Chapter 59: Large Copy [Volume 6: Hundred Ghosts Scroll]

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Instance: “Deadly Mountain Villa”
Difficulty: ★★★☆☆ (Three Stars)
Player Status:
• Lin Kuo – Survived
• Zhou Mu – Deceased

Points Awarded:
• Lin Kuo – 1500 Points (Instance Clear)
• Lin Kuo – 1000 Points (Solo Survival Bonus)

Note: The livestream is currently locked. Moderator approval is required to lift the restriction…

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Sheng Wen looked at the floating system panel appearing behind Lin Kuo, knowing this meant Lin Kuo was about to leave the instance. He didn’t rush him. Only after Lin Kuo vanished before his eyes did Sheng Wen reach out and tap the hovering display.

The text on the panel shifted immediately:

[External Assistance Request – 10,000 S-Points deducted.]

Two seconds later, Sheng Wen was transported back to S-District.

Pulling out his phone, he opened a thread of messages with Guan Miao:

[Sheng Wen]: Check into Zhang Yi.
[Guan Miao]: Knew you’d ask. Traced him with the info we had.
[Guan Miao]: He’s in Upper A-District. Ranked in the top 100 on the points leaderboard.
[Guan Miao]: His instance status is locked. Looks like he got invited to the instance “Hundred Ghosts Scroll.”

Sheng Wen paused for a moment, about to ask if he himself qualified for that instance, but Guan Miao answered first:

[Guan Miao]: You’ve already participated once. No eligibility.
[Guan Miao]: …But your boyfriend has. And he’s a “Summoner.”
[Guan Miao]: Not my fault! You know Lin Kuo’s been MVP for several instances in a row. With a little luck, he’s bound to be selected as a “Summoner” for Hundred Ghosts Scroll.
[Guan Miao]: Even though “S” can’t join this one, your other alias “SweetWind” can, as long as Lin Kuo invites you.
[Sheng Wen]: Got it.

Hundred Ghosts Scroll was one of Walled City’s largest-scale instances. Up to a hundred players could enter at once. It was also one of the rare cross-district instances, accessible from every tiered district.

Though not classified as a starred (high-difficulty) instance, the rewards were extremely lucrative, making it a fan favorite among livestream viewers.

From Sheng Wen’s perspective, Hundred Ghosts Scroll was laughably easy—he could clear it with his eyes closed. The true appeal wasn’t the puzzles or combat, but player intrigue: betrayals, alliances, and politics among the participants.

He didn’t particularly want Lin Kuo joining this instance, but he understood Lin Kuo’s intention: to deliver Zhou Mu’s diary to Zhang Yi. When Lin Kuo hinted at participating, Sheng Wen offered him advice, but ultimately left the decision in Lin Kuo’s hands.

Back at the Lower B-District residence, Lin Kuo carefully stored away Zhou Mu’s diary. Lin Zhi hadn’t returned yet, so Sheng Wen checked her livestream feed for him:

“She’s doing fine,” Sheng Wen said. “Shouldn’t be long before she clears and comes back.”

Only then did Lin Kuo sit down to study Hundred Ghosts Scroll.

Unlike other instances, this one had an entire dedicated page on the selection interface. His name was highlighted in red font with the title Summoner beside it.

When he tapped on it, a definition popped up:

[Summoner: As a Summoner, you gain eligibility for Hundred Ghosts Scroll and can form a team. You may invite any eligible player from any district by any means necessary.]

He couldn’t access the full rules yet, but Sheng Wen had already briefed him: Hundred Ghosts Scroll was a team-based card-collection instance. The exact objectives varied, but its core mechanics never changed.

Lin Kuo eventually confirmed his decision to participate. He didn’t believe he owed Zhou Mu redemption—but the regret lingered, and not solely because of Zhou Mu. Some of it was personal.

He needed to fully adapt to the Walled City.

With his mind made up, Lin Kuo selected the instance. The screen flashed:

[You have chosen Hundred Ghosts Scroll. As Summoner, you now have 36 hours to send invitations.]
[Instance will lock and begin in 36 hours.]

Lin Kuo wanted to invite Sheng Wen but hesitated, recalling how he had “accidentally screwed over” Sheng Wen back in the Gu Duel instance.

Tentatively, he messaged him:

[Lin Kuo]: …Are you free?
[Sheng Wen]: I’ll join.
[Lin Kuo]: !

Sheng Wen’s name instantly appeared on his recruitment list.

[Sheng Wen]: Boyfriend. Give me recruitment permissions.

It took Lin Kuo a while to figure out how, but he granted Sheng Wen co-recruit privileges. Moments later, Guan Miao joined the team as well.

[Sheng Wen]: The more people we have, the easier this gets. Invite Lin Zhi when she’s back.
[Sheng Wen]: Jiang Sheng can come too. His mom… let’s skip her.

Lin Kuo obediently followed his lead. Jiang Sheng quickly accepted, and before long Lin Zhi returned from her 1-star instance. That made five members in total.

