Changsheng Building
Chapter 226: Curse
The moment she obtained the prop, Tong Yao felt the cold, dark, and terrifying sensation around her swiftly disappear.
Immediately, she heard a flurry of footsteps running quickly toward her.
Tong Yao hesitated for a moment, then raised her hand and pulled the black cloth covering her face.
She saw Su Cheng and Zhang Yu walking quickly in her direction. Around them, all the heads on the shelves had fallen silent, their pale faces with closed eyes remaining motionless even as the two walked into the aisle, resembling obedient corpses.
In her daze, Zhang Yu and Su Cheng had already approached her.
“We did it,” under the faint light of the oil lamp, everyone’s faces showed a post-catastrophe joy. Even Zhang Yu, who was in the worst condition, seemed to have some color return to his ghastly pale face. “We succeeded!”
At this moment, Tong Yao finally had the real feeling that “it’s over.”
She clutched the blindfold in her hand, feeling a bit dazed: “To think… we actually succeeded…”
Tong Yao had been in despair just moments ago—
She considered herself experienced with many instances and had encountered dangers numerous times, but she had never faced such a desperate situation before.
Step by step, the female corpse approached with her eyes wide open, releasing the cursed heads…
Meanwhile, they were losing members and had no way to respond.
Tong Yao thought, perhaps this was the end.
But to her surprise, just as they were on the brink of annihilation, the situation took a dramatic turn for the better. Not only did they successfully overcome the crisis, but miraculously, everyone survived despite the terrifying difficulty!
“Thanks to Wen Wen,” Zhang Yu shook his head, speaking with some emotion, “If she hadn’t come up with a solution in time, we would all be trapped here…”
After An Xin and Wen Jianyan left, Zhang Yu noticed the sound of heads rolling around him decreasing, and at that moment, he understood what the other party was planning.
The number of cursed heads was intricately related to the number of “observers.”
Before the curse took effect, Tong Yao had already covered her eyes, so she wasn’t counted in the process. Thus, in the mirror world, although there were five people, only four heads were rolling around.
Even if they closed their eyes, as long as any of them died, the number of “observers” wouldn’t decrease, so the heads would continue to linger around them, waiting or even creating a moment of eye contact.
Wen Jianyan and An Xin left the mirror world and returned to the real world. Therefore, for the curse in the mirror, they “disappeared.” This wasn’t about preventing the curse’s transmission by closing their eyes, but using this mechanism to achieve a state similar to a “death judgment.”
As a result, the number of heads in the mirror world was reduced to two.
If, at this point, these two people looked at the TV, it would trigger another mechanism—”progress inheritance.”
Thus, only two activated curses would transfer to the real world.
Using this time difference, the mirror world entered a brief period of safety.
After figuring this out, Zhang Yu was deeply shocked.
It’s unimaginable… How thoroughly someone must understand these rules and how precise and ruthless their vision must be to come up with this way to break the situation. If there was any slight mistake or if any rule was overlooked, this result would not have been possible.
This wasn’t just some coincidental bug exploitation, but a meticulously calculated plan with a necessary touch of madness and arrogance.
This wasn’t gambling on a tiny chance of success; this was a display of true crisis management skills.
At that moment, Zhang Yu fully confirmed that his initial feeling was absolutely correct. That seemingly delicate and harmless girl was actually the most perceptive among them.
Zhang Yu turned to Su Cheng, half-jokingly and half-seriously saying:
“You’re a prophet. Even if you wanted to leave, your team probably wouldn’t let you go. But it’s different with Wen Wen. If she wants to switch teams and try a new environment, we would welcome her anytime.”
Su Cheng was stunned and quickly realized.
Good grief, they were trying to poach her!
His mouth twitched: “I think, for now, she probably won’t consider it…”
“Oh, don’t be so sure,” Zhang Yu patted his shoulder and meaningfully said: “Maybe she’s interested, right?”
If he was strongly opposed to An Xin getting close to Wen Wen before, now he was just as strongly in favor.
Although An Xin usually acted nonchalantly, he was quite charming and popular with girls. Plus, with his strong offensive talents, if he could attract her to their side, it would be a huge gain.
Su Cheng: “…”
It’s not a matter of whether we let her go or not; she’s our captain!
How could she be interested in you guys?
Su Cheng’s live broadcast room:
[Hahahahahaha, Su Cheng’s expression is so twisted, he’s probably holding back a lot of complaints.]
[Hahahahaha, little did you know, the person you’re trying to poach is actually our captain!]
Although everyone had their own agendas, the atmosphere remained surprisingly relaxed.
“However…”
Zhang Yu’s tone changed, frowning, “Why haven’t they come back yet?”
After Tong Yao obtained the source of the curse, everything related to the curse should have disappeared, and the shop should have been completely safe. But it’s been several minutes, and Wen Wen and An Xin still haven’t returned to the mirror world to use the comb to take them out…
It’s unusual to have no movement for such a long time.
Su Cheng also realized this. He lowered his head, and sent a message to Wen Jianyan, but there was no response.
The atmosphere grew increasingly tense.
“Let’s go check the bronze mirror.”
After deciding, they passed through the shelves filled with heads and walked toward the storage room at the back of the shop.
The oil lamp in their hands wobbled, casting a faint yellow light along the way.
They carefully avoided the motionless female corpse standing there, but just then, the lamp’s wick flickered.
In that instant, they all became alert.
In the mirror world, with walls on all sides, there shouldn’t be any wind.
Could it be—
They turned their heads in unison to look at the red-dressed female corpse.
It stood still, its face shrouded in darkness, emanating a cold and decayed aura. Its hands, hanging at its sides, were painted with bright red nail polish, glaring under the faint light.
The temperature seemed to drop again.
Damn.
Su Cheng’s pupils contracted as he thought of something.
Although the red-dressed female corpse was closely related to this mirror world, it wasn’t entirely part of the curse. To be precise, it was activated here before the customers entered the shop.
This meant that even if they obtained the prop and all the TVs stopped, the female corpse itself wouldn’t stop with the curse.
Because it was already in the storage room.
And now, the female corpse’s cooldown period was almost over, and it would soon start moving again.
“Clack, clack…”
A faint sound of bones rubbing against each other echoed.
The red-dressed female corpse, which had been standing still, suddenly began to slowly turn its head, inch by inch, “looking” in their direction!
“!” They gasped sharply, “Don’t make eye contact with it! Run!!”
They turned and sprinted madly away from the source of the sound.
Before Wen Jianyan appeared with the red comb, they couldn’t enter the storage room with the exit, or they would be cutting off their escape route. Although there were exits in the shop, the numerous shelves and aisles gave them space to maneuver around the female corpse. Despite the terrible curse on it, it had a limited range of action and moved slowly. As long as they could delay, they had a chance to survive!
“Thud, thud, thud…”
The sound of stiff footsteps followed them closely.
They cautiously maintained a distance from the female corpse, making sure they were outside its “line of sight.”
It might have been their imagination, but as time passed, the darkness covering the female corpse’s face seemed to fade, revealing a vague outline of its features.
Realizing this, everyone’s hearts sank.
This could only mean one thing… the range of its deadly gaze was expanding.
“Hey, look…” Tong Yao’s voice trembled with fear as she raised her hand to show them under the lamp light—blue-gray corpse spots were appearing on her pale skin.
It was similar to the curse from the radio, but not exactly the same… The spots from the radio curse had been reversible under the oil lamp’s light, but this time, despite the lamp’s illumination, the spots showed no sign of disappearing.
“Wait, this feeling…”
Zhang Yu paused and looked down at his arm, where a blue-black handprint was etched, constantly sapping his strength.
The feeling from the female corpse now was very similar to this handprint.
As the darkness on the female corpse’s face lessened and its deadly gaze range expanded, Su Cheng and the others’ movements grew slower, especially Zhang Yu.
Just a moment ago, he had regained a bit of color in his face, but now he looked almost as pale as a corpse.
Indeed, the danger posed by this female corpse was far greater than that of the previous rotting corpse.
Even though they had obtained the prop and resolved the immediate crisis, the oppressive terror from this corpse showed no signs of easing; it even seemed to be intensifying over time!
“Thud.”
Zhang Yu couldn’t hold on any longer and fell straight to the ground. His exposed skin turned a blue-white deathly gray, his expression frozen in cold agony, with more breaths going out than coming in.
Behind them, the sound of the female corpse’s footsteps followed them steadily, sometimes speeding up, sometimes slowing down, but always moving steadily, step by step.
Su Cheng glanced back, and his hair stood on end!
The darkness on the female corpse’s face had faded significantly since before, revealing a vaguely visible face covered in thick powder, a deathly white complexion, and blood-red lips. The corners of its mouth were curved into a strange, unmoving arc. Rather than an emotional smile, it was a completely expressionless one, devoid of malice or goodwill, imparting only pure terror.
It’s over!
At that moment, a familiar voice came from not far away, like a beam of light in the dark: “Quick, over here!”
“!”
They were stunned for a moment and then looked towards the voice, seeing the storage room door wide open. Wen Jianyan was sitting in front of a scarlet dressing table, while An Xin, holding a still-burning oil lamp, waved anxiously at them. Upon seeing the two, Su Cheng and the others felt a surge of hope.
It was Wen Jianyan and An Xin!
“Hurry, get up!”
Su Cheng and Tong Yao each took one side and supported the now immobile Zhang Yu, struggling towards the storage room.
Though they were still able to move, the two of them weren’t in good shape either. Their bodies were becoming increasingly stiff and cold, their movements were slowing down, and corpse spots were emerging under their skin, becoming more distinct.
Ten meters, five meters, one meter…
As they neared the storage room, the female corpse behind them was also getting closer.
Seeing them enter the storage room, Wen Jianyan knew they couldn’t wait any longer.
However, the distance should be enough!
Gritting his teeth, he raised his hand and began to comb his hair.
Once, twice, thrice…
Su Cheng and Tong Yao, clenching their teeth, charged forward while supporting Zhang Yu’s heavy body—
The next second, the female corpse behind them vanished.
The sound of its footsteps also disappeared.
In the vast, dark storage room, only the sound of their heavy breathing could be heard.
Are we out?
Su Cheng looked around, still shaken.
At that moment…
“Crack—” A faint sound of something hard breaking echoed clearly in the deathly silence, making everyone’s shoulders shiver. They turned towards the sound.
The bronze mirror was covered with dense cracks.
“Crash!”
Under their horrified gazes, the mirror shattered.
As it broke, a clear image emerged from the mirror frame.
It was a face.
Its features were blurry, shrouded in darkness, with the only clear details being the deathly white skin and the blood-red lips curled into a rigid smile.
Damn!!!
Wen Jianyan’s pupils contracted.
Perhaps they had “observed” it for too long, or maybe the female corpse was too close when he used the comb. Whatever the reason, the mirror that had trapped it was broken, meaning it could now invade the real world without retreating!
To think, just when they thought it was all over, this instance would throw such a twist…
It seemed intent on taking their lives!
This female corpse’s curse system was linked to the “customers” visiting. Even if they took the hidden prop, it couldn’t stop its actions.
Unless they died.
“Quick, get away from the mirror!!”
Someone screamed.
They desperately supported Zhang Yu’s stiff body, dragging him out of the storage room.
The moment they stepped into the shop—
“Ring ring!”
The crisp sound of a telephone shattered the silence.
A glimmer of hope flashed in Wen Jianyan’s eyes. He darted forward and picked up the phone as quickly as he could.
“Zzzz… zzzz…”
A strange electrical noise came from the receiver, followed by a stiff voice:
“Congratulations on achieving your target. Do you wish to proceed to the upper floor…”
Before the other side finished speaking, Wen Jianyan answered decisively:
“Yes! Yes!”
