Inside the dungeon.
When the path ahead of Wen Shichun was cleared, the man in motion didn't hesitate—he stepped over the fallen ghosts without slowing down.
But even though the blue ghosts had been knocked down by the monster, countless hands still reached out, trying to grab the white-haired young man by the calves.
Wen Shichun kept a cold expression as he dodged the dense forest of ghostly hands while sprinting forward. At the same time, a hint of confusion stirred in him—that monster behind him...
Listening closely to the sounds from behind, Wen Shichun could clearly hear the tentacles lashing repeatedly against the blue ghosts on the ground. The monster was still stopping them from getting close to him—just as it had cleared them out of his way earlier.
For a moment, surprise flickered across his mind.
So this is the effect of favorability?
But none of this affected the white-haired young man's predetermined course of action.
However, the monster's abnormal behavior seemed to have triggered some kind of dungeon mechanic.
The blue ghosts on the ground began to fight back. Some of them turned around—they no longer cared about their original target. Instead, their ghostly hands reached for the monster behind him. Within seconds, the monster's legs were covered in blue ghosts, and they kept climbing. In less than a heartbeat, the monster's massive body was draped in them. Those dark, bluish hands began tearing at its tough hide, and even its tentacles were seized by the ghosts.
The blue ghosts were immensely strong. Before long, chunks of the monster's hide and severed tentacles littered the corridor floor.
Wen Shichun sensed the disturbance behind him.
He knew the monster wouldn't be able to hold those blue ghosts off for much longer.
And from the earlier chat messages, Wen Shichun had already learned that the two outside reinforcements seemed to have run into each other and started fighting—as if they were old enemies.
As he dodged again and again, the white-haired young man's mind raced at lightning speed. Right now, the only ones who could deal with the monsters in this dungeon were the two people outside the mansion's gates.
Wen Shichun's gaze remained calm. After analyzing the current situation and the speed at which the green-faced ghouls were chasing him, he immediately decided to lure every single creature in the mansion straight toward those two outside supports.
By then, there was no way they could still pretend not to see anything.
Compared to his unconscious teammates, Wen Shichun figured the outside supports should be far more capable of handling these monsters.
And so, on the livestream screen—
By the time another wave of green-faced ghouls caught up, Wen Shichun was already kiting them through the hallway.
[...]
[OMG OMG OMG is that ghost thing even still okay?!]
[Doesn't look like it's doing too well... its skin is almost completely torn off... Hiss... what level are these green-faced ghouls anyway?]
At first glance, with so many of them, everyone assumed they were just ordinary ghosts.
But now it was clear—this massive horde of ghouls could actually restrain that ghostly creature's movements.
[At least they're ghosts spawned from an S-rank dungeon. Even if they aren't S-rank monsters themselves... they should have no problem dealing with a B-rank dungeon ghost. But this E-rank player though...]
With the ghost creature's fate as a point of comparison—
And then looking at Wen Shichun, who had remained composed and collected from start to finish on screen...
[Is this really an E-rank? I've never seen an E-rank this calm before.]
[Go, Xiao Shi! Run!]
And so Wen Shichun, still leading the monsters, made his way to the stairwell. Since he wasn't sure what lay ahead, he quickly shut the door of the first bedroom on the right as he passed by. In his field of view, Xun Yi was still lying in the same spot as before, with no sign of waking up.
The livestream chat, upon seeing this move:
[...]
[He really... I'm crying.]
[The absolute best teammate...]
And as Wen Shichun turned into the stairwell leading downstairs, some viewers finally caught on to what the white-haired young man was trying to do.
The comments began to flood in:
[Is he trying to lure the ghosts downstairs?]
[But there are plenty of ghosts in the stairwell too...]
[He's got good skills. If he takes the risk, he has a chance.]
As long as he could lead the ghosts right in front of the outside supports, they refused to believe those two wouldn't step in.
At that point, those two top-tier S-rank players could easily wipe out all these ghosts with just a fraction of their power.
The armchair strategists had it all figured out, and the chat's hype squad was fully on board:
[Yes! That's right! Xiao Shi, run a little faster!!! Head straight there!]
[Here's your chance! Charge downstairs!!!]
***
Inside the dungeon, Wen Shichun was indeed preparing to run down the stairs. He had already mapped out his entire route in his mind, including exactly how he would strike when he got close to those green ghosts. But just at that moment, a sudden crisis closed in on him in the blink of an eye.
Wen Shichun sensed it—but the other party was too fast.
