CH 3

(It’s Wrong)

Her screams were heart breaking enough to penetrate through the entire house. 

Everyone was drawn to it as a result.

Old Chen was wearing a sombre expression, and he almost cursed him for being an “idiot” but he held back. “What the hell did you do?”

The female student spoke first: “It has nothing to do with me!”

Yellow Hair responded on automatic: “I just took a peek, I, I didn’t do anything.” 

Old Chen gazed at Yellow Hair coldly. “Since you went courting your own death, you can’t blame it on me. We’re going.”

Yellow Hair chased after him hastily, and he did not stutter as he spoke: “Didn’t you say that you’ll protect me and help me through clearance if I gave you my points? Don’t go back on your words—”

Old Chen flung him away with one hand. “This was you seeking your own death.”

After he delivered the ultimatum, he went down the stairs.

Gold Chain and the female high school student had no choice but to follow him down the stairs, although they did throw Yellow Hair a pitying glance.

Without any means or measures, Yellow Hair could only toughen his scalp and follow suit.

But as they were halfway down the stairs and turning the corner, he collided with a pale face and it caught him off guard.

Even if Old Chen was fairly courageous, he almost jumped back in fright and shouted out. However, he remembered the hostess’s warning; even if it was daytime, he did not dare to take risks and he could only keep his shouts lodged in his throat. 

The hostess was wearing a long black dress and her eyes were black and deep. Without the slightest emotion, she gazed at the group of people in front of her and spoke in chilling voice: “What are you doing?”

It was obviously a clear and sunny day, but everyone felt a chill rising from behind them.

Old Chen smiled dryly: “Stroll, strolling upstairs.”

The hostess was unmoved and it was apparent that she did not believe Old Chen had said. 

Old Chen felt a spike in danger.

It seemed like the hostess was not a simple character.

Swallowing his saliva, Old Chen felt cold sweat running down his spine. He was not an experienced player to begin with; if he was, he would not have been assigned to the novice task.

He only had two lifesaving amulets on his hands, and everything he previously said was to fool the novices. He stuck his hand in his pockets. If something unusual happened, he would take out immediately to protect himself. 

As for the others, they could only count their blessings.

Suddenly, Shen Dongqing answered. “We were looking for something.”

The hostess’s pupils turned and she stared at Shen Dongqing. “What were you looking for?”

The people at the scene stared at Shen Dongqing nervously, afraid that he would say something that he should not say and cause the destruction of the entire group because he offended her. 

Unexpectedly, Shen Dongqing raised his phone that had a blackened screen before he asked: “Are there any chargers?”

The hostesses was silent for a moment before she walked into the first room.

When the hostess disappeared, everyone heaved a breath of relief.

“Are we fine?” 

“We should be fine, let’s hurry up and leave. “

However, before they could return to the second floor, they saw the hostess appear in front of them again — she had gone upstairs just now.

Old Chen shuddered and squeezed out a smile with much difficulty: “Do you need something?”

The hostess moved past Old Chen as she strode up to Shen Dongqing before she placed something in his hands. 

Everyone’s gaze followed the hostess’s actions and they scrutinised Shen Dongqing, trying to figure out what she had given him exactly. Before they could discern it, they heard the hostess say coldly: “The person upstairs was my mother-in-law. She’s insane.”

Once she was done speaking, the hostess ignored them and climbed up the stairs.

The group fled to the hall.

Whereas Old Chen went up to Shen Dongqing’s side and queried, “What did the hostess give you?” 

After experiencing two games, Old Chen knew that minor details attached to objects could be used to decrypt the door’s clearance, to say nothing of the fact that it had been given by the NPC herself.

Shen Dongqing felt around his pockets as he pulled on a wire: “It’s a charger. My phone ran out of battery, but now I can play games again.”

Yiv Jtfc vlv cba yfilfnf tlw oeiis: “Aera j mtjgufg?”

“Qtja firf?” Vtfcu Gbcudlcu jrxfv, offilcu ragjcuf. “Gb sbe kjca ab erf la jr kfii? P mjc ifcv la ab sbe joafg P’w vbcf.” 

Yiv Jtfc: Qtb atf oemx kjcar ab erf atf mtjgufg!

Yiv Jtfc raevlfv la yglfois jcv gfjilrfv atja la gfjiis kjr j mtjgufg. Kter, tf rcffgfv ja tlw jcv atgfk bea j megrf: “Pvlba.”

Were items from NPC that easy to take? Maybe it wants your life!

The others were fighting back a shiver. 

Yellow Hair, who had been daring and energetic of being a protagonist initially, was scared to the extent where his courage had fled him after what he had experienced.

Gold Chain was not worth mentioning; he was completely relying on Old Chen to help him win while he lied down.

Only Shen Dongqing was still out of the situation.

He found a place with a power socket and sat down to charge his mobile phone. When he swept his eyes across the dispirited faces of the group, his heart felt a little odd: “What’s wrong with all of you?” 

Yellow Hair smacked the sofa with his fist and unleashed his insecurities on him: “All you know how to do is play your mobile phone! If we don’t find the murderer, we’re all going to die here!”

