https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-114-Black-and-White-Ghost-Domain-Part-2-/13511786/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-116-Black-and-White-Ghost-Domain-Part-4-/13546756/
Chapter 115: Black and White Ghost Domain (Iii)
Chapter 115: Black and White Ghost Domain (Iii)
Half of a withered, pale face emerged outside the opened gap in the door. The old woman’s bloodshot pupils appeared pitch-black in this monochrome world, fixated on Feng Bu Jue’s figure with an unblinking glare.
The door hadn’t fully opened yet. Feng Bu Jue had two choices: either forcefully pull it open and smash it with a wrench, or observe, wait, and think more carefully.
“Did I disturb you?” The figure surprisingly spoke first.
Feng Bu Jue didn’t answer directly. Instead, he cautiously asked, “May I ask… are you feeling unwell? I heard some shouting.”
“Just an old ailment. If I’ve caused you any inconvenience, I sincerely apologize.”
“Not at all… I should be the one apologizing for barging in unannounced,” Feng Bu Jue replied.
The old woman glanced at him once more before turning back and slowly retreating into her room.
Feng Bu Jue closed the door, muttering softly, “Is that person a human or a ghost?” He walked toward the tatami mat. “If she’s human… then she’s just someone suffering from severe rheumatism. But if she’s a ghost…” He sat cross-legged, picked up the teapot from the table, and poured himself another cup. “Then since entering this scenario, I haven’t encountered a single living person yet—everything I’ve seen has been monstrous.”
Creak—creak—a sound suddenly echoed from above.
“What now?” Feng Bu Jue tilted his head, staring at the ceiling beam. The noise had come from there.
Suddenly, the light bulb flickered twice, then the wire snapped. The bulb naturally plunged into darkness, shattering upon hitting the floor with a crack.
The room plunged into pitch-blackness, and just then, a flash of lightning illuminated the window. Through the slatted shutters and curtains, it cast an eerie afterimage on the floor.
Two seconds later, another light source flickered to life.
Calmly, Feng Bu Jue pulled out a flashlight, switched it on, and shone it upward. “Please, let it be rats this time.”
Unfortunately, it wasn’t rats.
From the moment the artificial light died to when Feng Bu Jue turned on his flashlight, only a few seconds had passed. Yet the bulb hanging from the beam was no longer there—replaced by a corpse.
It was a young woman’s body, dressed as a housewife. She appeared under thirty, her face contorted in horror, eyes rolled back, mouth slightly open, with drool dried at the corner.
The corpse’s face directly faced Feng Bu Jue, as if glaring down at him. In this atmosphere, it wouldn’t be surprising at all if the woman’s body suddenly lunged at him.
Yet what happened next defied Feng Bu Jue’s expectations once again.
He abruptly lost control of his body, reverting to that passive state he’d experienced while observing the scenario’s opening cinematic. The scene before his eyes began changing on its own.
The room vanished, replaced by a thick fog covering a street scape. Feng Bu Jue now stood on a sidewalk.
Even more bizarrely, the system voice resonated at this moment:
[This is a November afternoon. You’re preparing to visit a friend in town alone.]
“What’s going on? Another scenario overview?” Feng Bu Jue had never encountered this before. Still, he listened intently to every word of the system prompt.
[An hour ago, the sky was clear and bright, sunlight shining without a cloud in sight. Suddenly, an unexpected fog descended without warning, engulfing your surroundings in an eerie darkness. Fear grips you, your will nearly breaking as you flee uncontrollably from a nonexistent threat, lost in the mist.]
[Your mind is in chaos, memories blurred. You don’t know if this world is real or an illusion. You don’t know… if you’ll ever reach your destination.]
As the narration ended, Feng Bu Jue regained control of his body—and received a new task:
[Main Quest Triggered]
[Locate your friend’s address and arrive there.]
“You’ve got to be kidding… two main quests?” Feng Bu Jue indeed saw two entries on the game menu. The previous [Stay in the House Until Morning] still lingered, unchecked. Now a new one had appeared below.
“Hmm… what happened to that corpse? How did I get here? Am I playing multiple roles in this scenario?” Feng Bu Jue pondered. “Or… am I still in the house, merely witnessing a hallucination like a death scene replay?”
This nightmare-mode scenario grew increasingly confusing. The main quest only dictated the next action without revealing anything about the scenario’s ultimate goal. Feng Bu Jue felt utterly lost, forced to follow the invisible leash.
