Nightmare-Level Mission

"I'm sure you're still wondering whether ghosts really exist in this world. Let's play a little game. The truth will be revealed the moment you open your eyes."

The description of the Nightmare-level mission was extremely vague. It didn't make clear what you actually had to do; it just gave off an eerie feeling.

"From the mission description, it seems like I have to play a game. But how could simply playing a game qualify as Nightmare-level?" To complete the Normal-level mission, he had gone several hours without rest, only just managing to repair all the mannequins before the time limit.

Scrolling through his phone, Chen Ge grew more and more curious. "Why not give it a try?"

The moment the thought appeared, it spread uncontrollably through his mind like a creeping vine.

"Nightmare-level missions offer the highest rewards. Besides, I don't have any confidence that I can complete either the Easy or Normal mission out of the three that refreshed today. I might as well take a gamble."

If he couldn't make it through the off-season, the Haunted House would have to be transferred or shut down. Chen Ge understood his predicament all too well. Now that he'd finally seen some hope of turning things around, he naturally wasn't willing to let any opportunity pass him by.

"Then it's settled. Sooner or later, I'll have to experience a Nightmare-level mission anyway."

Sitting up in bed, Chen Ge tapped the last mission.

"Are you sure you want to accept the Nightmare-difficulty daily mission? Accepting may trigger unknown events."

"Confirm."

The phone screen flickered, and the actual mission details appeared.

"To see another world, you need extraordinary courage, remarkable luck, and a little help."

"Anything could happen in the dark. Perhaps an unfamiliar face will appear in the mirror. Maybe a pair of scarlet eyes will watch you from a corner, or blood will seep out through the walls and door cracks. All you have to do is remain unmoved and stand quietly in front of the mirror."

"After half an hour, the mission will automatically succeed, provided that you don't open your eyes, no matter what happens during that time."

After reading the description, Chen Ge felt a little uneasy. "Could there really be another world that ordinary people can't see?"

It was still a while until 2:04 a.m., so he didn't hurry out. Instead, he searched online for information about the game.

Before long, Chen Ge actually found a few things. Some people had been plagued by misfortune after playing the game. Others were vague in their accounts, repeatedly mentioning disfigured faces. And one person had even vanished from their own home, with the suspicion that they'd been dragged into the world inside a mirror.

"They describe everything in such vivid detail. It's just like a ghost story." The more Chen Ge read, the more curious he became. He ran a Haunted House, after all, and spent every day figuring out how to scare people and give visitors an even more terrifying experience without putting them in danger. After reading the various accounts of the game, he felt as if a new door were opening before him.

"Playing a horror game alone in a Haunted House in the middle of the night? Just thinking about it is exciting!"

He checked his phone's battery and decided this historic moment was worth recording.

"I'll film the whole thing. If it really is that terrifying, maybe I can add a new attraction to my Haunted House." He rummaged through boxes for a candle and a lighter. When two in the morning arrived, he took his things and went to the first-floor bathroom of the Haunted House.

Chen Ge had given the location some careful thought. If anything truly terrifying appeared during the game, he could jump out the window and escape.

The Haunted House lay silent in the dead of night. A young man who was willing to risk his life to save on electricity took a flashlight and candle and, without much hesitation, locked himself inside its narrow, cramped bathroom.

"An enclosed, pitch-black space is the best place to stir up fear. The bathroom is also the most yin-heavy place in the entire building. Mirrors, partitions, sinks—these props may seem ordinary, but in daily life, they're some of the things most likely to trigger psychological associations. The person who designed this game is clever. They understand the weaknesses deep in people's hearts and know how to use a simple setting to create the greatest terror." Chen Ge had an unusually profound understanding of suspense and horror. As he analyzed the game, he studied it, too.

"Real fear doesn't actually need a lot of expensive props. You only need to magnify the unease deep inside a visitor, and they'll defeat themselves." Chen Ge took a deep breath, opened the camera on his phone, and spoke to the screen. "I don't know what consequences this game will have. If anything happens to me, whoever finds this phone, please make sure to save this video. It'll be a key—a key to unlocking the lie."

After speaking, Chen Ge propped his phone beside the sink. From that angle, it could film both him and the mirror opposite him.

"It's 2:01. Three minutes to go."

Waiting for death was more terrifying than death itself. In the silent bathroom, every little sound was magnified. As the time drew closer, Chen Ge's heart beat faster and faster.

He watched the time on his phone. When the minute hand pointed to four, he turned off the flashlight, lit the candle, and placed it between himself and the mirror.

The wavering flame became the only source of light in the darkness. Standing between the mirror and reality, it looked like a ghost lantern, as if it were trying to lure something out of the mirror.

Chen Ge glanced at his reflection and felt, faintly, that something was strange. "Has the game started?"

He slowly lowered his head, closed his eyes, and softly recited his name.

"Chen Ge, Chen Ge, Chen Ge..."

Repeating your own name over and over could gradually make it feel unfamiliar. It was like writing the same Chinese character again and again until, in the end, you couldn't even recognize it.

To avoid that, Chen Ge silently counted to three after each time he recited his name. He was also using this method to keep track of time.

After all, the condition for success was to keep his eyes closed for half an hour, no matter what happened.

"It's past two in the morning. I'm alone in a Haunted House, standing in front of a mirror with my eyes closed and a candle lit, playing a game. If I weren't experiencing this myself, I'd never believe anyone would do something like this." Chen Ge silently repeated his name, doing his best to stop his mind from wandering.

"This game is full of psychological suggestions. The hardest part isn't dealing with the so-called ghosts and all the rumors. It's controlling yourself. As long as I don't open my eyes, I should be safe."

It was easier said than done. After the first ten minutes had passed, something unexpected happened.