Shen Dongqing made a realisation: “So you were trying to find the murderer just now.” He scratched his head and whispered, “Truthfully, I thought you were just strolling around.”

Other people: ……

After Sheng Dongqing uttered those ire-inducing words, he added, “I have a bold idea.” 

Everyone’s eyes were focused on Shen Dongqing while Old Chen sneered secretly, wanting to see what kind of tricks he would pull.

Embarrassed, Shen Dongqing scratched his head and suggested, “There are a total of four people in this family; if the each of us guessed one person, even a blind cat can hit the dead mouse.”

Other than Mr. A who was already dead, there was only the hostess, the insane mother-in-law and his twin daughters in the family.

“I don’t think it’s the hostess,” said Shen Dongqing, earnest. “She’s a good person.” And she also gave him a phone charger. 

Old Chen seemed to understand his intentions as he intercepted him in a hurry: “Don’t! If you guess incorrectly…”

But Shen Dongqing directly ignored Old Chen and said to the television: “I guess that the insane mother-in-law is the murderer.”

ZIZIZI—

The television started flashing static, and the skies outside rapidly darkened as it kicked up a gust of wind. 

Shen Dongqing touched his chin: “It appears that I’ve guessed incorrectly, what did you say would happen if I guessed the incorrect answer?”

Old Chen was already looking at him as if he was dead: “If you guess incorrectly, you’ll die.”

When Shen Dongqing heard that, he breathed out a sigh of relief, “I thought it would be something big, but it turns out its just dying once.”

Everyone else who were afraid of death: …… 

Shen Dongqing asked tentatively, “Should I guess again?”

“No need, no need.”

The other stood up quickly, afraid of being implicated and moved further away from Shen Dongqing.

Shen Dongqing did not mind; he sat on the sofa while playing his phone, watching as the other scrambled around for clues. 

Until the skies turned black.

Yawning, Shen Dongqing got up to go back and see his roommate. But as soon as he climbed up the stairs, he saw the familiar Yellow Hair squeeze past him and enter the room one step ahead of him.

Shen Dongqing held onto the doorknob. “This is my room.”

Yellow Hair pressed against the door. His expression was tinged with panic but he still put on a fierce front: “You, your room belongs to me now!” 

Because he hadn’t heeded the instructions given to him, Yellow Hair had been pushed out by Old Chen’s group and he was forced to confront the terrifying ghosts alone. He had worrying about how to survive the night when he suddenly remember that Shen Dongqing had managed to live to the next day intact.

Shen Dongqing was a novice as well; he had no life-saving abilities, and if that was the case, it meant that he was lucky and there were no ghosts in the room he chose.

A trace of agitation flashed past Yellow Hair’s eyes imperceptibly. He was afraid that Shen Dongqing would be adamant about wanting this room.

Contrary to expectations, Shen Dongqing only gave him a flitting look and did not continue to insist: “While I have no opinion, there is still…” 

Before Yellow Hair heard the full sentence, he already slammed the door shut, and it isolated the latter half of it.

“… another tenant, I don’t know if he would mind.”

After finding that there was no response to his words, Shen Dongqing shrugged and went into the next room.

As soon as Yellow Hair closed the door, he hid in the quilt as if the warm and soft quilt could give him a sense of security. But there was a chill diffusing through the room, and even though he was wrapped up tightly, he could not help but shiver. 

Cackle—

The sound of teeth gnashing together filled the room.

Afraid that something terrifying was happening, Yellow Hair raised his hand to clamp his mouth shut.

Even then, the sound did not stop. 

When Yellow Hair finally reacted, the voice was coming from behind him. He stiffened his body, not daring to move. He clenched his eyes shut. His heart was rattling faster in his chest.

A cold hand reached out through the gap of the quilt and gently caressed the back of his neck.

It gave Yellow Hair a start; he jumped out of the quilt to face a black and white portrait placed on his bedside table, only to see the man in the portrait of the deceased grin at him, a skeletal-thin hand stretching out from the frame, hand akin to a noodle as it elongated before it landed on Yellow Hair’s body.

“AH—” 

Shen Dongqing heard the scream from next door.

It was abrupt, and it was quickly swallowed by the darkness.

Shen Dongqing shook his head: “It must definitely be because the inhabitant did not welcome him.”

The tenants in this house were very hospitable; he did not know why Yellow Hair was so unpopular. 

As Shen Dongqing was thinking that, he glanced at the beauty vase that he was standing next to. In it, he saw a human head bobbing out, messy hair covering half of its bruised red and swollen visage.

Shen Dongqing smiled amicably at the beauty vase.

But the beauty vase did not feel the slightest amicability; it only felt an ache in the place that had been punched, and the vase started trembling accordingly. Shrinking its head, it sank to the bottom of vase, unseen.

Shutting off the lights, Shen Dongqing was preparing to sleep when he heard the screams of a woman being transmitted from the outside just as he was closing his eyes, and it was accompanied by the shouts of an ensuing quarrel. 

“You whore!”

