Children of the Arcade

Xu Yuan was killed by a vengeful ghost in Sapphire Mall back then. After his death, he also used supernatural powers to preserve his corpse.

These two events happening together in Sapphire Mall would inevitably leave some abnormal phenomena.

The old security guard squinted, looking at the mall filled with people, and thought for a long time:

"Ghost stories?

"I've been a security guard here since this construction site broke ground. Later, because of my dedication, even the outsourcing companies left, but I stayed. Let alone the mall opening, not a single worker died even when they were laying the foundation. How could there be ghost stories?

"You might as well say something happened here before the mall construction began, that was over twenty years ago, and I have no idea about that.

"Old classmate, long time no see, why ask such an unlucky question? Let's go have a drink up ahead."

The supernatural walkie-talkie at Gao Tian's waist had not made a sound.

This meant that neither the group of Shata nor Jiangyang had found any clues so far, whether they were in the basement or above the mall.

Gao Tian grabbed the old security guard's arm and looked him in the eyes:

"Think carefully, what is special about this place.

"You must remember, because it's very important."

After his mental suggestion, the old security guard's eyes became hazy again, and the memory ghost began to exert its power:

"Something very important...

"There's one thing, I don't know if it counts as important."

Gao Tian:

"Go on."

The old security guard pointed to the third floor above:

"At the end of Zone B, there's an abandoned arcade that's been empty for many years.

"The owner of this arcade bid for and opened a shop when Sapphire Mall was just built. Business was very good at first, and he was overwhelmed every month.

"But later, for some reason, the boss's child died first, his wife divorced him, and soon after, the boss went mad and committed suicide.

"His shops in other malls were quickly sold off. But for some reason, no one took over the arcade in Sapphire Mall. Even though business was good before, all the equipment and decorations were left to rot inside. It's been three years, and no one has dealt with it.

"I don't know if this fits the story you want to hear.

"If you calculate it, the boss went mad and committed suicide less than a year after the arcade opened."

Gao Tian released his hand and nodded:

"Understood."

His method of searching for the corpse was different from Shata and the others. It wasn't a systematic sweep floor by floor. Sapphire Mall had such a large flow of people, swallowing so many travelers every day. This area, every nook and cranny, must have been trodden countless times by countless people.

A normal hiding place wouldn't last two years. If so many people hadn't found the corpse's hiding spot in such a long time, Shata and the others would definitely fail trying to find it in one day.

So, Gao Tian changed his strategy from the start. The Green Text Mission would surely leave some clues. He needed to start with folk rumors or strange tales.

First, he would go to the arcade according to the clue provided by the old security guard. If there was no problem there, it would only be a waste of fifteen minutes. Then, he would investigate one by one, starting with the cleaner, the mall manager, the elevator repairman, and anyone else who understood this mall.

"Sigh, about that matter with Dao Ge, I've wanted to thank you for so many years. Aren't you really going to have a drink?"

Seeing Gao Tian turn to leave, the old security guard looked regretful. It was not easy for someone his age to meet an old classmate, and he wanted to keep him there.

Gao Tian turned his head and looked at him:

"Uncle, you're about forty years older than me. How could I possibly be your old classmate?

"I mistook you for someone else. You must have remembered wrong."

The old security guard looked completely bewildered:

"Huh?"

Before leaving, he didn't forget to eliminate the influence of the Memory Ghost on ordinary people as much as possible.

Area B on the third floor, the location of the arcade, was harder to find than expected. The place was originally at the very end of a corridor corner, and all the directional signs had been removed. As Gao Tian walked along, it became more desolate, and the passersby around him grew fewer and fewer. He almost thought he had left Sapphire Mall.

No wonder this place hadn't been rented out for so long after the arcade owner died. Gao Tian reasonably suspected that perhaps the mall management themselves had forgotten about this shop, leaving it vacant.

At the very end of the wall, two large iron doors were securely locked. The iron chains on the doors, as thick as a wrist, had rusted to a deep red. Let alone Gao Tian not having the original key, even if he did, he wouldn't be able to open it. The keyhole was already blocked by rust.

Through the glass on the door, which was already completely obscured, one could still vaguely see various game consoles piled with dust inside the arcade. If they had been sold off at a clearance price when the arcade first closed, they could have fetched a sum of money. Now, of course, they were worthless.

This world was truly a shoddy setup.

However, the lock wouldn't stop Gao Tian. After arriving here, he had brought his important item, the Ghost Transformation Spear. Although its effects were heaven-defying, its sharpness and hardness were truly no joke.

