Chapter 110

In a hotel on Cangtian Star, Lu Tian and his two roommates looked at each other, and the three of them sighed at the same time.

The three of them shared similar interests and decided to open a live broadcast room to become anchors. Initially, it was because of their own passion and love for excitement. At the same time, they also wanted to pass on the joyful emotions to their friends who were unable to experience it in person for various reasons.

Here comes the problem.

Now, although they have grabbed the tickets for the haunted house, it's just...

Peter's fingers slid quickly across the screen, which displayed claw marks left by many netizens who had visited the haunted house, including some photos with NPCs.

Medical student Peter sighed, "What a shame."

If the first time he came into contact with Chinese horror was because of novelty, the second and third times were barely due to external stimulation, but now there are so many pictures circulating on the Internet that even if he doesn't want to see them, big data will still push them in front of him. This is equivalent to revealing spoilers, foreshadowing and suspense to you.

Then what is there to be afraid of?

Especially as a medical student who often comes into contact with cadavers, I have some awe of corpses, but the fear has long disappeared as I get used to it.

Whether it's a haunted house, a "big zongzi" where corpses become spirits, or a themed haunted house like a nursery that's still closely related to life and death, Peter feels that nothing can scare him anymore.

Good friends have similar ideas, otherwise they can’t become close friends.

Lu Tian and Xiao Pan agreed with Peter's opinion.

Xiao Pan, the athletic and strongest of the group, nodded in agreement. "We should have waited a little longer. The haunted house is probably worried about aesthetic fatigue, which is why they announced they'll be opening a new themed haunted house every month."

"It's more exciting to have fun when everything is unknown. I feel like this trip is a waste of time."

Lu Tian comforted his two roommates: "It's not a wasted trip, at least we've been looking forward to the theme park and the nearby Weiyang Street for a long time."

Xiao Pan scratched his head. Of course he was looking forward to it.

"It's just that the most important feeling of excitement is missing, which is a bit regrettable."

Lu Tian: "It's okay, at worst I can go back and continue to grab tickets. One day I'll be able to grab a new theme, and then we can do it again."

Peter: "Are we still going to the haunted house tomorrow?"

Lu Tian and Xiao Pan said in unison: "Let's go!" / "Since we're here!"

In the end, the three decided not only to check in but also to live broadcast. Although they were not afraid, they had heard in the live broadcast area that many fans were looking forward to it and wanted them to take their fans to the whole live broadcast to see the interior of the haunted house. If they couldn't get tickets offline, it would be nice to see it online.

If there isn't enough stimulating elements, then add some popular science to the visit experience.

"Friends, as you can see, the area behind the three of us is the haunted house adventure area that has been all the rage online lately. You can see that there are many people queuing up outside each theme area to get a number."

"Thanks to our resourceful classmate Xiao Pan's suggestion, we got a number this morning. Looking at the time, we're about to be in one or two groups."

"According to everyone's previous suggestions, the theme we are going to explore this time is the most classic 'Huai Mansion'."

[Ahhh, I finally waited for this live broadcast. I've been looking forward to it for several days. Three brothers bravely breaking into a haunted house. Just thinking about it makes me excited.]

Some fans also noticed that Lu Tian was wearing shorts and couldn't help but remind:

"Why don't you change into some long pants before we go in? A guy went in wearing shorts before and was reportedly touched on the leg by a ghost. After returning, he felt a bone-deep chill that lingered for days, and that area always felt weird."

Noticing the fan comments on the screen, Lu Tian raised an eyebrow, then waved his hand with a relaxed smile, "Chinese horror is essentially psychological horror. If you look at it on its own, it's actually not that scary. Everyone knows I'm a psychology student, so I'm doing something relevant to my major. Plus, there are so many guides online, I've even watched Double Happiness three times."

"To be honest, this time I just wanted to let everyone experience the atmosphere. As for being scared..." Lu Tian opened his arms and placed one arm on Peter and Xiao Pan's shoulders, smiling brightly: "Brothers, are you two scared?"

