Sitting in the car, John asked, "Sis, where are we heading for dinner?"

Mia, while driving, made a thoughtful expression, "How about that restaurant you used to love?"

"No, no... I don't like it anymore," John waved his hand in refusal.

"Why not? You used to always bug me to take you there," Mia asked.

"I just don't like it now."

John's expression was one of discomfort; now, just hearing the word 'restaurant' made him feel uneasy, almost nauseous.

"Then let's go to the grilled fish place. I remember you liked their grilled fish."

"I don't get to come back often, so let's go all out. I don't want to hear you complain that I don't pamper my little brother!"

"Don't you have classes?" John asked.

Mia paused before responding, "When I heard you were forced into Thriller World, I took a few days off. Don't worry about me."

John nodded.

But suddenly, the voice of the Blood-Eye Ghost echoed in his mind, "There's something off about your sister."

"What do you mean?"

"She has the aura of a curse about her," the Blood-Eye Ghost said.

John's expression shifted subtly as he glanced at Mia, who was driving, "Are you sure?"

"Believe it or not."

The Blood-Eye Ghost gave a dismissive look and stopped responding.

A curse?

Was it possession by a ghost, or something else?

John was filled with doubts.

Mia noticed John's gaze and said with a smile, "Why do you keep sneaking peeks? Surprised that your sister has become prettier after a while?"

"Yeah, that's it," John nodded.

"A month apart and you've become cheekier!" Mia was in a very good mood. After seven days of anxiety, seeing her brother alive and well, she finally felt relieved.

They soon arrived at the grilled fish restaurant.

John and Mia got out of the car and reserved a table.

"I'm going to the restroom first. Also, a friend of mine will be joining us later; I'll introduce you two."

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"A boyfriend?" John asked.

"It's a girl, and she's very pretty. When you meet her, don't act too lecherous and embarrass me!"

After saying that, Mia left.

John didn't dwell on the friend she mentioned; instead, he was preoccupied with thoughts about the curse.

He tried to activate the Eye of Truth.

But back in the real world, he realized that all the ghost items and skills he had acquired in Thriller World were unusable.

Clearly, these things would become ineffective once taken out of Thriller World.

"Are you John?"

After a while, a pleasant voice reached him.

Before John could turn around, a woman with long hair sat down in front of him.

This woman was strikingly beautiful, dressed in a tight, sexy outfit that accentuated her curvaceous figure as she sat down.

If John's sister was the lively type, then this woman was the epitome of a mature, alluring lady.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Ava, a friend of your sister's. She often talks about having a somewhat unusual brother," Ava said, extending her hand.

John quickly stood up and took her delicate hand in his.

"Wow, Ava, you got here so quickly?" Mia, returning from the restroom, asked with surprise.

"Let me introduce you, this is my..."

"No need, we've already met."

"And your brother is just as you described him, quite the little flirt," Ava said with a laugh.

It was only then that John realized he was still holding her hand, and worse, his thumb had been caressing the back of Ava's smooth hand!

John immediately withdrew his hand and said with an awkward smile, "Let's, uh, sit down and eat, shall we?"

Meanwhile, John silently cursed the Blood-Eye Ghost.

The inappropriate behavior of his right hand towards Ava was clearly the ghost's doing!

Mia chuckled and gave John a covert glare.

Hadn't she just warned him? And here he was, showing his true colors the moment they met?

Fortunately, Ava didn't seem to mind. As she sat down, she said, "The news of so many of you being forced into Thriller World has caused quite a stir over the past seven days."

John replied, "I know."

Forced entries into Thriller World weren't uncommon, but they typically involved randomly selecting 'lucky' individuals from various locations.

However, this was the first time an entire subway car's worth of passengers had been sent to Thriller World due to an accident.

"In Thriller World, which instance were you in, what was your role, and what was your mission?" Ava asked as she poured herself a glass of orange juice.

John hesitated for a moment.

What was this?

Was she interrogating him?

"Ava," Mia interjected with a gentle reminder.

Ava snapped back to reality, smacked her forehead, and laughed, "Sorry about that, occupational hazard. I forgot we're at a friend's dining table."

"Ava, what do you do?"

"Ava is a police officer, part of the detective unit."

"And she's also an outstanding participant, having entered Thriller World four times and always scoring well," Mia said, draping an arm around her good friend's shoulder with a beaming smile.

"If you have any questions about Thriller World, feel free to ask me," Ava offered.

"Of course, for someone entering Thriller World for the first time, without the federal government's protection mechanisms, those seven days must have been a period you'd rather not recall. It could even be described as a nightmare!" Ava said empathetically.

"It wasn't too bad."

"I actually had a pretty good time, and the ghosts were quite friendly," John said.

Ava's smile froze on her face.

Enjoyable?

Friendly?

Were these the words of a newbie?

When she first entered Thriller World, even with protection mechanisms in place, she felt as if each day dragged on like a year, each one a nightmare!

And that was with protection!

Mia added, "My brother says the ghosts were quite friendly, especially one kind-hearted ghost who often gave him food for free, worried he might starve."

"Are we sure we're talking about the same world?"

Ava was beginning to doubt herself.

She had interrogated many who had been to Thriller World.

Some were so traumatized they developed severe neurological disorders.

Even those with milder experiences lived under the shadow of immense fear, unable to break free.

But Ava had never heard a story like John's before!