The Shtick Must Survive

The ghost child in the cabinet caused no disturbance, and Gu Xiyue didn’t know whether it was still there. In such situations, screaming would mean losing.

Hua Meng made a new discovery: someone found a note hidden in a book.

[Wenwen, take care of yourself, the Xu Family are all mad]

Who wrote the note was unclear, but it could be assumed that the owner of the Old House was surnamed Xu. However, this was not a clue to unlock the door. Hua Meng urged everyone to keep searching, preferably for something that required a key to open.

Gu Xiyue still had one last cabinet to open. Having just encountered the ghost child, she was not unaffected. Opening the cabinet now did cast a shadow over her psyche, but she had to do it. She took a deep breath before opening the last cabinet, where she found a locked box.

“Hua-Ge¹, come and look at this!”

Gu Xiyue kept her voice low, but Hua Meng heard her. He had been paying attention to this young woman, not for any particular reason but simply because her presence in the Realm of the Undead was quite noticeable. After realizing she wasn’t as fragile as she appeared, Hua Meng was assessing whether she was reliable.

The lock on the redwood box was delicate and matched the key found in the utility room. Hua Meng opened the small box to reveal a map, which he spread out on the floor for everyone to see.

The map showed that the Old House had two floors; they had indeed been in the storage room, and their current location was the study. The study’s door leading outside was also visible on the map, marked with a lock, indicating it was impassable. If they could get out of the study, to the left was the main entrance of the Old House, and to the right, the living room and dining room.

“Can we leave the Realm of the Undead if we open the main door?”

The speaker was a young woman who had been following Hua Meng; Gu Xiyue heard Hua Meng calling her Qiao Yuanbin. She was not a first-time visitor to the Realm of the Undead, which was evident from her behavior. Veterans knew what to do, cautious yet always busy. The only exception was Li Ke, who didn’t do much but was keen on communicating with fellow visitors, especially the newcomers.

Newcomers were more confused, mostly preoccupied with fear, the calm ones merely following orders.

Out of twelve people, there seemed to be seven veterans and five newcomers.

…One of the newcomers had already died.

Hua Meng: “I hope so too, it would be great if it were that simple.”

Gu Xiyue knew that if they didn’t need to explore the second floor, having a map of it would be pointless. Even if the main door was indeed the exit, it wasn’t something they could open at this stage.

The map was of no help in leaving the study, so Hua Meng instructed everyone to start searching again from the storage room. There had to be a key they missed.

As they passed through the corridor again, Gu Xiyue looked up at the paintings hanging on either side. Upon closer inspection, the eyes in the paintings seemed to be staring at the same direction-at a tile in the middle of the corridor. This was a clear clue. Qiao Yuanbin quickly noticed it too. She called Hua Meng over, and together they confirmed the tile was hollow underneath. They retrieved tools from the storage room and pried the tile open, discovering something inside.

A blood-stained ruler.

Clearly, this wasn’t something that could unlock doors, but something so carefully hidden must have a purpose.

Li Ke whispered, “Maybe it could be used against the undead.”

It was evident that Li Ke coveted the blood-stained ruler, but unfortunately, it wasn’t his discovery. He was also holding a blood-stained rope, uncertain which might be more useful. Gu Xiyue discreetly noted this information, her voice growing even lower, diverting everyone’s attention away from her.

Gu Xiyue: “Can items effective against the undead be taken out of the Realm of the Undead?”

Li Ke: “No, even if you did take them out, they wouldn’t be of any use against the undead at the next station. These are just worthless trinkets… Xiao Gu, do you know what’s the most precious thing in the Realm of the Undead?”

Gu Xiyue shook her head.

Li Ke, with a teasing smile, said: “The Heart of the Undead.”

Li Ke, a middle-aged, overweight man, had his facial features squeezed together, making his nose and mouth appear small and his eyes mere slits. Eyes are said to be the windows to the soul, but his ‘windows’ being so narrowly open prevented others from glimpsing his true thoughts.

Overall, Li Ke seemed naive. In the high-pressure environment of the Realm of the Undead, one couldn’t pretend for long.

Gu Xiyue: “What is that?”

Li Ke: “You’ll find out if you survive long enough.”

This half-told secret was the most annoying posture, and Gu Xiyue made her displeasure quite apparent, frowning at Li Ke and stopping the conversation.

Li Ke thought to himself that she really had a princess’s temper, not even continuing the topic after Gu Xiyue stopped talking to him.

Returning to the storage room, everyone’s mood was tense, especially upon seeing clothes soaked in thick water on the floor. The storage room was messy, making a thorough search more challenging than in the study.

While Gu Xiyue was sorting through cleaning tools on the floor, she heard someone beside her gasp. Looking up, it was Qiao Yuanbin, her hand clamped over her mouth, eyes wide with fear, yet she made no sound.

