The surrounding white fog lingered, refusing to dissipate, making it unwise for Mu Anqi and the others to venture out searching for people. This black clock tower seemed to be a landmark, and it was also quite close to the city wall's edge. It was best to wait here for a while to see if the fog would thin out. Perhaps their scattered companions would also find their way here.
"Fortress of fear…" Mu Anqi took out the candy cane and shared the candies with everyone as she pondered the name of this Black Mirror Vortex. The meaning of 'Fortress' was easy to understand, but 'Fear'? This Black Mirror Vortex seemed to make people more susceptible to negative emotions; once a certain threshold was reached, they might even suffer some kind of attack. But why was it named "Fortress of fear"? What was the special significance of the emotion 'fear' to this Vortex?
Did it mean those who came here were more easily dominated by fear? Or were the white fog, the monsters, or other things somehow connected to 'fear'? Perhaps 'Fear' was simply the name of this besieged city, or the main form of the final boss within the city walls? Malicious thoughts, emotions, obsessions… A Black Mirror Vortex born from fear?
Clearly, when they first arrived, there was no white fog, and the mist hadn't been this thick…
Just as Mu Anqi was lost in thought, Fang Xunjiu, who was sitting by the bonfire nestled close to her sister, suddenly exclaimed, "The white fog seems to have thinned out a lot!"
"It does seem that way. Strange. Is it a time-related factor?" Mu Anqi was somewhat puzzled. "What are we supposed to do in this Black Mirror Vortex? Kill all the monsters in the city? Escape the siege? Or shatter all of this?" Although they were here for tourism and sightseeing, the task of clearing the Black Mirror Vortex still remained. A violent clearance seemed more like leading troops into battle than a team-building tour.
As the bonfire flames flickered, Mu Anqi looked at Fang Xunjiu, then at Fang Yunjiu. Senior He Guxia probably didn't experience emotions like fear. Bai Yulai… although the White Fox Demon King was unreliable, she didn't seem like someone who had ever been afraid. She appeared more relaxed and carefree than anyone else, without a hint of crisis awareness. Mu Anqi wasn't very familiar with the black panther demon Jiang Yuexia, but it couldn't hurt to ask: "This Black Mirror Vortex is called Fortress of fear, so I think it has something to do with the emotion of fear. Have any of you noticed anything unusual since arriving here?"
Fang Xunjiu: "…"
Fang Yunjiu coughed lightly, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Now that you mention it… well. The white fog might be related to fear. We were fine when we first arrived, but later, on our way to the clock tower to regroup, my brother and I were walking at the back when suddenly a black thing swooped down. My brother got startled and… well, he was quite frightened… and then the white fog gradually started to rise."
"But I'm not very scared now!" Fang Xunjiu blushed, trying hard to 'explain'.
"No need to be embarrassed, it's a normal reaction," Mu Anqi said. Thinking about the others, they might have also felt some fear due to the sudden separation. Accumulated together, it caused the white fog to grow thicker. And the fog obscuring their vision, coupled with the monsters' occasional harassment, would naturally breed more fear. Once everyone calmed down, the fog would likely thin out.
"The fog is lighter now. Should we explore this part of the city and look for the others?" Mu Anqi suggested. "When the fog thins a bit more, Senior He can use her sword to fly up and get a view of the city. Or General Ji can also send her shadow phantoms out to scout the surroundings."
Jiang Yuexia waited for a moment, only to find that this player absolutely had no intention of assigning her a task! The black panther demon was displeased. "What about me? My sense of smell is sharp, my hearing is excellent, and I'm very fast."
"Ah, then we'll have to trouble Senior Jiang to keep watch for us. After all, those monsters are elusive."
Jiang Yuexia's black panther tail gave a small flick, and her mood improved. "No problem."
Bai Yulai, knowing her own limitations wisely, didn't speak up. Frankly, she didn't want to work either; she just wanted to be a beautiful mascot. She stroked her tails, sensing the little fox pups she had released earlier. The connection with some had already vanished, but others were still active. Unfortunately, none of those little foxes had encountered Wu Sansheng or the other players yet.
They extinguished the bonfire. They didn't clean up the unburned wood and ashes completely, as any arrivals would likely be allies, and seeing these traces would serve as a message. Mu Anqi thought for a moment, took out her notepad, tore off a page, and wrote down her conjecture about 'fear' on it.
"Let's go." This city… seemed to be empty, yet the buildings were real and could be entered. Most of the houses here were small, two or three-story buildings. The black clock tower was probably the tallest structure here. Once the fog lifted, the others should be able to spot this building immediately.
What followed was a period of silent searching.
The entire city was eerily quiet. The white fog was now faint, appearing and disappearing intermittently. He Guxia rode her sword, but she couldn't fly too high, or she still wouldn't see the ground clearly. Even so, flying at a moderate altitude was quite useful. Without needing Jiang Yuexia or Ji Huaichu to intervene, the sword cultivator materialized long swords and efficiently cleared out all the monsters that approached.
