The figure ahead was slightly bent at the back, and was standing in a stooped posture.
The figure didn’t turn around, its arms hung limply on both sides of the body.
Its head was drooped, and the proportion of the neck was somewhat inhuman, twice the length of an ordinary human neck. The figure stood quietly, silently blending into the game.
Bai Lixin slowly stopped behind the figure, hesitated for a moment, and finally reached out to tap the figure’s shoulder gently. Then, he pushed the figure forward.
The moment Bai Lixin touched the figure, his fingertips felt a chill.
After being pushed, the figure moved two steps, and in the next moment, began to drag its heavy steps, slowly sliding in the darkness.
Using the word “slide” is not an exaggeration. Bai Lixin looked down at the figure’s lower half; he was on tiptoes. Although the feet were not small, he only used the tiny area of his toes to contact the ground.
The figure’s toes didn’t lift when walking; instead, it slid back and forth on the ground, dragging the body.
“Shua.”
“Shua.”
“Shua.”
In the darkness, the sound of the figure’s steps slowly reached Bai Lixin’s ears.
Bai Lixin’s line of sight moved up, falling on the figure’s legs and arms.
The figure’s legs were very stiff, seemingly not bent, and the color of the hands was abnormally pale. Even in such a pitch-black environment, Bai Lixin could see the hands devoid of blood color and skin tone, white like plaster.
As the figure advanced, Bai Lixin gradually lost sight of the figure. At this moment, he turned his head to look at the phone placed nearby. Big Zhuang’s live broadcast, which was still in progress, had already exploded.
[Fuck, what is this? Did the spirit-summoning succeed?!]
[Who would believe it? I actually encountered a ghost in the live broadcast room?]
[Hiss, mom, scared me! The moment this figure appeared, I almost lost it.]
[Evil spirits, retreat! Evil spirits, retreat!]
[It must be fake. Do you guys really believe it? This is definitely Big Zhuang trying to boost popularity. He found a fifth person to hide in the dark in advance. When the ghost game starts, the person disguised as a ghost comes out from the blind spot of the camera. It’s already the 21st century; don’t believe in ghosts. I don’t believe it.]
[But this ghost looks too real, okay? Didn’t you see its neck just now? So long, how can a normal human neck be that long?]
[The world is vast, and there’s no shortage of wonders. There is a minority tribe that has been wrapping metal rings around their necks since childhood, aiming to elongate their necks because they consider it beautiful. I’ve seen documentaries; people with long necks in their tribe are twice as long as normal people, similar to this. With enough money, you can get anything you want.]
[Oh, what’s all this fuss about? Just watch the excitement in the live broadcast. Treat it like watching an immersive horror movie. You guys are arguing heatedly here, and the anchor is probably hiding in a corner counting money, cursing us as fools.]
While Bai Lixin stared at the barrage on the phone, he also listened attentively to the footsteps.
The gradually receding footsteps slowly disappeared, and the next moment, his ears caught Big Zhuang’s faint exclamation of surprise.
Bai Lixin shifted his gaze away from the barrage on the live broadcast and looked into the darkness ahead.
In the darkness, he heard Big Zhuang’s joking voice, “Did you three make a mistake? Don’t mess with me.”
Bai Lixin remained silent for two seconds. In the end, he responded to Big Zhuang, “Big Zhuang, someone appeared where you initially left. The game is not over yet.”
Big Zhuang ahead fell into silence for a moment.
Bai Lixin seemed to hear the sound of rapid breathing.
Two seconds later, the sound of footsteps resounded again.
“Pat, pat, pat.”
The game resumed.
S419M’s voice echoed in Bai Lixin’s mind: [Lord Host, this game called “Walk in Four Directions” is quite similar to the Four Corners game, which is famous on Blue Star. Let me explain the rules to you in detail.]
[Initially, four people stand in four corners, and one person starts walking forward. They can only stop when they encounter someone. This part has already been mentioned. However, Big Zhuang didn’t explain the latter part in detail.]
[If one of the people don’t encounter anyone, they need to shout “Game over.” After saying this, the participants can leave. But if, while walking forward, they always encounter someone, it means the fifth mysterious person, the spirit summoned, has appeared.]
[At this point, participants cannot end the game prematurely; they must accompany the summoned spirit until it’s sent away.]
[During this game, participants are forbidden to turn back.]
[Once a participant turns back or forcefully stops the game midway, the participant who turned back or stopped the game will be targeted by the ghost.]
[Mild cases may involve a headache and fever for a day after returning home, while severe cases, you may even die.]
Bai Lixin: [Then how can we make the ghost leave?]
S419M: [When it is willing to leave. According to ghost stories, the ghosts that appear in this Four Corners game are likely mischievous; they treat it as a game. As long as they have fun, they will leave. At that point, one corner will be empty, and when a participant in that corner doesn’t encounter anyone, they can shout “Game over,” and everyone can exit this spiritual game.]
Bai Lixin: [If someone suddenly turns around or leaves during the game, he or she will be attacked by the ghost. What about the others who haven’t looked back or stopped playing?]
