Frightening Joke: Above the Mist
Chapter 304 Bitter Thought

Chapter 304: Chapter 304 Bitter Thought

I don’t know when it started, but seeking out Bai Yanliang when encountering trouble and then throwing the problem for him to solve became the subconscious behavior for most people in Fog Gathering.

Even Xu Zhifei was no exception.

After she finished reading the first scene of the script, Bai Yanliang was the first person she thought of.

But... Bai Yanliang is, after all, human. He can’t be everywhere at once, protecting everyone at all times.

Moreover, Bai Yanliang’s own predicament is no simpler than anyone encountering a fierce ghost.

A childhood persona was born inside him, and although Bai Yanliang once said to trust that five-year-old child,

Xu Zhifei understood that when he said this, he was likely feeling more helpless than anything.

So, while fleeing, Xu Zhifei began to think of ways to rescue Qi Nian.

Despite a terrifying fierce ghost pursuing her, Xu Zhifei had no other choice now.

She glanced hastily at the script for the first scene again.

Qi Nian, Bai Yanliang, and the others would encounter a creature called the haunting ghost in the basement.

That creature seemed to relate to oaths, promises, agreements, and secrets.

When detailing Qi Nian’s death, the script mentioned her breaking an oath.

Which meant... Qi Nian promised the creature something.

Perhaps it was something she promised under the bizarre influence of the script, or maybe... it was indeed worded by her own mouth.

This highlighted the script’s terrifying aspect; most choices reflected the person’s character, and even if not, the horror atmosphere obscured it, making it hard to notice.

Thus, even oneself might find it hard to realize they’ve made a strange move.

Unlike before entering the villa, when any loss of bodily or verbal control was immediately obvious.

After all, everyone’s perspective is observing others, not themselves.

Others may have noticed Xu Zhifei doing something unusual, but she didn’t realize it.

Xu Zhifei kept moving towards the villa’s deeper parts.

Though this gigantic villa was brightly lit, the torrential rain and fierce thunder brought immense psychological pressure.

Not to mention, Xu Zhifei knew clearly that a slender evil spirit had set its sights on her.

This sheet of A4 paper had already been filled, ceasing to show any plot, so Xu Zhifei only saw the beginning of her storyline.

So... Were the sheets with scenes two, three, even four, five... scattered in other parts of this terrifying villa?

If they could be found before the events happened, it would undoubtedly be a huge help.

But... the appearance of this A4 paper documenting the first scene was unusually odd.

On the wooden table, there should have only been one sheet of A4 paper, which Ouyang Kang suddenly discovered...

No!

Xu Zhifei’s mind stirred... That A4 paper also appeared out of nowhere!

Except for her group of four, the other five people had entered the hall early on, there was no reason they couldn’t see such an obvious piece of paper.

This A4 paper documenting the first scene wasn’t discovered initially because it didn’t exist at all!

But... why did it suddenly appear?

Xu Zhifei delved into thought, creasing her brows deeply.

She realized that understanding why this A4 sheet appeared could greatly help in finding the remaining sheets documenting the script.

And finally... form a complete script.

Just then, Xu Zhifei suddenly felt a sense of discomfort.

No... why think about these things now?

The most important thing now should be rescuing Qi Nian... Why was her train of thought drifting elsewhere?

Xu Zhifei sensed a strange tinge.

She collected herself and forced her attention back on Qi Nian.

The first scene script explicitly stated the cause and place of Qi Nian’s death, so the best way to save her was to prevent her from encountering the haunting ghost from the start.

However... given the time, it was likely Qi Nian had already triggered the haunting ghost’s curse.

A change of strategy was necessary, Xu Zhifei’s breathing slightly quickened.

While observing her surroundings, she searched for the dungeon exit and contemplated her plan.

Although daunting, this wasn’t impossible, but under pressure, it quickly led to exhaustion, the so-called being exhausted.

A slight relief was... the slender evil ghost hadn’t caught up; Xu Zhifei hadn’t even glimpsed its shadow.

Maybe... it went upstairs?

Or took another direction?

If it were so, it would be for the best.

Xu Zhifei encountered plenty of stairways, but going up was impossible for her now.

The dungeon exit was on the lowest floor; she needed to reach the exit first to find Qi Nian.

Of course, there was a better option, which was phoning Qi Nian.

But what to say? Xu Zhifei was utterly clueless.

If Qi Nian had already agreed to the haunting ghost’s demand, what should she do?

From the script’s wording, Qi Nian had found the key; immediately afterward, it was described how Qi Nian broke her vow.

Also, the basement was referred to as a dungeon.

Xu Zhifei surmised... what Qi Nian promised was probably finding the key and releasing the haunting ghost from the dungeon.

If Qi Nian kept that promise, what would happen?

Would releasing a ghost with her own hands result in safety?

Impossible!

It cannot be released!

The complexity of this matter far exceeded Xu Zhifei’s imagination.

Keeping the promise and releasing it most likely meant death; breaking the promise and withholding the key also led to death.

What to do...

Is there anywhere else to make a choice?

Forked paths in the script imply alterable futures...

There is!

There’s one more place where a choice can be made!

According to the first scene’s script, Qi Nian died a brutal death at the dungeon exit.

Could this mean... that staying away from the dungeon exit would modify the original script?

As long as Qi Nian wasn’t near the dungeon exit, she wouldn’t die there.

No... that won’t work either.

The script merely noted Qi Nian’s final death location, not the sequence of events.

If it omitted the process where the haunting ghost searched the villa for Qi Nian, then hiding anywhere was useless.

In the end, she’d be dragged to the dungeon exit to be slaughtered by the ghost.

What to do...

Xu Zhifei’s eyes flickered; though she worked hard to calm her emotions, maintaining composure meant every passing second brought Qi Nian closer to death.

The knowledge of the unfolding events, yet feeling powerless, tormented Xu Zhifei’s heart.

She stopped and leaned against the corridor for a brief respite.

Thankfully, she was safe for the moment.

The slender evil ghost hadn’t yet...

When half the thought, "the slender evil ghost hadn’t caught up," flashed through her mind, she saw an unusually tall shadow cast on the corner wall she had just passed by...

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