Xiao Pan clenched his fist to show off his muscles. "See these muscles? I think the 'ghosts' are afraid of me. Of course, we civilized people definitely wouldn't beat up NPCs. But for example, according to our ancestors, a man like me with abundant yang energy is safe from ghosts!"

As for Peter, he also had the lonely look of a master. He raised his eyes and said calmly, "Brother, I've seen more corpses than the NPCs have eaten rice!"

Lu Tian looked at the camera again and said with a smile: "That's it."

[It can be seen that the three brothers are very confident.]

[Haha, I'm ready to record the screen and watch you three get slapped in the face.]

【Whoever is frightened and cries is a puppy. 】

Xiao Pan: "Scared? That's not the case. I've been scared since I was a kid."

Peter shook the little golden hair on his head and showed a ruthless smile: "Haha, if you scream, I lose."

Lu Tian became even more confident. Did he really think that his first place in the grade at the end of the semester was a joke?

Who is afraid of who is a puppy? No need to be afraid!

Lu Tian directly said: "Whoever is afraid of me is a grandson!"

The bold speeches of the three warriors not only attracted the fans in the live broadcast room, but also attracted other players waiting to enter.

In the waiting queues around, most people were nervous but excited, excited but nervous, and nervous but with a hint of anticipation and fear.

The three brothers looked so relaxed, as if they were shopping in a supermarket.

Lu Tian shook his head slightly and thought to himself: There's really nothing to be afraid of.

He did not lower his voice, explaining to the audience in his live broadcast room while also relieving the psychological pressure of the customers waiting to play on the scene. These were all the dry goods he had summarized from the information he had looked up during this period.

Lu Tian: "Fear often comes from misunderstanding the unknown. Let's not discuss whether ghosts really exist or not."

"To put it bluntly, Chinese horror depicts the deeply oppressed and vulnerable, like Xiao Cui in Huan's Double Happiness, who was unable to resist in life but gained power after death, becoming the embodiment of resistance and revenge. This is how the evil of human nature and the horror brought about by the old order are revealed."

"Chinese horror works often depict social and cultural injustice and oppression, such as marital oppression, the objectification of women through ghost marriages, and superstitious disregard for human rights, to highlight the oppression and harm that negative influences can inflict on individuals. These works often use the theme that "the most terrifying thing is the human heart," emphasizing that evil is often not perpetrated by external demons or gods, but rather by the evil of human nature and the ignorance and absurdity of society."

"Additionally, we weave in details of everyday life into a strange yet familiar environment, using unique lighting and background music to create an eerie atmosphere, thereby channeling emotions such as terror and unease."

"And the ghosts in the haunted house are, to be honest, played by people. Really, just treat it as a normal tourist attraction. The scarier it is, the more afraid you will be. These are actually psychological cues. As the saying goes, if you take it seriously, you will lose."

To prevent accidents, each haunted house area is equipped with independent monitors. Real employees and machine employees monitor the status of tourists at all times. If an emergency occurs and tourists are too frightened to seek help in time, they are the last line of protection for tourists.

At this moment, some employees noticed the bold words of Lu Tian and the other two from the surveillance camera.

"Wow, another one coming to challenge us!"

The employees shook their heads. It had been nearly a month since the theme park opened, and they had met many people like Lu Tian and his friends during that time.

The staff can only offer sincere blessings to Lu Tian and the other three, hoping that they will not leave too much black history in front of their fans.

"Huai Mansion" is ranked first on the horror list that tourists strongly support after trying it out, and this is not a casual remark.

Just because I've watched Double Happiness and read some materials, I know how to do it? Are you sure it's not useless?

It is said that when the props and designs were first made, their boss Xiao Qin, who was the lead actor in Double Happiness, was so frightened that his legs and feet went weak after personally testing the various mechanisms and levels.

Not much to say, just experience it once.