S419M: [They need to continue the game until the ghost is willing to leave.]
Bai Lixin pondered seriously for two seconds: [There is a flaw. If someone turns back and is attacked, wouldn’t it leave a spot empty?]
S419: [Perhaps… a new ghost might take that spot.]
Bai Lixin: “…”
…
At this moment, Big Zhuang’s calves felt a bit numb.
In the blink of an eye, his shoulder seemed to have been touched by an icy object.
Even though he was wearing a thick coat, when that hand landed on his shoulder, a chill instantly penetrated through the tightly arranged knitwear, reaching his limbs.
Big Zhuang gulped, his heart pounding.
This shouldn’t be happening.
He was the first to start; the game should end when the last person reaches his initial position.
Could it be that he actually summoned a ghost?
The moment the thought that he had summoned a ghost flashed in Big Zhuang’s mind, his heart started racing again.
Half of it was due to the panic and excitement caused by the sudden appearance of the ghost. On the other hand, it was the excitement of capturing this precious scene in the supernatural live broadcast.
In the field of supernatural live broadcasts, he could only be considered a mid-tier player.
There were too many outstanding figures ahead. To make the broadcast room popular, some supernatural broadcasters chose locations not only in urban haunted areas but even ventured into the graves of deep mountain forests.
In any case, this industry was exceptionally competitive.
If you’re not scared, continue rolling, until you roll to death.
The popular broadcasters ahead made a name for themselves either by capturing interesting topics or by presenting eerie visuals that caught people’s attention.
He knew he was always lacking that spark.
And now, hasn’t the spark come?
The joy of becoming a popular internet celebrity instantly dispelled all fear. He took a deep breath, suppressing his pounding heart, and eagerly looked forward to reaching the live broadcast camera.
Thinking about this, Big Zhuang quickened his pace.
In front of him was Red Hair. When Big Zhuang encountered her again, the girl’s body visibly trembled. She lowered her voice and said, “Why are you still moving? This is not what we agreed on.”
Although she wanted to stop, she remembered the taboo of this spiritual game—no turning back and no stopping.
Big Zhuang’s voice came from behind, “The plan has changed. We might have actually summoned a ghost. Don’t turn back, keep moving forward!”
Red Hair gasped.
Her heart thumped several times, but in the end, she still moved forward.
When she met Mr. Mouse, Red Hair repeated Big Zhuang’s words. Mr. Mouse’s reaction was similar to hers; he was shocked. However, they were already trapped here, and now that the game had started, it wasn’t up to them to say stop.
Despite their deep fear, everyone reluctantly continued to walk.
After completing a round, Big Zhuang quickly returned to the camera in the live broadcast room.
Speaking mysteriously into the camera, he said, “Dear viewers, we’ve hit the jackpot tonight! We’ve actually summoned a ghost! It’s right behind me!”
Because people in front were still moving, a round took about three to four minutes. His appearance on the camera wouldn’t last too long, so he had to speak quickly.
Big Zhuang didn’t dare to turn around; he could only use his finger to point behind him and gesture, “The esteemed Ghost Immortal is right behind me. Due to the rules of the game, I don’t dare to look back. I forgot to start recording earlier. You all will have to rely on describing the appearance of the Ghost Immortal, my dear audience!”
“This time, I’m risking my life for this adventure. If you still enjoy my live broadcast, please tap your fingers and light up those fan signs.”
“Thank you Brother Yang for the tip! Thank you Brother Yang for the Porsche!”
“Thank you Brother Miao Miao for the Porsche!”
“Thank you General Song for the three Porsches!”
“Thank you Shoe family for the ten rocket launchers!”
Watching the spewing animations and notifications of tips in the live stream, all of Big Zhuang’s fears dissipated.
“Thank you Brother I’m Behind You for the ten Porsches!”
“Wow, Brother I’m Right Behind You is probably visiting my live stream for the first time, right? Although a new face, he’s already the top brother in our live stream. Thank you Brother!”
The game continued, and the sound of footsteps continued to echo in this space.
The fear on Big Zhuang’s face had been completely replaced by excitement. “Let’s talk, let’s talk. I’ll try to see if I can communicate with the Ghost Immortal. I haven’t forgotten the ten questions. If you want to see the Ghost Immortal’s answers, please don’t leave the live stream. I really want to send you a red envelope for fun, but I can’t leave here easily right now. Once I leave, I will have exited the game and the esteemed Ghost Immortal would punish me. So, I’ll have to save this red envelope for tomorrow.”
Big Zhuang glanced at the top left corner, and both the popularity and reward rankings had become number one in the late night broadcasts.
He clenched his fists, “Family, my time in the live stream won’t be much longer. The esteemed Ghost Immortal will make an appearance soon. Please stay tuned!”
On the barrage, the name with a golden “Top On The List” momentarily flashed by.
Because he was the top brother, Big Zhuang was very curious about the message from “I’m Right Behind You.”
Due to the phone screen being far away, he could only squint to see this viewer’s words clearly.
The sentence he sent was short, only two words.
[I’m here]
I’m here?
