Chapter 16

“Ghosts! There are ghosts! Your haunted house has real ghosts!”

Ma Ao was nearly hysterical, his face ashen with terror as he clutched at the haunted house staff outside, shouting frantically. If you looked closely, you could see him trembling, his legs barely able to support him.

He never imagined he would see six eyes staring at him from inside the coffin! Those eyes seemed both alive and dead, exuding an indescribable sinister aura. The feeling of being watched was so intense, it felt conscious-definitely not a photo… which meant…

His heart skipped a beat as he shook the staff member desperately. “I’m telling you, there are real ghosts in your haunted house! I just saw them!”

The staff member patted him gently on the shoulder, trying to calm him. “Alright, alright, sir, please calm down. You see, this is a haunted house, so of course there are ghosts, but they’re all just our staff in costume. There’s no need to be afraid.”

“No, I’m talking about real ghosts!” Ma Ao insisted loudly. “I saw six eyes in that coffin! Really, I saw it with my own eyes. Can your coffin fit three people? Definitely not! But I saw six eyes, and there was blood seeping through the coffin, it was terrifying. Why are you looking at me like that? Don’t you think it’s weird? If you don’t believe me, go see for yourself!”

“Okay, sir, I understand. I’ll go check it out. But for now, why don’t you come over here and rest a bit?”

“…You don’t believe me, do you? You’re just brushing me off.”

“I believe you, sir, but I think you need to rest more right now.”

“…”

Ma Ao clutched his head in despair. Just then, a couple came running out of the haunted house, screaming. The girl buried her face in the boy’s chest, while the boy’s face was equally pale.

“Oh my god, honey, this haunted house is so scary!”

“Don’t worry, I’m here.”

“Those ghosts were terrifying, with fangs and demon wings and three hands and four feet!”

Ma Ao and the staff exchanged a glance-one bewildered and shocked, the other knowingly amused. “…”

As the couple exited, another guy came running out, screaming his head off. He was clearly just as frightened, his face full of terror as he stumbled out, shouting, “Ghosts! Ghosts! There are ghosts-help-!”

Ma Ao was dumbfounded, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu. Hadn’t he seen this scene somewhere before?

On closer thought, hey, wasn’t that exactly how he looked when he fled in panic?

Ma Ao: “…”

Staff: “…”

The staff member smiled at Ma Ao. “Sir, is there anything else I can help you with?” He had seen many guests like Ma Ao before, some even more dramatic-legs too weak to walk, screaming and crying were common. Some even asked if there was a real dead body in the coffin, insisting on confirmation that it was just a person in costume, as if that assurance would put their minds at ease.

Ma Ao was just another face in the crowd, nothing surprising.

Ma Ao: “…………I dropped my mobile phone inside.”

Staff: “Okay, where did you drop it?”

Ma Ao: “In front of the coffin, I think.”

As expected, the staff member wasn’t surprised. “Alright, please wait a moment.” Picking up a mobile phone was simple; he’d retrieved shoes and socks before.

Ma Ao: “…”

There were people laughing around him, most of them just out of the haunted house, clearly having witnessed his earlier antics. Only then did Ma Ao notice the crowd outside the haunted house, their faces still showing traces of fear, yet their eyes sparkled with excitement and a hint of eagerness.

Ma Ao hung his head. Had he really seen it wrong?

Impossible, he wasn’t blind or delusional. How could he be mistaken from that close? But regardless, he had no courage to go back and experience it again. The scene was not something he wanted to relive… At this point, he couldn’t help but question himself-was he really a coward?

No, he wasn’t a coward; it was just that this haunted house was too terrifying!

Meanwhile, “Missing Ma Ao” and “Finding Ma Ao” were trending in his live stream, drawing in a flood of curious onlookers. The viewership had surged to half a million! Even though the stream showed nothing but a grayish blur, with faint blue lights and eerie music, the atmosphere was set. But the lively chat made it hard to feel truly scared.

Until, amidst the eerie music, came the sound of approaching footsteps-soft, tapping lightly on the ground.

The live stream, already quiet, amplified this sound, silencing the chat momentarily before it erupted again, with viewers betting on whether it was a staff member or their timid Ma Ao returning. Some even joked, “Or maybe it’s just a passerby. :)”

That was going too far; their timid Ma Ao wouldn’t abandon the stream for so long!

As the chat buzzed, the footsteps grew closer, finally stopping near the phone. This pause brought a hush over the stream.

In the next moment, a pair of eyes appeared in the grayish screen-a white figure drifted into view, standing straight, head lowered, staring directly at them. The dim light blurred her features, leaving only a pale visage, but those eyes were strikingly clear, unblinking, fixed on them!

The dimness made it hard to see clearly, giving the unsettling impression of being watched by something strange. A fleeting glance sent shivers down the spine, raising goosebumps all over!

“!!!!”

“Holy crap, who is that?”

“Well, I know it’s not Ma Ao!”

“Nor is it a staff member!”

“Could it be a ghost???”

“Damn, that’s terrifying! When those eyes met mine, I nearly wet myself!!”

“…”

Ma Ao’s little sweetheart, the moderator of “Brave Ma Ao’s” live stream, had been laughing at her cowardly streamer. Now, she wasn’t laughing anymore. Instead, she stared in horror at the strange figure on the screen and those eerily emotionless eyes.

Suddenly, the figure moved closer, seemingly picking up the phone from the ground. As the camera shifted, the screen no longer showed the dim ceiling, nor those terrifying eyes. Instead, a coffin came into view-the very coffin that had twice scared Ma Ao out of his wits.

The camera began to shake, drawing closer to the coffin.

What was she going to do?

The entire live stream fell silent, everyone watching as she approached, then, without a word, stepped up to the coffin.

In an instant, the chat exploded with screams and exclamations, “What is she doing?!”

Then, to everyone’s shock, the camera angle shifted, showing the view from inside the coffin looking out, slowly descending. The dark coffin lid loomed above, dim light filtering through, obscuring the view… Suddenly, with a loud bang, the coffin lid closed, leaving the screen in complete darkness!

Silence, a deathly silence.

“…………”

“…………”

“…………”

“Ahhhhh! Help, I feel like I’m lying in a coffin too!”

“Holy crap, did I just wet myself?”

“The person above, you didn’t wet anything, but I’ve got goosebumps all over!”

“Mom asked why I’m crying, can I say it’s because I’m scared?”

“I miss our timid Ma Ao, damn it, come get us out of here!”

“Ma Ao, come back, I don’t want to stay here!”

“Help! Someone get me out of here!!”

…

Gu Feiyin had lost count of how many mobile phones she’d picked up. She truly didn’t understand how such a precious item could be dropped so easily. She kept hers close to her chest, tied around her neck-there was no way she’d ever lose it!

Wait, where did the Red-Dressed Ghost go?

She only asked her to cover for a bit, wasn’t that too irresponsible?