Awe-Inspiring Scenery Ahead (Bonus Chapter Seeking Votes!)

It was eight o'clock in the evening.

The streamer [Wang Chuan], also known as Qin Tiantian, had just turned off her game.

"It's eight o'clock, time to wrap it up," she said into the microphone. Despite the barrage of comments in the live stream chat like "It's only 8 o'clock," "You suck," and "Please don't stop," Qin Tiantian remained unfazed.

In her own words, as a wellness streamer, ending the broadcast at 8 PM was the best.

Actually, slacking off was secondary. The main reason was that Qin Tiantian was too afraid to stay up late.

Ever since she watched Lu Ban's video, whenever she stayed up late at night sitting in front of her computer, Qin Tiantian would start overthinking. She'd imagine someone behind the curtains, or think she saw the cabinet move, and then she'd stop playing.

This made it impossible for her to sleep at night and hard to wake up during the day. Even energy drinks didn't help.

So, Qin Tiantian now went to bed early every night. As long as she could fall asleep, she wouldn't be scared anymore!

Just as she was about to close the stream, her WeChat on the computer suddenly pinged.

Curiosity got the better of her, and Qin Tiantian immediately regretted it.

It was Lu Ban.

She had added Lu Ban on WeChat but hadn't spoken to him since. Lu Ban probably didn't check her Moments either, and they weren't even at the level of "liking each other's posts."

"Why is he looking for me at this hour?"

Qin Tiantian muttered, and her mind raced with possibilities.

Did he find some unholy thing and is he coming over to deal with it now?

Or did he discover there's something wrong with my house?

Wait, did my cabinet just move?

The more she thought about it, the more scared she became. Qin Tiantian shivered and looked at the message Lu Ban had sent.

[Unmoving]: Can you watch my latest video when you're live streaming?

"?"

Qin Tiantian froze.

That's it?

No, wait, you posted a video?

Qin Tiantian had followed Lu Ban after that day, but she was a serial fan, with hundreds of people in her following list. Her feed was flooded with updates daily, and she hadn't seen Lu Ban's video at all.

[Wang Chuan]: But I've already ended my stream. Next time, for sure, next time.

How could she dare to watch Lu Ban's video late at night?

Qin Tiantian was about to quickly log off when another message popped up on WeChat.

[Unmoving]: But it looks like you're still live streaming from my end?

"Hiss—"

What was this feeling, like when you were a student and secretly played on the computer while your parents were out, shutting it down before they returned, only to be caught when your observant mother noticed the abnormal heat from the computer case?

Qin Tiantian initially wanted to refuse, but then she thought about it. Last time, many people watched Lu Ban's video live, and it created great content, gaining her quite a few fans.

If she could be the first to stream Lu Ban's new video this time, maybe she could benefit from it too?

[Wang Chuan]: Okay, I'll watch it now.

She replied, then sent another message.

[Wang Chuan]: If anything goes wrong, you have to take responsibility.

After sending it, she felt the grammar was a bit off and was about to retract and edit it when Lu Ban had already replied.

[Unmoving]: No problem.

".What else can I do? I'll just watch it," Qin Tiantian said to her audience.

"I'm going to watch a video before I log off. My friend sent it to me."

She then found her following list and scrolled to Lu Ban's new video.

[Forbidden Zone Exploration 01: Jiangcheng Grand Theater]

"Tsk."

The moment Qin Tiantian saw the video title, she regretted it.

This is 100% a supernatural horror video!

And where is the Jiangcheng Grand Theater? You're not content with courting death at home, you have to go out and harm others?

Moreover, the video thumbnail showed several mannequin figures, dressed in tattered clothes. Their originally featureless faces had crude, graffiti-like eyes drawn on them.

Even though they were crude drawings, those eyes seemed to possess a life of their own, staring at Qin Tiantian outside the screen. Combined with the classic horror movie green filter, it gave her an uncomfortable feeling.

Just looking at the video thumbnail, Qin Tiantian felt her courage draining away.

But the audience didn't care about that. As soon as they saw some entertainment, they started heckling wildly.

[Holy crap, this video is great, I'm going to check it out too.]

[Don't be scared, Chuan Bao, Mom is here with you.]

[Is the Jiangcheng Grand Theater filmed in Jiangcheng?]

[Can we hear Chuan Bao's amazing screams today?]

[This video looks super exciting, Chuan Wang won't be able to sleep tonight.]

