https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-48-Shanchi-Haunted-House-Part-8-/13510928/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-50-Shanchi-Haunted-House-Arc-Part-Ten-/13510930/
Chapter 49: Shanchi Haunted House Chapter (9)
Chapter 49: Shanchi Haunted House Chapter (9)
Feng Bu Jue briefly recapped the novel’s plot, then described his experience in the cellar and the hidden task he’d received. Moments later, the others could see his task appear on the task bar—but only as spectators. Even if completed, the reward would remain his alone.
Midway through his explanation, the lantern on the table dimmed as its skill duration expired. However, Si Yu and Bei Ling didn’t interrupt, listening intently.
After sharing everything he knew, Feng Bu Jue concluded, “Based on my analysis, here’s how this scenario works. The family suffers from hereditary Huntington’s chorea, and the mansion itself is cursed by some supernatural force. Roderick, the incestuously obsessed brother, had already developed schizophrenia. That’s why he buried Madeline alive despite knowing she wasn’t dead, then tormented himself over it until his mind shattered completely. On the night the story ends, his sister returned to the mansion through its mysterious power, scared him to death, and then collapsed from exhaustion herself.
“Madeline’s soul should still be trapped here with her body, and this mansion harbors intense hostility toward us ‘living’ intruders.
“From a gameplay perspective…
“The main quest is to discover the mansion’s patterns or weaknesses and escape. Side quests are optional—they’re just testing how thoroughly we explore the map. The more rooms we visit, the better our chances of finding all six ghost palace segments and earning rewards. As for the siblings’ souls, that’s just a tacked-on epilogue from the scenario’s story. The hidden task isn’t mandatory either.”
After his explanation, Si Yu spoke first: “No problem. We’ll assist you.”
Feng Bu Jue had just clarified that clearing the game wasn’t difficult, side quests were optional, and the hidden task wasn’t required. He’d been about to ask Si Yu and Bei Ling for their opinions when they preempted his question again.
“Then thank you both,” Feng Bu Jue said.
Si Yu didn’t respond this time—she truly disliked speaking unnecessarily.
Bei Ling politely replied, “No need to be formal. We’ll do the side quests anyway. As for the hidden task, it’s obviously challenging, but we’ll help within our capabilities.”
Feng Bu Jue stood. “Now, back to the question we were interrupted earlier… Why did we all end up here simultaneously?”
Xiao Tan immediately answered, “This house changes, right? By rearranging corridors and connecting spaces, it naturally guides us here.”
Long Ao Min countered, “You’re explaining how we arrived, not why.”
Bei Ling licked her lips, muttering, “Triggers for such events are usually limited—certain time points, item acquisition, or…”
“Map exploration reaching critical levels,” Feng Bu Jue interjected.
“What do you mean?” Xiao Tan asked.
“You know haunted house horror games?” Feng Bu Jue said.
“That tabletop game?”
“Exactly. Imagine running out of map tiles on a floor,” Feng Bu Jue explained. “What happens then?”
Wang Tan Zhi seemed to realize something, “The floor… can’t expand anymore.”
“Judging from our current situation,” Feng Bu Jue continued, “the first floor has been thoroughly searched. Continuing exploration would just loop us back to previously visited areas.” He gestured around the dining hall. “That’s why we all converged here—this room is the last unexplored puzzle piece.”
“So next, we head to the second floor?” Long Ao Min said uneasily. “Remember, Yongzhe Wudi died there under mysterious circumstances.”
“The first floor has three ghost palace segments, with one in the cellar. The remaining two must be upstairs,” Feng Bu Jue replied. “We’ll need to go up for the side quests anyway. Plus, since the first floor is nearly cleared but the main quest hasn’t updated… completing any quest—main, side, or hidden—requires ascending.”
Bei Ling added, “As the scenario’s climax, the second floor’s difficulty—or rather, its curse—is clearly stronger. Traps will be deadlier, hallucinations and horror elements more intense. That’s why Yongzhe Wudi died exploring alone.”
Xiao Tan smirked at Feng Bu Jue, “See? Splitting up gets people killed.”
“Wudi died because he wasn’t strong enough,” Feng Bu Jue said, glancing away with a “the wind today is so noisy” expression.
…
Ten minutes later, the five navigated several corridors and found a staircase to the second floor.
