Just go to chapter 18 and enter section 1674; once you're in, it's over.

Fu Qinghuai didn't even need to make any movement; with just a thought, a suffocating pressure spread out from him.

The hair that had been wrapped around Xie Xun was instantly reduced to ashes, as if it had been doused with molten lava. Before it could even scream, all the wriggling hair around it receded like the tide, shrinking back into the wall and trembling, never daring to show its face again.

Xie Xun felt a sudden relaxation throughout his body, as if all the restraints had been removed, leaving only a few dark bruises and fine blood holes on his wrists and ankles.

His lungs heaved violently, but before he could catch his breath, his gaze swept urgently to the corner of the wall. He staggered to his feet and rushed over, carefully cradling Little Green in his palm.

The little snake twitched weakly, its icy body barely showing any vitality. Xie Xun felt a sharp, stinging pain in his heart, as if an invisible hand were gripping his heart tightly.

Without thinking twice, he immediately took out a small jade bottle from his inner pocket and tremblingly applied the powder to Xiao Lü's wound.

Throughout the entire process, he kept his lips tightly pressed together, not even sparing a glance for Fu Qinghuai, who had just offered his help.

In the dead silence, a faint sobbing suddenly rose again from all directions.

At first glance, it sounds like a baby crying, but upon closer listening, it sends chills down your spine.

The cries were mixed with Ye Zi's screams from just a few minutes earlier, Xiao Chen's heavy breathing, and even his calm tone when he ordered them to follow closely.

"They...they're mimicking our speech..." Ye Zi covered her ears in fright.

The wailing and howling coming from the walls showed no signs of stopping; instead, they echoed continuously in the corridor, tormenting everyone's nerves.

Chen, panting heavily, was driven to distraction by the piercing sound and instinctively shouted back, "Stop fucking copying me! No, no...we didn't say 'help' just now..."

As soon as he said it, he was stunned.

Who spoke those sudden cries for help? Could those things even mimic their voices perfectly?!

Xie Xun immediately hid the injured snake; he had to leave immediately.

If we don't leave soon, we'll eventually develop a nervous breakdown.

Xie Xun's sharp gaze swept across the surroundings, then he glanced at the large red X not far away and gritted his teeth, saying, "The X is still there, at least we haven't gone the wrong way. We must get out of this corridor as soon as possible!"

"What fork?"

Xiao Chen's voice changed, and following Xie Xun's direction, he stared intently at the large, scarlet X on the wall, his face filled with terror. "What are you talking about? When we came in, there was clearly nothing here!"

"Brother Chen is right!"

Ye Zi's eyes widened, her words tumbling out incoherently, her finger trembling as she pointed, "I... I remember it very clearly, when I walked in, this wall was white! It was white! There was nothing there!"

She even subconsciously looked at Qiangzi, "Brother Qiangzi, did you secretly draw this just now?"

Qiangzi was taken aback by the question, then immediately retorted excitedly, "Bullshit! I started drawing as soon as I came in! Didn't you all see it?"

Xiao Chen and Ye Zi wore genuine bewilderment and astonishment, while Qiang Zi was filled with agitation at being wrongly accused.

Xie Xun frowned, a chill instantly running down his spine.

He was quite certain that Qiangzi was not lying.

Because this cross was drawn by Qiangzi himself in front of all of them, and Yezi had just pointed at this mark and screamed.

So, where did Xiao Chen and Ye Zi's memories begin to diverge from theirs, since they insisted the wall was white?

Just then, Master Liu, who had been silent all along, slowly raised his hand. His fingertips trembled slightly as he pointed to the ground beneath Xiao Chen and Ye Zi's feet.

"Thank you... thank you, young friend..."

His face was ashen in the dim light of the flashlight, and his voice was hoarse, "Look...their shadows..."

Upon hearing this, Xie Xun abruptly looked down.

Under the flickering beam of the flashlight, the shadows cast by Xiao Chen and Ye Zi on the ground were much fainter than those cast by him and Master Liu.

