Eldritch Guidance - Intermission XXIV

Japan – National News BroadcastThe polished news anchor sat upright, her gaze sharp as she adjusted the stack of papers before her. The newsroom behind her hummed with quiet urgency, the weight of the moment settling over the broadcast.“Authorities are baffled by a sudden and unexplained surge in sleep-related deaths across Japan,” she began, her voice steady yet tense. “More and more citizens are passing away in their sleep without any prior health concerns. Experts are working tirelessly to determine the cause, but no clear explanation has emerged. Authorities urge the public to remain vigilant and report any unusual symptoms before bedtime.”A graphic appeared, displaying the spike in fatalities over the past month. Behind her, unsettling photographs flickered across the screen—blurred images of individuals found in their beds, their faces frozen in expressions of terror.The anchor’s tone shifted. “Health officials recommend citizens avoid excessive fatigue and maintain healthy sleep habits. More updates will follow as investigations continue.”---United States – Paranormal PodcastIn a dimly lit podcast studio, the host leaned forward, his eyes wide with curiosity. Across from him, a rugged man in a worn flannel shirt, gripping a faded photograph in one hand and a beer can in the other, leaned back in his chair.“So, you're telling me you saw this creature firsthand?” the host asked, clearly intrigued.The man scoffed, shaking his head. “Damn right, I did. Ugly thing had wings bigger than my body—slow but sneaky. Thought it could steal my pigs again, but I was ready this time—camera in one hand, shotgun in the other.”He slammed the table for emphasis, then shoved the blurry image toward the host. The photograph depicted a small, red-skinned humanoid figure with large, bat-like wings, its eyes glowing faintly in the darkness.“Spit, the thing didn’t know what hit it when I fired!” the man chuckled, his voice full of excitement.The host held up the picture to the live chat. “Alright, what do you think? Mothman? Demon? Or is our friend here just seeing things?”The chat exploded with theories—some skeptical, others eager for the investigation to continue.---China – Liangyuan Street MarketSurveillance footage from a bustling night market in China captured a chilling scene. A woman in a red qipao walked gracefully through the crowd, her figure striking in the soft glow of lanterns.Suddenly, she paused. Her body flickered—like a glitch in a video—before vanishing completely, as though she had never existed.The footage zoomed in, replaying in slow motion. In the final frame before she disappeared, her face distorted unnaturally, her eyes hollow and empty.The screen cut abruptly to black.

[If you enter the deep forest, you will be eaten by the shadows.

The shadows of the forest move when a person is not looking.

There is a shadow that mimics people in the deep forest.

The shadow of the forest speaks.]

Rosaline, of the Knights of the White Night, had gone missing after being attacked by enemy forces during a hunting contest.

However, she was found unconscious, badly injured, and lying beneath the cliff.

Rosaline, who woke up a few days later, seemed to have severe memory loss. It was difficult for her to speak even simple words.

She was found walking barefoot, in her pajamas, talking informally here and there. She would even pick up food off the floor!

She’s a strange girl no matter how you look at her. Is that really Rosaline?

Xiao Feng, the protagonist of the story was an ace at online games. By accident, he knew a game called Mystery which can reduce human’s energy consumption and improve the space-allocation on the earth. In this game, he hit monsters, increased his levels and met a lot of friends. However, at the same time, he was inevitably drawn into the struggle within and outside the labor union. What should he do? And what difficulties would he face? The following are his inner monologues.

I was killed in the game and asked him/her to fight offline only to find that she was a girl. What should I do?

I wanted to be a support and carry my team-mates only to find that all of them were newbies, what should I do?

Please don’t court death and let me kill the boss with the hammer!

To conclude, this story is about a support who would have liked to carry all his team-mates. However, after realizing that support could not save the world, he resolutely picked up the hammer and killed the boss in the game.

- Description from Novelupdates

In front of others, he is a cold and callous President of an empire. Young, wealthy and handsome, he is also the Prince Charming in every woman’s heart.

Only Chi Enen knows how temperamental, domineering and possessive he is!

Five years ago, Chi Enen left him and disappeared without a trace. Now, she bumped into him coincidentally and he refuses to let her go.

After their reencounter, he bounds Chi Enen mercilessly to his side. If she is out of his sight for a moment, his paranoia will be triggered…

“I gave in to you in the past because I can’t bear not to. Now, I have already decided to do it my way. I don’t need your agreement.”

“Li Beijue, what do you want from me?”

“I just want you to fall in love with me!”

Chi Enen struggles to get out of his clutches and at the same time, fighting desperately to resist his charm.

Will he discover the truth of what happened five years ago?