Missing Person Notice

At 4:30 p.m., Chen Ge stood alone in the Haunted House's Prop Room, looking at the things spread across the table, unsure what to take.

"What should I bring to stay in a haunted house?"

"ID, phone, power bank, lighter, Fruit Knife, Tool Hammer... Oh, and I need to bring this Ragdoll too."

Chen Ge stuffed the Ragdoll that had appeared in front of the mirror last night into his Backpack. After making sure he hadn't forgotten anything, he zipped up the bag and left the room.

"Xiao Wan, you can finish work early today. Come lock up later. I have something to take care of, so I'm heading out."

"Boss, it's not even five yet. Are you going on vacation?"

"The keys are on the table in the Prop Room. See you tomorrow."

Seeing Chen Ge looking as if he were about to throw caution to the wind, Xu Wan could only give a helpless "Oh." She dropped the Haunted House Promotional Flyers and dashed into the Prop Room.

"That girl." The evening breeze scattered the flyers. Chen Ge shook his head, picked up a stone, and set it on top of them. "I hope she doesn't see me on tomorrow morning's news."

Despite how relaxed and carefree he seemed, Chen Ge was actually very nervous. He had been on edge all afternoon.

Last night's Nightmare-level mission had opened the door to another world for him. It had also made him realize that the missions issued by the Black Phone really could be dangerous.

"Trial missions are definitely harder than daily missions. I'll have to be extra careful tonight." To make sure he got through the night safely, Chen Ge rode a shared bike to Ping An Apartment before dark.

The mission information provided only a place name. To find Ping An Apartment, Chen Ge combined it with a complaint posted nine months ago and asked people for directions along the way. It took him more than two hours to reach his destination.

"Would anyone actually live in an Apartment Building in such a remote place?"

A dirt path overgrown with weeds wound into the depths of the woods. There were no streetlights, but through the sparse branches, he could make out a dark gray building in the distance.

On the way, Chen Ge had asked many people about it, but most had never heard of Ping An Apartment. In the end, a man in his sixties had pointed him in the right direction and kindly tried to dissuade him, saying someone had died there before and the place was cursed. Even the locals went out of their way to avoid it in broad daylight.

Chen Ge had his own troubles. If it weren't for the mission on the Black Phone, who would go out of their way to spend the night in a place like that?

"It's 6:50. The mission says I have to arrive before eleven tonight, so I've got plenty of time to find out what's going on in the haunted house."

Following the winding dirt path, Chen Ge went deep into the woods. After walking several dozen meters, he finally saw the infamous haunted house.

The residence was enclosed by tall, dark gray walls, with only one entrance. The rusted iron gates stood open, and a brand-new padlock hung from them.

"The gate's falling apart, but the lock looks pretty new. Wait, what's this?" There was a sheet of white paper stuck beside the gate. Chen Ge had assumed it was an advertisement or something, but when he examined it by the light of his phone, he realized it was a Missing Person Notice.

"Zhang Qing, female, 27 years old, height 157 cm, slim build, black mole near the bridge of her nose beside her right eye, usually wears red clothes... Anyone with information, please contact Mr. Wang. A generous reward is guaranteed!"

The Missing Person Notice listed the contact person's details and address at the bottom. What caught Chen Ge's attention was that Mr. Wang's address was this very haunted house.

"Something's off." His instincts told him something was wrong. He took out his phone and photographed the Missing Person Notice before entering the courtyard.

The building was much bigger than he had expected. The main building had three floors, and beside it stood a warehouse and another building that looked like a Water Room.

"The plaster's peeling off like this. It must be at least twenty or thirty years old." The whole building was badly run-down, but it was fairly clean. There was no trash on the ground, and all the weeds had been cleared away.

After parking his bike in the courtyard, Chen Ge entered the main building with his bag on his back. "Anyone here?"

The long corridor was pitch-black. After a dozen seconds, a nearby door cracked open.

"Hello." Chen Ge walked toward the room, but the occupant didn't seem willing to face him. The door opened only a finger's width and stopped.

There was no light on inside. Chen Ge could only make out a woman standing behind the crack in the door. Her eyes were bloodshot, as if she often stayed up late, and she looked exhausted.

"I wanted to ask how much it costs to stay in this Apartment Building for one night." Chen Ge kept his voice soft, trying to sound friendly. To his surprise, the woman reacted very strangely. She smiled at him, then immediately shut the door.

"What does that mean?" Before he could figure it out, he heard footsteps on the second floor. The Voice-activated Light at the end of the corridor came on, and a limping, middle-aged man came downstairs.

The man must have heard what Chen Ge had said earlier. "You want to stay at my place? How long are you planning to rent a room?"

"You're the Landlord?" Chen Ge walked over. "I'm only staying one night."

"One night?" The Lame Man looked Chen Ge up and down, as if trying to see right through him. "Fine. Let me see your ID. Come upstairs to pay."

Chen Ge was about to follow the man upstairs when the iron gate at the courtyard entrance suddenly rattled. Hearing it, the Lame Man frowned, his expression instantly souring.

He stopped where he was, so Chen Ge could only wait.

A moment later, a haggard-looking, middle-aged man walked in. His clothes were shabby, and he carried a thick stack of flyers.

"Wang Qi, I told you your girlfriend isn't here. If you keep pestering me, don't blame me for what happens!" The Lame Man stood halfway up the stairs, blocking the way.

The middle-aged man ignored the Lame Man and trudged upstairs with his head down.

"I'm talking to you!" The Lame Man shoved him hard. Caught off guard, the man slammed into the wall, and the flyers scattered across the floor. One landed right by Chen Ge's feet.

"It's a Missing Person Notice, exactly like the one on the gate of the Apartment Building." Chen Ge narrowed his eyes. Without drawing attention to himself, he picked up the notice and kept an eye on the stairs.

The middle-aged man didn't fight back. He got up and silently began picking up the Missing Person Notices, moving like a walking corpse.

"Don't mind him. He's crazy." The Lame Man beckoned Chen Ge to follow him upstairs.

"Crazy?" As Chen Ge passed the middle-aged man, he stole a glance at him. "The description of Midnight Escape mentioned that a mental patient had infiltrated the Apartment Building. If this man is crazy, could he be the killer I'm looking for?"