Walking across the boardwalk on the beach, the white lighthouse finally appeared before them. At its top, a moving beam of light pierced through the darkness, shining across the surrounding sea.
A damp breath rushed toward them, and faintly, it seemed they could still hear the sound of a child's laughter echoing in their ears.
Drawing closer, they realized that the white lighthouse, like everything else here, was dilapidated—peeling paint, a rusted iron door. All of this showed it had been abandoned for a long time. But why was there still a swaying light at the top of the lighthouse?
Creak. The rusted iron door swung open at the sound. Inside, a foul stench rushed out. The dark lighthouse was empty and hollow, though a spiral staircase could be vaguely seen, winding upward toward the top.
"Let's go..."
Up there, would they find Yin Xiaowei's soul?
Clang, clang. Climbing the rusted stairs step by step, the little girl's laughter grew more distinct around them, yet still, no spirit appeared.
"Hee hee! Hee hee!"
"Giggle giggle!"
The playful laughter echoed through the empty lighthouse, adding an eerie atmosphere. Lin Tianheng frowned, trying to shake off the strange laughter reverberating in his mind. But just then, he heard a crack, and the ground beneath him suddenly gave way, sending his body plummeting downward!
Fortunately, Dai Minghan reacted swiftly. In that critical moment, he grabbed Lin Tianheng's arm, leaving him suspended in midair, preventing a fall.
"Ah..."
Grabbing the railing with his other hand, Lin Tianheng looked down, and his eyes widened in shock. Below the spiral staircase, an abyss had appeared out of nowhere, churning with black mist and countless white arms reaching out from it.
As if ready to devour him at any moment.
Though no spirit had appeared, the lighthouse was filled with supernatural forces. Even the broken staircase might have been caused by this power.
With Dai Minghan and Chen Mo's help, Lin Tianheng finally climbed back up, gasping for breath. The abyss below was still terrifying to recall—just a little more, and if Dai Minghan hadn't reacted in time, he would have been swallowed by the depths.
In stories, it wasn't only visible ghosts that could kill...
The seemingly endless staircase repeated itself in monotonous clangs. After climbing for what felt like an eternity, just as Chen Mo began to suspect supernatural interference, a glimmer of light appeared above them.
They had arrived!
The exit of the lighthouse was finally in sight.
Reaching the top, they stepped through the brightly lit exit and found themselves on a circular platform, illuminated starkly by the swaying searchlight.
After all their hardships, they had finally reached this lighthouse. Perhaps this was the story's end, or perhaps it would become the end of their lives.
Yet... after searching the platform thoroughly, they found no trace of Yin Xiaowei's soul as expected.
What was going on?
Chen Mo's heart was tense. The story had entered its final stage; there was no time left for trial and error. If Yin Xiaowei wasn't here, then they...
But he still trusted his judgment. The metaphor in the picture book, the little girl's unfinished wish—it had to point to this seaside lighthouse!
Just then, ding-dong, ding-dong.
A vibration from his pocket signaled a new message in the game.
Opening his phone, the screen was almost pitch black. The black mist rising from the well had swallowed the entire village, but he could still vaguely see a little girl standing by the well.
"Why haven't you left yet?"
Seeing the figure behind her, the little girl turned around, seeming a bit surprised.
"Do you want to save the whole village?"
"But without finding my soul, you can't defeat the demon king."
"And... there's no time left..."
"The demon king has already come to our world with the darkness..."
As this dialogue played out, the screen flickered twice, and then... above the well, a shadow darker than the black mist appeared!
With that shadow's emergence, the entire screen suddenly turned pitch black!
At the same time, Chen Mo instantly felt the air around him turn cold and viscous.
As if submerged in icy seawater!
Oh no...
Was the game's hint telling them...
The ultimate ghost in the story, Yin Xiong's spirit, had broken all its limits and chased them to the lighthouse!
Just as this thought crossed his mind, a shadow that even the searchlight couldn't penetrate slowly emerged from the darkness. A face full of malice, a pale body, gradually appeared before the participants.
It was that terrifying ghost—the spirit of Yin Xiong, who had committed suicide!
This time, the ghost felt completely different from its last appearance. Around it, an invisible substance seemed to flow, making the entire space cold and sticky.
Floating in the air, the ghost drifted slowly toward the lighthouse. Just as Chen Mo was about to aim his flashlight at it, he suddenly realized that under this cold, sticky sensation, his hands couldn't lift at all.
Not only his hands, but his feet were completely immobile, as if bound by some strange force in this place!
It wasn't just Chen Mo; Lin Tianheng and Dai Minghan also felt this eerie sensation. Affected by this strange power, they could only watch helplessly as the ghostly face, filled with endless malice, floated closer and closer.
Before this, they had discussed and imagined many ways the ghost might attack, always ready to use their exorcism tools. But they never expected that the ghost in this story, after fully unleashing its limits, would possess such a suppressing ability—directly immobilizing their bodies.
Even if they still had exorcism tools, they couldn't use them. The pale, cold ghost, though moving slowly, was still inching closer.
What feeling was worse than seeing the ghost right in front of you but being unable to move?
Because the ghost moved so slowly, the experience of death was stretched infinitely, seeping into their minds drop by drop.
This feeling was worse than being killed outright!
"Damn it... Just kill me already! When I become a ghost, I'll beat you to a pulp..."
Perhaps despair had reached its peak, igniting Lin Tianheng's fury. With a crack, his struggle was so intense that he broke the bone in his right hand.
A sharp pain shot through his head, making him tremble. But because of this intense pain, he suddenly found that his right hand could move slightly...
Ah, so that's it... The ghost's immobilizing ability was a kind of mental attack, like brainwashing, making them believe they couldn't move. But if a strong stimulus appeared—like the intense pain just now—when that sensation surpassed the ghost's mental attack, they could break free.
A bitter smile appeared on Lin Tianheng's lips. Though he had found a way to break the control, the cost was too great.
Still smiling bitterly, he used his only movable right hand to draw a dagger and slash it across his left hand.
PS, don't forget your recommendation tickets, and monthly tickets would be even better~