Welcome to Rule City

Before entering the Instance, Mu Ai gathered information about Scarlet Moon. As an Instance that had appeared for at least a year, guides were hard to find, yet not impossible.

This was a supernatural Instance set in a nearly isolated mountain village with only seven inhabitants-none of whom were originally from there. They were all brought to the village due to a supernatural event one day and since then, they have been living a nightmare existence as a form of atonement.

Each of them had committed serious crimes and, before being brought here, none of them felt they had done anything wrong. Some were even proud of their deeds, completely ignoring the pain of their victims and their families.

After being brought here by the supernatural event, they tried to escape but each attempt resulted in even more excruciating torment before being thrown back into the village.

Some could not endure the harsh life and nightly torments of their souls and chose death. Others, driven to madness, believed they were betrayed by others and began to kill each other. In just six months, all of them died in the village and were resurrected as spirits half a year later.

After their resurrection, they were still tormented nightly by the sins they had committed. However, they somehow received information that they could achieve Reincarnation if they managed to trap a group of people here and met certain conditions.

Consequently, a new rural tourism line touting the village’s natural beauty and low prices suddenly appeared on travel websites, offering a range of enticing activities.

Mu Ai and her group were posing as a large travel group lured to this eerie place. The team leader, holding the keys, acted as the guide, with the rest as group members.

“This tour is fully booked with 35 people. Try to stay in houses you’re familiar with. If we’re at full capacity, negotiate among yourselves. In 20 minutes, the bus will hit the first obstacle. Stay seated and try to sit lower. Got it?”

Jin-Ge had repeated this Instance numerous times. Even if some details changed, the initial ‘bus breakdown’ phase was almost always the same.

Mu Ai, sitting at the back of the bus with a man’s face, put on a facade of calm over apparent nervousness. Those around her who recognized the man mocked her, but Mu Ai deflected their remarks perfectly, even managing to extract some information from them.

She planned to kill Jin-Ge after entering the village. Before that, she did not want to expose her identity. Fortunately, the man was new and had previously been involved in despicable acts, so few wanted to deal with him.

-Even if these people were quite unscrupulous, pushing one’s wife into another man’s arms was still shocking to them. It wasn’t that they had high moral standards, but rather, they found it inconceivable to cuckold themselves and didn’t want to associate with such a person, considering it degrading.

Twenty minutes passed quickly, and with a sudden brake, the bus stopped midway. The driver, an NPC, got off cursing to check the situation, while everyone else stayed seated as Jin-Ge had instructed, sliding downwards to keep their bodies below the backrests.

Some in the group weren’t new to this Instance and had figured out some patterns, though they hadn’t obtained a complete guide. This was why Jin-Ge advised them to stay in familiar houses, saving him a lot of trouble.

After all, leading a group into an Instance also dealt with survival rates and reputation. If he couldn’t bring people back to Guize City intact, why would anyone pay, especially a high price, to join his group?

In the days leading up to Instance Day, many organizations were recruiting members. Some offered low-cost groups, choosing him not just because they were in the same building and didn’t want to offend him, but because they valued the high survival rate that almost always saw all members returning safe.

Sometimes Jin-Ge felt like he was running a real-life power-leveling service, leading a bunch of fools dumber than pigs through various ranking activities… And these fools couldn’t even hand over their accounts for him to control; he could only direct them with words and actions.

He felt so world-weary that he even considered having a smoke.

So, after all his hard work, besides the entrance fee, why not indulge in his fondness for beauty?

Thinking of this, Jin-Ge’s face suddenly turned cold as he remembered being thrown out by the Administrator in a previous encounter, infuriated beyond measure and forgetting that he had initiated the flirtation.

If not for the last Instance ending in such a debacle, Jin-Ge would definitely have continued to cause trouble for Mu Ai. But now was as good a time as any; once this Instance Day was over, even if it meant losing face and asking his guild for help, he was determined to kill that person who had challenged his authority.

Mu Ai hunched under the seatback, reviewing the strategy she had gathered while looking at the travel brochure in her hands.

[Scarlet Moon Village Visitor’s Guide:

Dear visitors, welcome to the nature-rich Scarlet Moon Village. Our village boasts beautiful scenery, and the villagers are warm and welcoming, ready to provide good food and accommodation for a little effort on your part.

Every country has its laws, every home its rules. Scarlet Moon Village, a secluded haven, follows different rules than the steel cities. We hope you respect the local culture and integrate into our customs, or else bear the consequences.

