Chapter 5

In the pitch-dark room, not a sound could be heard.

Chen Caixing couldn’t help but to breathe lightly. A tiny bit of sound was amplified in his ears and not to mention the movement of the thing outside the door was not small. His sight adapted to the dark environment and Chen Caixing looked towards the door.

The weak and narrow door inevitably was like an illusion.

Dong, dong, dong.

The sound got clearer and clearer. Chen Caixing’s heartbeat quickened because that thing came over, closer and closer……

Dong!

Fuck.

Chen Caixing cursed internally, his heartbeat stopped for an instant. He held his breath because the thing outside stopped at their door.

Silence.

But Chen Caixing knew that thing was still there, standing outside their room door. They were obviously separated by a door but he had an illusion that the thing outside was able to accurately stare at him through the door.

A subtle ‘ka ka’ sound was made. Then, it became louder and louder. It seemed like something broke free and joints were repositioned a little. ‘Pa’ was the last sound, as if its head was pulled back to its original position——

Chen Caixing’s imagination of the scene was too detailed as he tightened his hold on Yuan Jiuwan.

Dong dong——

The weak door was knocked.

“Do you want to make wax figures?”

A stiff male voice came from outside, he sounded like he hadn’t spoken for a long time. His voice was slow and mechanical penetrated through the door until it reached the ears of the people in the room. The looming frostiness brought a strange smell.

It actually spoke.

According to Wang Xiaoxiao’s description, there was a thumping sound yesterday after midnight, like the sound of a wooden barrel touching the floor. The thing came out today. Chen Caixing thought of the two corpses in the bathroom. Was it possible that because people were killed so the power of those sealed things increased and they could come out?

Mr. House kept urging them again and again to not go out after midnight, was it because of this?

Chen Caixing pieced all the clues together in an instant but it was useless at the moment. The thing outside the door didn’t leave and stubbornly knocked on the door again. The sound was a bit louder this time.

“Do you want to make wax figures?”

I want to make your head! Chen Caixing cursed in his heart but he had a thought that making wax figures wasn’t that bad. After he noticed the voice outside had the power to entice, he covered the quilt over his head and didn’t forget to cover Yuan Jiuwan’s ears for him.

The things outside weren’t willing to leave and continued to ask.

Chen Caixing’s hands and legs were cold. He didn’t know if he could resist the enticing.

Yuan Jiuwan in his embrace had a small body. His head was propped against Chen Caixing’s chest. He slightly raised his head to look at Chen Caixing’s pale face and on his ears, were Chen Caixing’s cold fingers.

“Do you want to make——”

Yuan Jiuwan’s expression was cold, his eyes were faintly red as he looked sharply at the door.

The speech of thing outside ceased abruptly for a long time before it made a sound. But this time, it was the sound of dragging something and also steps to leave.

“Gege, it left.” Yuan Jiuwan softly said as his mouth stuck to Chen Caixing’s chin.

The child’s voice was soft but because it was lowered, his breath tickled Chen Caixing’s chin. His mind returned from the slow and endless fear he felt. He thought he was going to die just now.

“Right, it’s fine now……”

Chen Caixing’s mind was momentarily blank, it took quite a while for him to recover his rationality. It was evident that the power of the ghost outside had strengthened. The flow of time was fast. It wanted someone to die tonight so that its power would greatly increase again. It would absolutely be more dangerous tomorrow night and also there was the walnut tree in the backyard……

Mr. House would supply the walnut tree with flesh, clearly to feed it. Yet, he warned them repeatedly to take precautions on the things that come out after midnight.

This game had at least two ghosts.

Chen Caixing did not believe the ghost under the grave mound of the walnut tree, which liked flesh, was a good upright ghost.

The thoughts in his mind were a mess. He thought he wouldn’t be able to sleep but in the end, he was so sleepy that he couldn’t keep his eyes open after a while. His nose was filled with the faint sweet scent of his little brother. The child’s body was nice and warm, dispersing the coldness from just now.

However, someone was not as ‘lucky’ as Chen Caixing.

The ghost dragged the wooden barrel and stopped in front of a door.

Repeating its words a moment ago.

……

In the middle of the night, Chen Caixing woke up due to the cold with his arms empty. He reacted after a second and looked towards the inner side, Yuan Jiuwan wasn’t there. He shuddered and sobered up immediately. He sat up, looking at the side of the door which had a short and little shadow.

