The person who first posted that old news article wasn't finished yet. Soon after, they released a second report.
It was another piece from the same year. Though brief and without much space, it still sent chills through readers:
"A shocking case emerged in Sunshine Orphanage of City X following the death of a child. Our editor investigates the hidden truth..."
The report highlighted the story of a woman with deformities who had been taken in by the orphanage director and employed there. She loved being around children, working without complaint.
But then, the director noticed something disturbing:
Several children had grown terrified of her.
The news didn't elaborate on what the woman did. It simply offered a single, horrifying line:
"She claimed it was out of love, but in the eyes of any sane adult, it was abuse and psychological torment."
The woman was eventually dismissed from the orphanage.
A week later, something even more eerie occurred.
The director discovered her corpse at the orphanage gates.
The implication was disturbing: she had known she was about to die... and crawled back to the place she called home.
The article even attached a pixelated photo left from her days as an employee. Though heavily censored, one detail stood out clearly:
A large, bulbous sarcoma covered part of her exposed hand.
"++|"
"Fk... Fk!"
"Sarcoma again! Can someone tell me how common this is?!"
"It's not! This has to be related to those so-called 'angels' in the real world..."
Thinking back on Lucas's actions in the Orphanage instance, players began connecting the dots.
"So... those NPCs, and even Young Lucas, are actual data extracted from the real Sunshine Orphanage?!"
"That explains why Lucas behaved the way he did—like he knew those NPCs personally!"
"Don't forget: everything changed right after the ghost girl said there used to be an old orphanage here!"
"Which means... the old orphanage in-game is a mirror of the real Sunshine Orphanage!"
The theory shook everyone to their core.
"The system claims it's random, but this feels like it's specifically targeting Lucas!"
"But Lucas... he never showed any reaction. Whether facing his younger self or these NPCs, he remained calm!"
"The system clearly didn't anticipate how Lucas would react to the so-called 'Angel'. Whatever happened in his past must be terrifying beyond imagination."
Despite the rampant speculation, the system offered no clarifications about the Orphanage instance.
Lucas's popularity soared, and the eerie overlap between the instance and the real Sunshine Orphanage sent shockwaves into the real world.
People from across the globe started flying to City X,
All to see Sunshine Orphanage for themselves.
But forum posts from travelers revealed something unexpected:
The orphanage was long abandoned and now awaited demolition.
The old man who once gave interviews? Gone. No trace.
Yet even with this growing hysteria online,
Lucas stayed silent. As always.
The moment a new instance became available, he vanished again.
Then, five days after the Orphanage run ended, a shocking update appeared in the system record:
[System Notification: Player Lucas has unlocked the complete hidden plot in "Terror Cruise"]
[Reward: 50 blank attribute points]
Players entering a dungeon they've already cleared have the choice to broadcast or not.
So when this achievement popped up?
Everyone was floored.
"Wait, WHAT?! While the world was obsessing over him, this guy quietly went and cleared a hidden mission?!"
According to other players who were in "Terror Cruise" at the same time, the experience was... surreal.
Hostile players didn't dare move.
Friendly players didn't need to move.
Even high-level NPCs kept their distance from Lucas.
For many of them, this was the easiest run they'd ever had.
Lucas wasn't in the copy for fun though. He had a goal:
To finish the hidden plot and increase his panel stats before the next big game.
"Only by constantly growing stronger can I feel safe..."
Lucas whispered this line to himself as he opened his player panel.
He distributed the attribute points from two runs and focused all of them in one area: Spirit.
---
[Player: Lucas]
[Health: 164] (Upper limit increased slightly. Can survive one more heavy hit.)
[Stamina: 113] (Slightly improved capacity.)
[Strength: 246] (Punch now far more lethal.)
[Luck: 2] (Still miserable. Maybe research luck strategies?)
[Brainpower: 99] (Better mental processing.)
[Spirit: 620] (250 attribute points added. This is now a monstrous number. Consider further optimizations.)
[Skill: Dismantling]
[Comprehensive score under review by the judging panel. Awaiting update.]
Once finished, Lucas finally checked his system messages.
An official account had sent him a private message. Unblockable.
"Tch, so official messages can't be turned off, huh?"
With a sigh, he opened the inbox.
[System Notification: Player Lucas, you have been unanimously selected to participate in the upcoming Thriller Competition. Please confirm your participation.]
[System Notification: Player Lucas, you have been selected. Please reply as soon as possible.]
[System Notification: Player Lucas, please reply. This is your final notice.]
Lucas let out a low grunt.
"Still so persistent..."
He lazily typed back a single character: "?"
Then muttered:
"Thriller Contest... If it's too dangerous, maybe I won't bother..."
---
Author's Reminder: Readers are advised not to search keywords like "full-body sarcoma" due to the disturbing imagery discussed in this chapter.
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