"The shadow follows the soul; when the soul is weak, the shadow fades..."

Master Liu's voice trembled with near despair, "Their...their roots seem to no longer be here."

In an instant, only the heavy, uneven breathing of a few people remained in the corridor.

"Master Liu! What nonsense are you spouting!"

Xiao Chen waved his arms excitedly, "What do you mean by faint shadows! I think you've been scared out of your wits! The lighting here is so messy, isn't it normal for shadows to be of varying shades?!"

"That's right!"

Ye Zi, her voice trembling with tears, echoed, "Master Liu, please don't scare us! I... I was just a little frightened. I have a bad memory. There might have been an X just now, but... I might have forgotten..."

As the argument raged on, Qiangzi glanced quickly at the phone he was holding up.

On the screen, the live stream chat was scrolling wildly at an abnormal speed.

Hurry up and go in!! What are you dawdling for?!

[I can't stand this noise anymore! Please, leave! Stop making so much noise!]

[Haven't you noticed how this corridor is affecting you? It's like that highway principle, an unchanging stone! Isn't this corridor just like that?]

At this moment, Qiangzi felt like he had grasped a lifeline. He suddenly turned his phone screen towards everyone, his finger trembling as he pointed at the comment, his voice becoming shrill with urgency.

"Stop arguing! Look! The audience is saying it! This... this might be the highway hypnotic effect! The monotonous environment is creating a collective hallucination, and we've all been affected! Staying here will only make things worse!"

After saying that, he looked past everyone and fixed his gaze on Xie Xun, his tone urgent, "Master Xie! The Liu family's haunted house is just ahead, house number 1674! We must leave this corridor as soon as possible! We can get out once we complete the mission! Really!"

Upon hearing this, Xie Xun felt a chill run down his spine.

Complete the task? What task?

Live stream? Adventure?

No, it wasn't from the beginning.

This was clearly a trap set for him, with a clear objective. But knowing full well the danger, he still chose to walk into the tiger's den.

So what if it's a trap?

There was no turning back once you stepped into this village.

The maze of deception blocked their rear, cognitive pollution eroded the team, and something lurking in the shadows pressed closer step by step.

The path ahead was the only key to breaking the deadlock; he had no other choice.

But that doesn't mean he can't find out the details; he needs clues.

"What task are you going to complete?"

Xie Xun's voice was steady, even carrying a hint of cold mockery. He took a step forward, his fox-like eyes fixed on Qiangzi, giving him no room to evade.

Qiangzi was taken aback by his question, his eyes darting around in a panic, his lips trembling as he stammered, "It's...it's a live-streaming task..."

"fart!"

A loud shout suddenly rang out from the side.

It's Master Liu!

He seemed to have his last bit of courage ignited by Xie Xun's question, his voice hoarse, filled with a resolute determination to go all out.

"Young friend Xie! Can't you see it?! He's been leading us into a trap from beginning to end! What kind of bullshit live stream is this! He wants to lure us into this haunted house to be sacrificed! I've been around for decades, and I've seen plenty of these crooked tricks!"

"He's just a lure!" Master Liu roared, pointing at Qiangzi's face. "He's the homeowner's accomplice!"

The words "Changgui" echoed like thunder in the narrow corridor.

Qiangzi's face instantly turned ashen, devoid of any color.

He felt as if all his disguises had been stripped away, leaving him completely exposed to the crowd, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.

He wanted to argue, but couldn't make a sound. He could only look at Xie Xun in horror, and then at the end of the corridor.

What's even stranger is that when Brother Qiang was accused by Master Liu, Ye Zi and Xiao Chen, contrary to their usual behavior, did not immediately stand up to defend their Brother Qiang.

"Stop, stop arguing, Master Liu."

Xiao Chen frowned, his eyes vacant, repeating over and over, "Go in... just go in to 1674, it'll be over once you're in..."

Ye Zi shrank back in fear and muttered softly, "Yeah, listen to Brother Qiang, let's go in..."