Chapter 158 Shocking!

Lu Xiaoyao, who had been watching the entire process, could only describe her expression as utterly shocked (￣△￣；)？

The boss is afraid of the dark?

The boss is shy?

The boss is even freaking nervous?

Was she blind, or was her brain malfunctioning and she was hallucinating?!

A group of viewers who were supposedly watching a horror game livestream to admire their "daughter" were practically screaming their heads off at the scene unfolding before them!

[Ahhhhh, they're real! I'm the fake one, they're the real deal!]

[Good lord! He's throwing away all pretense just to spend time alone with Miss Merchant?]

[Boss: What's face got to do with it?]

[Shouldn't he be saying, "Don't be afraid, just hold my hand tight when we go in. I'm not afraid of the dark!"]

[You idiot! What if Miss Merchant is shy and wants to stay outside with our darling?]

[Fine, I'll sacrifice my darling to make them happy! Anything!]

[Speaking of which, aren't you guys bothered? Weren't we originally shipping two NPCs? This guy obviously isn't an NPC, even though he looks similar...]

[I don't care! The ones we were shipping before weren't even from the same era! We're just here for the face, aren't we? Besides, Miss Merchant hasn't changed, so it still has that multi-life vibe, right?]

[Damn! That sounds amazing! I've seen fan edits like that before, and now that you mention it... *sniffs*]

[Aren't you guys worried about our girl? Remember who we came here to watch?]

…

Meanwhile, Ming媚, who had seen most of the livestream comments, had given up.

What could she do?

Fortunately, Lu Xiaoyao wasn't here to watch her in the haunted house, so she didn't have to worry about being gawked at.

But just as she was celebrating, Ming媚 suddenly realized something—why was she happy about playing a haunted house with someone if no one was watching?

"Be careful, it's a little dark in here."

Ming媚, lost in thought, heard the reminder in front of her.

She looked up and saw him move his elbow back slightly, then cough lightly, saying, "The ground is uneven. You can hold my elbow."

"Thank you..."

Ming媚 pursed her lips. Although Gui Gui and she had both noticed that Mu Chen treated her differently and could be quite considerate at times, he was mostly very restrained.

If he had taken the opportunity to reach out and offer to hold her hand, even if she refused, it wouldn't have left a bad impression.

However, his considerate yet distant approach with his elbow didn't even give her the chance to refuse.

For a moment, Ming媚 felt like she was confusing Mu Chen with the young master Zhang, that NPC from before.

That person would occasionally say flirtatious things, but he was also very restrained in his actions, so restrained that she didn't know how to reject him. It was a strange feeling...

Thinking this, Ming媚 reached out and held onto Mu Chen's elbow, saying softly, "Let's go. It's dark around here, so be careful when you're searching."

"Okay."

As she followed Mu Chen deeper into the haunted house, Ming媚 looked up at the dim surroundings and couldn't help but marvel at the set design.

The air was filled with hot gusts and mournful wails, and the realistic projections of various ghosts struggling in flames were chilling.

Even Ming媚, who had seen the suffering of living souls refined into magical artifacts by rogue cultivators, found the scenes here incredibly tragic.

But whenever she felt sympathy, the scenes would change to show the evil deeds these souls had committed in life, demonstrating karma and retribution. Ming媚 was mesmerized.

"How is it?"

Mu Chen, who had been searching nearby, walked over to Ming媚 as she watched the scenes.

"It's good. People should pay the price for the evil they've done, whether in life or death."

Ming媚 said with feeling, but Mu Chen asked, "If someone who has done evil pays the price, is there still a chance for redemption?"

"If they've paid the price, then of course there's a chance to turn back," Ming媚 replied without thinking. However, she felt that Mu Chen's words had a deeper meaning. She was about to say something when he said, "We're about to walk the 'Mountain of Knives.' Hold on tight."

His reminder made Ming媚 realize that they had reached the heart of the fiery hell section of the haunted house.

Before them was a scene of overlapping red lights, jagged rocks, and intense heat. Ming媚, wearing short sleeves, could feel a slight stinging sensation on her exposed skin.

They were standing on the edge of an artificial cliff. Beyond it, she couldn't tell if the lava abyss was just a special effect or a real pit of boiling magma. Unidentified monsters roared from below, and waves of heat surged upwards.

Ming媚 couldn't help but click her tongue at how realistic even a haunted house could be in this game.

How much money had her uncle spent on this game?!

For a moment, Ming媚's thoughts wandered far away, until she suddenly felt a chill. She looked up and saw that Mu Chen had taken off his suit jacket and placed it over her head.

"We're about to walk the 'Mountain of Knives.' The path is difficult, and the temperature can reach over 50 degrees in the hottest areas. You're wearing so little, and you might get burned. This jacket might be a little hot, but it will protect your skin."

As Mu Chen said this, Ming媚 was about to ask him what he would do, but then she saw that he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt under his jacket. Ming媚 swallowed her words and simply said, "Thank you."

Then, she began a new round of internal complaints.

[Gui Gui, are we even in the same season? I'm wearing short sleeves, and he's wearing a suit jacket with a shirt underneath. It's almost the end of summer, so it's still hot!]

[Host, salarymen in Japan are expected to dress a certain way.]

[Oh, now that you mention it...] Ming媚 looked at Mu Chen walking in front of her, her hand still clutching his sleeve, and muttered to herself, [He looks pretty good like this.]

Gui Gui: [...]

Hmph~ Woman.

The so-called "Mountain of Knives" was the towering, jagged structure that Ming媚 had seen from outside the haunted house. They were now at the base of the "mountain" inside.

The exit of the haunted house was not on the horizontal plane but vertically upwards. Walking the "Mountain of Knives" meant ascending along a narrow path on the inner edge of the mountain.

On either side was the lava abyss that Ming媚 had seen earlier.

"There will be many virtual monsters on the way up. Don't be afraid. Just keep going."

Mu Chen said, encouraging Ming媚, which made her notice something.

Ming媚 asked curiously, "Is the lava below a special effect, or is it real?"

"It's real."

"Huh?"

"This place used to be a dormant volcano. There's actually lava below, but the lava you see is a special effect to enhance the visual impact."

"Oh my gosh! What if a visitor falls..." Ming媚 instinctively shrank back and let her imagination run wild.

"There's a transparent protective barrier underneath. If a guest were to fall, nothing would happen."

As if to prove his words, Mu Chen casually kicked a piece of gravel. Sure enough, it didn't fall far before bouncing back up as if hitting a force field.

"Wow~"

Although her expression didn't change much, Ming媚 opened her mouth slightly and said "wow" with a hint of surprise and genuine curiosity. Mu Chen couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you laughing at?"

"The little rock is so cute!"

Ming媚: [...]

[Tsk, tsk, tsk!]

Gui Gui watched the scene from the background, making smacking sounds.

[Have you guys forgotten why you came in here?]

Ming媚: ?