Heavy fog surged around him, swirling slowly. Not a breeze stirred; the mist seemed to move with a will of its own.
As usual, Feng Bu Jue first checked his body for any new story-related items. The keychain was gone, but a slip of paper now lay in his suit pocket.
He took it out and read: Rokubanchō 4-5.
“Oh come on… again?” Feng Bu Jue muttered.
This time, shadows flickered nearby. In the fog, figures would appear, vanish, reappear—indicating he wasn’t alone. Feng Bu Jue could hear their footsteps circling him at a distance, none drawing closer.
Click… click…
That annoying sound persisted—faint, distant, barely perceptible. When he focused, it disappeared.
Feng Bu Jue advanced cautiously, dragging his feet through the suffocating darkness. Occasionally, vehicles passed on the road beside him, moving slowly in this poor visibility. Like colossal, slow-moving beasts, their blurred silhouettes would suddenly materialize from the distance before vanishing again.
Though the eerie darkness surrounded him, Feng Bu Jue remained analytical, observing his surroundings with sharp vigilance.
Chilly, humid air permeated the black sea around him. Occasionally, a passing car’s headlights offered little illumination. He tried his flashlight, but the beam couldn’t penetrate the dense fog, visibility limited to less than three meters.
Unable to even see the road clearly, searching for an unfamiliar address in this strange town seemed impossible.
After walking a distance, he spotted a streetlight ahead—sturdy, upright, emitting a weak, flickering glow. Feng Bu Jue gripped the roadside railing and quickly approached.
Beside the lamp post stood a bus stop. Feng Bu Jue hurried over, hoping to find a town map.
To his relief, a map was indeed there.
Feng Bu Jue quickly located his current station and traced the route to Rokubancho. Judging by the map scale, it was about two kilometers—twenty minutes at his pace.
With the path clear, he memorized the entire route, noting every street name along the way to avoid detours, then set off.
After a few minutes, a thought struck him: What if he used [Know Your Enemy] now?
So far, this scenario didn’t seem to have a central boss, instead scattering disjointed monsters throughout a convoluted, bizarre storyline. But if this entire illusion originated from a single entity—a malevolent spirit, for instance—a skill activation might yield a breakthrough clue.
Since the skill cost nothing, Feng Bu Jue saw no reason not to use it.
The next moment, his own face flashed before his eyes—a stunned, terrified visage, eyes wide, pupils lifeless.
No information appeared in the menu, only a splitting headache. Imagine a hammer striking your fingers—now feel that pain inside your skull…
"What the hell just happened?" Feng Bu Jue rubbed his forehead. "What was that just now? Why is this scenario so messed up? Are my skills completely useless on nightmare difficulty?"
As with everything else in this scenario, he received no answers. Everything remained mysterious, unknown, and deeply unsettling.
...
Feng Bu Jue had walked this path for nearly thirty minutes. The actual distance had deviated significantly from his estimate, and navigating through this eerie fog inevitably slowed him down.
Still, he eventually reached his destination—a Western-style mansion. Outside stood a small garden filled with blossoms, though the flowers' fragrance was absent in the damp mist.
The iron gate surrounding the garden wasn't locked. It creaked open with a simple push. Feng Bu Jue strode through the garden and stopped before the mansion's main entrance. He knocked, but no answer came. After waiting a moment longer, he tried the handle. Surprisingly, the door opened.
Inside, the dark foyer felt spacious despite its fully furnished interior. Dust danced in the air like forgotten memories.
【Main Quest Updated】
【Explore the Western Mansion】
A flickering light emanated from the second-floor corridor—a clear indication Feng Bu Jue couldn't ignore. He ascended the staircase with steady steps and calm breaths. Each footfall sent an ear-splitting creak through the wooden planks.
When he reached the landing, the light vanished. Fortunately, his flashlight illuminated the darkness. A hallway corner blocked his view ahead. Without hesitation, he approached the first door facing him and threw it open.
A strange stench immediately invaded Feng Bu Jue's nose—a nauseating mix of perfume and blood.
Inside, a massive double bed dominated the room. A woman—or rather, a female corpse—lay upon it. Naked and fully gangrenous, her body was surrounded by bloodstains that dyed the sheets crimson. Her eyes were wide open, staring directly at the door, her lifeless gaze fixed on Feng Bu Jue's position.
Beside the bed stood a monster. Its hunched frame combined a vulture-like neck and head with a human torso, while its lower body resembled a spider's, complete with massive silk sacs and eight insectoid legs.
