Zai Zong swallowed, his expression growing tense.
He was now at the stairway on the second floor. Behind him was the bathroom, while corridors on both sides led to different rooms.
There were clearly paths he could take, but he simply did not dare move!
He was terrified that if he took even one step, that unclean thing below would rush upstairs and snap him in half.
So he stood at the stairway, unable to advance or retreat. The game's progression had stalled, and for a moment, he had no idea what to do.
Meanwhile, the Ghost Shadow below kept staring upward.
In the Pitch Black darkness, a pair of deathly pale eyes emerged, fixed on him like a predator locking onto prey. It made Zai Zong's fear worsen until he no longer dared look downstairs.
At that moment, a flood of comments filled the livestream.
"Charge at it! Brother Zai, why are you being such a coward?!"
"Yeah, go die and make us happy."
"It's just a game. Look how scared you are, how embarrassing!!"
"Brother Zai, this won't do. We came to watch a human-versus-ghost showdown. The ghost is out now, so get in there!"
"Why are you acting like you're in some tragic romance drama?"
Seeing the comments, Zai Zong immediately cursed at the bunch of animals!
"Damn it, if this were a PC game, I'd be leading the charge right now! I'd show you how brave I am. But this is VR! I can't really explain it properly. Go in and play it yourselves if you want. It'll scare the shit out of you idiots!"
The livestream immediately filled with sarcastic agreement.
Zai Zong took a deep breath. This could not go on. Maybe probing it a little would help?
He took out a white candle he had collected earlier and weighed it in his hand.
Then he hurled it downstairs.
The white candle passed straight through the figure, landed on the floor, and rolled all the way to the front door before stopping.
"Uh... an illusion? Or does it not have a physical body?"
Zai Zong frowned at the Ghost Shadow below.
Time continued to pass, second by second.
That filthy thing merely stood downstairs, staring his way with those pale, vacant eyes. It did nothing else.
And that candle had just passed straight through it.
This...
Could it just be an ordinary jump-scare setup?
Zai Zong looked downstairs, indecision written across his face.
He glanced at the livestream to see what the viewers thought, and to check his stream data while he was at it. The moment he looked, he froze.
His popularity had unknowingly surged to over 1.8 million!
The number of viewers had also reached more than 1.3 million, a number he had never seen in his entire streaming career!
So many people were watching him play. How could he possibly stand here hesitating?
He had to do something!
"Brothers! Let's take it on! Worst case, we reload and start over! Who's afraid of who? Let's go!"
The livestream erupted in cheers. The viewers spammed support and showered him with gifts.
And so, amid the cheers of more than 1.3 million viewers, Zai Zong stepped forward and descended the stairs.
The instant his foot landed on the first step, a sudden change occurred!
As if he had triggered some mechanism, strange phenomena began erupting throughout the once-peaceful Mansion.
The chandelier in the Entrance Hall, which had been off, suddenly began flickering, brightening and dimming erratically.
The tightly shut doors upstairs and downstairs opened one after another, then slammed shut with tremendous force, their echoes ringing through the Mansion.
At the end of the second-floor corridor, the ancient Pendulum Clock began to chime—dong... dong...—joining the eerie commotion.
The sudden situation left Zai Zong completely at a loss. Faced with what looked like a riot of ghosts, he hurriedly clung to the railing and looked around in terror.
"Holy shit! What's happening!? Are the ghosts coming out!? No, the ghost is downstairs already, so what the hell is this supposed to be!?"
Just as he trembled in panic, a sound that made every hair on his body stand on end came from the bathroom behind him.
It sounded like someone's throat had been strangled by a rope, struggling to breathe while flesh and blood blocked the airway—a raspy, choking rattle.
At the same time, the bathroom light flickered wildly, as though some force were interfering with it.
Zai Zong turned back shakily. Out of the corner of his eye, amid the flashes of light and darkness in the bathroom, he saw a black figure slowly rising.
That was clearly the true vengeful spirit of this chapter!
At that instant, Zai Zong felt a chill run down his spine. Even as an experienced gamer, he could not stop fear from invading his mind and overwhelming his reason.
