The night is deep, and the star river rises.
Yan Wei was lying on the bed in the bedroom with his eyes lightly closed, his thick eyelashes trembling slightly, matched with his tall nose bridge and thin lips, making it hard to look away.
The phone rang continuously, directly passing through Yan Wei's eardrums, tearing him out of his sleep.
He still squinted his eyes a little sleepily, and only then did he see the sky at night—he actually slept through the day from last night
The phone is still vibrating.
After sleeping for a long time, Yan Wei was still a little tired. The night wind blew in through the crack of the open window and brushed against his cheek, which made him wake up a little bit.
Yan Wei glanced at the notification of the incoming call—it was his good friend who specialized in psychology.
He yawned, rubbed his eyes, got up and took a quick shower, then picked up the call with his mobile phone, and walked to the window, wanting to blow the wind to pull himself out of sleepiness.
"What are you doing?" He lazily leaned against the window, and as expected, he slowly woke up in the breeze.
On the other end of the phone, a friend's voice came: "Why is no one answering your calls during the day?"
"Slept."
"Aren't you good at sleeping too!?"
"Maybe I had a nightmare with you."
"..." The other party choked for a moment, and then said, "Yan Wei, let me tell you, our institute recently received a new project, can you use your IQ to help me analyze it?"
Yan Wei's family background is good, but the excessively rigorous family style breeds his rebellion, he has done a lot of new and exciting things, and he has done a lot of weird part-time jobs.
After working as a freelancer for a long time, he has seen all kinds of people from all walks of life, and his ability to see people has become more and more proficient.
Although he is a layman in psychology, he can always see through people's hearts and dissect everything clearly. Over time, his friend always came to him for analysis when he had problems.
He took it easy and chuckled lightly: "No."
Friend: "...Dad!!"
"Then you say it quickly. The old rules, don't tell others that I participate in the analysis."
The other party hurriedly said: "I know, I know, you don't like being in the limelight and being noticed, I promise not to tell others! That's right, a new psychological phenomenon has appeared in the industry recently. Suddenly some people have the same hallucination, and they say they Anytime, anywhere, you will see a towering black building... ”
Yan Wei listened, leaning against the bedroom window, looking into the distance boredly.
"...wherever they go, they look around and they see that tall building, and as time goes on, it gets closer and closer, and it seems to be telling them to go in. I asked a patient yesterday who had this hallucination , he said that the building was already in front of his eyes, he was afraid and dared not go in. As a result, do you know? That patient committed suicide just now! Like other people who had this hallucination before, he committed suicide... "
Yan Wei's gaze suddenly froze not far away.
The friend's voice continued: "...Many people said that they saw this hallucination, and some said they dared not go in. It didn't take long for these people to commit suicide, and the way of suicide was very strange. Some people said they wanted to go in Look, and then people like this either have accidents or disappear. I think this must be a new kind of suicidal disease, people who want to kill themselves will have this hallucination-"
Yan Wei's eyes were still fixed on the front, he interrupted his friend's words, and his tone suddenly sank: "It's not an illusion."
"what?"
"A dark building? Can you see how high it is?"
"The patient said he couldn't see it, and the top of the building went directly into the clouds, and the height was unfathomable."
"Are there windows?"
"Yes, but you can't see inside the window, and the window is also dark. Did you think of something? Hello?... Hello? Yan Wei? Yan Wei, are you still there?"
Yan Wei didn't speak for a while.
His house is in a high-rise building, and he can see the night view of the city when he looks out on weekdays.
But now, in front of his eyes, the towering pitch-black buildings blocked most of the sight in front of him.
——The towering, black building that is exactly the same as in the friend's description.
The grotesque phenomenon that had just appeared in other people's mouths suddenly appeared in front of him, Yan Wei raised his hand, rubbed his eyes vigorously, and reconfirmed that this building was right in front of his eyes.
It was about his own business, Yan Wei forced himself to calm down, and thought about what his friend had just said about Lou.
He's pretty sure he's not suicidal.
After those "patients" saw the building, many committed suicide, and a small number of people who said they wanted to go in disappeared...
What if I did not see the "illusion" because I wanted to commit suicide, but "suicide in a strange way" because I saw this black building and didn't go in
Those who said they were going to go in may have actually gone in. Whether something happened after going in, some people still died, and some people haven't come out yet, so they disappeared.
He came to a conclusion immediately.
Only "patients" can see the building, so others who can't see can't help at all.
After seeing this building, if you don't enter, you will die.
But if you go in...
"... Hey, hey? Yan Wei, are you still there?"
Yan Wei came back to his senses.
He has never been an emotional person. Now that something has happened, he will not be entangled in useless emotions, but will just start looking for a solution.
Yan Wei slowly accepted his current situation, and said softly, "I'm here. You just said..."
The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, his eyes narrowed, and the surprise in his light brown eyes gradually dissipated, replaced by a challenge-like interest, "Those who don't go in, all commit suicide, and those who say they want to go in, although some dead too, but some others are missing?"
"Ah yes, what's wrong?"
