“Should we keep going?” Brian huddled behind Shen Lin, peeking out with a mix of fear and curiosity.
Shen Lin swatted away Brian’s hand, which was tugging at his clothes, and held up the oil lamp they had found in Cain’s room. He gazed into the hazy distance and took the lead, stepping forward.
“Hey!” The others hesitated, watching as Yan Xiuyi followed Shen Lin without a second thought. After a moment, unable to bear the fear of staying in this eerie place in the dead of night, they reluctantly followed.
They hadn’t even gone far when the lights started to grow brighter. As they approached, they realized that the two eerie objects were street lamps nestled between the trees, wrapped in translucent oil paper. On the right lamp hung a wooden sign that read: Moonfall Village.
Shen Lin: “…”
That’s it?
The surroundings were desolate, even the chirping of night insects was hard to hear.
“That’s it?!” Brian exclaimed, looking around at the shadowy trees. “This is Moonfall Village?”
Shen Lin was sure there would be more to come, but he couldn’t figure out why these two lamps were set up here in the middle of the night, seemingly to scare people.
By then, Yan Xiuyi had already walked ahead. He seemed to have discovered something and parted some dense branches, he turned back to the group. “Over there, there’s a town.”
“A town?” The group rushed over, pushing aside the obstructive branches. When they looked in the direction Yan Xiuyi pointed, their eyes widened. “Holy crap, there really is one?”
“How can there be a town here?”
“It’s not that kind of town, is it…”
“What kind?”
“Have you seen Silent Hill?”
“No, but I’ve seen a horror movie where a group of young people accidentally end up in a small town. The townsfolk are super friendly and hospitable, but then the group starts dying one by one. Some are torn apart by horses, some die from inhaling sulfuric acid in cigarettes, some are crushed by a falling bell, and some are impaled by sharp objects—straight through from their… uh, backside to their throat. Guess what happens in the end?”
“Don’t say it, I’m scared.”
“They all got—” He held the oil lamp under his chin, casting an eerie light upward.
Shen Lin kicked Brian in the butt, sending him stumbling. Brian steadied himself against a tree trunk and shot Shen Lin a reproachful look. “Bro, don’t be like that.”
Shen Lin: “Shut up, you’re disgusting me.”
Brian: “Wuwu1.”
“This should be the signpost,” Nana, ever observant, picked up a small, nearly rotten wooden board from the ground and tried to fit it with the one hanging from the lamp post. Sure enough, it formed an arrow. “It’s pointing that way. That’s the real Moonfall Village.”
“If it’s really a town, that would explain how Cain got his daily supplies.”
The town was nestled in a low-lying area of the island, surrounded by dense forest. In the dim light, they couldn’t make out the town’s structure clearly, only the vague outlines of what seemed like ordinary houses. Behind the town stood a taller building, likely a church, which coincidentally chimed with its heavy bell as they watched.
Further back, there was a shimmering expanse of white light, possibly a lake.
“Should we go?” Freud asked cautiously. “We don’t know what’s in that town. Isn’t it a bit reckless to just walk in?”
Brian: “Reckless? More like suicidal.”
Shen Lin thought for a moment and said, “Let’s make a Stealth check first. Those who succeed can go scout the town.”
“Great idea!” Freud clapped in approval.
The group rolled for Stealth, but unfortunately, the failure rate was high. Freud and Brian, who were usually good at stealth, both failed. Nana even rolled a critical failure.
Nana looked like she was about to cry. “What happens now that I failed the Stealth check?”
Brian clicked his tongue. “No idea… maybe you get transported to another dimension and never come back?”
Freud elbowed him. “Don’t say such things.”
“Sorry, sorry!”
“Let me think…” KP’s voice chimed in. “How about this…”
As soon as he finished speaking, Nana suddenly let out a low cry. Her foot slipped, and she tumbled down a slope. The group was caught off guard, but Yan Xiuyi reacted quickly, grabbing her wrist and pulling her back.
“Are you okay?!” The group was startled and gathered around to check on Nana.
Shen Lin shone the light on her ankle, which was swollen.
“The price of a critical failure is unavoidable,” KP said. “Now you lose 1-3 (roll a three-sided die, with numbers 1, 2, or 3) Stamina points.”
Nana rolled the dice, and it landed on 3.
“I’m fine,” Nana sat on a tree root, her face disheveled but her expression determined. She looked up at the others and said, “It’s just a small failure. I hope it won’t slow us down.”
“Taking this opportunity, I’d like to explain the Stamina system to the players,” KP said. “That roll cost Nana 3 Stamina points. She originally had 12 Stamina and now has 9 left. In this game module, Stamina doesn’t recover over time. You must use medical means to restore it. When Stamina drops to 1, the player loses the ability to act and can’t perform any actions—commonly known as a near-death state.”
“I don’t need to explain what happens when Stamina hits 0,” he chuckled softly. “So, necessary medical measures are crucial.”
“Our only healer is a lone wolf,” Brian said sarcastically. “Too proud to play house with us.”