Both his hands went numb and trembled faintly. He could not even hold the controllers steadily, and he dropped the Right Controller—the one that could pause the game—onto the floor.
Startled, he hurriedly crouched to pick it up, but in his panic, he accidentally kicked it.
The Right Controller.
It slid away somewhere.
Meanwhile, the vicious spirit in the bathroom jerked closer step by step beneath the flickering light.
The livestream instantly exploded with comments.
"What are you standing there for!? Run!!"
"Brother Zai, pull yourself together! Run! Hurry up and run!!"
"Stop looking for the controller! Don't you still have the Left Controller!? Run first!"
"Wasn't this chapter supposed to have only Dolores? Why are there two ghosts!?"
"I can't watch, I can't watch! If even Zai is like this, I'd probably die on the spot if I went in!"
Zai Zong did not notice the comments. By the time he realized the movement controls were on the Left Controller, it was already too late.
The bathroom was only two steps away from the stairs.
So the instant he raised his head, a pair of long, terrifying claws, thin as bamboo poles, stretched into his wide-eyed, horrified vision!
They lunged straight for his head!
And just like that, in front of more than 1.3 million viewers, Zai Zong's neck snapped with a crisp crack. It was an instant Game Over.
Though he did not scream, it was not much better.
And from beginning to end, he never noticed that the Ghost Shadow downstairs had extended its right hand, blankly pointing toward the corridor on the right.
It was as if...
It had been telling him which way to go.
Elsewhere, Xin Xin's livestream had returned to second place.
That was because she was streaming Visage, and the content was entertaining enough to put her near the top again.
Earlier, when several shriveled fingers attacked, the wheelchair crashed toward her, frightening her into a scream so piercing that her fans had no choice but to turn their volume down by fifty percent.
Only afterward did she realize it had been a false alarm.
She had not died.
But another scene had now appeared before her.
Accompanied by a blinding flash of white light and the agonized howl of the game's protagonist, her view turned into a Black-and-White Videotape style image speckled with static. The signal occasionally distorted, making it feel as though she had entered the world of a film.
At the same time, the originally luxurious living room transformed into a plain, empty little hall with only a few chairs.
The coffee table and lavish carpet were gone. Even the paintings on the walls had vanished, while the television's former spot had been replaced by a standing lamp.
It was as though...
It was the same place, but at a different point in time.
The shift in perspective and changes to the environment left Xin Xin deeply shocked.
She had played plenty of single-player games, but this was the first time she had encountered such an inventive environmental transformation!
In all her years of gaming, she had never experienced gameplay in a Tape Style like this.
And now she had witnessed it in this incredibly free VR Game!
How could she not be stunned?
At the same time, the fans in her livestream expressed their amazement as well.
"Awesome! It went from realistic graphics straight into an old black-and-white videotape style!"
"Holy crap! I get it! This is time travel! The videotape perspective is showing that the protagonist went back to the past! Look at the environment too—it must be the previous residents' time!"
"That's incredible. I've never heard of an idea like this! Those big studios should really learn something instead of always making the same mindless shooting games."
"You only noticed the shift in the protagonist's visual style, but do you know what this means? The same building has two sets of models: one modern and luxurious, the other simple and from the past. I don't even dare imagine the cost!"
Xin Xin looked at the comments and strongly agreed. She was also deeply impressed.
It showed that the game had truly been made with care.
Still, this Black-and-White Videotape style was genuinely a little hard to get used to at first.
Xin Xin looked around the living room, which was now practically stripped bare, pushed away the wheelchair at her feet, and began exploring.
In the black-and-white world of flickering static, she first turned around and tried opening the living room door. As expected, it was locked.
Since she could not leave through there, that only left...
Xin Xin tilted her head slightly and looked at the Glass Partition Door connecting to the dining room.
At that moment, beneath the occasionally distorted Tape Style, the space beyond the door was Pitch Black, gloomy, and terrifying.
Honestly, she really did not want to go that way.
But the door in front of her was closed, and the Glass Partition Door was the only route left.
Probably.
Xin Xin took a deep breath, steadying herself after the miserable state of panic she had fallen into earlier.
Then she walked over to the Glass Partition Door, gripped the handle, composed herself, and worked up her courage.
