Being an Extra Actor in an Escape Game

At this moment, both Thin and the teenage girl have been led astray by the way Shen Ynj worded everything, perhaps thinking that while the Tower is part of the game itself, but the Nightmare has transported them back onto Earth somehow.

They would realise soon enough, though, that Nightmares were undoubtedly still part of the game, of course.

As X Beijin expected, after the initial shock, Thin has calmed down enough to point out, it is just one scenario. It might not actually be whatever that place was in reality.

The teenage girl also nodded to add, Nightmares always featured structures found on Earth. Its normal to find some of them eerily similar.

Is that so Shen Ynj still seemed out of it, though.

Thin and the teenage girl both furled their brows subconsciously.

The girl wasnt good at cheering people up, so Thin said instead, brother, the most important thing right now is resolving this Nightmare, rather than thinking about other things, he sighed and added, it might sound harsh, but what use is there mulling over them?

Shen Ynj stared straight at him for a while before forcing a smile onto his face, answering, yeah youre right Focusing on these is meaningless.

Though its still driving him mad as they spoke.

Thin thought he got over it, however, and so nodded before leading the three of them into the building in front of them.

As soon as they were inside, Thin remarked, it sure is lively.

There was a warm breeze in the crowded commercial complex, at just the right temperature to send one to sweet dreams. The people walking around are almost touching shoulder-to-shoulder; the three Missiontakers could be convinced they have returned home, returned to Earth.

Though the teenage girl was merely looking at them with this poker face, asking, how do we find the person who can provide us with information from all of the people here?

Thin

What a very good question.

X Beijin chuckled silently with his head resting on his arm.

In the last Nightmare, if it wasnt for someone having already been to that Nightmare before, the Missiontakers would have had difficulty isolating Dai Wu in the service area too. That was merely on the scale of a dozen or two Missiontakers as well.

Here?

The commercial complex contains at least hundreds of Missiontakers, most of them are like X Beijin they dont know a thing about this Nightmare.

Quite the demanding task they had at hand, it was.

Thin also came to the same conclusion soon enough, and said, the Server would never come up with impossible situations. Perhaps the point of this isnt actually about the Tower residents.

The teenage girl nodded in agreement.

Thin then glanced at Shen Ynj, and fell into thought for a moment before saying, lets split up and search? Youll go underground, well be above ground?

Shen Ynj nods slowly.

They separated, and after Shen Ynj has left them, Thin and the teenage girl didnt begin searching. Instead, Thin asked, what was that, about having heard something on this Nightmare?

The teenage girl answered, this Nightmare was apparently one of the Nightmares on the bottom floor many years ago.

Thin was astonished to hear that.

While he and this teenage girl were erstwhile companions in the Nightmare for now, they only teamed up recently; they didnt even know each other a while back.

Therefore Thin couldnt help but be surprised to hear her talk about the bottom floor from years past, because, a few years ago, he was still on a higher floor.

The teenage girl explained, you might not have known, she knew about Thins past, and continued, but there was once a bookstore owner that caused a period of general unrest in the Tower.

Back in the bookstore, X Beijin was shocked to hear his name again, and shocked that this is yet another thing tying to him now.

He bitterly chuckled and felt more genuinely than ever that the arrival of the streaming system did upend his entire understanding of this place he lived in.

The Tower

He sighed.

The teenage girl continued her explanation, back then, the Missiontakers employed all sorts of methods in their craze to enter his Nightmare, including, of course trying their luck with his neighbour. Some Missiontakers merely tried talking to her, but some entered her Nightmare instead.

His neighbour X Beijin suddenly recalled that, in the last Nightmare, Mu Jiashi also mentioned his neighbour.

Thats right. A few years ago, all while the Missiontakers all had their sights set dead on his Nightmare, his neighbour had been a female Actor. It was her the whole time.

And, if he remembered correctly, it was around the time the Missiontakers gradually lost interest in his Nightmare that the Actor moved out of the bottom floor.

X Beijin recalled for a while and confirmed that she was the Actor the whole time.

Wait, if so

Visible confusion seeped into X Beijins expression.

And Thin also couldnt help but ask, after hearing the teenage girl say that, you mean, this Nightmare, is the exact Nightmare of that ex-neighbour of the bookstore owner?

Sentient electronic devices The teenage girl muttered this specific characteristic of the Nightmare, then nodded to say, yes.

Thin seemed visibly baffled, and asked, but I remember that the Nightmare of the neighbour to the bookstore owner isnt this

Its the one before, the teenage girl answered, a woman that moved away after someone achieved a True End in her Nightmare, just like the rest of the Tower residents. That was when that man you must be thinking of moved in. A short while ago, this man also moved away

Thin continued, and the woman moved back? He couldnt help but chuckle, what, so they could move back to their old addresses?

The teenage girl shook her head to say, who knows?

Thin also left that question behind and instead said, so any info youve got on this Nightmare of hers?

They have started walking about the ground floor of the commercial complex by now, observing the stores and the Tower residents.

I only know that, it seems there was more than just the issue of the electronics going rogue, the teenage girl then added slightly ominously, the Missiontakers that have gone through this wouldnt say much, but apparently some of them were gone.

Gone?

They say, even if they got a Normal End and can leave the Nightmare They would still find part of the Missiontakers missing, almost like you know.

Thin was silent.

He knew she was referring to the Collapsed Nightmares, ones that crumbled completely and endlessly repeated. Normally, they do not touch on this topic, because they all have companions that have been lost to them, never to return.

Thin took a deep breath, and murmured, but how could that be?

They already had a Normal End but they still lost themselves in a Collapsed Nightmare? How is that even possible?

The teenage girl was about to say something when suddenly, they realise the crowds noises were getting rowdier and there were also unease and terror on some of the faces here; suddenly, from the underground floor, there were outright yells and screams.

They look each other in the eye and almost immediately came to the same conclusion Something happened where Shen Ynj is!

Yet they didnt have time to act, because, the next second, their eyes go dark.

The Nightmare has restarted.

And right now, Shen Ynj has his eyes wide open in terror, taking a few steps back in reflex, falling onto the sofa with dilated pupils and bulging eyes. It looks like he just bore witness to some most horrifying, nightmarish scene.