Crow's Nest

"Caw?"

Zhang Ze looked at the woman before him and could not help feeling a trace of pity.

After gaining the true power of the World in the Painting, he saw Lingling's true nature clearly. She was merely a puppet formed from countless crows, mechanically carrying out her obsession with killing.

Even her self-awareness was severely incomplete.

In a sense, rather than saying the Red-Clothed woman before him was a ghost, it was more accurate to say that the severed hands Zhang Ze had obtained from the system lottery at the beginning were the ghost. Those hands were the real Lingling.

"Die."

Just two soft words.

The Red-Clothed woman's body rapidly collapsed, turning into masses of sticky red-black liquid. They fell to the ground, sprouted wings and claws, then flew away with strange cries.

The Red-Clothed woman had not truly died.

As long as Zhang Ze wished it, he could gather the crows at any time and recreate the Red-Clothed woman.

"Y-you... how did you do that?"

After witnessing the scene, Li Yang's face was filled with disbelief.

He had only been apart from Zhang Ze for a little over ten minutes, yet Zhang Ze seemed like a completely different person.

He had gone from prey to Hunter.

"I borrowed the power of the World in the Painting to conduct a small experiment," Zhang Ze replied.

After attaching the Ghost Hands.

Zhang Ze had not only recovered his original memories, but also gained control over all the crows in the forest. To him, nothing in the World in the Painting could threaten him anymore.

Little Bear.

Bald Strong.

They too were monsters transformed from crows. It was apparent from how their corpses changed after they died.

The only thing he could not control...

"This Cellar... I actually can't force it shut."

"That survivor from back then was interesting. He actually managed to use his own power to forcibly create an exit in the Door-After World. Even Chen Ge's parents probably couldn't do that."

Zhang Ze stared at the Cellar before him.

He could control every passage.

Including the Tree Hole door and the cabin door.

Only this Cellar before him was beyond his direct control. He could only conceal it by altering the terrain.

"Send Little Zhou out."

"Everything is over."

After Zhang Ze spoke.

Li Yang placed Little Zhou into the Cellar. Once Little Zhou entered it, he was completely severed from the World in the Painting. Zhang Ze saw a hint of envy on Li Yang's face.

"If I leave through the Cellar too, would I have a chance to return to reality?"

Li Yang had seen the possibility of leaving through the Cellar. Naturally, he wanted to return to reality as well, rather than remain trapped in this endless hell.

Zhang Ze said, "You already died in reality. If you leave through the Cellar, there are only two possibilities left."

"First, your soul will scatter completely. Since you lost your former memories long ago, I have reason to suspect that the Door-After World provided your current body. Second, even if you return to reality, you'll be a ghost."

"You have no memories. You'd be a lonely ghost in the world, and perhaps that would be worse than staying here. I'll turn this place into the most influential horror Game Field in the world, and you can play games with the visitors."

Build a Game Field?

Li Yang was stunned speechless.

He had not expected Zhang Ze to have such an idea.

Ordinary people would never think of turning such a dangerous place into a Game Field, would they?

This was the Door-After World.

It was filled with oppression, terror, and danger.

Zhang Ze did not continue explaining.

In any case, he intended to keep Li Yang and Old Zhou, these two NPCs, as employees in the game. They had no right to choose. Zhang Ze was already being merciful by giving them this job.

He now needed to begin transforming the World in the Painting.

"First, this map needs a landmark. Just as people think of Paris when they see the Arc de Triomphe, and London when they see Big Ben, we need to give every customer something memorable."

"The Tree Hole and the cabin are undoubtedly the most suitable places. Little Bear and Bald Strong will also serve as NPCs to provide players with a terrifying experience."

"Crows can act as cameras. No matter what happens, I can learn about it through the crows immediately."

"Second, the Cellar can serve as the only way out. Visitors will need to evade Lingling's pursuit, find the Cellar in the forest, and escape the forest. Along the way, they may encounter Little Bear and Bald Strong, these two Lingering Remnants, or they may encounter Li Yang and Old Zhou."

"As the first game scenario, it already has enough content and enough selling points."

Zhang Ze was very satisfied.

He was confident that his first map would surpass Chen Ge's Peaceful Apartment.

What was Peaceful Apartment's selling point?

"Wang Qi," a serial killer, wandered through the apartment. Visitors had to evade his pursuit. The most thrilling aspect was the sensory stimulation and identification with the role of an escapee.

In that regard, what Zhang Ze had created was even better.

Within the forest were the inhuman Little Bear and Bald Strong, the human-shaped Li Yang and Old Zhou, plus Lingling, whose appearance was already terrifying. Together, they achieved a perfect horror effect through the asymmetry of pursuit and escape.

After all, Wang Qi in Chen Ge's scenario was played by Xu Wan. At most, Boss Chen would personally take the stage.

But Zhang Ze's map had real ghosts.

[Supernatural Place Quest completed]

[Murderous Painting: Scream Index 2 stars]

[A talented artist had her hands chopped off by her own parents. She completed her final painting with her blood, yet her parents used the painting for publicity and sold it at a high price. Strangely, every buyer died soon afterward. Some said that another world was connected behind the painting...]

The system notified him that the Supernatural Place Quest had been completed.

Unlike Daily Quests, Supernatural Place Quests rewarded Haunted House venues. That was what mattered most.

Zhang Ze checked the map.

[Crow's Nest: Scream Index 2 stars]

[Crows are scavengers. No one knew why there were so many crows in the forest.]

The system had named this map Crow's Nest.

The name was pleasant and fitting. After all, the map was essentially Lingling's painting, and nearly everything within it was related to crows. Zhang Ze had now inherited this ability as well and controlled all the crows.

Everything was ready.

Zhang Ze brought Li Yang back to the Tree Hole, where they found Old Zhou trembling in fear.

"You have both lost all your memories. If you return to reality, you'll only become wandering ghosts. I can't help you recover your lost memories, nor can I guarantee your survival in reality."

"I'm the owner of a Haunted House, and this is a venue I'm about to open. You can play NPCs in the Haunted House. In return, I'll pay you wages. You can't take the money out, but if there's anything you want to buy, tell me, and I'll buy it and bring it in for you."

"Do you understand what I mean?"

Zhang Ze gave them no room to refuse.

Li Yang and Old Zhou understood as well. They nodded to show that they did.

Next came the employee rules.

Zhang Ze told them the key points Haunted House employees needed to keep in mind.

First, they could not harm visitors.

Second, they could not reveal the Haunted House's secrets to visitors.

Third, within the permitted limits, they should use their initiative and cooperate with Little Bear, Bald Strong, and Lingling, who served as the Hunter, to provide visitors with a terrifying experience.

Fourth...

Zhang Ze would keep watch on the two of them through the crows, so naturally he was not worried about accidents.