"Come on. Don't get scared. Don't get scared ever again."
Then she shoved it open.
At that instant, the crackling electric sound of an old television powering on suddenly rang out.
The darkness beyond the Glass Partition Door vanished in an instant. In its place, as though the channel had changed, appeared a dining room in the same Black-and-White Videotape style.
A muscular, buzz-cut man sat at the table with his eyes closed in thought, silently drinking water from a cup.
Xin Xin's eyes widened at once.
"Is this... a former resident? Could this man be Lacan?"
She muttered to herself, standing before the open glass door and hesitating over whether to enter.
She was worried that barging in might cause the man before her to attack.
After all, this was Lacan's chapter.
And the trailer had clearly stated that he was the vengeful spirit!
Just as she clenched her teeth, the crackling sound of an old television powering on rang out again.
The man drinking water at the dining table suddenly disappeared.
Xin Xin's eyes widened again!
"Uh... the ghost is gone. Does that mean I can go in now?"
Encouraged by her livestream fans, she gathered her courage and cautiously stepped through the partition door into the dining room.
She was prepared to face danger.
She had even adopted a mindset of facing death without fear.
But the result was... nothing happened.
She was perfectly safe.
Until...
After turning around, she heard the electric crackling sound again in front of the kitchen.
Lacan, who had vanished earlier, was suddenly sitting at a small table, eating dinner.
Xin Xin froze, then hurriedly backed away. She hid behind the dining room wall, poked out half her head, and watched cautiously.
In the kitchen, Lacan seemed to be listening to the Radio while stirring food in a bowl.
He looked terribly bored.
But from Xin Xin's perspective, there was not a single sound in the Black-and-White Videotape world.
If there was anything at all, it was only the static hiss of an old television signal.
But in the next moment, that changed.
Lacan, who had been eating, seemed to notice something. He grabbed the Radio in front of him and burst into profanity.
And Xin Xin, who had been unable to hear anything before, suddenly heard him with perfect clarity.
[What the fuck is wrong with this Radio?]
He shook it twice and picked out a tiny component that Xin Xin could not see.
Then Lacan spoke again, anger hidden in his voice.
[What?]
[What the fuck is this thing?]
He then threw the component in his hand viciously onto the floor. Raising his head, he looked around the ceiling, his expression turning livid.
[Bastard! This had better not be what I think it is!]
Then the electric crackling sound rang out once more.
Lacan vanished like a signal cutting out.
The kitchen became completely empty.
Having gradually become accustomed to the Black-and-White Videotape world, Xin Xin bravely emerged from behind the wall.
She entered the kitchen and walked to the table. When she looked at Lacan's dishware, the contents made her stomach churn violently. Nausea surged into her throat, and she nearly threw up!
Because it was filled with eyeballs attached to nerves and flesh!
Some of them had even burst open!
Even in the black-and-white, static-filled videotape world, it was still utterly revolting!
Xin Xin had never seen anything like this in a game before, and she immediately felt like vomiting!
But she was livestreaming. She couldn't do something so uncouth, so she desperately held it in, then moved away from the food and took deep breaths until her stomach felt a little better.
"Everyone... I'm about to break down."
Xin Xin gritted her teeth and said it. After gradually recovering, she tried to find the small part Lacan had thrown onto the floor.
But whether because of the game's mechanics or because it had fallen into a gap between the appliances, she couldn't find it.
With nothing to gain from staying in the kitchen, she could only keep moving forward.
After passing through the laundry room, she opened the hallway door and arrived at the lounge that resembled a living room from the very beginning of the game—the place where she had received the neighbor's phone call.
At this point, it was no longer luxurious either.
The expensive sofas were gone, as was the enormous carpet, the potted plants, and all manner of decorations.
All that remained were ordinary chairs and storage cabinets taller than a person.
As the sound of electrocution rang out again,
Lacan appeared once more.
This time, he looked completely unhinged, frantically rummaging through the three storage cabinets as if searching for something.
He even threw out every book stored inside.
As he searched, he muttered something under his breath.
Even after Xin Xin turned her Bluetooth headset's volume all the way up, she still couldn't make out what he was saying.
Soon, he found another identical small part in the third storage cabinet.
