The Turntable

Having studied human anatomy for years, Gao Ruxue spent more time with corpses than with her own roommates. She was not skilled at socializing; she understood the dead far better than the living.

"The makeup worn by our Haunted House actors is quite unique. Combined with the complex environment of the attraction and your own psychological suggestions, it's only natural that you'd experience illusions." Corpse Makeup and Gloomy Sunday were things that could not see the light of day; Chen Ge would never reveal the truth to outsiders.

He brushed the topic aside, unwilling to discuss it further. "If there's nothing else, you two, I have work to attend to."

After bidding farewell to the students from the forensic college, he sent Xu Wan to tidy up the props in the Ghost Marriage scene and ran into the control room alone.

Only Chen Ge knew the truth behind why He Shan had fainted from fright: the monster hiding in the mirror had not left; it was still lurking within the Haunted House.

Keeping it here is a hidden danger, after all. This was his first time accepting a Nightmare-level mission, and he had never expected such consequences.

Turning off the background music for the Haunted House, Chen Ge pulled up the surveillance footage. He watched the video of He Shan entering the West Wing Room repeatedly, playing it frame by frame, and soon made a discovery.

At 9:24:11, He Shan entered the West Wing Room. He had been scared out of his wits at the time, charging in blindly.

At 9:24:14, he reached the inner room and saw the Bronze Mirror for the first time. It was then that a very eerie scene appeared on the monitor.

The panicked He Shan had suddenly calmed down upon seeing the Bronze Mirror, as if time itself had stopped. He stood motionless in front of the glass.

The numbers representing the time on the surveillance footage kept changing. At 9:24:17, He Shan suddenly raised his left hand and walked toward the mirror of his own volition.

It looked as if someone were holding his hand, trying to forcibly pull him into the mirror!

At 9:24:20, Xu Wan, dressed in her wedding gown, chased after him from behind. By this time, half of He Shan's body was already pressed against the mirror. It was clearly visible on the monitor that something flashed across the glass, and then He Shan collapsed to the ground.

Was it Xiao Wan's arrival that ruined the monster's plan inside the mirror? Chen Ge watched the video repeatedly. So much had happened in those short ten seconds. He rubbed his temples, unable to come up with a good solution for the time being.

It seems I have no choice but to cover all the mirrors in the Haunted House for now. Once I figure out a way to deal with this monster, I'll come back to root it out completely.

He ducked into the prop room, grabbed a few pieces of black cloth, and entered the Ghost Marriage set.

"Boss, why are you here? You can leave these to me." Xu Wan saw Chen Ge from across the gate; she was busy stuffing scattered paper figures and spirit money back into the coffin.

"I'm here to tell you something: all props related to mirrors in the Haunted House are temporarily out of service. Also, when you're playing the ghost, be careful not to get too close to any mirrors." Chen Ge held the black cloth and helped Xu Wan reassemble the scattered coffin props.

Xu Wan didn't quite understand Chen Ge's actions, but she didn't press him for details.

After rearranging the scene in the main room, Chen Ge entered the West Wing Room alone.

White paper lanterns hung high, and the room was dimly lit. He stood where He Shan had fainted, staring silently at the Bronze Mirror.

A person living in a mirror? Could it be that another world is hidden inside? Chen Ge touched the icy surface of the mirror, looking at his own reflection. After staring for a long time, he felt something was off. When I handed He Shan the mineral water earlier, he subconsciously reached for it with his right hand, meaning he isn't left-handed. Yet, in the surveillance, he raised his left hand first. Why would he do something contrary to his own habits? Could it be that he was already being controlled by the thing in the mirror, unable to help himself?

Chen Ge pressed his own left hand against the mirror, aligning it with his reflection. After all, only everything inside a mirror is the opposite of reality.

Covering the mirror with the black cloth, Chen Ge sat in the Haunted House and took out his Black Phone. The bell must be untied by the person who tied it. The monster appeared because of the Black Phone; if I want to kill it, I'll likely need the Black Phone's help.

He swiped the screen and tapped the Haunted House icon. The application interface had changed slightly; the number of visitors for today and the current month had each increased by two.

In the section for unlockable horror scenes, a new trial mission had appeared. Clicking on it revealed a prompt stating that completing the trial mission would unlock the corresponding horror scene.

This game is designed very fairly. Completing missions earns rewards, and the richness of the rewards is tied to the difficulty of the mission. If I want to develop the Haunted House quickly and deal with the dirty thing in the mirror, I need to complete as many missions as possible.

Daily missions could only be completed once a day, so Chen Ge naturally looked at the trial mission.

"Midnight Escape Trial Mission: A dangerous mental patient has moved into a dilapidated apartment building. He is wandering outside your door, holding scissors and a hammer."

"Mission Location: Ping An Apartment, West Suburbs."

"Mission Requirements: Arrive at the mission site before 23:00 today, find the murderer, and survive until dawn."

"Mission Hint: He hides among the crowd; beneath a kind exterior lies a heart scarred and ravaged."

"Accept mission? Note: Trial missions only exist for 24 hours. If not accepted within 24 hours, it will be considered abandoned, and this scene will be permanently locked."

Chen Ge had been a bit hesitant, but after seeing the last line, he decisively chose to accept.

If it's a blessing, it's not a curse; if it's a curse, it cannot be avoided. Now that the Haunted House is finally showing some promise, I must seize every opportunity to run it better.

After accepting the mission, he continued to look down. The Horror Roulette at the very bottom had been activated at some point.

Chen Ge curiously tapped on the roulette interface, and a line of text appeared on the screen:

Life and death are fated; wealth and honor are in the hands of heaven. Here lie spiritual fruits that increase lifespan, as well as vengeful ghosts filled with hatred.

The roulette is activated upon collecting the first visitor scream. A free draw is gifted (visitor screams must exceed 70 decibels to be collected; after accumulating 100, you gain one spin of the roulette).

"It takes one hundred screams to redeem one spin?" Chen Ge held the phone, his expression strange. "This roulette is too much of a scam. The conditions are already hard to meet, and the final result is uncertain. If I actually spin out a vengeful ghost, that would be a real disaster."

He looked at the remaining spins on the roulette, his heart itching. It was the same feeling one gets when seeing a notification on their phone—regardless of whether it's spam, you just want to tap it.

Trying it once shouldn't cause any problems, right? Chen Ge consoled himself, his finger lightly tapping the screen, and the roulette began to spin immediately.

As long as it's not a vengeful ghost, anything else will do!