The landlord disappeared as quickly as he arrived, moving at such an eerie speed that it startled some of the newcomers.
The experienced players, however, were used to this. NPCs in the game always came and went without warning, appearing whenever needed. With two hours until dinner, they decided to explore the house themselves.
“Miss Gu, wait for me.”
Just as Gu Jiu and Lu Ji were about to go downstairs, a voice called out.
A young man quickly caught up to them, flashing a handsome smile.
“Are you going to the first floor? I’ll come with you. It’s dangerous for two girls to be alone in a place like this.”
This comment drew the attention of the other experienced players, a few of whom couldn’t hold back a snicker.
Who’s in danger here, exactly? Let’s just hope you’re not the one crawling away in tears, begging for help from these girls.
The players found it amusing that Tu Shuai was still trying to flirt in the game. Soon enough, after a few beatdowns from the game, he’d understand just how foolish this was.
Tu Shuai naturally heard the guys laughing at him but didn’t care; he assumed they were just jealous of his charm and ease with women.
Gu Jiu gave him a half-smile but didn’t refuse.
The three of them headed towards the stairs.
The staircase was narrow, allowing only two people to walk side by side. Gu Jiu and Lu Ji walked in front, while Tu Shuai followed behind, trying hard to keep up a conversation and chattering endlessly about his real-world life and funny stories.
In real life, Tu Shuai was a rich second-generation kid with family money and a pretty-boy appearance that always made him popular with women. This had turned him into quite the playboy. Whenever he saw a pretty girl, he couldn’t resist flirting, and once he got tired of them, he would break it off. He was always generous with breakup compensation, so most girls didn’t make a fuss.
Gu Jiu and Lu Ji stayed silent the whole time, not responding to his chatter.
Tu Shuai didn’t seem to mind, as if he didn’t need their reaction and could carry on by himself, enjoying his one-man show.
When they reached the living room on the first floor, Gu Jiu went to push the front door, only to find it tightly shut. She couldn’t open it from the inside.
This didn’t surprise her. It seemed the players’ activity zone was limited to the house this time, much like the previous instance, “Caged Bird,” where the players were confined to a villa.
This was typical of many D-level game zones—the player’s movement range wasn’t too large.
“Oh dear, girls don’t have enough strength to open doors like this. Let me do it!”
Seeing his chance to shine, Tu Shuai cheerfully rolled up his sleeves and went over to push the door. He strained so hard the veins bulged on his arms, but the door, though old and seemingly fragile, didn’t budge.
Awkward.
Seeing the two girls’ expressions, Tu Shuai let out a dry laugh and said, “Maybe the door’s locked from the outside.”
Gu Jiu found this amusing; it was rare to meet a man with such thick skin. She couldn’t help but give him a smile.
That smile sent Tu Shuai’s spirits soaring.
His eyes were practically glued to her, and he brushed a hand over the stylish bangs he’d meticulously styled for maximum appeal.
“Miss Gu, are you nearsighted? You could try wearing contacts—it’d make you even more beautiful. Of course, you’re stunning even with glasses. The gold-rimmed pair you have really complements your charm and sophistication…”
He enthusiastically praised Gu Jiu, using his best playboy lines, when a sudden chill ran down his spine. Turning, he found a pair of lifeless, black eyes staring unblinkingly at him.
“Ah!” Tu Shuai nearly jumped out of his skin.
Who wouldn’t be startled in such a dim, eerie place if they suddenly found themselves being stared at by such cold, inorganic eyes?
Realizing that the eyes belonged to a real, living person, he grumbled, “Miss Lu, don’t stand so close next time—it’s creepy.”
Lu Ji responded flatly, “You’re too loud.”
Tu Shuai closed his mouth in silence.
For some reason, he felt a vague sense of fear towards this girl named Lu Ji. Though she looked about seventeen or eighteen, she lacked any hint of youthful energy. Her skin was a sickly, pallid shade, and her eyes were pure black, void of light, like a ghost appearing out of nowhere. Even with her striking features, her presence was unsettling at first glance.
At the far end of the living room, there was a door leading to the staircase to the second floor, and aside from the main door, there were also two doors to the left and right.
Gu Jiu approached the door on the left. She opened it to reveal a long, dark corridor.
