Three days—neither too long nor too short. Though the story preview gave participants time to adjust and prepare, in truth, under the shadow of death, the chosen ones endured an agonizing wait. Perhaps entering the story world earlier would have felt like a relief.
As the task time drew near, Xiao Bai, already well-prepared, made a final check of her supplies and quietly awaited the story's beginning.
It felt like the blink of an eye. In an instant, the surroundings shifted. Xiao Bai found herself riding in a speeding car, with dense forests rushing past outside.
The car was fast but smooth and comfortable. Scanning the interior, Xiao Bai noticed three other passengers besides the driver.
Counting herself, that made four female participants, as mentioned in the story announcement.
At that moment, the four women wore grave expressions. Some showed traces of fear and panic, while others appeared lost in thought.
As the car drove on, none of them rushed to greet each other, only exchanging knowing glances.
After a brief moment of eye contact, Xiao Bai turned her gaze back to the window. The car sped along a winding forest road, moving away from the city and deeper into the woods.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew. An advertisement flyer, seemingly from nowhere, spun in the air and slapped against the windshield. On it, a picture of a manor-like estate caught the eye, along with bold text: "Recruitment... 7 days... Daily salary 3000 yuan."
Another gust of wind whisked the flyer away, but a chill crept into the hearts of the four participants.
That flyer was undoubtedly another task hint from the story.
Before long, the car stopped at a closed iron gate. Through its lattice, they could see a lush garden with a fountain inside. Further beyond stood an old building, its walls covered in ivy, bearing the marks of time.
This historic building was clearly the manor from the story preview—the stage for this tale.
The car was blocked by the closed gate. The driver's face showed impatience as he honked the horn a few times, but the empty manor gave no response.
For participants, any hint of abnormality immediately raised their alertness. All four now wore wary expressions.
"Let me get out and take a look," Xiao Bai said, pushing open the car door. Ke Shufan, sitting beside her, showed surprise and shook her head slightly, as if signaling her not to do anything unnecessary, but Xiao Bai ignored her.
"Places like this might have an intercom on the gate."
The driver, both in appearance and demeanor, seemed natural—likely an NPC arranged by the story to move the plot along.
Stepping out, Xiao Bai glanced back at the road they'd traveled. It was covered in fallen leaves, as if long unswept.
Aside from the manor, there seemed to be no other residents nearby.
Then there was the iron gate before her.
Getting out early carried some risk for participants, but as Li Yan had once warned them, no place in the story was truly safe, and no action was absolutely secure. Often, proactive exploration offered better survival odds than passive waiting.
Besides, this was the story's beginning—the safest moment.
Approaching the gate, Xiao Bai was about to check for an intercom when, with a creak, the heavy iron gate swung open on its own.
Staring at the empty manor entrance, even Xiao Bai, who wasn't easily frightened, felt a chill down her spine. Behind her, the horn blared again—the driver urging her back in.
Returning to the car, the eerie feeling faded. As the vehicle slowly moved forward, Xiao Bai caught a glimpse of a dark figure in an open window on the second floor corner, watching from afar.
Just like in the preview.
"Ah!"
A stifled scream erupted inside the car. A young woman with wavy hair and a pretty face, her complexion turning pale, opened her mouth. Clearly, she wasn't the only one who'd seen the shadow.
"I saw it... I saw it!"
Knowing ghosts were bound to appear, yet forced to come here, even the slightest stir could spook them.
That was how Ye Xiaomei felt now. Though she couldn't tell if the shadow was human or ghost, it was enough to shake her fragile nerves.
After all, she was just an ordinary person. Her usual routine involved putting on makeup, sitting in a bright office, busying herself all day, and planning evening dates with her boyfriend.
But one day, she'd inexplicably heard a strange radio broadcast in a movie theater corridor and was dragged into the story world. Having only gone through one novice script, she wasn't mentally or physically ready for the horrors ahead.
"Ye Xiaomei, what did you see?!"
Seeing her so tense, Chen Cailing in the front seat tensed up and quickly asked.
"At the window... there's a ghost at the window..."
"Nonsense, where's the ghost? You're seeing things." Before Ye Xiaomei could continue, Xiao Bai shot her a reproachful look and cut her off. When she glanced back at the window, it was empty—the shadow had vanished.
After dropping off the four participants, the driver left without a word. The sky had grown dim, but strangely, no one came out to greet them at the front steps.
Rustling, rustling—summer rain came without warning. Large raindrops pelted them, a chill seeping into their bones.
"What's going on? Weren't we supposed to work here? Why is no one around?"
Ke Shufan grew impatient. Stepping forward, she noticed two large brass knockers on the door and raised her hand to knock.
Thump! Thump!
Two dull sounds. The door swung open silently, revealing a pale face.