Night settled over the Haunted House, cloaking it in silence.
A strange, grating sound—like someone sawing wood—shattered the quiet. In the staff breakroom, Chen Ge's eyes snapped open. He checked his phone: 1:10 a.m.
He tried burying his head under the pillow, but the noise burrowed into his ears, relentless.
Am I dreaming? Who's making that racket?
Chen Ge had crafted or modified every prop in the Haunted House himself, and none produced a sawing sound. Groggy after just six hours of sleep, he pinched his inner thigh to jolt himself awake. He threw on clothes, grabbed an iron hammer from the toolbox, and switched on his flashlight.
Pushing the breakroom door open, he paused. The Haunted House at midnight felt far creepier than during the day. Leaning against the doorframe, he hesitated.
No burglar would rob a Haunted House near midnight, right? And rats don't chew that loudly. Ruling out normal explanations, his mind drifted to darker possibilities. Could the mirror monster have escaped?
Not all mirrors in the third floor's Murder by Midnight scenario were covered due to a shortage of cloth. Staring down the shadowy hallway, Chen Ge stepped back into the breakroom. He grabbed the doll his parents had left him before venturing out.
The sound came from upstairs. Following it, he stopped at the locked door of the Murder by Midnight scenario.
As I thought, it's coming from here. But is it the lingering spirits from Ping An Apartments or the mirror monster? Chen Ge wavered. Even he wasn't eager to enter a terrifying scenario in the dead of night.
But enduring the incessant sawing wasn't an option either. Gripping the hammer, he steeled himself. I have the Specters' Favored title and the goodwill of Ping An Apartments' spirits. Even if it's the mirror monster, it can't hurt me much.
He recalled He San's encounter—Xu Wan's sudden appearance had thwarted the monster's plan, suggesting it wasn't as powerful as it seemed.
I have to go in. I'll face it eventually, and the more I know, the better I can handle it. Calming himself, Chen Ge realized it wasn't the monster he feared but the unknown it embodied.
Pushing open the door, Chen Ge was hit by a musty smell of mold, the Murder by Midnight scenario growing eerily similar to Ping An Apartments. The corridor's room doors hung half-open. He gripped his phone in one hand, the iron hammer in the other.
The sawing sound grew louder, signaling he was nearing its source. After searching the third floor, he stopped at a closed door where the noise was unmistakable. The cold steel of the doorknob jolted him alert. Muscles tense, he shoved the door open.
"Who's in here‽" Chen Ge shouted, rushing in with the hammer raised. In the bathroom, a burly shadow crouched—its build eerily like He Feng's.
Startled, the shadow dropped something, leapt into the mirror, and vanished.
"Stop!" Chen Ge swung the hammer, hitting only air. The bathroom was empty, as if he'd imagined it all.
That wasn't He Feng. Why did it look like him? Staring at his reflection in the mirror, Chen Ge felt uneasy. Is the monster mimicking He Feng? But why?
The shadow's appearance raised questions but confirmed two things: the mirror monster could now leave the mirror, and it could take the form of anyone who'd looked into it.
This thing's more dangerous than I thought.
The sawing had stopped. Chen Ge crouched to inspect what the shadow dropped: four ragdolls and several sharp mirror shards scattered on the rough cement floor. He picked up the dolls. The mother and two sisters' dolls were dusty but intact. The father doll, however, had its neck nearly severed, its body covered in cuts.
Why only the father doll?
Then it clicked. The father doll had helped He Feng escape the monster, and this was its revenge.
The four lingering spirits aren't strong enough to stop the mirror monster. They're just its punching bag.
Lacking knowledge of the other world, Chen Ge pieced together what he'd observed. The victims' spirits can only scare, not attack. The mirror monster's a level above them, but it flees from humans, so its physical strength is weak. It attacks psychologically, exploiting fears to create illusions and control minds.
Drawing from He San and He Feng's encounters, plus what he'd just seen, Chen Ge formed a theory. The mirror monster was tricky, but facing it directly would nullify most of its power. If he could lure it out of the mirror, it'd be vulnerable.
I need a plan. Ideally, I deal with it tonight so the scenario's usable tomorrow.
Calm and focused, Chen Ge knew the monster's growing boldness threatened the Haunted House's operation. He gathered the four dolls and left the Murder by Midnight scenario, locking the door behind him. In the Props Room, he stitched up the dolls' cuts, his mind racing for a strategy. His sewing skills were sharp, and the repairs took mere minutes.
The monster's aggressive and obsessed with living humans. The easiest way to lure it out is using a human as bait. But once it's out, how do I destroy it? Salt and garlic are folklore—am I really risking my life on rumors?
Uncertain, Chen Ge decided to consult experts. He grabbed his phone and logged into supernatural forums to seek advice.