When Lu Tian and his friends entered the game, they chose the horror element to the maximum level without hesitation.

What else can the staff say? They can only serve with a smile and patiently remind you to call the staff immediately if you feel unwell.

Three people: "Thank you, but we won't use it."

Fans in the live broadcast room: "Yong!"

[Waiting for the grandchildren to come out, hhh]

[You'd better tie a rope around your wrists and don't separate, or you'll be defeated one by one! ]

As I looked around, the light suddenly dimmed.

It was clearly night time inside Huai Mansion. The "night" was falling, and the moon was waning in the sky. The light from the moon, obscured by dark clouds, was not enough to illuminate every corner of the earth.

The surrounding area is full of dense trees, whose branches and leaves sway in the wind, making rustling sounds, as if someone is whispering. Vines are wrapped around the tree trunks, twisting and turning as if they have life. A crow with scarlet eyes stands on the treetop, staring at the intruding humans with bloodshot pupils. The bird's beak opens and closes, making hoarse and piercing sounds, adding a gloomy and mysterious atmosphere to the whole scene.

[Ahhh, this is the taste.]

[This was pushed to me from the homepage. It was so exciting right after I entered. I couldn't get any offline tickets. Thanks to the host for giving us such an immersive experience.]

Ahhh, did you see that fleeting glimpse just now? The fruit hanging on that tree, from a certain angle, looks like a human head. So scary!

Xiao Pan turned on the flashlight and shone it around. "So, many people are frightened to death by themselves. These are just ordinary fruit and cloth strips, deliberately created to provoke associations. Don't be afraid, we're all here. If you really have something behind the screen, we're there to block it, right?"

Walking through a path surrounded by trees, you will see an old mansion.

Two large red lanterns hung on the somewhat dilapidated gate. They were the light sources that had been guiding the three people forward. With the thin moonlight and the dim red glow of the lanterns, everyone could roughly see the appearance of the mansion from the outside.

The outer wall peeled off, revealing mottled stones and rotten wood. A rusty iron chain hung on the knocker of the half-open gate. It swayed gently in the night wind, making a creaking sound, like a ghost's whisper, luring brave explorers to step into this forbidden area.

Lu Tian continued his explanation: "Not bad, it's quite authentic. It has almost all the elements of Chinese horror, including the combination of light and sound, and some visual effects."

"If nothing else, the aging of this old house alone is quite good."

As the camera moved up, everyone saw the plaque hanging above the gate.

"Ghost Mansion? No, it's Huai Mansion."

However, the wood radical of Huai fell off the plaque, and it rotated 180 degrees, upside down, like a person hanging upside down. At first glance, only the two big characters "Ghost Mansion" were left on the plaque. Together with the mottled rust on it and the dark red color of the weathered parts, it looked like dried blood.

Peter: "Xiaotian, this is also a psychological suggestion, right?"

Lu Tian: "That's right, a haunted house, it makes you think there's something wrong with it. Once you enter, no matter what happens, you'll subconsciously associate it with ghosts. As time goes by, the more strange things you encounter, the more hints and fears you'll have. "

"If this is really the era our ancestors lived in, and they didn't study the mind enough, they would be easily frightened by this kind of terror."

Xiao Pan: "Then, go in?"

Peter: "Come in."

Xiao Pan, who was in charge of the force, said: "Okay, I'll take the lead."

Xiao Pan raised his hand to push the half-open door open a little more to allow three people to pass through. However, just as his hand was raised and before it touched the door knocker, there was another creaking sound.

[Oh my god, if I'm not mistaken, Xiao Pan's hand hasn't touched the door yet.]

The door opened on its own, which seemed more like an invitation from the host. Otherwise, let's not go.

The audience was worried, but Pan Xinyang waved his hand nonchalantly and walked to the door. He even tried to explain it scientifically: "It should be an automatic heat-sensing device. The details are indeed well done, but it's a pity that it can't scare me."

