C2— Strange Tales By The Lakeside

The RV was steadily driving on the road, and in about ten minutes, everyone saw a signpost pointing towards the Golden Lake Reservoir.

 

The driver was a stern-faced woman. She discerned the direction and then drove the RV onto a dirt road. Surrounded by trees that were thicker and lusher than before, the flailing canopies linked together in patches to block out the moonlight.

 

 

She subconsciously trembled.

 

The feeling of driving into the mountain felt like this car had been swallowed up by the forest.

 

They were getting closer and closer to their destination, and everyone had already heard the sound of water not far away. This subtle suppression and unease made the woman grip the steering wheel tightly, even exerting force on her palms until they turned white.

 

Zhuo Yu glanced at her and tapped his temple with his index finger, casually asking, “So, is Golden Lake your mission?”

 

“You don’t have the Golden Lake’s Horror Story in your character’s memory?” Zhou Wu looked at Zhuo Yu in surprise.

 

“I only know that I’m here for a trip.” Zhuo Yu propped his chin on his palm and turned to look in the direction of the sound of water. “It’s common sense for people who don’t know this place to come camping, right? If they know there’s danger, anyone who is normal wouldn’t come here to die.”

 

Several senior actors who played the roles of students who died felt like their knee had been hit by an arrow.

 

“Perhaps.” The woman driving responded with a hint of sadness: “Our characters are all from nearby towns. There have been rumors in the town that there are evil spirits living in the Golden Lake.”

 

“Evil spirits?” Zhuo Yu’s curiosity was aroused.

 

“It is said that fifty years ago, a father and son lived here. The father often practiced witchcraft on the mountain, causing panic among the townspeople, and they secretly executed him. His son, on the other hand, was a deformed monster who was only in his teens and had intellectual disabilities; he drowned in the Golden Lake. Since then, the adults in the small town no longer let their children play by the lake because people go missing there every year.”

 

“Mu Ying, don’t scare the newcomer.” Zhou Wu shook his head and added, “Some people say it’s a water ghost, a kind of monster in Norse mythology. Others say it’s a curse from cannibals, savages, or Native Americans, but it’s all just rumors.”

 

“All four of us have parents who are town officials, and they say it’s just a story to scare children. The Golden Lake is connected to an underground river that often has whirlpools and undercurrents. It’s very dangerous for children to swim there, and the missing people probably drowned. That’s why this story was made up to warn the public.”

 

The corners of Zhuo Yu’s lips curled up in a faint smile, and he deeply hid the interest in his words: “Since it’s set in the world of horror movies, most of these rumors should be true.”

 

Worried, Mu Ying let out a deep sigh and parked the car in the bushes and said, “You’re right, so I really don’t want to go. I have an ominous feeling.”

 

Before she finished speaking, a series of system announcements went live.

 

[Intern actor Mo Weiqi has died. He died in a car accident.]

 

[Intern actor Wang Ming has passed away. He died in a car accident.]

 

[Intern actor Zou Yue has passed away. She died in a car accident.]

 

[Intern actor Li Kai has died. He died in a car accident.]

 

 

[The above actors will be punished for three months upon returning to the source of the fire.]

 

 

Everyone’s faces weren’t very good. They knew that these newcomers died because they didn’t follow the system requirements, so it was rated as them doing passive work.

 

“To be burned alive for three months.” Zhou Wu’s tone was rather cool, as he had seen it too often: “When released and brought back into the set, they would have long gone crazy, right?”

 

That was why actors had to act according to their tasks. If they had a choice, no one would go to this dangerous lake. But the fact proved that moving forward may lead to their deaths, but retreating would lead to a more terrifying punishment than death.

 

Like they got a warning from the system, silence lingered as the RV continued down the trail. Drifting out of the dense undergrowth, a large, flat area came into view.

 

Only a wooden house stood in that meadow; they had a clear view under the high beam of the car. Unlike what one would expect from a forest cabin, it was quite large, looked like a real cottage, and was very much lived in, except that it was so old that the cracked wood gave off a rotten smell. The fragile window frames and glass had been reinforced with heavy boards, and there was no telling whose handiwork it was.

