Haunted House Exploration

“You’re finally here,” said a middle-aged man sitting at the round table. He looked toward Shang Xing and waved. “Come sit here.”

Shang Xing and the woman heard this and sat in the two remaining seats at the round table.

A total of five people sat around the table, and they began to introduce themselves.

The middle-aged man was the Director, Guan Zhou, who was also the leader of this haunted house exploration. The person who had first greeted Shang Xing was the Bar Owner, Hong Ai.

There was also a freelancer dressed entirely in designer brands named Zhan Qiu Ying, and sitting the furthest away was a high school student, Ji Han Ri.

Ji Han Ri crossed his legs and tossed the phone in his hand onto the table. A video was playing on the phone.

In the video was a pitch-black room. A person who appeared to have only their upper body left was crawling painfully on the ground. Midway through, the person let out a mournful groan, a sharp scream that almost pierced the ears of the five people present.

The person was still crawling forward. As they crawled, the body prone on the ground leaked fresh blood, and the blood-drenched hands were a tragic sight.

Suddenly, a pair of grey-white ghostly hands reached out from the darkness. Sharp nails instantly pierced the person’s body and dragged them into the dark.

This was followed by an exceptionally long scream.

Ji Han Ri looked at everyone:

“This was one of the ten people from the previous group that came to explore the haunted house. Everything that happened before they died was recorded by the camera. Only one person from the previous group survived and left the haunted house with these videos. That survivor died mysteriously in a mental hospital—body dismembered, a tragic death.”

“What I want to say is, ghosts only appear at night. Before that, you have a chance to leave.” It was also a chance to leave the Demon Game.

The other four fell into silence. Shang Xing recalled those ghostly hands, and his mood was somewhat subtle. Although he took the role of a Student, his hidden identity was a Demon. His remaining mission was to hide his Demon identity and cause the death of the other players.

From a certain perspective, he and the haunted house ghosts were on the same side. Perhaps his hiding his tracks was actually a part of the haunted house ghosts' actions.

“In other words, if we don't want to stay, we can just leave?” said the Bar Owner, Hong Ai.

Ji Han Ri nodded.

The group fell into silence again. Between life and becoming the final winner of the Demon Game, which one should they choose?

Right at this moment, that cold mechanical voice rang in Shang Xing’s head again:

【 Ji Han Ri and Guan Zhou have violated the rules. Warning issued once. In the Demon Game, there is no such thing as leaving, only winning or losing. 】

The faces of the other four showed shock. Shang Xing guessed from their expressions that they must have heard that cold voice as well.

Once you entered the Demon Game, there was no way back. It was either death or victory.

Guan Zhou sneered. “There’s no other way. Before the nighttime exploration, everyone can go rest first.”

Ji Han Ri was the first to leave the round table. Hong Ai sighed and left as well. Zhan Qiu Ying had been stroking the designer bag in her hand from the beginning; she followed closely behind Hong Ai, carrying her bag as she left.

Shang Xing watched them leave, pulled out his chair, and went to the second floor.

The second floor consisted entirely of bedrooms. Shang Xing chose a room at random. This bedroom happened to face the haunted house's courtyard. In the courtyard was a dry well, and beside the well was a gloomy scholar tree.

The room was very dark. Shang Xing turned on the light, and the chandelier flickered, emitting a dim red light. Everything in the bedroom was bathed in this light, as if dyed with a layer of blood. Shang Xing turned the light off immediately.

Shang Xing went to the window and looked down at the dry well below.

He thought to himself that he had lost contact with the system. Now he could only wait for the people from the Angel Organization to find him before he could return.

But when would the Angel Organization find him?