Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The supernatural realm has a clear hierarchy, with little room for reasoning.

Before today, despite knowing that the Folk Culture Park contained powerful supernatural entities, aside from the yellow-tier and above management and the special scene actors working directly in the Folk Culture Park, ordinary Tourism Park staff made every effort to avoid contact with the entities there.

It was well-known that the supernatural beings in that area, especially the stronger ones, had rather warped temperaments.

A supernatural entity that doesn’t aspire to be management isn’t a good employee!

Almost the moment they received the notice, the quickest-reacting employees had already sprinted off.

Their hats came in purple, blue, and cyan, with occasional gray hats worn by new hires, all racing tirelessly, striving to advance.

Sometimes, employees in the lead would openly sabotage colleagues who were about to overtake them the moment they passed by.

As for the tour buses, they had long been driven away by the drivers themselves, who were also considered park staff.

On the road Su Ximu was on, all the employees were rushing toward Master Wang’s mansion, the nearest destination.

Even with Su Ximu’s experience with 1,000-meter runs, he gradually fell to the back of the pack amid such a driven crowd of colleagues.

He watched as the dorm manager from the neighboring building, an elderly man who usually walked with a limp, abandoned his cane and limped briskly past him at an astonishing speed, making his way to the middle of the group.

But then, the dorm manager was kicked hard from behind: "Get lost!"

Sent tumbling to the ground, the old man ended up at the back again.

Su Ximu, seeing this, was about to rush forward and help him up.

But the dorm manager, disabled but determined, rolled back onto his feet without even brushing off the dust, let out a roar, and lunged forward again, hobbling determinedly toward the front.

The ambition of the employees in this world could not be measured by ordinary standards.

Su Ximu turned to Group Leader Lan242, who had been running alongside him, and panted, "Gr-group leader, don’t worry about me. You... you should run ahead. I... huff... I can manage alone!"

He didn’t have any strong desire to become management; the only reason he was running so hard was that everyone else seemed so eager, and he didn’t want to stand out by being half-hearted.

Group Leader Lan242, however, showed his steadfast support for both his subordinate and friend.

With a calm smile as he ran effortlessly, he reached out and grabbed Su Ximu’s wrist. "Don’t rush. I’ll run with you."

Whether it was because he had pushed past his limits or because he now had someone supporting him, after a few more steps, Su Ximu suddenly felt much lighter, and his breathing became regular again.

Since Su Ximu wasn’t in a hurry and Group Leader Lan242 didn’t seem to be either, the two of them settled into a steady pace, staying in the middle to back of the group.

By the time they reached the familiar entrance of Master Wang’s mansion along their usual route, some employees had already received the passes mentioned in the notice.

The so-called passes, from the outside, were simple pure black circular badges. To the employees nearby, these small badges emitted an unfathomably powerful aura—the very key to their quest to conquer Master Wang’s mansion.

The badges were being distributed by employees temporarily dispatched from the Su Financial Group’s headquarters.

Dressed in crisp black uniforms, these elite headquarters staff drew admiring glances from every park employee who received a badge.

Outside, the bustling crowd of employees seemed capable of overwhelming Master Wang’s mansion’s threshold in an instant.

Inside, Master Wang, his expression dark, slammed his cane in frustration and vanished on the spot.

He needed to rally his old comrades to devise a plan.

They had previously forced the former Director to turn a blind eye, so they weren’t about to surrender their territory so easily now.

But they hadn’t expected the new boss to be so overbearing—just because they hadn’t shown up today, he didn’t even want to negotiate!

Years of unchanging routines, living as rulers of their own estates for too long, had clearly spoiled this mansion’s lord, blunting his judgment and sense of danger.

Fortunately, before leaving, he remembered to maximize his mansion’s protections to their highest level.

One by one, employees wearing the badges stepped into Master Wang’s mansion. When it was Su Ximu and Group Leader Lan242’s turn, they, like the others, fastened their badges, crossed the threshold, and bypassed the entry screen wall.

In a fleeting moment, it was like a drop of water hitting a surface, causing a brief ripple.

Although the mansion had admitted a large number of employees in a short time, when Su Ximu looked around carefully, the place seemed quieter than usual.

Where were the other employees who had entered with them?

Puzzled, Su Ximu followed his memory toward the main hall.

Along the way, occasional servants passed by, apparently unaware of their presence.

"Has the script changed?" the young man muttered to himself.

But the even deeper eerie stillness around him made him instinctively move closer to his companion.

Group Leader Lan242 noticed his unease and gently patted the back of his hand. "Don’t be afraid."

