Lonelytree

  Millman97

  With dark circles under his eyes, Chen Ge stood before the mirror hugging the dolls.

  The lights in the bathroom were off, and Chen Ge stared at his reflection in the mirror. Afraid that he might miss out on some details, Chen Ge did not dare to blink with his palms on the sink and his face close to the mirror.

  He focused all of his attention on the mirror. When there were only several seconds away to midnight, the phone in Chen Ge’s pocket vibrated.

  The sudden phone call startled Chen Ge. He hurriedly pulled out his phone and the caller ID was Inspector Lee.

  Chen Ge answered the call and put the phone beside his ear. “Uncle San Bao, have you got an update?”


  On the other end of the phone, Inspector Lee sounded serious and hurried. “Zhang Peng is still on the loose, but we’ve come to the conclusion that he’s still around western Jiujiang! You have to be careful! The man is incredibly dangerous and cunning. His actions and thinking are different from normal, and we cannot rule out the possibility that he will return for you!”


  “But didn’t the police set up a perimeter around New Century Park yesterday? With injuries on both of his arms, he shouldn’t have been able to get far.” From Chen Ge’s perspective, he had been sure Zhang Peng was going to be captured.

  “There was an unexpected development. For now, I cannot give you the details, but what I can say is, last night, one of the officers who managed to intercept the suspect experienced some kind of trauma. He’s currently in a deep coma and being looked after at the hospital.”


  “What‽” Chen Ge’s expression shifted, and he was about to say something when he glanced at the mirror on the wall out of the corner of his eye. A bloody Arabic number of 1 had surfaced on the mirror when he was not paying attention.

  “But don’t worry, the police are closing in on him. Justice always prevails.”


  Inspector Lee continued to talk on the phone, but Chen Ge’s mind was already elsewhere. He placed the phone down and looked at the mirror dumbly.

  Chen Ge was reminded of what he had seen in the bathroom the day before, where half of the mirror monster’s body was outside the mirror and Zhang Peng had voluntarily walked forward to merge himself with the creature.

  The dropping number caused Chen Ge’s eyes to dim with concern.

  Regardless of the real meaning of the number, Chen Ge could not wait anymore because it was now related to innocent lives. A great sense of urgency appeared in his heart.

  Chen Ge picked up a dirty cloth to wipe the number on the mirror away; he could not play it safe anymore. After a few more words with Inspector Lee, he ended the call and then entered the Props Room with the black phone.

  Chen Ge tapped into the Daily Mission interface of the app.

  Easy Mission: A normal Haunted House experience should not create permanent trauma to its visitors; I hope you understand this simple theory. Please improve the Haunted House’s security by inspecting the security threats hidden around the Haunted House.

  Normal Mission: You’ve achieved the criteria to enable the first expansion of the Haunted House, do search for a suitable location soon! Due to space limitations, you are unable to perform any Trial Mission to unlock scenarios!

  Nightmare Mission: There has always been a second occupant inside your room, wouldn’t you like to meet said person?

  (Beware! The more difficult the mission, the more dangerous it’ll be, so please choose carefully!)

  After reading all three missions, Chen Ge’s eyes fell on the Nightmare Mission.

  Chen Ge knew the possible danger of the Nightmare Mission perfectly well. After a long hesitation, he chose to open the Red Specter’s page instead.

  “Are you sure you want to accept Zhang Ya’s Bloody Heart Mission? Warning! This mission contains a certain level of danger!”


  The app kindly provided Chen Ge with a warning. He rubbed his temples, unable to come to a decision.

  After thorough analysis, with a grit of his teeth, Chen Ge clicked on Zhang Ya’s Bloody Heart Mission.

  “Are you sure you want to accept Zhang Ya’s Bloody Heart Mission?”


  “Yes!”


  The red interface started to change and peel off like wilting roses, and soon, a new message appeared on screen.

  “Anderson’s Fairy Tales Volume One, Book Three—Red Dancing Shoes: Once upon a time, there was a pair of ruby red dancing shoes that could make the dancer who wore them light on her feet and perfect at her dance. However, none of the dancers dared put them on because they were a pair of magical shoes, one that would make its dancer keep on dancing until they perished from exhaustion.

  “Please arrive at Western Jiujiang’s Private Academy within one hour from accepting the mission and locate Zhang Ya’s red dancing shoes before dawn.

  “Warning: Don’t be late on your first date, or she’ll be very unhappy.”


  Chen Ge did not know what to feel after reading the mission details. The Private Academy had been abandoned several years earlier due to unknown reasons. However, Chen Ge had heard plenty of scary rumors about it.

  The mission required him to be at the Private Academy within one hour. Chen Ge calculated the distance in his mind, and realized he still have some time left.

  After a quick shower, Chen Ge changed into a clean outfit. He stood before the mirror to inspect his image.