Clearly, she had found something terrifying in the barrel she opened. Hua Meng strode over, looked inside the barrel, and initially startled but quickly reassured her, “Look closely, it’s not a person… it’s a Paper Man.”

To be precise, it was a life-sized paper effigy, dressed in clothes and exquisitely crafted, easily mistaken for a real person at first glance, especially in such a setting.

The Paper Man depicted a middle-aged woman with short hair and a broad, fierce face. The lifelike craftsmanship was evident, making it all the more eerie. The visitors were reluctant to keep their eyes on the Paper Man and dispersed.

As Gu Xiyue turned around, she came face-to-face with the large, pupil-less eyes of the ghost child, its pallor so extreme that no one could mistake it for a living person. The ghost child was squatting under the desk, its eyes unblinkingly fixed on her, the same ghost child that had appeared in the study’s cabinet earlier.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Gu Xiyue’s gaze naturally shifted as if she hadn’t seen it at all.

Someone had just walked by the desk; the ghost child squatting there couldn’t have gone unnoticed unless that person couldn’t see him. Following the crowd was definitely safer at that moment.

When the ghost child was about to smirk triumphantly, finding its gaze met with indifference, its cold smile froze on its face. Since Gu Xiyue’s reaction was so natural, it momentarily doubted its own abilities, puzzled by its sudden ineffectiveness.

…Why can’t she see me?!

The ghost child, unable to understand, crawled out from under the desk and staggeringly approached Gu Xiyue.

The most terrifying moment is when everyone cannot see what only you can see, and it keeps getting closer to you. If someone were listening at that moment, they would find that Gu Xiyue’s heartbeat didn’t accelerate at all. When she lied, she could even deceive herself. Pretending to be seriously inspecting the clutter on the shelves, she occasionally stopped to rummage, subtly leading the ghost child around the storage room. Not a person, not even a ghost child, touched even a shadow of Gu Xiyue. Eventually, the ghost child gave up, its face darkening as it stood motionless beside the barrel containing the Paper Man.

“Squeak, bang”

The visitors moved quietly, and this unusual noise was quickly detected.

“The Paper Man is moving!”

Someone shouted, and in an instant, everyone distanced themselves from the barrel, some even running out.

Hua Meng: “Damn, what are you running for? Hurry up and find the key. The study’s door is locked; we’re all trapped in here. Where can you run?”

Gu Xiyue observed everything, noting that the ghost child had disappeared. Turning back, she met a pair of malicious eyes. The ghost child was perched on a narrow shelf, its head poking out. Now its eyes had pupils, but they were even more unnerving.

It was too late to avert her gaze and pretend not to see.

The ghost child pulled a smile that stretched its face to the limits, impossible for a human to achieve. Its eyes gleamed with triumph-Hey, got you.

Now was the moment to prey, its pale hand slowly reaching towards Gu Xiyue…

Damn, she couldn’t move her feet.

Gu Xiyue seemed to hear a boy’s laughter at that moment. She suspected that the Paper Man suddenly moving was the ghost child’s mischief, trying to distract her and then catch her off guard. She knew her previous two actions had angered the ghost child, and he was competing with her.

The ghost child had succeeded, but she couldn’t hide. Although her face was expressionless, she naturally had a smiling face, her lips naturally curled up, appearing to smile even when not angry.

Smiling as if the ghostly hand reaching for her face didn’t exist, Gu Xiyue’s left hand casually searched her pocket.

Oh?!

The gesture made the ghost child instinctively pause, its reaching hand stopping mid-air.

Finally finding what she needed, Gu Xiyue happily took it out and slowly placed a candy on the ghost child’s hand, its colorful wrapper making it look particularly tasty.

“Good boy!”

Gu Xiyue smiled sweetly, “Oh, you’re welcome.”

Ghost Child: “…”

Ghost Child: ???

= …… =

In Gu Xiyue’s live stream:

【Second time, hahaha】

【Hahaha】

【Kneeling before the broadcaster, you’re so sly~】

【Ghost Child’s three questions: Who am I, where am I, is this tourist across from me out of their mind??】

【Ghost Child: Am I stretching my hand for candy? I’m after your life!】

【Captured a screenshot of the bewildered undead child, honestly, his pale face turned green with anger hahaha】

Due to the flood of comments, usernames were hidden. Then someone posted a comment, 【Can any experts tell me what The Heart of the Undead is?】 But it was drowned out by the laughter, leaving no trace.

Footnote:

Ge(哥):In Chinese culture, it is quite common to address someone as “xx 哥” (pronounced as “xx ge”). The term “Ge” means “older brother” and, when used in this context, typically carries a sense of affection and friendliness. It indicates respect and amiability towards the person, similar to calling someone “bro” or “big brother” in English.