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Chapter 78: Yes, these mechanisms are very childish
After a brief discussion, the group finally headed toward the haunted house.
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[Oh god! They actually decided to go to the haunted house in the end!]
[Too brave. I can only say they are too brave.]
[I’ve watched the instance “Fantasy Amusement Park” so many times, and it’s the first time I saw an anchor who dared go to the haunted house at the beginning. What a ruthless way!]
[Ah? I don’t understand; just asking if the haunted house is difficult?]
[Upstairs, you haven’t seen the Fantasy Amusement Park before, have you? In fact, the problem isn’t whether this instance is difficult or not and it was also not because it’s too difficult and brain-intensive that the death rate is high.]
[The haunted house belongs to the more typical project in the entire park. In short, as you’ll understand you go on.]
“Welcome to the Fantasy Amusement Park to experience our theme-based haunted house!”
The green-haired clown came jumping over: “It costs 10 coupons per ticket!”
The anchors took out two coupons, each with a value of 5, from their pockets and handed them over. The clown took the coupons and took out the tickets from his baggy trouser pocket:
“Before entering the haunted house, remember to read the rules behind the tickets!”
An anchor on the team who introduced himself as Brother Fatty  frowned and muttered in a low voice:
“…the rules again.”
Since entering this fantasy amusement park instance, they had seen too many rules. There were amusement park rules on the back of the map, there were rules posted outside each theme park, and now even when entering the park projects, there were rules. Most of these rules were specious. The people who read them would be confused, not only not daring to believe them but also unable to deny them, which also had a reverse effect on their customs clearance.
Despite saying so, the anchors obediently turned the tickets to the back and prepared to read lengthy and meaningless rules again, spending their 120,000 energy points.
However, after turning the tickets over, everyone was stunned.
Blank.
That’s right, the back of the ticket was blank, without a single word.
…What was going on here?
Although they were really tired of reading those complicated rules, these were still some kind of guidelines after all. While entering an unfamiliar area without getting any relevant information, this feeling was even more terrifying than needing to read long and lengthy rules.
It was like throwing a person who couldn’t swim into an unknown sea.
Everyone looked at each other in surprise. Yun Bilan looked at the clown in front of her and asked tentatively: “Well…can you repeat the rules for us again?”
It would be unwise to reveal that they couldn’t see the rules, so she could only ask in a roundabout way.
“Of course!”
The clown didn’t seem to notice anything wrong.
It shook its head and said with a grin: “It’s actually very simple. First, you must clear the level within 45 minutes. Second, if you encounter any strange events, you can contact the staff through the emergency buttons set up throughout the haunted house. Three, don’t damage the equipment in the haunted house, or we will need you to pay for it!”
Everyone was stunned.
How could the rules of this haunted house be so common?
They were almost the same as in the real world.
Yun Bilan asked persistently: “Then, what is the theme of this haunted house?”
“You’ll find out when you go in and have a look.”
The clown winked mysteriously.
It pointed to the “entrance” not far away: “You can go in after you are ready. I hope you can have a thrilling and wonderful experience!”
After speaking, it sat back on the seat and shook its head along with the music in the park.
Wen Jianyan lowered his eyes, and his gaze fell on the back of the haunted house ticket in his hand.
Blood-red words were printed on the snow-white cardboard:
[Rules of Haunted House]
1. Please be sure to stay in the haunted house for 45 minutes before leaving.
2. The emergency button set in the haunted house has failed, please do not touch it at will.
3. This project adopted an unmanned ticketing system, don’t trust any staff who sell you tickets.
Wen Jianyan felt that his palms were sweaty. The cold wind was blowing down his neck, and the fine hair on his body was standing on end. He seemed to be standing on the edge of a cliff, giving him the illusion of falling straight down.
Unlike several other anchors, he could see this passage from the very beginning.
The scarlet and dazzling words could not be ignored at all. Wen Jianyan glanced at the tickets in the hands of other anchors from the corner of her eye. The tickets in the hands of those anchors also had the exact same words printed on the back.
When the other anchors looked around, Wen Jianyan never covered the ticket in his hand, but they still looked past it as if they had never seen anything.
After listening to the conversation between Yun Bilan and the clown just now, Wen Jianyan was now a little certain.
——he didn’t know why, but only he could see this passage.
It would be unwise to expose the matter.
After all, he still wasn’t sure where the problem was or who had caused it.
Wen Jianyan looked down at the ticket in his hand, secretly clenched his molars, and stuffed it back into his pocket.
He could only take one step at a time.
A group of people walked in along the narrow passage at the entrance of the haunted house.
The interior of the haunted house was dimly lit, and the air was filled with a cold and damp atmosphere. Black velvet cloth was hung on both sides of the passage, and the unsteady wooden structure under their feet made crunching sounds with their footsteps.
Soon after walking through this narrow corridor, the view suddenly opened up.
A small, three-story villa appeared in front of everyone.
The curtains were tightly drawn in the gray windows, and it was impossible to see what was inside. The decayed door was wide open, and the inside was dark.
There was a sign standing at the door of the small villa, and the same scary font as the sign outside was faintly visible on this sign.
Yun Bilan turned on the flashlight function of the phone, illuminated the words on the sign, and read them out in a low voice:
“Welcome everyone to the house of terror.
