My House of Horrors

“Don’t worry, I will not tell anyone,” the headmaster replied softly. Chen Ge nodded lightly. He walked at the front of the pack, so no one could see his expression. Bai Qiulin, who followed closely behind Chen Ge and the headmaster, did not dare intervene. This was the first time that he had seen this demeanor from his boss. He did not know whether Chen Ge was doing this on purpose to gain the old headmaster’s trust or really did trust the old headmaster.

“Boss…” In his mind, Chen Ge was a person who was not afraid of anything. In fact, he would often forget that Chen Ge was a living person. It felt nice staying next to Chen Ge, and it would sometimes create the impression that he had already long left the world. Perhaps because Chen Ge had never treated them as ghosts, they liked the Haunted House and chose it as their new home.

We have been so caught up in ourselves and our past that we have forgotten about the boss. He has been considerate toward us, but we have never once placed ourselves in his shoes.

Bai Qiulin carried the mirror. A terrible life gave him the chance to experience the many facets of life, so he had an appreciation for his current position. Bai Qiulin silently titled his head to glance at Xu Yin. He wanted to get Xu Yin’s opinion, but he realized with a shock that Xu Yin was looking at Chen Ge, who walked ahead. The depression and pain in his eyes lessened greatly, and blood flowed. Xu Yin’s lips moved like he wanted to console Chen Ge, but once his mouth opened, he realized that he had forgotten how to do that.

“Yin Hong, is there any place scarier than that classroom in our school? Bring me there now.” Chen Ge’s tone did not change much, but there was an unsettling undercurrent to it. The man seemed to be angry, and he planned to vent that anger on other Specters.

“There are thirteen forbidden zones in our school. The crying well behind the field, the classroom whose door is always closed, and the nurse’s office that one will enter but never leave—we have been to these three places already.” Yin Hong counted on her fingers. “There are a few other places that are dangerous. Normally, the teachers warned us against going there. Are you sure you want to go there?”

“There are as many as thirteen such places? The students at this school sure are living in a dangerous place.” Chen Ge smiled. It was simple for a normal person to maintain a smile, but to maintain a smile behind the door while being surrounded by Specters and ghosts, this smile took on a different meaning. “Let’s not stand around—we’ll walk and talk.”

Chen Ge gripped Yin Hong’s wrist like he was not holding a Red Specter but a problematic girl who had just gotten into an argument with her parents. He was in a hurry to get to these places, so he did not mind the details. “What are the remaining forbidden zones?”

“The fourth zone is the specimen room with hidden window. This room is on the western side of school as well. The room has many specimens. Due to the uniqueness of the collection, the room does not have a window, but when students pass by the room, they occasionally see a window and a smiling face behind it.” Yin Hong stared at the hand that held her wrist. She wanted to beat the man, but she knew that he was not being malicious toward her, so she did not mind it. This was the first time that she had felt this kind of conflicted emotion.

“They probably put the specimen of a smiling face behind the window.” Chen Ge’s tone was no different from normal. “If he shares our values, once we get home, I can even build a wall for him.”

“The fifth zone is the inverted education block’s stairs. The education block is at the center of the school, and on the fourth floor, if you look up when you go down the stairs, you’ll see someone going down the stairs above you as well. No one knows why.

“The sixth zone is the security booth where the door can’t close. After the door is closed, it will open on its own. It’s very strange; even the Red Specters can’t understand it.

“The seventh zone is the chairs in the female dormitory. This is one of the few dangerous locations.” Yin Hong paid this place special attention. “The fourth floor of the female dormitory is abandoned. There is a red chair placed in the middle of the corridor. There was a girl’s name written on it. According to rumors, there was serious bullying in this dormitory, and during dance practice, a few girls forced another girl to jump down the building.”

“Wait a minute.” Chen Ge felt this sounded familiar. “Do you know the name of the girl who jumped?”

“I don’t. I only know that there is a bedroom on the fourth floor to which entry is forbidden. I hear it is stuffed with red chairs and shoes. And the cruelest and scariest Red Specter at this school resides there. Until now, no one has seen her because everyone who did has disappeared. Their hearts were made into candy and their souls into stuffed dolls. Their lingering souls were trapped inside the chairs, and they would never escape.” Just the mention of this Red Specter caused Yin Hong to be afraid as if afraid that she might really appear.

“Is… she that scary?” Chen Ge’s forehead was soaked in sweat. He silently let go of Yin Hong. “Continue.”

“The eighth zone is the deepest room in the male dormitory. The room is locked, and a deep stench comes out from it. According to rumors, a father’s body and a smelly heart are locked inside.

“The ninth zone is also in the male dormitory. I can’t remember the room, but there are hanging carcasses inside the room. They are all hanged while standing. Apparently, that is the punishment for deceit.

“The tenth zone is in the library. When you get close to one of the bookshelves, both Red Specters and ghosts would disappear.

“The eleventh zone is a mirror; bad things will happen when you look at this mirror.

“The twelfth zone is actually just a name and a file. No one knows what the name represents—we only know it’s a male name. All the ghosts that say that name will disappear, so until now, no one has been able to tell what the name represents.

“The last zone is the headmaster’s office. No one knows where this is, and no one has seen the headmaster. All the staff operate on the school’s consciousness, but according to rumors, we used to have a headmaster.”

Yin Hong told Chen Ge the thirteen most dangerous places in the School of the Afterlife. Some were really dangerous, and some Chen Ge did not know how to comment. Because of Zhang Ya, he did not do any missions related to Western Jiujiang Private Academy, but he now suspected that the three-star scenario without a door might be the former self of the School of the Afterlife.