# Chapter 380: The Murals in the Game
Xu Huo lowered his head to look at his own hands. Whether in terms of sight, touch, or body shape, everything felt very realistic—just that the skin had been slightly beautified, and his clothes had been changed to the selected game formalwear.
He was wearing the same tailcoat as the other four people in the room. The other four wore masks shaped like a lion, a tiger, a seal, and a fox respectively.
The group exchanged brief greetings, and one of them said, "I wonder what exactly tonight's night tour will involve. Rongxin Group has done a good job keeping it under wraps."
The one who spoke was the person Xu Huo was looking for—he wore the fox mask.
"I've never been interested in these kinds of games that lack real substance, but this time the promotion has been very mysterious. I heard they've invited some big names to help out. Aside from everything else, it would be great if I could get to know some higher-ups," the seal said bluntly.
"If that's your plan, then I think you've come to the wrong place," the lion said. "Don't they judge by strength there? You either need money, power, or resources—otherwise, those arrogant people won't even spare you a glance... Haha, but if you're good in bed and handsome, finding a couple of rich women wouldn't be bad either."
The seal didn't refute him but instead let out a lecherous laugh. "Although entering the game isn't real, it retains ninety-five percent of the realism. Those female players usually act all reserved and pretentious, but plenty of them come here looking for fun. Anyway, it's just playing around—it's not like it's the real thing."
The lion laughed along, as if this were some joyful hunting expedition.
"With your pathetic looks, I guarantee no female player would be interested in you," the tiger, who had remained silent until now, suddenly said. Judging by the voice, it was actually a woman.
The other four in the room all looked at her. The tiger wore a men's tailcoat, had a tall and sturdy build with broad shoulders and a thick back, and sported a buzz cut—from the outside, there was no way to tell she was a woman.
The seal was silent for two seconds, then said with obvious anger and embarrassment, "Who do you think you are? With a look like yours, no man would want you either."
"Alright, alright, let's all say less. We're all here to have fun," the fox quickly stepped in to mediate. "Shouldn't we be heading out?"
Just then, the lights in the room suddenly went out. Several flames flickered to life from the four corners, and music began to play from somewhere outside.
"Is the banquet starting?" The lion walked over and pulled open the door. He glanced outside, then turned back and said, "It's really dark out there."
"There are candles here," the seal said, taking the lead to grab a silver candlestick from the round table nearby.
"Five candlesticks—should be one for each of us." The tiger also went over and took one.
The five of them each picked up a lit candlestick and walked out. They noticed that in other parts of the corridor, people holding candlesticks were also emerging one after another.
The candles could only illuminate a limited area. Even with so many of them, it still wasn't enough to light up the unusually spacious corridor. Additionally, Xu Huo realized that his night vision ability was gone.
"After all, it's a game. It's impossible to perfectly replicate a player's physical functions," the tiger remarked, clearly not the only one feeling the drop in ability.
"We're not going to be wandering around in this pitch-black place, are we?" the seal said. "We can't even see the reliefs."
The group followed the crowd as it moved in one direction. The fox asked, "What's so interesting about reliefs? Aren't they all pretty much the same?"
"You wouldn't understand. The art director for this palace night tour was brought in by Rongxin Group from the D12 wormhole point. He's very famous in other game worlds. I heard it's the final work of a super player. Any paintings copied from his works or reliefs replicated from them are infused with that player's traits, which can cause some people to hallucinate." The seal paused deliberately here. "You don't know the benefits of hallucinations, do you?"
"Don't keep us in suspense," the fox urged.
"I've only heard rumors—they say it can make people evolve again," the seal said mysteriously.
"Could it be super evolution?" the lion asked.
"How could that be? Even if you saw the super player's original work, you might not necessarily undergo super evolution," the seal said smugly. "Apparently, some players suddenly become very powerful, as if some function of their body has been activated."
"Powerful how?" A passerby nearby also leaned in to listen.
"How would I know?" The seal was unwilling to say more.
Some of the nearby players couldn't help but raise their candles higher to look at the relief murals on both sides of the corridor.
Xu Huo also walked closer to the murals, slowing his pace as he moved forward to examine them.
Viewed as a continuous sequence, these murals formed a pilgrimage scene. The gist of the fragmented story was that a group of believers, while pursuing sacred footsteps, encountered xenomorphs. When they were surrounded, a divine miracle suddenly descended. All the believers became exceptionally brave and fierce, slaughtering all the xenomorphs and finally catching up to the sacred presence.
But by then, most of the believers had died. Only three exceptionally strong individuals survived. These three received guidance from the sacred presence and passed the miracle on to more believers.
The murals carried a strong religious flavor and were also up-to-date, replacing traditional religious demons, diseases, or suffering with xenomorphs.
Xu Huo lost interest after watching for a while.
This wasn't surprising.
Religion, at its core, serves people—it's a form of spiritual guidance and support. In the game world, the most terrifying existence had become xenomorphs, so some people would fabricate this kind of spiritual support to resist fear. Especially in wormhole points that had been gamified for a longer time, this kind of religiously tinged material was more likely to develop.
Take Zone 014, for example. In such a short time, a group of people had already emerged to brainwash others. One could imagine the situation in other game zones, especially after players acquired traits and props, making hypnotic suggestion to influence people much easier.
Combining what the seal said with the mural content, it was actually easy to understand. Players are also human—they have instincts of fear, terror, and reluctance to fight. Through suggestion, these emotions could be weakened, allowing them to perform actions beyond normal human limits.
Of course, this kind of influence had both positive and negative sides. For instance, some cults brainwashed their followers into sacrificing themselves for their supposed god, leading people to actually commit suicide or murder. Like madmen, it was hard for ordinary people to understand.
Most players weren't interested in these murals. Following the flowing flames gathered from the candlelight, they gradually assembled in a large hall.
In the center of the hall was a raised platform for speeches, and the surrounding area was already packed with people. Xu Huo and his group arrived relatively late, so they could only be blocked outside. He glanced at the fox, who was squeezing into the crowd, then turned and headed to the second floor.
The second floor was just a narrow corridor surrounding the hall, positioned just outside the hall's pillars. Many people who found the first floor too crowded had come here. From this vantage point, most of the hall was visible.
Xu Huo kept his eyes on the fox and soon spotted the middle-aged man he was following. The man wore a hyena mask and didn't make contact with the fox. Instead, he kept his distance and observed.
Amid the jostling crowd, Xu Huo noticed a black wolf mask subtly moving closer to the fox.
His gaze lingered on these three for a few seconds, then Xu Huo looked toward the central platform in the hall. The figure of a white-haired man was slowly being projected into view.