Chapter 298 The Eerie Madame?

Chapter 298 Ghost Lady?

Has Master Wang been haunted by a ghost?

Is the ghost currently in the mansion?

Trapped in the nightmare world, the four new players in the nightmare game exchanged puzzled looks. The idea of a ghost wasn't surprising to them; even Butler Zhao before them probably wasn't human. However, the news that Master Wang was haunted was indeed fresh.

According to the timeline of the surrounding illusion, the three brides hadn't yet revealed their ghostly forms. Where exactly did Butler Zhao see the ghost?

Could it really be that Master Wang's first wife turned into a ghost?

Are there other "ghosts" in this mansion?

"That ghost is currently in the mansion, disguised as the East Courtyard Bride!" Butler Zhao didn't hold back, pointing directly toward the East Courtyard. "If I weren't from the same village as that bride, if I didn't recognize that girl's figure, I would have been completely fooled by that ghost! What a tragedy! The one currently in the East Courtyard isn't the girl I know at all—it's definitely the ghost woman haunting Master Wang!"

"Old Butler, are you saying the East Courtyard Bride is a ghost? And that she's the first wife who was likely murdered by Master Wang for her wealth?"

"Absolutely!" Butler Zhao said through gritted teeth. "That old monk is completely useless! Even after moving to such a remote place, that ghost still followed us here!"

The image of the East Courtyard Bride sitting quietly by the bed appeared in the four players' minds. Among the three brides, she was the one the players felt most at ease with and seemed the most real. But now Butler Zhao claimed she was a ghost?

Could Butler Zhao's words be trusted?

Butler Zhao seemed to sense the four players' hesitation and said with displeasure, "If you don't believe me, then go ahead and do what you want. When you get haunted by a ghost too, don't say I didn't warn you!"

With that, Butler Zhao resumed his frantic efforts to open the mansion's main gate, just as before.

"What's wrong with this damned gate?!"

To Wen Wen and Sha Linghai, Butler Zhao's words indeed seemed unreliable. After all, he might have some motive—perhaps using his shared village connection and a mixture of truth and lies to convince the four of them that the East Courtyard Bride was suspicious.

But did Butler Zhao have a reason to do so?

Butler Zhao couldn't know they had a mission to identify the culprit, nor could he know their identities as players. Even the three brides were still alive at this point in the illusion. So what could cause Butler Zhao to become so panicked...

Did he really see a ghost in the East Courtyard?

Leaving the seemingly possessed Butler Zhao desperately trying to leave, the four returned to the pavilion in the backyard, torn between belief and doubt.

"Do we really need to consider the possibility that the 'East Courtyard Bride is a ghost'?" Sha Linghai looked worried.

"Why not?" Wen Wen, though young, was exceptionally calm. "Just because the East Courtyard Bride seems gentle, should we arbitrarily dismiss a clue we worked hard to get? Seriously, if Master Wang really committed murder for wealth, and if the wife he killed truly became a ghost, then we have a new suspect."

"Indeed." Lin Wenhua, who had been quiet on the sidelines, also nodded. "She was Master Wang's first wife. And Master Wang, as the son-in-law who married into her family, not only took her parents' inheritance but even killed her for it... If such a ghost woman exists, she might not only kill the three brides but also Master Wang himself! Perhaps the reason Master Wang hasn't appeared yet is that he's already been killed by the ghost."

"Huh? She suffered greatly, but why would she kill the other brides?" Huang Qi looked confused. "That Master Wang sounds like a terrible person, and the brides married to him are victims too. Shouldn't the ghost woman try to save the brides instead?"

"......" The other three looked helplessly at the rash youth who meant no harm but lacked insight.

"Ahem, while these brides might be innocent, the villagers who sent them here did so for the wealth," Sha Linghai felt the need to disabuse Huang Qi of his naivete. "Plus, most vengeful spirits in nightmare worlds lack rationality. If the ghost woman really exists, she might indeed have a motive."

As Sha Linghai glanced at Wen Wen, he saw the young girl deep in thought, chin in hand.

"Wen Wen, what else are you thinking?"

"Hmm." Wen Wen pondered. "When we watch horror movies in the real world, don't ghosts often possess people to do bad things? But according to the old butler, the East Courtyard Bride's figure is completely different from the girl he knew. If the East Courtyard Bride is a ghost, where is the real bride? Do ghosts in nightmare worlds not know how to possess people?"

"This..." Although Sha Linghai was from the relevant department, his training had been short, and his knowledge of ghosts was limited.

"Also, I'm not sure if the East Courtyard Bride is a ghost, but I've felt since earlier that the West Courtyard Bride seems off. From a possession perspective, I think the West Courtyard Bride's behavior is more like she's possessed." Wen Wen glanced toward the West Courtyard. "No solid evidence, just a feeling that when we entered the West Courtyard the second time, that bride's behavior was somewhat strange."

"So, Butler Zhao who prepared the meat broth is suspicious, the East Courtyard Bride might be a ghost, and the West Courtyard Bride seems possessed?" Huang Qi felt his head was about to explode. "There are only a few people in this mansion! Why is it so complicated!"

"Let's go check the East Courtyard again." Wen Wen stood up from the stone bench. "When we mentioned earlier that the old butler is from the same village as the East Courtyard Bride, that bride didn't deny it. That should be a reliable fact. If we confirm that, we can try to elicit information to determine whether that bride is really the old butler's fellow villager."

Although the novice game gave them 24 hours, as clues accumulated, the four felt more and more confused.

In this situation, they had no choice but to keep moving. Following Wen Wen, they headed once more toward the East Courtyard. However, compared to their previous hurried visit, their steps were heavier this time.

Could that gentle bride, who had said she would leave the mansion and live her own life, really be a ghost?

When Wen Wen pushed open the East Courtyard gate for the third time, they saw the bride in bright red wedding attire, her head covered with a red veil, standing in the center of the courtyard "watching" them. The false moonlight spilled into the courtyard, making the scene eerily sinister.