Chapter 120: Urban Legend·The Four Corners Game

Chapter 120 Urban Legends · Four Corners Game

By the time Yu Yin arrived at the usual activity location of the Paranormal Investigation Club, many players were already in the classroom.

Yu Yin scanned the others one by one, recognizing a few vaguely familiar faces—among this round of players were bookworms from the Academy of True Knowledge, ascetics and missionaries from various sects, a renowned journalist from the Ninth Dimension...

And that mysterious Fate Domain High Lord she had once encountered in the advertising company instance.

Adding Yu Yin herself, a disciple under the Red Tree Apostle of the Tree of Life, it was no surprise that she would eventually become a core high-ranking member of the "Flesh and Spirit Banquet" cult—or even divinely favored by the Tree of Life.

—Truly befitting an A+ rank instance, wasn’t it?

The gathering of players could be described as a "star-studded gathering," each with some degree of influence or background.

After sweeping her gaze across the classroom, Yu Yin’s eyes settled on Chu Fu.

This time, she noticed the man was once again silently staring at his phone. Recalling that he was an old acquaintance of her mentor, whose age was beyond reckoning...

Hm, so even ancient relics nearing divine status could get addicted to modern electronics?

After greeting a few familiar players, Yu Yin took a seat beside Chu Fu, maintaining a polite and safe distance.

As she sat down, she instinctively smoothed her skirt, the scarlet skirt unfurling smoothly like a blood-red flower blossoming in slow motion.

"Hello, it’s an honor to meet you for the second time," Yu Yin spoke respectfully. "I also bring greetings from my esteemed mentor—the Red Tree Apostle."

Chu Fu’s knowledge of the Red Tree Apostle came only from a few lines in the Anomalous Affairs Bureau’s files.

But that didn’t stop him from lowering his gaze slightly, his eyes reflecting a complex mix of melancholy and nostalgia intertwined.

After a long pause, he seemed to pull himself out of the distant past and nodded to Yu Yin. "Please convey my greetings to Them as well. If there’s anything important to discuss, you may recite my former honorific title."

Seeing his gentle expression, Yu Yin seized the opportunity to probe further. "Then, may I ask how I should address you?"

"My current name is Chu Fu," he paused before adding, "You may also call me 'Prophet.'"

The moment these words left his lips, it was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, sending ripples of shock through the stream chat.

「Prophet!」

「Holy crap, no wonder I thought this was some big shot—it’s the Doomsday Prophet!」

「Should’ve guessed, with the peacock feather motif...」

「No wonder it felt so familiar. I got beaten up by Him once when passing by, back when He was still the former second-in-line of the Fate Domain.」

「I’m getting PTSD from the Fate Domain. Isn’t Fate supposed to be more of a behind-the-scenes support field? Why are they all so martially inclined??」

「Well, at least it’s the white peacock. Better than running into the Predator...」

「What’s the fundamental difference between the two? One chews up and swallows gods, the other beats their brains out?」

「Don’t just assume the other Fate Domain figures are pushovers just because the SilverWhite Disaster is terrifying, lol.」

「+1, the white peacock is arrogant and short-tempered. If you catch Him in a bad mood, He’ll kick anyone passing by—living or dead.」

「Seriously suspect the previous commenter got been on the receiving end of that kick before, given how emotionally invested they sound!」

「Hmm, but there’s a big difference now, right? At least the streamer isn’t a True God of the Fate Domain...」

「But when the power gap is this huge, does rank even matter? Either way, you’re getting taught a lesson ()」

Amidst the barrage of comments, one player stepped to the front of the classroom. She had a practical shoulder-length bob, with a portable notebook and voice recorder stuffed in her shirt pocket.

"That’s Chang Shuyue, a reporter for *The World News*," Yu Yin whispered, voluntarily introducing her to Chu Fu. "If you read newspapers, you’ve probably heard of her. She’s written several headline stories in recent years."

The activity classroom still had a lectern. Chang Shuyue stood behind it, gave a light cough to gather attention, and spoke with warm confidence, drawing the attention of all the players scattered around the room:

"Everyone here is an experienced and powerful player. You’ve probably already noticed—the system assigned us all identities as club members, meaning this club is an implicit clue. Tasks may revolve around it."

"This isn’t a PvP instance. Since we’re all part of the same club and share the same quest objectives, we have the opportunity to form a cooperative group—sharing information on urban legends and uncovering the truth behind the instance."

Chang Shuyue smiled genuinely. "For those willing to collaborate, we can share known trigger conditions for urban legends and methods to avoid danger. To show sincerity, I’ll start by sharing two urban legends I’ve encountered, hoping they’ll be helpful."

