News Broadcast
[A total lunar eclipse will begin at 2:10 PM today. Experts say it will be a rare full eclipse—an event seen once in a hundred years.]
Anshi City.A run-down apartment building.
"I'm logging off, folks. Gonna get some sleep. Catch you later."Duan Lang ended the livestream.His chat was still buzzing.
Chatroom:TabbyCat: "Man, I'm scared the streamer's gonna drop dead one of these days. Dude's been at it 28 hours straight—that's one hour more than last time."
FarmDog: "Only 28 hours? Lame. That guy next door did 48. This guy's trash."
VillageEgg: "Newbie alert? Lang-bro always streams 27 to 28 hours, sleeps 3, then goes again. Who's that 'next door' dude? Come at me if you don't agree."
FarmDog: "..."
TabbyCat: "Alright, I'm off. Gonna check out the eclipse."
VillageEgg: "Same. Hope I get some good shots."
Duan Lang turned off the stream, rubbed his tired eyes, and finally felt sleepy.He suffered from chronic insomnia. Usually, he couldn't sleep for 24 hours straight—only after pushing through did the drowsiness kick in.To him, sleep was more important than any eclipse.He muted his phone."Sleep time."
2:09 PMDuan Lang had just dozed off when the sun vanished.The bright daylight dimmed, fading into an eerie twilight.
[System Load Complete. Welcome to the Realm of Horror.]
Half-asleep, Duan Lang vaguely heard a mechanical voice—but he was deep in a dream, entangled with a beautiful woman, and had no intention of waking up...."Aaahhh!!"
A blood-curdling scream pierced his eardrums, snapping Duan Lang out of his dream.He jolted upright."What the hell?! Who's screaming?! Can't a guy get some sleep?"
He grabbed his phone—he'd been out for four hours. Not bad.All thanks to the dream girl.
Duan Lang quickly got dressed and stepped outside to see what was going on.
The moment he opened the door, he saw a girl in a school uniform standing on a nearby balcony. Her gaze was vacant, her posture dangerous—like she could fall at any moment.
Someone's about to jump?!
His heart dropped. "Hey! Don't jump! Think about your parents, your family. Life's hard enough—please, come down from there!"
The girl glanced at him with tears in her eyes, shook her head, and leapt.
"No—!!"
Duan Lang froze.He had just watched a young, sweet-looking girl jump to her death.And he had only just woken up.His mind went blank.
"Call the cops!"
Panicking, he fumbled with his phone.
Line busy?What kind of situation causes a police line to be busy?He tried several times—still nothing.
Suddenly, he heard a disturbing sound from the apartment across the way—chopping.Chop. Chop. Chop.It was loud. It dragged him back to reality.
Duan Lang didn't dare look at the girl's body.But he was furious.Where were her parents?! How could they not notice their daughter jumping off a balcony?!
Fuming, he stormed to the opposite apartment.Through the window, he saw a man—mid-to-late 30s—kneeling by the bedroom door, hacking at something with a kitchen knife.
Blood stained the blade.Each strike sent more splattering onto the walls and furniture.
What the hell is he doing?
Then, the man turned.His face was drenched in blood, eyes bloodshot and locked onto Duan Lang with terrifying intensity.
Oh, fk.**
Duan Lang's heart almost stopped.He didn't wait—he bolted.
Behind him came the crashing sounds of something hitting furniture—the man was chasing him!
"Wait! Let me explain!"Explain my *ss!
Duan Lang had no idea what was going on, but this was bad.He didn't dare run back into his room—the guy could trap him inside.
Only option: head downstairs. Get to the street. Call for help.
Duan Lang ran faster than he ever had in his life.He didn't dare look back—what if that knife was already swinging at his neck?
Panting and gasping, he flew down the stairs from the sixth floor.But no matter how far he ran, the first floor never came.
Still not at the bottom?He risked a glance back.No one was following.
But something was off.He looked at the stairwell sign—and froze.
Sixth Floor.Still.
He was still on the sixth floor?!
Every landing had signs. No way he misread it. He hadn't left the sixth floor at all?!How is that possible?!
Suddenly, a mechanical voice echoed in his head again:
[Ding!]Horror Prompt: [You've realized you're still on the sixth floor. Newbie Quest triggered.]
Newbie Quest:Option 1: Escape the sixth floor and return to your room. Receive a Newbie Reward.Option 2: Make it to the first floor. Greater rewards await.Failure: You remain trapped in the stairwell.Difficulty: [F]
Note: Quest difficulties range from SS, S, A, B, E, F, G.
It sounded like some game mechanic.
"What the hell is going on…?"
[You may now access your system interface.]
"Access interface."
In front of him, floating characters formed a holographic screen.
Name: Duan LangStrength: 5 (Physical power)Agility: 5 (Speed, reflexes)Stamina: 5 (HP, endurance)Charm: 0 (Social, trade interactions)Luck: 0 (Items, chests, random events)Curse Power Lv. 0: 0/50(Crucial for killing horror-type NPCs)Other Attributes Lv. 0: 0/50(Unlocks hidden traits when maxed out)Skill: Mischief-Maker Lv. 1Horror Points: 0
The whole setup looked just like an RPG.
"Am I dreaming?!"
He slapped himself hard enough to split his lip.The pain jolted him awake.Something had whispered to him earlier… What was it?
He frowned, muttering to himself:"Escape to my room for a newbie reward. Or go to the first floor for more. Just like a game quest.""F-rank difficulty... Not even the lowest. But why is this stairwell looping?"He snorted, half-joking: "What, is this place haunted?"
Duan Lang didn't believe in ghosts.He'd never seen one. So he didn't believe.
So what now?
Wait—there was that skill.
Skill: Mischief-MakerLevel: 1Proficiency: 0/10Description:(Annoy, prank, or emotionally provoke others to gain rewards—either random or useful items, depending on the target's reaction: irritation, anger, depression, or madness.)Tip:(While you were sleeping, the Mischief-Maker prepared a hunt. Unfortunately, your fart in the blanket killed it before it could begin.)
Duan Lang: "...the hell?!"
Did I kill a ghost with my fart?!
Seriously?!
Without even realizing it, he'd taken something out.
And then it hit him.
Ghost.
"Sh*t. There really are ghosts..."