In the darkness, who knew how much time had passed before Dr Chen opened his eyes. His mind was clear, but his body wouldn't move. He quickly realized he was dreaming.
He turned his neck. The room was dim, but he could still make things out. Ever since he picked up that jar, Dr Chen had this dream every night. That female ghost would drift in through the door, then stand by his bed and stare at him.
To be exact, she stared at him with blood-soaked eye sockets. Her eyes had been gouged out, leaving behind the horrific look she had at death.
Creak—
The door was pushed open, and that familiar red slowly floated over.
Even after seeing it so many times, Dr Chen's heart was still full of fear. But his body couldn't move, so he could only watch in silence as the woman drifted to his bedside.
“Hrk!”
In the silent night, a sudden sound came from nowhere.
“Hrk! Hrk! Hrk!”
After it sounded a few more times, Dr Chen finally found the source. Every time the sound rang out, the woman's chest twitched once. It seemed she was... hiccuping.
In the quiet room, that abrupt sound kept popping up now and then. Before long, the Crimson Robe Malevolent Ghost slowly floated back out through the door. It clearly wasn't time yet.
At the same time, in Linping Apartments, after the ambulance took away the unconscious streamers, the building fell silent once more. On the fourth floor, hidden in the dark, a slaughter was quietly unfolding.
Inside Room 404, a female ghost with twisted, deformed limbs was pinning the master of the house beneath her. Her mouth opened to an impossible size, and with one bite, she tore off the man's arm.
“Dad!”
The girl's scream drew the female ghost's attention. Her head twisted around a full hundred and eighty degrees. Her pale white eyes fixed on the girl, and the corners of her split mouth curled up into a horrifying smile.
“Ahhhhhhh—!”
The girl screamed and ran out of the room. Behind her, the clacking sound grew closer and closer. At last, she couldn't help turning back for one glance.
That female ghost had flipped onto all fours with her limbs bent backward. With her back facing the floor, she crawled like a centipede at terrifying speed. In moments, she was right behind the girl.
Her torn-open mouth bit into the girl's calf and dragged her back toward the room, little by little.
“No! Help—!”
As the door to 404 shut, the girl's screams vanished with it. No one cared about what was happening on that floor. The residents who lived in the darkness all hid in their homes, too afraid to come out. Then the female ghost found them one by one and devoured them. Her stomach was like a bottomless pit that could never be filled.
[You really are lucky. Unlike my previous hosts, who usually died in the second or third horror scenario, you got through it with ease. That's thanks to the love of a Malevolent Ghost.]
“I'd rather not have that love! Do you know what it feels like to wake up every night and see a woman with no eyes standing by your bed, staring straight at you? Am I beyond saving?”
[There are many terrifying things in this world. What you've seen is only the tip of the iceberg. Young man, sign a contract with me. I'll show you true terror. Only then can you find release.]
“What do you mean?”
[Right now, you're only a basic user of this system, so you can only unlock ordinary horror events. If you sign the contract, you'll advance to VIP status and gain access to more, and more terrifying, scenarios. You'll also unlock the item shop, character attributes, and even self-enhancement. Nothing but benefits.]
“Sounds nice, but I refuse! You're not some software made by Old Ma, are you? Why does this scam feel so familiar? Feels like a huge pit waiting up ahead, and there's no way I'm jumping in!”
Dr Chen firmly rejected the phone's request. He felt the phone had stayed silent last night on purpose, just to leave him hanging. And those pathetic beginner tasks had probably been arranged by it too. It was all meant to lure him deeper, step by step.
Seeing ghosts? He could do that on his own. He could just search online for famous haunted spots. No way he wouldn't find a ghost that could match the Crimson Robe Malevolent Ghost.
[You'll regret this. Don't think that just because she protects you, you can do whatever you want. There are things in this world even more terrifying than her. It has already set its sights on you.]
