Chapter 1: The Haunting of the Black Tower 01

Chapter 1: The Haunting of the Black Tower 01

In the magical city of Shangzhou, the main branch of JC Escape Rooms.

It was Pei Yi's first time trying an escape room, requiring an elevator ride to the thirty-first floor.

"Ding!"

The elevator arrived; Pei Yi entered first, followed by several stylishly dressed men and women. The girls couldn't help but give him a few extra glances, with one pair whispering, "He's so handsome."

The elevator, carrying eight people, slowly ascended.

"JC is the biggest and best escape room in Shangzhou, super fun. I've wanted to come here several times but never had the chance. I heard this entire building belongs to them."

"Really? Only in Shangzhou would they spare no expense for entertainment like this. Only the wealthy can afford to play this way."

Hearing this, Pei Yi glanced outside, now over twenty floors up. The elevator's exterior was made of transparent glass, offering views of the cityscape and seascape, a modern metropolis unfolding before them, the sight was spectacular.

Pei Yi took a look and then withdrew his gaze as the elevator reached its destination.

Everyone filed out in succession.

They emerged into a vast reception hall with dim lighting and a dark aesthetic, resembling a movie theater. Over ten massive posters hung above, all styled after horror films, like a woman crawling upside down, a horror movie theater, dark buildings, and more.

Under each terrifying poster was an entrance to an escape room, with receptionists standing by the doorways, all adorable young women. Of course, there were also charming young men.

Pei Yi didn't go in immediately, opting to sit on a bench against the wall first.

He was waiting for someone.

The escape room he was entering featured the poster in the middle, depicting a dark tower, resembling an old tube-shaped building, giving off a last-century vibe with dim lighting. Pei Yi didn't look closely.

After taking it in, he casually sent a text to his boss.

"Boss Lu, I've arrived. Where are you?"

The message was sent on August 16, 2023, at 2 p.m., but his boss didn't reply.

Pei Yi felt disheartened, not just because of this missed reply. Over the month, he had sent seventeen or eighteen messages, with very few responses.

The messages read:

"Good afternoon, Brother Lu, sorry to bother you. Could you please let us know when the final payment will be arranged?"

"Brother Lu, I'm really out of options. My mom is sick and urgently needs money for surgery. I wouldn't rush you if it wasn't absolutely necessary. It’s not a large sum, could you please help resolve this?"

"Brother Lu, could you please check when we'll be settled? Please, please! ? Thank you."

……

Messages like these were extremely humble, pleading to this extent.

All messages went unanswered. The occasional two replies were very brief: "Looking into it."

"Got it."

For money, he truly experienced how dire financial need could pressure a man of courage.

Indeed, for the sake of money, he even came to an escape room. This kind of activity, spending money for the sake of experiencing hardship, is something only the wealthy enjoy.

After a lengthy wait,

Boss Lu finally arrived, fashionably late with his girlfriend Shan Shan. Weighing over 200 pounds and standing about 1.6 meters tall, he wore a thick gold chain around his neck. He wasn’t old, just in his thirties.

His girlfriend, dressed stylishly with heavy makeup, was quite beautiful but obviously high-maintenance, immediately complaining about the heat and questioning why JC didn't have the air conditioning on.

Pei Yi, nearly frozen by the draft, thought it anything but hot... but he greeted them with a smile, "Brother Lu, sister-in-law, you’ve arrived."

"Hmm," Boss Lu nodded, inwardly scoffing at the inevitable comparisons people draw.

Next to Pei Yi, he felt overshadowed, worrying his girlfriend might be drawn to him. He had planned to use the escape room outing as a chance to flirt but realized he needed to have a word with Pei Yi.

"Got the tickets?"

"Yes," Pei Yi shook his phone, showing that tickets were now digital, with entry granted by a simple scan.

The trio headed to the central entrance.

"Brother Pei, what theme did you pick? Is it scary?" asked Boss Lu's girlfriend.

Pei Yi replied, "Shouldn't be too scary. And even if it is, we have Boss Lu here, right?"

Handing the tickets to the ticket checker, who, after scanning them, cheerily said:

"Welcome to 'The Haunting of the Black Tower,' scare level three stars."

Boss Lu wrapped his arm around his girlfriend's waist, "Exactly, I'm here, aren't I? Would I ever leave you behind?" he added, pinching her waist.

She pushed Boss Lu away, "Stop it! I’m going to the restroom." Then, she walked off in her high heels.

