This was the first major global event, but not that many players managed to arrive on time.

Compared to the world's population, it certainly wasn't many. However, if singled out for statistics, the number wasn't exactly small either.

"There have to be tens of thousands of people here, at least..." Fatty broke into a cold sweat as he looked at the dense clusters of tents.

The weather in February was still very chilly, especially in the middle of the night. The nocturnal cold felt as if it could penetrate anything, seeping in everywhere.

Fatty felt somewhat cold even in the motel, having to bundle himself up with several quilts to be completely sealed off from the cold, let alone those living in tents below.

Gu Mian also glanced at the sea of faces, which was quite intimidating at first glance.

"Let's go up," Gu Mian said, not lingering for too long before striding towards the nearby motel.

Fatty followed closely. As he went upstairs, he instinctively glanced back at the expanse of tents. He had only ever seen such a scene during major holidays at popular tourist attractions.

People were packed tightly together, as dense as garbage in a landfill.

The crowd filled both sides of the road, stretching as far as the eye could see.

For some reason, Fatty suddenly felt a bit nauseous. He quickly turned his head and followed Gu Mian up the stairs.

"So many people..."

After returning to their rented room, Fatty's expression was somewhat dazed. "Before, when I looked out the window, I could only see a small section. I didn't grasp the terrifying number of people. But seeing it today, the sheer scale is overwhelming... Say, can all these people even get into Hengdian?"

"Not necessarily," Gu Mian replied. "Do you remember what the event details said?"

Fatty, hearing this, looked at his game panel again.

The event page always displayed the event details. He had read them thoroughly months ago. With the event about to start, it wouldn't hurt to read them again.

[Earth's first major global event, the 'Lantern Festival,' is coming soon]

[Location: Huaxia Country Hengdian Film City]

[Time: 19:00 - 24:00, February 19, 2019]

[Details: On the night of the Lantern Festival, Hengdian will be adorned with 'Ghostly Blessings.'

'Ghostly Blessings' will manifest as lanterns. Each lantern will bear a riddle from its corresponding ghost. Players who correctly answer a riddle can claim the lantern and receive its blessing.

'Blessings' are varied. They might include rare special items, Game Coins, or attribute points, but could also contain the resentment of an Evil Ghost or inescapable bad luck.

Please choose your lantern carefully to prevent misfortune.]

[Participation Requirements: The Hengdian district will be sealed off during the event. Only players holding tickets obtained from the High-End Ticket Office may enter.]

Reading it again, Fatty spotted the problem. "Only those with tickets from the High-End Ticket Office will be allowed in... Holy fuck?"

Upon reading this, Fatty abruptly remembered something. "Doctor, wait... We don't have tickets yet, do we?"

"Correct," Gu Mian said with a matter-of-fact expression. "So, we can infer that the majority of players who've come here don't have tickets either."

Humans are very proactive creatures; their hearts are always filled with wishful thinking.

Gu Mian was willing to bet that most players here were thinking, "Even though I didn't get a ticket, I'm here anyway, so what if I manage to get in somehow?"

This kind of thinking was like when Gu Mian was little, hoping, "Even though I'm usually unlucky, I'll check the bottle cap anyway. What if it's 'another free bottle'?" Both were unrealistic fantasies.

Gu Mian had never won a "free refill."

So, as he got a little older, Gu Mian stopped expecting such windfalls. Simply finding a seasoning packet in his instant noodles felt like a small joy.

While Gu Mian was lost in thought, Fatty, standing by the window, suddenly had a realization. He gasped, "Doctor, you're not planning on just charging in without a ticket, are you?"

Doing that in instances was one thing, but this was a major global event, and there was military personnel stationed nearby.

Gu Mian might not even get his chainsaw out before being riddled with bullets by the stationed army.

Gu Mian sat on the sofa. "Of course, I'm not going to just charge in."

The room they rented was small. Even at the sky-high price of 100 Yuan a day, the facilities weren't great.

It was a one-bedroom, one-living-room apartment, and the three of them often took turns sleeping on makeshift beds on the floor. The sofa in the living room was rather large and clashed with the decor, looking as if it had been looted from someone's house and dumped there.

The sofa made the already small room feel even more cramped. Gu Mian was currently sitting on this oversized couch. "Actually, I've asked about the location of the High-End Ticket Office. I heard there's one near Hengdian."

At this, Fatty glanced at the nearby calendar. It was February 14th, Valentine's Day.

He opened his mouth, wanting to ask, Where did you hear about its location?

But after a moment's thought, Fatty swallowed his words and asked instead, "How 'near' is nearby? The event officially starts in only five days... And Doctor, haven't you forgotten something?"

"Chen Beidou's situation?" Gu Mian looked up at Fatty. "We just got out of an instance; the experience is still fresh. How could I forget? I reckon he doesn't have much longer."

Fatty paused for a moment, then continued, "How did you two arrive at that conclusion?"

Fatty was extremely curious. Chu Changge had previously told him that Chen Beidou would definitely die, but no matter how hard Fatty racked his brains, he couldn't understand why Chen Beidou had to die.

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