Chapter 7: The Haunting of the Dark Tower 07

Chapter 7: The Haunting of the Dark Tower 07

Pei Yi took a photo of the sofa. Buzzing... quickly, the photo came out.

Indeed, there was a smeared white mark in front of the sofa.

Oddly, the child in the photo from room 404 was also smeared, though not severely. But this photo was extensively smeared, with great force,

Even scratching the photo.

As if the ghost, enraged by being captured by Pei Yi, had slashed it with sharp nails... Reflexively, Pei Yi thought to leave, but something invisible grasped his neck tightly. The strength was terrifying.

Pei Yi couldn't breathe. Thinking ghosts might be afraid of light, he took another photo at the ghost. Indeed, the ghost retreated violently, and Pei Yi seized the opportunity to jump out the window and climb upwards.

Having already visited 404, he planned to go directly to 504.

Upon arrival, Pei Yi checked the time, it was 2:41 AM, but curiously, the lights were off.

Perhaps they weren't planning to turn the lights on?

In room 504, Pei Yi observed carefully and noticed something odd.

He hadn't noticed before, but now found the room filled with Buddhist scriptures and an old Buddhist chant player.

Looking at the bed, he nearly passed out. A blackened skeleton lay there, covered with a blanket, only its skull exposed.

Without much thought, Pei Yi took a photo of the skull.

Just as he thought to leave, he heard someone entering. Pei Yi considered, the bed in this room couldn't hide anyone, and upon opening the wardrobe filled with clothes, found no hiding spot. He had no choice but to hide behind the bathroom door.

The incoming person's steps were light; Pei Yi guessed it was a woman, possibly an old lady. As she entered, Pei Yi saw from the door gap, indeed, an old lady with a hunched back and staggering steps.

She carried vegetables in her hand and turned to switch on the chant player, filling the room with the sound of Buddhist chants. Pei Yi tensed, having guessed the fourth hiding spot was inside someone's room.

But his visit to 204 had no incident, and 304 was the room of a man living alone.

If he were the child, he wouldn't go into a man's room. He would definitely explore the room of an elderly person.

The reason for the change in 504 traces back to triggering the death photo task in 204, making the game's design logical and traceable. However, in such an environment, it's very easy to become confused.

The correct approach should have been to trigger the death photo system task in 204 first, leading to changes in rooms like 304, 404, 504, etc. Missing it would mean missing the opportunity to trigger them.

He wondered why room 404 was triggered early.

Regardless, room 504 must be one of the four hidden spots.

The old lady went into the bathroom, and from his angle, Pei Yi couldn't see what she was doing, but by the sound of it, she seemed to be combing her hair.

Pei Yi glanced at the floor and saw several strands of white hair had appeared suddenly. The hair loss was severe, perhaps due to aging. After combing her hair, the old lady seemed to sense something, stiffly turned her head towards the door, then stiffly turned back, filled a basin with water, and walked towards the door.

Pei Yi's mind buzzed, wondering what she was up to.

Through the gap in the door, Pei Yi saw the old lady approach the bed, wring out a towel in the basin, and start to wipe a skull, murmuring:

"Old man, you have to be well. Something happened in 404 downstairs, that man killed his wife and her lover, even dismembered the bodies. Heaven sees what we do, it's no surprise she met such a fate given her behavior, just feel sorry for the child. Neglected by mother, ignored by father, always hanging around with the little girl from the sixth floor. That little girl, I've seen her with many bruises on her body."

Hearing this, Pei Yi grew suspicious. Was there also a little girl?

That meant there were two children. He had guessed there might be another child, initially thinking it belonged to the aggressive man in room 304.

Now that it seemed otherwise, why did room 304 have a girl's clothes? This was peculiar, likely a crucial clue.

He decided to go back to room 304 to check.

Lost in thought, he accidentally pushed the bathroom door forward, causing a creaking noise.

Simultaneously, the wiping sound ceased. Pei Yi's heart skipped a beat; he'd been discovered! What if something happened? He listened as footsteps slowly approached his direction. If trouble arose, the cramped bathroom space left little room for escape.

Though the person outside was an elderly lady, being an NPC, she likely possessed considerable strength.

As he thought this, the old lady walked straight past him to the mirror and resumed combing her hair, strands of it falling to the ground.

While Pei Yi was focused on the hair, he didn't notice the old lady sneakily glancing his way.

Just as Pei Yi looked up, he saw a hideous face charging at him, hands poised to grab, mouth agape revealing a gaping maw.

Upon seeing the old lady, Pei Yi realized she could hardly be called human. Her cheekbones were unnaturally prominent, her cheeks sunken, eyes bulging like those of a drug addict, her face etched with deep wrinkles. Her nails, extended for grabbing, were unnaturally long, and she had a gaping black mouth with a blood-red tongue visible.

Most terrifyingly, she had only a few strands of hair and no scalp, leaving her head bloody.