All he felt was a flash before his eyes, and the next second, he was standing in a brightly lit bedroom.
Behind him came the sound of the bedroom door clicking shut.
...
Atmosphere squad chat: [...]
For a moment, the entire comment section fell silent.
In the livestream, the streamer "Shi" had clearly been about to head downstairs, but in that instant, he was whisked into the bedroom at the end of the left corridor. The one who took him there was the only conscious player among all his unconscious teammates: He Yi.
[...This guy was acting like he was possessed earlier—what's he trying to do now by dragging someone away?]
[Holy crap, this guy has a speed skill!]
[Wait... what does He Yi want?]
***
Inside the room.
Wen Shichun turned around and locked eyes with He Yi.
Had even a second passed?
How did this person manage to bring him here in an instant?
The moment he thought about the distance from this bedroom to the stairwell, Wen Shichun's mental fortress cracked open just a little.
He had been so sure he'd shaken off the ghosts.
And that had been such a perfect opportunity.
At that thought, Wen Shichun's expression turned even colder by several degrees.
...
At this moment, He Yi gazed at the white-haired beauty under the bedroom light. The other's fair, cool-toned skin looked even more flawless and immaculate under the glow.
Because of the earlier running and dealing with the monsters, a faint flush from exertion still lingered on Wen Shichun's cheeks, not yet faded. He Yi couldn't quite make it out clearly, and simply asked, "I just opened the door—why didn't you come over?"
The murmuring voice struck a chord of familiarity in the person across from him.
...
Hearing He Yi's question, Wen Shichun merely looked quietly at the man before him.
After the incident with Bo Ya turning into a ghost, Xun Yi had already hinted to him about the signs of high-rank players turning.
Now, hearing a similar murmuring tone to Bo Ya's back then, Wen Shichun held He Yi's gaze without any visible reaction.
But alarm bells were blaring loudly in his mind.
This person in front of him—nine times out of ten—was already dead.
He had even died long before that.
He Yi's abnormality had first appeared when he came down the stairs earlier. Wen Shichun suspected that He Yi had already turned into a ghost by that point.
Yue Cheng had even wanted to call out his ghost identity directly earlier.
And now this situation was really...
In Wen Shichun's ear, the system—which he had been ignoring for quite a while—suddenly spoke up: [He's dead.]
This clear, explicit confirmation sent all of Wen Shichun's vital metrics soaring.
When the ghosts had burst in through the window earlier, the system had said something to him, but Wen Shichun hadn't had the time to pay attention. Now, with the surroundings quiet, the system's voice—cold as if wrapped in ten meters of thick ice—rang out distinctly in his mind.
Wen Shichun's expression remained unchanged as he replied mentally: [I know he's dead.]
The system, having heard his thoughts, did not contradict him.
However, the host had misunderstood.
What it meant was—
[If he looks at you one more time, he'll be completely dead.]
The system issued its threat in a cold, cutting tone.
...
Caught off guard by his system's remote threat aimed directly at a ghost, Wen Shichun fell silent for two seconds.
He hadn't expected his system to be quite so fierce.
It couldn't actually do anything useful, yet it sure had a lot of opinions.
The system, inexplicably hit by another wave of mental criticism from its host, also lost its ability to speak for a moment: [...]
Meanwhile, across from both host and system, He Yi was still asking persistently.
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
In the room, He Yi spoke again.
Then he repeated the first sentence he had said after the two of them entered the room.
"I just opened the door—why didn't you come over?"
The pattern was eerily similar to when Bo Ya had stood behind Wen Shichun and repeated his questions over and over.
But He Yi quickly added: "You saw me open the door, didn't you."
Under the light, Wen Shichun nodded.
When the green ghost appeared, he had indeed seen the door to He Yi's bedroom opened from the inside.
The emotion in He Yi's eyes at this moment also showed that he already had the affirmative answer to that question.
There was no need to provoke him further.
Wen Shichun thought to himself.
But He Yi seemed to have given up on himself somewhat.
He took a few steps closer to Wen Shichun.
The distance between the two of them closed in an instant.
[...]
[What's this guy trying to do?]
[The way he's talking... I've got a bad feeling about this.]
"A monster's abilities are tied to the level of its ghost transformation."
"The stronger the lingering consciousness, the more the ghost resembles its living self—and once the transformation is complete, the more powerful the ghost becomes."
As Xun Yi's words flashed through Wen Shichun's mind, He Yi was already less than an arm's length away.