 

Next to the wooden house was a lush riverbank with water and grass. Looking around, it was a deep lake with no visible edges, almost melting into the darkness.

 

[Location update: Golden Lake.]

 

[Golden Lake]: Located in Springspring town, Florida, during the frenzy of the gold rush, townspeople often picked up gold and silver jewelry on the shore, hence the name “Golden Lake.”. However, shadows always hide under the sun. In the long history of Springspring, many people have drowned in the lake or disappeared in this area. Interestingly, this doesn’t prevent foolish young people from embarking on the journey of seeking death.]

 

Holding onto a glimmer of hope, the actors on the puzzle-solving set fell silent again because they had received task updates.

 

“The journey of seeking death”—these four big words were obviously filled with malice.

 

[Pre-task: Arrive at Golden Lake before dawn. Completed.]

 

 

[Main quest update: Successfully survive the first night of camping.]

 

 

[The character settings have been updated, and the feature distribution is in progress. Actors are requested to check it in a timely manner.]

 

Zhuo Yu got out of the car with the crowd and followed the group in the worn-out wheelchair.

 

 

He didn’t know if this movie was playing off of Crystal Lake from the Friday the 13th movie, but subconsciously, he felt that this place was definitely harboring some kind of homicidal maniac.

 

The opening setting of “Strange Tales by the Lakeside” was a complete ripoff of last century’s slasher flicks.

 

Hot summers, foolish young people, strangers on the way… and a camping site that didn’t seem like a good destination no matter what.

 

Zhuo Yu had a bit of an occupational disease. As a novelist, he had watched a massive number of horror movies to gather information, and his memory was better than that of ordinary people. His brain could be said to be a mobile resource library.

 

He was too familiar with this type of movie, and if he were not an actor but an audience, he would definitely feel a strong 80s charm. It was estimated that it wouldn’t be long before the era’s specialty appeared—plasma—a large amount of plasma.

 

[TN: Plasma got its name because it makes up over 50% of blo-od by volume. [Think cytoplasm (the main substance in a cell) or ectoplasm (the substance ghosts are made of) for other examples.]

 

Zhou Wu looked at the task with some fear then he said, “We need to settle down; otherwise, we may encounter danger in the wilderness. Let’s temporarily station ourselves in the cabin.”

 

In this outdoor environment, without a suitable shelter, one really wouldn’t know how they died.

 

The other few were a bit indecisive, obviously not wanting to enter this dark wooden house; they wanted to make do with the night in the RV.

 

Zhuo Yu regained his system view and looked at the current task of guiding the four students into the lakeside cottage. He pondered for a moment and planned to take a step back.

 

“I think we should think carefully. What if the house is even more terrifying? Haven’t you watched ‘The Cabin in the Forest’? And the wooden house is too dirty. Anyway, we also have an RV, so the few of us can just sit in it all night.”

 

The other few who didn’t want to enter immediately cast an approving glance at Zhuo Yu.

 

Zhuo Yu picked up a large stone on the ground and threw it forcefully towards the window of the wooden house. With a loud thud, the wooden board that sealed the window remained motionless and was quite sturdy.

 

But Zhou Wu imagined that if this stone were to hit the car window, it would definitely shatter the glass.

 

He was jolted by the night wind, and the shadows of the whirling trees around him, as well as the whimpering and mournful hoots of the owls, made him feel extremely uneasy, for fear that a monster might suddenly spring out.

 

“So much nonsense; I’ll go if you guys don’t.” Mu Ying and Zhou Wu were of one mind, and she couldn’t wait to go in, but she was stopped by Zhou Wu.

 

She raised an eyebrow and provocatively asked, “Why, are you afraid?”

 

But Zhou Wu was only stunned for a moment, then his tone actually became a bit pampering: “No, there must be a lot of dust inside; maybe there might be mice or something.”

 

He looked around and looked at the youngest, Fang Hao, then he ordered, “Go in and make sure it’s safe before you notify us.”

