Scared Stiff

Lin Xuan led them into a house.

"Change your clothes and put on these human skin masks," Lin Xuan said, tossing them a bag.

Though curious, they didn’t question him and simply followed his instructions.

After changing and donning the masks, Lei Hui and Butler Wang stepped out and came face to face.

"Ah—!"

"Ghost!"

Lei Hui screamed and instinctively threw a punch at Butler Wang.

Fortunately, Butler Wang had undergone specialized training and was quick enough to dodge the blow.

"Mr. Lei, it’s me—Butler Wang from the Su family," Butler Wang said helplessly.

Hearing the familiar voice, Lei Hui let out a sigh of relief.

So it was just the butler. That was good, that was good.

If Butler Wang was dressed like this, then what about his own appearance…?

Spotting a mirror in the room, Lei Hui picked it up and took a look.

His eyes widened in shock.

This… this was terrifying!

His mouth gaped open like a bloody maw, his face was mottled with green and red patches, and his eyes dripped with blood-red tears—he looked like a vengeful ghost.

Lei Hui vaguely guessed the plan and couldn’t help but ask, "Boss, are we dressing up as ghosts to scare them?"

"Exactly," Lin Xuan nodded. "Just beating people up every time gets boring. Sometimes we need to switch things up for fun."

He had already instructed Cheng Da and Cheng Er to prepare the place.

When Lin Li’s men arrived later, they’d feel like they’d stepped into a haunted factory straight out of hell.

There were even lifelike mannequins here.

No matter how much they believed in science, they’d be scared into thinking ghosts were real.

Old Liu and Old Wang, along with their gang members, frowned as they stared at the seven-story factory.

"Old Wang, something feels off. Coming to such a remote place in the dead of night and entering a factory… I can’t shake the feeling they’ve set a trap for us," Old Liu said, an inexplicable chill running down his spine.

He subconsciously rubbed his arms.

"What’s there to be afraid of?" Old Wang scoffed. "Lin Xuan couldn’t possibly know we’re after him. He wouldn’t have prepared anything. Besides, there are ten of us and only three of them. What could Lin Xuan even do?"

Old Liu thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

Fair point.

Lin Xuan couldn’t possibly do anything to them.

"Let’s go in. The sooner we catch Lin Xuan, the sooner we can wrap this up," Old Wang said.

TV shows often depicted villains who talked too much and ended up dead.

Every time the bad guys tried to deal with the hero or heroine, they’d ramble on and on until reinforcements arrived.

If they’d just shut up and acted, they would’ve won.

So Old Liu didn’t want to waste time.

"Alright."

The group of ten marched into the factory.

The lights inside flickered dimly, casting an eerie glow.

Old Wang’s heart pounded violently, as if it might leap out of his chest.

"Old Wang, do you think there are ghosts here?" Old Liu asked, gulping nervously.

"What ghosts?" Old Wang said dismissively.

He barked orders to the others, "Search every corner! Find Lin Xuan!"

"Yes!" they replied obediently.

They combed through the factory meticulously—first floor, second floor, third floor… all the way up to the sixth.

But there was no sign of Lin Xuan or his men.

"Old Wang," Old Liu panted, bending over with his hands on his knees, "Do you think Lin Xuan realized we were after him and slipped away?"

Old Wang shook his head. "Impossible. I checked—this factory only has one entrance, and all the windows are sealed shut. There’s no way he could’ve escaped."

Old Liu furrowed his brows.

A factory with all its windows tightly sealed… wasn’t that suspicious?

Old Wang glanced at the staircase. "There’s still the seventh floor left. I bet Lin Xuan’s hiding up there."

"Everyone, move out!" he commanded.

The ten men marched up to the seventh floor, which was pitch black.

With a loud bang, the door behind them slammed shut.

Old Liu jumped in fright. "Old Wang!" He instinctively shuffled closer. "Why did the door suddenly close?"

Old Wang sighed. "It was just the wind. What’s there to be scared of?"

The wind?

Old Liu grew even more terrified.

The windows were all sealed—where would wind come from?

"Old Wang," Old Liu said, his voice trembling, "Let’s hurry up and search. The sooner we find him, the sooner we can leave."

Something about this factory felt deeply wrong.

"Fine, let’s go," Old Wang agreed.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept past them.

Old Liu shuddered violently.

How could there be wind here?

None of them had brought flashlights—only two had their phones.

They turned on their phone lights.

Looking around

"Ahhhhhh—" A sudden howl pierced the air.

Old Wang was startled by Old Liu's scream.

"What's going on?" Old Liu frowned and asked.

"So many memorial portraits... and wooden tablets carved like tombstones," Old Liu pointed shakily at a spot, his fingers trembling.

Old Liu walked over,

eyeing it suspiciously.

His heart began pounding.

Could there really be something sinister here...?

Suddenly,

the dark floor was faintly illuminated as the lights flickered on—though they were dim, unnervingly dim.

Thud.

Something dropped behind them.

Old Liu noticed and moved to investigate, but then—a woman appeared, ghostly pale, draped in white, her hair disheveled like a vengeful spirit.

She merely glanced at Old Liu and Old Wang before walking straight to the corpse, crouching down.

Crack. She tore off the corpse's arm.

The body must have been freshly dead—blood was still oozing.

Under the horrified gazes of the onlookers, she shoved the arm into her mouth and began devouring it ravenously.

Noticing their stares, she extended the half-eaten limb toward them.

A ghastly white light flashed across her face,

making her blood-streaked features even more terrifying.

Old Liu shivered in fear.

Even the usually bold Old Wang felt his heart thumping uneasily.

"Care for a bite?" Her voice echoed through the eighth floor, as if amplified by some unseen speaker.

As she spoke, blood from the arm dripped from her lips.

Happy holidays, everyone~ Good night!

Thanks to Little Panda 06 for the character summon.

Thanks to the author Fei Fei for the gifts, and to the lazy, carefree Capybara and other sweethearts.

Uu.