Still feeling their numbers were thin, Sheng Wen had Lin Kuo invite Zhang Mengnan as well.

Wanting to be accountable for every member, Lin Kuo asked Sheng Wen how many teams had signed up so far. He suspected the system wouldn’t broadcast that info to keep things fair—but Sheng Wen just smirked:

“Of course we can find out. We have Guan Miao, don’t we?”

Lin Kuo: “…Does the system allow this?”
Sheng Wen: “Naturally.”

After reassuring him, Sheng Wen took the risk and dug into the data. Ten hours before the start, there were three Summoners total: one team of 8, one of 12, and Lin Kuo’s team of 6.

And so, when the timer hit zero, the instance began.

Unlike his previous experiences, Hundred Ghosts Scroll didn’t grant individual livestream feeds for each player. Anyone who needed privacy could simply raise a hand, and the system would blur or censor them.

The official broadcast opened at the top of the Walled City’s streaming hub. Viewers poured in by the tens of thousands. At first, the screen was pitch black, with system messages overlaying:

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[Chat and tipping channels are open.]
[Loading Instance: Hundred Ghosts Scroll…]

[Instance Loaded.]

[Hundred Ghosts Scroll Details:]
• Players: 46
• Type: Unstarred, Team-Based Collaboration
• Goal: Explore the entire Scroll. The team with the highest total score wins.
• Reward: 10,000 points, to be distributed at the Summoner’s discretion.

[Team Lineups:]

Summoner: Lin Kuo (Lower B-District)
Team: Sheng Wen (Upper C-District), Guan Miao (Upper C-District), Jiang Sheng (Lower A-District), Lin Zhi (Lower B-District), Zhang Mengnan (Lower B-District)
Projected Rank: #3

Summoner: Wang Qing (Upper B-District)
Team: Zhang Yi (Upper A-District), Duan Qiu (Upper A-District), Guo Huai (Upper A-District), [Name Hidden] (Upper B-District), [Name Hidden] (Lower B-District)…
Projected Rank: #1

Summoner: Wu Tingting (Upper C-District)
Team: Liu Ming (Upper A-District), Zeng Kewei (Upper B-District), [Name Hidden] (Upper A-District), [Name Hidden] (Upper B-District)…
Projected Rank: #2

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As the names finished scrolling, a tsunami of comments flooded the chat:

“Wait, did I read that right? One Summoner’s from Lower B?!”
“LMAO, Lower B squad’s here to die!”
“Dog streamer alert!”
“ZhiZhi!!!”
“Wang Qing’s team is stacked. Four from Upper A, six from Upper B, two from Upper C. The rest are at least Lower B.”
“No suspense this round. Power gap’s massive.”
“Shut up, our dog streamer’s cracked as hell.”
“Wow, Upper Districts really love to talk down, huh?”
“Oops, forgot the official broadcast isn’t district-locked. Lower Districts, feel free to ask us if you don’t get the mechanics.”
“Turn chat off if you’re Upper. Lower District spamming ‘whoa’ and ‘omg’ incoming.”
“HAHAHA true, they’re brainless.”
“LOL”
“LMFAO”
“Laugh at your mom, we have three Lower districts and three Upper, that’s six.”
“Seven.”
“?? You’re counting the Rift as a district?!”
“Lower folk, there’s also S-District. Where do you think S-God comes from? You chant his name all day but don’t even know his district.”
“That’s why your death rates are high. S-God doesn’t care about you.”
“Oh, I remember this Lin Kuo guy. Last instance, he only survived ‘cause S-God handed him an item card.”
“Needing a card for a 3-star? Pathetic.”
“LMAO, so weak.”

The players inside couldn’t see these comments. All forty-six participants spawned simultaneously within the instance.

A sprawling traditional courtyard mansion materialized around them. Lin Kuo ignored the scenery for now and focused on regrouping.

Lin Zhi was already by his side. Soon after, Jiang Sheng appeared, greeting them politely:

“Brother Lin Kuo… Sister ZhiZhi.” He blushed upon seeing Lin Zhi.

Lin Zhi pinched his cheek, excitedly whispering to Lin Kuo: “Ge, does this mean I finally get to meet sis-in-law?!”

“Mn.” Lin Kuo’s answer was awkward.

She immediately craned her neck, scanning the crowd for his boyfriend.

All she saw were men. Spotting a girl in a white dress with long waves, she asked, “Is that her? White dress, big curls…”

“Boyfriend~”
“Lin Kuo.”

Two male voices called out from a distance. Two strangers strode over, waving.

It was Sheng Wen and Guan Miao, but with different faces. They’d clearly opted for avatar disguises, a wise choice for a public, high-stakes instance.

“Over there,” Lin Kuo whispered to Lin Zhi.

“…Your boyfriend’s a guy?” she said, stunned.

“…Yeah.”

“Which one? Left or right?”

“Probably the one on the left.”

“Probably?”