The empty courtyard was overgrown with weeds, with gusts of dark wind, white flags fluttering, ashes and paper money intertwined, and the copper basin for burning paper was accidentally kicked by Peter, rolling around.

[Ah, I got scared. Hey everyone, be careful. I know you're not afraid, but I was really scared during the immersive experience!]

Peter made an OK gesture: "I'll try my best, I'll try my best."

There's a dry well in the courtyard. A fan who'd done their homework cautiously reminded me: "Although the theme remains the same each time, the team is very dedicated and often includes some unexpected little Easter eggs. I've seen a blogger post about this before—"

He was curious about the ancestral well and wanted to try to draw water himself. However, instead of drawing any water, he was met with the bloody face of the ghost bride crawling out. While NPCs don't always crawl out of the well, it's still quite scary when they do. Conclusion: Get out!

If you don't do it, you won't die. Obviously, the people in front of me don't know this truth.

The more the audience said they were not allowed to go, the more curious the three of them became and wanted to go forward. Unfortunately, the bottom of the dark well did not spawn the NPC they were curious to see.

However, just as the three of them turned around and prepared to enter the main room, some viewers noticed that the well rope behind them began to turn.

Ahhh!

The fans screamed in shock. When the three turned back, the rope had stopped turning again. The adventure had just begun, and many fans turned off the immersive mode and reminded:

[I have a bad feeling. If I remember correctly, I chose Hell difficulty. The three idiots should find a safe passage quickly!]

The three of them were just visiting here, they were not worried, but the audience started to worry too.

Pan Xinyang waved his hand: "The recommended playing time is half an hour, and finding the exit only takes a few minutes. This is obviously not the original intention of the haunted house design."

"We heard there's a complete story behind this, and no one has yet uncovered all the details. This time, the three of us are determined to lead everyone in thoroughly uncovering this haunted house and the truth behind it."

In order not to miss any details, the three of them even decided to search separately, and the live broadcast screen was divided into three lenses.

Lu Tian and his team went to the lobby, while Xiao Pan and Peter went to search for the bridal chamber with more details.

In the bridal chamber, the bed was covered in bright red, perhaps because of the color of the fabric itself or because it was stained with blood. On the couch was a single embroidered shoe that everyone was familiar with.

A whimpering background sound was heard, like the whistling wind, or a woman's low wailing.

There was a figure by the window, and Peter's eyes lit up: "I wonder if it's a paper figure or an NPC?"

Seeing Peter walking straight towards the window and about to push it open, many timid fans in the live broadcast room screamed "Ahhhh" and raised their hands to cover their eyes, trying to avoid the first wave of the strongest visual impact.

"Ha, everyone can open your eyes now, it's a paper man."

[Paper figurines, at least they're a little better than NPCs.]

Upon hearing this, the audience cautiously opened one eye a crack, and then quickly closed it the next second. Most of the audience in front of the screen cursed in their hearts.

Peter maliciously pointed the camera at the paper man's face.

The most terrifying thing is that the paper man, which should have been blank, has eyes dotted on it. The strange and direct line of sight seems to be looking at the soul of the audience behind the screen through the body of the man made.

After a short pause, the audience opened their eyes again.

Some viewers noticed something was wrong.

【Wait, didn’t everyone notice something was wrong? 】

【What? 】

[Tell me it's my imagination, the corners of my lips, the position of the corners of my lips, why do they seem to be even more upturned than before? ]

【ah! 】

【I'll take a closer look and replay it. 】

Before I could compare, the paper man disappeared in the next second.

"Sure enough, this kind of thing won't be scary anymore after seeing it so many times." Peter muttered, thinking that the audience was making a fuss out of nothing, and didn't pay much attention to the paper man.

Peter then groped his way to the bronze mirror, and his figure was reflected in the blurry picture. However, under Peter's gaze, he clearly did not make any expression, but the corners of his lips in the picture slowly rose, exactly the same as the arc of the paper man just raised.

