Chapter 240: Ghost in the Mirror (Part 3)

Chapter 240: Ghost in the Mirror (Part 3)

In the vacant hotel, faint and unsettling sounds began to emerge.

The creaking of doors, footsteps, and even the distant screams of a woman.

Xie Fangcheng remained oblivious, deeply immersed in a peaceful slumber.

There were hardly any players as carefree as Xie Fangcheng.

As the clocks chimed twelve everywhere, subtle shifts occurred in the surroundings.

"Damn!!"

He Mingguang jolted awake, nearly tumbling from his chair in a flustered scramble.

Just a moment ago, in the blink of an eye, a spectral figure distinctly materialized before him.

The phantom stood right above him, gazing downward.

But when He Mingguang scrambled to his feet, he realized it wasn’t a ghostly apparition at all. Instead, a poster from the bus stop had come loose, swaying in the wind.

——But it had to be a specter!

After all, He Mingguang, having cleared countless levels, was no rookie. He wouldn't mistake a mere poster for a hallucination.

His abilities weren't particularly strong. During the recent bus skirmish, competition intensified at every stop.

No one wanted to disembark too early, yet neither did they wish to alight too late.

It’s the same principle: if players were ranked from 1 to 11 in the level, being the 1st or the 11th was the most dangerous. Players sought to avoid these numbers, while the middle ranks were deemed safest.

Although this level surprisingly had Xie Fangcheng willingly taking the number 1 spot, the subsequent dynamics didn’t deviate much from the typical third-tier level. The competition amongst players began even before any encounter with NPCs.

He Mingguang ended up on the losing end of that competition.

After alighting, much like Guan Yingying, he started by investigating the surroundings, quickly discerning a hidden message at the bus stop.

XinXin Community?

Though unfamiliar with the route, peering from the bus stop, He Mingguang thought he caught a glimpse of a residential area in the distance.

Should he head to XinXin Community now?

The question barely grazed his thoughts before he dismissed it.

It wasn't that He Mingguang wasn't keen on seeking clues there.

He intended to go, given that not even an NPC was in sight currently. All leads pointed towards this community, so where else if not there?

However, He Mingguang preferred venturing there with the group, rather than risking it alone in unfamiliar terrain.

Despite players having their own agendas, even resorting to fisticuffs on the bus, they could still unite against a common foe.

Especially since He Mingguang knew well that if he could uncover such clues at this bus stop, so could the other players.

They would surely be drawn to XinXin Community. Given his own limited capabilities, he might as well wait for them right here.

The bus stop was equipped with a seat, and He Mingguang decided to lie down on it.

He never anticipated that he would still catch glimpses of shadowy specters.

He can't stay here any longer!

He Mingguang cautiously made his way out of the bus stop.

Surveying his surroundings, his eyes quickly settled on a new destination.

Impressive, there's a hotel here!

With that thought, He Mingguang swiftly approached the deserted hotel.

Unlike the audacious Xie Fangcheng, who boldly took a room key from the front desk to secure a complimentary stay, He Mingguang opted to relax on a sofa in the spacious and well-lit lobby, remaining vigilant, lest he be unexpectedly ambushed by a ghost.

Perhaps realizing he was unlikely to check himself into a room, the TV in the lobby inexplicably turned on without anyone using the remote.

"...Yesterday, a vicious homicide occurred in the XinXin Community..."

The news broadcast that Xie Fangcheng had previously heard now reached He Mingguang's ears, and the same images were displayed.

At that moment, Xie Fangcheng had decisively turned off the screen.

However, He Mingguang cursed under his breath, finding himself locked in a gaze with the "victim" on the screen.

Despite the barrier of the screen, the "victim" seemed to have zeroed in on He Mingguang in an instant. He even noticed a sinister smile directed at him—chilling to the bone.

He Mingguang was petrified.

Still, he had to reassure himself: it was only a television, and the ghost was confined within. It couldn't possibly emerge!

Keep watching! More clues might emerge!

Swallowing hard, He Mingguang focused intently on the screen.

On the display, the smiling victim maintained eye contact with him. But just as He Mingguang had hoped, the "victim" could only stare. After an agonizing half-minute, the television begrudgingly transitioned to new content.

A jarring jingle blared as a crimson advertisement surfaced on the screen.

An impassioned, bordering on eerie, female voice repeated:

“Recruitment for trial residents at XinXin Community is underway! Worried about finding accommodation? Distressed about not having a place to call home? Dial 4444444! Join our trial residency program! Not only will you live for free, but you’ll also receive a mysterious gift! What are you waiting for? Dial now!”

Almost the moment the advertisement concluded, the hotel's front desk phone began to ring. In the quiet hotel, its chime was as alarming as a death knell.

He Mingguang practically leapt out of his skin.

Damn it!

As the relentless ringing continued, He Mingguang gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and finally approached the phone.

Picking it up, he was met with silence on the other end.

He Mingguang caught his breath.

“Hello?”

A momentary pause from the other side followed by: “He Mingguang?”

He Mingguang froze. He'd heard this voice just a short while ago.

"…Zhu Ping?"

She was one of the players on the bus earlier—a formidable one at that, securing the fifth position to disembark.

Why would Zhu Ping call him? Or more precisely, why would she call this hotel?

A sense of foreboding gripped He Mingguang, “How did you get this number? Where are you?”

Was Zhu Ping at another hotel?

The voice from the other end clarified, “There's a newsstand near the bus stop. I called from there… Isn't this 4444444? Why are you answering?”

“……”

“Hello? Did you see the TV advertisement? Dialing this number to join the XinXin Community's trial residency? Why are you there?”

“...I don’t know,” He Mingguang murmured, “I, I just entered a hotel near the bus stop…”

"Hotel??" Zhu Ping's tone became increasingly anxious, “Didn't you notice the message on the bus stop? The hotels in the city are reportedly haunted! How could you still go to a hotel?!”

"A bus stop sign? But there's no such clue on He Mingguang's bus stop sign!"

As soon as Zhu Ping on the other end of the phone finished speaking, He Mingguang felt a chilling sensation on his ankle.

He stiffly lowered his head.

On the ground, a ghost with only hands and a head gripped his ankle, flashing him a radiant smile.

— "Got you!"

…Run!

He Mingguang crushed its hand bones underfoot, catching in the corner of his eye shadows of ghosts multiplying in the previously empty hotel corridor, approaching the lobby.

He dashed towards the main door, but though it seemed only steps away, the ground beneath him seemed to shift, keeping him from reaching it.

Half a minute later, all players heard a system prompt in their minds.

Ding - Confirmation: Player He Mingguang has died within the mirror realm. Remaining player count in the mirror realm: 10.

Ding - The 4444444 hotline is unattended, the activity cannot continue.

As everyone stood in shock, pondering what just happened.

Another player, who had also entered the hotel, was wielding his club, kicking open a guest room door with a "bang".

Inside the room, there was no ghost to be found.

"You sure run fast!" Jie Fangcheng said with frustration, shouting, "Where are you?! Come out! Weren't you brave enough to be by my bed earlier? And to use the remote to turn on the TV? Now you know how to run?!"

"Where's the ghost?!" he demanded.

From somewhere, muffled sounds of fearful sobbing echoed, sounding eerily haunting.

Jie Fangcheng pinpointed the direction and, without hesitation, charged towards it.