“How come you walk without making a sound?”
Late at night, an abandoned five-story residential building, surrounded by tall and lush trees, stood ominously in the shadow of the bustling metropolis.
The body of the building was covered in scorch marks from a fire, and many windows were shattered, turning into dark, gaping holes.
Beneath the swaying shadows of the trees, a white-clad figure stood motionless in front of the abandoned building.
This scene looked straight out of a horror movie poster.
That white figure was none other than Jiang Wei. Dressed in a white trench coat with her hands shoved into her pockets, she stood in front of the building, gazing up at those dark, hollow windows while feeling a bit of trepidation in her heart.
This abandoned building was the spirit-exploration location she had carefully chosen—Building 6, Taoyuan New Village.
Taoyuan New Village was an old residential area built in the previous century. Most of the residents had already moved away, leaving the place dilapidated everywhere. Many of the streetlights had also gone out, plunging the entire neighborhood into pitch darkness.
Over a decade ago, a major fire had occurred in Building 6 of Taoyuan New Village, causing over a dozen casualties, and it had been abandoned ever since. Afterward, it became popular online, spawning numerous horror legends and turning into a well-known haunted location in Jianghai City. Because it was right in the city center with convenient transportation, quite a few spirit-exploration streamers had visited the site.
The reason Jiang Wei chose this place as her spirit-exploration spot was precisely because of the relatively convenient transportation.
To create better program effects, some spirit-exploration streamers would even specifically choose the date and time of the fire’s anniversary, as it was said one could witness eerie flashes of fire.
There were even people online who insisted that on cloudy and rainy days, they had seen the ghostly shadows of a family of four burned to death on the balcony of the third floor on the west side.
Jiang Wei glanced briefly at that balcony. The security bars were rusted beyond recognition, entwined with many withered vines, and the area behind them was pitch black as well.
An autumn breeze swept over, causing her to shudder. She couldn’t help but look away, only to forcefully command herself to stare fixedly at that balcony once more. It wasn’t until her sense of fear reached its peak and slowly began to subside that she finally averted her gaze.
When she was researching information online, Jiang Wei had scoffed somewhat at these various horror legends, but actually standing right in front of this abandoned building in the flesh gave her a completely different experience.
The entrance to the stairwell looked like a dark, gaping maw ready to devour anyone, radiating waves of biting cold.
The mere thought of stepping into it next gripped her heart with an inexplicable tension, reminding her of when she had first started watching horror movies.
It was fear!
Sure enough, sitting comfortably in front of a screen and being there in person were two entirely different experiences.
Moreover—Jiang Wei squeezed the phone in her pocket—if this kind of supernatural power existed in the world, then ghosts and spirits might not be out of the question.
Jiang Wei sighed inwardly. She had originally considered herself a fairly steadfast materialist, but now that belief had been heavily shaken, making it hard to face this dark unknown with composure.
Her gaze then turned resolute: Then let the fear come even more fiercely!
“Hey…”
A low greeting suddenly came from the pitch-black stairwell entrance, causing Jiang Wei to gasp and instinctively take a couple of steps back.
Did it really have to come that fiercely?!
“Hey.”
The greeting rang out once more, drawing considerably closer this time.
This time Jiang Wei heard it clearly: the voice wasn’t coming from the stairwell entrance at all—it was right behind her!
Jiang Wei slowly turned her head around to find a tall figure in the darkness standing just a few meters away from her before she even realized it.
Startled enough to almost trigger her domain on the spot, she heard the tall figure ask cautiously, “Are you Classmate Jiang?”
Jiang Wei furrowed her brow slightly, racking her brains to recall, “You are… Shen… Shen Yang?”
“It’s me! It’s me!” A young man stepped forward. He was tall, handsome, and carried a full set of photography equipment. “Um… I’m not late, am I?” His expression carried a trace of nervousness.
“No, no, I just arrived early.”
After deciding to become a spirit-exploration streamer, Jiang Wei began recruiting a temporary photographer on the campus network. Jianghai Film Academy had no shortage of relevant resources: professional personnel, cheap rates, and youthful energy.
Jiang Wei offered a “high salary” of two hundred RMB, which promptly attracted quite a few applicants. After carefully screening them with her roommates, she selected Shen Yang, a film and television photography major.
Of course, another trivial reason was that he was the most handsome among all the applicants.