This was no old lady; this was a malevolent spirit.

Pei Yi kicked out, but the confined space of the bathroom meant the old lady was quickly upon him again, though the brief interval allowed Pei Yi to escape.

He fled to the window, and the old lady followed. Not willing to leave just yet, as he hadn't taken the photo, Pei Yi turned and kicked the old lady again. As she charged, he lifted the camera, and with a flash of light and the sound of a click, the old lady was forced back a step,

Capturing the photo, Pei Yi quickly climbed out the window and up.

The old lady was still reaching out from the window. Pei Yi reached 604 and checked his watch.

It was 2:50 AM, with only 10 minutes left until the dark tower exploded.

This room was structured the same but appeared empty, devoid of much but adorned with many framed photos on the wall.

Pei Yi wondered if photographing the framed photos would work the same. Worth a try.

It was a photo of a woman, smiling gently, holding a girl who appeared to be five or six years old. However, the girl's face was obscured by some white light, making it indiscernible.

Pei Yi took a photo of the framed picture, and the Polaroid immediately developed the photo. Shaking it, the woman's smiling face in the photo seemed radiant. But looking at it now felt somewhat eerie. Pei Yi reviewed all the photos and noted the absence of any men, suggesting a single mother with her daughter.

As he looked up again, he saw reflections on the glass of the framed photos. There was a large mirror in the woman's room. Pei Yi, without showing any reaction, walked towards the mirror and glanced at it, only to see a slender woman in white lying on his back.

Pretending not to notice, Pei Yi approached the mirror, straightened his clothes, then suddenly raised his camera to snap a photo towards the mirror,

With a click, the ghost in white immediately retreated, the flash forcing her back against the wall. But almost instantly, she tiptoed and quickly ran back behind Pei Yi, clinging closely to him.

"Why are you following me?" Pei Yi asked.

But he certainly didn't expect a response. After a thought, Pei Yi asked, "Do you want me to find your girl?"

After these words, the female ghost slowly vanished.

As soon as he spoke, the hands on Pei Yi's watch spun rapidly, advancing an hour forward. The lights turned back on in an instant, jumping from 3 AM back to 2 AM.

Time advanced, and the system voice announced.

[Player Pei Yi, Hide and Seek in 504 4/5. Reward Points: 1.]

[Player Pei Yi, Death Photos 6/10, including the lone man in 304, the elderly couple in 504, the single mother in 604, Reward Points: 4.]

[Player Pei Yi, hidden plot triggered, "The Secret of the Little Girl," progress 0%.]

[Player Pei Yi, for triggering The Secret of the Little Girl, the game has advanced by one hour, Reward Points: 1. Players are advised to make good use of the time.]

[Congratulations to player Pei Yi, currently with 13 points, ranked third in the 0724 rookie ranking.]

A series of announcements played.

Only one last step remains in the game of hide and seek.

His guess was correct. One of the hiding spots of the child from 404 was indeed the old lady's room. Driven by curiosity, attracted to the daily Buddhist chants and the old woman's constant mumbling, the child hid there.

But the outcome was likely not good.

With all lights turned on, Pei Yi stepped out. The night was dense, and an extra hour had been added. He had a plan to head to 304 first, feeling that the truth awaited him there.

Pei Yi's live stream was exploding with comments, reaching a thousand, and viewership had soared to twenty thousand people: a remarkable achievement for a newcomer.

In JC game hall's lounge 001, a group of people sat in front of a giant screen displaying Pei Yi's video.

Only a few screens were lit; the rest were dark, and some of the illuminated ones showed the explosion of the dark tower, with billowing black smoke and the words GAME OVER in bold.

Although about ten players who finished the game survived, they only earned a few points because they failed to trigger the hidden plotline involving the little girl, leading to the direct explosion of the dark tower and the end of the game.

This was a crucial point in The Haunting of the Dark Tower.

Pei Yi's realization came relatively late, and the audience sweated for him, as he stood out among the newcomers in terms of physical strength, intelligence, and stamina. It would have been a pity if he had been eliminated due to a lapse in judgment.

The little girl's side story could be triggered simply by visiting 604 and 304 and paying a bit more attention, but in such a frightening environment, it's hard to focus on observation.

"I think this guy has got it. Currently in third place, the top two are only a point ahead with one more death photo."

"But even with an extra hour, what's destined to be incomplete will remain so, the latter parts are too difficult."

"To this day, I still think Lu the boss is awesome, right, boss?"

The speaker turned towards a silent man sitting in the middle of the group, whose exceptionally handsome face stood out strikingly. He remained quiet, focused on the video, it's unclear whom he was watching.

The others quickly chimed in, "Right, right, Boss Lu's position is unshakable."

"Boss Lu, who do you bet will be the first one?"

Lu Zai Chuan pointed to the one in the center of the video, precisely where Pei Yi was, saying, "Him."