Chapter 22: Entering the Lighthouse
Marcus slowly took a few steps forward, gently removing the family photo to examine it closely:
On the left was a cheerful little girl with pigtails, slightly chubby cheeks, and delicate features, looking clever and adorable.
She was holding the arm of a slender, middle-aged woman with long hair, laugh lines around her eyes, and a warm smile.
Marcus, a head taller than both of them, stood on the right, grinning, his right arm around the middle-aged woman's shoulder.
This photo was taken three years ago.
Marcus looked around for a while, then went to his bedroom and opened the door.
Against the wall was a beige wardrobe, a matching desk, a bed, and a nightstand—nothing else.
If you ignored the pile of clothes in the corner and the few crumpled tissues scattered on the floor, the room looked fairly tidy.
Marcus threw the dirty clothes into the outside trash, then locked the apartment door and his bedroom door. He went to the nightstand and used a charger to power his dead phone.
Putting on a black hoodie and a medical mask, Marcus activated the lighthouse mark on his arm with a thought:
[Enter the Lighthouse?]
"Yes."
Marcus's vision shifted instantly, and he found himself in a wide plaza.
The sky was a deep, dark abyss, and beneath his feet lay smooth, black tiles.
In the center of the plaza stood a towering lighthouse.
Its structure bore the weight of ages, with occasional ripples of crimson light swirling across its surface. The top of the tower constantly rotated, emitting a warm glow that illuminated the plaza and pushed back the surrounding darkness.
Marcus gazed into the distance. At the edge of the light, it seemed to be battling the darkness, hovering and struggling within mere inches of its boundary. Yet some tiny beams of light pierced the darkness, revealing winding paths woven with warm light, flanked by smaller lighthouses.
Though called smaller lighthouses, judging by their distance and height, they were several stories tall.
Each smaller lighthouse emitted a faint light, like a candle lit in the darkness.
The entire lighthouse complex resembled a massive, burning beacon in the darkness, with rows of candles lit along its outermost edge, extending the light further into the distance.
From the endless darkness beyond, soul-stirring roars, heavy footsteps, and various strange cries and hissing echoed intermittently.
Marcus could even sense something swirling and lingering around the lighthouse's glow in the darkness.
But all of this was blocked by the lighthouse's beams, as if forming a protective barrier.
Marcus withdrew his gaze and observed the crowd in the plaza.
There weren't many people in the plaza; most wore various disguises and hurried along alone.
There were also some wearing identical patches or uniforms, gathered in small groups, clearly belonging to different organizations, their conversations hushed.
There were also some strangely shaped figures: some with ghostly faces, some dressed in funeral garb without faces, some suspended in mid-air, some crawling with reversed joints, some as thin as lampposts, and some resembling zombies.
Ordinary people, disguised by masks, avoided these strange figures.
Near the main lighthouse, in the core area, was a circle of tables, with only a few tables occupied by individuals possessing bizarre features.
Each table bore a sign:
"The Raven Society is recruiting. Interested parties can join the Tower of Nevermore. Inquiries accepted daily at 10 PM EST."
Below was an introduction to the Raven Society: "The Raven Society was founded by Raven, owner of the Tower of Nevermore, in 2024. Over 100 active members."
"The Arcane Alliance is recruiting, specializing in ancient worlds, only accepting those from the Light Realm."
"The Crescent Moon Alliance is recruiting. Newcomers receive a full set of standard firearms and tactical gear..."
Rows of recruitment signs were displayed on the tables.
As Marcus was observing, a person dressed in an old Western duster coat, carrying a silver-plated revolver, and wearing a gold-trimmed mask suddenly appeared beside him.
This person was rugged and exuded a resolute and fearless aura.
He didn't look like a cowboy, but more like a gunslinger!
As if sensing something, he turned around and saw Marcus staring at him. He smiled slightly, tipped his hat and said,
"Brother, name's Jake Dalton. Just finished my first dungeon and entering the Lighthouse for the first time. Pleasure to meet you."
"Oh, nice to meet you. I'm also new to the Lighthouse."
Marcus looked at Jake's attire. He was someone with good fortune, but he wondered which horror world he'd stumbled into.
The two of them looked around curiously, which was too obvious compared to the others who hurried by.
Some people noticed them and swarmed around them.
"You newbies? Want the 'Lighthouse Encyclopedia'? It's compiled by the Shadow Tower Master, a must-have for newcomers, and it comes with a free intel packet."
A woman in a black robe and white mask asked, holding up a book.
"Newbies! '1000 Essential Lighthouse Tips' will answer all your questions. It's certified by the Puppet Tower Master, and it also comes with intel."
Another person wearing a Guy Fawkes mask said, holding up a set of books.
"Two Hours to Master the Lighthouse," "Three Thousand Lighthouse FAQs"...
A group of people held up guides compiled by their respective tower masters, recommending books all at once.
"How much are they?" Marcus asked.
"100 survival points!"
"Same."
They were all the same price, no undercutting.
"You, you, you stay. The rest can go." Jake waved his hand, pointing out five who had mentioned they came with intel packets.
"Brother, in the Lighthouse Space, intelligence is everything. This isn't the time to be cheap. You get what you pay for."
Jake held up the five booklets and intelligence packets he had bought, gesturing to Marcus.
"Uh, Brother Jake's right, but I'm short on points and can only afford two."
"Shame." Jake glanced at Marcus regretfully and sighed in disappointment.
Marcus selected and bought "1000 Essential Lighthouse Tips" and "The Complete Lighthouse Encyclopedia."
Because these two vendors were standing at the front of the crowd, the others clearly didn't dare to push them aside.
Marcus picked up the two booklets and flipped through them casually, comparing them:
"The area illuminated by the main lighthouse is a safe zone."
"Teleportation to the story world will randomly place you within a 500-mile radius of the main character."
"The dark area outside the lighthouse is called the 'Mystery Realm'—entering means certain death."
"Every 12 dungeon months is 'Lights Out Day,' during which all tower guardians enter a large-scale horror dungeon. There is a death quota; the next 'Lights Out Day' is only three and a half dungeon months away."
After glancing through them, Marcus decided to go back and read them slowly. He continued browsing, and the people still promoting books nearby, seeing that Marcus didn't intend to buy more, were about to disperse.
'Love me tender, love me true...'
'All my dreams fulfill...'
An Elvis Presley song suddenly began playing from about a hundred yards behind Marcus and his companions.
Marcus immediately recognized it as 'Love Me Tender'—but the arrangement was wrong, distorted, like it was being played on a broken phonograph in some abandoned house.
It sent chills down his spine. That song had been in The Evil Dead, playing just before all hell broke loose in the cabin.
(End of Chapter)
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