A petite and beautiful woman in a white embroidered cheongsam appeared at the door.
Her makeup was subtle yet elegant, with charming eyebrows full of grace.
However, she was thin, and her deep almond eyes held a profound gentleness.
She stepped inside on a pair of faded embroidered shoes, crossing the threshold.
She reached the staircase leading to the second floor and bowed to the paper figure.
"Chief Che, you've worked hard."
The paper figure did not respond but made way for the woman.
She walked up the stairs covered in glutinous rice, entered the second floor, took off her shoes, and silently stepped into the darkness...
...
The mansion was indeed large.
A dark corridor stretched about three to four hundred meters.
There was no light.
Deathly silence.
It felt as if one was in a graveyard.
But Zhao Yi was prepared.
—Ding ding ding ding! A flashlight!
This flashlight was extraordinary.
It was borrowed from Luo Qili during the first game on the third day.
And he hadn't returned it.
Nor had he put it into the item inventory.
Snap!
The flashlight beam turned on.
A bright light shot out, barely dispelling the darkness ahead.
Hmm... even scarier now.
The viewers in the Live Streaming Room were typing harsh comments like [Is that it? Is that it?] while secretly pulling their feet back under the covers.
According to the first rule of the human-specter treaty, if a human hides under the covers, the specter cannot continue the chase, must leave the room, and quietly close the door.
A man followed Zhao Yi, tiptoeing behind him.
He had taken off his shoes and was quietly approaching.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
He was well hidden.
Not a sound.
He tightly gripped a small vase in his hand.
It was something he had casually picked up on the way.
At this moment, he only needed to do one thing—raise the vase and strike Zhao Yi on the back of the head!
Everything... was going according to plan!
Zhao Yi was completely unaware of the person behind him!
Heh heh... this fool!
Bai Zhihai sneered, slowly getting within five steps of Zhao Yi.
Next, he just needed to jump up and smash the vase on Zhao Yi's head!
Heh heh heh...
Heh heh heh...
Bai Zhihai chuckled a few times, then crouched down...
Gathering strength!
Exerting force!
Launching!
In that instant, he seemed to transform into a world-class long jumper, adrenaline surging, arm raised high with the vase, expression ferocious!
Die!
His vase swung down fiercely...
Zhao Yi's hand clenched the scalpel to the extreme...
But at that moment,
A pair of withered black ghostly claws suddenly reached out from a door on the side, grabbed Zhao Yi's neck, and pulled him into the room!
The next moment, Bai Zhihai wore an expression as if he had eaten something foul, lost his balance, and fell to the ground!
He instinctively used his hands to brace himself, but his heart sank!
This instinctive action... might just kill him!
Sure enough.
The vase shattered against his chest, and then, under the dual influence of gravity and inertia, his body slammed down, sharp shards slicing across his throat, a large swath of crimson seeping out...
Bai Zhihai's eyes widened like copper bells, tightly clutching the gushing wound on his neck, but it was futile!
"It's over..."
"Barbie Q'd!"
"Damn it... even the ghosts are helping him!"
He never thought he would die so disgracefully.
Screwed.
He frantically fumbled, trying to pull out a hemostatic item from the inventory...
"My hemostatic medicine... stop the... stop your damn bleeding!"
"The damn system locked my inventory, I (—data deleted—)!"
His consciousness gradually blurred.
Bai Zhihai's face grew paler.
In the end, unwillingly, he used all his strength to raise a middle finger at the room beside him!
This was his last act of defiance...
...
Inside the room, a terrifying paper ghost face was almost touching Zhao Yi's face.
But from Zhao Yi's eyes, it saw no fear.
Hmm... damn it!
Why aren't you afraid?
The paper figure let out a chilling ghostly laugh, about to utter some harsh words, but Zhao Yi reached out and shook its hand.
"Hello, Paper Granny."
"Uh, hello... uh? Wait, no!"
The paper figure realized, slapped Zhao Yi's hand away, and pointed a finger at Zhao Yi's chest, saying fiercely:
"Don't try to get close to me!"
"I'm telling you!"
"I'm about to eat you, raw!"
"How about that? Scared now?"
"Hahahahaha..."
The paper figure laughed to itself triumphantly.
It laughed for a while, but seeing Zhao Yi's lack of reaction, its laughter gradually subsided.
It seemed to feel the atmosphere was a bit awkward.
"Young man, you're being quite rude, you know?"
"You should... you should have some reaction!"
The paper figure glared.
Zhao Yi shrugged and said:
"You wanted to save me, right?"
"Actually, I knew someone was behind me, even if you hadn't intervened, I would have killed him."
The paper figure was slightly surprised, scrutinizing Zhao Yi carefully, clicking its tongue:
"So many people have come to this haunted house, but you're the first like this..."
"But I still advise you... get out of here quickly!"
"The horrors in this haunted house are beyond your comprehension..."
Zhao Yi didn't take the paper figure's words to heart, pulling over a chair to sit down.
"Let me ask you something... is there still a living person in this haunted house?"
The paper granny's terrifying face froze instantly.
"You... what nonsense are you talking about?"
"How could there be a living person in the haunted house?"
Zhao Yi smiled:
"The tables and chairs in the hall are neatly arranged, they're very clean, no dust."
"The tea in the purple clay teapot on the table is still hot, and besides the tea fragrance, there's a faint scent of women's makeup."
"The stairs leading to the second floor are covered with glutinous rice, which hasn't molded, discolored, or clumped, indicating the rice is from the past two years. I don't think a bunch of ghosts could clean the house regularly or sprinkle rice on the stairs periodically..."
Pausing, Zhao Yi leaned in a bit, sniffing the paper granny.
"Nor would they drink hot tea or apply makeup."
The paper figure stepped back, putting some distance between itself and Zhao Yi, sneering:
"You've got a keen eye... but unfortunately, this place is beyond what you weak humans can understand!"
"Young man, take my advice... leave quickly!"
"Any later... and you won't be able to leave even if you want to!"
Zhao Yi shrugged.
"Can you tell me where that woman is?"
"And... what exactly happened in this mansion?"
The paper figure said harshly:
"You didn't listen to a word I said, did you?"
Zhao Yi stared into its eyes, smiling:
"Thank you..."
"But I insist."
After a brief silence, the paper granny hummed:
"If you want information from me, it's not impossible..."
"But, you have to exchange it with a story."
"Preferably one for children..."
"The old master always said I couldn't tell stories to children, and when his child was born, I wouldn't be able to lull them to sleep..."
Zhao Yi's eyes lit up at this.
"Fairy tales?"
"That's my specialty!"
"Let me tell you the story of the farmer and the snake..."
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