It Seems Like There's Someone Behind Me

Although they were currently falling, Su Yang could still feel that the pipe behind his back was very smooth.

Rubbing against the pipe didn't hurt at all, and they weren't exactly falling vertically, but sliding down at an angle. It was probably a slide-like contraption.

The NPC earlier had deliberately guided the two of them in this direction.

Three seconds later, the two slid to a stop on the ground.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" Su Yang asked, helping Ren Lingxi to her feet.

Ren Lingxi shook her head: "I'm fine, it's mainly you... you were holding me just now. Su Yang, are you hurt anywhere?"

"I'm fine. That was just a slide."

"Good, I'm glad you're okay."

During the fall, the flashlight in Su Yang's hand had accidentally been switched off.

However, he hadn't let go of it the entire time; otherwise, their only source of light would have been gone.

He turned the flashlight back on and shone it around. The scene had now transformed into a muddy path.

On either side of the path were rows of pitch-black trees. A fake moon overhead emitted a very faint glow.

From within the woods came the occasional caw of a crow, intensifying the eerie and terrifying atmosphere.

Looking ahead down the path, about ten meters away on the right, there was vaguely a large, dark courtyard.

Su Yang shone his flashlight and said, "Let's go forward."

"Okay, okay~" Ren Lingxi swallowed hard, her hands clutching Su Yang's arm.

The two walked forward. Ren Lingxi whispered, "Su Yang, have we come to the woods behind the factory now?"

Su Yang shook his head: "No, we're still inside the factory. But you have to admit, their set design is really good, very realistic."

"It really is. It's got me a bit disoriented. For a moment, it felt like we'd traveled through time."

"No wonder so many people come all the way out here to play, even though it's so remote. The experience is truly great. Come on, let's go finish the task quickly."

"Okay~"

As they spoke, they quickened their pace toward the courtyard ahead.

Soon, they arrived at a very large estate. This courtyard was much bigger than the small one they had entered earlier.

The courtyard was also enclosed by a low wall, with a fairly large wooden gate in the middle.

A plaque on the gate bore the words "Zhao Family Estate."

Inside the wall was the Zhao family's traditional courtyard house.

"We're here. This is the Zhao family."

Su Yang said as he and Ren Lingxi walked up and gently pushed open the gate, which wasn't fully closed.

Pushing the gate open, the first thing that greeted them was a spacious front yard. In the center of the yard were a few small stools and some wooden children's toys.

Directly opposite was the main door to the central hall. On either side of the house were paths leading to the backyard.

Su Yang and Ren Lingxi entered the yard. He shone his flashlight at the house's door and windows.

As the light swept past the left window, pitch-black inside, a shadowy figure swiftly darted past within the room.

"Whoa!"

"What's wrong, Su Yang?" Ren Lingxi, hearing Su Yang's exclamation, quickly turned to look at the window ahead.

Su Yang narrowed his eyes: "There's a 'ghost' inside."

"Ah? Then... should we go in now?"

"We have to. Otherwise, how do we seal it? If you're scared, you can wait outside. I'll go in and do it myself."

Ren Lingxi thought for two seconds, then shook her head: "I'd better go in with you. Being alone out here is even scarier."

"Alright then. Stay close to me later. They're all fake anyway. If it gets too much, just close your eyes and hold onto me."

"Okay~"

As they spoke, they quickly approached the house, which looked like a haunted house.

Su Yang stood in front of the main door and pushed hard. The old wooden door creaked as it slowly swung inward.

It was still pitch black inside. Su Yang raised his flashlight and shone it around.

This central hall was similar to the one in the previous small courtyard, but much larger in area.

The two stepped over the threshold and entered. Not far directly opposite was the Zhao family's altar.

Su Yang recalled what the NPC had told him earlier: each family required sealing in four places.

One of them was the altar.

Thinking this, he pulled out the pouch from his pants pocket, opened it, and took out a yellow talisman paper. "Lingxi, stay still. I'm going to paste the talisman."

"Okay, okay. Su Yang, please hurry."

"This is simple. It'll be done in a moment." Su Yang said as he walked quickly toward the altar.

Arriving in front of the altar, he saw it held an incense burner, a plate of offerings, and three ancestral tablets of the Zhao family.

Su Yang gave them a quick glance and swiftly pasted the talisman paper onto the top of the altar.

However, the moment he stuck the talisman on, a booming sound, like an explosion, echoed around them. Not only that, the ground also shook slightly, creating a very strong sense of realism.

Before Su Yang could react, the hall's main door slammed shut with a bang.

"Ahhh~!" Ren Lingxi immediately screamed.

Su Yang quickly turned and shone his flashlight toward her. Standing right behind Ren Lingxi was a 'female ghost' wearing a long red dress, with disheveled hair hanging down.

From behind its messy long hair, one could also see an abnormally pale face streaked with bloody tears.

In an instant, a flickering red light lit up from somewhere in the hall. After flashing brightly three times, it went out. When it lit up again, the female ghost behind Ren Lingxi had vanished.

Su Yang was also slightly startled by this sudden turn of events. Mainly because the ghost's appearance had been utterly silent and too abrupt. Anyone seeing it would have been startled.

Su Yang shouted, "Lingxi, come here quickly!!"

"I feel a chill down my back, like someone's behind me!"

"It's gone now."

Hearing this, Ren Lingxi hurriedly ran to Su Yang's side.

The room was now lit by a faint, eerie red light, so Su Yang turned off his flashlight.

He grabbed Ren Lingxi's hand: "It's okay. Come on, let's continue."

"Okay."

"Next are the toilet, the master bedroom, and the pigsty in the backyard."

"Let's go to the toilet first."

Upon hearing the word "toilet," Ren Lingxi's steps grew heavy, her body trembling slightly, as if not obeying her will.

Su Yang patted her shoulder reassuringly: "It's fine. They're just NPCs. Let's just get it done."

"Okay."

"By the way, since you're so scared, how did you dare to come play?"

Ren Lingxi pressed close to Su Yang and said, "I'm scared, yes, but I also really like this kind of thrilling feeling. I find it contradictory myself."

Su Yang smiled faintly: "Then focus on the task for now. Stay close to me."

"Okay!"

As they spoke, they entered a room next to the central hall. The entire interior was no longer pitch black like when they first entered. Instead, every room now had a bit of faint light, allowing one to barely see a small area.

Su Yang, holding Ren Lingxi's hand, entered the adjacent room, then slowly advanced along the wall.

They soon reached a corridor about four or five meters long and roughly two meters wide. The light inside flickered on and off, which was very frightening.

Su Yang took a deep breath and, pulling Ren Lingxi along, stepped into it.