Yan Wei muttered to himself: "...that is to say, some people will see this black building, and those who see it may not die if they go in."
"what are you talking about?"
In the colorful city, this high-rise building directly inserted into the clouds is very obvious. It is so dark that it seems to absorb all the surrounding light.
It is very close to Yanwei, as if it is opposite his building.
The black building stood there silently, but the people passing by didn't seem to notice it, only Yan Wei saw it for real.
Perhaps it was because the blackness in front of him was too gloomy, Yan Wei instantly felt that the wind that was blowing by was quite gloomy and cold. He shivered slightly, turned around and picked up the clothes on the hanger and put them on.
He put on a windbreaker, put on a scarf in a leisurely manner, and said amidst the doubts of his friend on the other end of the phone: "It's not an illusion, because I saw it too. Since those who can't see it can't do anything, I'll go in and solve it myself. If I 'suicide', you remember that this is not a hallucination. If I come out alive, your research should have the answer."
Yan Wei hung up the phone.
The black building seemed to have seen him too, and when Yan Wei walked downstairs, the building had completely appeared in front of him, as if it had moved hundreds of meters forward out of thin air in this huge city.
It is completely dark, without any additional decorations, only the still dark windows on each floor reveal that this is an unfathomably tall building.
And on the bottom floor, in front of Yan Wei, a door that has been opened is facing him.
It was still very dark inside this door, and nothing could be seen clearly. The surrounding street lamps radiated a warm yellow bright light, but they did not dispel the darkness of the building at all.
Yan Wei raised his head, stood beside the street and watched quietly.
He is a very rational person.
Now that he saw this building where he would die if he didn't enter, he would also seek the best solution in the shortest possible time.
— that is to walk in.
After a long while, he took a deep breath, raised his feet, and walked through the unaware crowd around him. The windbreaker swayed lightly with his steps, and he slowly stepped into the dark building and plunged into the darkness.
[Welcome to the copy in the building. ]
[There are ninety-nine floors in the building, and each floor is a random dungeon. There are players, NPCs, and dungeon bosses in the dungeon, and the modes are mostly spooky and terrifying. The initial player will start from the first floor, and only by reaching the top can they survive and leave completely, and bring the abilities obtained in the building into reality. ]
[There are two ways to climb the stairs: 1. Through the clues in the dungeon, crack the dungeon, find the stairs to go upstairs, and ascend the stairs alive; 2. Clear all the bosses in the dungeon and clear the level automatically. ]
[The player has basic values: body index, perception. ]
[The body index represents the player's combat ability and physical fitness, and the perception represents the player's ability to speculate and perceive danger and ghosts. In addition to the basic values of the player, completing the dungeon and the sub-quests in the dungeon will have the opportunity to increase the body index and perception. There will be points rewards for customs clearance of the copy, and points can bring you everything. ]
[All player information is stored in the Black Ring, and can be checked at any time if necessary. ]
[Number of copies this time: one layer. ]
[Location of this copy: Promenade Hotel. ]
[Current player data: body index 4, perception 26, layer 0, points 0. ]
[The players are all here, the instance is open. ]
[In the dungeon, players cannot kill each other. ]
[All players are requested to follow the instructions of the NPC, rely on their own abilities, survive the dungeon and find the "ladder". Any violation will be at your own risk. ]
[Please note that you may die at any time in the dungeon, and there is only one punishment for failure of the dungeon: death. ]
The sound of the word "death" dragged on for an extremely long time, and the echoes swayed around several times before the ethereal and gloomy voice dissipated together with the darkness in front of me.
Yan Wei felt as if a ring had appeared on his hand, and there was a small window floating in front of him, recording the information that the gloomy voice just said.
—According to the information instilled in him by the voice just now, the name of this window is the information panel, and all information can be seen on this panel. And the black ring that suddenly appeared on his hand is the medium to touch the information panel. As long as he slides the ring lightly, the information panel will pop up in front of his face or in his mind.
He glanced at the interface, and before he could take a closer look, the information was retracted into the black ring in his hand.
The surroundings suddenly turned upside down, and light slowly appeared in front of Yan Wei's eyes.
He frowned, and subconsciously raised his hand to cover his eyes.
After a while, the discomfort caused by the strong light slowly dissipated. Yan Wei put down his covering hand, only then did he find himself in a brand new place.
The crystal chandelier on the ceiling rotates slowly, scattering bright and crystal light. Floor-to-ceiling mirrors and decorative portraits are scattered on the walls on both sides of the surrounding area, making the place even more spacious.
This is a hotel lobby.
And like him, there are eight people beside the front desk in the hotel lobby, of different genders, a total of nine people including him.
The rest of the people also showed surprise or doubt, looking anxiously at the quiet and empty hotel lobby where there were only nine of them. As soon as Yan Wei appeared, those people looked at him more or less, their eyes were full of scrutiny, and some people showed quite astonishing eyes as soon as they turned their eyes, and their eyes kept sticking to Yan Wei's face .
Yan Wei hated this impolite gaze, he raised his eyebrows slightly, and glanced at the person who was looking at him. The man suddenly met Yan Wei's eyes, and hurriedly averted his eyes in embarrassment.
