C52 Part1

Edited by Rinrin

Shan Ziwei’s breath caught in his throat, sweat gathering on his palms and his mind drawn tight like a bowstring. This anxious feeling wasn’t from a ghost, or anything scary, just the painting here in front of him.

The oil paper umbrella, dripping with black water, had turned around halfway. The side-profile of the person in the painting was on the verge of being revealed to its audience when a bloodcurdling scream came from below.

“AAAAAAHHHHH—!”

The tension in the white-haired young man’s body snapped and he jumped, turning and fleeing like a rabbit caught in headlights.

Haah.. hah… hah…!

Shan Ziwei ran like the hounds of hell were on his tail, not daring to turn his head and look back. He fled all the way from the second floor down to the first floor, almost running head-first into PaperIris who was also rapidly heading this way.

“What’s up with you! Is there a ghost after you?”

By the way he and PaperIris, who had already been on the first floor, managed to arrive at the master bedroom at the same time, it was clear how hard Shan Ziwei had run. Shan Ziwei stared at PaperIris, not yet recovered from the scare he’d just received. It was like he had run so fast he had left his voice behind. Luckily, PaperIris was just quietly complaining and didn’t expect an answer. She rushed into the master bedroom thereafter. She recognised that scream with ease; it was NightLily.

Shan Ziwei calmed himself and followed inside. Upon stepping into the room, he immediately saw PaperIris yelling as she searched the room, “Night! Night, where are you!”

Shan Ziwei swept his gaze over the room. When he saw the wedding photo on the wall, he was stunned for a moment. Wasn’t that bride the “mommy” from the flashback?

“What’s going on?”

The other girls all soon arrived one after the other. RoseBlood stepped forward asking, “What happened?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know!” PaperIris cried out, practically breaking down. “I found a mirror! So I ran to tell you guys! Night should’ve been right behind me but she vanished!”

Paperiris’ words were a little jumbled from panic, but she managed to relay the gist of it to them. Just as they were digesting the news, Pearl Milktea seemed to notice something and gave a cry of surprise.

“Look at the mirror!”

Everyone all turned to look at the tall full-body mirror in the room, however, Pearl Milktea pointed towards the corner of the room instead, “No, not that one, the vanity mirror!”

Shan Ziwei followed her directions and then froze in horrified shock.

In the mirror of the vanity table, there the missing NightLily stood. Not leaning against the table, or up against the mirror, but inside the mirror! They saw the young lady banging against the surface of the mirror frantically, her mouth opening and closing, but making no sound, trapped inside.

Everyone was stunned. PaperIris, who was the closest to NightLily, was the first one to react. She hurriedly approached the mirror. “Night! Night!”

Seeing PaperIris, NightLily’s expression lit up for a moment before growing more panicked. She silently banged against the mirror while trembling and looking backwards. Shan Ziwei and the others gathered around the vanity table, following NightLily’s gaze to look behind her. There was a dark shadow in the bedroom behind NightLily, swaying as it slowly approached.

NightLily moved to the side to give them a clearer view.

In that moment, RoseBlood and Hyacinth went pale, Sago and Pearl drew a sharp breath, and even Shan Ziwei was shocked.

It was a headless man, fresh blood welling up from and dribbling out of its severed neck, some staining its suit, and some dribbling down its arm and onto the axe in its hand. It dragged its axe along, leaving a bloody trail behind it as it swayed and jerked its way towards NightLily.

NightLily’s form took up the mirror once more, crying as she slammed her fists against the mirror, silently crying out.

……me——

……save…..me——

Save me! Save me! Save me——

“Ni…..Night!” PaperIris started crying as well. “What should I do? How do I save you?”

Inside the mirror, NightLily had long since been overwhelmed with terror, screaming and crying for help. PaperIris scratched and clawed at the mirror, but wasn’t able to reach her friend, and could only feel the cold mirror’s surface. Hyacinth pushed her glasses up with a trembling hand, then looked at RoseBlood pleadingly. However, their team leader wore a troubled expression, clearly at a loss as to what to do.

Scratch. Scratch.

The sound of the axe dragging over the floorboards was like a knife against the neck. NightLily didn’t turn around. She put all her hopes on her companions on the other side. Yet, Shan Ziwei could see that the headless man had already arrived behind NightLily, raising its bloodstained axe higher and higher.

“AHHHHHH!!!

Seeing that the axe was about to strike the unsuspecting NightLily, PaperIris grew desperate, grabbing the chair of the vanity table and hurling it against the mirror.

Crash!

The chair struck the surface of the mirror, giving off a sharp, crisp noise. The shattered remains of the mirror fell to the ground… or so everyone thought would happen. However, what actually fell to the ground wasn’t the mirror, but… pieces of a human corpse.

PaperIris took the brunt of it, being at the front, bits of flesh and internal organs splattering onto her clothing. She lowered her head, looking dumbly down at the eyeball that had fallen against her chest. That indigo iris was the exact same eye colour that she and NightLily had set for their characters.

This was……..NightLily ahhhhhh…..

RoseBlood’s expression changed as well, she ignored the blood and gore on herself and yelled, “Iris!”

But it was already too late.

PaperIris raised her lowered head, her red eyes indicating that she had already entered Spiritual Breakdown. She bent down, trying her best to piece the scattered bits of flesh together.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry! I broke you into pieces! I made you all tattered and torn!”

The young girl’s fingers were covered in blood and bits of tattered flesh, crying as she frantically apologised.

“I’m begging you, forgive me, please, please forgive me….I’ll make myself tattered and torn too, so forgive me, alright?”

And then, the girl ripped herself apart.

The room was dead silent. RoseBlood rubbed her reddened eyes and stepped forwards, picking up the two white chess pieces amidst the bloody mess.

It was only the first hour after entering the haunted house, and already they’d lost two high-leveled players.

Shan Ziwei now deeply understood what it meant to play a paranormal horror chessboard at L5 difficulty. He couldn’t help but curse to himself. How did this game pass censorship? Never mind these girls, anyone who had to deal with this chessboard would probably be left with deep trauma.

Shan Ziwei remembered the disclaimer he had seen when he had first logged into the game: “The game, Role Playing, shall not hold responsibility for any incident that may occur to any user within Role Playing, including but not limited to psychological trauma, injuries and death.” They really weren’t fucking kidding.

“Let’s get out of here.” Sago Milktea said, terrified.

They definitely couldn’t stay in the master bedroom anymore. It was filled with the scent of blood. Just looking at it would decrease their Diamonds SP (Fear).

“Yeah.” RoseBlood “Let’s take the mirror outside, Iris and Night found it after all.”

Shan Ziwei was the first one to go up and grab the mirror. After carrying the mirror out of the master bedroom, host silently appeared again after having disappeared for so long.

The black-haired young man didn’t greet anyone, quietly approaching the blood and flesh covered vanity table, and picked up an intricate, white jade box.

The box opened with a click and Shan Ziwei saw host take out a key from inside. RoseBlood also noticed this, and after host came out, she casually brought it up. “You found a key?”

Host threw the key to RoseBlood, and RoseBlood was stunned, not expecting host’s straightforwardness. Then, host turned without a care and reached out, pulling a certain hypersexual into a tight embrace.

Shan Ziwei and RoseBlood: ……!!!

Don’t……don’t just hug me without warning! Can’t we discuss this first?!

Joui: *trembling* QAQ