Chapter 1 After an Hour

An hour later, Qiao Liang, holding the golden lantern, once again stood at the entrance of "Ultimate Horror."

Everyone cheered him on.

"Go for it, Old Qiao, you can do it!"

"Don't worry, it's not that scary once you get used to it."

"Even someone as timid as me can do it, you'll definitely be fine."

The last sentence obviously came from Ruan Guangjian, and Qiao Liang rolled his eyes, not believing a single word.

After leaving the Golden Maze, Qiao Liang went straight to "Haunted House Nightmare" to challenge it again.

Whether it was because he had already challenged it once and was more psychologically prepared, or because he was inspired by everyone's spirit, especially President Pei's friendship, the process went smoothly this time.

Although he missed a couple of small details, the overall completion was fine, and he successfully obtained the admission ticket from the staff.

So, he came to the entrance of "Ultimate Horror," ready to face his destiny.

He was very nervous, and could only clutch the golden lantern in his hand, as if holding onto a lifeline.

"I'm going in! Wait for the news of my triumphant return!"

Qiao Liang waved goodbye to everyone and stepped into "Ultimate Horror."

Upon entering, the visibility immediately dropped sharply. Dim yellow lights illuminated the walls, which were peeling with paint, corroded posters, dried bloodstains mixed with white gel-like flocculent substances, immediately creating a terrifying atmosphere.

A girl wearing a mask and a nurse's uniform, covered in blood, sat behind a dilapidated hospital desk, her hands hidden under the desk, her head lowered, and long hair covering her entire face. She blended perfectly with the scene, so much so that Qiao Liang didn't notice her at first, almost mistaking her for a prop dressed as a corpse.

But after looking around, this layout, which looked like a front desk, seemed to be the only way to pass.

Qiao Liang silently lit the golden lantern and walked to the hospital desk.

Just as he was about to open his mouth to ask, the nurse girl suddenly raised her head in an extremely stiff manner!

Her eyes were bloodshot, and there seemed to be a hideous wound on her forehead. Blood was also seeping out from the mask, presumably where her mouth was; there were clear bite marks on her neck, oozing black blood.

Qiao Liang gasped.

Even the front desk is this dedicated?

The zombie girl at the front desk didn't speak, but simply reached out her hand with a very stiff movement.

Her hands were also made up, with peeling skin, revealing dark red wounds, covered in blood and dirt.

Qiao Liang was stunned for a moment, then quickly handed over the admission ticket he had obtained from "Haunted House Nightmare."

The admission ticket had a photo on it. After the zombie girl confirmed that it was him, she took out a waiver from the desk and handed it to Qiao Liang to sign.

The waiver had many detailed clauses and asked Qiao Liang if he had any related illnesses such as heart disease, which he needed to answer truthfully.

Qiao Liang checked the relevant options, signed his name, and handed it back.

Compared to ordinary haunted houses, Glimmering Getaway was actually safer, because the terror levels of the three major projects were gradual. Any player who could clear "Haunted House Nightmare" had already proven that their health and psychological quality were sufficient to withstand this level of scare, minimizing the already low probability of accidents.

The zombie girl stiffly took the waiver again, carefully checked it, and then put it away.

Afterwards, the zombie girl slowly took out a key and placed it on the desk.

Qiao Liang picked up the key, terrified: "Are, are there any precautions?"

The zombie girl didn't answer, but just stared at him with her bloodshot eyes.

Qiao Liang: "..."

Silently taking the key, he opened the door and walked into a dimly lit corridor.

Qiao Liang had previously heard Chen Kangtuo briefly explain that the entire "Ultimate Horror" project was in a large factory building, and was a circular structure. Corridors like this one were likely used to connect the various small projects.

Although the scenery of the corridor looked old and terrifying, it was nothing compared to the fright he had received in "Haunted House Nightmare."

Obviously, the terror level of "Ultimate Horror" was gradual. Tourists who came here after clearing "Haunted House Nightmare" could adapt well in the beginning, so they wouldn't be scared away immediately.

At the end of the corridor was another door. This time, no key was needed, but it was still the same as before: it opened outwards.

It seemed that all the doors here had to be pulled outwards instead of pushed inwards.

Qiao Liang reached out and grabbed the rusty black iron doorknob, bracing himself.

He knew very well that a jump scare was a common trick in many horror scenarios, and doors that opened outwards were easier to hide them. No one knew what would pop out after this door was opened.

However, after pulling open the iron door with full of vigilance, a corpse or other terrifying thing didn't suddenly fall out. Instead, there was normal lighting.

White walls, smooth floor tiles, it looked like a normal hospital clinic. Several relaxing landscape oil paintings hung on the walls. The only things in the space were a desk, two chairs, and a hospital bed. Next to the bed was an electrocardiogram machine.

This made Qiao Liang instantly feel the warmth of home, and… bewilderment.