“Xiao Jiu?”

Yuan Jiuwan quickly threw the wax skin in his hand into the flower pot. He turned over, looking like he did something wrong. His soft voice showed his embarrassment as he said, “Gege, I want to pee.”

“You scared me to death.”

Chen Caixing felt relieved. He didn’t dare to light the candle. He feared that the light would attract the thing outside. He vaguely looked at the flower pot in his little brother’s hands. He reckoned the child dawdled as he wanted to pee in the flower pot but was embarrassed. He couldn’t help but to laugh and softly said, “Just pee. Go to sleep quickly after you’ve finished.”

Yuan Jiuwan stood still on the spot.

“Fine, fine, fine. I won’t look.” The child still knew how to be shy.

Chen Caixing turned over and didn’t look at Yuan Jiuwan’s fake obedient face turn stiff in seconds. After a few seconds, Chen Caixing didn’t hear the sound of liquid and simply asked, “What’s wrong?”

“It won’t come out, Gege.”

The voice of his little brother was soft and pitiful, it can’t be that he was so scared just now that his pee returned?

“In that case, come up to the bed first and wait until you have the urge to go. It’s cold outside.” Chen Caixing uncovered the quilt to let his little brother come in.

Yuan Jiuwan placed the flower pot on the bed stand and obediently got into the quilt.

There was a blast of cold air and Chen Caixing shivered. He tucked into the quilts properly and started to get sleepy. He said, “Go to sleep.”

Yuan Jiuwan closed his eyes. He thought of the wax skin he hid under the bed on the first night being placed in the flower pot. He must take the lead before Gege and throw it away. It would be fine if he just said he peed afterward……

In the morning.

Chen Caixing woke up only to notice his little brother was gone. He thought about the situation last night and looked at the bed stand by the door——as expected, the flower pot was gone. The child should be too embarrassed and went out to pour the ‘thing’.

He wore his coat properly before he went out. He happened to meet his little brother who returned while holding the flower pot.

“Gege.” Yuan Jiuwan wore an embarrassed expression and hid the flower pot behind his back.

Chen Caixing’s gaze was like a torch as he looked at the flower pot which had been cleaned. He had a tacit understanding and patted his little brother’s head, “Put it back and we’ll go downstairs——”

He didn’t finish his words before a scream broke out from outside.

Chen Caixing put away his smile, quickly going out to look.

The scream came from the first floor.

It was the previous female companion of the cranky male, who screamed. Chen Caixing didn’t know what the woman was called. There were others who were drawn down from the sound but the floor of the living room was clean with no bloody corpse insight. It was not like what everyone had imagined.

Monkey scolded, “What are you going crazy for early in the morning?”

The woman just stood there, speechless and shivering while pointing at a corner. Chen Caixing’s gaze followed in the direction of the woman’s finger. His heart dropped cold.

The others also looked over.

The whole living room quiet in a split second. For a long time.

“That, that is Zhao, Zhao ge?” Monkey’s voice was full of disbelief.

In the remote corner of the living room, there were three more wax figures. A pair of a man and a woman who had their features badly mutilated, the way they were dressed were the same as the male and female newcomers who died in the bathroom yesterday. There was also a presentable male wax figure wearing a smile, looking quite happy.

It was Jin ge’s roommate, veteran Zhao ge.

Everyone could recognise them.

When a newcomer died, the veterans had an indifferent attitude. After all, a newcomer didn’t have experience and props so it was quite normal for them to die.

They were gold hunters, specialising in clearing intermediate-low level games to acquire gold coins and props. There were a lot of newcomers in the game so according to experience, the difficulty wouldn’t be too high. The probability of intermediate-low level games was the greatest.

An intermediate-low level game was randomly chosen.

This was clearly not the advanced level difficulty mode but Zhao ge had already died. The others didn’t know but the three veterans were well aware. Amongst the four of them, Monkey just started the advance level mode. Jin, Wang and Zhao completed two advanced level games but the rank Wang and Zhao got from clearing intermediate-low level games, was B rank. It was considered to be a high rating.

Especially when each of them had props in their possession.

If someone died, it was impossible for it to be a veteran who died. This was the confidence the four of them had but it was crushed today.

“How could Zhao ge die——” Monkey trembling voice didn’t dare to go on. Zhao ge died. Then what about him who was not as good as Zhao ge?

