After quietly observing the closed door for a while, the pale, expressionless face slowly faded into the darkness. A rustling sound echoed through the carpeted hallway, and finally, everything fell silent.
The next morning, Xiao Bai and Chen Cailing both woke up early. To be precise, neither of them had slept well the night before, tangled in complex thoughts, spending the first night in the story world in a half-awake, half-asleep state.
If yesterday's experience was merely the opening of the story, then from today onward, the mission had truly begun. Danger could descend at any moment.
As the two descended the stairs, they happened to see Ye Xiaomei and Ke Shufan yawning as they emerged from their rooms, both sporting dark circles under their eyes—clear signs that they, too, hadn't rested well the night before.
"Aside from completing the requirements on the list, the story hasn't placed any restrictions on our actions. That means we should be able to start investigating."
Hearing Xiao Bai's suggestion, the other three nodded in agreement. Chen Cailing then took over, "But there's one thing to note: the list clearly states 'Don't leave Tongtong alone.' So I suggest we split into two groups. One group handles the investigation, and the other keeps an eye on 'that thing.' That way, we can look out for each other and ensure we don't violate the list's requirements."
"Alright, let's do it your way..."
Xiao Bai had just responded when suddenly, *dong, dong, dong*—a series of sounds rang out.
"It's the bell."
The faces of the participants all shifted slightly. The second requirement on the list was, "When you hear the bell in the morning, you must wake Tongtong up."
The bell rang at 7:50, and the list required breakfast to be ready by 8:00 sharp. So, these two requirements could actually be completed together.
Fortunately, there were plenty of ready-made ingredients in the kitchen, so there was no need to worry about not having enough time to prepare. However, the question of who would deliver the food to "that thing's" room left hesitation flickering across the participants' faces.
"I'll do it," Chen Cailing finally said, gritting her teeth as she prepared to take on the task, only to be interrupted by Xiao Bai.
"Let me do it."
Ye Xiaomei shot Xiao Bai a surprised look, her face showing confusion. She really couldn't understand why this icy beauty would actively "compete" for a task that clearly carried some risk.
But regardless, since Xiao Bai had volunteered to complete this list requirement, Ye Xiaomei felt a huge sigh of relief. After all, this was her first formal story, and the fear in her heart made it hard to muster the courage to willingly step into danger.
"Alright... okay..." To hide her awkwardness, Ye Xiaomei quickly looked away. Then, the icy beauty picked up the tray with a blank expression and turned to walk out.
"Wait, Xiao Bai, I'll go with you."
Xiao Bai turned around at the sound and saw Chen Cailing pull a black object from her waist, stepping up behind her.
The object looked like the shape of a gun.
Somewhat surprised yet understanding, Xiao Bai glanced at her and then nodded. "Alright, come with me. But you'd better put the gun away. These things can't be dealt with by mundane means."
"As for you two, stay here and investigate the first floor and the garden outside. If anything happens, contact us through the mall phone."
After giving a few instructions, Xiao Bai's gaze fell on the wall clock. It was 7:55—less than five minutes until the task deadline.
"Let's go. Time's almost up."
"Xiao Bai, you're the veteran they mentioned, right?" Chen Cailing asked curiously as she followed behind, studying the icy beauty. From the moment she entered the horror story, she had noticed that this participant named Xiao Bai was far calmer than the other two. That calmness could only be explained by her having gone through similar experiences multiple times.
"Not quite. This is my third mission." Xiao Bai didn't hide the truth.
"Still, I admire you. Aren't you scared?"
"How could I not be?" Xiao Bai smiled. "We're here."
Before them appeared a door painted with blue paint. Clearly, this was a boy's room, and inside it lay "that thing."
Xiao Bai took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
Inside the room, thick curtains hung to the floor, casting the space in dim light. A "boy" of about seven or eight sat on the bed, turning his head to stare at the two participants.
It was the eerie doll they had seen yesterday.
Such a bizarre scene made both of them gasp sharply.
"Did we... violate the list's requirements?"
The fact that "that thing" had already "woken up" before they came up gave them quite a scare. But what was even more unsettling was that there was no one else in the room. Who had made it sit up and turn its neck to face the door?
If no one had done this, did that mean the doll truly harbored some kind of vengeful spirit or something similar?
In the end, Xiao Bai could only take another deep breath and steel herself to approach the eerie doll. Meanwhile, Chen Cailing instinctively drew her gun again, her eyes fixed on the doll. If anything unusual happened, she wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger.
Because in the real world, she was a police officer! Having participated in several major operations, she had faced armed criminals without flinching. But during her last mission, while pursuing a group of drug traffickers into an abandoned building, she had been cornered. Just as she was about to be caught, an old radio on a battered sofa suddenly emitted a strange broadcast. As the host's voice rang out, the drug dealers who rushed into the room found it suddenly empty.
And so, Chen Cailing was drawn into this supernatural world. After completing her novice mission—finding the body of a worker cruelly buried in a cement wall by a heartless contractor—her beginner script was finished. When she returned to the real world, her colleagues, who had received her distress signal, had already arrived at the abandoned building and apprehended the criminals. Though Chen Cailing earned great merit for this, the eerie experience of being pulled into a supernatural world by a radio broadcast left her deeply puzzled. Before she could solve that mystery, she was summoned again into the world of a horror story.
This horror story was also her first formal mission in the Freak Radio.
Though she had many questions she wanted to ask the seemingly veteran icy beauty, she knew this wasn't the time for conversation. She stayed on high alert, gun drawn, and cautiously stepped into the room.
But even as she reached the doll, nothing unusual happened. Xiao Bai then placed the tray in front of the doll and said, "Tongtong, time for breakfast."
Just then, *ding-ding-dong, ding-ding-dong*—a crisp melody suddenly rang out in the room. Following the sound, Xiao Bai noticed a music box on the bedside table playing a gentle tune—a melody she recognized.
*Drop the handkerchief, drop the handkerchief,* *Gently drop it behind a child,* *Everyone, don't tell her,* *Quickly, quickly catch him,* *Quickly, quickly catch him,* *Quickly, catch him~*
What should have been a pleasant nursery rhyme sounded eerie in the dim room, sending chills down their spines.
*Drop the handkerchief*—a game every child played in their youth, a joyful game, yet it carried a deeply unsettling feeling.
Do you recall the smiling faces of the children? Do you recall the tension of fearing the handkerchief would be dropped behind you? Do you recall the fingers secretly parted over your blindfolded eyes? Do you recall the face of the child chasing you?
Suddenly, Xiao Bai's eyes snapped open, cold sweat pouring down her body. For a brief moment when the nursery rhyme played, it felt as if her consciousness had been completely controlled by it.
And the child with pitch-black pupils still stared unblinkingly at her, as if silently mocking them.
Just then, Xiao Bai remembered the fifth requirement on the list.
"Play a game with Tongtong."
----- PS: Thanks to Feiyu Ruoqing for the VIP point reward, much appreciated. And I'll be going door to door collecting recommendation tickets~