Once she was gone, Boss Lu glanced at Pei Yi, "Alright, then, Little Pei, you can head back now. No need for you to stay. I’ll take care of your issue, don’t worry."

It's no wonder he acted this way; who would expect to find someone attractive on a construction site? Ah, Pei Yi, such a handsome man, practically a superstar. His little girlfriend's eyes were practically popping out of her head. Better he leaves now before he becomes more of an eyesore!

Pei Yi was taken aback but understood. He couldn't block the boss. With his departure, the chance of getting the owed three hundred thousand seemed slimmer than ever. All for nothing, wasted on some trashy escape room ticket.

Why not press the boss a bit? "Brother Lu, how about advancing us a little today? The guys and I don't even have money for food." This was the harsh truth; his wallet barely contained enough for subway fare, and his bank account held a mere hundred or so for the ticket back, echoing with the sound of emptiness.

Eating just two meals a day.

Truly living off this pending payment.

"I said I'd pay, and I will," Boss Lu replied, visibly annoyed. Once his girlfriend sees Pei Yi being sent away, who knows what she'd say about him.

Better leave now, looking so destitute.

Seeing this attitude, Pei Yi knew there was no hope. This man was playing him for a fool.

Pei Yi, a man who'd bend over backwards for money, not shying away from debasing himself if it meant earning a dime. Yet, he also had a fiery temper. Before his family fell into hardship, he was a force to be reckoned with, capable of taking on thirty in a fight, all laid out by him without a scratch on himself.

Before coming here, he had checked his fortune, which ominously spelled disaster. He figured this meant the boss had no intention of paying, the culmination of months of humble pleas and immense stress igniting Pei Yi's rage to new heights.

Dammit, he hadn't even dared to order lunch today, settling for just a bun.

There's a limit to evasion and excuses. This fat kid owes him money, yet he's been humoring him daily.

With that, he grabbed Boss Lu's chubby neck as if picking up a monkey and headed towards the stairwell. Pushing open the emergency exit, they entered a dimly lit corridor, illuminated only by a few lights.

At the end of the corridor was a window leading to a small platform, just big enough for two. The window seemed locked but was merely unused for years.

With a loud "clang," Pei Yi kicked the window's lock open and pushed the man out.

Where could Boss Lu dare say another word? Trembling, he knelt before Pei Yi. These construction workers, despite their poverty, possessed unparalleled physical strength.

Fearing Pei Yi might push him over, his v

"Pei Yi, don't be rash, you could end up in jail. You're young, your life is just beginning."

"And what about you not paying your workers, you know that's a jail-worthy offense, right? Now, hand over your phone, transfer the money to my account! 300,000, not a penny more. And don't you dare shortchange us!"

It's true, they never see the coffin until they're in tears.

"Alright, alright! Just don't do anything rash." Boss Lu fumbled for his phone to type, but his hands were shaking so badly, the phone slipped and fell. Looking down, cold sweat poured down like rain, the ground thirty meters below looked like it was filled with ants, his legs went numb.

He cried out, hugging a nearby cement pillar.

"My God! I was scared to death, scared to death! Wah wah wah... I don't want to die." His fearful crying was especially shocking, leaving Pei Yi speechless.

As they were at a standoff, a strong gust of wind suddenly slammed the window shut. Pei Yi cursed under his breath, intending to open the window, but found it had been firmly locked from the inside.

"Wah! Pei Yi! You're really going to kill someone. You poor devils, always doing such despicable things. You're going to die for this. You!" Boss Lu was terrified, cursing wildly.

"You want money, you won't get a penny! I'm telling you! First, open the window! Or we'll die here. Do you know who my cousin is? Huh! I'm telling you. This JC is run by him, you're really asking for it, daring to stir trouble here! Wah wah! I want to get out."

Pei Yi, uninterested in his ranting, turned and snapped at him to shut up, "Keep it up, and I'll throw you down!"

After saying this and gritting his teeth, he kicked twice more, just as he grasped the window handle and pushed forward, he felt the window being pulled open from behind, and he was suddenly pushed into the hallway. But it wasn't Pei Yi who opened the window, rather it seemed as if some force from inside had helped him.

It was that same dark corridor.

Boss Lu followed him out.

Neither spoke, feeling that something was amiss. The corridor seemed different from before. Previously, there were dim lights on both sides, but now it was pitch black and terrifying.

They followed the corridor to the end and emerged to see a massive square, dark with no lights. They walked in the dark for a few minutes before finally seeing street lights.

Soon, several people gradually appeared.