These viewers were like elementary school boys who, when they liked a girl, wouldn't dare confess their feelings directly. Instead, they'd bully her with all sorts of tricks, trying to get her attention while refusing to admit their affection. They loved to pick on the streamer the most.

Qin Tiantian swallowed, sat up a little straighter, and clicked on the video.

The video started with Lu Ban taking a bus to the suburbs. His commentary could be heard on the empty bus.

"The place we're going to explore today is the Jiangcheng Grand Theater. This theater is located on the outskirts of Jiangcheng City. It was abandoned over twenty years ago due to a fire. It's changed hands a few times and now belongs to Jiangcheng Industries, but it hasn't been developed and remains in a state of disrepair."

As Lu Ban filmed the desolate scenery outside, he introduced the situation of the Jiangcheng Grand Theater. This part was brief, explaining everything in less than two minutes. The news reports of the fire that were edited in were chilling and made one's heart pound.

Just as Qin Tiantian's curiosity was piqued, and she was about to search for the Jiangcheng Grand Theater fire case, the scene shifted.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, a dilapidated and decaying theater appeared on screen. Although it wasn't intentionally framed or rendered, the wild scenery left a deep impression, as if this were the same landscape survivors would see if human civilization were to be destroyed.

"A magnificent view ahead."

Lu Ban added.

When Qin Tiantian saw Lu Ban arrive in front of the abandoned theater, the sense of decay intensified.

The broken signs, the damaged roof, the moss-covered walls, the deserted corners – there was an unknown primal quality to it all.

"We're going to go inside now to check things out and set up some cameras in advance."

The video was from Lu Ban's first-person perspective. He picked up a flashlight and a crowbar, illuminating the dark entrance hall.

The screen immediately went black, and the video quality deteriorated significantly. Only the circle of light from the flashlight provided some visibility.

The bullet comments increased with the rising number of viewers.

[This atmosphere, it's 100% problematic!]

[I just checked, and the Jiangcheng Grand Theater is indeed quite creepy, not clean!]

[These videos are all staged, right? How can there be ghosts in this world.]

[Think about it, since they made a video and uploaded it, it means the person is definitely fine!]

[Scared, brothers, type 'Protect' in the public chat.]

Qin Tiantian barely had time to look at the bullet comments. She curled her slender legs, huddled on the chair, hugging her shoulders, her eyes half-closed, as if ready to close them at any moment and fool herself.

She saw the flashlight beam sweep across the abandoned corridor. Lu Ban's first-person view moved into a dressing room. The flashlight shone on the mirror on the wall directly opposite the door. As the camera zoomed in, a dark yellow grease was seen seeping from the edge of the mirror.

The camera seemed startled too, shaking slightly as it retreated.

Immediately after, Qin Tiantian saw that in the mirror illuminated by the flashlight, a pale-faced Lu Ban was looking at her, outside the camera's view, with a creepy, chilling smile.

Qin Tiantian instinctively held her breath.

*

Let me tell you all something.

The structure of this book is inspired by Kongtiao's "Adventure House" and "Healing Game." I've also added some of my own ideas, creating a path that intertwines dungeon exploration with real-world entertainment. The real-world entertainment is also connected to the dungeons, as the title suggests, but I won't go into detail.

Therefore, there will be instances where the protagonist explores a scenario and then retells it in a movie or video. Some might find this repetitive or lacking substance, but I think it's similar to tricking others into watching a horror movie. When readers are thrilled by the dungeon, they can also find satisfaction in watching the viewers in the book react to the video and feel a sense of schadenfreude. I believe this is a core element of the enjoyment in entertainment novels. Of course, as the dungeons get longer, I probably won't repeat them extensively; at most, I'll mention where changes were made.

As for some background or narrative descriptions, they are all intended to add detail. Since the free chapters are free to read, it's better to include them now rather than waste ink after the paid chapters begin.

Actually, I'm a very timid person. I've never been able to watch horror or thriller movies since I was young, and I'm even more afraid of horror novels and videos. So, I don't really know how to write scary content. As long as you all enjoy it, that's what matters.

For example, the first task is something I've often experienced. Sometimes when I'm sleeping, I dream that I'm sleeping in class, and my deskmate is calling me, but I can't wake up. My body desperately wants to move, but it can't, and I end up watching the teacher walk closer and closer. I've slightly modified this experience.

As for the second story, it's because... wait, the floor upstairs is being kicked again. I need to go check it out. I'll talk about it more in the author's notes if I get the chance!

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