47: The ultimate trap! The girl in the rest house smiled and asked: Are you my new toys?

Ding-a-ling... ding-a-ling... The crisp sound of wind chimes.

Like a summons from the underworld.

It echoed continuously in the dead silence of the darkness.

The “"House of Rest"” it represented.

Was the only path to survival explicitly stated in the 【Curfew Rules】.

But, precisely because of this.

It became the biggest suspect.

The five survivors stood in the center of the square.

With standard, stiff smiles on their faces.

Their bodies were taut like a full-drawn bow.

None of them moved.

They just stared intently at the bottomless alley.

“We can’t go.”

Seer - Cang Xuan’s voice was a bit hoarse.

He forcefully maintained the curve of his lips.

But his eyes were full of apprehension.

“One of the rules is wrong. What if the 【Curfew Rules】 themselves are the trap?”

His words were like a piece of ice.

Dropped into the already cold hearts of the crowd.

Indeed.

The guide was a trap.

This deduction had almost been confirmed.

Then, among the remaining rules.

Which one looked most like a trap?

Undoubtedly, it was this “path to survival” that appeared so abruptly in a desperate situation.

“What about your deductions?”

Gu Yanci’s voice was terrifyingly calm.

His gaze never left the alley.

“A chaotic mess... No, worse than chaos.”

Cang Xuan shook his head with a bitter smile.

“I saw countless futures where we walked in, and every future was swallowed by an ‘unbearable sorrow.’ If ‘we stayed put,’ what we would see... was nothingness. The same nothingness as Ao Zhan and the others, wiped away.”

Ten deaths and no life, or nine deaths and one life?

The rules presented a multiple-choice question.

“I agree with Cang Xuan; there’s a problem here.”

Shadow Empress Ye Liuli’s voice came from the shadows.

She was completely hidden in the darkness.

“We have no choice. The ‘things’ outside... they’re coming.”

As soon as she finished speaking.

An indescribable change occurred.

The surrounding darkness.

No longer just a simple lack of light.

It began to become viscous.

Slowly wriggling like a living creature.

In that viscous darkness.

Blurry humanoid shadows were “squeezed” out one by one.

They had no facial features.

Even the lines of their bodies were very indistinct.

They were puppets molded from pure despair and sorrow.

They did not approach.

They just “stood” quietly in the distance.

Then, they began to cry collectively.

Not screams, not roars.

But a low, suppressed sound.

A sobbing that could drag the soul into the abyss.

Thousands of different cries converged.

Forming a torrent of mental impact.

Brutally assaulting the minds of the five people.

This crying.

It seemed to be accusing all the injustices in the world.

Mourning all lost beauty.

It was inducing, resonating, and digging into the negative emotions deep within their hearts.

“Ugh...”

Shadowless Ghost - Ye Qiong let out a painful groan.

The smile on his face began to tremble violently.

The corners of his mouth pulled down uncontrollably.

Physiological tears welled up in his eyes.

His strong will as an assassin.

Seemed so pale and powerless when confronting this conceptual mental pollution.

Once the smile collapsed.

He would be judged as a “sorrowful infected.”

His fate would be purification!

The audience in the live stream room.

Also felt that suffocating despair through the screen.

[King of Ten Thousand Dragons]: Holy crap! What the hell is this?! It’s not about fighting monsters; it’s about letting your own mentality explode and then being killed by the rules?! Too insidious!

[Star Sea Overlord]: Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Adult Su Ke Ke’s move is too ruthless! There’s no way to fight this; you can only rely on willpower to resist! But how can human emotions be completely controlled?

[Nine Nether Demon Lord]: This is true horror... letting you drown in your own mind. Ye Qiong can’t hold on much longer!

[Future Heavenly Emperor - Huang]: ...What a domineering rule. It doesn’t fight you; it only slays your heart.

Seeing Ye Qiong’s defenses about to collapse.

A flicker of determination flashed in Gu Yanci’s eyes.

He couldn’t wait any longer!

“Stop analyzing! If you don’t want to be purified, follow me!”

