WTNL Chapter 43

by Aria

Antai Community
Chapter 43: …F*ck, I’m not recording!

Wen Jianyan dejectedly wiped his hands dry.

He dug out a medical kit from the bathroom and wrapped a bandage around his wrist a few times, covering the talisman pattern that was faintly showing on the back of his hand.

This pattern was truly too eerie and peculiar. Although Wen Jianyan still hadn’t figured out why it appeared on his skin, nor did he know if it would affect his upcoming live broadcast, just to be safe, he wasn’t planning on letting it be exposed without any cover.

Gurgle, gurgle.

Just then, the tightly closed faucet emitted a strange, hollow ringing sound, which seemed exceptionally eerie in the empty bathroom.

Wen Jianyan was startled and subconsciously looked up in the direction of the sound.

He didn’t know if it was his illusion…

He felt that the movements of his reflection in the mirror seemed to have a subtle time lag compared to reality.

The lights remained as bright as before, shining down from above.

The mirror reflected the young man’s face. His complexion was slightly pale, and his eyes were a bright amber. Although his expression was calm, a subtle sense of tension could still be seen from his slightly taut Adam’s apple and shoulders.

That face in the mirror was so familiar, with no difference from usual. However, as they stared at each other longer, an inexplicably eerie sense of disharmony gradually expanded.

Perhaps it was psychological, but the person in the mirror seemed more and more unfamiliar the longer he looked.

Wen Jianyan felt a layer of cold sweat rise on his back. He pulled out his phone at top speed and covertly glanced at his identity card.

The remaining survival time hadn’t abnormally decreased.

At least this meant he hadn’t triggered any death traps for now.

Wen Jianyan steadied his nerves and retreated from the bathroom as quickly as possible.

He left Room 1025 and arrived in the corridor.

This apartment building was quite old, with a long, straight layout.

The narrow corridor was dimly lit, and the wall paint was peeling off. Small advertisements clung to the electrical boxes like psoriasis, layered on top of each other, scraped and pitted. Various types of clutter were piled up in front of each household’s door: flattened cardboard boxes, bags of sour-smelling food waste, and old bicycles leaning askew against the walls, squeezing up most of the corridor space.

He had just closed the door when he ran into a neighbor walking out from the opposite door carrying garbage.

It was a middle-aged woman around forty years old. She was visibly stunned when she saw Wen Jianyan. “You are…”

“Hello, I am Cai Feng’s nephew.”

Wen Jianyan wore a friendly smile and took the initiative to introduce himself. “I’m staying here for a couple of days.”

“Oh, oh, oh.” A look of realization appeared on the other party’s face. “So that’s how it is.”

At this moment, Wen Jianyan thought of something. He pulled out a copper coin folded from yellow paper from his pocket and stuffed it into the neighbor’s hand. “Oh right, this is for you.”

The neighbor paused. “This is…”

“My aunt asked me to request this from my master a while ago. Meeting here can be considered fate, so I’ll give it to you.”

Wen Jianyan spun this nonsense without even blinking an eye.

The neighbor subconsciously gripped the paper coin in her palm, looking at the mysteriously transcendent-looking young man before her with uncertainty. She asked carefully, “Your… your master?”

Wen Jianyan narrowed his eyes and smiled slightly at her. “He’s just an ordinary Feng Shui master, nothing spectacular.”

The neighbor seemed to have thought of something, her eyes slowly widening:

“Could it be… you came because of… the things happening in this building?”

“You could say that.” Wen Jianyan wore a harmless smile. “Although my aunt briefly described the strange things happening recently to me before, she seemed unwilling to talk much about the things happening on other floors. Initially, I thought it was fine, but after coming here, I found that things might not be as simple as I thought.”

“Tomorrow is the Ghost Festival. For safety’s sake, she and her husband went out to stay at a hotel on my advice.”

The tall young man lowered his eyes slightly, his gaze clear and sincere, making it almost impossible for anyone to refuse any of his requests. “May I ask… could you briefly answer a few questions for me?”

In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:

[Good heavens, this is a textbook-level information extraction skill!]

[Hahahahahahahahaha, what the fuck Feng Shui master? This dog scammer’s professional skills in metaphysics are way too proficient!]

[The ‘How many people can one piece of oil paper fool’ series—I’m dying of laughter. How many times are you going to use this paper coin!]

