“Could you go in and ask the staff if there’s any way?” After some hesitation, Slicked-back Guy decisively asked [Heart of Durian] and [Cheng Yu (Modern)] for help.
He couldn’t just go in—if he did, he might not be able to come out and help his teammate. There was still a whole night left to clear the Copy, so he wasn’t in a rush.
As for Chuuni Boy stealing his ticket, Slicked-back Guy wasn’t worried. First, the other guy couldn’t beat him, and even if he somehow managed to steal it, he probably wouldn’t win anyway.
“Okay, if we get the chance while clearing the Ghost House, we’ll ask. If there’s a way, we’ll tell you when we come out.” [Heart of Durian] promised, and [Cheng Yu (Modern)] nodded beside her.
Clearing the Ghost House wouldn’t end the Copy; they’d still have to wait for the company bus the next day. So there’d be another chance to meet.
Seeing them agree, Slicked-back Guy finally relaxed and turned to Chuuni Boy. “Let’s wait here for a while. If they’re not out in two hours, we’ll think of something else.”
Chuuni Boy also relaxed and nodded hard. “Okay!”
As for Slicked-back Guy’s choice, [Heart of Durian] and [Cheng Yu (Modern)] had no objection.
They both thought more people would make clearing easier—more people meant more chances to test things out, and another person to share the damage.
But now there were only four left, one couldn’t get in, and whether two or three people cleared the Ghost House made little difference. So they let it be.
“You’ve got the dolls with you, right?” Before heading into the darkness, [Heart of Durian] cautiously asked one last time.
[Cheng Yu (Modern)] took out a human doll and an animal doll from his inventory. “Don’t worry, I’ve got them.”
The dolls cost 200 Points each—expensive, considering they’d already spent Points on lunch, dinner, and clothes. Together, they could only afford one human doll and one animal doll.
Because [Cheng Yu (Modern)] had inventory space, he carried these critical but mysterious items. If left outside, someone could steal them, or they could be triggered at the wrong time by accident.
Of course, [Heart of Durian] didn’t fully trust this temporary teammate. Leaving both items with him was risky, so they agreed to use Points as collateral.
Clearing a C-level Copy generally awarded 200 Points, while resurrection cost 500.
She asked [Cheng Yu (Modern)] to give her 100 Points as insurance—so even if she failed because he ran off with the dolls, she’d at least get some compensation.
It wasn’t enough to make up for the loss, but she was the one choosing to trust a temporary teammate and hand over the items. If she misjudged, she’d accept the consequences.
After confirming everything was in order, [Heart of Durian] adjusted the clothes she’d bought from the “Happy Energy Station” on Green Vest Girl’s advice, and was the first to step into the darkness.
The first stretch of the path was pitch black. Without night vision, you could barely walk, and the only way to avoid getting separated was to hold hands.
Luckily, [Heart of Durian] was prepared. Calmly, she took out her third and final item—a flashlight!
Unlike an ordinary flashlight, this was a high-powered one. The moment it switched on, the entire Ghost House was lit up like broad daylight.
“Hiss!” [Cheng Yu (Modern)], completely unprepared, instinctively took a step back and shielded his eyes. Even so, he could still see the blinding white light all around.
[Heart of Durian] was used to it. Squinting, she said smugly, “Well? Not scary at all now, right?”
“I wasn’t scared to begin with…” [Cheng Yu (Modern)] muttered, then gave her a thumbs up. “I’d call this the ultimate flashlight. It’s really amazing.”
Of course—it was [Heart of Durian]’s special pick. It could both light the way and serve as a weapon. Any enemy that relied on vision would be at least temporarily blinded by the sudden glare.
Wasn’t this more practical than those flashy skills?
After hearing her reasoning, [Cheng Yu (Modern)] wholeheartedly agreed.
But he was still puzzled: “I get that sometimes ordinary items can be handy, but don’t most players prefer special skills? Why do you go against the grain?”
Compared to glue, flashlights, and cameras, over ninety percent of players—including him—preferred special skills.
That was normal. After all, once you became a player with special abilities, few wanted to rely on mundane tools.
This was magic.jpg
gear.
“It’s related to my Talent Skill.”
[Heart of Durian] was honest. “But later I realized that ordinary items can really be as effective as special skills.”
As she spoke, she walked forward with the flashlight, then suddenly stopped, frowning in alarm. “Did a white shadow just float past up ahead?”
“Nope.”
[Cheng Yu (Modern)] had been watching his teammate, not the surroundings.
But he wouldn’t be like those dumb movie sidekicks who thought it was just a trick of the eye. In a horror Copy, there was no such thing as a hallucination.
He immediately got wary too. “Maybe danger’s coming… By the way, do you feel the air getting colder?”
[Heart of Durian] rubbed her arms. “Yeah.”