Yan Wei withdrew his gaze, thinking about the "climbing the tower", "player" and "promenade hotel" he had just heard, and he already roughly understood what happened.
He and the other eight players are currently in the dungeon in this "Promenade Hotel".
Several players are talking.
"...Where is this place? I thought that black building was an illusion, and there must be nothing when I walked in! Why did it appear here in a blink of an eye??"
"I didn't want to come in at all, but the building was getting closer and closer to me, and it appeared directly in front of me. I didn't pay attention to stepping in and walked in..."
A short-haired woman even cried: "Why can't I go out... and the phone can't get through... I want to go back..."
"The voice said that you need to find a ladder to get out. What is the ladder? Where is it?"
"..."
"You... also saw a black building come in?" Someone asked Yan Wei, with a hint of expectation in his words, "You have come in for a few minutes and there is no new person, it should be the last one. We will be here soon after we show up." I have been watching people keep appearing, the mobile phone has no signal, the door cannot be opened, and I don’t know what happened for dozens of minutes. Do you know some information about this strange place? Do you know how to get out?”
"I don't know." Yan Wei took out his phone and took a look - there was indeed no signal.
The player showed a disappointed expression.
Yan Wei put away his mobile phone, went to the hotel gate and pushed the closed door.
Sure enough, as the player said, the door couldn't be pushed open at all, as if some force blocked the door.
He didn't make any unnecessary attempts, and returned to the front desk. A group of players guessed and asked in a panic. Except for Yan Wei who was watching the surroundings calmly, there was also a silver-haired man who was silent from beginning to end.
The man stood alone, leaning slightly against the front desk of the hotel, holding a cigarette between his slender fingers.
He wore a pair of silver-rimmed glasses, his hair was cold silver, and he looked gentle and clean. But those eyes hidden under the lens were cold and indifferent, and his emotions were calm. This is a face that says Do Not Disturb strangers wherever it goes, but Yan Wei is quite pleasing to the eye.
Sensing Yan Wei's gaze, the man suddenly raised his eyes to meet his gaze. But this person didn't respond at all, and looked away coldly for a moment.
The outside and the inside are the same, very cold.
Yan Wei: "..."
He sneered in his heart, and looked away with the same indifferent look.
At this time, on the long corridor at the end of the hotel lobby next to the elevator, a young man in a tuxedo and bow tie walked towards them.
The young man's complexion was very pale, and he was so thin that the tuxedo was a bit loose on his body. His cheeks were tightened even more, and his eye sockets were sunken, as if his whole body was so thin that only skin and bones remained. This is clearly not a player.
This so-called dungeon didn't give them time to breathe at all, it had already started.
"All the guests are here at last," the thin man in the tuxedo smiled at them, and pointed to the promenade where he came from, "I am the waiter here, and I have prepared dinner for you. People go to the restaurant with me. Stay here after dinner, and start visiting the art exhibition tomorrow."
Although the waiter was smiling, his voice was calm and hoarse without any ups and downs.
Such a sound echoed in the hotel lobby, making it even more eerie.
Among the other eight players, except for the silver-haired man who was still leaning against the front desk with a calm expression, some even took a few steps back in horror, trying to stay away from this weird waiter.
A player standing beside Yan Wei collapsed and yelled hysterically: "I don't know what dinner!! Why don't I go out?? Why can't the door here be opened!? Where is this place!? I won't go What restaurant I want to leave!!!”
The standard smile on the waiter's face suddenly collapsed.
He walked forward slowly, his sunken eyes looked at the shouting player suspiciously, and his voice became deeper and deeper: "What are you talking about? Are you not going to the restaurant?"
Yan Wei's eyes froze.
He turned around and saw that the waiter had already walked in front of the player.
Now that the situation is unclear, he didn't want to cause any situation because of a reckless person, and whispered to the player: "Calm down first, we must accept the reality immediately. Lou said not to disobey what the NPC said, you will only bring to serious consequences..."
The man was already frightened by the waiter's approach, and hurriedly stepped back, "I'm not going—"
His voice stopped abruptly.
——The bony waiter suddenly raised his skinny hands and easily broke the player's neck. Blood spattered out, except for the waiter who made the shot, none of the players was stained with blood.
But the screams of several other players immediately sounded around.
"what!!!"
Yan Wei didn't make a sound.
His gaze stayed on the floor-to-ceiling mirrors attached to both sides of the hotel lobby.
The mirror scatters the bright light from the chandelier, illuminating the figures of nine players including him. Other than that, there was no other figure.
The mirror did not reflect the waiter at all.
This guy is not human at all.
In the picture reflected by the mirror, the neck of the hysterical player just now seemed to be completely twisted by an invisible thing, and blood splashed and flowed all over the floor. The head, with its eyes wide open and an expression of disbelief, rolled to the ground with a "gudong" sound. The headless body was on the verge of falling, blood was flowing from the neck, and blood vessels were broken.
But in front of the player whose neck was just broken... there was nothing.