What's going on?

He almost thought he had time-traveled.

Looking at the golden lantern in his hand, it seemed somewhat out of place with this scene.

A female doctor in a white coat said with a smile, "Hello."

"I'm the doctor here. Before you continue, you need to have a simple electrocardiogram test and a psychological test."

Qiao Liang lay on the bed, and the doctor began to wipe his chest with alcohol in preparation for attaching the electrodes, just like a regular checkup in a hospital.

The female doctor didn't seem very old, around thirty years old, and although she wasn't particularly beautiful, she always had a smile on her face, which made people feel very comfortable.

Soon, the electrocardiogram test was done, and the electrocardiogram report would be available in two minutes.

Qiao Liang reached for a tissue to wipe off the alcohol on his body and, guided by the doctor, came to the desk.

"Look at these pictures, and then tell me what you first associate them with."

Qiao Liang recognized these pictures. This seemed to be an "inkblot test," a projective personality test in which the subject observes the pictures, and their answers, reaction time, pauses, accompanying actions, etc., will all reflect some of their psychological state.

Qiao Liang didn't know much about the details and could only answer based on his first impression.

The biggest advantage of the projective method is that the intention of the questions is hidden, so more authentic answers can be obtained.

If it were a general psychological test question, there would often be ridiculous questions like "Do you think you have a mental illness?" which would affect the accuracy of the test.

However, the projective method requires the examiner (doctor) to have professional knowledge. A complete inkblot test often takes more than 20 minutes, but this level of testing is mainly prepared for patients who actually have mental illnesses.

The test here was just to simply determine the psychological state of the tourists, so it wouldn't take that long; it would be over in two minutes.

The doctor put away the pictures and nodded with a smile: "Very good, don't be nervous. Let me go take a look at your electrocardiogram results."

The doctor retrieved the printed electrocardiogram and sat back in the chair opposite Qiao Liang.

"Congratulations, your test..."

Qiao Liang was happily thinking that he could continue when the doctor suddenly fell backward without warning. At the same time, with a loud "bang," all the lights in the room went out!

Instantly, all sorts of hideous and terrifying patterns covered the originally white walls, including roaring, grotesque faces, twisted arms, and dense blood handprints... These terrifying patterns of various colors emitted a faint glow, completely surrounding Qiao Liang!

The green landscape oil paintings from before had all turned blood red for some reason.

Even the electrocardiogram test results that Qiao Liang was holding in his hand had a distorted blood handprint on the back, glowing red!

Obviously, the room wasn't empty. All of these patterns were painted on the walls with transparent fluorescent material, and they would appear hideously once the lights were turned off!

At the same time, a series of chuckles came from around Qiao Liang, some sharp, some low. They echoed eerily in the entire space, causing Qiao Liang's psychological defenses to collapse instantly!

Qiao Liang screamed and stood up to run, but something seemed to trip him up. Fortunately, he grabbed the desk to steady himself and didn't fall.

The feeling of something dragging his ankle frightened him. He instinctively shook his tripped leg vigorously, but it was no use.

At the same time, the volume of the eerie laughter around him suddenly increased, turning into maniacal laughter. There were even sounds of people gasping and coughing while laughing.

In his panic, Qiao Liang groped around. Luckily, it was just a simple rope loop tied around his foot. The other end of the rope was connected to the desk, and the doctor who had fallen on the ground was long gone.

Obviously, the desk and chair were props. The four legs of the desk were completely fixed to the ground, and there was a mechanism under the doctor's seat.

But Qiao Liang had no time to think about these things. He hurriedly kicked his foot free from the rope and his first reaction was to flee, trying not to look at the grotesque graffiti on the walls. He ran to the bed where he had the electrocardiogram test and picked up the golden lantern on the table.

This was his lifeline!

But at the same time, a hand covered in blood and dirt reached out from under the bed!

Qiao Liang was scared out of his wits and fled in a panic to the entrance. However, the door had automatically locked and he couldn't push it open no matter what!

Seeing that the monster under the bed was about to crawl out, Qiao Liang could only run towards the other door in the room, which was the exit.

Obviously, when he was lying on the bed having his electrocardiogram test, this "monster" had been quietly lying under the bed, waiting for him to return and pick up his golden lantern.

Qiao Liang frantically pulled open the door and rushed out. However, the instant the door was opened, a corpse suddenly dropped down from above the opposite wall without warning!

There was a small bend. After opening the door, you had to turn right, and this "corpse" was hanging on the wall directly opposite, with a noose around its neck, suspended in mid-air. It was the female doctor who had just given Qiao Liang the test.

"She" was covered in blood and had a strange smile on her face.

Obviously, this was a mannequin based on the doctor, but the realistic image combined with the eerie lighting still frightened Qiao Liang.

After hesitating for two seconds, Qiao Liang hurriedly grabbed the lantern and fled!