Chapter 1 Mom told you not to look back (1)
Lin Chujiu stared intently at the five scarlet characters on her phone screen: "Thriller Livestream Room".
My fingertips trembled violently as they hovered above the confirm button.
She had been sitting there frozen for a full three hours.
The screen went dark and then was turned on again, over and over, reflecting her pale and haggard face.
Those beautiful, bright eyes were now completely devoid of light.
Signing up is tantamount to suicide.
Who doesn't know that horror livestreaming rooms are cannibalistic dens? Of those streamers who go in, less than one in ten comes out unscathed.
Can I choose not to register?
She clenched her left hand tightly—
The critical condition notice she had just received was burning hot in her hand, and the doctor's words still seemed to echo in her ears: "Your mother's condition can't be delayed any longer. The surgery and follow-up treatment will cost at least five million."
Five million!
This number was like a mountain, crushing all her pride and dignity over the years.
She emptied her savings, borrowed from everyone she could, and even tried online loans, which she had always looked down on, but the money she managed to scrape together wasn't even a fraction of what she had saved.
The company had long since sidelined her; that indentured contract had blocked all her options. She wasn't even qualified to work as a waitress in a restaurant.
I'm really... at my wit's end.
She closed her eyes, and her mother's gentle smile and the gruesome images of gore and flesh flying in the live streams she had once seen flashed through her mind.
She couldn't help but feel a churning in her stomach.
"I'm sorry, Mom..." she murmured, her voice hoarse, "I...maybe I won't be able to accompany you any further."
But at the very least, I'll ensure your survival.
The moment that thought crossed her mind, she suddenly opened her eyes and, with all her might, pressed her trembling fingertips down hard!
Registration successful!
Almost simultaneously, an electronic contract popped up. Without even looking at it, she numbly signed her name.
The cold, metallic notification sound rang out, and the two million dollars to buy his life was deposited into his account at lightning speed.
Looking at that long string of zeros, Lin Chujiu suddenly laughed. As she laughed, tears streamed down her face, soaking the phone screen.
She knew that the two million was money to buy her life, to exchange her life for her mother's chance to live.
It was worth it.
Just then, a completely emotionless electronic voice suddenly exploded in my ears:
[Ding! Streamer Lin Chujiu has been successfully linked.]
[At the same time three days later, please return to your registration location, enter the thriller live stream room, and begin your first live stream.]
[Note: Those who breach the contract will have their immediate family members bear the consequences on their behalf.]
Upon hearing the warning, Lin Chujiu felt her blood run cold instantly.
The terrifying live stream extinguished even her last shred of hope.
She dared not delay any longer and immediately rushed to the company to resign.
The young actors looked at her with a mixture of envy and pity.
I envy her for escaping from that hellhole, but I also pity her for jumping into another one.
Yes, entering a horror livestream room is practically the same as being dead.
But Lin Chujiu no longer cared.
She rushed out of the company and headed straight for the hospital.
In her final moments, she wanted to be with the person she loved most.
In the ward, her mother slept peacefully, her breathing faint. Lin Chujiu gently held that withered hand and pressed it against her cold face.
“Mom,” she said softly, her voice trembling with tears, but she forced a smile, “we’re saved…you’ll be able to have the surgery soon.”
She bent down and curled up next to her mother, just like when she was a child, greedily absorbing a little warmth.
Unbeknownst to her, the moment she turned her head away, her mother's eyelid twitched inadvertently.
Outside the window, the sky had darkened completely, with dark clouds looming overhead and a strong wind whipping fallen leaves against the windowpane.
This hints at an impending storm.
————
The three days I spent with my mother felt like a second, yet also like a lifetime.
Lin Chujiu reluctantly returned to her dilapidated rented room.
The three-day deadline has passed, and Lin Chujiu stands at the spot where she signed the electronic contract, waiting for the call to the thriller live stream.
It was exactly 8 PM when a countdown suddenly appeared in front of Lin Chujiu's eyes:
【10】
【9】
【8】
...
【1】
The next second after counting to "1", a dazzling white light shot into the sky.
Lin Chujiu was completely enveloped in white light. Even though she had expected it, she still felt dizzy for a moment.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in an unfamiliar room.
Her fingers touched the softness of the fabric, and she looked down at herself, finding herself sitting on a large bed.
The old clothes on his body were gone, replaced by a neat blue school uniform, except that there seemed to be some paint stains on the collar, black and red, and some mottled.
"Dreaming of going back to senior year of high school?" Lin Chujiu felt a chill run down her spine at the thought. She had absolutely no interest in repeating her senior year of high school.
The system notification tone also sounded at this moment.
Unlike usual, Lin Chujiu wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she clearly felt that the system's voice sounded somewhat malicious this time.
【Dear streamer, welcome to the world of horror! Here you will begin your dungeon and stream the entire process to your viewers.】
Note that in each instance, you have three opportunities to interact with the live stream audience, and each interaction is limited to two hours. Please abide by the instance rules and try your best to survive.
By the end, the system's tone had risen slightly, carrying a clear hint of malice.
Lin Chujiu was stunned, wondering where this malice came from.
Even though her heart was already dead, Lin Chujiu was still a little dazed. Before she could finish processing what the system had said, a transparent blue light panel suddenly appeared in front of her.
The light panel displays some information:
Game Title: Mom is telling you not to turn around
Participating player: Lin Chujiu (single-player)
Game Background: You live in a single-parent family. Your father passed away early, and your mother supports you and your brother by slaughtering pigs at the market. However, recently you've noticed that your mother often looks up at you and stares straight at you, making a "hehe" sound...
Game character: younger sister
Game Difficulty: C
How to pass: A. Investigate the truth in the house
B. Survive at home for seven days
Looking at the game introduction, Lin Chujiu somewhat blankly digested the story and concluded that she had to play the role of the "younger sister" in the game and successfully complete the game.
Lin Chujiu looked around the room. She slowly raised her head and surveyed the scene inside. Her eyes were drawn to a large expanse of pink, clearly indicating that it was a girl's room.
The room was simply furnished with a bed, a wardrobe, a desk, and an easel in the corner.
Although there were many books on the desk, they were arranged neatly, and planning notes covered most of the wall, which showed that he was a good student.
Unbeknownst to her, a few viewers had entered the live stream while she was browsing the room.
Damn, another unlucky guy has arrived.
Damn, how come this unlucky guy is so beautiful? He just looks a little haggard.
"Mom, I saw a fairy!"
[Stop calling for Mom, just run up to her and call her Mom, okay?]
[She's quite cautious. Hopefully, this pretty girl can live a little longer; after all, her looks are quite striking for a live stream.]
I don't know what he did wrong, he's dying so young, it's such a pity.
Upon seeing that last sentence, the atmosphere in the live stream room instantly fell silent.
After a moment, someone broke the deadlock with a remark, but it still didn't cause any ripples.
Why does she look so familiar?
Lin Chujiu stood up. She knew that her every move was being broadcast live. She forced a stiff smile, trying to hide the weariness on her face.
She spoke hesitantly to the air in front of her, "Hello everyone, my name is Lin Chujiu, I am twenty-two years old, and I am a newcomer. Please take good care of me."
She wasn't sure how the viewers in the live stream would react to her words, so she could only try her best to appear pleasing and hope they would give her more tips so she could have money to treat her mother's illness.
Thinking of her mother, the smile on her face couldn't help but turn bitter.
She's still short three million; she needs to live long enough to raise that three million.
She can't die yet. Even if she has to die, she has to live until she saves up three million before she dies.
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