Chapter 146.1 The Horror Club
Wen Shi had encountered various NPCs, all of whom were crafty and hostile, or disdainful towards humans and finding joy in killing players.
This demon didn’t seem to have those traits, but it still did the same things.
Wen Shi’s amber eyes stared intensely at the mysterious dark figure before him, assessing its features.
News was spreading.
The demon knew it was in a story and understood the feud between him and Pei Hongxin. This indicated that the demon observed everything as a viewer, likely watching the live stream in some way.
Strangely, even though the shadow was indistinct, Wen Shi instinctively glanced at the location of its eyes, sensing familiarity.
“Son.”
Out of nowhere, a voice came from outside the window, the lips struggling against the strong wind, sounding like it was calling ‘swan.’
[T/N: it’s actually “goose” (é) not “swan” (tiān’é). i just used the latter since it rhymes with son (ér a)]
Since the stairs were blown up and A’Yu disliked elevators, she chose to climb through the window to meet Wen Shi.
“I knew I sensed something nearby…” A’Yu immediately reached for the bell on her waist when she saw the shadow. “So, you’ve come here.”
Wen Shi felt a shiver. A’Yu had been talking about catching a pet for himself, could it be this demon?
Before he could say anything, A’Yu rang the bell, which produced different sounds for different targets. This time, it made a clean chime, the sound waves spreading around the demon. Despite the strange vibrations all around, the shadow didn’t flinch. However, as the sound waves hit it, the shadow turned into a puddle of goo in a second.
A bizarre scene unfolded.
The grotesque goo twisted itself into a sculpture, then transformed back into a shadow and matter-of-factly said, “The price for playing a pet is one-tenth of your soul.”
A’Yu’s smoke-like eyebrows furrowed slightly.
“Quite unconventional.”
She gazed at the dark figure thoughtfully, surprised that there was no way to be soul-bound.
Wen Shi, who had just gotten off the bed, looked more serious when he heard the mention of a pet. Indeed, this demon had been observing everyone’s words and actions.
It even knew what A’Yu had said when she arrived.
A’Yu looked at Wen Shi, silently asking if they should continue trying to catch the demon.
Her powers were limited in this world, but even though she hadn’t figured out the demon’s true intentions yet, she was confident she wouldn’t lose in a fight.
Wen Shi pondered for a while, then shook his head.
It wasn’t safe to have an uncertainty around. Besides, he couldn’t sense any malice from the demon at the moment. The demon had been surprisingly lenient, not retaliating after their sudden attack. It might not be wise to escalate things.
“I’ll cooperate with your business,” Wen Shi looked at the dark figure cautiously, “but how can I ensure this person won’t be adopted by someone else in the future?”
Many stories in “The Horror Club” repeated themselves, which was why Wen Shi didn’t resort to more prolonged and torturous methods.
Cutting the grass without removing the roots would always be a potential danger.
The shadow was a demon who valued honesty. “Each existence that has been in the orphanage has only one chance to be adopted.” It emphasized a unit of measurement: “Eternity.”
Wen Shi fell into silence.
In instances, even people’s words couldn’t be trusted, let alone demons.
However, when it came to this matter, the demon’s probability of lying was low. A’Yu couldn’t even harm it with one strike, and the demon had no reason to waste time here playing mind games with an insignificant follower.
Considering all the factors, Wen Shi nodded slightly.
The demon disappeared swiftly.
A’Yu seemed somewhat regretful about letting this dirty creature go. “Such a filthy entity, but quite useful.”
Wen Shi took it in stride. At least today, he learned a lesson: it’s better to have something for free than to settle for something cheap.
Free items, at the very least, offered short-term gains, while engaging with this demon was like dealing with generations of bad luck.
Wen Shi suddenly clutched his chest.
Concerned, A’Yu asked, “Feeling unwell?”
“I’m despising my own kindness,” Wen Shi said with a sigh.
For a brief moment, he actually felt sympathy for Pei Hongxin.
After making sure he wasn’t experiencing any discomfort, A’Yu left temporarily, reminding Wen Shi to call her if the demon returned.
Wen Shi considered himself the top caretaker. “Don’t worry.”
As the room returned to silence, Wen Shi put away his【Green Wood Sword】while looking back at the electronic screen. Viewers were still searching for the demon’s name to avoid future encounters. C+ level instance monsters were usually overlooked, and despite flooding the chat, no one seemed to have an answer.
“The patients at Frank Hospital…”
After Wen Shi spoke a few words, the attention of the monsters in the comments section finally returned to him.
“Do you want to make a bet with me?” He flipped the coin between his fingers, the same coin that had resulted in a debt between him and Chubby Guy. This coin seemed to possess a magical quality. Every time Wen Shi made a bet with someone, the smooth side of the coin became even softer, almost like the texture of skin.
Patient 109, the most active among all the patients, sent a question mark.
“The journalist who ran into the hospital is my friend.” Since his identity as the host was exposed, no more concealment was of use. He carefully considered each word as he spoke.
Monsters loved to hurt people’s loved ones for pleasure, and while the host wasn’t that important, if Wen Shi wanted to save him, he needed a convincing rescue plan.
