The Shadow on the Wall (Seeking Follow-ups!)

"Lacan's chapter?"

Xin Xin stared at the prompt before her, a puzzled expression on her face.

Her 2D avatar also wore a cartoon VR headset over its eyes, sporting a dazed, adorable look that conveyed utter confusion.

"Is this game played chapter by chapter?"

"So now that I've entered the chapter, what next?"

Xin Xin clicked confirm, and the prompt faded, then vanished.

She looked around, checking if anything was different now that the chapter had started.

But the environment hadn't changed—everything was just as before.

"I know who Lacan is—the ghost from the second trailer. I've entered his chapter now, but nothing's happening. Do I need to trigger something?"

Wearing her VR headset, Xin Xin tried moving around, but still nothing happened. Her sanity remained normal.

She was a bit bewildered. The excessive freedom left her with no goal, no idea what to do.

But then, reminded by the viewers in her livestream, she decided to explore the first floor first.

Just as she formed that intention but hadn't acted yet, the door closest to her suddenly creaked open.

A clear, grating sound of friction echoed through the silent entrance hall.

Outside, the wind had picked up at some point, rustling the trees on either side, forming an eerie accompaniment to the door's groan.

Xin Xin whipped her head around and saw that the door beside her had already cracked open!

"Super-supernatural phenomenon!?"

She gasped, but quickly noticed that her sanity hadn't dropped because of it.

No blurriness, no trailing afterimages.

Faced with this supernatural occurrence, her perspective remained perfectly normal.

"What's going on?"

Xin Xin was baffled, her expression confused.

But since the door beside her had opened, she might as well go in and take a look!

Don't be scared—it's just a game.

She swallowed her saliva, comforting herself inwardly, and cautiously approached the door.

Then, the high degree of freedom in VR showed itself.

She pressed against the wall, peering through the gap, able to vaguely make out the furniture and decor inside.

This door was located to the left of the main entrance.

In the trailer, it had been shown as a red door, but now it was white—she wondered what that signified.

Through the gap, she could see a turned-off TV, a lit desk lamp, a messy coffee table, and other items. It looked like a living room.

"Hope there's no jumpscare, hope there's no jumpscare."

She stood before the door, took a deep breath, and steadied her breathing.

Then, manipulating the controller, she extended her in-game hand.

She grabbed the handle and pushed it open.

With a creak, the white door before her slowly swung open.

Inside was indeed a living room layout.

High-end furniture lined the walls, and a luxurious carpet lay in the center. On top of it sat a coffee table that looked expensive, cluttered with various items and fruit.

Straight ahead was a TV that had seen better days. Beside it stood a wheelchair that looked brand new.

The pristine white walls were covered in decorative paintings, adding to the opulence.

To the right was a glass partition door connecting to the dining room.

"So it is a living room."

Xin Xin carefully stepped inside, her eyes darting around to watch for any danger.

After all, now that she was in the chapter's progression, no one knew what might happen.

Better to be cautious.

The room was somewhat dim, much like the earlier corridor lit only by moonlight—just barely enough to see by.

The only light sources were the faint desk lamps on either side of the TV, casting a dim yellow glow that barely illuminated the surroundings.

Xin Xin found the light switch on the wall and, without overthinking, reached out to try turning it on.

But before her hand could touch it, the TV behind her suddenly blazed to life.

Instantly, the room was filled with the grating static noise of a no-signal screen—piercing and unpleasant, unbearable in the dead silence.

In that moment, her character's sanity began to drop.

A violent wave of dizziness washed over Xin Xin.

"No. Not again. Why are there so many supernatural phenomena?"

Her voice carried a hint of tears, and she dared not look back.

But the television behind her continued its chaotic noise, the white glow from the screen not only illuminating the room but casting her entire shadow onto the wall.

Yet.

She noticed in terror.

The shadow on the wall. Was not hers!

On that pinkish-white wall, the shadow was actually leaning on two crutches meant for the disabled, its figure standing silently, motionless under the flickering white light of the TV screen.

"That's not my shadow? I'm not using crutches!!"

She cried out in fright, and the next second, she saw the shadow on the wall turn its head, opening two distinct slits in the area of its eyes.

This shadow. Had opened its eyes!

And it was staring dead at her!

In that instant, Xin Xin felt a wave of chilling dread surge from the base of her spine straight to the crown of her head.

A bone-piercing terror made her feel as if she were trapped in an ice cellar, frozen stiff!

Turn on the lights!!!

Driven by an overwhelming sense of crisis, Xin Xin frantically pressed the switch in front of her.

But despite the constant click-click sounds, the living room before her remained dark.

"Get out! Get out now!"

Xin Xin quickly manipulated the controller, trying to escape the living room and reach the light of the entrance hall.

But.

Bang—

A loud crash rang out as the door slammed shut in front of her, the sheer force kicking up dust.

Panicked, Xin Xin rushed forward, grabbing the doorknob and twisting it repeatedly.