With a furious roar.

He no longer hesitated, turning first.

And rushed towards the alley from which the wind chimes sounded.

His smile was still stiff, but his steps were incredibly firm.

Ye Liuli, Ling Xi, and Cang Xuan followed closely behind.

Ling Xi supported the tottering Ye Qiong, forcibly dragging him to keep up with the group.

The five rushed into the dark alley.

The maddening cries.

Were blocked by an invisible wall, instantly weakening considerably.

The alley was not long.

At the end was an ancient wooden door.

On the door, a white wind chime swayed with the breeze.

Ding-a-ling... ding-a-ling... Gu Yanci didn’t hesitate for a moment, pushing the door open.

“Bang!”

The five entered in single file.

Gu Yanci slammed the door shut behind him, locking it with the bolt.

The world instantly fell silent.

Outside, the tsunami-like cries were cut off.

Only the heavy breathing of the group remained.

And the faint sound of wind chimes still outside the door.

We are safe... for now.

The room was dark.

Filled with a smell similar to old books and dust.

“We...”

Cang Xuan was about to say something.

To sigh in relief at this temporary peace.

But just then.

A sound.

Emerged softly from the deeper darkness of the room.

It was a girl’s cry.

Very soft, very faint, full of endless grievance and sorrow.

It was vastly different from the cries of the shadows outside.

This was a real, existing girl, crying alone.

The bodies of the five stiffened in place.

In the dead silent room.

The girl’s cry.

Was like a candle flame in the dark night, fragile yet incredibly clear.

It was completely different from the mental pollution formed by pure malice outside.

This was real, belonging to life.

Full of grievance and sorrowful emotions.

“It can’t be wrong...”

Seer - Cang Xuan’s breathing was a bit rapid.

His stiff smile almost failed to hold.

But this time it wasn’t because of fear.

But because of excitement.

“The mission hint is ‘She won’t smile,’ and the core rule of this world is ‘You must smile’! This kind of crying is itself the biggest rebellion against this world! She is the ‘Avatar of Sorrow’ we are looking for!”

This deduction was reasonable and logical.

Instantly ignited the hope in everyone’s hearts.

“Be on guard, Ye Liuli, you go scout ahead.”

Gu Yanci’s voice was calm and collected.

His gaze was fixed on the direction from which the sound came.

That was a staircase leading to the second floor.

The figure of Shadow Empress melted into the darkness.

Like a drop of ink falling into the night.

A few seconds later.

Her voice sounded in everyone’s minds.

With a hint of confusion:

“No killing intent... no energy fluctuations from traps... only a very faint life signal, right upstairs. She... seems to pose no threat.”

No threat?

In this world full of traps.

The four words “no threat.”

Were themselves the greatest strangeness.

They had no other choice.

The five carefully ascended the creaking wooden stairs to the second floor.

At the end of the hallway.

Behind a slightly ajar door.

Emanated a dim and warm light.

The pitiful crying came from there.

Gu Yanci made a gesture.

Everyone pressed against the wall, slowly approaching.

Through the crack in the door.

They saw.

It was a girl’s bedroom, decorated quite warmly.

Pink wallpaper.

A small bed covered with plush toys.

A few fairy tale books scattered on the floor.

A small bedside lamp emitted a soft glow.

Separating this small space from the darkness outside.

A little girl in a white dress.

Sat alone on the carpet, her back to them.

She looked no older than seven or eight.

Her thin shoulders.

Shuddered with her cries.

Appearing so helpless, so pathetic.

At this moment.

Even the murderous Ye Qiong’s eyes softened for a moment.

This.

Was this the “flawed product” that carried all the sorrow?

The audience in the live stream room also softened.

[Star Sea Overlord]: Found her! Finally found her! Look at her crying... sigh, so pitiful.

[Elf Empress]: I really want to hug her... In this world full of fake smiles, only her sorrow is real.

[Buddha Huian]: Amitabha, all sentient beings suffer. This girl is the key to breaking the situation, and also a suffering soul waiting to be saved.