"So none of you know who the chairman is?"
"We all wear masks and identical black robes. Even if someone inside changes, others can't necessarily tell." The first person on the left pointed at himself. "I'm Number One. Here, numbers matter more than names. If you don't want to be replaced, you'd better stay vigilant at all times."
He said this to the newly arrived woman. Her voice was very distinctive, and in her story she'd revealed her husband's surname and a lot of personal details. As long as someone cared to look, they could definitely track her down.
Chen Ge had identified her the moment he heard her voice.
In truth, Chen Ge hadn't expected that the hottest podcaster on the midnight radio would turn out to be someone like this.
"There are no other rules in the association — you just need to prepare enough ghost stories," the man said in a somewhat chilling tone. "After the three of you newcomers finish telling your three stories, we'll do our best to fulfill your requests. Then you can decide whether to stay or leave."
"Number One has said everything that needs to be said." The man on the right snapped his fingers. "Food will be served shortly. Once you've eaten, you can leave."
"Eat?" Chen Ge was confused but didn't voice his question.
The room fell silent again. Not a single person spoke for nearly half an hour before footsteps echoed down the hallway.
The reinforced door was opened. The beak-masked man had several obvious scratch wounds on his neck. "There was a slight mishap. It might still take some time."
"No rush. Dawn is still a long way off." The first man on the right glanced at the three newcomers. "You're probably not used to this yet, since it's your first time. It'll get better."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Number Ten — the one who liked Chen Ge's mask — spoke up. "If you really can't wait, you can leave first."
At his words, the other robed figures said nothing, seemingly unsure why he would say something like that.
"I'll skip the meal. I need to hurry and find new ghost stories." The second newcomer was probably the most ordinary person here. He was deeply uncomfortable dealing with this bunch of lunatics — if he hadn't been trying to evade capture, he would never have come to a place like this.
Neither of the men sitting first on the left or right said anything. They merely waved a hand. Their gazes remained fixed on Number Ten, as if something about him was off today.
Chen Ge was very curious about the Ghost Story Association. The red threads in his shadow were about a minute or two from completing their weaving. Leaving now left a trace of reluctance in his heart.
In his view, it was rare for everyone to be gathered together like this — it was the perfect opportunity to catch them all in one swoop!
The chairman was among those ten people, and even they didn't know who it was. The simplest solution right now would be to take out all ten of them.
"Farewell. See you next Wednesday." The second newcomer hurried toward the exit. The beak-masked man still stood in the doorway, staring at him with an unblinking gaze, as if appraising a piece of ingredients.
"Are you two leaving as well?" Number Ten said to Chen Ge and the woman.
"I'm curious about the food here." The woman's voice had taken on a subtle change — a note of excitement. "I'll stay."
The sound of running echoed down the hallway. The second newcomer would probably be riding the elevator out very soon.
"I have urgent matters to attend to. See you Wednesday." Chen Ge also stepped out of the room. As he passed the beak-masked man, he caught a faint whiff of blood.
"I honestly didn't expect you to walk out of there alive." There was hidden surprise and confusion in the beak-masked man's voice.
"In the future, there will be plenty of things you could never have imagined." Chen Ge looked at him and smiled. The face assembled from stitched-together skin looked especially terrifying when he did.