The old man's expression remained unchanged. Seeing that the customers didn't want to buy anything for the moment, he clasped his hands behind his back and said leisurely, "The only place Daoji Highway leads to is a funeral parlor, and that funeral parlor only operates from midnight to 4 AM."
"You guests coming here in the middle of the night surely aren't here specifically for this old man, are you?"
The old man's meaning was clear - the road ahead only led to one place, and they were here in the middle of the night. Where else could they be going if not the funeral parlor?
The four of them felt somewhat pleased - they hadn't expected to get such clear clues so easily!
They exchanged glances. Just as Tan Xingyun was thinking about whether he could extract more information, he saw the old man in front of them suddenly adopt a sinister expression, squinting his eyes and saying ominously, "It seems our guests aren't very familiar with this Daoji Highway."
The old man's sudden change in expression startled everyone.
Xu Xiuman and Li Kang even instinctively took a step back.
Tan Xingyun forced a smile and asked, "My companions and I are indeed here for the first time. Is there something special about this highway?"
Their behavior since arriving had already made it obvious they were newcomers. Since the old man had figured it out anyway, it was better to admit it directly - they might be able to get more clues from him.
The old man's gaze swept across the four faces, his tone rather meaningful: "Around here, Daoji Highway is also called the road to the underworld. Legend has it that most people who drive on this highway disappear within it, and the few drivers who successfully emerge from the highway become insane."
"There was once a young man who specialized in exploration. After hearing about the strange aspects of this highway, he brought live streaming equipment and barged into this highway to investigate."
"But just as he entered the highway, all the electronic devices he carried stopped working. That young man never came out again."
Seeing that everyone was sufficiently frightened, the old man smiled with satisfaction and suddenly changed his tone.
"Of course, all of the above are just rumors. This old man doesn't know whether they're true or false. This road has existed for a very long time and hasn't been specifically renovated, so it's inevitably quite rugged. Traffic accidents happen frequently here, so perhaps over time these rumors emerged."
"If you guests are worried, you could also buy some paper money to keep in your car. If you encounter anything strange on the road, scattering a handful of paper money can ensure safety."
Xu Xi let out a soft breath, his tense mood relaxing slightly.
This old man was quite skilled at storytelling. With that sinister expression paired with his eerie tone, he had forcefully increased the credibility of those stories.
The other three had similar thoughts.
"We'll discuss it," Tan Xingyun said to the old man.
【Damn, watching this old man tell stories so convincingly, and it turns out it was just to sell products】
【Who understands? I was scared into a cold sweat. I'm not usually scared by horror movies, but I didn't expect to be frightened by just two ordinary rumors】
【Maybe it's because you know movies are fake, but in these instances, everything is real】
【So should we buy this old man's paper money or not?】
The four people in the instance were also discussing this aspect.
Gathering together, Tan Xingyun spoke first: "At least we now know our destination is the funeral parlor at the end of Daoji Highway."
No one disagreed with this point - the old man's hints had been quite clear.
"What about those rumors... what do you think?" Xu Xiuman asked softly.
Her face was somewhat pale, but she still maintained her composure.
Tan Xingyun expressed his opinion: "If this were the real world, I would maintain an attitude of 'better to believe it exists than not.' But since this is a game instance, I can only say that those rumors definitely have reference value."
Meaning there was a high probability the rumors were true.
Li Kang looked miserable. He wasn't very brave, and even before driving into the highway, he was already feeling timid.
But having already experienced one instance, he also knew that being afraid was useless - the consequence of escaping was dying in the instance.
So Li Kang glanced sideways at the old man standing by the funeral wreaths, watching them with a smile as he patiently waited for their discussion, and asked weakly, "Then should we buy that old man's paper money?"
After asking, Li Kang then looked at the young man beside him with expectant eyes.
Xu Xi, who had been inexplicably expected of: "......?"
Why was he looking at him?
If Li Kang could hear this question, he would of course answer: Because I think you're a hidden expert.
【Why did this guy look at 2 minutes 48 seconds first?】
【Goodness, you're really using this nickname now】
【Don't change the subject. That look seemed to say if 2 minutes 48 seconds tells him to buy, he'll buy, and if he tells him not to buy, he won't buy】
【Yeah, logically speaking, the beer-bellied uncle who's been taking the lead should be more reliable. Failing that, the denim skirt woman would work too】
【Maybe this is the charm of 2 minutes 48 seconds?】
【Are you stupid? The other players in the instance can't see this information】
To be honest, Xu Xi didn't know whether to buy either. They did have the paper money provided by the instance, but... should they use it here?
"I think we should buy a little. We don't need to buy much, just a few sheets to carry with us. If we really encounter something, like the old man said, it can ensure safety." After a long while, Tan Xingyun spoke up.
In reality, carrying paper money around would be considered unlucky, but in an instance, you can't use conventional thinking. This paper money might be some important prop.
"I think that works. We can't be sure whether that old man is deliberately deceiving us. For example, he says it ensures safety, but it might actually attract disaster or serve as substitutes for death. So it's better to buy less." Xu Xiuman followed up with her own speculation.
Xu Xi nodded. They couldn't not buy it - if it really was a prop, they might not be able to obtain it again later if they missed it. But if it attracted disaster or something similar, they could immediately throw it away. They wouldn't spend much paper money, so even if they needed to use paper money later, they wouldn't have to worry about not having enough.
Therefore, after discussion, everyone decided to buy about twenty sheets each to carry with them - not too many, not too few, just in case.
Learning of their decision, the old man sighed and shook his head: "The highway is long, I'm afraid that won't be enough."
But the old man didn't say anything more. After settling the payment, he slowly ambled back into the shop, saying as he walked, "This old man wishes you guests a safe journey. Looking forward to your next visit."
The four people left behind just watched as the old man's figure disappeared behind the shelves.
Li Kang looked around, scratching his head: "That old man's last sentence seemed to have some deeper meaning."
If even he could hear it, the other three naturally could too.
"Never mind, let's keep going first." Tan Xingyun frowned, but still decided to proceed for now.
【Each person buying twenty sheets is indeed a conservative approach】
【As expected, the uncle and denim skirt girl are more reliable. 2 minutes 48 seconds hasn't said anything】
【I don't know what that guy was expecting】
【Enough already, can't you just watch more? The instance just started and you're already criticizing back and forth here, showing off?】
Some viewers in the live stream who had had enough of those critical and sarcastic live stream comments finally couldn't help speaking up.
【Yeah, it's like it's some huge crime if someone doesn't speak】
【Maybe this newcomer's first instance was too impressive, raising everyone's expectations】
But having already experienced one instance, he also knew that being afraid was useless - the consequence of escaping was dying in the instance.
After this rebuttal, the atmosphere in the live stream comments finally became much cleaner.