Blood dripped from the monster’s maw, clearly interrupted mid-meal by this unexpected visitor. The creature emitted a gurgling screech from its throat and circled the bed toward Feng Bu Jue.
Preferring to avoid close combat with such a grotesque opponent, Feng Bu Jue quickly drew his handgun and fired five shots in rapid succession. At less than five meters away, his D-ranked shooting proficiency ensured every bullet hit its mark.
Unexpectedly, the monster proved shockingly fragile. The first two bullets struck its chest, seemingly paralyzing it. By the time the last three hit, it had already collapsed motionless.
"What the hell was that?" Feng Bu Jue muttered, staring at the grotesque corpse. The more he pondered this scenario, the less sense it made.
He holstered his weapon and approached the female corpse, searching for clues. Suddenly, he noticed something familiar about her face.
"Wait... Isn't this the woman who hung herself?" Feng Bu Jue realized with a start.
As if triggered by his recognition, the corpse jolted upright. Its gangrenous face turned toward him, mouth stretching open in an ear-piercing shriek that made Feng Bu Jue feel his eardrums might rupture. Before he could swing his pipe wrench to silence it, another bizarre phenomenon occurred.
Once again, he lost control of his body. The world transformed into CG visuals—the zombified woman, the monstrous creature, the mansion behind the garden—all vanished, replaced by a new scene.
In an instant, Feng Bu Jue found himself seated at a massive desk in a bustling office. A Crt monitor dominated the workspace, its bulky tower resting beside scattered documents and office supplies.
【Your company faces bankruptcy. Layoffs have been decided.】
"Are you kidding me? Even stream-of-consciousness narratives have limits!" Feng Bu Jue's mind reeled.
【As the youngest deputy minister, you've been assigned to oversee layoffs. You must dismiss senior colleagues and explain these decisions, facing immense pressure.】
"Come on! What kind of scenario is this? I'd rather spend another night in that haunted house fighting mansion-dwelling monsters!" Feng Bu Jue internally screamed. "Since when did this become a grim social drama? This is scarier than any horror! Are these two plotlines connected? Can't be the same person, right? This guy's house destroyed by typhoon, lays off workers by day, gets haunted at night, and befriends a monster-keeping pervert? Is he even human anymore?"
【Afternoon break ends. The office resumes activity.】
The exposition ended, as brief and useless as before. Another main quest materialized:
【Main Quest Triggered】
【Work until standard office closing time.】
One constant remained—everything around him still appeared in black and white.
Movement returned to Feng Bu Jue's body, but he wanted to smash his monitor with his head: "Work until closing time? At least explain what my job even is! And when does this place close anyway?"
The office buzzed with activity. Employees darted between desks carrying files, others typed furiously at keyboards. Not a single soul slacked off.
Young female staff rushed about printing documents, while male colleagues wore tense expressions. One man even had a white headband reading "Ganxing" tied around his forehead, transforming the office into an exam hall atmosphere.
"Must be the effect of layoffs", Feng Bu Jue observed. "They're putting on this show for my benefit."
"Ping Tian Jun!" a voice interrupted his thoughts.
Feng Bu Jue turned to see a balding man in his forties, wearing black-framed glasses.
"Is he talking to me?" Feng Bu Jue wondered. "So my name's 'Hirata'? What kind of doomed-to-fail name is this?"
"Understood", Feng Bu Jue nodded toward the middle-aged man.
"This is last quarter's financial report. The department head needs it before today's end." The man handed over the document.
Feng Bu Jue thought, "The department head wants it by closing time—then why give it to me? Couldn't you just leave it on his desk? Are you trying to show off your work ethic or afraid someone might secretly toss your report into a shredder?"
Sighing, he muttered, "Why should I care about this? None of my business."
"Ping Tian Jun, what did you say?" The man asked, not hearing Feng Bu Jue's remark.
"Huh? Oh, I'll make sure the department head gets it", Feng Bu Jue replied dismissively.
The middle-aged man bowed respectfully to his junior colleague. "Thank you, Ping Tian Jun." He turned and left.
"What a mess... Is this scenario trying to say unemployment's scarier than ghosts?" Feng Bu Jue smirked, loosening his collar before tossing the report aside. He began investigating the game's clues—there had to be something here he could uncover about his character "Ping Tian Jun" among these office supplies and coworkers.
(End of Chapter)
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