"What do you guys think?"

Xing Hechou turned to his companions and said, "The sunset and clouds in the sky are changing. It looks like it will be dark in forty minutes at most. If we're going to move, it's best to do it now."

Li Ang nodded. "We can split up. I'll investigate the Shrine while you gather information at the police station."

"Split up?"

Xing Hechou frowned. "That doesn't seem wise. In horror movies, when characters split up, they often end up literally 'splitting up.'"

"Brother Xing, don't worry about him. He's much stronger than either of us. Instead of him being hunted by monsters in a horror movie, it's more like he *is* the final boss," Wanli Fengdao said, his eyes narrowed skeptically. "I think we should be more concerned about our own safety..."

Before he could finish, an abrupt change occurred. The dazzling, purplish-red afterglow of the sunset quickly faded. The surrounding sky instantly grew dim and ominous as pitch-black night descended like a pair of invisible, massive hands, swiftly closing in, centering on the residential area where they stood.

Before they could react, the buildings around the residential area were swallowed by the darkness, and Li Ang immediately lost contact with all the Soldier Bees flying outside.

"This isn't good," Xing Hechou's complexion changed as he said hurriedly, "The area has shrunk so quickly."

Based on past experiences, being swallowed by darkness meant there was no escape. The night closed in from all directions, devouring the alleyways on either side. The van parked outside the alley tumbled into the darkness, silently disappearing from sight.

The only way out for everyone was the ordinary-looking residential dwelling in front of them, which had not yet been devoured by darkness.

"'Quick, teleport out of here!'" Xing Hechou urged in a low, stern voice. He then pushed open the wooden fence of the dwelling, stepped onto the gravel path, kicked open the front door, and rushed inside.

In the face of a mysterious situation with unknown danger, it was natural for him to urge these players, whom he had involved, to escape as soon as possible. As a member of the Special Affairs Bureau, he bore the heavy responsibility of capturing the King of Shengnan and could not give up easily until the very last moment.

He hastened into the house and, seeing no one, quickly scanned its layout.

The modest residence could be described as small but complete. Upon opening the front door, one first entered an entrance hall. To the left were the porch and a shoe cabinet. Beneath the porch steps lay several pairs of shoes: on the inside, flat shoes for the elderly and men's boots; on the outside, women's high heels and a pair of yellow children's shoes.

In front of the porch was an entrance corridor, with the living room and dining room to the right. The living room floor was carpeted, with a round table and two rectangular sofas. At the other end of the room was a flat-screen TV.

The dining room held an elongated dining table surrounded by six chairs. To the right of the dining room was a semi-enclosed kitchen. Further right was a washitsu (a traditional room from the Japan Islands, floored with tatami mats on which one can only walk in socks. It lacks an independent bathroom but features an alcove for bedding and is separated from the corridor by two wooden sliding doors). Next to the washitsu was the bathroom.

Though the exterior of the dwelling was old, the interior décor was warm and inviting. The floor was spotlessly clean, devoid of any excess dust.

Xing Hechou stood in the living room, glancing around, when he heard footsteps behind him. Turning, he saw his companions had caught up. "You guys..."

"Why didn't you leave?" Wanli Fengdao finished the question for Xing Hechou. He shrugged, gripping the hilt of the Dragon-Slaying Sword at his waist, and said, "It wouldn't be right to abandon teammates before even encountering any monsters."

Liu Wu Dai silently nodded and said softly, "It's not too late to teleport away when we actually see the monsters."

Li Ang rubbed his hands together with a smile. "I'm just here to take a look. If things turn sour, you don't need to tell me; I'll back off on my own."

"Understood." Xing Hechou's expression turned serious and he nodded. He sighed inwardly.

Li Ang looked out the window. "Aside from this house, it seems the entire city has been swallowed by darkness. It looks like this is indeed the core of this region. By the way, what does the pointer on the pocket watch say?"

"The pointer..." Xing Hechou looked down to see the pocket watch's pointer spinning wildly. No matter how he pressed the buttons, it wouldn't stop. "It seems to be malfunctioning."

"Can't find the exact location? Or does it mean we're already inside the passage?" Li Ang frowned and asked, "Did the department that developed the pocket watch say why this kind of situation might occur?"

"No," Xing Hechou said helplessly. "The Heterodox Academy put a lot of effort into making this pocket watch. Much of their knowledge is based on understanding *that* something works, not *why* it works. They only know this device is effective, but they're unclear on the specific principles or how to counteract malfunctions."

"So unreliable?" Li Ang complained with a sigh. "Well, since our way out is blocked, we'll have to find clues in this house. Let's figure out who this household belongs to first. Let's search together."

The house had electricity. The lights in the living room, entrance hall, porch area, and the front corridor had been left on.

To avoid splitting up, everyone moved together. They rummaged through the first floor and found family group photos, personal pictures, and other documents that could prove the homeowners' identities, such as driver's licenses, National Health Insurance cards, residence records, Basic Resident Registers, and Individual Number cards.

This "Fushen" family spanned four generations. The eldest member was Fushen Meidai Zi, the great-grandmother, nearly eighty years old. She was born in Qifeng Village, a rural area not far from Wakayama City (the city where the players were currently located), and her husband had passed away many years prior.

Her eldest son, the head of the Fushen family, was Fushen Pingyuan, a fifty-one-year-old company employee nearing retirement.

Fushen Pingyuan's wife was named Fushen Rihui, born in Lin City. The couple had a son and a daughter.

The younger son was named Fushen Boji, twenty-five years old, a nursing home caretaker.

The elder daughter was named Fushen Xingzi, twenty-nine. She had married a doctor and later changed her name to Weimen Xingzi. She and her husband had a daughter, Weimen Ziyuan, who was the family's great-granddaughter, now eight years old.

Notably, only four people regularly lived in this house: Fushen Meidai Zi, Fushen Pingyuan and his wife, and their younger son, Fushen Boji. The elder daughter's family did not live here; instead, they resided at the other end of the city.

This was the information the players had gathered so far about the family members of this household.

"It all seems very normal, just an ordinary multi-generational family," Li Ang said to his teammates, putting down a family photo he found on the living room TV stand. "Let's go upstairs and have a look."

"Hmm." Xing Hechou nodded and walked at the forefront, leading his teammates towards the stairs to the second floor.

The players were all still wearing their shoes, and the creaking of the wooden stairs was clearly audible as they ascended.

Xing Hechou, leading the way, vaguely heard what sounded like a man's voice speaking Japanese right in his ear: "Fushen, can you hear me? Fushen?!"

He was about to turn his head to alert his teammates when he was horrified to find he had lost control of his body. The scenery before him blurred and shifted rapidly. When it settled, he was no longer in the house but standing in its courtyard. His player panel had gone grey and unresponsive; he couldn't access any equipment or use his supernatural powers. He seemed to have completely regressed into an ordinary person.

"What's happening?" Xing Hechou clenched his teeth tightly, looking around. The courtyard was still enveloped in darkness. He looked down at himself. His body was bulky, and he was wearing a black apron and rain boots. His hands were aged and wrinkled—not his own at all.

Li Ang's voice came faintly from nowhere, "Hey? Hello? Brother Xing, can you hear me?"

Xing Hechou inhaled sharply. "Brother Li? Where are you guys?"

"It seems... we're inside your head."

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