The wooden steps reeked of mildew and groaned underfoot. Xiao Tan, overly tense, accidentally snapped a rotten handrail, startling himself.
On the second floor, Long Ao Min took point again. His new title, [Squad Defender], granted the passive ability [Squad Defense]—his defense increased by 10% per teammate nearby. While stats like attack, defense, and HP weren’t numerically displayed in Terrifying Paradise, such bonuses still applied. Simply put, Long Ao Min’s survivability had improved by 40% compared to solo play. Even facing the powerful bloodless corpse again, he wouldn’t be sent flying with a single strike.
Feng Bu Jue and Wang Tan Zhi followed Long Ao Min, with Bei Ling behind them and Si Yu guarding the rear.
After advancing a short distance, Bei Ling suddenly patted Wang Tan Zhi’s shoulder. Already on edge, he paled but managed to suppress a scream.
“Hey, Xiao Tan-ge?”
“What?”
“Let’s swap items.”
“What specifically?”
“Hmm… I’ve got a Western chef’s knife, baseball bat, and some slow-acting—” Xiao Tan began listing his satchel contents aloud.
Feng Bu Jue facepalmed, shaking his head as if to say, This idiot…
Bei Ling stifled a laugh. “Okay, okay—you’re really telling me everything?”
Wang Tan Zhi blinked. “Wait, you asked to trade with me. Why am I listing my inventory?”
Even Long Ao Min at the front rolled his eyes, muttering, “What a genius…”
“Don’t pick on the kid,” Si Yu coldly interjected.
Bei Ling stuck out her tongue. “Sorry, I was joking. I didn’t expect you to actually list everything.”
Wang Tan Zhi defended himself, “I’m twenty-four in Chinese age!”
Feng Bu Jue finally snapped, turning to glare at Xiao Tan. “Lately, I’ve noticed your emotional intelligence is… refreshingly terrible.”
“Huh?” Xiao Tan looked genuinely confused.
Bei Ling tugged his sleeve. “Be serious.” She offered her miner’s helmet. “Let’s trade this for your flashlight.”
Xiao Tan checked the item details. It was armor with built-in illumination.
[Name: Miner’s Helmet]
[Type: Armor]
[Quality: Common]
[Defense: Moderate]
[Attribute: None]
[Special Effect: Illumination requires battery consumption]
[Equipment Condition: Universal Proficiency F or Mechanics Proficiency F]
[Background: A safe, reliable armor with a practical forehead-mounted mining lamp]
“This seems fair,” Bei Ling said. “You’re not wearing head armor—this won’t be a bad deal.”
“But isn’t this clearly a worse deal for you?” Xiao Tan asked.
“Yellow doesn’t suit me, and it makes girls look silly,” she winked. “It looks good on you, though.”
“No thanks—I already have head armor.” Xiao Tan retrieved a second flashlight from his satchel (Feng Bu Jue had advised everyone to carry two flashlights during their shopping mall visit). He handed it to Bei Ling. “I have two. Just take one.”
Bei Ling stared at his face for several seconds. “Hey! If I hadn’t asked, you’d have gotten free equipment!”
“Keep it,” Xiao Tan smiled. “It makes you look silly anyway.”
At that moment, Bei Ling understood the phrase “innocent on the outside, dark inside.”
She accepted the flashlight, returned the miner’s helmet to her satchel, and muttered “Thanks” without a trace of happiness.
“Deserved,” Si Yu added bluntly.
“Something’s off…” Long Ao Min suddenly stopped. “Haven’t we passed here before?”
“We’ve been in an identical corridor since arriving upstairs,” Feng Bu Jue confirmed. “We turned left once, right twice, with varying straight-line distances—but we’re definitely not looping.”
“Hallucination?” Long Ao Min half-asked.
“Hallucination,” Si Yu confirmed from the rear.
As if on cue, she stood before a full-length mirror, her reflection perfectly normal—except for her abdomen, where her intestines were visible beneath the skin.
In an instant, mirrors lined both sides of the corridor, appearing abruptly without spatial distortion.
Feng Bu Jue approached a nearby mirror, observing, “Better than an Mri scan.” He leaned closer, studying the details. “Oh—the cross-section of my intestines even shows the corridor’s layout. How delightfully grotesque.”
(End of Chapter)
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