After logging into the forum with his account,
Chen Ge skimmed through them but found nothing useful. The vast majority of people were just rubbernecking for the novelty.
"Worst case scenario, it's worth a shot. What if someone who actually knows what they're talking about shows up?" He edited the post, adding more detailed descriptions of the mirror monster, then used his purple account privileges to make a plea for help.
"After playing the game from the video, I found that the monster in the mirror has latched onto me! How do I get rid of these things?"
Shortly after he posted, replies started coming in.
"OP, you're actually still alive?"
"Try throwing black dog blood on it, or keep a rooster. When the rooster crows at dawn, all the filth dares not approach."
"You're way too deep in character. I'd suggest you turn left and head to the neurology department."
"Ghosts are memories that linger in this world. If you slay them, you'll damage your own yin virtue. The sea of suffering is endless—why not both take a step back?"
"Is the person above seriously trying to reason with a ghost?"
"Maoshan Seven-Slay Ghost-Expelling Seal, authentic Heavenly Master certified! Check my avatar for the Taobao link! Order now and receive a free Five Ghosts Wealth-Channeling manual!"
"Mix soybeans, white rice, and cinnabar together, then soak them in salt water for fifteen minutes. Scattering beans to conjure soldiers—look into it."
"I once watched a video about a guy who was being haunted by a female ghost. To get rid of her, he bought a gun. When the ghost came back that night, the dude just shot himself point-blank. After that, he dragged the ghost into the bedroom…"
"OP, I'm not kidding—I'll tell you something that actually works! Get an iron knife, preferably a butcher's blade that's killed before and been stained with blood. Ghosts are a type of magnetic field energy, and that kind of knife can cut through one!"
Chen Ge spent a long time scrolling through the replies, and the suggestion about the iron knife was the only one that seemed remotely reliable. The rest was either nonsense or completely impractical. He knew that black dog blood and roosters could ward off evil according to folk legend, but at this hour in the dead of night, where was he supposed to find those things?
He logged out of the forum, tossed his phone aside, and sat in his chair staring blankly ahead.
Fighting an unknown monster was a matter of life and death for him. He certainly couldn't pin all his hopes on those vague forum posts.
After circling back to it, Chen Ge pulled out the black phone once again. When it really mattered, he could only rely on the black phone—only the black phone could be trusted one hundred percent.
However, the black phone operated on the principle of equivalent exchange. If you wanted something, you had to give something first.
Through his recent experimentation, Chen Ge had begun to uncover some of the hidden patterns within the black phone, particularly regarding mission rewards.
The simple and normal difficulty daily missions typically rewarded items that assisted with haunted house operations. Only nightmare-level mission rewards directly affected him personally, granting rare and special abilities.
If he wanted to deal with whatever was in the mirror, completing simple or normal missions would be pointless. Only the rewards from nightmare-level missions could make a difference.