Chapter 10

In the abandoned factory, the three ghostly figures finally vanished from the camera's lens.

It took one hour and twenty minutes.

After throwing the camera away, Yu Xing let out a long breath: "Finally, I don't have to hold this thing anymore. I really don't know how the main characters in some foreign horror games manage to run around with a camera in their hands the whole time."

Zhao Yijiu, however, still held the camera in his hand: "Are you sure you don't need it anymore?"

"What else? The ghosts are gone, and no one can come to punish me even if I don't change the battery." Yu Xing brushed the dust off his hands and walked back from behind the desk. As he looked up, he saw a dark figure standing outside the door.

The figure had appeared at some unknown time, quietly half-hidden behind the door, peering into the office with a pair of eerie eyes. A person with weaker nerves would have been scared stiff on the spot.

"Hao Assistant, you're here."

Zhao Yijiu quickly put the small knife in his pocket and looked in the direction Yu Xing was looking, as if nothing had happened.

Hearing someone call out his identity, the figure outside the door moved, and a flashlight beam suddenly lit up, shining upward on the plump face of the person, casting an eerie shadow.

Normally, "applicants," who are unknowingly tested, would have a roller-coaster of emotions after completing the test, especially when encountering another ghostly figure.

However, the two people in the room were as calm as could be, silently watching Hao Assistant's performance.

"… Congratulations." After a few seconds, seeing that he couldn't achieve the desired effect, Hao Assistant chuckled and moved the flashlight away, stepping out from behind the door, pretending nothing had happened. "You two have passed our company's recruitment."

"Thank you, I'm so sleepy—"

"Uh-huh."

Hao Assistant had seen many new recruits who would angrily question or even cry with joy upon hearing this. But he had never seen anyone like these two, who seemed to have expected it all along.

Look, that pale-skinned young man was even yawning!

Rubbing his eyes, Hao Assistant couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled. He thought it might be because he was still new to the job of testing new recruits and lacked experience. After all, it had been less than an hour, and these two were clearly seasoned veterans!

With this thought, he put on a standard smile and waved for them to come closer.

Zhao Yijiu casually placed the camera in a cabinet and approached with Yu Xing.

Hao Assistant observed their expressions, though it was somewhat incongruous for a ghostly figure to look so vivid: "Actually, your memories should have been restored by now. Think hard; in reality, there is no such company as ours."

"Uh-huh." Zhao Yijiu's tone was indifferent.

"Got it, please continue." Yu Xing wasn't particularly concerned.

Previously, in his mind, there had indeed been information about this company, including online leave requests, famous streamers, regular programs, and even the company building used for the previous round of interviews. It was so well-constructed that it was impossible to find any flaws.

But after Hao Assistant's words, when Yu Xing tried to recall these things, he remembered that these memories had been implanted just a few hours ago. There was no such thing as a friend recommending him to apply for an interview three days ago.

He had never searched for online information or assessed the company's risks.

Of course, Yu Xing had known this all along. Although his memories had been distorted, he was fully aware of it and thus wasn't affected. He believed that Zhao Yijiu, who had obtained the sacrificial knife in advance, was the same.

"Since our company is fake, you must be very curious about what force distorted your memories and what our purpose is." Hao Assistant ignored the clear "not at all curious" expressions on their faces. This was his task, and he had to explain it clearly.

"Here, I will formally announce again—"

"Welcome to the qualification for entering the Absurd Inference Game!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Xing felt a cold chill enveloping him from all sides.

The cold aura seemed to seep into his body, gathering in his brain as if trying to devour his soul—if humans truly had souls.

Faintly, Yu Xing heard voices in his head.

They were chaotic, not from one person but many, buzzing like a hundred monks chanting around his ears.

Gradually, the voices were accompanied by crying and screaming, the sound of something crashing, running, and cries for help, along with the most familiar roar.

The content of the roar made Yu Xing frown. He bit his tongue hard, the taste of blood spreading in his mouth, forcing him to interrupt the voices in his head.

He didn't want to hear it.

He didn't want to hear what came next.

The pain brought him back to full consciousness, and the voices receded like a tide. In the end, he only heard a mechanical voice—

"Assessing inference test results."

"Assessment complete. Candidate Yu Xing meets the criteria, granting qualification."

"Generating persona template."

It was the system of the inference game! Yu Xing's eyes showed a hint of excitement. Everything he had done was for this.