There was no lighting inside, so Gu Jiu pulled out a flashlight she’d bought from the game shop. She swept the light down the corridor, but couldn’t see the end, indicating it was quite lengthy.
Tu Shuai saw an opportunity to shine.
“Miss Gu, it’s too dark here. I’ll go ahead and lead the way for you. A gentleman should handle things like this.”
Seeing a volunteer to lead, Gu Jiu casually tossed him the flashlight. “Alright, you take the front.”
Tu Shuai flashed her a charming smile and walked ahead with the flashlight.
The light wavered over the ground, revealing the peeling walls on either side. There were no doors visible.
As he walked, Tu Shuai continued to talk, showing off a bit.
“I’ve filmed paranormal shows before. They’re not scary at all. It’s all just editing and sound effects. I’m used to environments like this…”
But as he talked, he began to notice how quiet it had become.
A sudden, oppressive silence pressed down on him, sending a chill up his spine. His voice trailed off, and his steps slowed.
Gripping the flashlight tightly, he called out tentatively, “Miss Gu? Miss Lu? Are you still there?”
There was no response from behind him.
Tu Shuai froze, standing rigidly in the dark, silent corridor. In the heavy silence, he could almost hear his own heartbeat. His eyes stayed fixed forward, afraid to look back.
Yet, the darkness in front was equally terrifying, like a monster’s gaping maw, waiting to devour him.
What had once felt narrow now stretched into a vast, endless space, the darkness extending infinitely, swallowing everything.
“Miss Gu? Miss Lu?” Tu Shuai’s voice quivered, barely managing, “If you’re there, please say something…don’t mess with me…”
There was still only silence behind him.
Finally, Tu Shuai mustered the courage to slowly turn around.
As he did, he instinctively reached out to touch the wall beside him, only to find nothing there, nearly stumbling in the process. The flashlight beam, which had previously illuminated the walls on either side of the corridor, now revealed only an endless, empty darkness.
It felt as if he were isolated in a boundless black void, with no trace of the two people who had been with him moments ago.
He completed his turn, sweeping the flashlight through the darkness—and then he saw a pair of legs.
Pale and slender, they looked disturbingly like skeletal legs wrapped in a thin layer of flesh. The rest of the figure was hidden in shadows, making it impossible to see anything more.
These legs definitely didn’t belong to a living person.
With a shriek, Tu Shuai spun around and ran, blindly rushing forward in the dark like a panicked insect, desperate to escape the eerie legs that had appeared out of nowhere.
To his horror, he heard the faint sound of footsteps behind him. He didn’t need to look back to know that the owner of those legs was chasing him, the steps growing louder, closer, until they were almost beside him.
A pale hand landed on his shoulder, a chilling breath brushing the side of his neck.
Tu Shuai screamed, “Aaaaaaah—!”
Suddenly, another hand grabbed his arm and yanked him to the side, throwing him hard against the wall.
He crashed into the wall with a painful thud, his scream turning into a howl of pain, his handsome face nearly flattened by the impact.
“What are you screaming about?” a cold voice scolded him.
The voice struck him like a lightning bolt, snapping him out of his terror. Clutching his throbbing face, tears of pain in his eyes, he saw the figures of Gu Jiu and Lu Ji standing there.
Gu Jiu tilted her head slightly, as if deep in thought.
Lu Ji looked at him, her expression unreadable, though a glint of malice seemed to flicker in her pitch-black eyes…
Malice?
Tu Shuai blinked, thinking he must have been mistaken. Looking again, he saw only a cold, emotionless void in her gaze, making him think he had imagined it.
Surprised and still a bit frightened, he asked, “Where did you two go just now? I was walking, and suddenly you both disappeared.”
Glancing around nervously, he saw that they were indeed still in the same dark corridor, the flashlight revealing the weathered walls on either side.
Gu Jiu, seeming to snap out of her own thoughts, smiled.
“We were right behind you the whole time. You suddenly started screaming and running around in circles. Luckily, Ah Ji pulled you back to snap you out of it.”
Tu Shuai froze, wondering if everything he’d just experienced had been some kind of hallucination.
Gu Jiu then asked, “What did you see?”
Tu Shuai quickly recounted his terrifying experience. When he finished, he noticed a look of disappointment on her face.