Twenty years ago, this was the home of a perverted serial killer. He would kill his prey and drag them back here, where he turned them into dolls to accompany him forever. Although he is dead, people still hear cries and footsteps coming from the villa. It is said that his soul still wanders here.”
“There are a total of three check-in points in this haunted house: the attic, the doll’s house on the second floor, and the slaughterhouse in the basement. After you check-in, you can get the exit key in the basement.”
“Compared to the haunted house, this place is more like a secret room.” A  female anchor named Elise on the team said thoughtfully, “Escape room or something.”
Yun Bilan nodded: “Indeed, but this is not the point; the point is how to complete the project within 45 minutes.”
“She turned her head to look at the other anchors behind her and said, “It would be better for everyone to go to the attic and the second floor to check in separately and meet up in the lobby after the end, then we will go to the basement together.”
After all, the exit was in the basement, and the slaughterhouse sounded too dangerous, so it was better to solve the other two check-in points first and then finally go to the third check-in point together.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Yun Bilan looked at Wen Jianyan and said, “What about you? How about acting with me?”
Wen Jianyan nodded, “Okay.”
Wen Jianyan, Yun Bilan, and Brother Fatty would go to the doll’s house on the second floor together, while the remaining two people would go to the attic to check-in.
After completing the task assignment, the group walked toward the villa.
The light in the villa was very dim. There was a weird damp smell in the air, and the wooden floor creaked under their feet. All the furniture was covered with thick dust and cobwebs.
The moment everyone stepped into the villa, a strange, wired laugh sounded from above their heads:
“Hee hee hee hee hee!”
The anchors immediately tensed up, subconsciously putting on a defensive posture, and the light of the flashlight quickly swept toward the place from where the sound came.
Under the illumination of the light, a poorly crafted doll continuously let out a strange laugh and was then retracted by the open mechanism on the wall.
The bungalow fell into a dead silence again.
“What…” Elise breathed a sigh of relief.
Yun Bilan: “After all, this is a haunted house. It’s better for everyone to be on guard against such things, but don’t be too guarded, as it will waste props and abilities.”
Brother Fatty laughed: “Damn, do you still have to talk about such things? After all, everyone here has passed more than one instance, and this kind of mechanism is still too childish.”
Wen Jianyan: “……”
He slowly looked away, although his expression was still very calm, his face was a little pale.
Yes, he had indeed gone through three instances, and yes, these mechanisms were very childish.
But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be frightened!
——Thank you for your reminder.
Soon, the two groups of people moved separately up the stairs.
Elise and one other person walked toward the attic, while Wen Jianyan and the other two left the stairs and walked along the narrow corridor.
The corridor was full of cobwebs, and the walls were covered with faded wallpaper smeared with poor-quality red paint, which was simulated as splatter blood, and some messy words were also written:
“Kill”, “Death”, “Run”, and so on.
Soon, a room labeled “Doll’s Room” appeared not far away.
Yun Bilan turned her head and glanced at the two people behind her: “Ready?”
The two nodded.
Yun Bilan turned the phone around, touched the door with the bottom of the phone, and slowly pushed it inward.
“Squeak…”
The harsh sound of the door being pushed open rang out, making one’s heart chill in the pitch-black darkness.
Wen Jianyan held his breath involuntarily, his eyes fixed on the little door that opened inward.
“Hee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee!”
The ear-piercing, strange laughter sounded again, and a painted, deathly pale face mask fell from the door and bounced in front of everyone.
…Attacking when opening the door was a pretty childish trick.
Yun Bilan and Brother Fatty had already prepared for this, and their expressions did not change.
“…Ah!”
On the contrary, the young man behind suddenly gasped and dodged to the side, startling the two people in front.
Yun Bilan took a flashlight and looked over, only to see that the other party’s handsome face was a little pale, and a pair of amber eyes were slightly rounded, seeming to be still in shock.
“This? You are actually scared by this?” Yun Bilan was a little bit dumbfounded.
Brother Fatty also laughed: “You are a big man; why are you not even as courageous as Sister Bilan?”
Wen Jianyan pretended to be calm:
“Ha, haha, I was actually just setting up the atmosphere.”
“Hahahahaha yes, if no one screams in the haunted house, there is indeed no atmosphere.” Brother Fatty suppressed a smile and spoke cooperatively.
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[Hahahahahahahaha Rofl, this is the first time I’m seeing an anchor scared by the inferior props of the haunted house!]
[So disappointing! He isn’t even as courageous as the other girl, hahahahaha, dog liar, what a chicken you are!]
[Lol, although I just came in, this anchor should have experienced quite a lot of instances, right? Why does his courage seem to have not increased at all?]
[Yes, this old fan testifies that the anchor has never been very courageous, but it’s the first time he screamed like this…]
[I’m the only one who thinks the anchor’s cry is very soft! It’s like a gasp after a cat’s scratching, it’s so good!! More, more, more!]
Wen Jianyan took a steady breath and pursed his lips.
Although the pale face mask that fell from the haunted house did startle him, he had already experienced three instances after all, and it was almost impossible for him to scream out of fright.
The thing was—
Wen Jianyan glanced at the place where he was standing just now without leaving any trace, and his face turned a little pale.
At that moment, he could clearly feel…
Someone touching his waist.