He clenched it in his hand, his expression twisted and his muscles taut, seemingly furious beyond measure.
[Found you, you piece of trash!]
He held the small part high and examined it beneath the chandelier.
He seemed to know what it was and what it was used for.
[You think you can take me down that easily? Huh!?]
[Don't even dream of it, you bitch!]
Then, he viciously threw the small part to the floor.
Thanks to the excellent physics effects, the tiny part slid right to Xin Xin's feet.
Curious, she picked it up. One look left her utterly baffled; she had no idea what it was.
But the fans in the livestream recognized it.
They immediately said it was a miniature surveillance camera.
Seeing that, Xin Xin was stunned.
A surveillance camera?
No way...?
Who would want to monitor a hot-tempered man who looked impossible to mess with?
She could understand monitoring a woman.
But monitoring a man?
She couldn't understand it.
Before her, Lacan tilted his head back and cursed at the ceiling.
[What the fuck do you want!? What kind of skill is hiding!?]
[I'm right fucking here! Come out if you've got the guts!]
[You damn bastard, you'd better not let me find you!]
Still cursing, Lacan picked up the handgun from the floor and strode past Xin Xin with his head lowered.
The two of them practically brushed shoulders!
It sent a chill down Xin Xin's spine.
This person...
Was a ghost!
She had just brushed shoulders with him!
She stared blankly as Lacan entered the corridor and vanished again.
After swallowing hard, she gathered her courage and entered the corridor as well.
This corridor was different from its previous realistic appearance. Under the Black-and-White Videotape style, it carried an indescribably eerie atmosphere.
After entering the corridor, Xin Xin headed in the direction Lacan had disappeared.
Nothing happened along the way, but unease began to rise within her.
It felt as though something was about to happen.
Just as she was about to leave the corridor, Lacan suddenly came down the stairs around the corner!
At the same time, he raised a revolver and aimed it at Xin Xin.
Terrified, she hurriedly raised both hands, only to realize she couldn't control anything.
Once she understood, she realized this was a real-time rendered cutscene.
Lacan held the gun with both hands, aiming it at her while repeatedly shouting warnings.
[Don't fucking move!]
But she kept backing away, seemingly frightened by the gun in front of her.
This made Lacan roar again.
[Bastard! I'll say it again! Stay the fuck where you are!]
She still didn't listen and continued backing away.
"Stop! Stop! Don't back up!!"
Sharing the protagonist's perspective, Xin Xin's heart immediately clenched. Staring at the gleaming black muzzle in Lacan's hand, she kept yelling for her to stop.
But how could Dwayne hear her?
As she continued backing away, Lacan outside the corridor disengaged the safety and adjusted his stance.
At that instant, Xin Xin felt an unprecedented sense of mortal danger.
Having someone point a gun at her in VR felt completely real, brimming with menace.
With a soft click, she knew the gun had been chambered.
[You brought this on yourself, bastard!]
The next second.
Bang—
A heavy gunshot rang out, followed by a burst of stark white flame.
A massive impact slammed into her chest in an instant, knocking her viewpoint downward and making her stagger.
She...
Had been shot.
P.S.:
Our company had a Dragon Boat Festival dinner today. I hadn't wanted to go, but I got dragged along. At 9 PM, they said we were going to karaoke afterward. That wouldn't do—I still hadn't updated today, and it wouldn't be safe to go home so late. So even though I finished this 5,000-word chapter, it still went up late. Please forgive me!
To all the readers who made it this far, I want to thank you.
This book will be getting an editor's recommendation and a sixth-channel recommendation next week. Sixth channel! It's leaving its category and going to the homepage. When I started writing this book, I never would have dared imagine it.
Thank you so much for reading this book! My sincere thanks!
Thank you to Little Troll Fake for the 5,000 reward! Thank you for your support! Thank you! And thank you to Cheese Pork Chop Rice for the 500 reward! Thank you for the support!
Thank you to Little Troll Fake, Cute Baby, Golden Dragon Soldier, Village Bridge Log, Can't Think of a Good Name, TTLmc, Meaning of Apology, Cherish Star Wine, and Young Master Tang Shang for your monthly ticket support! Thank you all, thank you, thank you!
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