Secret Room

Liang An can confirm that Wen Zhi's life is deeply intertwined with the real world.

When Wen Zhi's life force dissipates or he faces a great threat of death, the real world shows signs of collapse.

Once the real world collapses, everything will turn into specks of light and return to the pure white space. At that time, there will be a chance to peek into that pure white void and the golden thread-bound book hidden within it.

Liang An is still unsure whether the trigger for the world's collapse is the demise of Wen Zhi's body or the threat of his impending death.

The first time I witnessed the collapse of the real world was when Wen Zhi was shot by kidnappers and fell from a building, but he turned to ashes and disappeared before he hit the ground, so it was impossible to confirm whether he was already lifeless at that time.

The second time was when he released his killing intent towards Wen Zhi, which caused a momentary distortion in space, but everything quickly returned to normal, as if it were an illusion.

Liang An was certain that he had indeed seen pure white nothingness through the distorted space at that moment, so it was not an illusion.

Is it necessary to kill Wen Zhi to uncover the secrets of the world?

And what about himself? What role is he playing?

In the instant the space distorted, it seemed that only he had seen everything; no one else, including Wen Zhi, noticed the fluctuations or the anomaly.

Liang An felt like his head was about to explode, but he still couldn't stop thinking.

"Ding-ding-ding..."

The bell rang suddenly, striking his earlobe and traveling up his nerves, ripping apart his chaotic thoughts and firmly pulling him back to the reality of the classroom.

"Alright, students, keep your attention. We'll finish in five minutes and then class will be over." Teacher Zhou's clear voice rang out again through the barrier.

The students' cries of agony rose and fell.

Liang An's lips curled up slightly as he quietly savored the bustling atmosphere, as if he had caught a solid, vibrant warmth.

-----------------

The days passed by at a leisurely pace, and it was another pleasant Friday.

The century-old red brick building of Haicheng No.1 Middle School still stands in the past, steadily welcoming every boy and girl who runs into the campus.

"Hey Huang Mao, why do you have an invitation stuck on your backpack?" Xu Sheng called out to Wei Qi, who was jogging ahead.

"If you call me Yellow Hair again, believe me, I'll beat you to death." Wei Qi stopped and gave Xu Sheng the middle finger behind him.

"Haha, little yellow-haired husky, Grandpa's going first." Xu Sheng sprinted forward, jumped up and snatched the invitation from Wei Qi's backpack, holding it firmly in his palm, and quickly ran towards Class 9's classroom.

"You little brat, don't you dare run away..." Wei Qi realized what was happening, gripped his backpack tightly, and quickly chased after him.

The clattering sounds of chasing continued until they reached the door of Class 9's classroom. Xu Sheng ran into the classroom, quickly hid behind Wen Zhi, and winked at Wei Qi.

"What stupid game are you two playing now?" Cai Meng teased, showing her little tiger teeth.

Xu Sheng and Wei Qi immediately stopped chasing and glared at Cai Meng.

Her silly and adorable appearance finally made Wen Zhi, who was standing next to her, laugh.

"Alright, you two, stop fooling around. Xu Sheng, what are you holding in your hand? It's all flashy." Wen Zhi asked suspiciously.

"Oh, this? It was stuck in Wei Qi's backpack. I took it away, and I haven't opened it yet," Xu Sheng said, waving the invitation in his hand.

"I don't know when it got stuck in my backpack. I passed by Box Street this morning, and they were preparing for a comic convention. It was packed with people early in the morning. I wonder if someone just randomly stuck it in my backpack," Wei Qi continued.

"Just open it and you'll know," Cai Meng said, pointing to the invitation.

Xu Sheng opened the invitation and quickly glanced through it. Suddenly, it was as if a two-dimensional switch had been pressed, and like a hot-blooded, immature teenager, he suddenly raised his voice, as if he were proclaiming some earth-shattering declaration.

"The dimensional barrier has been broken! Evil spirits are hunting—dare you gather your companions, unravel the mystery, and embark on this terrifying journey through the breached barrier? The Scream Chamber awaits your arrival. PS: If you miss this one, you'll have to wait for the King of Hell to grant you a dimensional vacation next time!"

"Oh, it's just an advertisement," Wei Qi sighed.

"We haven't played in a haunted house or escape room in ages. Don't you all want to relax a bit? High school must be so stressful," Cai Meng urged.

"You have no pressure at all. But Boss Wen, how about a team building activity in an escape room this weekend? You seem a bit off lately!" Xu Sheng said.

Wen Zhi turned to look at Liang An's seat. The morning reading bell had already rung, but he still hadn't seen him.

Ever since their murderous eye contact, Wen Zhi has felt both fear and curiosity towards Liang An. He can't help but secretly keep an eye on him, yet he doesn't dare to get close to him.

His tall figure, fair face, and those terrifying eyes kept replaying in my mind.

"Alright, it's getting boring day after day. Let's go to an escape room team building activity on Saturday," Wen Zhi said wearily, rubbing his temples.

Just then, the figure of their homeroom teacher, Ms. Zhou, flashed past the window, and the students, like a flock of startled crows, quickly returned to their seats.

-----------------

Saturday night at 8 pm, Box Street.

The entire street resembled a deep sea drowning in fluorescent light, with blue and pink neon lights flowing and intertwining across the metal exterior walls. Holographic virtual idols hovered in mid-air, turning into points of light with a touch and scattering in all directions.

