"Let's go, stop looking around everywhere." Ghost Sister sidled up to the male assistant, pressing her body close to him. "Did Boss Kang tell you the specific requirements for this debunking stream…? Why is your heart beating so fast? And you're sweating so much. Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine." The male assistant pulled his gaze away, clutching his phone. His face was abnormally pale, and he muttered under his breath, "The footsteps are chaotic, but there aren't any extras—good, that's good…"
"You're a really weird person." Ghost Sister had wanted to ask the male assistant some questions, but seeing him like this, she changed her mind.
"Little sis, keep your eyes open along with Little Ghost—this haunted house is designed very cleverly." Big Ghost quietly shuffled over to Ghost Sister's side.
"Did you hear something again?" Ghost Sister asked, curious.
"Someone's calling for help. The sound is coming from inside the walls. I closed my eyes to try to pin down where it was coming from, but I realized the voice seemed to be coming from every direction at once—as if there were speakers buried everywhere." Big Ghost's communication skills left much to be desired.
"Big Ghost, this is just a haunted house. Don't scare yourself. And you really should go see a doctor about your ears—if you keep putting it off, a minor problem will turn into a serious one." Ghost Sister's voice only returned to something approaching normal when she was talking to Big Ghost and Little Ghost.
"Mm."
The eleven-person team reached the end of the corridor and arrived at the first fork.
"There are signs on the wall. The club activity room, archives, gymnasium, library, and swimming pool are all on the left. On the right are the teaching building, laboratories, and administrative offices." Little Ghost walked at the front. He looked at the writing on the wall and reached out to touch it. "Carved with a knife. There's still some paint inside."
A faint trace of red clung to his fingertips. Upon closer sniffing, one could detect a subtle metallic tang.
"Our task is to place thirteen oil paintings inside the Art Club. It's related to a club activity, so I suggest we check the left side first—we might find some clues." Lan Dong's black-framed glasses couldn't hide his excitement; the kid was treating this haunted house visit as a spirit-hunting game.
"Anyone with half a brain knows the oil paintings are connected to the Art Club. The haunted house owner is probably counting on exactly that—he'll have set up all kinds of traps along the left corridor." Little Ghost pointed down the right passage. "Why don't we do the opposite and go right? We might catch him off guard."
"My brother has a point. Once you fall into the haunted house operator's rhythm, you're at a huge disadvantage." Ghost Sister unconditionally backed Little Ghost. After speaking, she gave Big Ghost a nudge.
Big Ghost had been zoning out the entire time and hadn't been paying attention to what anyone was saying. After Ghost Sister bumped him, he spoke reflexively: "The crying is getting closer. It's right around us."
This sudden remark made the atmosphere eerily tense.
"The haunted house actors might be approaching. The safest move is to retrace our steps immediately. Don't look back no matter what you see—everyone stay together at the entrance." Bai Buhui reminded them once more.
"Cough, cough." Liu Kang gave a deliberate cough. "You two don't need to help the haunted house set the mood. This is a debunking stream—if I back down even one step, I'll have let down every single viewer watching the danmu."
"Don't bother with them," Lan Dong said with a chuckle. "I've watched Big Ghost and Little Ghost's spirit-hunting show too. That whole 'sleeping in a graveyard' thing is nothing special. A lot of the paranormal phenomena in their episodes were staged by them."
Lan Dong was young after all—blunt and impulsive. In front of the livestream audience, he'd said exactly what was on his mind.
Even though the camera wasn't pointed at him, his voice carried straight into the stream. Every viewer in the chat heard it loud and clear.
"Bullshit!" Little Ghost had a fierce temper. He rolled up his sleeves, ready to argue with Lan Dong.