chapter27：Players Struggles and Mysteries

"I know, but I can't simply stand idly by and watch Dad vanish once more," Jack responded, his voice brimming with determination. Meanwhile, Lucy was striving hard to seize the boy's hand. However, every time she was on the verge of touching it, the boy's figure would disappear and then reappear not far away. "Please, don't leave," Lucy cried out in despair.

As time elapsed, the danger within the story setting kept intensifying. Jack noticed some dark shadows emerging around his father. Those shadows resembled phantoms in the darkness, slowly closing in on his father. Jack was extremely worried and anxiously searched around for something that could be used to drive the shadows away.

On Amy's side, Tom was confronted with an enormous danger. A powerful force was dragging him towards a dark abyss. Amy exerted all of her strength to hold Tom back, but she felt that her strength was so minuscule in the face of this powerful force. "What should I do? I can't lose you," Amy wailed loudly, her eyes filled with despair.

Lucy's situation was also far from optimistic. The surrounding environment began to distort, and the boy's figure became increasingly hazy. "No, don't be like this," Lucy shouted at the top of her voice.

There were only the last few minutes remaining. The tense atmosphere permeated everyone's heart. Suddenly, Jack spotted a sword emitting a faint glow on the ground. As if seizing the last glimmer of hope, he hurriedly picked up the sword and rushed towards the shadows. "You don't dare to harm my dad!" Jack brandished the sword and engaged in a fierce battle with the shadows.

Amy, on the other hand, concentrated all of her mental strength, attempting to resist the force that was pulling Tom. She closed her eyes, murmured some self - encouraging words in her heart, and then suddenly opened her eyes, releasing a powerful force that temporarily prevented Tom from being dragged into the abyss.

Lucy was also desperately resisting the distortion of the surrounding environment. She kept running towards the boy, regardless of her already fatigued body.

In the final minute, Jack finally repelled the shadows and successfully embraced his father. Amy also managed to pull Tom back from the edge of the abyss. Lucy also grasped the boy's hand at the last moment.

Just then, the electronic eye masks suddenly disappeared, and the surrounding darkness gradually dissipated. The players returned to the living room. Their faces were weary, but at the same time, there was a sense of satisfaction and relief. Because they had successfully made up for the regrets in their hearts. Although it was only within this special game scenario, the feeling was extremely real.

The butler quietly observed all of this and nodded slightly, seemingly satisfied with the players' performance. His eyes revealed a deeper mystery, as if all of this was still just the beginning, and more challenges and unknowns were awaiting these players...

The night was like a vast and heavy black curtain, tightly shrouding the Great Neck area of Long Island. Mrs. Steve's house stood quietly in this darkness, like a silent behemoth, exuding a mysterious and oppressive air. The butler stood in the corner, like an ancient statue. He quietly watched everything that was happening around him. His eyes were like bottomless pools. With a slight nod, this seemingly ordinary action seemed to hold a great deal of significance. His eyes revealed a deeper mystery, as if these scenes in front of him and the interactions of these characters were merely the prelude to a grand drama. Behind this calm facade, it seemed that an invisible force was secretly at work, indicating that more challenges and unknowns were waiting for these players, just like beneath the calm sea surface before a storm, surging undercurrents were raging.

In a room of the house, Tom was lying on the soft bed. Darkness was like thick ink, filling every corner of the room and tightly enclosing him. On this silent night, which should have been a time for people to fall asleep peacefully, Tom was like a small boat in a storm, his heart occupied by an inexplicable uneasiness and restlessness. He tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep. Eventually, he simply sat up and groped in the dark, taking out a radio from the bag beside the bed.

The radio's shell emitted an old - fashioned luster in the faint light. It looked rather old, but also had a unique charm, as if it were a mysterious messenger from the past, carrying countless stories sealed by the years. Tom carefully and gently fiddled with the radio's pointer. The pointer made a slight metal - on - metal rubbing sound in the dark, like an old and frail man moving his steps with difficulty.

When the pointer slowly pointed to exactly midnight, the radio was suddenly awakened by some mysterious force and emitted a sharp and screeching squeal. That sound was like a monster that had been sleeping for many years roaring after waking up, and it was extremely abrupt and frightening in this silent night. Immediately afterwards, very noisy voices came from the radio. All kinds of voices intertwined together, like countless writhing snakes, chaotic and disorderly, as if it were the hustle and bustle from another time - space, full of the aura of the unknown and danger.

Tom's heart tightened suddenly, and a chill ran up his spine. But he still summoned up his courage and whispered "Hello? Hello?" into the radio. His voice trembled slightly in this dark room and echoed with a trace of nervousness.