Tu Shuai felt a bit lost. Why is she disappointed?
Of course, Gu Jiu was disappointed that the ghost hadn’t come after her. Otherwise, she might have snagged a spirit to question about the house’s mysteries.
“Do you have any idea what just happened?” Tu Shuai asked nervously.
“Was it really just my imagination? Or maybe I’m sleep-deprived, and that’s why I’m seeing things?”
“Oh, it wasn’t a hallucination,” Gu Jiu said lightly. “It sounds like you encountered a ‘ghost wall,’ and that pair of legs probably belonged to a ghost.”
Tu Shuai’s hair stood on end, his voice rising in panic. “Ghosts? Are you saying there are… g-g-ghosts here?”
Gu Jiu and Lu Ji looked at him silently, their expressions confirming his worst fears. Realizing the place truly had ghosts, Tu Shuai nearly lost his mind.
Earlier, Ying Tong had explained the game rules to the newcomers, but Tu Shuai hadn’t paid much attention, too busy eyeing the female players. Ying Tong’s explanation had been brief and hadn’t conveyed just how dangerous and terrifying this game world could be. Seeing him visibly shaken, Gu Jiu took the flashlight from him and led the way.
With the two girls now walking ahead, Tu Shuai didn’t insist on taking the lead this time. Head hung low, he followed them closely, his eyes nervously scanning their surroundings, fearing that those skeletal legs might reappear and come after him.
After walking for a while, they finally reached the end of the corridor.
At the corridor’s end was an old wooden door with a rusty lock. Though the lock appeared corroded, it was immovable.
Gu Jiu and Lu Ji both tried pulling it off but quickly realized it wasn’t time to open it yet.
After examining the situation, the three of them headed back.
As they neared the entrance, they encountered Ying Tong and a few other male players, who seemed to follow her lead without question, eager to explore the first floor alongside her.
Ying Tong glanced at the group, her gaze lingering briefly on the dejected Tu Shuai, and asked casually, “All done exploring? Anything interesting in there?”
“Nothing much. Just a door at the end,” Gu Jiu replied nonchalantly.
Surprised at her straightforward answer, Ying Tong thanked her and led the others inside to explore for themselves.
Next, Gu Jiu checked the door on the right. It opened into a cluttered storage room, thick with the smell of dust from years of neglect.
After examining all the rooms on the first floor, Gu Jiu decided to investigate the third floor.
As the three of them arrived on the second floor, they saw the two brothers coming down from the third.
One of the brothers smiled and asked, “Did you find anything interesting on the first floor?”
Gu Jiu gave a brief summary, then asked if they had found anything.
Fatty shrugged. “The layout on the third floor is exactly like the second. All the rooms are identical, just no furniture.”
The house was a self-built, three-story structure.
The first-floor living room had four doors: one leading outside, one leading to the staircase to the second floor, one to a long corridor with a locked door at the end, and another leading into the cluttered storage room.
The layout was straightforward and easy to understand.
The second floor was where the players were staying, with a living room for dining, thirteen separated bedrooms, and a kitchen and bathroom. The bathroom was rather spacious, resembling a communal bathhouse with several shower stalls.
The third floor was identical to the second in layout but lacked any furniture or amenities.
“The layout of this house isn’t that big,” said Fatty, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “For now, it seems like there’s nothing special about it except for that locked door at the end of the first-floor corridor. Could whatever’s behind that door be the key to the game?”
Gu Jiu nodded. “That’s possible.”
She seemed to remember something, and suddenly, a smile appeared on her face. “Quite interesting.”
Interesting?
Everyone looked at her. Fatty and Skinny, recognizing her expression, could tell she’d noticed something but didn’t ask further—she’d share when it was needed.
Only Tu Shuai looked completely bewildered. In his confusion, he was beginning to realize that Gu Jiu might not be the naive, easily impressed girl he’d assumed her to be.
A “delicate young lady” wouldn’t remain so composed in an eerie place like this, nor would she stand up to the creepy landlord or explore the house so boldly. Her calm courage was striking.
So this was the difference between seasoned players and newcomers.
Two hours passed quickly.
The players, noticing the time, returned to the second-floor living room, waiting for the landlord to prepare dinner for them.