Scarlet Moon Village has no hotels. If someone offers you a hotel voucher, please walk away quickly and do not engage. If they persist, do not argue but go directly to the Village Chief’s room for help.
Guests will stay in villagers’ homes, each decorated in a different style. Please choose your favorite. Each home can accommodate up to five guests. Do not insist on staying if it exceeds this number; doing so could lead to dire consequences.
The nights in Scarlet Moon Village have a unique charm, but please try to stay indoors. The local magnetic field can cause strange hallucinations in outsiders, which most visitors find uncomfortable. While you are free to go out, you do so at your own risk.
Please participate in at least one activity recommended by the residents each day; both free and paid activities are available, each limited to a certain number of participants and only held once a day.
The livestock in Scarlet Moon Village are all common breeds and do not wander outside their pens. Ensure what you see fits these descriptions and stays within the pens, or immediately return to your lodgings.
Feeding the livestock may earn their favor, and this includes wandering animals.
This trip lasts five days and four nights. Once again, thank you for visiting Scarlet Moon Village. We hope you have a wonderful holiday.]

The brochure only contained these details. Typically, following them would ensure a smooth passage, but Mu Ai had more than just survival in mind; she planned to trap Jin-Ge in a mission during their stay. She had only five days and four nights, considering Jin-Ge wouldn’t leave his house at night, Mu Ai effectively had only five days. Subtracting the half-day before entering the village, she had to strike accurately on her first attempt, or she might not get a second chance.

While she pondered, the moment of crisis finally arrived. A flurry of black crows flew past, striking the bus windows and body, their wings and claws scraping against the vehicle, shaking it violently.

Then, a bone-chilling wind blew in through the open bus door. If it were a player’s first time in the Instance, they would likely be startled by the crows and then by the cold wind, prompting some to stand up to check outside or even rush out the door.

That’s when the real danger would strike-a large tree would crash into the front window of the bus with incredible speed, shattering the rear window glass like a dagger.

Anyone standing or with their head above the backrest would die in this deadly assault, with only a few managing to escape.

Of course, that was for first-timers. Once it became a Fixed Instance, this tactic was easy to counter.

However, knowing this and experiencing it were two different things. Some newcomers still screamed and ducked, their terror evident as suspicious liquids appeared beneath some, quickly fouling the air inside the bus. Mu Ai didn’t want to stay a minute longer than necessary.

Jin-Ge frowned, accustomed to such reactions, and impatiently shouted, “Shut up, grab your luggage and get off! It’s more than 40 minutes walk from here to Scarlet Moon Village. If you have the energy, better use it on the road. No one’s going to carry you if you can’t walk!”

The ones who chose to comply with Jin-Ge obediently got up according to their seat order, heading to the side of the bus where the luggage compartment was already open, looking for their bags.

Though said to be their own, the luggage was actually assigned by the system, just for show. Inside were standard items: an ID card, a cellphone, keys, some money, and at most two sets of clothes. Nothing more.

Mu Ai quietly picked up her backpack with a luggage tag labeled [Wang Debiao] and followed the group. The road had recently been soaked by heavy rain, making the mountain path rugged and muddy. Each step required great effort to prevent slipping, and the normally silent group became even quieter, save for the heavy breathing and occasional curses indicating they were still alive.

-at least for now.

The road held no dangers, just difficult terrain that drained their strength. By the time they reached the entrance to Scarlet Moon Village under Jin-Ge’s lead, more than half of the group were red-faced and gasping for breath, collapsing on the ground and desperately fanning themselves with their hands to cool down.

Mu Ai, posing as an unenhanced man, naturally sat down with the rest. Her stamina allowed her to avoid looking as flushed as the others, but her perfectly timed act concealed this slight unnaturalness.

“Welcome, travelers from afar. I am the Village Chief of Scarlet Moon Village, surname Shi. You may call me Village Chief Shi.”

The speaker was an old man with a beard, appearing to be over seventy. Given the hard labor typical in mountain villages, his actual age might be younger.

“Please follow me, I will show you to your accommodations. Choose your rooms quickly, then join today’s activity. Considering the trouble you just encountered and your depleted energy, today’s activity is very simple. I urge everyone to participate enthusiastically.”

After speaking, Village Chief Shi turned and walked away, with the other players following Jin-Ge into the village.

As Mu Ai, the last to enter, stepped onto Scarlet Moon Village’s territory, the sky suddenly darkened with clouds. A thunderclap sounded out of nowhere, and the crows flew overhead again, as if heralding something ominous.