Young men and women dressed in cosplay outfits mingled and moved about. Some ran by holding up support signs with fan art, some wore sailor uniforms and kept spinning on their tiptoes, and some squatted under the cherry blossom lamp at the alley entrance, murmuring to themselves.

Inside a cosplay costume and prop shop at the alley entrance, Wen Zhi and his friends were changing into cosplay costumes with the help of the shop assistant.

"Why are you Erlang Shen and I am Xiaotianquan? You son of a bitch Xu Sheng, who told you to prepare like this?" Wei Qi roared and pounced on Xu Sheng.

"Tell me if it looks like you or not. Doesn't it look especially good with your little tuft of yellow hair?" Xu Sheng said slyly as he dodged.

"Alright, you two stop fooling around. The Celestial Hound is quite majestic too, that's good, hahaha. We need to hurry up and get ready to go to the secret room, it's time for our appointment." Cai Meng pulled Wei Qi aside and persuaded him.

Wen Zhi was dressed as Goku from Dragon Ball, his pure black hair standing on end, a few strands of hair brushing against his brow bone, and the black wristbands on his wrists complementing his deep orange martial arts uniform.

He tapped Wei Qi on the head with his golden cudgel, then led the way out of the cosplay shop and headed towards the screaming escape room.

Wei Qi touched the beast ears on his head and reluctantly followed behind Wen Zhi.

Cai Meng and Xu Sheng exchanged a glance, then stepped forward with smiles. One of them went to the left and the other to the right, each putting their arms around Wei Qi's neck and pulling him quickly toward the secret room.

In the screaming chamber, Liang An was dressed in a faded white mourning robe, wearing a tall hat with the words "May you see wealth in your life" written in vermilion on it. His mourning staff hung at his side, a classic image of the White Impermanence.

He stood at his workstation, his face pale and bluish, and under the dim, flickering lights and mist, he looked like a captivating yet alluring piece of jade.

He cleared his throat and occasionally let out a low murmur, his voice as cool as if it were floating up from the ground, carrying a captivating tremor.

He was waiting, waiting for Wen Zhi to arrive.

A few days ago, he took the initiative to apply for the NPC position in the Screaming Chamber. After passing the interview, he set his sights on Wei Qi, who passed by Box Street every day on his way to school.

On Friday morning, when Box Street was busy and chaotic, he deliberately slipped the opening promotional poster for the Secret Room into the gap of Wei Qi's schoolbag, with the aim of luring Wen Zhi to the Secret Room.

The bait has been cast; whether the fish will bite depends on luck.

Now he must be a patient angler, holding the fishing rod firmly.

Wen Zhi and his group had already entered the secret room. After listening to the detailed explanation from the staff, they began their exploration.

"I have to say, the atmosphere is really well done; it gave me goosebumps," Wei Qi said, staring at his arm.

"Yes, it's chilly, quite creepy," Xu Sheng agreed.

"Can you two use your rusty brains? Stop talking nonsense and hurry up and find clues," Cai Meng said speechlessly.

Wen Zhi tapped and struck around the secret room with his golden cudgel, and suddenly touched a hidden indentation.

He inserted the golden cudgel into the recess and pressed it gently. With a very faint hum, the previously perfectly sealed wall seemed to come alive and slowly slid open to both sides, revealing the entrance to the hidden chamber.

"Wow, as expected of Boss Wen, he found the entrance in just a few minutes this time." Wei Qi said obsequiously as he walked up to Wen Zhi.

"You're dressed as the Celestial Dog today, not the Imperial Eunuch. Look at your sycophantic manner," Xu Sheng teased.

"Hey, mind your own business."

Amidst the playful banter of the two, Wen Zhi walked towards the entrance of the secret chamber. He pushed open the small door and stepped into the passageway. As soon as his palm left the doorknob, he heard a "click" and the small door slammed shut behind him, locking Wei Qi and the other two outside.

Wen Zhi quickly turned around and found that the door was locked and could not be opened. He could still faintly hear Wei Qi shouting outside the door.

He groped around at the door for a while but found no clues, so he could only walk forward along the passage.

There were no lights in the passageway, only the occasional sliver of dim light filtering down from above.

Wen Zhi quickened his pace, and the space in front of him suddenly expanded, like a stretched-out cloth bag, spreading out into a cave-like expanse, connected by another exit that meandered into the unseen darkness.

A chilling, rusty scent, mixed with dampness, seeped into my collar. The candle-shaped wall lamps on either side flickered, occasionally illuminating the wall and revealing twisted scratches and dried, deep red debris.

Wen Zhi swallowed hard. Although he knew it was fake, he still couldn't help but get goosebumps.

On the chair in the center of the room lay a blood-stained coat. A beam of dim yellow light from the ceiling shone directly on the coat, and dust swirled around the light, exuding an aura of decay.

Despite his discomfort, Wen Zhi moved closer to the chair, picked up the golden cudgel, and examined the coat.

Suddenly, with a soft "thud," the coat fell to the ground. The sound was extremely faint, yet it was like a needle precisely piercing the tense, deathly silence in the space.

Wen Zhi's breath hitched for a beat, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it was about to burst out of his chest.

He subconsciously looked at the chair placed in the center, and saw that two dark points of light had appeared in the center of the chair seat, as if some living thing had forcibly opened its eyes from the log. Under the light, they exuded a desolate and lifeless aura, staring straight at his face.

Wen Zhi instinctively wanted to scream, but the chill crept into his throat along with his gaze, gripping his vocal cords. He opened his mouth, only to find that not a sound could be squeezed out of his throat; even his breathing was dry and trembling.