The Sound from the Third Floor

Time passed, and night shrouded the House of Horrors.

In the dead of night, a strange sound suddenly emerged within the quiet Haunted House, as if someone were sawing through something.

In the staff lounge, Chen Ge slowly opened his eyes. He checked his phone—it was 1:10 AM.

He rolled over and pressed a pillow against his head, but that bizarre sound kept drilling into his ears.

Am I not dreaming? What on earth is making that noise?

Every prop in this Haunted House was crafted or modified by Chen Ge himself; he knew perfectly well that none of them could produce a sound like wood being sawed.

Having slept for six or seven hours, his head was still a bit foggy. Chen Ge pinched his thigh hard, put on his clothes, and took a hammer from his toolbox.

He turned on his flashlight and pushed open the lounge door.

The Haunted House in the middle of the night was many times more terrifying than during the day. Chen Ge leaned against the doorway, not rushing to go out.

It can't be a thief; only a moron would come to a Haunted House to steal things in the middle of the night. It can't be rats either; the sound of them gnawing on wood is light and crisp, not this clear. After ruling out the options any normal person would consider, Chen Ge began to think in an abnormal direction: Could it be that the Mirror Monster has escaped?

Because he didn't have enough fabric, Chen Ge hadn't covered all the mirrors in the third-floor Midnight Escape scenario.

He stared into the pitch-black corridor, took a few steps back, and kept the ragdoll left behind by his parents close to his body before daring to step out of the room.

The sound was coming from overhead. Chen Ge followed the stairs upward, finally stopping outside the door of the Midnight Escape scenario.

It's definitely coming from inside here, though it's unclear if it's the lingering soul of a Ping An Apartment victim or that filthy thing from the mirror. Pausing at the door, Chen Ge hesitated slightly. To be honest, even he didn't want to enter a horror scenario in the middle of the night.

Tormented by the cutting sound inside, Chen Ge gripped the hammer handle tightly: I possess the Ghost Favored title and have gained the goodwill of the Ping An Apartment victims. Even if I encounter the filthy thing from the mirror inside the Midnight Escape scenario, it shouldn't be able to do anything to me.

He recalled the scene where the Mirror Monster knocked He Shan unconscious; it was only because Xu Wan suddenly appeared that its plan failed. This showed that the monster wasn't actually that powerful.

Let's go in and take a look. In any case, the Mirror Monster and I are already locked in a life-or-death struggle. The more I know about it, the more confident I'll be in dealing with it. Chen Ge was very calm. He knew in his heart that what he feared wasn't the monster itself, but the feeling of facing the unknown.

Opening the door to the Midnight Escape scenario, a faint musty smell drifted through the area. It was becoming more and more like the Ping An Apartment.

The doors on both sides of the corridor were half-open. Chen Ge held up his phone, gripping the hammer in his other hand as he entered.

The cutting sound grew louder; Chen Ge knew he was getting closer to the truth with every step.

He walked through the entire third floor and finally stopped outside a room. He was certain that the eerie sound was coming from inside.

The door wasn't shut tight. Chen Ge reached out and grabbed the doorknob; the icy sensation made him much more alert.

He tensed the muscles in his legs and shoved the door open violently.

"Who's in there!"

Chen Ge rushed into the room with the hammer raised, just in time to see a hulking black figure crouching in the bathroom. Its silhouette looked remarkably similar to He Feng!

The black shadow hadn't expected anyone to enter. It dropped what it was holding, turned, and leaped into the mirror, vanishing instantly.

"Stop!" Chen Ge shouted, swinging the hammer, but he hit nothing.

The bathroom was empty, as if everything that had just happened were a hallucination.

That figure was definitely not He Feng! But why was its height and build exactly the same as He Feng's? Standing in front of the mirror, Chen Ge looked at his own reflection and felt a faint sense of unease. Is this monster imitating He Feng? What is its true purpose in doing so?

The appearance of the black shadow brought many questions, but it also revealed two pieces of information to Chen Ge.

First, the Mirror Monster could leave the mirror to move about; second, it could become identical to anyone who had looked into the mirror.

This guy is even more dangerous than I imagined.

The cutting sound echoing in the Haunted House finally stopped. Chen Ge squatted down and looked at the few items the black shadow had discarded.

On the rough concrete floor lay four crooked ragdolls and several sharp mirror shards.

He held the ragdolls in his palms to examine them. The dolls representing his mother, older sister, and younger sister were merely covered in dust and dirt, with no major damage.

Only the doll symbolizing his father had its neck half-severed, with multiple lacerations on its body; it was severely damaged.

Why was only the father injured? Chen Ge quickly thought of a reason: the father doll had helped He Feng escape, ruining the Mirror Monster's plan, which was why the monster had retaliated against it.

The lingering thoughts of the four victims couldn't stop the monster in the mirror and could only let it bully them; the disparity in strength is quite significant. Chen Ge knew nothing about the power of that world and could only speculate based on limited information: The victims' lingering thoughts have no means of attack other than scaring people. The Mirror Monster is a level higher than the victims' lingering thoughts, but it runs away as soon as it sees someone. Viewed this way, the monster's own combat strength is weak; its primary means of attack must be on a psychological level—for instance, exploiting the flaws deep within people's hearts to make them dazed and hallucinate, thereby losing themselves.

Combining the encounters of He Shan and He Feng with what had just happened, Chen Ge reached his own conclusion.

The Mirror Monster was extremely troublesome, but its abilities couldn't be brought to bear in a direct confrontation. Therefore, as long as he found a way to lure it out of the mirror, everything would be manageable.

I need to plan this carefully and try to resolve it tonight so that the Midnight Escape scenario can be put into use tomorrow. Chen Ge's gaze was calm. The monster in the mirror was becoming increasingly brazen; if he didn't eliminate it, he wouldn't be able to sleep or eat in peace.

Carrying the four ragdolls, he left the Midnight Escape scenario. After locking the door, Chen Ge entered the tool room.

As he took out a needle and thread to stitch the wounds on the ragdolls, he pondered his strategy.

That monster is highly aggressive and seems very interested in living people. If I want to lure it out of the mirror, the simplest method is to use a living person as bait. Chen Ge was dexterous; within a few minutes, he had stitched up most of the wounds.

But the crux of the problem is, once I lure it out of the mirror, how do I kill it? I've heard that ghosts fear salt and garlic, but if it really comes to a fight, wouldn't throwing those things at it be a bit too childish? After serious consideration, he decided to log onto the paranormal forum to ask for advice.