 

Fang Hao looked left and right and saw no one making a sound. He could only obediently push open the door and walk in while trembling.

 

Zhuo Yu, who was in a wheelchair, had some doubts. When he first met Zhou Wu, although he wasn’t too gentle, he at least wouldn’t instruct his teammates to die. There was also Mu Ying, who looked cautious before; why did she become so reckless after getting here?

 

He didn’t show any signs on his face; he just had an “I’ll listen to you” look. Then he rolled his wheelchair and entered with everyone.

 

At the moment when the four senior players stepped into the wooden house, Zhuo Yu’s task was complete.

 

[Pre-task: Guide the four students into the lakeside cottage. Completed.]

 

[Main Task Update: Have the students wait in place in the wooden cabin until the plot updates.]

 

A huge screen was showing Zhuo Yu’s face.

 

“Did you detect a BUG?” An old person’s voice rang out from behind the screen.

 

“Yes, I’m sorry, Chief Judge. The accident that just happened caused an abnormality in a new actor who entered the set.” The adjuster bit his lower lip and hinted, “This is the territory of the ‘that’ boss; maybe that new actor…”

 

The elderly voice snorted disdainfully, “It’s just a BUG caused by technical issues.”

 

“But this film has been played six times, and the character ‘Traveler’ has never appeared before.”

 

“Enough! Don’t presume to discuss the decisions of the higher-ups; it’s just a tiny human.”

 

The old man scolded, and the debugger cowered and lowered his head, silently leaving the room. Only the actors on the screen were still moving.

 

— They were almost reaching the plot trigger point.

 

Inside the screen, Zhuo Yu and the others gathered in the living room of the wooden house.

 

“For now, it’s considered safe. Let’s introduce ourselves to each other.” Zhou Wu took the initiative. “You all know my name. I am a fitness coach in the real world. As for the newly updated character settings, you can take a look for yourself.”

 

Zhou Wu touched his flame tattoo, retrieved the character information, and shared it.

 

A transparent information board immediately appeared on his head.

 

Zhuo Yu glanced keenly at his tattoo.

 

[Actor Zhou Wu plays the role of “school bully Jack.”

Grade: (D)]

 

[Jack is a student from Springwater University who loves sports and is the captain of the rugby team. Encouraged by his girlfriend, he decided to go camping with his friends at Golden Lake to commemorate his past.]

 

 

[Features: powerful, fast runner, strong physique, but a bit irritable, prone to conflicts with others, and likes to bully others.]

 

Zhuo Yu withdrew his gaze and almost couldn’t stop himself from laughing. This setting was also too classic.

 

Zhou Wu casually boasted, “By the way, I have experienced three horror movies and exchanged them for physical enhancement and rapid healing. Although they are both rudimentary skills, they’re still better than most people’s.”

 

Everyone else also shared their character information.

 

[Actor Mu Ying plays the role of “Spicy Nina.”

Grade: (E)]

 

[Nina is a cheerleader in school with an impressive appearance; she also has a very arrogant personality. She is the only child in the family, and her father is the mayor. This made her naturally unable to learn what modesty is, and she doesn’t take the terrifying rumors of Golden Lake seriously.]

 

[Features: beautiful appearance, high agility, possesses certain intuition but not strong physical strength, prone to illness.]

 

[Actor Li Mingfeng plays the role of “Nerd Bonnie.”

Grade: (E)]

 

[Bonnie: Jack the school bully’s cousin. Unlike Jack, Bonnie is very timid, weak, and somewhat neurotic. He really didn’t want to come camping at Golden Lake, but Jack forcibly brought him here, which made Bonnie secretly resentful.]

 

[Features: Extremely low presence, easily overlooked type, with some survival experience gained from books.]

 

[Actor Fang Hao plays the role of “Errands boy Buck.”

Grade: (E)]

 

[Buck: Buck is bullied by the students. He is a dark and sensitive bookworm who is brought by Jack as a way to show his strength in front of his girlfriend. Poor Buck is also secretly in love with Nina. This camping trip was a nightmare for Buck.]

 

 

[Characteristics: resilient but has low tolerance, which often sends him into meltdowns].

