There were traces of this manor online.
It just wasn't called Haunted Manor, but a luxurious estate called Bly, located in the English countryside.
Strangely, the website even had job listings for teachers, with someone specifically assigned to handle them.
Then why had it appeared on a Florida highway?
It was all like a mystery.
Li Dan thought of the Ghost Card's hint again. It referred to traces of Haunted Manor, not a person's name.
That made it seem like Haunted Manor was a whole entity, something akin to a contained anomaly.
It seemed somewhat similar to Silent Hill.
But none of that mattered. As long as it did not set its sights on Li Dan, he was fine. He had only researched it because he was afraid of violating some rule of the manor and becoming a target.
Faced with this kind of supernatural horror, he had no power to resist yet.
The next day.
Round Clam Public School.
Li Dan had been taking leave frequently lately, but under the effects of Money Power, the entire administration, including the principal, said there was no problem. His grades in every class were even excellent.
When he arrived in the classroom, he greeted his classmates.
Everyone responded enthusiastically, even more enthusiastically than before, because school was about to let out for break.
With a vacation lasting several months, everyone was discussing where to travel or spend their holidays.
Li Dan took his seat in the back row, and a classmate to his left invited him to visit another state.
Li Dan asked curiously.
"Jack, where are you guys planning to go?"
"How about Crystal Lake? Everyone says it's really exciting."
"?" Li Dan silently declined. People online said that people often went missing at Crystal Lake. Others might not know why, but didn't he?
Jason, the killer from American Horror Story, was sleeping over there.
And the guy even had an Immortal Body.
Damn it, and you people still want to go looking for thrills?
There was a reason foreign countries had such small populations.
Just then, class ended. The black-haired beauty seated in front of Li Dan turned around and asked with a smile.
"Li, I heard your father left you an old castle somewhere in the State of Florida. Would I have the honor of visiting it?"
There was no concept of a school beauty queen in this era, but the sexy stunner before him was a celebrity in Round Clam Town and the captain of the school's cheerleading squad: Jennifer.
Most of the men at school were at Jennifer's feet.
Only Li Dan was not particularly interested in her, because he had seen Jennifer's body. If the women of American Horror Story were ranked by looks, Jennifer could absolutely compete for first place.
Jennifer Tu.
But Li Dan knew that she would be possessed by a demon and turn into a deadly beauty who fed on human brains, so he kept his distance from her—for now.
Why only for now? Because he occasionally wanted to gauge the quality of a demon, too.
But the Ghost Card had not given him any hint yet, which meant Jennifer probably had not been possessed. As for when it would happen, who knew?
"Jennifer, I may be traveling soon and won't have much time to return to the castle, so you know."
"What's so interesting about traveling? Didn't you just get back from a trip? Compared with that, don't you think a castle would be more interesting?"
Jennifer playfully stuck out her tongue, the implication unmistakable.
Whether she meant it for real was another matter.
According to both Li Dan and the school's rumors, Jennifer looked very open, but in reality, few people caught her eye. Put simply, she had too many simps.
Just as Li Dan was about to speak, Sam, another international student nearby, unhappily interrupted their conversation.
"Hey, Li Dan, I'm planning to go cave exploring with the teachers during this break. I was wondering if you'd be interested?"
Li Dan looked at Sam as she spoke about cave exploration. With a few questions, he learned it was The Descent. If nothing unexpected happened, Sam's expedition team would enter the wrong cave and encounter the monsters inside.
He suddenly realized that the students in his class seemed more suicidal than the next.
Pretty much every place they planned to visit was connected to something dangerous.
Although he had not heard of a few of them, the chances of something happening were not low.
Li Dan was now a little worried that when everyone returned to school after the next break, there would be very few classmates left.
Both Jennifer and Sam waited for Li Dan's answer.
In Jennifer's eyes, Li Dan would definitely choose her. Sam's looks were merely ordinary, and neither her face nor her figure could compare to Jennifer's.
Or rather, few people in Round Clam Town could compare to her.
A demon or cave monsters—was there even a choice to make?
The cave monsters had physical bodies, while no one knew when a demon might possess someone. Li Dan wisely chose Sam.
The caves suited him better!
"Sam, that's a very good suggestion. I'm very interested in exploration. Maybe I can even provide some professional equipment for you."
"Li Dan, I guarantee the teachers will welcome you joining us."
After saying that, Sam gave Jennifer a provocative glance.
This made Jennifer angry and stirred up her competitive spirit. She did not believe she could lose to a bitch like that.
So after school, Jennifer blocked Li Dan's path home.
Her goal was simple: make Li Dan ditch Sam. In exchange, she could give Li Dan a chance to pursue her.
Yes, even though Li Dan was rich and tall, he was ultimately just a Chinese international student.
In Jennifer's opinion, giving Li Dan a chance was already generous. Besides, she treated Li Dan differently from the other simps. As long as he put in a little effort, she truly would not mind agreeing to date him.
"Jennifer, are you kidding? Do you think I'd be short of women?" There was no small amount of disdain in Li Dan's tone.
Upon hearing that, Jennifer merely lowered her head and looked at herself. She could not see her toes, only a stretch of fair skin capable of driving men mad. Confused, she asked.
"Am I worse than Sam? Why choose her instead of me?"
Li Dan had to admit that Sam and Jennifer were not in the same league. Jennifer was tall, with soft, curvaceous lines. Her figure carried a soul-stealing languidness, sensuality practically spilling from her body.
She was like a plump, delicious peach filled with sweet juice, one glance enough to make people want to commit a crime.
"I was just genuinely interested in cave exploration."
Jennifer asked, "So you're only interested in the expedition, and you didn't really choose Sam, right?"
Seeing the faint expectation in her eyes, Li Dan was speechless.
"When did I ever say I was interested in Sam?"
Jennifer suddenly smiled and even apologized to Li Dan. Then she asked again.
"So in your eyes, I'm more attractive than Sam, right?"
"Yes." Li Dan did not deny it. Anyone would make the same choice. In terms of charm alone, anyone who was not blind would choose Jennifer.
Jennifer wore a confident smile again.
"Since you like cave exploration, how about I come with you?"
"No. The caves are dangerous." Li Dan had no desire to bring along a decorative vase.
"Can I take that as you being concerned about me?"
"You're really narcissistic, Jennifer."
Jennifer said slyly, "You admitted my beauty yourself. You don't mind if I tell Sam, do you?"
Li Dan: →_→
"I don't mind."
Jennifer said, "Li, I believe now that you really do like exploration. I take back what I said earlier. Maybe I'll be the one pursuing you. Remember to call me after you come back from the expedition."
As classmates, they had each other's phone numbers.
Before Li Dan could refuse, Jennifer had already walked away with a sway of her pert hips. She had proven her charm.
Jennifer's reason for taking the initiative with Li Dan was simple: she had taken a liking to his handsome face and considerable wealth. It was very practical.
But after discovering that Li Dan was different from those men ruled by lust, she immediately changed her approach.
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