A few seconds earlier, the sky had been bright and clear. But as the icy voice echoed through their minds, the heavens instantly dimmed. A blood-red moon was pushed to the height of the sky, spilling light like fresh blood.Zhou Su stared blankly upward. When the Blood Moon descended the first time, it had been late at night—he hadn’t seen the world rewritten like this. Now, he felt the pressure of that power.·【Blood Moon Rule Broadcast: Celebration】【Rule Content: Within 30 minutes, arrive at the designated location. You must play your assigned role and participate in this Celebration. Survive for 8 hours.】【Role Assignment in progress... You have received the role: “Gong-Striker.”】【Item Aid: Gong-Striker Garment, Bronze Gong, Drum Mallet.】【Rule Restriction: Electronic and other communication devices are disabled.】【Narration: The Celebration has arrived. The Gate of Ghosts is open. The perception of humans and ghosts will be confused. Play your role carefully. Do not break character.】【Survival Reward: 150 points, Survival Chest ×1.】Zhou Su examined the broadcast carefully. This time also required surviving 8 hours—but they were given 30 minutes of preparation.That did not mean it was a good thing.Generally, the longer the preparation time, the greater the difficulty.“What role did you draw, Zhou Su?”Chen Zhengkai placed two leather cases onto the countertop and opened them one by one.He had come to Zhou Su’s rental before the Blood Moon Rule began so they could watch each other’s backs.“Gong-Striker. You?” Zhou Su glanced at the items inside the cases—his eyes lit up. He hadn’t expected Chen Zhengkai’s profession to be useful here.“I’m a palanquin-bearer.” Chen Zhengkai’s expression collapsed immediately. It didn’t sound like a good job. But he quickly rallied and proudly patted the cases: “Good thing I brought my kit!”“Then what are we waiting for? You’re the best mortuary makeup artist on East Street of Yue City.” Zhou Su sat at the makeup table.Time was tight. Chen Zhengkai didn’t waste a single word and immediately began applying makeup to Zhou Su.Moments later, the mirror reflected a perfect “corpse face”—ashen complexion, sunken eye sockets, vivid red lips—more ghostlike than a ghost.Chen Zhengkai really was a makeup artist; his clientele was simply… specific.Competition existed in every industry, including funeral ritual workers. To keep his shop afloat, Chen Zhengkai had learned all kinds of odd skills—including makeup for the dead.Hiring an external mortician was expensive; doing it himself was far cheaper.The core of this Blood Moon Rule was already obvious: act as ghosts.A few minutes later, with Zhou Su’s help, Chen Zhengkai applied his own makeup.The two spent no more than fifteen minutes—evidence of Chen’s skill.“Even the assigned destinations are similar. Looks like we’re in the same parade group.”Zhou Su finished changing into the Gong-Striker outfit.They headed downstairs and fired up Chen Zhengkai’s vehicle—a battered, war-worn minivan.Under the Blood Moon, the city was both silent and bustling. Silent because no one spoke. Busy because everyone was on the move.Everyone could see a faint guiding route ahead of them—there was no fear of getting lost.The minivan arrived at the west gate of Lotus Forest Park. Their final destinations diverged slightly, so they separated for now.Zhou Su stood in the shadow beneath a tree, waiting quietly for the trial to begin.A young man approached—wearing the same Gong-Striker uniform, face also painted white. But compared to Zhou Su’s makeup, the difference was dramatic.Chen Zhengkai’s craftsmanship was simply in another league.“Not bad, man. Who did your makeup? Looks legit.” The young man was the overly friendly type, stepping right up.Zhou Su’s brow tightened. The newcomer seemed friendly, but his gaze was aggressive—blatantly sizing him up like merchandise.Zhou Su wasn’t opposed to cooperation—but not with liabilities. This one exuded arrogance.He did not answer.“The trial’s starting soon. I’ll be direct. If you help me get through it, I’ll give you fifty thousand. If the price isn’t enough, we can negotiate—”His speech accelerated. Time was running out.He had survived the last trial purely by luck.Their group had been hunted by a terrifying butcher. He had stumbled and hidden his way through to the end.Zhou Su stared at him for a moment. Something clicked. He tested: “Liao Yu?”The young man’s forced smile instantly vanished. His expression went cold. He said nothing more.So it really was him. Zhou Su had recognized him from online photos.Not long ago, Liao Yu had made headlines.He got into a fight with his girlfriend, lost control, drove recklessly, and killed an innocent pedestrian.But because his family had strong connections, the matter was forced down and buried.Who would cooperate with someone like this?Zhou Su knew very well: people with no bottom line could turn venomous at any moment.He silently raised his guard.At that moment, the cold mechanical voice sounded in their minds:【“Celebration” officially begins.】Zhou Su instantly heightened his awareness, alert to every shift in the air.Fog rose—dense to the point of suffocation—like a cold, wet net settling silently over the park.Muscles tightening, he saw shapes forming in the mist—shadows of figures—growing more and more numerous. When the fog thinned, the surroundings were crowded.Every figure had a pale face, yet unnaturally flushed cheeks, emitting a chilling aura.Zhou Su glanced sideways.Liao Yu’s hands were shaking uncontrollably.For an ordinary person, standing amid ghosts was indeed overwhelming.But Zhou Su felt at home—as if he had returned to his rental full of “haunted props.”“Their aura is closer to wandering souls, completely different from malevolent spirits. So ghosts also have categories.” Zhou Su observed silently.“Raise the palanquin! Begin the procession!”A man in a bright red ceremonial official robe strode to the front and shouted.With that call, the procession moved—shifting from silence to festive clamor in seconds. The effect was unnervingly unnatural.“Celebration parade! Make way ahead!”Zhou Su struck the bronze gong once, merging into the march.The blood-red hand mark had not only supplied items—it had supplied behavioral cues, allowing them to act correctly without guessing.Amid drums and gongbeats, the decorated procession advanced.Ahead, a stone-paved road appeared.Zhou Su remembered clearly: Lotus Forest Park did not have such a road.The stone road extended. Ancient-style pavilions appeared along its sides. Lively voices filled the air. The streets were full of people laughing and playing.For a moment, it felt as though he had traveled into the past.A rich fragrance of wine drifted from nearby. Zhou Su’s brow creased. The scent was familiar—but he couldn’t place where he had encountered it.He looked to Liao Yu—the man wore an intoxicated expression.That made Zhou Su even more alert.The procession halted. Two lion dancers performed ahead. People gathered. Voices filled Zhou Su’s ears from every direction.“Young master, shall we have a drink at the Fragrant Jade Pavilion?”A woman with bare shoulders leaned close, the heavy perfume nearly suffocating.“Care to try our freshly roasted squab? A new dish developed by the royal chef!”A restaurant attendant beamed at him.“The lion dance won’t finish soon. Young man, have some cherries and rest?”An /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ elderly man smiled kindly, offering a string of bright cherries still wet with dew.“Brother! Come play windmills with us!”……Faced with such warmth, Zhou Su’s internal alarms screamed—but his expression stayed politely shy as he refused each one.Anyone with a functioning mind would not eat or go anywhere here.This was the Blood Moon Rule.He thought no one would be foolish enough to fall for it—but when he turned back, he froze.Many people were already being led away—humans and ghosts alike.And among them, he saw someone familiar.Chen Zhengkai.A restaurant attendant was enthusiastically urging Chen Zhengkai to come try food.Chen Zhengkai seemed tempted—took two steps—then stopped, a look of conflict tightening his face.

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