Frightening Joke: Above the Mist
Chapter 156: Joining the Game

Chapter 156: Chapter 156: Joining the Game

Kidnapping Li Mu...

Such words, coming from her mouth, seemed smooth and practiced, making one suspect that this wasn’t Feng Xiuxue’s first time doing such a thing.

Bai Yanliang was becoming increasingly suspicious and puzzled about her identity. Based on the information revealed by Feng Xiuxue, she appeared to be the longest surviving person in Fog Gathering.

No... It should be said that she was a survivor, a victor of another "Fog Gathering."

Therefore, Bai Yanliang wanted to extract as much information as possible without exposing himself as a so-called key holder like her.

"What do you think... what exactly are ghosts?"

Bai Yanliang considered for a moment before asking this question.

Feng Xiuxue looked at him with some surprise; Bai Yanliang hadn’t directly agreed to her plan, but in her view, not refusing was already a kind of acquiescence.

And in response to Bai Yanliang’s question at this moment, Feng Xiuxue shook her head:

"I don’t know, the ghosts in Fog Gathering are very special. In the early to mid-stage, the appearing ghosts have certain origins, as I’ve said before, the corruption of human nature is one of them. But when Fog Gathering transitions to the mid to late stage, the origins of the ghosts become elusive."

Feng Xiuxue looked out the window and said quietly, "As if they were another race altogether, another incomprehensible existence."

Bai Yanliang quietly listened to her words. As the victor of the previous Fog Gathering and the one who successfully condensed a key, he originally thought she would know more about Fog Gathering, but it seemed he was wrong.

Feng Xiuxue only knew bits and pieces, and she couldn’t even confirm what ghosts were, let alone the truth of Fog Gathering.

"I used to think ghosts were an objectively existing but unobservable special group. They might be a form of energy or a type of lifeform. But the ghosts with origins generally retaining human forms, and those without origins looking bizarre, shattered my guess." Bai Yanliang said, "I’m thinking maybe our inability to understand their various abilities is perhaps like ancient men unable to imagine modern technologies."

Quickly shaking her head, Feng Xiuxue denied Bai Yanliang’s hypothesis.

"You were wrong. We used to discuss this issue and concluded that ghosts are not something that can be explained by science. They come from a dimension completely different from the material world, maybe the spiritual realm? Perhaps a solipsistic world? In any case, it’s not a domain humans can tread into."

However, just as Feng Xiuxue was about to say something more, her expression suddenly changed dramatically.

"Damn..."

At the moment Feng Xiuxue spoke, Bai Yanliang also sensed the abnormality.

It was too quiet.

Since a moment ago, besides their conversation, all other sounds had disappeared.

Feng Xiuxue’s face turned hard to look at as she quickly ran out of the café, her eyes searching all around.

Bai Yanliang closely followed her, also stepping outside of the café.

At this moment, the eerie feeling became even more evident.

The surroundings were still filled with densely packed, tall, luxurious buildings.

But... when Bai Yanliang and Feng Xiuxue looked around, they couldn’t see a single person.

The surroundings, silent and lonely, sent chills down their spines.

The tower crane of a skyscraper under construction was paused mid-air; the crane operator had vanished.

All the cars had stopped, there was no one, not a sound.

The two of them seemed to suddenly fall into a silent world, and somehow, Bai Yanliang found this feeling somewhat familiar.

This looked very much like the moment when the Fog Gathering mission was just completed, when the world was about to shatter.

All things silent, all creatures devoid of color, collapsing in pieces, disintegrating into gray mist and drifting into the void.

The current surroundings looked just the same, except there was no color fading, the sky and earth hadn’t collapsed, but the atmosphere was nearly identical to that situation.

Bai Yanliang found it hard to imagine this was Ye City.

"Someone’s targeting us. He’s coming for the keys. This... is his world."

Feng Xiuxue said through clenched teeth. She didn’t expect whoever came to be so decisive. Did the opponent not know the cost of using the key?

"That damn madman..." Feng Xiuxue cursed softly, turning to look at Bai Yanliang, who was calmly observing the surroundings.

He was indeed unbelievably composed...

Feng Xiuxue thought to herself.

What she didn’t know was that Bai Yanliang was analyzing what she had just said.

The person coming for the keys, his world...

The former could be understood, but as for the latter, the meaning became more intriguing.

Bai Yanliang pondered for a moment, concluding that a person who could condense a key in the palm of their hand could obtain a world similar to "Fog Gathering." Moreover, the obtained world might be "Fog Gathering" itself?

For example, if Li Mu became the survivor of the last task, then he could condense the only key, leaving him alone in Fog Gathering, allowing him to control... this world.

Even though just thinking about it felt unbelievable, that was what Feng Xiuxue implied in her words...

In other words, Feng Xiuxue could also use her blood-red key to open a world.

And behind Bai Yanliang’s silver-white key lay a terrifying world...

"Even though the rules of this world are set by him, he must make compromises. Ghosts are not under his control. As long as we find a way out, we can even use the ghosts to backlash against him."

Feng Xiuxue’s voice carried a cold edge, catching Bai Yanliang slightly by surprise as he glanced at her.

At this point, Feng Xiuxue truly shed her disguise.

The change in her eyes and tone instantly made her seem shrewd and capable, even... bearing an undisguised ruthlessness.

"Treat it as a Fog Gathering mission without decryption," Feng Xiuxue looked at Bai Yanliang, "I trust you can do it."

Bai Yanliang faced her silently without responding.

At this moment, a gust of wind suddenly blew through the tall buildings in the distance, raising the dust and paper scraps on the ground into the air.

Bai Yanliang turned to watch the rising paper scraps and finally said, "Let’s go."

Feng Xiuxue nodded, and the two stepped forward, immediately causing their surroundings to change dramatically.

The sky turned from white to black, the towering skyscrapers suddenly vanished, and an ancient house appeared before them.

Bai Yanliang noticed that it wasn’t nighttime, but the reason it appeared so dark around them was due to the thick, black clouds above, blocking out the sky, as if hovering just above the house, oppressively low.

There was a moist scent in the air.

A heavy rain was imminent.

The house in front seemed to be the only choice, its slightly ajar door seemingly extending an invitation to them.

Bai Yanliang carefully observed the surrounding environment — this was... that person’s world?

Bai Yanliang and Feng Xiuxue exchanged a glance, then pushed the door open and entered.

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