He began to try, stabbing the most rusted part of the iron chain with the tip of the spear. The sound of metal colliding echoed. With each forceful strike from Gao Tian, the entire lock ring actually began to deform noticeably. If he smashed it again, it probably wouldn't hold for much longer.

Just as the iron chain was about to break. Urgent footsteps suddenly came from the corner across the wall. A staff member wearing a Sapphire Mall uniform happened to be passing by. Hearing some noise, he immediately hurried over and bumped right into Gao Tian, who was working with great effort.

The staff member's expression changed instantly. While dialing the pager under his collar, he walked quickly towards Gao Tian:

"Hey, what are you doing here? Who told you to break the lock?

"This is private property. If you can't explain your reasons for doing this clearly, I'm calling the police."

At the same time, the pager connected beneath his collar also transmitted his colleague's voice:

"Old Boss, Old Boss, I'm patrolling the 5th floor.

"What's going on over there? Is it another water pipe leak, or did a mouse get in."

Seeing that it was difficult to explain, Gao Tian remained unruffled. He feigned surprise, pointed towards the ceiling, and looked innocently at the staff member opposite him:

"I don't know either. As soon as I came over, I heard such a loud noise.

"Maybe they're doing construction upstairs. Did you receive notice that this area on the fourth floor was scheduled for renovation today?"

The Memory Ghost's ability activated once more. Gao Tian's gestures and words were all instilling false memories into the other person's mind.

"What fourth floor? What does this have to do with the fourth floor? It's clearly you..."

The staff member's expression shifted from initial anger to gradual confusion and bewilderment, then he began to regain clarity.

He looked up towards the fourth floor and then, running in the opposite direction, he sprinted away:

"Go check if any renovation team was scheduled for the fourth floor today. When I was on the third floor, I heard tinkling sounds..."

Gao Tian watched the staff member's figure disappear around the corner at the end of the corridor. It seemed the Memory Ghost's ability had successfully deceived him.

He turned around and swung the Ghost Transformation Spear down with one last forceful blow. The iron chains snapped, and the dust-sealed main door of the arcade creaked open with a slight push.

Gao Tian slowly walked inside.

Sealed for several years, the air was thick with the smell of dust. The arcade itself wasn't large, less than two hundred square meters. Dozens of game consoles were arranged inside, making it seem crowded even when empty.

Wanting to find clues here, he didn't know where to start.

Perhaps he should check the arcade's front desk first.

The arcade owner's sudden suicide was probably not just because his son died and his wife went mad. Perhaps the arcade's own profit had also become an issue.

Gao Tian gripped the Ghost Transformation Spear tightly. Although it was useless against a true ghost, it was genuinely sharp and provided a sense of security as a weapon.

Just as Gao Tian continued forward, a sudden clattering sound echoed from a corner of the empty arcade, accompanied by the rattling of joysticks and the sound effects of game characters being attacked.

No, it couldn't be...

Gao Tian felt his body stiffen instantly.

Even the simple act of turning his neck to locate the source of the sound was incredibly difficult.

In this unmanned arcade, abandoned for over two years, someone was actually playing games right now. Was one of the machines serving a guest?

Even a fool would know that was impossible. Firstly, it was uncertain if these machines could even still run. With the iron door outside sealed shut like this, how could an ordinary person get in? Turning them on would require electricity, right? The owner was dead, so who would continue paying the electricity bill for the arcade until now?

Then, there could only be one possibility for someone still playing games here at this moment.

Ghosts.

Gao Tian's muscles tensed to the extreme, ready for battle. He slowly turned his head, looking towards the only game console still lit up in the entire arcade.

Sitting in front of the game console was a boy of twelve or thirteen, with white skin and red lips, looking very pretty. He was wearing a black and red school uniform and carrying a schoolbag. He was engrossed in operating his character on the glittering screen, completely unaware that someone had entered the arcade, not even looking up in Gao Tian's direction.

Who was this little boy? He remembered the Arcade Owner once had a son who died mysteriously, which indirectly led to the owner's suicide and the arcade's closure.

Could it be the owner's son, whose soul was trapped here for some reason, lingering like a ghost, still playing games in his dad's former territory?

The situation between the two remained at a stalemate for a while. Gao Tian could have simply walked out of the arcade, but instinct told him that this little boy would be a Key Figure. If he left in fear now, he might not be able to encounter him again next time he entered.

Gao Tian decided to take a risk. He made the first move, attempting to use his Memory Ghost ability to see if he could control the little boy and extract some useful Information from him:

"Kid.

"Do you still remember me? I'm your favorite Gao Gege. That Transformer you really liked before, it's still at your house, I bought it for you.

"Where's your Dad? Is he around here?"