“Jin Hai, tell me. What happened last night? You and old Zhao were in the same room, why did he die?” The one surnamed Wang sternly forced Jin Hai to speak.

Jin Hai’s expression was ashen. It was the first time he exposed his dread from the first time since entering the game.

He didn’t know what happened at night, he didn’t even know why Zhao ge went out.

Now, Chen Caixing knew Jin ge’s full name but he didn’t spare time to care about that. As soon as the dispute started in the living room, he turned around and went upstairs. Yuan Jiuwan followed behind him.

“Xiao Jiu, don’t go up and stay here for a while. Chen Caixing walked to the second floor and looked towards the third floor.

The first death was the male and female newcomers. The corpses were left for half a day and were only made into wax figures today. As for Zhao ge who died after midnight, he was directly made into a wax figure this morning.

The power of the ghost had increased.

If he still didn’t search for clues, Chen Caixing didn’t know what would await them later on.

“Gege, I will be good. I’ll go up with you.” Yuan Jiuwan widened his eyes, holding Chen Caixing’s hand refusing to let go, “I’m scared, Gege.”

If they delay it any longer, he doesn’t know when Mr. House will appear.

Chen Caixing grit his teeth and said, “Let’s go together.”

This bastard game. It couldn’t even spare a primary school student. He could protect this little brother for a game but what about the following games? He couldn’t always be together with this little brother.

The stairs were made out of wood, stepping on it made creaking sounds and was suffused with age.

It wasn’t like the row of rooms on the second floor. The third floor only had three doors and half of a small balcony. It just happened to face the walnut tree in the backyard. A white round table and chairs were placed. A thin flower pot was propped on the round table with a fresh flower. The blooming flower was tender and beautiful.

At a glance, someone changed the flower regularly. This ‘person’ was naturally Mr. House.

Chen Caixing didn’t dare to walk over, they were pressed for time so he twisted a doorknob without any extra trouble.

Luckily, the door wasn’t locked.

The room was huge and was decorated in a very American style. A scattered fine flower pattern wallpaper, a tall canopy bed, a cabinet-dressing table and more. It was actually the master bedroom.

“Xiao Jiu, you search the dresser.” Chen Caixing went straight to the taller chest of drawers.

Stockings, underclothes and other miscellaneous items were placed in the drawer but there were no suspicious leads. The only information he was more ascertained of was that there was definitely a mistress in this room. Only that, he didn’t know where she was now. He swept his eyes around. The little brother was in the middle of searching the dressing table carefully so he turned to the wardrobe.

The four-door wardrobe hung skirts and dresses along with also men’s clothes.

It was quite vintage.

Chen Caixing rummaged through it quickly until he came across a pocket of one of the women’s skirts and felt something in it. He pulled it out of the pocket.

A yellowed folded paper.

There seemed to be words written. Before he could open it, he suddenly heard a voice speaking loudly.

“……Mr. House, I have something to ask you, our car parts……”

It was Wang Xiaoxiao’s voice.

Chen Caixing hurriedly shoved the paper into his pocket. He didn’t dare to stay any longer. To his surprise, Mr. House came.

“Xiao Jiu, let’s quickly leave.” Chen Caixing pulled Yuan Jiuwan’s hand and evacuated downstairs at lightning speed.

When they came down from the third floor to the second floor, they just happened to meet the silhouette of Mr. House. Wang Xiaoxiao followed behind with a face full of cold sweat. Her anxious expression was somewhat relieved once she saw them.

However, this was not the time to be relieved.

Mr. House used his turbid and gloomy eyes to scrutinise Chen Caixing. His scrutiny gave people goosebumps. Chen Caixing felt the other party definitely knew he went upstairs moments ago. The hand he placed in the pocket of his down jacket, briefly touched the letter. He remained unperturbed on the surface and smiled while saying, “Mr. House, is something wrong?”

The other party didn’t say anything. His eyes resembled a poisonous snake as he gazed unwaveringly at Chen Caixing.

Chen Caixing’s heart was pounding, bathump bathump bathump, but he acted calm on the surface as he looked back.

A long time later.

Mr. House coldly spoke, “It’s lunchtime, you can go have a meal.”

“Thank you. I happen to be hungry. Good afternoon Mr. House.” Chen Caixing smiled. He calmly pulled Yuan Jiuwan’s hand, brushed past Mr. House and went down to the first floor.

Huff.

Chen Caixing listened to himself exhale in one breath little by little.

Wu wu wu, it was really scary.