In the next moment, Big Zhuang heard the slow footsteps, like friction against the ground, gradually approaching.
Big Zhuang instantly connected the sentence on the barrage with the ghost behind him.
At that moment, he felt cold all over.
The footsteps approached, getting closer and closer.
Finally, while Big Zhuang was waiting in tense anticipation, the cold sensation touched his shoulder again.
Big Zhuang’s scalp instantly tingled, and he wanted to rush out in the next moment.
But just as he was about to take a step, a cold touch firmly grabbed his waist.
Something passed through his sides, reaching around from the outside of his waist, slowly hooking onto his stomach.
Big Zhuang subconsciously looked down, and his breath stopped instantly.
It was a pair of hands that were as pale as white plaster. They no longer looked like human hands. The fingers and palms were very long, the fingers were covered with intricate crisscrossing lines. The skin was wrinkled and looked extremely rough.
The cold chill followed these two eerie arms and penetrated into his body. After those strange hands were placed on his stomach, it didn’t end there; they even crossed over each other, gripping together.
Big Zhuang stopped all movements for an instant, standing stiffly in place, as if his entire body had lost the sense of contact with the ground.
Something cold pressed against his back, followed by the sensation of fur rubbing against his skin. At the moment when the itchy feeling appeared, he immediately understood what was resting on his shoulder.
It was the ghost’s head.
In an instant, Big Zhuang almost collapsed on the spot.
The hands on his stomach moved.
Big Zhuang had difficulty breathing. He stiffly turned his neck to look down. The two hands had slowly separated, and started to randomly fumble over his body through the clothes.
Wherever the arms went, there was a chill.
Just when Big Zhuang was about to roll his eyes and faint, a strange low laughter softly reached his ear. Following that, Big Zhuang felt a force from behind pushing him hard. His body immediately stumbled forward uncontrollably.
Big Zhuang’s feet were floating as he walked. In a short distance, he even almost fell to the ground several times.
Just like that, he staggered until he reached behind Red Hair. He used all his strength to pat her shoulder and only when the Red Hair left did he feel a reprieve. He held the corner of the wall with both hands and slowly slid to the ground, breathing heavily.
The eerie laughter seemed to echo in his ears.
In the darkness, Big Zhuang quietly touched his legs, realizing they were trembling uncontrollably. It was very difficult to even stand up at this time.
‘So scary!’
From the first time the ghost appeared, he only had the thought “the ghost is here” in his mind.
It wasn’t until the moment the ghost grabbed his waist from behind that he truly felt the reality: “The ghost is really here.”
The ghost wasn’t just out there; it was right behind him!
Right behind him!
With each round, the ghost had a chance to get closer to him!
He couldn’t turn back, nor could he stop the game. At that moment, the ghost could do anything to him, just like when it suddenly grabbed him from behind!
A sudden fear rapidly spread from Big Zhuang’s heart.
He felt it was difficult to breathe. He opened his mouth desperately, trying to calm himself with deep breaths.
‘Too terrifying.
This isn’t a game at all.
That ghost is right behind me.
Damn it, why hasn’t this game ended yet?’
…
Another round, and Bai Lixin returned to the camera.
He looked at the live stream, and found that the barrage had exploded. The number of viewers had risen from the initial ten thousand to fifteen thousand, with people still continuously entering.
Even at this late hour, there were quite a few night owls.
[Fuck, I almost split just now. If this is really a surprise guest Big Zhuang arranged, then this ghost brother is too realistic, okay? The atmosphere is simply off the charts!]
[I’m already numb. When the ghost brother suddenly stuck to Big Zhuang from behind, I almost fainted.]
[I’m a soul flying in the sky, and people are chasing me on the ground.]
[So exciting, so refreshing. I would like to call this the most exciting spirit-summoning game in the history of supernatural live streams. It’s YYDS. Please, all future ghost actors in live streams, follow this standard. Thank you.]
[This ghost is so realistic. Although the hair keeps blocking the face, even without seeing the face, the eerie aura and atmosphere are full. The script this time is really well-written.]
[Ohh, the beauty is back on screen. Is this the ultimate tug-of-war in Big Zhuang’s live stream? Just now, we were almost sent away by the ghost brother, and we’re now resurrected because of this handsome brother. I seriously suspect that Big Zhuang invited the beauty to this live stream just to ease the atmosphere.]
[Yes, yes, I don’t know why, but seeing the beauty’s calm expression, I involuntarily felt reassured. Just with this, I can continue watching the show!]
Bai Lixin: “…”
The ghost brother suddenly stuck to Big Zhuang from behind?
It seems that the live stream just captured a very interesting scene. However, because it was too dark, he couldn’t see this scene at all.
…
Late at night, under the city’s lights, in this inconspicuous corner, four people still couldn’t sleep.
The game had been repeated ten times, and the ghost still showed no sign of leaving.
Big Zhuang stopped in front of the camera once again.
Repeatedly showing the same scene, the audience in the barrage had started to become impatient.
[Why are you still walking endlessly?]
[This game is like an endless farewell, just like an old lady’s foot-binding cloth, both smelly and long.]