“Before the next story ends, if I can earn ten thousand viewers on my own through this live stream, you have to spare the journalist.”
A’Yu’s abilities had been revealed, so Wen Shi emphasized the words “on my own.”
【Patient 109: What if you lose?】
“This live stream seems quite powerful. If I lose, I’ll let the administrator bring me to you, and you can do as you wish.” Wen Shi deliberately used a light tone. “Let’s bet our lives, winning or losing won’t harm any of you.”
Wen Shi didn’t yet know that his last letter to the host had been very effective. After being discovered by the hospital’s monsters, the host had praised the original director, using it as a pretext to write a biography about him, thus avoiding immediate obliteration.
However, this reason couldn’t serve as a lifeline. Without the deep-zone patients willing to vouch for him, the host’s fate would either be madness or death.
Inside, Wen Shi kept calling for the game.
“Esteemed You Fushang, I didn’t specify when I’ll go, but once the 3S instance is online, I’ll have to enter it sooner or later. If I lose the bet, please don’t waste your power on immediate transportation.”
But on the surface—
“For a friend, what’s a little life-and-death gamble?” A smile tugged at Wen Shi’s lips as he flicked the coin high into the air, catching it effortlessly, as if he had everything under control.
【Patient 109: @Sexual Deviant Freak, want to bet with him?】
【Patient 233: I don’t mind. I got bored after being awakened anyway.】
Ten thousand viewers wasn’t a small number, but currently, there were less than three hundred in total.
For a low-popularity short story like this, unless the monsters privately spread the word, there was no way viewers would actively click in. With the bet in place, other monsters were even less likely to advertise for a human.
【Patient 109: @Administrator, come and officiate.】
【Scissor Granny: Finally, we’ve waited for a story character to willingly face death. Good thing I didn’t give up.】
“Game administrator enters the live stream.”
【Alright.】
Red blood words appeared on the public screen.
A chilling atmosphere swept over. It had to be said that the game’s credibility and prestige covered almost monsters from all dimensions.
Once it appeared, the comments section became much more orderly. It wasn’t until the system announced that the game administrator had left the live room that the live chat slowly began to mock Wen Shi’s audacity.
Wen Shi felt a sense of relief and fell asleep holding the coin.
In the middle of the night, the familiar siren sounded again outside the villa. The butler was taken away on charges of planting dangerous explosives. As for changing the will, there was no way to confirm the real suspect yet. Other players unanimously shifted the blame onto the butler. Without more evidence, no players were taken away for now. However, the police requested that they refrain from leaving the villa freely for the time being.
Requests aside, as soon as it was bright outside, Wen Shi prepared to go out.
After sleeping for less than three hours all night, he first headed to the bathroom, painfully splashing cold water on his face. “There’s no one more burdened than me.”
In reality: there was.
Pei Hongxin hadn’t closed his eyes all night.
The demon’s words about ending the trouble had become his only hope now. Pei Hongxin didn’t unrealistically hope for the demon to kill the brat. Instead, he hoped that Pei Wenwei had overlooked certain crucial details, much like those who had received the will. In the end, his efforts would prove futile, just like trying to fetch water with a leaky bamboo basket.
“I’m suffering, and you won’t have it easy…”
The curse, laden with resentment, started to spread from between his teeth. Before it could further dissipate through the air, it was interrupted by a voice at the door, smirking.
“What are you muttering about?”
Pei Hongxin raised his head and saw Wen Shi standing there, leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed. He held a set of car keys, wearing the same friendly smile as the first day they met in the orphanage, as if kindness ran deep in his bones.
“I finally found the car keys.” Drops of water still clung to Wen Shi’s disheveled hair as he opened his arms willingly. “Good boy, Daddy’s taking you for a ride in the car.”
Wen Shi stayed put, but Pei Hongxin couldn’t help but step back.
Unprecedented panic occupied his mind, but he couldn’t quite pinpoint why he felt this way. Even though he had a deal with the demon, his inner unease was rapidly escalating.
“Oh…” Wen Shi sighed and had to move forward on his own.
Pei Hongxin had retreated to a corner, feeling a chilling sensation crawling up his spine from the wall behind him.
A pair of large hands lifted him off the ground, and the child’s legs flailed uselessly in mid-air. Pei Hongxin tried desperately to call out to the demon.
“Save me,” he no longer cared about the risk of exposure. As he was carried through the corridor, he screamed with all his might in the direction of the study, “You promised!”
In the study, the statue stood quietly in the shrine, just an ordinary clay figure, motionless.
A’Yu had disappeared during the day. Worried that the kid might cause trouble driving, he invited Xiao Hua, who was taking a walk in the garden, to accompany him for a drive. Xiao Hua resisted the urge to poison Pei Hongxin and put on earplugs before getting into the sports car.
Under normal circumstances, she would never share space with a source of noise, but Xiao Hua was somewhat curious about what the lawyer had given Wen Shi last night. That was why she agreed to go along for the ride.
Initially, Pei Hongxin thought Wen Shi was planning to throw him into another monster’s den, just like when he was threatened by the group of players before. But as the car drove a distance and he observed the scenery outside the window, Pei Hongxin, with his exceptional memory, suddenly turned pale.
He finally guessed Wen Shi’s destination!
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