Fifteen minutes later, Wen Jianyan left the neighbor’s home.

He didn’t get much information from this person.

For some unknown reason, the other party was vague and evasive on many crucial details, seeming unwilling to talk much. Even when Wen Jianyan pressed her, she would gloss over them by lying—Wen Jianyan had a very high sensitivity to lies, and the eeriness of her attitude could hardly be hidden from him.

To remain tight-lipped even when it was clearly life-threatening… it seemed the waters in this instance ran very deep.

However, Wen Jianyan didn’t walk away completely empty-handed.

Regarding Room 1304, where he was heading next, the other party did mention quite a few useful things.

A month ago, a tragic family massacre occurred in Room 1304. It was said that poison was put in their dinner, and all four family members were poisoned to death without exception. The mother-in-law of this family lived across from them, and she was the first to discover the murder scene. The passing of her family members and the excessively gruesome murder scene deeply shocked the old woman, and she went mad shortly after.

Wen Jianyan lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes covering the thoughtful look in them.

As the difficulty increased, the instances he experienced seemed to become more specific and detailed. Not only was the number of ordinary NPCs increasing, but even the maps were expanding.

The initial Decai Middle School map was not considered large; the areas outside the campus were all shrouded in darkness. But the map of Fukang Private General Hospital was much more fleshed out. Standing outside the hospital, he could see almost the entire street at a glance.

And this instance, Antai Community, was even more obvious in this regard.

Whether it was the NPCs or the map, it was the most realistic and detailed one he had encountered so far.

This made him unable to help but think of what Ji Guan had told him after the last instance ended.

—”The Fukang Hospital in reality.”

But the information and clues Wen Jianyan currently knew were still too few. Too many things were shrouded in mist, and every guess in his heart was vague and incomplete, with no evidence to support them.

Wen Jianyan sighed, pulling himself out of his messy thoughts, and walked into the elevator.

Like this apartment building, the elevator was equally very old.

It was mottled and full of rust. Palm-sized small advertisements were pasted inside the elevator cabin, the paper even slightly yellowing due to age. Dirty water stains remained on the floor, and the complex smell in the air gave people a headache.

Wen Jianyan pressed the button for the 13th floor. The elevator shuddered twice and slowly ascended.

Ding.

The 13th floor had arrived.

The elevator doors stuck twice, then slowly opened to the sides.

Icy air rushed to his face.

Quiet. It was too quiet.

An eerie pale yellow light spilled from above. The deep and deadly silent corridor extended into the darkness. The smell of incense ash floated in the air. At the corner near the elevator, a bowl of white rice was placed on the floor, with three unlit incense sticks stuck into it.

Wen Jianyan stood in the elevator, staring at the endless pitch-black corridor before him, and couldn’t help but feel his scalp tingle.

The difference between here and the 10th floor was simply too massive. That vivid breath of everyday life had completely disappeared, leaving only a pure, quiet, and terrifying atmosphere spreading before his eyes, making people involuntarily feel the urge to turn and run.

“…”

I really, really don’t want to go in!!

Wen Jianyan forcefully closed his eyes, took a slow, deep breath, and braced himself to walk out of the elevator.

He turned on his phone and confirmed his main quest:

[Main Quest 2: Go to Room 1304 to film; the filming duration must not be less than ten minutes.]
[Completion: 0%]

In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:

[Hahahahahahahahaha, the first quest is right on the 13th floor; the streamer is truly too miserable!]

[I remember, anyone who got the paranormal investigator streamer identity card basically didn’t survive this quest, right?]

[Wuwuwu, you can do it, wife!]

Wen Jianyan carefully shuffled forward step by step. All the residents on both sides of the corridor had their doors tightly locked. The walls either had talismans with red characters on a yellow background pasted on them, or Bagua mirrors hanging to ward off evil. The further he walked, the more sinister it seemed.

His gaze swept over the house numbers on the doors until finally—

Room 1304 had arrived.

Wen Jianyan didn’t go in immediately. Instead, he walked two more steps forward.

As the distance shortened, the heavy darkness was slightly dispelled, and a door at the end of the corridor jumped into view.

Iron chains completely sealed the door, densely plastered with talisman paper, looking exceptionally terrifying in the dim light.

The rusty house number sign was a bit crooked, barely allowing the numbers on it to be seen: 1316.

Wen Jianyan retreated with a pounding heart and turned to look at Room 1304, which he was supposed to enter.

Pitch-black, filthy, desolate, with no talismans or any other messy things.

“…”

He didn’t know why, but this door instantly became inexplicably much more pleasing to the eye.

Wen Jianyan took a deep breath and reached out to try pushing the door.

Creak—

The door wasn’t locked. It let out an ear-piercing friction sound as it slowly slid open into the darkness.

At the same time, a strong rotting stench surged out from inside, making Wen Jianyan choke and cough twice, covering his nose and mouth with his sleeve.

He gingerly walked inside.

Even though it wasn’t yet time for the sun to set, the light inside the room was so dim it was almost impossible to see anything clearly. Wen Jianyan turned on his phone’s flashlight, sweeping across the room with the faint light.

Water stains remained on the walls, and the undulating pitch-black silhouettes of furniture were everywhere in the room.

The flashlight beam lingered on the window for a moment.

The outside of the window was sealed off with bricks, not letting a single ray of light through. A family portrait was placed at the entrance hall, covered in dust, the figures inside indiscernible.

The strong rotting stench in the air became even thicker.

Wen Jianyan turned on his camera and started recording.

Accompanied by the slightly swaying light source, the image of the darkness slowly swept across the screen, the bright red REC flashing in the top right corner.

[Countdown begins: 10:00]

In the living room near the dining area, a particularly eerie-looking shrine was caught on video.

Wen Jianyan’s gaze paused. After confirming that his survival time hadn’t decreased, he carefully approached, examining this shrine by the faint light of the flashlight.

The shrine wasn’t large. Red electronic candles were placed on both sides, unpowered and unlit. A chanting machine was placed next to the shrine, already covered in a thin layer of dust.

Three small plates were placed outside the shrine, the fruits inside already blackened and spoiled, emitting a heavy rotten smell.

Enshrined inside was a small Bodhisattva statue.

The Bodhisattva sat cross-legged on a lotus, its three faces looking in three different directions. With kind eyes and benevolent brows, a smile on its face, the objects it held in its hands were not a monk’s staff or a precious pearl, but rather a bizarrely shaped staff and a half-closed-eye severed head.

Its eyes were lifted, staring fixedly into the darkness, making this seemingly compassionate smiling face look exceptionally strange.

Wen Jianyan frowned slightly.

Although he never prayed to gods or Buddhas, he had some understanding of metaphysics and religion. In his impression, whether it was Mahayana, Hinayana, or Esoteric Buddhism, there was absolutely no such evil and weird Bodhisattva.

A chill arose from Wen Jianyan’s fingertips, and the phone in his palm grew a bit unsteady. The flashlight beam unconsciously swayed toward the dining area.

As the light swept past, in front of the dining table, three pitch-black silhouettes were revealed. They sat silently by the table, seeming to have been waiting there from the very beginning.

“!!!”

Wen Jianyan’s pupils shrank, frightened into stumbling back half a step, almost turning tail to run.

Reason restrained his steps. Wen Jianyan glanced at the countdown on his phone screen.

Damn it.

Wen Jianyan gritted his teeth, swore viciously in his heart, and plucked up the courage to look toward the dining table again.

The three figures remained motionless.

He confirmed his remaining survival time—it hadn’t decreased.

There shouldn’t be a major problem.

Wen Jianyan took a trembling step forward, slightly holding his breath, and shined the flashlight onto the dining table.

The table was full of plates and dishes holding various rotted foods: a pig’s head, a whole chicken, and a fish. White maggots wriggled on the soup and bones, emitting a foul stench.

And sitting at the dining table…

Were three paper dolls.

The paper dolls were made extremely exquisitely, their facial features lifelike. On their ghastly pale paper faces, their cheeks and lips were painted a bright scarlet, looking exceptionally terrifying and weird amidst the impenetrable darkness.

A family of three sat smiling at the dining table, seemingly having dinner.

Wen Jianyan’s face also paled a bit, and he subconsciously gripped the phone in his hand tighter.

Everything in this instance reeked of weirdness.

So scary!!!

It hadn’t even been five minutes since he entered the room, and he already felt his back drenched in a layer of cold sweat. His heart was pounding wildly, and his whole body felt a bit weak.

Zzzt, zzzt.

A faint electric sound rang out.

Wen Jianyan was so frightened he almost jumped up, hurriedly turning his head to look in the direction the sound came from.

Only to see that, behind him, the electronic candles on both sides of the shrine had slowly lit up. The two blood-red dots were very distinct in the darkness, like two eyes slowly opening.

Zzzt, zzzt.

Accompanied by the electric static, the chanting machine slowly began to play.

The chanting of sutras and mantras was disrupted by the static, sounding distorted and distant, blending into a bizarre tone that echoed in the empty, pitch-black room.

…Fuck your grandpa, I’m not recording anymore!

Wen Jianyan jumped three feet high and charged toward the door like a rabbit.

— Bang!

Just before he was about to rush into the corridor, the door slammed shut viciously right in front of him, and a heavy darkness descended.

“…”

It’s fine, it’s fine, it’s fine. Not scared, not scared, not scared.

Worst comes to worst, I still have items, right!

Lin Qing’s medical license could help block one fatal attack and provide one invincibility effect. It would be absolutely fine!

With a pale face, Wen Jianyan muttered continuously in his heart.

He braced himself, squeezed his eyes shut tightly, then slowly turned around and looked behind him—

The scarlet electronic candles flickered in the dark, barely illuminating a bit of the path to the dining area.

The room was pitch black.

At some unknown point, the three paper dolls had turned their heads. Three smiling, ghastly pale faces were staring straight in Wen Jianyan’s direction.

Wait…

Three?

Wen Jianyan paused slightly.

He recalled that, according to the clues provided by the neighbor on the 10th floor, Room 1304 should have been home to a family of four.

In other words…

Looking at the numbers, they were still one person short at the dining table.

Could it mean…

…Screw it, I’ll bet on it!

Wen Jianyan took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and then, moving his slightly weak legs, walked step by step toward the dining table.

The three paper doll faces smiled as they watched him.

He didn’t know if it was his illusion, but he kept feeling that their eyes seemed to be slowly turning, following his steps.

Wen Jianyan felt his spine chill. The heavy thumping of his own heartbeat echoed in his ears, to the point he almost couldn’t hear the chanting sound anymore.

He gritted his teeth, steeled his heart, and sat down on the vacant stool by the dining table.

The moment he sat on the chair, the familiar mechanical voice rang in his ear.

[Ding! Detected that conditions have been met, hidden side quest unlocking…]

The next second, Wen Jianyan felt his vision blur as a familiar dizziness washed over him. It was as if his entire person had been ruthlessly yanked downward. The scene around him underwent a sudden transformation, making it hard for him to recover his senses.

Chop, chop, chop.

The sound of a kitchen knife hitting a cutting board came through. Wen Jianyan frowned and slowly opened his eyes.

The surroundings were brightly lit.

He was sitting at the dining table, which was set with fragrant dishes. Beside him were two laughing and playing children; the older one was seven or eight, the younger only two or three. The television not far away emitted a distant broadcast, and the afterglow of the sunset filled the room.

Everything looked so peaceful and harmonious, full of the warmth of daily life.

Not far away, a slender figure was busy in the kitchen, and the air was filled with the rich aroma of food.

This… this is?

Wen Jianyan paused slightly, a guess slowly surfacing in his mind.

A scene recreation?

Soon, the chopping sound in the kitchen stopped. The sliding door was pulled open, and a woman walked out holding the final dish.

The moment he saw her face, Wen Jianyan’s pupils involuntarily shrank.

The woman had a ghastly pale face, just like paper, with two dazzlingly red blushes on her cheeks. Her eyes were lifeless, as if they had been drawn on, and her lips curled upward in a stiff, brilliant smile:

“Let’s eat, Xiuqing.”

Saying that, the woman placed the dish in her hands right in front of Wen Jianyan.

The two children beside him also stopped their playing and looked over in unison. Ghastly pale faces, sluggish eyes, and the red blushes on their cheeks were vividly glaring.

They smiled and said in unison:

“Dad, let’s eat.”

Wen Jianyan: “…”

Under the watchful, glaring eyes of three paper dolls, he looked down at the plate of vegetables placed before him, which had changed color due to high toxicity, and fell into silence.

…Poisoning is fine.

But making it this obvious is a bit much, isn’t it?!

Author’s Note:

Dalang, time to take your medicine~¹