Magically, the voices on the other side seemed to hear his call and instantly quieted down, just like a violent storm suddenly ceasing. Then, a piece of beautiful light music flowed out slowly, like a clear spring. The gentle melody was like a trickling stream, and it was extremely moving in this silent night, like a warm beam of light in the darkness, slowly penetrating into Tom's heart, making his originally taut nerves slightly relaxed.

Just as Tom was immersed in this wonderful music, a gentle voice, like the sound of nature, came from the radio. "Hello, Tom," the voice said. Tom's heart seemed to be gently tugged by an invisible hand. He asked excitedly, "Who are you?" "I'm Amy," the voice claiming to be Amy replied. This was the first time she introduced herself to Tom.

When Tom heard this name, his eyes lit up as if he saw brilliant stars in the dark, and his heart was full of joy: "Sister Amy, you still remember me."

Amy smiled gently (although Tom couldn't see it, the gentleness could be transmitted through the voice), and asked, "Tom, how old are you this year? Where do you live?"

Tom quickly replied, "Sister, I'm 13 years old this year and now live at Uncle Steve's house."

Amy gave a gentle "Hmm" and then seemed to be deep in thought. After a while, she said slowly, "Tom, sister wants to know if you are doing well?"

Tom was a bit puzzled: "Why do you ask this?"

Amy patiently explained, "Tom, you just need to know that this is very important. Also, Tom, sister wants to remind you not to drown your sorrows in alcohol, not to go to strange places alone, and if you encounter danger, be sure to call the police immediately, okay?"

Although Amy's voice was full of concern, her heart was deeply worried at this time. She always felt that there seemed to be a dangerous aura hidden around Tom, but she couldn't exactly know what it was. This unknown danger was like a fog, keeping her heart hanging in the air and unable to let go.

Tom didn't quite understand why Amy said this, but he could feel the concern in Amy's words, so he obediently replied, "Okay, sister, I know."

"Tom, you must promise sister that you will take good care of yourself," Amy's voice was full of worry. Her brows were slightly furrowed, and her eyes were fixed on the radio as if she could see through it to the dark room where Tom was.

"Sister, why are you so concerned about me?" Tom asked curiously.

Amy sighed gently: "Tom, you are a very special child. Sister hopes you can be safe and sound."

"Sister, where are you? Can I see you?" Tom asked expectantly.

Amy was silent for a while and then said, "Tom, it's not the time yet. You just need to know that sister is watching over you."

Just then, Amy seemed to hear another male voice in Tom's room. The voice sounded somewhat familiar, as if it was Jack urging Tom to go downstairs to have sweet soup. This discovery made Amy's heart sink suddenly, and countless questions exploded in her mind instantly. How could Jack be in Tom's room? What was the relationship between them? Why were they together so late? Was there some hidden secret behind all this? Her heart was full of doubts and worries, but she forcibly refrained from directly asking Tom about their relationship. She knew it was not the time yet. She didn't want to expose her doubts too early and was afraid of causing unnecessary trouble to Tom. She could only worry silently in her heart, hoping that it was all just a false alarm.

"Sister, I will be obedient. Don't worry," Tom said firmly.

"Okay, Tom. It's getting late. Go to sleep quickly," Amy gently urged, but her own mood couldn't calm down for a long time.

"Goodbye, sister," Tom said, although a little reluctant, he was still obedient and ready to go to sleep.

"Goodbye, Tom," Amy's voice gradually disappeared on the other side of the radio.

Tom turned off the radio and lay back on the bed again. This time, his heart was full of warmth and peace because of Sister Amy's concern, and he soon fell asleep.

However, Amy just sat there, her eyes gazing into the endless darkness. Her mind kept replaying the voices she had just heard, trying to find some clues from these fragments to solve the mystery in her heart. Her worry was like the tide, surging over her again and again, making her unable to be calm again this night...

On the third day, the last day of the players' villa gathering. Amy was absent - mindedly sitting there having breakfast, her eyes a little unfocused, and her thoughts seemed to be tugged by something. Jack noticed Amy's oddness and asked with concern, "Amy, what's wrong with you today? You look distracted."

Amy shook her head slightly and forced a smile, saying, "Nothing. Maybe I didn't sleep well last night."

Just then, Amy suddenly noticed that Lucy was not present. She frowned, and a bad premonition welled up in her heart. Looking at the front yard of the villa again, the blizzard not only showed no sign of stopping, but was getting heavier. The swirling snowflakes were like ferocious white demons, wantonly devouring everything in sight.

Amy's uneasiness grew stronger. This uneasiness was like an invisible big hand, tightly clutching her heart. She could no longer hold back, suddenly stood up, and the chair made a screeching sound as it slid on the floor. Then she rushed towards the villa gate.

In her panic, something on her body fell. It was a fragment of a golden bronze mirror. With a "clang" sound, the fragment fell at the entrance, like an ominous omen.

At this moment, Amy was full of Lucy. She felt that Lucy must be in trouble.