“I didn’t…”

“Are those two children even mine?”

“The children are innocent, don’t, ah—” 

“Be quieter, do you want to disturb others?”

Following that, footsteps could be heard going down the stairs as well as the sound of door knocking.

The hostess had changed her outfit. She was in a sleeping dress and her hair was in a disarray as she scurried downstairs with a child in her arms, and she started banging on the doors on the second floor incessantly.

All the guests were staying on that floor. 

Naturally, these guests did not want to be involved in the affairs of another house; no one was willing to open their door and they all pretended to be asleep.

The entire second floor was quiet, save the desperate pleas of the woman.

The child in the hostess’s arms was lying there weakly, and her life and death was unknown as the blood flowing from her small body dripped down the entire corridor.

Pa— 

The hostess slapped the front of the door again, leaving a clear, bloody fingerprint on the door.

No one answered.

They had chosen to put their own safety before the matters of principle.

Hesitantly, the female high school student said: “Shouldn’t we save her?” 

Gold Chain grinned, “You can go out and save her if you want.”

The female high school student kept quiet because she did not possess such audacity.

“It’s fine, we just need to stay here for another night.” Old Chen narrowed his eyes, “This should be for Shen Dongqing, it has nothing to do with us.”

“Little girl, you should know that in this world, you don’t have the capital to save others.” 

“But this evening should be the re-enactment of the past, and we can gain important clues from it. We’ll have to take a look.”

Sure enough, after banging on two more doors, she changed her target and came to the door where Shen Dongqing was staying in.

Her entire body was trembling all over, and she nearly lost grip of the little girl in her embrace. Before she reached the door, she fell to the ground and a round head tumbled out of her arms and rolled far away before it stopped at a man’s feet.

The little girl’s head was shouting timidly: “Daddy, I’ll behave, I won’t disturb Daddy’s…” 

Her father only kicked her away and lumbered towards the hostess slowly with an axe in hand.

The hostess stared at Mr. A with a pleading look: “Please, I beg of you…”

Mr. A revealed a maniacal smile and raised his axe high.

Just as the axe was about to fall, the door behind him opened. 

Rubbing his eyes, Shen Dongqing mumbled: “What are you doing in the middle of the night?”

Mr. A, who was supposed to be dead, stood at the door.

Due to the farm work he did all year round, Mr. A was extremely strong and he looked like a small hill. His eyes were sinister and ruthless, and he completely ignored Shen Dongqing as he glared at the hostess.

The hostess shrank into a ball in fear, powerless to resist. But unlike her frail appearance, the eyes under her black hair was utterly indifferent. 

She had died a long time ago.

This was merely a repeat of that night.

Only when she died, did she have the power to enact her revenge.

Both of them ignored Shen Dongqing who should not have been there to begin with and replayed the past with due diligence. 

The axe fell heavily, cutting through the air keenly.

Very quickly, the sharpened axe would chop the hostess into half alongside the little girl she was holding, and her blood and internal organs would spill…

However, that hypothetical image did not happen.

The axe was stopped in mid-air. And no matter how much strength Mr. A used, it would not budge the slightest. 

Shen Dongqing held the axe with one hand, frowning: “What are you doing? Domestic violence?” Righteously, he said, “Domestic violence is wrong, you ought to stop this behaviour.”

Although Shen Dongqing had been a ghost for a millennia, there were still basic moral principles he abided by.

Mr. A took the opportunity to withdraw his axe and continued to ignore the nonsense that Shen Dongqing was spouting.  He swung his axe at the hostess again.

It chopped the air again. 

Shen Dongqing stopped the axe again and said seriously: “I’m going to get angry if you continue acting like this.”

But Mr. A refused to listen to his advice, clinging obstinately to his own course.

Left with no better option, Shen Dongqing could only rip away his axe and kick him away.

Mr. A persevered, wanting to snatch back his own axe. 

In the ensuing chaos, Shen Dongqing did not know when he accidentally gave the man an axe, but he aborted his actions in a hurry.

However, Mr. A still fell to the ground. Despite the narrow wound on his abdomen, no blood flowed out, and he tried to clamber to his feet, fuelled by his tenacious vitality.

Shen Dongqing thought about it.

Since he already cut him with axe, he might as well carry it through, no matter the consequences— 

Meanwhile, three people were huddled behind a door.

Gold Chain was stunned: “What is he doing?”

Old Chen was faint: “Was he pretending to be a novice?”

The female high school student exclaimed: “He’s killing someone!” 

Shen Dongqing raised his axe and landed another blow and severed Mr. A into two halves. He raised his eyes to the crack in the door and a small dimple appear on his cheek as he smiled in a harmless manner: “No, I killed a ghost.”

He kicked Mr. A’s head and muttered: “I hate people who bully women the most, and ghosts are no exception.”

Shen Dongqing turned around. “Are you all right?”

The hostess was stunned: “No… nothing is right…” 

According to the story in this world, no one should have opened their door for her tonight.

Now, not only was a door opened, even Mr. A was cut into half.  How was she supposed to continue the act?