Chapter 19: Rising Popularity
Chen Ge kept his voice low, worried that the landlord next door might overhear. He wasn't deliberately trying to create this tense atmosphere.
After he finished speaking, Heshan on the other end of the phone was dumbfounded. This朴实 college student, who had worked his way into medical school from a mountain village, never imagined that his first phone call with an online friend would involve discussing such a thrilling topic as a family annihilation case.
"You're in that haunted house right now?"
"Yeah."
"And the landlord next door might be the murderer from five years ago?"
"Mm-hmm."
"I'm a bit confused. Let me think." Heshan held his phone. The two sides of the call felt like completely different worlds—one was a lively dorm room buzzing with PUBG and League of Legends, while the other was dead silent, filled with a suffocating tension.
"Boss, I think you'd better call the police. Even if you don't have evidence, your own safety is more important than worrying about a false report."
Heshan was telling the truth, but Chen Ge had his own considerations. The Haunted House Escape was a task assigned by the black phone, requiring him to stay there for one night. If the police got involved, the chances of mission failure were very high. It involved unlocking a new horror scene, and giving up now would be a real shame: "It's not time to call the police yet."
"The main thing now is your safety. How about this?" Heshan paused before continuing: "Turn on your phone's location, and don't hang up all night. I'll listen for any sounds on your end. If anything happens, I'll call the police immediately."
Keeping the line open was a good idea. Chen Ge looked at his phone; the short video page was still open, with an ad for recruiting a PUBG streamer scrolling by.
His eyes lit up. Compared to keeping the call going, Chen Ge had a more reliable idea: "I can start a livestream from the haunted house. If something happens to me, the viewers in the stream can call the police, and the recorded stream will serve as solid evidence. If everything goes smoothly, even better—I can attract more attention through the stream and build a reputation for my horror house."
A short video from last night had brought Chen Ge nearly a thousand followers, and the number of visitors to his horror house had surged several times the next day. This had given him a taste of success.
Besides, his fundamental reason for entering the haunted house was to complete the task and earn rewards to develop his horror house better. Starting a livestream would let him ensure his safety while doing the task, attract traffic, and gain followers—why not?
"Good wine needs no bush, but I don't have the funds for massive advertising. I can use livestreams and short videos to draw more people's attention."
What Chen Ge lacked was channels and accumulation. As for content, he wasn't worried at all.
The people from that studio earlier had an unpleasant tone, but they were right about one thing: modern people crave faster entertainment and stronger thrills. Across the entire platform, was there any stream more gripping and exciting than staying overnight in a haunted house and playing a game of wits with a murderer?
Traffic comes first, content is king. Compared to other streamers, Chen Ge had an advantage none of them possessed.
Everything he filmed, everything he experienced, was real. There was no script, and even he didn't know what would happen next.
He was completing the black phone's task; the livestream was just a way to document it all.
"Heshan, I'm hanging up now. Come to my livestream later—the room name is the same as my short video profile ID."
Ending the call, Chen Ge turned on his phone's GPS and set the speed dial to the emergency number. After preparing everything, he opened the livestream software on the short video platform.
Short videos are usually only a few seconds long, can't include ads, and have limited monetization options. To maximize the value of followers and maintain engagement, many streamers go live when they don't have new videos to post.
Short videos are easy to share and spread, creating buzz to grab attention, while personalized livestreams turn viewers into followers. The two complement each other, and Chen Ge had stumbled onto the right path by accident.
"Overnight Stay in a Haunted House! Personal Exploration! Unveiling the Unknown Side of the World!" Chen Ge typed the title, using several exclamation marks to make his stream stand out.
In truth, he didn't need to bother. The short video platform's livestream software couldn't compare to professional streaming sites—it had few categories, and most titles were things like "Sweet Chat with a Seductive, Cute Girl" or "Goddess Lulls You to Sleep." Compared to those, Chen Ge's stream was a roaring mudslide, impossible to ignore.
The stream went live. Followers who had his page bookmarked got notifications, and an announcement appeared on his short video profile.
Within seconds, viewers started joining.
Heshan: "Boss, are you serious?! You're really streaming this?"
All Men Must Die: "You're that beast from last night's short video! I'll fight you!"
"Whoa! What's up with the person above? Spill your story!"
I Am a Little Green Worm: "Beast streamer, followed."
"Anyone with big balls know what this stream is about?"
"Can you stop bothering us big-ball guys? Read the announcement!"
As soon as Chen Ge started streaming, people waiting for his short video update popped in, and the viewership slowly grew.
"Everyone, I think you've misunderstood me." Chen Ge put down his multi-tool hammer and looked seriously at his phone screen: "That short video from yesterday wasn't a joke—it was my real experience. You can search for the original video on paranormal forums. I didn't add any special effects. Everything was real. There really was something in the mirror. I know it's hard to believe, but I'll reveal things to you step by step and show you a completely different world."
"Hello, 911? What's the number for the Center for Non-Human Research? I've found a wild lunatic."
"I love watching you talk nonsense with a straight face."
"Li Ming! I know you're watching the stream. Bring me some cold noodles when you come back tonight, no chili, thanks!"
"Ward 3, Bed 11 of Fushan Mental Hospital collectively cheering for the streamer! Supporting recovered patients re-entering the workforce!"
A few sparse comments scrolled across the screen. None of them believed a word Chen Ge said, but he wasn't angry: "It's fine if you think I'm crazy. I'll prove it to you."
The heat and viewership slowly increased. Chen Ge looked out the window at the deepening night, lit a cigarette, and began telling the viewers about the Fuan Apartment family annihilation case from five years ago.