Chapter Eleven

The first floor appeared free of monsters, but Cheng Yuan dared not let his guard down. Apart from the Human-Palm Centipede, whose aberrant nature made its behavior somewhat predictable, Cheng Yuan wouldn’t be surprised to encounter the other two ghostly creatures anywhere. Entering the emergency stairwell, the flickering, ghastly green light was the only illumination. He closed the door behind him and stared up at the endless flight of stairs. Cheng Yuan swallowed hard. In the darkness and silence, the sound of his and the little tiger’s breathing was painfully distinct. Setting the little tiger on the ground, he took a step forward—thud, thud—his footsteps echoed, amplifying the sensation that someone was following behind him.

Step by step, the echoing footsteps continued. The reverberation made Cheng Yuan feel as though a presence was trailing him. As he reached the fifth floor, the little tiger suddenly began to hiss. Cheng Yuan looked up—at the sixth floor landing, the White Robe was floating there. The moment the little tiger hissed, Cheng Yuan felt a gaze fix upon him.

Without hesitation, Cheng Yuan immediately opened the door to the fifth floor. In the next instant, a deafening, alarm-like noise shattered the silence of the stairwell. Instinctively, Cheng Yuan clapped his hands over his ears. The noise was so loud it felt as if his eardrums were being beaten like drums. The little tiger rolled on the ground, stunned by the cacophony.

Seeing the White Robe already floating in midair, Cheng Yuan scooped up the little tiger and dashed onto the fifth floor. The blaring sound had attracted the other monsters. On the seventh floor, the Human-Palm Centipede crawled out of a room, its mountainous bulk coiling up. Each head, tufted with hair, turned toward Cheng Yuan and screamed in unison. The grotesque sight made him nauseous. At that moment, the White Robe flew out of the stairwell.

Upon seeing the Human-Palm Centipede, the White Robe shrieked at it. All the densely packed eyes on the centipede’s many heads turned toward the White Robe. Seizing the opportunity of a territorial clash between monsters, Cheng Yuan ran directly toward the White Robe.

As Cheng Yuan, the little tiger, and the White Robe passed each other, the White Robe soared toward the centipede. When it drew close enough, the White Robe unleashed a piercing scream, the powerful sound waves visibly rippling through the air, engulfing most of the centipede’s massive body. The centipede’s muscles tensed, its many heads howling in agony, countless hands reaching for the White Robe.

The White Robe, in the midst of its triumphant screech, was suddenly seized by one of the hands. The centipede’s enormous body yanked the White Robe from the air, its gaping maw biting down and thrashing it violently against the railing. The White Robe’s form was flung about like a rag doll.

On the other side, Cheng Yuan took advantage of the chaos to reach the seventh floor. By the time the two monsters finished their battle, Cheng Yuan was not far from the centipede. “Where’s 708?” Cheng Yuan mouthed the words, oblivious to the fact that no sound escaped his lips.

After a while, the White Robe floated up from the railing and drifted away. The centipede let out a triumphant screech before turning its attention to Cheng Yuan. Spotting room 708, Cheng Yuan swiftly tossed the little tiger aside, slammed the door shut, and with a bang, a layer of dust fell from the ceiling.

The Human-Palm Centipede crashed against the wall, its many hands scrambling over the surface. Cheng Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had to admit, this haunted house truly unnerved him. After several minutes, the sound of crawling gradually faded. Cheng Yuan waited a bit longer, then surveyed the room. The key to 708 should be here.

After searching for a while, he found a key with a pink kitten keychain in the drawer beside the hospital bed. Opening the door, he saw the centipede squeezing into another patient’s room. Cheng Yuan made his way to the elevator. With the centipede—his “can opener”—distracted, the other two monsters would only be a threat if he was extremely unlucky and found them in the elevator.

When the elevator arrived, it was empty—no monsters to worry about. Hugging the little tiger, Cheng Yuan pressed the button for the basement level. The elevator descended: seven, six, five... minus one. The doors opened. Cheng Yuan saw a lit door lock ahead.

He strode forward and inserted the key into the lock. Just as he was about to turn it, a round, golden furball suddenly slammed into the door. Cheng Yuan turned to see a shadowy figure standing not far from him. Its white, unfocused eyes somehow made him feel as if it was staring right at him.

Only then did Cheng Yuan realize the furball was the little tiger he’d set down beside him. He said quickly, “Hold it off for a moment, I’ll open the door.” But then he paused—how strange, he couldn’t hear his own voice. He recalled the staff’s warning before entering the haunted house. He’d been muted, and the little tiger likely was too, which explained the eerie silence and its lack of reaction to the monsters.

Without delay, Cheng Yuan continued unlocking the door. The monsters prioritized attacking other monsters; humans were secondary targets, so unless the little tiger was killed first, he’d only risk incidental harm from area attacks. Most importantly, in the amusement park, the monsters were trained, so they probably wouldn’t interfere with him or severely injure the little tiger. With the golden armor, there was no need to worry.

As the lock clicked open, Cheng Yuan pressed the button to raise the rolling door. The eyeless shadow, having been playing with the little tiger as a ball, immediately lost interest and turned away.

Carrying the slightly dizzy little tiger, Cheng Yuan exited the instance. The scene before him rippled like water and quickly transformed into the bustling amusement park. “Congratulations on making it out. How do you feel?” Cheng Yuan opened his mouth to reply, “Pretty scary,” but still, no sound came out. The surrounding staff nodded, “Pretty scary—that’s a great review. Be sure to give us a high rating when you leave the park.”

After having dinner at the amusement park, Cheng Yuan took the little tiger home. Over the following week, the tiger’s Roar training progressed splendidly. Upon reaching maximum level, the little tiger mastered Thunderous Roar, breaking the mute debuff and gaining the talent Sonic Wave I, which permanently increased the power of sound-based skills by 10%. Its level also rose to seven due to mastering the skill, drawing ever closer to its evolutionary goal.

Cheng Yuan calculated that once the tiger finished training in Grabbing, Biting, and Running, it would reach level nine, if not ten. At level ten, following the skill progression of the Golden White Tiger, it would acquire the passive acceleration skill, Gale’s Companion.

In the following week, the little tiger maxed out Biting and Running, obtaining the skills Bite and Pursuit, as well as the talents Rapid, which permanently increased speed by 10%, and Jaw Muscles I, which permanently increased bite force by 10%. Its level climbed to eight.

After two weeks of forced silence, Cheng Yuan could finally speak again. During these two weeks of training, the little tiger had outgrown its former cuteness—perhaps due to its higher level, its size had increased from that of an adult housecat to that of a Maine Coon. Cheng Yuan guessed that before its evolution, it might reach the size of a leopard, making it an outstanding cub even among other Golden White Tiger juveniles. Besides, its face had grown rounder—becoming both stronger and even more adorable.