After exchanging pleasantries with Shen Yang, Jiang Wei couldn’t help complaining, “How come you walk without making a sound?”
“Ah…” Shen Yang offered an embarrassed chuckle.
In fact, the reason the recruitment posting Jiang Wei published on the campus forum generated so much buzz wasn’t really because of that two hundred RMB “high salary,” but mainly because the theme of “spirit-exploration live stream” was simply too alluring. Which modern college student didn’t love seeking a thrill?
Running into a haunted house in the middle of the night to film a live stream—wasn’t that just a real-life version of a haunted house adventure?
Before coming here, Shen Yang had specifically looked up various horror legends about Building 6 of Taoyuan New Village, thinking it couldn’t get any more thrilling. However, after walking through the long, gloomy alley and arriving at this dilapidated, desolate neighborhood, he finally understood the true meaning of “叶公好龙” (Lord Ye’s love of dragons—professing a love for something one actually fears).
He honestly hadn’t expected that Jianghai City, a major international metropolis, could have such a run-down place.
He had actually arrived a little while ago, but seeing a tall, slender figure in white standing motionless in front of the pitch-black abandoned building, staring blankly upward at a certain room, the scene felt genuinely eerie and made his skin crawl. He hadn’t dared to approach at first, but seeing that the agreed-upon time was approaching, he gritted his teeth and slowly crept closer to “rendezvous.”
Jiang Wei didn’t dwell on it. Clearing her throat twice, she put on a serious expression and said, “You’re clear on the job duties, right? Spirit exploration live stream, two hours, two hundred bucks.” She gestured toward the abandoned building before them. “The shooting location is right here. It might be a little scary, so you need to mentally prepare yourself.”
Confirming that Jiang Wei was indeed a living human being, Shen Yang’s courage swelled back up, and he chuckled dismissively. “Ha, what’s so scary about this? Isn’t it just a bit dark? Don’t worry, Boss, if anything happens, I’ll definitely protect you!” As he spoke, he even raised his right arm to flex a robust bicep.
The title “Boss” greatly pleased Jiang Wei. Women really do need to have money after all!
Still, this Shen Yang was big and burly, and apparently even on the basketball team. He probably wouldn’t be able to contribute many fear points. Sigh, I really shouldn’t have listened to Zhenzhen and the others; why did I pick a pretty boy.
Thinking of those three roommates, Jiang Wei felt a bit helpless. Recruiting a photographer in the dorm a couple of days ago had felt just like picking concubines for an emperor.
Actually, to create a strong sense of immersion, most spirit-exploration streamers held the camera themselves. But Jiang Wei wasn’t all that devout about being a spirit-exploration streamer. How much money could an internet celebrity make anyway? The pressure was high, and careers were short. Even if she made it as a top streamer, it would still be precarious. How could that ever compare to cashing in [Fear Value] for steady gains? Bringing along a photographer meant she could farm a lot more fear points.
Jiang Wei squinted dangerously. Should I let Classmate Shen experience [A Stain of Blood] later on as well?
A second thought crossed her mind, and she instantly dismissed the idea. After all, they had no grievances between them, and she couldn’t quite bring herself to do it.
Sigh, I guess I’m just too kind-hearted after all!
Shen Yang shuddered. She was clearly a stunning beauty, so why did she suddenly feel a bit terrifying?
“Boss, I’ve got all the equipment set up. Can we start now?”
Jiang Wei nodded. “Alright, let’s begin!”
A moment later, a brand-new live stream room appeared on the streaming platform, titled:
[Midnight Spirit Exploration: Female College Student Risks Her Life to Brave a Haunted House and Build Her Courage]
As a few users randomly swiped into the live stream room, they saw a woman in white standing before the eerie abandoned building, calmly introducing the various horror legends surrounding Building 6 of Taoyuan New Village.
A few bullet comments quickly drifted across the screen:
“So dark. Where did this send me, is this even in China?”
“Wow, the streamer is so pretty!”
“What talents does the streamer have? Can you sing?”
“Are your eyes blind? Can’t you see it’s a spirit exploration?”
“Streamer, drop the link for your trench coat.”
“Great, a female college student! We’re saved!”
“Is the market this cutthroat now? Even beauties are doing spirit explorations.”
“Good fortune comes, I wish you good fortune…”