After dawn broke in the game, three options popped up at the bottom of the screen — You survived the first night thanks to incredible luck; You're filled with dread, terrified beyond measure; You've begun to waver, unsure whether to keep searching for your mother or to retrace your steps and leave this small town.
1: You feel right at home here. You love the atmosphere of this little town and decide to stay one more night.
2: You miss your mother dearly, but you feel you've reached your limit and must leave.
3: You're torn and in pain. Everything here is nothing like the world you remember. You decide to stay until you find your mother, then leave.
The mouse drifted between the three options as Chen Ge deliberated. As a player, he was inclined toward the first option, but if he put himself in Xiao Bu's shoes, he'd pick the second — leaving this eerie, horrifying world might let Xiao Bu grow up healthy and whole.
After a long silence, Chen Ge moved the mouse to the third option. "The first is the safest. The second is best for Xiao Bu. The third… is probably what Xiao Bu chose originally."
She could only leave after finding her mother. But if Xiao Bu's mother had already been killed, then she'd never find the person she was looking for — and she'd be trapped in this small town forever.
His finger clicked down. Chen Ge pressed the mouse button and selected the third option. "If you really want to give Xiao Bu salvation, you can't keep deceiving yourself inside a game."
After he confirmed his choice, a new save point appeared on the game's load screen.
The original save point had been in the real world, at Xiao Bu's own home. This new save point was at Xiao Bu's house — after the art style had changed.
"With this new save point, I can hand things over to Fan Cong and let him explore all the side cases without worry."
Chen Ge controlled Xiao Bu to stand atop the residential building, gazing out at the gray sky and the small town shrouded in thick fog.
"Who knows how many stories are hidden in this place. There's no way to solve them all at once." Chen Ge knew he could use one killer to kill another, or leverage one vengeful ghost to slay another, but that was no long-term solution. "I'm curious — if everything here really happened, how did Xiao Bu survive until the end?"
"Boss Chen, I don't think you need to overthink it. Just play at your own pace." Fan Cong stared at the screen — at Xiao Bu standing with a cleaver in hand, looking down over the entire town — and genuinely felt the game's art style was already starting to shift.
"The new save point is here, so the pace will slow down from now on. I probably won't beat it tonight, and you'll need to take over the game later." Chen Ge's eyes narrowed slightly, as though a plan was forming in his mind.
"Me? Take over?" Fan Cong rubbed his hands together. After watching Chen Ge's gameplay, he felt too embarrassed to pick up the controls himself.
"It's fine, just play however you want. But you absolutely have to write down the cause of death and the case involved every single time you die. Try to cover every part of this map in the next few days."
"Every part?" Fan Cong's lips twitched faintly. "How many times would I have to die… Isn't that a bit cruel?"
"Do your best." Chen Ge flexed his fingers, his eyes gleaming with intent. He was no longer satisfied with merely exploring the town in-game. He was going to gather all his employees and find this town in reality.
The game was a reflection of reality. Having already foreseen all the dangers, Chen Ge decided to take the initiative — to "absorb" this town into his own.
"Nights are dangerous, so keep Xiao Bu at home. Daytime is safer — we'll focus on exploring during the day." Chen Ge controlled Xiao Bu to sprint out of the residential complex.
The small town looked peaceful in the daytime. The bloodstains on the ground had all been cleaned away, leaving no trace that a life-or-death chase had taken place on this very street the night before.
"Xiao Bu found the key to the dungeon in her mother's pajamas. After entering the dungeon, she arrived at a small town with an art style completely opposite to the real world. Strangely, every time Xiao Bu died in the town, the game would load from Xiao Bu's own room — she'd be lying in her own bed, as if everything had just been a dream."
Chen Ge thought for a long time and came up with a possibility. "The game setting resembles Liwan Town. Before he died, Dr. Gao said that the Strange Tales Association's out-of-control door was in Liwan Town. Combined with what happens in the game — could it be that Xiao Bu pushed open the door in her classmate's dungeon? She entered the world beyond the door. She herself is the Door Opener!"
Controlling Xiao Bu to wander aimlessly through the streets, Chen Ge's mind raced. "Assuming Xiao Bu is the Door Opener — what did she see in her classmate's dungeon? Why did she push the door open? Why was she wearing her mother's pajamas?"
Chen Ge wanted to summon Men Nan right then and there to ask him a few questions. After all, Men Nan was closest in age to Xiao Bu, and the two were very likely both Door Openers — there had to be some commonality between them.
"If Xiao Bu can survive in such a terrifying environment, there's definitely something about her. If she's a Door Opener, then it all makes sense." Chen Ge looked at the girl on screen — innocent and adorable, yet clutching a razor-sharp cleaver — and an inexplicable feeling rose in his chest, something between sympathy and regret.
"Maybe I understand what this game is trying to say. It's trying to tell the player that Xiao Bu is actually the most innocent one of all." Chen Ge suddenly spoke aloud, startling Fan Cong and Fan Dade beside him. The two brothers were completely out of sync with Chen Ge's train of thought, but they didn't dare show it. So now, whatever Chen Ge said, the two of them would nod along in agreement.
Using the daytime hours, Chen Ge guided Xiao Bu across the entire town, stumbling upon multiple murders and witnessing all manner of deranged killers and vengeful ghosts. But beyond that, he found nothing else.
The daytime in the game passed quickly. Before nightfall, Chen Ge guided Xiao Bu back to the residential complex.
The gray sky turned pitch black once more. The second night arrived.
Strange laughter and slowly approaching footsteps echoed from the streets outside. Chen Ge had Xiao Bu shut the door tight and sat with the cleaver and Xiao Bu's stepfather's corpse. "The ghost in red at the inn probably won't come looking for trouble, but you can never be too careful. She'll need some time to digest after swallowing the neighbor ghost. Once she's hungry again, she'll work her way down the street — after all, the killer who fed her has already been killed."
"Doesn't that mean it'll be really dangerous in a few days?" Fan Cong asked, worried. Chen Ge had decided to hand the game over to him, and he didn't want to let him down.
"Not a big problem. The female ghost at the inn will need at least a week to digest the woman in red. That's more than enough time for you to explore the entire map." Chen Ge stepped away from his seat and glanced at the clock beside him — it was two thirty in the morning.