Freud sighed. “When hr left, he took a knife from the kitchen and an oil lamp. No idea what he’s up to.”
“It’s fine,” Nana pressed on her ankle and looked up at them. “I still have 9 Stamina. Nothing too bad will happen. You haven’t finished rolling for Stealth. That town is our hope of getting back.”
“I trust Orion,” Brian shrugged. “But Felton? Who knows.”
Yan Xiuyi remained silent.
“Give the introvert some encouragement,” Freud gave Yan Xiuyi a thumbs-up. “I believe you can… do it?”
Freud’s voice grew less confident as he spoke.
Shen Lin rolled for Stealth and got a very impressive success.
Nana asked worriedly, “If Felton fails, will Orion have to go to the town alone?”
“No ifs, don’t jinx it.”
Yan Xiuyi’s lips tightened, his handsome face showing a complex expression.
KP said with a smile, “Sorry, failure.”
Everyone: “…” They weren’t surprised because it was entirely expected.
Shen Lin paused and said, “It’s fine. I’ll go check it out. One person is enough.”
“How about we wait on the outskirts? That way, we can back you up if needed.”
“Or maybe we should all go? Better than sending one person in blindly.”
“I promise not to act rashly…” Shen Lin was about to say more when Freud interrupted him. “We don’t know what’s ahead. I believe you can handle any sudden situations, but we’re all in this together. We’re teammates now. I can’t just sit back in a safe zone while you go risk your life.”
“I can’t either,” Brian said.
“I can still walk,” Nana insisted on standing up. “Let’s all go together.”
“No need. I’ll go with him,” Yan Xiuyi said. “You all find a safe place to wait for us.”
“You failed Stealth. How are you planning to go? Charge in?” Shen Lin disagreed.
“Backup,” Yan Xiuyi glanced at Shen Lin. His eyes were cold, almost emotionless, but they gave Shen Lin an inexplicable sense of security. “I’ll do whatever you need.”
Shen Lin was stunned. He remembered the incident on the train. This guy always managed to say such things with a cold, expressionless face. Shen Lin struggled to find the words to refuse.
“Fine…” After a long pause, Shen Lin finally responded. After agreeing on a meeting point with the others, they carefully made their way down the slope.
Coincidentally, there was a relatively flat path at their feet—likely the one Cain often took to the town. The two of them easily reached the edge of the town.
At the town’s entrance stood an archway. In the faint light, they could make out the words: Moonfall Village.
This was it.
The night was deep, and the streets were almost empty. They encountered a few patrolling guards but easily avoided them.
The town was eerily quiet, no different from an ordinary small town, except that there was no electricity. The town was lit by oil lamps hung high above, with only one lamp lit every two.
Rows of brick houses lined both sides of the street. Further in was a central square, where it seemed some event had recently taken place. The ground was littered with flower petals, and a large banner read: Harvest Festival.
It was as ordinary as it could get.
However, as they ventured deeper, the streets became dirty and chaotic. In the shadows, a few disheveled people sat slumped, their bodies covered in sores2, intermittently letting out low moans.
In the darkness, pairs of predatory eyes gleamed.
Yan Xiuyi somehow produced a hat and tossed it to Shen Lin. “Put it on.”
Shen Lin’s head dipped slightly under the hat. He adjusted the brim and asked, “Why?”
Yan Xiuyi’s cold gaze swept the surroundings. “I don’t like the way they’re looking at you.”
Shen Lin: “…”
“Those are the eyes of beasts,” Yan Xiuyi said sternly, his voice icy. “They want to take something from you.”
Shen Lin held his breath and moved closer to Yan Xiuyi.
They cautiously navigated the dirty, chaotic alley and entered a cleaner, quieter path.
Not far away, they heard noise. The light from oil lamps spilled out of windows, and at the end of the path was a lively tavern.
The tavern was built of wood, with a large barrel covering the upper left side. The barrel was wrapped in black oil paper, with the word Wine written in bright red. Due to the summer heat, a canopy was set up outside, with wooden tables and chairs spread out beneath it.
Men and women sat under the canopy, drinking and laughing continuously.
Nearby, a young woman with golden hair tied up in a blue scarf carried a flower basket and called out softly, “Flowers for sale! Flowers for sale! Sir, buy a flower for this lovely lady.”
“Fresh lilies, just picked. Only one copper coin. Sir, would you like to buy a flower?”
“Haha!” A man drinking at a table laughed loudly. “Layla, stop selling flowers. Come have a drink with me! I’ll give you five copper coins!”
“How stingy! Is our beautiful Layla only worth five copper coins? I’ll give you a silver coin! Layla, come sit here! Drink this, and you’ll earn a silver coin!”
“Thank you for the invitation, but I don’t drink,” the flower girl named Layla smiled sweetly and politely declined, continuing to peddle her flowers.
Shen Lin observed these people closely. They looked like ordinary folks, their clothing and demeanor unremarkable. Some were simple farmers, their pants rolled up to reveal ankles stained with dirt.
He gestured to Yan Xiuyi to hide first, then used his Stealth advantage to quietly blend into the tavern.
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