tapping against the back of a chair.

Da da da……

To Liang Zaibing's surprise, the boy suddenly stood up, moved his chair to the side of the desk, and continued doing his homework.

Can he see ghosts?

Why wasn't he afraid and instead remained so calm?

The hanged ghost stopped shaking the rope to knock on his chair; instead, it dragged the knot and pounced on the boy.

It didn't pass through; instead, it vanished completely, as if it had never existed.

The boy's eyes glazed over for a moment, then turned venomous and bloodshot.

He took the rope loop and silently approached his father, who was resting on the sofa, then put it around his neck and strangled him.

The boy, possessed by a ghost, gained incredible strength. The man struggled desperately, but in the end, he could only die with resentment in his heart.

He couldn't understand why his own son would kill him.

When Xu Yiru returned home after grocery shopping, she was greeted by this bloody and cruel scene.

-----

"Ugh."

Liang Zaibing put away the photos and stopped looking at them.

Liang Zaibing didn't know where this hanged ghost came from, but she always felt that it was related to horror games.

As for why he targeted Eleven, it's probably because he can see ghosts, has a high level of intuition, and is more likely to become a vengeful ghost after death.

After his death, Wude Academy became a dead land where no human could set foot, and later it became one of countless terrifying dungeons, a tool used by the game to kill players.

Are other instances created in the same way?

Liang Zaibing pondered for a long time but couldn't figure it out, so she simply gave up on it. When she looked up again, she suddenly realized that the dark space from last time had changed.

A ball of light appeared ten meters ahead, and a vortex of silvery-white light swirled silently, like a time tunnel from a science fiction novel.

[Players have successfully completed the second dungeon; the main city is now open for players to explore.]

It seems he just left the beginner village.

Without pausing, Liang Zaibing stepped into the silvery-white vortex.

Welcome to Eden City!

The electronic voice in his ear transformed into the voice of a refined man, no longer cold and rigid, but instead imbued with human tone and emotion, welcoming him with a smile.

In Eden City, you can exchange points for anything you want.

The only rule is that attacking other players is prohibited; if detected by the system, the player will be immediately eliminated.

Please enjoy every minute in Eden City!

The light before his eyes gradually faded, and a magnificent city unfolded before him.

The city walls, paving stones, bungalows, and the spire in the center of the city were all a soft white, even the mud and sand at the bottom of the river and the plants along the roadside were pure white, as if they were made of wax, pearls, and white jade.

The only color in the city is the players walking on the streets and their belongings.

Every corner of Eden exudes an illusory and unreal feeling, as if one has stumbled into a paradise.

Liang Zaibing walked towards the central spire, stepping on the white stone tiles.

That white tower stands there silently, the absolute center of the world; a single glance from it inspires awe and reverence.

As Liang Zaibing got closer, she realized it wasn't an illusion. The closer she got to the White Pagoda, the more intense the oppressive and suffocating feeling became, until she couldn't even move an inch.

He simply gave up and retreated to the bustling downtown area where there were more players.

There were people setting up stalls along both sides of the road, but they didn't hawk their wares. Their "take it or leave it" expressions were so uniform that it was as if they had undergone standardized training.

What surprised him most was that several stalls were above which floated various evil spirits, all of which exuded a terrifying aura.

Liang Zaibing had previously guessed that the mall did not sell cursed items, but since Eden City said that anything could be bought, perhaps some players would sell cursed items.

But to his surprise, the evil spirit residing within it was able to be released.

System prompts will pop up as needed.

[Should we release the evil spirit from the cursed object?]

[In Eden City, spirits can be freely released, but all attack abilities are restricted.]

Liang Zaibing agreed without hesitation. Of course, he just wanted his child to explore the outside world more, and he didn't mean to use him to scare the shop owner into haggling.

The family photo in his pocket shifted slightly, and Liang Zaibing suddenly felt a chill on the back of his head; Eleven's ghost was floating behind him.

Liang Zaibing waved to him, "Come on, let's go shopping."

Liang Zaibing chose a stall that sold cursed items.

The shop owner was dressed in a black cloak, hiding his face and looking like he was hiding something.

The cloth used for the stall looked like it was cut from a cloak; four things were squeezed onto a small piece of rag: a wooden comb, a tin can, old newspapers, and a piece of gleaming white finger bone.

The evil spirits above the stall floated out from the finger bones.

The round-faced girl in the Rococo dress gave him a sinister smile. "Hello, big brother."

Liang Zaibing pointed to the small piece of bone, "Boss, what are the effects of this? How many points does it cost?"

"Don't ask if you're not buying," the stall owner, who had been dozing with his head in his hands, looked up impatiently. Only when he saw the vengeful spirit following behind him did his attitude soften a little.

"See the features for yourself," the stall owner tossed him a finger bone. "12000 points, no bargaining."

The moment the finger bone was touched, a notification message appeared.

[The Cursed Item: Secia's Little Finger]

Offer your little finger to Cecilia, and she will open any door sealed by the devil for you.

It seems to be for escaping when the door is closed, but it can't dispel ghosts, and it costs 12,000 points.

Even after perfectly clearing two dungeons and receiving generous rewards, he only has around 10,000 points now.

Those players who managed to clear the dungeon by sheer luck were even less likely to be able to afford the cursed items, and would still be unable to protect themselves in the following dungeons, thus failing to earn more points.

An unsolvable infinite loop.

Seeing the hesitation in his expression, the stall owner snorted, "If you're not going to buy it, put it back."

"Since you're new here, let me give you some free advice: don't try anything as stupid as robbing someone. Every transaction in Eden City is protected by the rules."

Ignoring the blatant threat, Liang Zaibing, with her innocent and naive face, said, "Excuse me, this is my first time in Eden City. I don't know much about this place. Can I ask you a few questions?"

The stall owner shooed him away like a fly, saying, "I'm busy, don't keep me from selling my stuff."

"But you've been here for ages and it seems like you haven't made a single sale."

"..."