From the photographic records, this child Tongtong seemed normal as an infant, but those bizarre and terrifying behaviors gradually deepened over time. Xiao Bai already had two speculations about why this happened. The first was that the child suffered from some mental illness, leading to a drastic personality change and many erratic, horrifying actions. However, considering this was a supernatural world within a story, Xiao Bai leaned toward another explanation: That the child was possessed by something! As the child grew, the entity possessing him grew stronger, twisting his mind and behavior, causing so many spine-chilling events to occur around him. And that fire... Xiao Bai’s expression shifted as a terrifying thought flashed through her mind. In some movies and novels, she had read about methods believed to exorcise evil spirits, one of which involved using the burning power of fire to drive away malevolent entities clinging to a person. After medicine failed, could this painter couple have turned to some mysterious, unknown power, hoping for a miracle? Given their obsessive love for the child, it wasn’t impossible. Could that fire have been no accident, but a failed exorcism ritual? Realizing the child was becoming increasingly abnormal, the painter couple might have suspected it wasn’t ordinary mental illness. Believing the child was possessed, they secretly performed an exorcism, but it spiraled out of control, resulting in a fire that tragically killed the child. Perhaps the gardener didn’t know the truth about the fire, or maybe he chose to conceal it—after all, compared to the estate, they were all just outsiders. Suddenly struck by a thought, Xiao Bai frowned slightly. The gardener told them that after the child died, the grief-stricken painter couple made a doll to remember and honor him. But could their true intention have been to use the fire to drive away the evil spirit and then summon the child’s real soul to inhabit the doll? That would explain why the couple insisted everyone treat the doll as a real person—they firmly believed the doll held the child’s true soul! If so, then this painter couple was just as eerie! “This family—none of them are normal...” If they were sane, how could they think of burning their own child to death to expel a spirit, then summon the soul back into a doll? Muttering softly to herself, Xiao Bai prepared to put the photo album back in the drawer. But just then, she felt a sticky sensation in her hands. Looking down, she saw that the closed album’s pages were oozing a dark red, viscous liquid from the gaps! Xiao Bai’s heart jolted! At the same time, it felt like a weight had lifted. The supernatural attack she had been vigilantly anticipating had finally arrived in this space! More and more blood gushed from the album, covering her hands and flowing onto the attic floor. Meanwhile, blood seeped from the wall cracks and the playground equipment, gradually flooding the ground! As the blood emerged, an intensely cold aura crept in from all around, as if something was silently closing in on her... In an instant, as if sensing something, Xiao Bai yanked the pendant from her neck and opened the frame. A white phantom suddenly appeared before her—a ghostly figure leaping from the photo, letting out a piercing scream in her mind. With that scream, a sharp pain erupted in Xiao Bai’s head, so intense she curled up, clutching her head with both hands... Meanwhile, below the attic. “Xiao Bai? Xiao Bai?” After calling several times with no response from above, Chen Cailing grew increasingly worried. Finally unable to hold back, she stepped into the room and looked up. The square opening in the ceiling was pitch black, revealing nothing. “Xiao Bai? Are you okay?” She shouted louder a few more times, but still, no sound came from above. Chen Cailing’s wariness gradually heightened. The room and attic were so close—Xiao Bai couldn’t have missed her calls. The only explanation was interference from supernatural forces! Could Xiao Bai be trapped in the attic? Thinking this, Chen Cailing’s heart tightened. She instinctively drew her gun, but then noticed a strange aura beginning to spread through the room. At the same time, dark red liquid started seeping from the picture frames on the wall, the door crack, and under the bed... Seeing this eerie change and recalling warnings from other listeners in the horror story group, Chen Cailing realized this must be the so-called supernatural attack! That meant Xiao Bai above had likely discovered a crucial clue tied to the story’s core! Whenever participants found important story clues, supernatural attacks followed—this was valuable experience summarized by the listeners. Realizing this, Chen Cailing immediately looked up at the attic opening. At that moment, Xiao Bai’s situation must be the same as hers! Seeing the blood seeping from the door crack and under the bed surging toward her, Chen Cailing didn’t hesitate. She reached into her pocket, grabbed a ghost-repelling talisman, and slapped it forward! As the talisman touched the ground, it burst into a ball of flame. The surrounding blood recoiled as if scorched by something! That was the power of the talisman! Seeing it work, Chen Cailing felt a surge of relief. A pack of ten such talismans cost only ten plot points—a bargain. Many participants in their first or second official story pooled points to buy a pack. But Chen Cailing, fresh from her novice script, had no plot points. The three talismans she had were temporarily “borrowed” from another listener. She had wasted the first one, but the second finally worked, driving back the blood flooding the floor! Just as Chen Cailing breathed a sigh of relief, she noticed the blood she had repelled was gathering behind her, surging toward her again. The talisman had worked, but its effect was minimal—it only briefly delayed the attack! Bang! Bang! Bang! She reflexively fired several shots into the room, but as Xiao Bai had said, mundane weapons had no effect on “those things.” Realizing the danger, Chen Cailing gritted her teeth and reached into her pocket again. Only one talisman remained, which she had planned to keep as a last resort. But now, she had no choice. At that moment, Chen Cailing regretted stepping so easily into this eerie room, trapping herself in danger. Turning to flee toward the door, she quickly slapped the talisman onto the closed door. Behind her, countless sticky blood hands rose from the floor, reaching swiftly for her back!