The air was indeed colder, but it was bearable—probably thanks to the special clothes they’d bought from the Energy Station.
Sensing movement behind them, [Cheng Yu (Modern)] spun around, but saw nothing. Now he was frowning hard, and turned back. “Let’s hurry. The longer we take, the more dangerous it gets.”
The two of them picked up the pace, heading deeper into the Ghost House. With the flashlight, the path was easy to spot. The Ghost House was a maze-style layout, with mirrored walls—a Mirror Maze.
This kind of maze was tough to navigate, and without light, escaping would be nearly impossible. But with a high-powered flashlight, and both of them being experienced C-level Players, they handled it smoothly.
If only they didn’t keep seeing those drifting white shadows.
“There are more white shadows now.” After about five minutes, [Heart of Durian] spoke in a heavy tone.
At first, you had to look carefully to spot one or two fleeting shadows. Gradually, you could see them in the mirrors without even turning your head. By now, there were two or three in a single mirror.
Mirrors all around reflected nothing but white shadows. They hadn’t seen the entities themselves, but the oppressive feeling of being surrounded was overwhelming.
No—this wasn’t just a feeling. They really were surrounded. [Cheng Yu (Modern)] rubbed his eyes. “Is that white shadow in the mirror, or… is it really right in front of us?”
[Heart of Durian] didn’t answer. Instead, she threw a chopstick—the leftover from lunch—at the white shadow.
The chopstick passed through the white shadow and clattered on the floor.
Two pieces of bad news: first, the white shadow was right in front of them—they’d have to confront it directly. Second, it didn’t have a physical form, so physical attacks were useless.
“Let me try another skill.” [Cheng Yu (Modern)] looked grim and fired a laser with his bare hands. After the attack, his expression darkened further.
Like the chopstick, the laser just passed through—the white shadow took no damage.
As they spoke, the white shadows drifted closer. The narrow corridor and smooth walls left no room to dodge. The icy white shadows floated right through their bodies.
Surprisingly, they didn’t take much damage—just felt a chill and a brief needle-like pain in their heads.
“That’s it?”
[Cheng Yu (Modern)] was baffled.
[Heart of Durian] was just as surprised. “Maybe the further we go, the more it’ll hurt?”
Their question was quickly answered.
The first white shadow seemed to unlock something—after that, the numbers started multiplying. One, two, three…
Soon the whole maze was filled with white. The shadows were so thick you couldn’t even make out shapes, only that you were wading through a dense white fog.
Each shadow only brought a brief sting, but with so many, it was no longer easy to bear.
Quantity became quality—soon, both of them were in agony, banging their heads against the walls, desperate to end the pain.
Luckily, [Heart of Durian] had strong willpower and reacted quickly, shouting, “Quick, get the dolls out!”
[Cheng Yu (Modern)]’s headache hadn’t made him lose his mind yet, so he instantly pulled out the animal doll from his inventory.
In a flash, the white shadows retreated, leaving them a small pocket of space. The space was clearly meant for one person—at most two, and even then, the edges were still being eroded by the shadows.
But at least they weren’t in agony anymore, and that was enough.
“Whew! Thank goodness we bought these!”
[Heart of Durian] propped her hands on her hips, gulping air, feeling like she’d just come back to life.
But [Cheng Yu (Modern)] wasn’t about to rest. He grabbed her wrist. “Don’t waste time—these dolls won’t last long!”
Hearing this, [Heart of Durian] looked down and saw the doll in his hand rapidly turning black from the outside in. At this rate, it would be completely black in five or six minutes.
Her heart tightened, and she hurried to keep up. They had to clear the Ghost House before both dolls ran out. Once they lost their protection, the thickening white shadows would instantly consume them.
Back outside, [Heart of Durian] had estimated the Ghost House’s size—it was huge.
Even going straight through would take four or five minutes, and this was a Mirror Maze, so escaping would take much longer.
Soon, the animal doll was completely black and lost its power. [Cheng Yu (Modern)] quickly took out the second doll before the white shadows surged back in.
Compared to the animal doll, the human doll “blackened” much more slowly—well worth its double price, maybe even better.
“If I’d known, I’d have tried harder to buy two.” Seeing the human doll’s slower consumption, [Heart of Durian] said with some regret.
She could tell this one lasted much longer than the animal doll—definitely more than twice as long.
In other words, it was a better deal.
[Cheng Yu (Modern)] was unfazed. “Don’t forget, everything we bought was essential—we couldn’t just save more Points. Two dolls was already the limit.”
Food and water were items they’d researched to restore their status. Other players had said that those who didn’t replenish in time went insane and died.
Clothes were also essential. Without them, who knew how cold they’d be by now? In fact, even in the special outfits, they’d been shivering just now.
“You’re right.” [Heart of Durian] sighed. “I just hope these two dolls last until we find the exit.”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.