"You may not leave the village primary school before we finish shooting today."
By the early morning of the second day, the audience had already planned the personal tasks for Gu Mian and the other three. At this point, they were in a leaky room, looking at the director in front of them.
Accompany me next year was the first to receive her task. It was just an ordinary restriction task, nothing particularly dangerous. Gu Mian believed the only danger from this task came from the dilapidated, crumbling wall nearby.
This variety show was a live broadcast. To pique the audienceâs interest, the director decided the order of task assignments based on popularity.
Accompany me next year held the task card, looking somewhat dumbfounded. She had prepared for a ghost to suddenly appear during the night, but nothing of the sort had happened. Last night had been completely quiet, and even now, there were no signs of any ghosts.
Is this really just a variety show?
As this thought crossed her mind, Accompany me next year looked up at the production crew before her. The clouds from the previous night had scattered, and the sun was slowly rising in the east, its light illuminating the shabby little hut.
She looked at the group of people in front of her. She had known for a while that this was a special instance, but the people in this instance were too peculiar. Her suspicions had begun during yesterdayâs interview with the host. The host had been sarcastic and condescending, treating her not like a guest, but like a lowly underling he could trample at will.
With these questions in mind, Accompany me next year pondered deeply.
Where does the danger in this instance come from? Why does it feel different from the instances Iâve experienced before? And those two male players next to me are as strange as they come.
She also remembered Gu Mianâs group "dropping something from upstairs" last night. To this day, she still didnât know what they had thrown down.
The next to receive a task was Chu Changge. Considering they were filming here, the task location wouldnât be too far. Chu Changgeâs task was "Janitor"âwhich meant cleaning up garbage for the entire day in the village.
However, for this dilapidated village, the term "Janitor" seemed far too modern. Gu Mian preferred to call Chu Changge a "garbage picker," though Chu Changge probably wouldnât appreciate the title.
Chu Changgeâs garbage-collecting task was slightly more challenging than Accompany me next yearâs task of not leaving the village primary school. If things went as expected, Accompany me next year could just find a corner and lie low, while Chu Changge would have to contend with all sorts of trash.
Meanwhile, the sole female guest, Accompany me next year, still hadnât figured out this instance.
Where could the danger possibly come from?
She seemed to have her doubts about the production team but couldnât pinpoint the exact issue. This was understandable; after all, there were very few ghost-free instances in the entire world.
According to the popularity rankings, the next person to receive a task should be Xie Biâan, who was so bundled up that even his own parents might not recognize him. Gu Mian doubted if the cloaked figure was truly Xie Biâan. After all, the man had the word "Anonymous" displayed prominently above his head, much like Gu Mianâs own "Doctor" title.
The people of the Old World readily accepted Xie Biâanâs strange attire, but Gu Mianâs desire to rip off his cloak grew stronger by the day.
Xie Biâan, ranked second in popularity, received a task slightly more troublesome than Chu Changgeâs. Accompany me next year had a restriction task, and Chu Changge was collecting trash. Xie Biâan, however, was made responsible for the groupâs sustenance. The production crew clearly had no intention of providing for their food, clothing, or shelter, so this burden fell directly onto Xie Biâan.
It was only then that Gu Mian realized this instance also carried a certain degree of danger. If Xie Biâan couldnât secure food, they might actually starve to death on the show. The instance details hadnât specified the showâs filming duration, and the production team offered no clarification, making starvation a distinct possibility.
Xie Biâan calmly accepted his task card. Now, all eyes turned to Gu Mian, the last to receive his.
No world lacked onlookers, especially a world like the Old World. The local villagers, seemingly with no proper jobs, were currently gathered not far away, a crowd of heads bobbing, their eyes glinting with an inscrutable light.
Meanwhile, Fatty, who had woken up early to assess the situation, was already in front of the TV, watching the live broadcast. Knowing that as long as he played pitiful and weak, no major problems would befall him, Fatty had slept soundly the previous night. After a quick check confirmed Gu Mian still had all his arms and legs, Fatty breathed a small sigh of relief.
Just as a close-up of Gu Mian filled the screen, Fatty heard soft footsteps behind him. Years of experience in instances made him instinctively turn. He saw Know my thoughtsâ somewhat pale face.
Staring at You Siâs slightly pale face, Fatty asked, "Didnât get any sleep last night?"
Know my thoughts looked at the ruddy-faced, energetic Fatty in surprise. "You actually slept?"
Being able to sleep in an instance is the strangest thing of all, isnât it?
Fattyâs throat tightened. He quickly said, "No... I didnât sleep either..."
You Si looked at Fattyâs flushed complexion, clearly skeptical, but then his attention was drawn to the television screen. On screen, Gu Mian was taking his task card. In the distant background, a dense crowd of people craned their necks towards the camera, their eyes emitting an unreadable gleam.
Seeing those eyes, You Si shivered. He still hadnât figured out this instance. Last night had been relatively safe compared to other instances, but he couldnât shake a peculiar feeling.
"Speaking of which," You Si began after a few seconds of thought, "last night, did you..."
But before he could finish, another set of footsteps reached their ears.
You Si quickly shut his mouth and looked back, only to see "Father" approaching them with a smile.
Seeing the newcomer, Fatty covertly glanced at Gu Mian on the TV screen. This "Father" was originally supposed to be Gu Mianâs, but thanks to the Metamorphosis program, he was now Fattyâs father.
But this âFatherâ doesnât seem to care at all about Gu Mian on the screen,
Fatty mused.
At that moment, Gu Mian also saw his task.
"You may not enter the village before todayâs filming ends."