My House of Horrors

Fan Yu’s aunt had also seen the scene inside the classroom. The children sitting at the tables with their heads lowered were similar to the students shot inside her brother’s group photo. After collapsing to the floor, fear was frozen on her face. She tried to stand up, but her limbs refused to listen to her command.

“Shush!” Chen Ge rushed to the woman’s side to grab her arm and half-dragged her out of the education block!

The rumors were real. Regardless of their cause of death, the students had all returned to that classroom.

“You saw it, right? Right‽” Seeing them in a picture and seeing them in real life had a completely different feeling. The woman’s eyes bulged out of their sockets, and her breath came haltingly.

“Let’s leave this place for now.” Chen Ge dragged Fan Yu’s aunt to the entrance of the education block. Before they left, he turned back to glance at the classroom. The door and windows were closed, and it was completely dark within.

I’ve been inside the school for so long already, and they haven’t actively attacked me. Looks like they aren’t malevolent spirits. Chen Ge had basis to believe that. The girl who was made insane by Fan Yu’s father had committed suicide in that classroom, and the one who came out to help her was one of the spirits from that classroom. The people who wrote the warning notes to Fan Yu’s father were the spirits. They were trying to protect the school’s students, even though their method was a bit wrong.

Chen Ge held Fan Yu’s aunt as they wandered over to Mu Yang High School’s front gate. They stood beside it to avoid the rain. It was already past midnight. Chen Ge did not think it is wise to stay inside that three buildings, plus he had a random variable in Fan Yu’s aunt to be concerned about.

At around 1 am, the rain started to slow. There was light coming toward Mu Yang High School. When Chen Ge saw this, he immediately turned on his flashlight and cried for help. As the leaves of the forest parted, a group of people forced their way through in their raincoats.

“Here! The suspect has already been detained!” Chen Ge was excited, but when he saw the person who was leading the way, his confidence dwindled.

“Why is it you again?” When Inspector Lee reached the gate and saw Chen Ge, his face began twitching. “The same person has called the emergency hotline thrice in a week. This is the first time that has ever happened in the station’s 35 years history. Did you know that? Even the officer who answers the calls felt like he can now recognize your voice.”

Chen Ge was made speechless by Inspector Lee. He too felt embarrassed. He quickly hauled Fan Yu’s aunt off the floor and led her to Inspector Lee. Inspector Lee asked his men to break the school’s gate open, and before entering, he asked, “She’s also a victim?”

“No, she’s one of the killers.” Chen Ge handed Fan Yu’s aunt over to one of the officers.

“One of the killers?” Inspector Lee flickered his flashlight thrice to alert his men. “There are other killers still hiding inside the school?”

“The other killer is already dead.” Chen Ge summarized everything he knew for Inspector Lee. “This woman’s brother was a voyeur, and after the brother’s wife found out, she used it to leverage a divorce. Unwilling to part, her brother killed his wife, and she happened to see her brother do that. To prevent herself from being killed, she killed her brother.”

“So, it was self-defense?” Inspector Lee caught onto the key question.

“If that was the case, she should have reported to the police after that. However, after she killed her brother, she cleared the crime scene and left. The murder happened three years ago, and there is no other witness. Everything I know, it was she who told me.” Chen Ge pointed at Fan Yu’s aunt. “So, it is not unlikely that she was lying.”

“Where was the crime scene then?” Inspector Lee had skipped even asking why Chen Ge was there. Even the assisting officers took this in their stride like it was not out of the ordinary to find Chen Ge there.

“That, you’ll need to ask her.” Chen Ge also wanted to know the location of the well. That was the last of his four side missions. Inspector Lee was far more experienced than Chen Ge at interrogating. He accepted a clean towel from his men before passing it to Fan Yu’s aunt. “Assault with intention to murder may send you to the chair, but if it was self-defense and the suspect shows signs of remorse, there might still be chance for you to see the light of day.”

Fan Yu’s aunt gripped the towel silently. She did not look particularly afraid of death.

“Think about your family. At your age, you should have your own children by now. If you refuse to cooperate, you might never see them again.” Inspector Lee soon found an opening, and the moment he said that, Fan Yu’s aunt started to waver.

After ten more minutes of persuasion, she finally spoke. “The hiding spot is at the hill behind the school, but I can only remember a general direction.”

She led Chen Ge and the police to a small hill behind the school. “The bodies were dropped down a well. At the time, there was a landslide, and it covered the well completely.”

There was no road around Mu Yang High School for heavy duty vehicles to enter. Thus, it would require manual labor if they wished to find that well. Chen Ge also considered that point.

“Inspector Lee, if we do not confirm her words as soon as possible, the case might shift when dawn arrives.” Chen Ge squeezed to stand beside Inspector Lee. His heart was worried about his last side mission.

“Seal the scene first, and we’ll wait for the crew to come with the necessary tools before the digging can start.” Without the reminder from Chen Ge, Inspector Lee was already on the phone, arranging everything.

At 2:15 am, the crew finally arrived. Inspector Lee assigned everyone their roles, and the digging began in earnest. Chen Ge also went to help by grabbing a shovel. He showed such conviction in his job that the officers were quite touched.

At 3 am, the well at Mu Yang High School finally surfaced. At 4.30 am, the well was cracked open, and two bodies were retrieved from within.

At the same time, Chen Ge’s black phone vibrated; he received the mission accomplished message.

Putting down the shovel, Chen Ge found a secluded spot and clicked the message open.

“You managed to reach the Mission Location on time, successfully experienced all four side missions, and survived until dawn. Mu Yang High School Trial Mission successful! A new scenario has been unlocked. Player can manipulate the props inside the set freely using the interface available on the phone!

“Trial Mission completion rate more than ninety percent. Unlocked this mission’s hidden item—The Cursed Ballpoint Pen.

“The Cursed Ballpoint Pen (Broken): The Pen Spirit refused to answer to your call. It rolled its eyes at you before hiding away.”