"I’m not afraid," Su Ximu insisted, defending his pride.

He just found the place a bit strange.

It felt... like a haunted house or a scripted murder mystery scenario deliberately designed to be terrifying.

His roommate Wu Yang had taken him to those attractions a couple of times before, and each time, aside from his usual dreams, he’d end up having nightmares.

"But it does feel warmer when we’re together. It’s a bit cold here," the young man emphasized.

Group Leader Lan242 nodded understandingly. "It is a bit cold."

With that, he moved even closer to Su Ximu.

Strangely, as the two walked, a faint mist began to rise within the vast mansion. Veiled by the haze, everything around them grew indistinct.

Su Ximu wanted to say that he really wasn’t all that keen on a promotion. The urge to retreat began beating loudly in his heart.

Just then, the sound of running footsteps echoed from ahead, accompanied by heavy panting.

Su Ximu’s first thought was hope at finally meeting another colleague. His second was a surge of fear, recalling past haunted house experiences, worried that some grotesque figure might emerge from the mist.

These conflicting emotions made his expression a mix of anticipation and apprehension as he looked ahead.

Coincidentally, the person who finally reached them wore an equally mixed expression.

As the two locked eyes, Su Ximu recognized him—a colleague, the young man who played the role of "Sixth Concubine".

He had once praised his performance.

Su Ximu recognized Xu Mu, but Xu Mu did not recognize him.

At that time, as a novice player who had just entered the dungeon, he was most emotionally overwhelmed and couldn’t possibly pay attention to anything else.

Now, seeing two seemingly normal people coming toward him, Xu Mu, hardened by his experiences these past few days, wasn't so sure they were actually human.

He swallowed nervously and tremblingly gave the code phrase: "Heavenly King covers the earth tiger?"

Su Ximu blinked and replied hesitantly, "Little chicken stews mushrooms?"

"Comrades!" Xu Mu exclaimed excitedly, spreading his arms to hug them.

As a new player, though unlucky enough to be assigned a C-level dungeon on his first try, he was fortunate to meet Rao Fei, a kind-hearted veteran player who had guided him along the way.

Thus, he hadn’t yet developed wariness toward other players in the dungeon. Meeting people who, like him and Rao Fei, were also players, he instinctively felt a sense of closeness.

However, Xu Mu’s hug didn’t land, and he ended up taking a hard fall.

Unfazed, Xu Mu got up, dusted himself off, and got straight to the point with the two in front of him: "Have you seen Rao Fei? He’s wearing a gray long robe and is highly skilled!"

"He’s an experienced player. I was with him, but the courtyard suddenly filled with fog, and we got separated. We’re looking for you now!"

Xu Mu figured in his head: Rao Fei had told him that five players had entered the "Deep Courtyard" dungeon.

Him, Rao Fei, plus the two in front of him—only one player remained to be found.

"Rao Fei said something’s gone wrong in the dungeon. We need to get out quickly."

"Oh, and Rao Fei also said that because of the changes in the dungeon, we can’t just wait for the dungeon time to run out anymore. We have to beat it! And time is running out. To beat it, we have to take a gamble!"

"Rao Fei said, based on his investigations over the past few days, there’s more than one powerful ghost in this mansion—not just the Faceless Ghost!"

"The roles we're playing actually existed in this mansion!"

"Ninth Concubine, Sixth Concubine, the Wang family’s young lady, and two maids—if we can find them and make them fight the Faceless Ghost, we’ll have a chance to clear the dungeon."

"But we’ve searched the entire mansion in the chaos, even turning Ninth Concubine and Sixth Concubine’s courtyards upside down, and still couldn’t find them."

Hearing this, Su Ximu thought to himself. It all adds up.

On his first day at work, he had heard Group Leader Lan242 mention that the park not only offered cultural performances but also provided immersive experiences for some 'visitors.'

So, Rao Fei and the 'Sixth Concubine' in front of him weren’t here to work but were 'visitors' for the immersive experience?

What should he say now?

He wanted to leave, not really in the mood to participate in this immersive horror script game. This wasn’t part of his job description.

And everyone was off work today.

But 'Sixth Concubine' was so eager that he had no choice but to try to find an exit through the fog while responding: "If we can’t find them anywhere, could it be because there’s a mirror world? A mirrored world where everything looks the same as the Wang mansion but is invisible to ordinary people."

That’s how it always goes in script games.

Xu Mu had a sudden realization.

Right!

That’s very possible!

He looked around and suddenly felt that they might already be inside the inner world of the Wang mansion.

If that were the case…

Xu Mu immediately turned and began running his hands over the wall beside him.

"This wall! I remember, behind this wall is Ninth Concubine’s courtyard!"

On his first day, he had leaned against a wall like this, listening to the sound of an axe chopping from next door.

Later, when the axe struck him, he realized that the sound that night was Lord Wang trying to chop off Ninth Concubine’s feet.

Rao Fei was struck by the axe, again and again.

The next night, thud after thud, the same sound echoed.

On the third morning, lying in Sixth Concubine’s courtyard, he felt disoriented, feeling as if he had become part of the mansion.

Then Rao Fei came over and fed him a piece of cornbread.

He snapped out of it.

Rao Fei’s feet.

Ninth Concubine’s feet…

At this thought, Xu Mu immediately ignored his two companions behind him. With a determined push, his face red with effort, he climbed over the courtyard wall.

On the other side of the wall was indeed Ninth Concubine’s courtyard.

The fog lifted in the small courtyard, and red lanterns hung high, casting a festive, warm glow.

Pushing open the door adorned with a double happiness symbol, the room inside was also bathed in red.

A young woman in wedding attire bowed her head, weeping, her empty skirt soaked in blood that flowed like a small stream.

On the round table in the room, a tray covered with red cloth revealed the tip of an exquisitely embroidered red shoe.

Bracing himself, Xu Mu with trembling hands lifted the tray, walked to the young woman sitting by the bed, crouched down, and placed the tray under her empty skirt.

"Even if you kill me now, you should go and chop off Wang Songhe’s feet afterward~"

Wang Songhe—the Faceless Ghost, also known as Lord Wang.

"You have to chop them off thousands of times."

Xu Mu lifted the red cloth. What lay on the tray was no embroidered shoe.

It was a pair of bloody lotus feet.

He lifted the tray again and pressed the feet against the severed ankles under the young woman’s skirt.

The next second, a piercing scream echoed. The young woman in wedding attire raised her head, bloody tears finally streaming down her face.

She didn’t even notice the person at her feet, who was ready to die bravely. The ghost almost floated out of the courtyard without touching the ground.

Tourism Park Director’s Office

***

Su Jianglou had somehow arrived in the office and was subtly probing his elder brother: "Brother, who helped you capture the Tourism Park Director this time? You shouldn’t have had time these past few days, right?"

"Was that Second Brother?"

Su Xuanxu had just taken over the Tourism Park and had some free time. He responded with a half-smile, teasing him: "What if it is? What if it isn’t?"

"No reason, just asking." Su Jianglou fell silent for about two minutes after speaking.

Then, unable to hold back, he continued: "Big Brother, you seem to be in a good mood today? Even have time to distribute employee benefits. Did Second Brother really catch the Director for you? Is he still in the Tourism Park now?"

"Haha, he wouldn’t be in the folk-custom garden welfare zone, would he?"

As soon as he said this, Su Jianglou dismissed the thought himself: "Tsk, probably not. Big Brother, you wouldn’t let him go there anyway."

Knowing Big Brother’s temperament, now that the Tourism Park was his property...

Even if those old ghosts in the folk-custom zone annoyed him again, the estate was still an asset of the Tourism Park.

Big Brother wouldn’t allow Second Brother to do destructive reconstruction work there.

***

Wang Family Mansion

The thick fog had completely dissipated the moment the red-robed bride appeared.

Su Ximu stared blankly at the red-robed bride floating in the air not far away, his expression dazed, as if the sight had finally awakened a distant memory.

He remembered! He'd really remembered everything!

He had seen a similar scene before!

It was last time, with his roommate Wu Yang—they saw a living person vanish right before their eyes!

Wu Yang had shouted that it was a ghost.

But before they could shout much, both of them were blindfolded and taken to the State Secrets Bureau, where they were made to sign confidentiality agreements.

He remembered everything now!

There really were supernatural phenomena in this world!

While signing the confidentiality agreement, he overheard Wu Yang chatting with the State Secrets Bureau staff, mentioning that some weaker ghosts were afraid of being sworn at.

Once he remembered, his first reaction was to protect Group Leader Lan242 beside him.

"Group Leader Lan242, quick, get behind me! I have experience—I’ll protect you!"

Blue 242, who had been looking up at the red-robed bride in the air, withdrew his gaze and took a delicate step back, pretending to be helpless: "Thank you."

"This place is really scary."

Author's Note:

Little Mu: Leader, step back! I have experience!

Wait, how do you swear again...