Peter's hand, which was flipping the table, paused slightly, his Adam's apple moving uncomfortably up and down, then he quickly suppressed it. He quickly looked away, clasped his hands together, and jokingly said, "Sorry for the offense."

Even though Peter wanted to concentrate on rummaging through the drawers, his eyes unconsciously looked at the bronze mirror.

However, the next second, what made Peter's breath stop was the image of himself reflected inside. He was leaning back in a chair, his body visibly stiff, his face pale, and obviously dead. A pair of scissors, the murder weapon, was stuck in his chest, and a large pool of blood had stained his clothes red.

As a medical student, Peter knew very well that through the details on his face, it was obvious that he died of a huge panic.

Peter seemed to be able to imagine that his body suddenly lost his control and he inserted the scissors in his hand into his chest. Wait, scissors. Looking again, he saw that what he was holding in his right hand was a pair of scissors, and the blade was stained with dried blood.

A drop of cold sweat slid down his forehead, and with a "bang", his right hand moved faster than he realized and he quickly threw the scissors down.

With the help of interstellar black technology, the audience who turned on the immersive mode saw the same scene of their own tragic death in the mirror, and another group of people exited the immersive mode gasping for breath.

They were still afraid at first, but when they saw Peter's appearance, they realized that there was no harm without comparison. After all, they were watching it on the Internet, so they could withdraw if they wanted to, but they couldn't leave Peter.

And who was being stubborn just now?

[I've seen more cadaver teachers than NPCs have eaten rice.]

[That's not wrong, after all, no NPCs have appeared yet.]

【But who said they weren't afraid? 】

Peter said stubbornly, "Anyone who encounters such a sudden event will definitely react. Just like Xiao Lu said before, this exploits human psychology. Anyway, I'm not afraid."

Hearing the noise, Xiao Pan turned around and said, "Hey, Peter, what happened? Are you okay?"

"It's okay, keep going!" Peter stood up as if nothing had happened and hurriedly tugged at his clothes. "Did you find anything over there?"

Xiao Pan looked at the open cabinet in front of him and nodded. "Here's a row of clay figurines, ranging from large to small. They look like children, right? But the craftsmanship is a bit abstract, and it makes people feel uncomfortable. Could this be deliberately created for a scary effect?"

As Xiao Pan spoke, he took out a half-sewn piece of children's clothing from the next layer.

"It's very strange. This should be the bride's room, and it's also been arranged as a bridal chamber. How could there be children's things here? Logically, before the wedding, the bride would definitely try to escape, not to mention looking forward to the birth of a child from this forced marriage."

Peter: "Hmm? Let me see."

Peter took two steps and subconsciously looked back at the bronze mirror behind him.

The scene inside changed again. Without any preparation, his name written in blood appeared on the bronze mirror. Every stroke seemed to carry the great resentment of the writer, or perhaps a ghost.

Peter, it's your turn!

What's your turn?

Is it his turn to die?

Just as Peter's feet were frozen in place, an accident happened on Pan Xinyang's side.

This time, he didn't touch anything, and the tumbler doll in the cabinet started moving.

It rolled to the ground and spun around, hiding under the bed.

"Why!"

Suddenly, a third voice appeared in the room, vague, childish, and full of cruel innocence.

"Big brother, do you want to play hide and seek?"

"I'm going to be a ghost, big brother, don't let me catch you, or you will be punished."

Pan Xinyang was not given any chance to refuse and the countdown started immediately.

When the sound first came out, Pan Xinyang was indeed a little surprised, because the sound came from all directions.

But soon Pan Xinyang raised his eyebrows: "NPC? Or a ghost doll?"

He was quite happy. It seemed that there was something new in the hell-level difficulty.

"Is it illegal for your haunted house to employ child labor?" Pan Xinyang even chatted with the child, looking quite carefree. "Little boy, why are you in the bride's room?"

The ghost boy naturally did not respond to him. The ghost boy's voice of counting down could be heard in the room: "Ten, nine, eight, seven..."

The author has something to say: