My House of Horrors

The time between the choices being revealed and a decision being made was only several seconds. Chen Ge showed inhuman calmness. When Fan Chong finally caught up to his reasoning, Chen Ge had already controlled Xiao Bu to reach Room 1.

He used the cursor to click on the door, and the chat box read—’Your room card is unable to open this door. You leaned against the door and heard sighing coming from within.’

According to Fan Chong’s description, the owner’s father would die soon in Room 1. The old man probably knew the type of person that his son was and knew that his time was coming. Room 1 was locked, so Chen Ge did not stay for long. He rushed to Room 2, where a woman believed to be a lady of the night stayed.

He clicked on the room door, and this time, the door swung open without resistance. “Does this woman not lock her door when she sleeps?”

Entering Room 2, Chen Ge saw a woman in her undergarment kneeling next to a large box. It looked like she was picking her clothes.

“Boss Chen, be careful. When I entered Room 2 earlier, there was no box in the room,” Fan Chong warned. Chen Ge stopped moving. All of the tenants of this hotel could be killers.

Chen Ge tried to use the cursor to click on the woman, and a new selection appeared on screen—’This woman who looked sexy and beautiful is selecting her clothes. Do you want to tell her about the murder that happened earlier?’

1. Tell her that the hotel is very dangerous and she needs to be careful.

2. Grab the table light and swing it at the back of her head.

3. Ignore her and go back to sleep.

Looking at the three choices, Chen Ge started to think. “Those who are kind will pick Choice 1, but going too close to her might be dangerous—the woman has not gained my trust. Those who are evil will probably pick 2, but after a rational analysis, with Xiao Bu’s strength and the weight of the table lamp, no matter the angle, there is no way that the woman will be knocked dead or unconscious. The choice is rather fake—it would be better if there was a knife.”

Chen Ge’s analysis scared Fan Chong, and he silently moved the fruit knife that was on the table further away. After a brief hesitation, Chen Ge picked the third choice. When he made that choice, the woman squatting at the corner turned around to glance his way.

There was no skin on her face, and she had a knife in her hand. A silky white arm was poking out from the large box.

“Is she changing clothes or changing face?” Chen Ge hurriedly controlled Xiao Bu to leave the woman’s room and helped her close the door. “The hotel owner is a murderer, and the guests are either insane or maniacs; am I the only one that is normal at this small town?”

“Boss Chen, how about we leave the hotel? I think this place is more dangerous than the residential area.”

“There’s still a female ghost outside the door—how are we supposed to leave?” Chen Ge controlled Xiao Bu to Room 3. “The high-schooler can’t be a murderer as well, right?”

He was afraid that the woman from Room 2 would come out, so he clicked on the door of Room 3 quickly. The chat box appeared again—’Someone was talking on the phone inside the room. He spoke very softly, but you could hear terms like big brother, mother, hiding body, and hidden room.’

“This guest in Room 3 is very weird as well, who is he talking to?” Chen Ge looked at the screen and contemplated.

“Could it be his father? The phone mentioned big brother and mother but not the father.” Fan Chong made a prediction. “Boss Chen, this guest might be the only person who can help Xiao Bu.”

“Why would you think that?” Chen Ge was surprised.

“Didn’t you say to think from the perspective of the game creator? I’ve played this game for a few weeks already and have died several times, but that has given me a brief understanding of this world.”

With Chen Ge’s guidance, Fan Chong started to give his analysis. “All the adults are either ghosts or crazy maniacs, while all the children are victims. This could be how the creator views the world—adults are fake and scary, and the only place to find innocence and kindness is from children. The high-schooler is technically not an adult; he’s between a child and an adult, so I think you should try to approach him.”

Fan Chong knew that this game was not a simple game; it had a very deep layer to it, but with his current understanding, he could only understand so much.

“You’re underestimating the game. Xiao Bu’s worldview is filled with despair. To understand this game’s world, we have to understand Xiao Bu, this main character.” Chen Ge turned back to look at Fan Chong. “The name of every child in this game is Xiao Bu, and every child that died, killed, and ran into misfortune is called Xiao Bu. Would you call a child like this to be kind and innocent?”

Chen Ge turned back to the screen. “Actually, after playing for so long, the longer I control Xiao Bu in this strange world, the more unsettled I feel. You’ve done the research—all the tragedies that happen in this game is based on real life cases. Then have you considered a problem. If this Xiao Bu really does exist in real life, how did she manage to survive after experiencing so many scary and despairing tragedies?”

Chen Ge spoke quickly, and neither Fan Chong nor Fan Dade grasped what he was trying to say. “Boss Chen, what are you trying to say?”

“The things that I controlled Xiao Bu to do, Xiao Bu might have really done them in real life.” Chen Ge had a brief idea what the core of the game was. He still wanted to explain some more, but there was change on the screen.

Room 3 opened, and a student in a school uniform stood at the door. Then the chat box appeared—’It’s dangerous outside. The guest of Room 3 was worried about your safety and invited you to join him in his room. You stood at the door and saw a family photo in the guest’s hands. It was a picture of a father and mother standing happily together, and next to them was a pair of boys who looked suspiciously similar.’

Chen Ge clicked the chat box again, and there was new content—’You overheard the boy talk about hiding the body on the phone. You were afraid, and you refused to enter the room. Guest 3 swore to God that even though he had committed murder, he was forced. He was the only trustworthy person in that town.’

“See, I was right. This high-schooler will be our biggest aid.” Fan Chong was happy that he had helped.

“Those who call themselves trustworthy are almost always not.” Chen Ge shook his head. He clicked the chat box again, and the last sentence appeared—’You’re curious about Guest 3, so you decide to listen to his story before coming to a decision.’