25. The one who crawled out from the television...
“So what about you?” Chen Sheng looked at the somewhat down-and-out man and replied with a smile, for he was certain he had just met the key figure for unlocking the plot of the Li Family Villa, the so-called “Old Residence.”
If he was right, this person was definitely connected to the Li family’s bizarre extermination case from years ago.
Otherwise, how could a living soul appear in this haunted place?
“Penniless, nowhere to go, and burdened with debt, I have no choice but to hide out here,” the man replied with a wry smile, his expression unable to mask his bitterness.
“What a coincidence, you’re trying to survive, and so am I.” Chen Sheng fully embraced his role, as if he truly were an intern police officer at the Upper Sanjiang City Police Department.
“I almost forgot—if you interns weren’t desperate, none of you would ever agree to stand guard at the old residence. You must have your own troubles too!” The man’s face lit up as if he finally understood.
Sensing the opportunity, Chen Sheng tried to console him: “Everyone has had their moment of glory, don’t let despair consume you.”
He wanted to see if this would unlock any “plot information.”
However, upon hearing Chen Sheng’s comfort, the man froze, standing there stiff and motionless, as if he had turned to stone.
But the moment didn’t last long; after about a minute, the man suddenly burst into loud laughter. “Everyone has had their moment of glory—well said! You’re right, I too once had my glory!”
His laughter faded, and he gazed intently at Chen Sheng.
Sensing he might have said the wrong thing, Chen Sheng quickly amended, “Everyone has a moment of glory, but don’t mistake a moment for eternity.”
The man paused again, but this time he didn’t freeze. He recovered quickly and said, “Well said, that’s a truly good line!”
As he spoke, his eyes were no longer on Chen Sheng, but on the villa’s main entrance. Without another word, he strode out.
Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly stopped and said, “There’s a basement here—you can stay there, but whatever you do, don’t go upstairs.”
Chen Sheng watched him go, unconcerned.
This was entirely within his expectations. Now, some of the “game plot” related to the Li Family’s wealthy villa was already unlocked.
“So, the basement is the safe zone for players in this villa, and going upstairs means facing all sorts of creepy things?”
Rubbing his chin, Chen Sheng walked straight upstairs.
A real man never looks back at an explosion… Well, even when he knows there are ghosts ahead, he must bravely charge forward!
Chen Sheng decided to go tempt fate first—at worst, he could always reload from a previous save.
——
To Chen, who treated this as nothing more than a healing game instance, there was nothing to fear!
As he trod up the stairs, there were none of the “creak-creak” sounds so common in horror films, since the steps were carpeted and not wooden.
Moreover, the carpet on the stairs was spotlessly clean.
Someone had cleaned it!
There was no doubt about that, nor was it hard to guess who did it.
That downcast man—clearly someone with a story.
“This guy knows how to avoid the dangers here, or perhaps the supernatural things here simply don’t harm him,” Chen Sheng mused, quickening his pace up the stairs.
Soon he reached the second floor.
The first floor of the villa was quite open and bare, but the second floor boasted luxurious furniture and décor everywhere, and even a rare television.
It was a black-and-white television.
Chen Sheng glanced at it, and nostalgia welled up within him. As a child, his family had owned such a TV for years, but with the advent of color TVs, the old black-and-white set had been discarded.
The one before him was impeccably modeled—apart from the brand (which he guessed the developers had made up), everything else was flawlessly recreated.
Unable to resist, Chen Sheng twisted the power knob on the right side of the TV. He’d expected nothing to happen, but to his surprise, the screen immediately filled with grayish static, and soon, a clear sound emerged from the set.
It sounded like a child running barefoot across the floor, accompanied by the tinkling of a small bell.
“This healing game truly is astonishing!”
Chen Sheng couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.
The attention to detail was incredible. To compare any other game to this one would be an insult to its craftsmanship!
As Chen Sheng was thus distracted, a sullen face suddenly flashed across the black-and-white TV screen, vanishing amid the static. Then, a small, grayish-white hand reached out from the television.
He noticed the hand immediately—how could he not, it was so striking.
It was much smaller than his own, probably belonging to a child.
“So they borrowed inspiration from Sadako this time, huh?”
Chen Sheng’s eyes flickered. Having seen plenty of horror films, he’d always wondered: if a ghost ever tried to crawl out of his screen, what would he do?
——
He’d never encountered such a thing in real life, but he hadn’t expected to fulfill this fantasy, even if only vicariously, in this healing game!
What should he do?
Why, help her out, of course!
A smile crept onto Chen Sheng’s lips. Without hesitation, he reached out and grabbed the tiny, grayish hand protruding from the TV screen.
It was icy cold to the touch, as if grasping a block of ice.
“This setting isn’t original at all…” Chen Sheng shook his head, not at all surprised, and even a bit disdainful.
Why must ghosts always be cold?
Who made that rule?
No one!
So why does everyone insist on it?
With that thought, Chen Sheng tightened his grip, intent on pulling the little hand right out of the television.
The sullen face reappeared on the black-and-white TV—a little girl with long, disheveled hair, her entire face an ashen gray, eyes full of malice, though a hint of confusion and shock flickered in her fierce gaze.
“This setting just doesn’t work at all…”
Chen Sheng looked at the face on the TV, unable to hide his disappointment.
Although this little ghost girl conformed to human aesthetics, the effect was to instantly dilute any fear in the player’s heart. This deserved a poor review!
But then again, since this was a healing game, it made sense!
Having finished his mental critique, Chen Sheng chuckled, placed his other hand on the little one, and, as if pulling up a stubborn radish, he yanked the ghost out of the black-and-white television.
Thump!