Not far from the scene, Dai Minghan called out "Chen Mo" and hurried over, brushing aside the rising dust. Only then did he realize that the sound he had heard wasn't actually a floor collapse—it was a pre-existing open area in the middle of the building, thinly covered with a layer of debris. Because it was thick with dust, it wasn't easy to spot at first glance. Chen Mo must have accidentally stepped on it.
Why was there a large hole in the middle of the building? Dai Minghan stepped closer to look and estimated that this spot had originally housed an escalator. In other words, this building was a mixed-use complex of a shopping mall and office space. For some reason, the mall had never opened, so the companies inside had simply dismantled the escalator, apparently planning to fill the area with concrete. But the work had been halted halfway, leaving this big pit behind.
This also hinted that the game company's "closure" back then must have been extremely hasty.
But at that moment, Dai Minghan had no mind to ponder why RinZ Corporation had suddenly shut down. He quickly leaned his head into the hole, shouting Chen Mo's name loudly.
From the sixth floor to the fifth—though just one story—it was still about three meters high. He had no idea if the other person had been injured.
Just then, the others, having heard the commotion, gathered around from all sides, staring in shock at the large hole in the middle of the floor.
At that moment, buried in the dust of the fifth floor, Chen Mo struggled to open his eyes. He tried to move his body but felt a piercing pain in his back. When he had fallen, his body had lost balance, and the agony of his back hitting the ground nearly knocked him unconscious.
But perhaps because he sensed that a malevolent spirit might be lurking here, this intense awareness forced his mind into sharp focus, and he tried to make himself stand up again.
But... he couldn't...
The dull pain radiating from every part of his body thwarted any attempt. And then, through the hazy dust, he seemed to see that black shadow again, standing not far from him.
Could it be the ghost of this building?! Chen Mo was startled. He tried to raise his hand, only to find it empty. The mysterious flashlight that could repel ghosts had rolled several meters away during his fall.
He wanted to reach out and retrieve the flashlight, but his body wouldn't budge. The shadow in the dust seemed to be drawing closer. In Chen Mo's heart, the shadow of death was spreading. After all, they were just ordinary people. In this supernatural world, anyone could die suddenly at any moment.
The shadow was getting closer. Just as Chen Mo expected a ghostly claw to emerge from the mist and twist off his head, the shadow before him raised both hands high, gripping something like a club.
In that instant, Chen Mo suddenly realized—this wasn't a malevolent spirit, but a person! Someone hiding in the building, trying to attack him!
Why would someone attack him? Was someone trying to stop him from uncovering the secrets hidden here? In this story, were they facing not only ghosts but also people?
These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. His sluggish body couldn't dodge the attack. Chen Mo could only raise one hand to slightly block the blow, then felt a sharp pain land on his head. With a thud, everything went black.
In his last moment of clarity, he seemed to hear someone shout "Who's there?" followed by chaotic footsteps, and the shadow vanished again.
--
Darkness.
In a blur of pitch-black darkness, Chen Mo opened his eyes. Vague scenes he had never seen before appeared before him—it looked like an alley, and someone beside him was speaking.
"Zhou Xiaomi, are you going or not? Just say it!"
Going where? And... why are they calling me Zhou Xiaomi?
As if sensing something, Chen Mo's heart skipped a beat. He looked down at himself and saw that his body had indeed changed, taking on the form of a teenage boy. There was even a PS Vita game console stuffed in his pants pocket.
Why have I become Zhou Xiaomi? Is this an illusion or a dream?
Before Chen Mo could figure it out, this body stood up on its own and followed two laughing boys ahead, walking deeper into the alley.
The two boys in front had unfamiliar faces, seemingly Zhou Xiaomi's friends. Chen Mo had no memory of this path, meaning it wasn't the usual route to or from school. Where were they going?
Soon, the question was answered. At the end of the alley, Chen Mo saw an old house. It must have been dusk, as the sky was a deep orange, and the western clouds blazed like fire, painting the house's walls in an oil-like orange hue. But a "demolish" character scrawled on the wall ruined the picturesque scene.
"Is this the haunted house you were talking about?" Chen Mo heard himself speaking—or rather, Zhou Xiaomi speaking.
"Yeah, yeah. I heard something happened here before. None of the neighbors dare to get close. They say anyone who enters this old house gets cursed for no reason!"
"That's a really scary rumor."
Though the boys spoke of fear, their faces were grinning, clearly not taking it seriously.
"If that's the case... then... maybe we shouldn't go in."
"Zhou Xiaomi, you're not chickening out now, are you?"
"Yeah, we made a bet with those girls. If we take photos proving we dared to go into that house, Xiaoxiao agreed to be your girlfriend."
Hearing this, Zhou Xiaomi's face flushed red. "It's clearly you two who are curious, and you're dragging me into it!"
"Bull! Don't you want Xiaoxiao to be your girlfriend?"
"Exactly. We came with you, and you dare to back out?"
Laughing and joking, the two boys grabbed Zhou Xiaomi without further ado, and the three of them headed toward the old house. The two boys walked in front, while Zhou Xiaomi hesitated at the back.
Being pulled forward by an unseen force, Chen Mo's mind churned with shock.
So that's it!
He had always wondered why, after Zhou Xiaomi's death, the curse didn't jump to Li Xiaoxiao but instead went directly to one of the seven participants. It turned out that the ones who had touched the source of the curse were these three boys!
At this point, the story had misled them. When they entered this tale, the curse might have already been in effect for a while. The two boys in front might have already been killed by the curse game, and Zhou Xiaomi, having entered the house last, became the final character killed by the curse. The other two boys, not being students of Changteng High School, had never entered the participants' investigation scope.
As they spoke, the boy at the front had already pushed open the rusty iron gate in front of the old house.