My House of Horrors

Chen Ge thought back to when he drew Zhang Ya. At the time, he had still been ignorant about the different between a normal Specter and a Red Specter. Because of his blind courage, he had used his sincerity to slowly calm Zhang Ya down.

Being hated by Zhang Ya will get me killed; being loved by Zhang Ya will get me killed. I have to seek a middle ground. It’s already scary enough to have this one with me, if I attract something even more dangerous, will it be too much for me?

After his title leveled up, more out of control things might happen, and this was what Chen Ge refused to see.

After winning two more Specters, the title will be upgraded, but from the perspective of probability, the chance of that is very low, and I have two more chances…

Chen Ge was rather interested. He looked at the Wheel of Misfortune on screen and slowly raised his finger. If he was being serious, the Wheel of Misfortune was a very important feature provided by the black phone. Zhang Ya, Xu Yin, and Yan Danian—the three Specters that he had won from it—had been immensely helpful to Chen Ge. Without them, Chen Ge would not have survived until this day.

There are two ways to improve my ability—completing Nightmare Missions or winning something useful from the Wheel.

Although he had obtained the black phone quite some time ago, the things that he had won from it were either Specters or items related to Specters. This was rather discomforting to him.

Perhaps when I won Zhang Ya from the wheel, the plot was set on a path of no return.

From the lack of sleep, Chen Ge’s head was heavy.

Maybe I should try it once. After all, the title will only increase after winning two more Specters.

Chen Ge lit a cigarette and walked around his Haunted House. He had done everything that he could to get something good from the wheel. He had tried to make the draw during noon or during dawn, and he had tried biking to somewhere one or two kilometers away from the park, but reality proved that those efforts were rather useless.

Perhaps I should try going the other way, or should I wait until midnight, the time of day when the Yin energy is the strongest, and then start the wheel at the deepest part of the Haunted House?

After some consideration, Chen Ge abandoned that plan.

I should ask the Pen Spirit.

He entered the underground scenario and planned to combine the powers of both the Pen Spirit and the Weeping Statue to see whether he would win another Specter. Pushing the door to the female dormitory open, Chen Ge saw the ballpoint pen that was covered with plastic tape drawing circles on the paper out of boredom.

“Long time no see.” Probably spooked by Chen Ge, the pen toppled over and rolled away from Chen Ge.

“Why are you running? I have something important to ask you.” Chen Ge gripped the pen and asked whether he would win a Specter from the Wheel. To his surprise, he was halfway through his question when the Pen Spirit should the sign of collapsing. He immediately stopped. Then he tried the same question with the statue. The result was the same. As long as it involved the black phone, the powers of those ghosts would go on a rampage.

This sure is strange. The phone left behind by my parents is not normal.

Unable to cheat, Chen Ge stopped hesitating. He entered the toilet to wash his hands and ran into the bus. When he calmed down fully, he clicked the wheel on the phone.

As the wheel slowed down, Chen Ge’s heart raced. The screams that he had gathered were enough for him to play the wheel five times. If he did not win a Specter, he would continue until he ran out of resources. With a click, the wheel stopped as did the needle.

“Congratulations for winning the item—Invitation to the Cursed Game (Chance of Winning: 1/100).

“Invitation to the Cursed Game: Curses and deaths both play their role at this hospital. No one knows where the limit of humanity is.”

An Invitation? Chen Ge read it many times to confirm that he did not win a Specter. Is my luck changing? Everything’s coming up Chen Ge. Even though the invitation is nothing good, at least it’s better than upgrading the title.

Sitting on the bus, Chen Ge felt the bus could bring him good luck. As long as there are no baleful Specters… Now, this is what I call normal.

Chen Ge sighed in relief and turned the wheel again. The needle slowly stopped, and with Chen Ge watching, a new message popped up on-screen.

“Congratulations, Specters’ Favored, for winning the rare item—Phone Number That Is Kissed by the Dead (Chance of Winning: 5/1000)!

“The police discovered that, before they died, every victim called this number.

“Fourth win of a baleful Specter! Congratulations, user. When you win the fifth Specter, your title will automatically be upgraded!”

When Chen Ge saw the phone addressing him with his title, Specters’ Favored, he had a bad feeling in his heart.

The phone number that is kissed by the dead? The chance of winning is five in one thousand—that is lower than Xu Yin and Yan Danian, second only to Zhang Ya, so this is probably another Red Specter!

Chen Ge looked at his hands in shock. He had won another Specter. To be honest, he was rather afraid of himself already.

Is the wheel broken? Are all the probabilities given fake?

Several minutes later, Chen Ge calmed down and leaned back in the seat.

If I win another Specter, the title will upgrade. Should I give it another shot?

The changes that might happen after the title upgraded were an unknown.

When I first obtained the black phone, I started to interact with this shadow world with its guidance. Until now, I dare not say that I’ve fully understood this world. Or rather, the more I know about this world, the more I understand how scary it is.

With that thought, Chen Ge put the black phone away.

I should continue spinning the wheel when Zhang Ya’s injury is healed. Without her being at full health, I feel weirdly unsettled.

Chen Ge headed to the Prop Room. He found two things inside the wooden box left behind by his parents. A piece of crumpled paper with a phone number written on it. It started with 010 and ended with 000.

“This note looks like it has been tightly gripped in someone’s grasp before. Was it a struggle before death? Why is this number called a number that is kissed by the dead? Will I meet a Red Specter if I call this number?”

The theme park would be opening soon. Chen Ge planned to try it when the park closed. He folded the paper and put it inside his pocket. He turned to look at the other object. It was a booking form with the seal of Xin Hai Central Hospital. Details like the room number, booking fee, and name were all empty, but in the box for the date, several numbers were written in bright red ink with slanted handwriting.