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墨書 Inktalez
"Here we are, this must be the place."
The group rode their bicycles along a narrow path branching off from XX Road, soon spotting an unfinished shell of a house beside a weedy road.
"Wow... does just walking in here count as trespassing?" A Qiang asked.
"I heard the landlord moved to another city a long time ago. It seems he has no intention of dealing with this place; it's just been sitting here abandoned," Xiao Lin replied.
"Don't worry, if there are any homeless people inside, we can just leave immediately, and it won't count as trespassing because the real trespassers are those homeless folks," A Guan rationalized, washing his hands of any responsibility.
"Come on, let's go take a look," Xiao Hua said.
After hiding their bicycles in the bushes, the four cautiously filed into the house.
Inside the empty space, which only had cement partitions, there was nothing but some scattered construction debris and thick layers of dust on the floor.
"Honestly, after hearing about this place for so long, this is my first time inside... Wow, it's so abandoned that even the homeless wouldn't bother staying here! There's not even a cigarette butt or an empty can!" A Qiang couldn't help but exclaim.
"Are you sure we want to play here?" Xiao Lin asked timidly.
"Hey, come look at this! This spot should be pretty good," A Guan waved everyone over.
It was a space about six to seven pings in size located between the living room and kitchen, surprisingly clean with almost no trash on the floor.
"Oh, this really is suitable!" Xiao Hua admired it. "This must have originally been intended as a filial piety room, right?"
"But isn't it a bit odd to have the room right in the center of the house?" Xiao Lin questioned with some concern.
"Who cares if the layout is good or not? We're not living here anyway," Xiao Hua turned to the others. "Let's give it a try! Where do you all want to stand?"
"Anywhere is fine! It doesn't matter," A Guan casually chose a corner to stand in.
Once everyone found their spots, Xiao Hua declared, "Alright, I'll start now!"
He stepped forward and patted A Guan on the shoulder, who then went to pat Xiaolin's shoulder. Xiaolin moved ahead to tap A Qiang's shoulder, while A Qiang retreated to an empty corner.
"Is that it? What's so fun about this?" A Qiang said, spreading his hands in confusion. "Aren't we just going in circles?"
"We're just testing the process for now, and letting you know that it's not always the same person who misses," Xiaohua explained. "Plus, it's too bright right now; you can't really play a game like this until it gets dark!"
"So, should we come back at night?"
"However, I think playing it this way is a bit boring, so I want to change the rules."
"What are you changing?" A Guan asked.
Xiaohua replied, "Isn't the point of this game to intentionally summon spirits? So when we come in, we should shout 'Let's play together!' and if someone misses, that person has to say 'We're still missing one!' It would create a better atmosphere, right?"
"Oh? That does sound more interesting..."
"But... what if someone really comes to play with us?" Xiaolin hesitated.
"Then we can buy a lottery ticket and get ready to win big!" Xiaohua laughed dismissively.
***
At eight o'clock in the evening, everyone gathered again.
"Why not choose midnight? Playing at midnight would be more atmospheric!" A Guan asked.
"No way, if I go out too late and my dad finds out, he'll kill me!" Xiaolin shook his head.
"Is everyone here?" Xiaohua counted heads.
"Here!" A Qiang raised his hand in response.
"Good, then let's go." Xiaohua turned on his flashlight and led the way.
Just like in the afternoon, everyone hid their bicycles in the bushes and gradually walked into the empty house.
Although it was the same scene they had surveyed earlier, the space now appeared shrouded in darkness, infused with an eerie atmosphere.
After confirming that there was no one inside, the four of them gathered at the entrance of the designated room, exchanging glances for a moment.
"…Are we really going to shout?" asked Kobayashi.
"…Yes!" Hua insisted. "Come on! On the count of three, we shout together. One, two, three—"
"Let's all come out and play!"
Everyone whispered cautiously, as if they were mosquitoes buzzing, before bursting into laughter at each other.
"Come on! What’s this? The one who suggested it is too scared to shout!"
A Qiang gave Hua a hard slap on the back, but he miscalculated his strength and ended up pushing Hua stumbling into the room.
"Alright! I'll shout!" Hua laughed, gathering his courage. He turned to the empty room and shouted loudly, "Let’s all come out and play!"
The group fell silent for a while, waiting for a response. After confirming they heard nothing, they slowly stepped into the room.
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