My House of Horrors

“The wish in your heart will come into fruition? Wait, but there’s no time limit, and it didn’t even explain how long it will take for the wish to come true. Each use will exhaust one page of the comic, will it? This strongest power of the Lesser Red Specter is not as powerful as I anticipated.” Chen Ge read through the introduction on Yan Danian’s special power seriously. “If I have a wish in my heart, I will use my hands to fulfil it. By exhausting another’s life to complete my own dream, even if it does come true, the dream will turn rather meaningless.”

Reading the words on the black phone, Chen Ge could sense the trace of melancholy behind it. Danian painted a strange and curious world with his pens, but at that same time, that world could be seen as the purest and cleanest. It was called supernatural by others simply because it would not have been a part of reality.

Chen Ge put the phone away, and not long after that, Shinozaki and his assistant came out from the room with a large bag. They looked so excited.

“How did the discussion go?” Chen Ge asked.

“Someone like Master Yan is a true artist. It is truly my honor and good fortune to have been given a chance to cooperate with him.” Shinozaki was a prideful man, and it was not easy for him to admit something like that.

“Yan Danian has spent his whole drawing and working. He is a straight-minded person and doesn’t even know how to be cunning. I hope you are sincere in cooperating with him and will not resort to underhanded tricks.” Chen Ge stood in the middle of the dark corridor. He had the bloodied doctor’s outfit on. The chains dragged on the ground, trailing into the darkness.

“Understood, you don’t need to worry about that.” Cold sweat poured out of Shinozaki’s forehead involuntarily. His experience at the Haunted House earlier returned; that memory would probably haunt him for life.

“I’m glad to hear that. I hope for the two of you to have a good collaboration then. Other than that, if it’s possible, I hope that you can mention Western Jiujiang Haunted House on the published comic. After all, Yan Danian is still my employee,” Chen Ge suggested casually.

“That’s no problem, we should help each other.” Shinozaki was familiar with the world of business, but he could not explain his innate fear of this young man. After sending Shinozaki and his assistant away, Chen Ge went to have a chat with Yan Danian.

Yan Danian had handed his work over to the Shinozaki’s studio, and they would publish two comics soon—Ghost Tenants and Underworld Academy.

Ghost Tenants was inspired by Yan Danian’s own life while Underworld Academy was a brand-new work using Mu Yang High School as the background. Both of them would appear on comic websites over the world in serial format. The author would have Yan Danian’s name, and the royalties would be shared 50-50 between Yan Danian and Shinozaki’s studio. Based on Shinozaki’s prediction, Yan Danian could hope to enjoy a comfortable life in the future.

“Money is the source of many sins; Danian is too innocent to handle so much money. To maintain his passion for art, I mustn’t allow him to be corrupted by money. I think I should look after his royalties for now.”

As Yan Danian’s name grew, this Lesser Red Specter might become one of the central pillars of the Haunted House. After dealing with Yan Danian, Chen Ge’s mood turned better. He walked out from the Haunted House. Xu Wan and Xiao Gu left after cleaning the place, but Scissors and Zhang Jingjiu stayed.

“Both of you have done quite well today, but there is room for improvement.” Chen Ge took out his phone and glanced at the memo. “Scissors, you have a natural talent for this, but you still haven’t explored it to its full potential. When we cornered that visitor earlier, why did he choose to run toward you? It’s because he saw weakness in you that he could take advantage of.

“Jingjiu, you don’t need to rush. There are many things that a Haunted House worker needs to learn. You’ve gotten used to the darkness, and that is already a big improvement. Take it slow and give it time. I’ll go to the hotel and act as the owner once. Perhaps my interaction with the visitors will give you some inspiration.”

After communicating with the new workers, Chen Ge recommended some material for them to read before allowing them to go off work.

“Li Wan City’s mission is already over, but there are still loose ends.” Chen Ge waited until sundown before he grabbed his backpack and hailed a taxi to get to White Dragon Cave Tunnel. When he reached the tunnel, the sky was completely dark.

“The shadow’s heart was shared by Zhang Ya and Doctor Gao, and it has completely disappeared, but the ghost fetus is still alive. This four-star mission will definitely be much more difficult than Li Wan City. After it is birthed, it will come to find me trouble, so the best solution is to locate it before its birth.”

The ghost fetus was probably a Greater Red Specter and a Specter more terrifying than Zhang Ya.

“If I can’t stop it before its birth, then my hope is on Zhang Ya making a breakthrough.”

Both sides were racing against time, and the current calm was exactly the state before the storm. Closing his eyes, Chen Ge touched the wall and headed deeper into the jungle. He recited a name in his heart. When he got to the forty-fourth recitation, the air around him thickened, and a chilling presence surged around his heart.

“You managed to return alive?”

Hearing that familiar voice, Chen Ge’s eyes slowly opened. “You should be more familiar with the changes in Eastern Jiujiang than I am. The shadow has already been consumed.”

The large spider shadow loomed over Chen Ge. At the top of the tunnel, large appendages crawled out from the darkness, and a hissing spider dangled above Chen Ge’s head.

“The shadow has been consumed? By whom?” The spider’s upper body was that of a boy. This was the woman in the tunnel’s son, and he was the real owner of the three-star mission, The Tunnel.

“It doesn’t really matter. The important thing is that we seem to have created a bigger problem.” Chen Ge told him about the ghost fetus; he wanted to drag this Red Specter before him into the mess. Chen Ge’s words confirmed some of the boy’s suspicions. The more he heard, the darker his face became. Killing Chen Ge now would amount to nothing.

“I’ve brought her back safely, and I hope we can cooperate again in the future.” After saying all he needed to, Chen Ge released the boy’s mother from the comic and retraced his step.

Walking out the tunnel, Chen Ge went down the street for half an hour before he caught a cab. He carried his bag and rode the taxi to a certain abandoned mental asylum in Western Jiujiang. Chen Ge leaped over the wall with ease to enter the Third Sick Hall. He pried open the door and entered the corridor filled with pillows and mattresses.

“Men Nan?” Opening the comic, Chen Ge summoned Men Nan. The red shadow appeared beside Chen Ge. When Men Nan saw the familiar halls, he felt hot tears prickling his eyes.

“Welcome home.” Chen Ge stretched lazily. He felt weirdly comfortable at this strange place, probably because he had been there way too many times.

“This is my home, not yours!” Men Nan complained weakly. As a Red Specter, he felt like he should act with the dignity of one, but whenever he saw Chen Ge, he felt the urge to go on a rampage.