Pei Yi saw that it was the men and women from the elevator, including a panic-stricken woman who didn't know what to do, who was Boss Lu's young girlfriend.

Ten people gathered together.

"No way, this escape room is too realistic, how did we get from a high-rise to here in a blink?"

"Did you also come out of a black passage?" a man asked Pei Yi.

Pei Yi frowned and nodded. No, this didn't seem like a dream; it felt real.

Darkness enveloped everything, the square was utterly barren, as empty as anything could be.

A person holding a paper ticket read the brief description on it, saying:

"'The Haunting of the Black Tower,' a thrilling horror story set in a tube-shaped building. You enter the building and encounter various bizarre events..."

"So, do we need to escape now?" someone asked. "But where's the black tower? Where do we find it? They didn't even give us flashlights, how are we supposed to find this black tower?"

"It also doesn't say what to do if we don't want to play. Usually, you can call the staff if you want to quit, but there’s no one here."

The crowd was chattering. Unable to resist, Pei Yi touched the dice pendant around his neck, used for fortune-telling. He had bought it after a series of misfortunes, including a family tragedy and job loss, had left him despondent.

It was mainly bought for psychological comfort.

At that moment, Pei Yi casually tossed the dice. Wow, a large character for 'misfortune' appeared. Pei Yi's blood ran cold. The dice was rigged, with five of its six sides indicating 'fortune,' blatantly cheating.

The ten people continued discussing, some even excitedly. Those who come to escape rooms usually have some courage, but there were still those who were genuinely scared. Two couples clung tightly to each other, one of them being Boss Lu and his young girlfriend.

Everyone was still trying to figure things out. Pei Yi seized the moment to hand his phone to Boss Lu, urging him to continue the transaction.

Boss Lu responded irritably, "Enough, Pei Yi. I know you're poor, but there's a limit to it. This is just a game, and all you think about is money, what a downer!"

With that said, the others looked over.

Pei Yi, realizing the man had reneged, faced him with a cold expression, about to speak.

At that moment, someone shouted, "Do you guys have an extra watch on your arm?"

"Ah! Yes, it's true! There's even a zero on it."

More people cried out, "I've got one too."

Pei Yi looked down and saw an additional bracelet on his wrist, black, with a metal band, seamless, as if it had grown on their skin, displaying a large zero on its surface.

What does this mean?

Pei Yi checked the time on his phone; it was now 2:58 PM. The game was officially starting at 3 PM.

Indeed, right at 3 PM, whoosh, all the streetlights in the square lit up, as if for a parade. However, in a square that could hold ten thousand people, there were only ten of them.

Only then did they realize how vast the square truly was, square-shaped, with no shelter, eerily empty.

The streetlights were placed around the edges of the square, and on the north side stood a large black building.

To be precise, it was called a family building, a simple red-brick structure, very plain, six stories tall. Each floor was arranged in a line, with about ten households per floor, spaced out by white pipes.

It resembled a school's academic building but was much more rudimentary.

The black building stood silently before them.

Hollow, with only faint light shining on it, the dark corridors of the building seemed like lurking monsters, waiting for people to enter its gaping maw.

Instinctively, everyone felt averse to approaching the building, certain that it harbored unclean presences.

"Before coming here, I researched this building; it was set up by JC to mimic a haunted building."

"A haunted building?" a girl exclaimed.

"Yes, it's said to have been the site of countless incidents. Last century, there were many buildings like this, probably all uninhabited now."

Just thinking about such things was chilling.

At that moment, a "beep..." a broadcast echoed across the empty square,

[Welcome to Thrill City JC edition 0740 for newcomers, themed "Tower of Terror".]

[Thrill rating: Three stars. Mortality rate: 50%.]

[Key to the game: Escape game, deduction and puzzle solving.]

[Game rules: Players will be placed inside the black building, please avoid being killed, the building will automatically explode after six hours.]

[Victory condition: Survive for six hours.]

Then, an alarm sounded, buzzing for a while, and as it stopped, the system announced,

[The game begins, countdown, six hours.]

Pei Yi immediately checked his phone, the time had already changed to 9 PM.

The watch also displayed six hours, with a line of small text detailing the victory condition.

Someone said, "What's this? A death rate? This is too eerie. I don't feel like playing anymore. How do we end this?"

"I'm out too. They even changed the time, it was three o'clock just now. Now it's nine, let's go."

The two girls who spoke walked towards the black corridor they came from, but before they could reach it, screams echoed as they ran back in terror.