"Of course, I respect the choice of players who don’t wish to cooperate. But while we’re sharing intel, I’ll ask you to excuse yourselves. Thank you for understanding."

The number of players matched to such a high-risk instance was limited, all around Tier 6 in strength—just one breakthrough or opportunity away from shedding their player identities.

Thus, most had heard of each other, some even having collaborated in past instances. As long as there was no deep-seated hatred or conflicting interests, they’d generally give each other some leeway.

Chu Fu noted that Chang, as a minor public figure, had a good reputation and connections. Most players present were willing to accept her proposal. Even lone wolf players uninterested in cooperation simply stood and left quietly, without causing discord.

In the end, eight players remained in the classroom.

This fell within Chang Shuyue’s expectations. She clasped her hands together cheerfully:

"Alright, here’s to a successful collaboration!"

"I’ll use my Ability, 'Leaking Heart,' to process the shared intel, ensuring no outsiders can eavesdrop and reap the benefits without contributing."

Next, Chang Shuyue created a group on the spot and shared two urban legends—"Four Corners Game" and "Red District's 4th Street Crossroads."

Chang Shuyue sighed helplessly. "The identity I got was pretty unlucky. The original owner and three roommates had planned a midnight test their courage, so on my first night in the instance, I was dragged into playing the Four Corners Game..."

The Four Corners Game is a classic paranormal activity. The rules are simple: at midnight, four people stand in the four corners of a rectangular, empty room, turn off all lights, and face the corner to prepare.

During the game, participants take turns moving clockwise to the next corner, tapping the shoulder of the person standing there, then taking their place. The tapped person then continues moving to the next corner...

And so on. At the end of each full rotation, one person will inevitably reach an empty corner. At this point, they must cough, pause for a few seconds, then proceed to the next corner until they tap someone’s shoulder, starting a new rotation.

Supposedly, as the four go round after round in darkness, a fifth "person"—one that shouldn’t exist—gradually joins the game.

From then on, no more coughs are heard, because aside from the person moving, there are always four "people" standing motionless in the corners, facing the walls in the pitch-black room.

Participants can never guess whether the shadow with its back to them is a friend... or a ghost that has slipped in.

"We reached the seventh rotation when the 'fifth person' appeared. The room grew colder and colder, like a walk-in freezer..."

Chang Shuyue said with lingering fear, gooseflesh rising on her arms. "Luckily, the three roommates also noticed the extra presence. We all said 'end the game' and turned on the lights, and the room returned to normal, no longer bone-chilling."

"That’s the first urban legend I documented."

A player remarked, "How fortunate. Documenting a legend so easily, with no casualties..."

"No casualties? Not necessarily."

Chu Fu chuckled, leaning back lazily, his elbow resting on the chair as he swayed slightly. He mused aloud, "Maybe the casualties just... happened not to be players."

"What do you mean?" Chang Shuyue froze momentarily, an ominous premonition creeping up on her.

Chu Fu gazed at her meaningfully, his deep blue eyes giving the illusion that her skin had been peeled back, exposing her soul directly to his scrutiny.

Instead of explaining outright, he asked Chang Shuyue, "When the lights were turned on, were all four of you—including yourself—standing in the corners?"

Chang Shuyue nodded, then suddenly stiffened, her neck locking up as if choked.

Her eyes widened in realization—something was terribly wrong!

At the moment the lights were turned on, who was still moving toward a corner? And who were the four participants occupying the corners?

Who could guarantee that those standing in the corners were all human?

Chu Fu continued, "I think the urban legend 'Four Corners Game' must have an unspoken rule."

"When the game ends, only those standing in the corners—whether human or something else—are allowed to remain. The participant who was still walking when the lights came on disappears forever, gone without a trace."

"Before the game starts, there are four people. After it ends, only four remain—but whether those four are still human is no longer certain."

"The essence of this urban legend might be that ghosts use this corner-occupying game to steal identities from the living."

As he spoke, Chu Fu rotated his wrist, feeling the normal warmth, pulse, and heartbeat of a living body.

He thought to himself—this was a familiar play. Just like how he had taken over the fate of the real lesser player "Chu Fu"...

Except, he didn’t need the complicated ritual of an urban legend.

Chang Shuyue’s face paled, her lips trembling slightly like petals withering.

She realized that while she had been smug about successfully recording the urban legend last night, she might have been sharing a room with that thing that shouldn't exist—even sleeping right next to it, completely unaware...

The fact that she was still sitting here unharmed was purely due to just dumb luck.

Chu Fu kindly reminded her, "I suggest you go back to your dorm later and check carefully—among your three roommates, is one of them not human?"