 

 

Fang Hao, who had just been forced into the house, was restless, and his face turned pale, he was like an ant on a hot pot: “Apart from my tenacious vitality, I have no advantage at all. I don’t have any useful skills.”

 

 

Zhou Wu looked at him. Fang Hao was lucky and had useful skills in the last movie, so that was why the team took him in. As a result, he realized after the film that the student had only experienced one or two movies, and his flame points couldn’t be exchanged for anything good at all; his mental quality wasn’t high enough either, so he had long regretted the team’s decision.

 

He said indifferently, “You’re not really useful either.”

 

Fang Hao choked for a moment and quietly glared at Zhou Wu in the dark.

 

Zhuo Yu was somewhat surprised. It turned out that these four senior players were not so stable internally, but more like a grassroots team living together. And he also solved the doubts from before.

 

[TN: grassroots — the most basic level of an activity or organization.]

 

 

Recalling the characters they were going to play, Zhuo Yu realized that his teammates might have been influenced by the characteristics of the characters from the moment the system released an update.

 

Zhou Wu’s persona was that of a school bully, while Mu Ying was a beautiful woman with a bad temper, Li Mingfeng was the cousin of the school bully, and Fang Hao was bullied by everyone. So it seemed that the explanation made sense.

 

 

The atmosphere was a bit cold and stagnant. Fang Hao rubbed his cheeks, and his eyes were gloomy as he surveyed Zhuo Yu. A paralyzed man couldn’t possibly be stronger than him, could he? He must be at the lowest level—a blank slate character that didn’t even have traits!

 

“What about you? What’s your character?” he asked.

 

“I don’t have any character information; I’m just a passerby.” Zhuo Yu shrugged and mocked himself.

 

It wasn’t that he was deliberately concealing it; it was that Zhuo Yu didn’t even have this feature! His character quality was unknown, and the information was also dim; he couldn’t click on it at all.

 

Fang Hao breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he had guessed correctly. He wasn’t the weakest member of the team, so the pressure had decreased significantly. Finally, his heart felt balanced.

 

“It’s okay; the character will only affect your attributes and abilities, just like choosing a hero in a game. But in your situation… even if the character has any skills, you won’t be able to use them, but not holding us back is already good enough.”

 

 

Saying that, Fang Hao couldn’t help but snort. He was afraid that Zhuo Yu wouldn’t like hearing that, so he quickly looked at the other party, but when he saw that Zhuo Yu’s expression hadn’t even changed and he didn’t have a rebellious expression, that bit of guilt all but disappeared.

 

 

Soon, he turned his head to talk to Li Mingfeng.

 

 

Zhuo Yu stared at Fang Hao’s back, his eyes dim and unclear, but his fingers exposed his inner conflict as he began gently tapping on the wheelchair’s armrest.

 

 

At this moment, Fang Hao suddenly let out a strange cry. He reached out and pointed to the outside of the living room window, which had been reinforced with wooden boards and could only be seen through a gap.

 

 

“Someone! The lakeside is densely covered with people crawling.” Fang Hao said incoherently, “White ones! No, those are not humans! Humans can’t be that distorted!”

 

Everyone looked, but only saw dense grasslands and crooked tree shadows. The willow branches were shrouded in the moonlight, and some of them had turned slightly white.

 

Zhou Wu frowned and kicked him. “What ghost? Even if there’s a ghost, did you have to call it out?”

 

Fang Hao saw that they didn’t believe him, and his eyes were filled with resentment.

 

Suddenly, Zhuo Yu seemed to hear a rustling sound.

 

A strange feeling surged in his heart, and he instinctively looked out the window. There was nothing outside, but the big red characters in his field of vision had changed.

 

[The task of ‘having students wait in place in the wooden house’ has been completed. The BOSS of the film has been refreshed and may appear at any time.]

 

[Current Task: The BOSS in this movie is extremely dangerous! Please survive until dawn!]

 

[The life and death gambling table opens; actors, present a hundred different ways of dying and perform well.]

 

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TN:

See ya tomorrow 🤸