But it wouldn't open no matter what!

"What do I do... wuwuwu... What do I do?!"

This time, Xin Xin's voice was genuinely choked with tears, and she even let out a few sobs.

She was truly terrified.

Her livestream viewers quickly began comforting her, with a flood of expensive highlighted comments encouraging her.

And just then. The shadow on the wall. Moved.

This startled Xin Xin again, and she stumbled back in fear, terrified the shadow would leap out of the wall and attack her.

But the shadow only leaned on its crutches, limping along the wall.

Xin Xin's eyes went wide as she stared at the shadow, her throat unable to produce any sound, nor daring to.

At this moment, she no longer felt like she was playing a game.

The intense immersion of VR made her feel as if she were truly experiencing everything in this mansion as a real person.

So she dared not act rashly, and feared any overreaction.

She could only stand still, watching the shadow pace along the wall.

She watched it pass the sofa.

Then the sofa shattered, springs protruding, cotton scattering.

She watched it pass the curtains.

Inside, a human silhouette immediately bulged out, as if someone were walking behind the curtains, and she could even hear the clear sound of crutches hitting the floor.

She watched it pass the lamp.

The next second, sparks flew, the lamp went out on the spot, fell to the ground, and shattered into pieces.

She watched it pass the television.

Instantly, the TV, which had been showing no signal, displayed a black-and-white film.

Inside, it seemed to be an operating room, a group of people who looked like doctors gathered around a hospital bed, heads down, busy at work, as if in a documentary.

Until a flicker of the screen, and the doctors, who had been looking down, suddenly all turned their heads in unison, staring at... Xin Xin outside the television!

This horrifying sight made her scream, stumbling back repeatedly until she was pressed against the door.

At this point, Xin Xin felt her heart racing faster and faster, cold sweat trickling down her temples, her lips turning dry, and her throat growing hoarse.

Then, she saw the shadow stop at the wall behind the wheelchair.

And under Xin Xin's terrified gaze, it let go of its crutches, reached out both hands, and placed them on the wheelchair.

And in that instant, several withered, filthy fingers slowly emerged from behind the wheelchair.

As if mirroring the shadow on the wall, they merged into one.

A ghost. It had appeared!!!

"I—I'm not playing anymore, I'm done!"

Xin Xin felt only numbness in her hands, terror assaulting her mind.

In that moment, all thoughts of popularity, rankings, being number one—they vanished before the horror in front of her.

She just wanted to take off the VR, curl up under the covers, and calm down.

But before she could act, she saw those withered fingers shove the wheelchair, charging straight at her!

It happened so suddenly, with no warning, and the entire livestream was left with only a single, piercing scream that echoed through heaven and earth.

On the other side, Zai Zong was also drenched in sweat.

After getting past the initial novelty and curiosity, he too had entered the formal process.

But the chapter he entered was Dolores's.

All of this started because of his itchy fingers.

From the moment he entered the game, he discovered that every item had its own model and could be picked up and played with.

This unprecedented freedom immediately sparked his playful spirit!

Every single item he could pick up, he grabbed.

Sometimes tossing, sometimes throwing, sometimes juggling between his hands, sometimes making a perfect shot—he was having a blast.

When he reached the entrance hall, he spotted the key on the living room door almost immediately.

Years of gaming experience told him that keys were always the most important items.

So, without even finishing exploring the house, he picked up the key first.

But then the key with its little mirror instantly dissolved into specks of white light and scattered, leaving him dumbfounded.

Then the game gave a prompt.

[A twisted dream.]

[You have unlocked Dolores's Chapter. From now on, you will explore the stories of the past residents of this mansion and learn about the eerie experiences they once had.]

After unlocking the chapter, Zai Zong was still confused and still annoyed.

Cursing himself for having such itchy fingers and messing with things!

He hadn't even finished exploring the house, and he'd already triggered the chapter!

No choice. After that, relying on his rich gaming experience, he followed the clues to the second floor, then discovered there was an attic above the ceiling, and he could hear footsteps moving around inside.

He immediately realized he needed a tool to open the attic door and climb up.

So, he had to start looking for that tool.

But now, he stood at the top of the stairs on the second floor, afraid to go down.

Because—

Down at the entrance hall, a man whose face couldn't be seen stood silently.

The original lights had been extinguished.

Most of his body was hidden in the dimness, unclear.

But one thing Zai Zong did see.

Six Western-style kitchen knives, gleaming with cold light and constantly dripping blood, were stuck in this man's chest.

This all pointed to one thing. The man downstairs.

Wasn't human at all.!

Made a slight modification to the game content. Also, the player's gameplay experience won't be written in too much detail; it'll be wrapped up within 8 chapters.

Thanks to 'Little Troll Fake' for the 17 monthly ticket support! Thank you! Thanks to 'Sakura Loli' for the monthly ticket support! Thanks to 'Zhong Tou' for the monthly ticket support! Thanks to 'Yakumo Murasaki' for the monthly ticket support!