The bluish-purple corpses began to emerge from the melting snow.

Every so often, gruesomely twisted human figures lay by the roadside, their wide-open mouths seemingly showcasing their misfortune.

By this time, Gu Mian and the others had begun their journey as the temperatures warmed.

Chu Changge was at the window, watching the bodies that occasionally surfaced. "Those are all people who froze to death. They were immediately buried by heavy snow after death and remained hidden until the snow began to melt."

Fatty stole a quick glance at the corpses on the ground before looking away again.

These are real corpses, not like the fake data in the instances. For some reason, Fatty found these corpses more bone-chilling than the terrifying ghosts in the instances.

Their contorted limbs and features testified to their desperate struggles before death. But it was all in vain; they had sunk beneath the snow. Some passersby might not even have known they were stepping over a corpse.

Chu Changge continued, "A few days ago, the lowest temperature was negative twenty-three degrees Celsius. Actually, such a temperature shouldn't have caused so many to freeze to death. Before the game started, some areas often experienced temperatures like this."

Hearing this, Fatty glanced at Chu Changge.

"But things are different now," Chu Changge adjusted his spectacles. "Without electricity, with heating also cut off, and in the context of this apocalyptic game, few people can get enough to eat. Naturally, their bodies can't generate enough heat to resist the cold."

In the past, when temperatures plummeted, people were well-fed, warmly dressed, and stayed in rooms with air conditioning or heating. For long journeys, vehicles offered some protection from the cold. Even if it was cold, it was bearable.

But now, things were different.

Gu Mian was driving. Hearing Fatty and Chu Changge discussing food and warmth from the back, he turned and asked, "Are you guys hungry?"

Now that Gu Mian mentioned it, Fatty did indeed feel a bit hungry.

He rubbed his stomach. "Back in the winter, I used to often get a big pot of pork stew with glass noodles from a stall near my place."

"No matter how cold the day, as soon as the owner lifted the lid, the steaming aroma would waft down the entire street, making mouths water."

"The soup, ladled straight from the pot, would still be bubbling. So savory! A single sip was heavenly…"

Gu Mian stepped on the brake. "Stop talking…"

Fatty's words made him crave pork stew with glass noodles too.

Fatty then turned to Gu Mian. "Actually, I know how to make it. When we find a suitable place someday, I'll stew a pot for you guys."

But just as he turned his head, he was shocked to find the person in the driver's seat gone.

Fatty's face turned pale. "The Doctor? Where did our Doctor go?! He was a whole person, how could he just disappear!"

He was just here!

Chu Changge's somber voice came from the side, "He entered a special instance. Just now."

"Entered a special instance?" Fatty was stunned. "What? But weren't we all together? How could only the Doctor enter?"

Chu Changge looked towards the driver's seat. "Who knows."

Gu Mian was, in fact, quite bewildered. His surroundings had plunged into darkness.

He had just been listening to Fatty's description of pork stew with glass noodles when the interface panel suddenly appeared.

The crucial thing was, even after the panel appeared, Fatty continued his mouth-watering description, seemingly oblivious to it.

As it turned out, Fatty really hadn't seen any panel.

Nor had Chu Changge.

The only one who entered the special instance this time… was him, all alone!

And this special instance is truly special; its name alone is enough to outshine all others.

[Special Instance 'Sweet Lovers' Activated]

The name 'Sweet Lovers' for an instance, it's truly…

Gu Mian continued to read.

[Instance Participants: 8]

[Content: 'Sweet Lovers' is an incredibly popular and unconventional matchmaking show, offering guests entirely new choices. Please look forward to it!]

[Main Task: Participate in the 'Sweet Lovers' variety show activity]

A variety show instance? Just like 'Crazy Word Guess' before. I guess this instance should also have an NPC host.

As he was speculating, his surroundings suddenly brightened.

It was a room of about thirty square meters. Gu Mian scanned his surroundings. Besides himself, there were four other people in the room. Noticing his gaze, all four turned and smiled at him.

Gu Mian smiled and nodded back.

Including me, that makes five. Where are the other three players?

There were loudspeakers in the room. Just as Gu Mian was about to try the doorknob to see if he could get out, a cheerful female voice sounded from them.

"Welcome, everyone, to the 'Sweet Lovers' variety show activity! Allow me to introduce myself. I am Teacher Sweet, the host of this show."

I have to say, the instance hosts all have pretty distinctive names.

First, there was Mr. Green, and now Teacher Sweet.

If I remember correctly, there was also a coach called Coach Che before.

The cheerful voice continued.

"All our players have been assigned to their respective rooms. Now, allow me, Teacher Sweet, to explain the rules of this variety show."

"First of all, I must announce—in each room, there are actually only two real players!"

Two players?

Gu Mian surveyed the room again. Yes, there were definitely five people here.

So, that means the remaining three…

"The remaining 'people' are actually Evil Ghosts planted by the production team, you see."

Could you please not describe this with such a matter-of-fact tone?

"In this variety show, the eight players are divided into two groups of four. One group will act as program guests. These guests must choose their 'heart's desire' from the people before them within three days. Generally speaking, choosing an Evil Ghost means certain death."

"The other four players have been placed among the selectable 'choices' in four different rooms. Among the selectable choices in each room, there is only one real player."

Gu Mian looked at the people in front of him, lost in thought.

The most awkward part was that among these four people, there was actually a man.

------

Recommending a book: 'Movie Alliance of Various Heavens'.

It blends thriller movies with the game King of Glory—a highly creative concept that breaks from the traditional 'infinite flow' genre. It uses the latest movies as instances, allowing you to experience being a jungler carry while also staying updated on the newest film releases.

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