Chapter Ten: The Haunted House

Cheng Yuan paused in his steps. “Are you telling the truth?” Tao Yan nodded. “My word is my bond.” Cheng Yuan immediately turned around. “What pose do you want?” Tao Yan smiled slightly. “Just like this is fine.”

For several minutes, they took photos while passersby looked on in confusion. The little tiger, mouth slightly open and eyes full of puzzlement, watched as the two of them each got what they wanted. Inside a shop at the amusement park, they bought a strawberry cake, found a spot under the shade of a tree, unwrapped the cake, and began to eat. The little tiger watched Cheng Yuan eating happily, laid its paw on Cheng Yuan’s arm, and called out to him a few times.

Cheng Yuan stopped mid-bite. “You want some?” The little tiger nodded. Cheng Yuan brought a small piece of cake on the spoon to the little tiger, who let out a little cry and ate it.

Seconds later, the little tiger’s eyes showed confusion, its raised tail drooped instantly, and it lost all interest in the cake, turning to snuggle against Cheng Yuan and look at other things. Cheng Yuan wasn’t surprised; felines can’t taste sweetness. The fragrant cake for them is just a delicate texture, nothing more.

Over the next hour, Cheng Yuan and the little tiger strolled and ate. The little tiger’s belly bulged, and after Cheng Yuan’s rounds of eating, drinking, and having fun, it gazed at him with unusual affection.

Cheng Yuan looked at an attraction called “Screams of the Old Courtyard”—a haunted house designed like a dilapidated hospital. Two staff members stood at the entrance. Cheng Yuan walked up, and one pointed to a blood-stained wooden board beside him. “Young man, you must be here for the first time. Take a look at the instance rules.”

First: Don’t make loud noises, or you’ll attract nearby monsters.
Second: If you see monsters fighting over territory, don’t approach, or you might get hurt by mistake.
Third: Beds with pillows and blankets—sleeping on them will make monsters lose track of you.
Fourth: Some props inside can help you repel monsters.
Fifth: Close doors and seal the area; monsters can’t get in.

These rules don’t apply to trainers with adult-level monsters. New rules for adult-level and above trainers:

First: No hunting monsters inside the haunted house.
Second: Monsters inside can’t be damaged.
Third: Monsters can’t be fought to near death.
Fourth: No contracting monsters inside.
Fifth: No trapping monsters in the haunted house.

(P.S.: If you want to fight, go to the wilderness instances. Don’t come here and trouble our staff.)

To clear the instance: Go to Ward 708, get the key, then head to the underground garage exit and use the key to open the door. (Don’t slaughter the three monsters inside, or you’ll have to pay for the cost of refreshing them.)

Cheng Yuan’s mouth twitched as he read these rules, suddenly understanding what this haunted house had been through. Ghost-type monsters are rarely weak; wild ones truly evoke the horror, strangeness, and chilling dread found in scary movies.

Cheng Yuan asked, “What if we’re attacked by monsters?” The staff member waved his hand. “Relax, the monsters inside are all trained by our staff. At most, you’ll end up mute for a month.” Cheng Yuan’s eyes lit up—so there was such a benefit.

The little tiger in Cheng Yuan’s arms suddenly felt cold, burrowing deeper into his embrace. Cheng Yuan stepped forward into the haunted house. The scene behind him changed rapidly, flowing like water. Turning around, he found himself in a landscape resembling a wasteland. “So this is the world inside the instance?”

He walked along the edge of the instance, then headed toward the hospital entrance. After only a few steps, Cheng Yuan felt a gaze fixed on him. The little tiger sensed it too, looking up. Cheng Yuan followed the little tiger’s gaze and saw a humanoid monster in white clothes, hair covering its face, standing at a window.

Cheng Yuan immediately recognized the monster. The White Robe—a common type of vengeful spirit with adult-level potential. Without much thought, Cheng Yuan entered the hospital. The little tiger climbed onto his shoulder, standing upright—instinct told it danger was near.

Inside, dust coated everything. Only a few flickering lights made the hospital dim, but it was daytime, so visibility was still decent. Cheng Yuan took a few steps when a knocking sound echoed from upstairs. Thud, thud, thud. Then came the sound of wind, and the rustling of leaves was clearly heard. Cheng Yuan quickly carried the little tiger into a room. That sound wasn’t from the White Robe, but some other ghost-type monster—better to hide for now.

After shutting the door, the wind grew louder. The little tiger sat on the bed, starting to hiss. Cheng Yuan peered through the transparent glass in the door. With a bang, a face pressed against the glass—blood streaming from its eyes, empty sockets, and it let out strange, hoarse laughs. The little tiger instantly bristled, back arched, mouth agape, showing its fangs and hissing repeatedly. Cheng Yuan felt his skin crawl. The monster tried banging on the door a few times, found it wouldn’t open, and left.

Cheng Yuan recalled the monster’s features—bleeding eyes, no eyeballs. Could it be the Eyeless Shade? Despite its name, this monster is essentially a ghost-type, though its form and habits are close to human. Wild Eyeless Shades even disguise themselves as humans to infiltrate teams. Unfortunately, they can’t speak, their behavior is bizarre, and they’re easy to spot.

Ghost-type monsters move quickly, their logic is strange, making it hard to predict where they’ll appear. Even if the staff said the worst outcome is a month of muteness, these monsters were truly terrifying.

Cheng Yuan said to the little tiger, “Activate Golden Armor.” The little tiger nodded immediately, closed its eyes, and a bright light shone from its belly. Soon after, a second sound approached—a crawling noise. Bloody human hands slapped against the glass. “This is a mutated species: Human-Hand Centipede.” Human-Hand Centipedes have king-level potential; adults can grow over ten meters long, a monster born from the distortion of corpses.

Listening as the crawling faded away, and after identifying the three monster types in the haunted house, Cheng Yuan began to plan his strategy. First, the elevator was out of the question—the Human-Hand Centipede could open it like a can. Second, he needed to reach the underground garage quickly; otherwise, the White Robe or the Human-Hand Centipede would surely be lurking there.

Cheng Yuan waited half an hour, and when the Golden Armor was fully formed, he carried the now twice-as-heavy little tiger out. He looked left and right to confirm it was safe, then headed down the sickly green emergency passage.