Manjusaka, currently wandering in the office building, was approaching the room where the sound of shattered glass had originated.

"It seems like the sound came from around this floor. Maybe the ghost is nearby!"

Although she had been informed that ghosts could be eliminated by the Hunter, she was still somewhat uneasy.

What if this information isn't accurate? What if I rush up to catch the ghost, fail, and get killed by it instead?

These concerns made her slow her pace.

So much so that when she saw a strange shadow flash in the corridor ahead, she stumbled, and her courage instantly faltered.

But her hesitation didn't last long. She saw that the shadow seemed to have spotted her before it swiftly fled.

This discovery made Manjusaka's nearly wilted courage rapidly swell.

Since this damn game began, I've always been afraid of ghosts; never has a ghost been afraid of me!

As she thought this, her courage bolstered, she quickly ran in the direction the shadow had departed, attempting to catch up.

This was a deadly chase.

Manjusaka had to admit that she had used nearly all her strength in this grueling pursuit.

Even when the ghost was chasing me before, I never ran this hard!

She pushed herself, faster and faster, running for her life.

The shadow is just ahead!

If I can just catch it!

Her nostrils and throat burned from the intense exertion, as if one more deep breath would make them explode.

But the twisted shadow always remained distant, and the distance between them hadn't shortened in the slightest, despite Manjusaka's desperate sprint.

This just confirms it—the ghost is afraid of me!

The ecstasy and vanity welling up in her heart instantly drowned out her physical strain. In a daze, her speed seemed to increase, and the distance to the ghost ahead appeared to shrink a little.

Manjusaka was overjoyed.

Once I catch it, it'll be eliminated and disappear!

She watched the eerie shadow in front of her seemingly get nearer. She even held her breath, concentrating all her attention on running.

Closer, closer!

It's right in front of me!

Just then, the shadow ahead suddenly stopped for some reason.

With her eyes bloodshot, Manjusaka didn't hesitate to pounce forward, her hands tightly grasping the cold arm. She cried out excitedly, "I've got you!"

A sudden silence fell around her.

After a moment of silence, the cold touch still lingered in her hands.

The thing in front of her did not disappear.

How could this be?!

Astonished, she raised her head. A distorted face loomed larger before her until it filled her entire field of vision.

Meanwhile, Ji Bie Li, hiding on the top floor of the office building, also heard the commotion from downstairs.

The noise Manjusaka made was considerable. Her cry of "I've caught you!" was particularly clear; others could even hear the pride in her tone.

"Is it over?" Ji Bie Li murmured, sighing in relief as she moved closer to the door.

The ghost in the instance has been captured by the Hunter. So, the remaining players just need to wait until midnight to leave safely, right?

As she thought about this, she gently pushed the door open, hoping to see what was going on outside.

As the door opened, dim light spilled in from the hallway.

A ghastly pale face appeared in the crack of the door.

Ji Bie Li shuddered violently, nearly slamming the door shut. But at that moment, she suddenly felt that this deathly pale face was somewhat familiar.

It's him!

She finally recognized this face—it belonged to the player named "This Nickname is Taken."

Isn't this the Survivor who was just chased to death by the ghost? Why would his body appear at the door of my hiding spot? It definitely wasn't there before! Have I been discovered by the ghost?

No.

Thinking of this, she shook her head. The ghost was just dealt with by the Hunter. It shouldn't place this player's body at the entrance to my hiding spot… Then who put his body here?

As Ji Bie Li was thinking, she tried to step around the body and leave the somewhat creepy place as quickly as possible.

The ghost has been eliminated, but what's the deal with this body appearing out of thin air?

But at that moment, she suddenly noticed that the chest of this body seemed to be rising and falling.

Ji Bie Li stared in stunned silence at the chest that was still faintly moving.

Immediately, as if a thought struck her, she swiftly crouched down and tremblingly reached out to check for breath from the "body" on the floor.

"He's still breathing... He's still alive..."

Finding a living person was certainly a good thing, but at this point, a greater panic gripped Ji Bie Li.

"He's still alive, which means the ghost can't kill... At least before this, the ghost couldn't truly harm other Survivors or Hunters because it *was* a Survivor!"

It was being restrained!

But now... It's over. Everything is over.

The game rules had stated it clearly:

"During the game, the 'Survivor' needs to hide. If caught by the 'Hunter', they will be punished."

Because the horror instance was so peculiar, they had misunderstood the word "punishment" from the start of the game to mean direct elimination, overlooking the most crucial point:

In a normal game of hide-and-seek, if those hiding are caught by the "ghost" (the seeker), their punishment is to become the "ghost" in the next round!

And now...

The actual ghost has been captured by the Hunter. This means the ghost and the Hunter who caught it have swapped identities.

From now on, the entity that *was* the ghost, capable of teleporting anywhere at any time, will become a true ghost, free to begin a slaughter in the instance!

It's over... Everything is over...

But just as Ji Bie Li was lost in her thoughts, something suddenly occurred to her: Even if the ghost becomes a Hunter, it can't attack other Hunters, right? As long as I become a Hunter before the ghost finds me... Meaning, I need to be caught by a Hunter and swap identities with them... Right now, besides me, probably no one else has figured out the truth of this instance. I need to swap identities with one of the Hunters while they're still clueless!

Thinking of this, she staggered to her feet, then dashed towards the lower floors.

She remembered dropping her phone a few floors below.

The Hunter she had been matched with was undoubtedly the easiest to find now.

***

I'd like to recommend a book by a friend: *The Book of Civilization*.

The Six-Eyed Flying Fish Tribe, who live underwater yet love the sky; the Shuituan Tribe, mere water blobs who love sunbathing so much they evaporate.

Creating the internet in a Fantasy World, Su Bei watches as numerous powerful figures stay home, surfing the web and becoming otaku, finally realizing he has led them astray.

It's super good, everyone go check it out!

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