No one knew how long he had been waiting for this moment.

But before the generation was complete, his pupils dilated, and he quickly covered his mouth with his right hand, swallowing the metallic taste that suddenly rose in his throat, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Oh no, this is bad...

Yu Xing took a barely noticeable breath, thinking to himself: The cold aura just now seems to have triggered some discomfort in my body. If I don't rest soon, the consequences could be unpredictable.

There were still others here, and he didn't want to reveal too much.

The next moment, the mechanical voice sounded again: "Persona template generation complete."

A semi-transparent white template suddenly appeared before his eyes, connected to his consciousness. Without needing to look closely, he quickly scanned its contents.

[Persona?? (Unnamed)]

[Holder: Yu Xing]

[Basic Information: Male, Height 185cm, Weight 130g, Age *#€*# (Error)]

[Identity: Pending Activation]

[Persona Weight: Unassessed]

[Holder Description: Let me see... Something's off, how did you get in here?]

[Persona Sacrifice: ??? (Due to incomplete first inference, original sacrifice ability description temporarily hidden, ability unaffected, please discover on your own)]

[Persona Aberration Level: ???]

[Inference Mall: Unavailable]

[Wish List: Empty]

[Please choose to start the persona assessment game within three days. If the game is not started within 72 hours, you will be forcibly entered in the last minute. Success activates the persona, failure results in loss of qualification, and death is the ideal outcome.]

This is... Yu Xing looked at the data, which resembled a player template, searching for an adjective in his mind.

Ah, got it, "everywhere is eerie"!

The error and the holder's description were suspiciously abnormal!

Yu Xing could only raise an eyebrow: At least others can't see it.

In addition to this data, his mind automatically filled with a lot of new content.

Summarized, it was:

He had been selected by a game called [Absurd Inference] and was now a quasi-player.

In this real, eerie, and absurd game, players, known as Inference Players, must find answers, truths, and strive to survive in various game events.

Surviving Inference Players would receive inference points based on their performance, which could be used to exchange for anything they desired in the persona's mall.

Wealth, power, health, beauty, and any other desires born from the human heart.

The game world was both part of and separate from reality. The order and science of the real world would be distorted and rendered ineffective in this fragmented game world, forming new chaotic rules. Inference Players referred to this game world as [Absurd].

Yu Xing glanced at Zhao Yijiu beside him, noticing that the other was still processing the information, and steadied his trembling body.

He was starting to feel cold.

His body was a curse, forcing him to often compromise and weaken himself. Otherwise, the more high-profile he was, the more likely he would put himself in danger.

Damn it.

Yu Xing maintained his composure, refocusing his attention on the information in his mind.

To become a formal Inference Player, there were two steps.

He had just completed the first step, the simple inference test, which was [Absurd]'s assessment of a person's intelligence, logic, reaction, and courage. Those who didn't meet the criteria... Zhang Shuya was an example.

In game terms, he had obtained the game invitation code.

However, he still needed to activate the invitation code to enter the game.

This activation process was the assessment game mentioned in the persona template.

The assessment game was a solo game.

This was good news for Yu Xing. A solo game meant he could be a bit more relaxed.

"Do you understand? Within three days, you need to participate in another game. If you don't... " Hao Assistant watched them with a smile until both new recruits understood, then leaned in with a sinister tone, "You will die!"

Zhao Yijiu looked at him coldly: "If you weren't so childish, you'd still be the friendly fat guy."

Hao Assistant, as a guide for new recruits, was a ghostly figure but wouldn't harm them. Zhao Yijiu knew this well.

So this pointless scare was unnecessary. If Yu Xing... Yu Xing didn't pretend, he was still a bit unaccustomed.

The friendly fat ghost deflated, these new recruits weren't fun!

He sighed: "Alright, alright, as long as you understand the rules. Since you're not formal Inference Players, you won't receive any healing benefits for injuries sustained during this test."

"By the way, there were three ways to survive this test. One, follow my initial instructions and replace the battery to last eight hours. Two, blind yourself, so the ghosts wouldn't harm you regardless of the camera's battery. Three, the hardest way, which you chose, is to kill the ghosts."

"Once you become formal Inference Players, this performance will be rewarded."

"That's all I have to say. You can leave now."

With that, Hao Assistant, who had come with enthusiasm, left with a lack of interest, dissolving into a blurry blood mist and disappearing into the air.