He thought of the ghost creature outside.
If He Yi had turned into that kind of being as well, it would be quite troublesome—because this person's lingering consciousness was clearly stronger than Bo Ya's.
And at that very moment, sounds came from outside the bedroom door.
A dense, clattering rhythm of footsteps.
The things outside had already reached this side of the corridor.
He Yi also noticed the commotion beyond the door.
A mocking smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
Very much in character for him.
But in Wen Shichun's eyes, He Yi's entire face had already turned a terrifying shade of pale.
Thin, dark cracks ran across it—like a white porcelain mask on the verge of shattering.
And those eyes staring back at him—the whites were completely flooded with pure black.
"Shi"'s main-view livestream:
[!!!]
[It's a ghost transformation!!!]
[This guy is already dead!!!]
[Xiao Shi!!! Danger!!!]
[I was just thinking He Yi has a speed skill so Xiao Shi might be saved—now we're screwed]
[Soon we'll have a ghost creature with speed skills. (closes eyes in despair)]
[Xiao Shi, run!!!]
[Help]
[No, no, no... I'm gonna cut out and check if the outside support players are done yet.]
***
At the mansion's entrance, one of the two who had been fighting suddenly stopped attacking.
Seeing this, the other party also pulled back their movements in a token gesture.
De Yuechen looked at Yan Shang, who had suddenly dropped to one knee in front of him. Cold sweat beaded across the other's brow, and his breathing was ragged. One hand—the one that had been channeling a skill—was now pressed against his chest, as if he had just taken some kind of hit, while his other hand remained raised in a defensive stance against De Yuechen.
Yan Shang's gaze was locked tightly on the person across from him.
Seeing this, De Yuechen said slowly, "There's no need for you to kneel before me."
But the slight upward lilt at the end of his tone carried a hint of amused enjoyment, as if he were watching a good show.
The way Yan Shang looked right now... it seemed as though he had been punished by their master of District 2.
Had he failed to get something done?
Across from De Yuechen, Yan Shang's expression remained unchanged at the humiliating words. His gaze simply shifted toward the direction of the mansion.
"What's inside there?"
De Yuechen followed the man's line of sight and lifted his eyes as well.
His curiosity grew even stronger.
At the moment, only a few rooms on the second floor of the haunted mansion had their lights on.
When De Yuechen looked away, Yan Shang across from him had already stood back up. His posture had returned to its usual straight and upright form, though his fingers were still trembling slightly.
***
Inside the bedroom.
He Yi stared at that cold, expressionless face for a good several seconds before suddenly taking a step back.
An E-rank...
Why was this E-rank player still so calm?
He Yi raised one of his hands. In his vision, colors were no longer normal.
But still...
When he looked at the person across from him again, Shi's facial features remained clearly visible, and even that figure stood just as upright and composed as He Yi had always seen it.
Unlike everything else in his sight, it hadn't become twisted or distorted.
"Xiao E."
He Yi spoke, his voice suddenly softening.
"Mm."
Wen Shichun didn't move his feet. The slicing knife in his hand hung naturally by his side.
"Aren't you nervous at all?"
He Yi tilted his head as he spoke.
This time, Wen Shichun didn't respond.
"I don't think I've ever seen you scared. You're only an E-rank, yet you handle yourself so easily in dungeons."
"Such a pity."
He Yi really wanted to see what this E-rank player looked like when fear finally made him lose his composure.
It had become something of an obsession.
Wen Shichun remained silent.
The System sneered coldly at the dead man across from it.
[Of course you can't see it.]
Only it knew that its host's fear level had already exploded like fireworks.
...
At this moment, Wen Shichun had no idea that his System was secretly mocking him and even comparing itself to others behind his back under these circumstances.
He was currently facing He Yi, who was gradually losing control.
"Xiao E, did you know a long time ago that I'd turned into a ghost?"
As He Yi's voice fell, Wen Shichun's brow furrowed slightly.
This turned ghost... knew that he himself had turned?
He actually still had awareness.
"Those B-rank players were all pretending not to know I'd turned. But in reality, every time I got close to them, their faces went white with fear. That Yue Cheng guy kept looking for a way to die—but since he's already dead, it doesn't matter anymore."
As He Yi spoke, his tone shifted.
"The one I've always been most interested in is you, Xiao E."
When He Yi finished speaking, a smile appeared on his face—the same kind of smile he often wore—as he looked directly at Wen Shichun.