"Some of the houses can't be entered." Mu Anqi tried to push open a door, but it was locked tight. She drew her demon blade, intending to chop the door down and force her way in. However, when the blade struck, it passed through the door as if through empty air, directly phasing into the house without damaging it at all.
Mu Anqi thought that even if they forced their way in, the interior would probably be empty, pitch black, or contain nothing at all.
"Feels like some exploration games I've played before," Fang Xunjiu said thoughtfully. If this were a game from the old days, it would probably have a horror tag. "If that's the case, then the houses we can enter must contain clues or items, right?"
"For example… food? Weapons?"
"Ah, so this is like a real-life version of a game?" Mu Anqi was a little disappointed, but then it occurred to her: since the group was here on a tour, experiencing an immersive, real-life horror exploration game was actually quite fitting, wasn't it? "Then let's gather supplies while trying to regroup with the others. I'll sketch a simple map to record our route."
Which houses could be entered, which couldn't. The marked black clocktower, the section of city wall they could see, and then gradually completing this simple map based on their movement direction.
…
"Strange. I keep hearing all sorts of noises, but we never actually encounter any monsters." Zhao Guogu, holding Si Suying's hand, had been moving through various streets. Seeing the white fog thin out, they naturally wanted to reunite with their teammates quickly. But… why couldn't they find anyone? They heard all kinds of sounds, and whenever they heard movement, they promptly hid. So far, they hadn't directly faced a single monster, but they also hadn't encountered any other players.
"Not encountering monsters is a good thing, but not finding our teammates is odd," Si Suying also found it somewhat puzzling. With the stacked luck buffs of Zhao Guogu and Qing Tian, they should practically bump into their teammates even with their eyes closed.
Yet the reality was, they had walked for so long, the surrounding fog had thinned considerably, but they still hadn't encountered anything.
"There's another possibility," Wu Sansheng pondered for a moment before speaking softly. "Because your luck is so high, we might have been directly transported to a relatively important area. The other teammates are probably still exploring the periphery."
Zhao Guogu: "…"
Qing Tian: "…"
If they weren't even on the same map, then no matter how they walked or what they wished for, they wouldn't meet up.
"Hey, look over there, by the trash can under that streetlamp… does it seem like something is glowing?" Zhao Guogu felt a bit awkward, suspecting Wu Sansheng was probably right. As her eyes wandered, a glowing object caught her attention.
She hurried over, bent down, and picked up the object that had just glinted. "Cursed Dagger? This thing isn't glowing now though."
[Cursed Dagger]: A dagger containing special energy. It looks quite sharp. (Fortress of fear Exclusive Item) [Cannot be taken out]
Inspecting it in her hand, she found it wasn't much different from an ordinary dagger. If it had any distinctive feature, it was probably that it looked particularly old. There was no bloodstain or rust on the dagger either. As for it being cursed… nothing about its appearance suggested that. But after reading the dagger's description, Zhao Guogu started to find the dagger somewhat unsettling.
Wu Sansheng touched the dagger's hilt and also received its information. She felt the mix of "fear," "terror," "curiosity," and other emotions transmitted through her held hand from Qing Tian. She quietly processed these emotions, then said, "Then let's search this area and gather all the collectible props and items we can find. That includes inside some of the nearby houses; there should be food and water there. It's been a while since we ate or rested; we should find some resources."
As soon as Wu Sansheng finished speaking, Qing Tian shook their connected hands slightly and pointed towards a single-story bungalow not far ahead. "That house."
Wu Sansheng glanced at Zhao Guogu, and seeing no objection, she led Qing Tian towards the house.
No lock-picking was needed; the front door pushed open easily. The interior was a bit dusty, but it still had electricity. Switching on the living room light from the entryway, Si Suying was the first to enter the house, as she was likely the combat specialist in this team.
The house was empty, no one there. No danger.
There was water and electricity. The bedroom had a bed, pillows, and quilts, all complete, though they smelled slightly damp. Opening the refrigerator, they found a few eggs inside, and even two unopened bags of dumplings in the freezer.
"Wow, what a coincidence! I was just thinking about eating hot dumplings!" Zhao Guogu looked inside, utterly delighted.
Wu Sansheng pressed her lips together. The luck of these two ultra-lucky individuals simply couldn't be judged by normal standards. She silently went to wash the pot, bowls, and chopsticks, then filled the pot with water and set it to boil, intending to cook the dumplings.
"Look for backpacks or something similar, so we can carry whatever we can take," Si Suying said to Zhao Guogu. Finding things was naturally her department. After a moment's thought, Si Suying added, "Should we rest here tonight? It seems pretty safe."
"Let's explore the vicinity after eating. If we don't find a better place to stay by nightfall, we'll rest here."
Once the steaming dumplings were cooked, floating to the surface one by one, they were divided into four bowls and brought to the table. Zhao Guogu picked up a dumpling with her chopsticks, dipped it in the simple dipping sauce she had just made, and sighed contentedly. "Now this feels more like a proper tour."