Chapter 78: Professional Reporter |
The good news was that Bai Mu had seen this kind of trope plenty of times. The bad news was that today, he had to follow Paradise's Script and play the role of the foolish protagonist running out into the middle of nowhere.
'Could a simple mental asylum really reach a D-grade danger level?'
Bai Mu felt there was definitely something fishy about this place. If tossing Players into a city swarming with Zombies to survive was considered D-grade difficulty, then how could throwing them into a modern mental asylum carry the same D-grade danger level?
'Is this a horror movie setting? Are there supernatural elements?'
Bai Mu sensed something was slightly off. In the cinematic intro, the car drove down the muddy road with its headlights piercing the dark.
Two deep tire ruts indented the dirt, indicating that vehicles frequently passed through this area.
[You arrived at Mount Massive Asylum late at night. In order to gather evidence, you picked up your Camcorder and batteries, then approached the front gates of the asylum.]
The car came to a halt. A parking barrier and a security booth came into view.
The wrought-iron gates stood wide open. The security booth was completely empty, with no one standing guard.
The surrounding greenery was also well-maintained. Bai Mu's first impression was that this did not look like an asylum at all, but rather the private backyard garden of some wealthy tycoon.
However, an eerie silence permeated the area. Not even the chirping of insects could be heard. Bai Mu focused his attention on the glowing lightbulbs in the dark and noticed that there was not a single shadow of a mosquito or bug around them.
How could a mental asylum built in the middle of the wilderness have no insects nearby?
As Bai Mu observed his surroundings, the perspective shifted again.
[You have arrived at the main entrance of the mental asylum. It is completely deserted. The front doors are tightly locked, and thick curtains obscure the interior.]
[Despite the chilling gusts of wind that make your skin crawl, your professional ethics and sense of responsibility drive you to continue your mission.]
'Nobody can stop you from marching to your own death, huh,' Bai Mu thought.
If this kind of plot happened in a horror movie, the audience would definitely call it a brain-dead move.
Anyone who kept watching probably would not care if the protagonist survived; they would only want to see when he would die and how gruesome his death would be.
Since the main entrance was locked tight, the point of view circled the courtyard. Eventually, the Reporter found some construction scaffolding on the other side.
[You have found an unfinished construction site with an open window. You plan to sneak inside to film evidence.]
[Main Quest: Escape from Mount Massive Asylum.]
[Optional Quest: Film and uncover the hidden truth inside Mount Massive Asylum.]
The Script's introduction unexpectedly ended there. Bai Mu suddenly realized he could control his body again. That first-person cinematic view transitioned back into his own perspective. A chilling breeze blew from the darkness, sweeping into his trench coat.
The start of the Script had not altered his attire. He was still wearing the Dance of Elvis, but he now held two story items in his hands: a Camcorder in his right, and batteries in his left.
[Name: Night Vision Camcorder]
[Type: Story Item]
[Quality: Normal]
[Remark: A portable camcorder equipped with night-vision recording capabilities. In this era, it is considered a highly advanced product.]
Without needing to learn, Bai Mu automatically understood how to use the device.
After all, his current identity was a professional Reporter. To fit the Script's setting, Paradise had granted him temporary mastery over a passive photography skill.
In his passive ability slot, a new skill called 'Media Photography Lv.Max' had appeared. However, it was temporary; the remarks indicated that it was only available during this specific Script.
In the palm of his left hand, he held a pair of batteries.
[Name: Camcorder Battery]
[Type: Story Item]
[Quality: Normal]
[Remark: A pair of standard spare camcorder batteries. In night-vision mode, they can power the camcorder for 10 minutes.]
'In other words, the Script's evaluation will be calculated based on the evidence I record and the truth I uncover?'
Bai Mu understood the requirements of the Main Quest. Since he was acting as a Reporter, he had to do the work of a Reporter and fulfill the corresponding role-playing demands.
When clearing the stage and tallying the score, the better the job done, the higher the rating would surely be.
'But since I have not even entered the mental asylum yet, could I not just turn around, get in the car, and drive away?'
Bai Mu looked up at the open window of the administration building. The lights were on inside, but no figures could be seen. It was completely empty, and there was no telling where everyone had gone.
He was still standing in the courtyard. Behind him was the fountain, and walking straight back would lead to the security booth. Turning his head, he spotted his own vehicle—a modest little green car parked right outside the booth.
It seemed utterly unnecessary for him to enter the unknown depths of the mental asylum. The car keys were right in his pocket. Stand at attention, about-face, march forward, take the keys, get in the car, step on the gas, and leave—doing so would supposedly clear the Script.
'Is it really that simple?'
He remained skeptical. The more easily attainable something appeared, the more likely it was to be a trap.
After all, there were base rewards for clearing a Script. The base reward for a team D-grade Script was 1,000 Points and 20 days of Community Time. Even if the rewards for a solo D-grade Script were slightly worse, they would not be much lower.
If he could really just drive away and get all those rewards for free, it would be far too profitable.
The Main Quest was to 'Escape from Mount Massive Asylum,' which likely meant there was something outside that would prevent him from simply running away.
'Either way, I should test the waters first,' Bai Mu thought, walking toward the security booth.
Instead of heading straight into the interior of the asylum, he approached the security booth.
He observed his surroundings as he walked and, sure enough, failed to spot a single insect.
Aside from Bai Mu, there was not a single living creature in the courtyard. The silence was terrifying.
Although he could see the night sky and the stars when he looked up, Bai Mu felt as if an invisible barrier was completely isolating the entire asylum from the outside world.
That force prevented anything from the outside from entering; not even bugs could pass through.
Bai Mu leaned toward the theory that this was some kind of supernatural power. Ghosts and superhuman abilities were not uncommon in Paradise Scripts; heck, he could summon the spirit of a little girl to his side right now if he wanted to.
The place did not appear particularly dangerous on the surface, but it likely concealed hidden terrors within.
Standing beside the car, Bai Mu stared down the dark, muddy road, trying to spot something, but there was absolutely nothing.
'Come to think of it, there is a saying that things invisible to the naked eye can be captured on camera.'
Bai Mu looked at the Camcorder in his hand. He raised it, activated the night-vision function, and focused the lens into the darkness.
Through the glowing green screen, he suddenly spotted a drifting cluster of black fog.
A genuinely ghostly mist drifted right past his eyes. Bai Mu spun around in place, looking in every direction. The faint, shifting fog indeed enveloped the entire mental asylum, and he could even see things resembling human faces surfacing from within it.
'Good thing I am sharp,' Bai Mu thought to himself. 'If I had just driven straight out, I probably would have been slaughtered by that thing.'
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