“Click,” the phone disconnected, and a busy tone of “beep beep beep” came from the other end.
During this time, Wen Jianyan could vaguely see a strange, scarlet figure gradually materializing in the depths of the storage room.
Clearly, the invasion was successful.
The shattered bronze mirror could no longer trap the terrifying female corpse. It had successfully left the sealed mirror world and entered the real world.
Wen Jianyan hung up the phone and, along with the rest of his teammates, retreated to the glass door, staring intently in the direction of the storage room. Their hearts pounded with anxiety, with each passing second feeling excruciatingly long.
He clenched his teeth, his heart racing.
Hurry up! We’ve met the sales target, so why the delay? Are they waiting for us to die?
“Thud, thud, thud.”
The familiar, almost death-knell-like footsteps grew closer, the red dress gradually becoming clearer—
The female corpse was about to emerge.
At that critical moment, the glass door behind them finally began to open slowly, revealing a straight staircase leading upwards, disappearing into darkness at the top, as if guiding them to an even more dangerous world.
It was the way to the upper floor!
It felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his heart. Wen Jianyan supported the wavering Zhang Yu and urgently said, “Go upstairs!”
The group fled up the stairs without stopping, fearing that the terrifying corpse would catch up.
Their chaotic footsteps echoed in the narrow space like rapid drumbeats.
A faint light appeared ahead in the darkness.
Soon, a familiar scene emerged in front of them—a lone table under a dim, yellow light bulb and a wooden box painted with blood-red paint.
They slowed down and gradually came to a halt, panting heavily and looking back nervously at the dark depths of the staircase.
The bottom of the stairs was shrouded in darkness and silent.
There was no sign of the female corpse or the sound of footsteps.
It seemed…
They had escaped?
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[Oh my god, that was so close… Who would’ve thought that after getting the item and meeting the sales target, they almost blew it.]
[Mu Sen, you’ve done too many bad things! If it weren’t for you, Su Cheng and the others wouldn’t have been stuck in the mirror for so long, dragging it out until the female corpse got out of the mirror. That scared me to death—I thought they were going to die right before reaching safety.]
[What exactly is that female corpse?]
[I don’t know. The ‘Changsheng Building’ instance isn’t fully unlocked, so I have no impression of it.]
Wen Jianyan stood still, staring deeply into the silent darkness at the bottom of the stairs.
He felt…
Extremely uneasy.
Given that the dead head in the real-world TV corresponded to the one in the mirror world, their essence should be the same—they were curse transmission mediums.
In other words…
The female corpse’s back in the TV was essentially the same as the dead head’s gaze—a curse materialization that changed with the number of people.
Even letting the female corpse from the TV into the real world wouldn’t be a big deal. As long as they could quickly get the key item, it should disappear.
The only entity that could invade through the bronze mirror and not disappear after obtaining the item was the original female corpse.
The most unsettling thing for Wen Jianyan was…
The brass key to the storage room door was given by the female corpse.
It wanted to be released.
…
And it succeeded.
Even thinking about it sent chills down Wen Jianyan’s spine.
Suddenly, a “thud” sound nearby pulled Wen Jianyan out of his thoughts. Startled, he turned toward the noise.
Zhang Yu seemed to have lost his strength and collapsed heavily to the ground.
“Zhang Yu… Zhang Yu?!” His teammates hurriedly gathered around, anxiously calling his name, “Are you okay?”
His skin was pale and covered with corpse spots, and his eyelids were tightly shut. He looked as if he was on the brink of death.
Zhang Yu was the first to be cursed. Despite trying to minimize his movements, his condition worsened. The curse from the female corpse was like the last straw that broke the camel’s back.
If they didn’t find a solution quickly, he might die before their eyes.
Wen Jianyan’s gaze fell on the hands of Tong Yao and Su Cheng. There, faint blue-black corpse spots were starting to appear, spreading gradually.
Even the oil lamp couldn’t stop this process.
The curse carried by the corpse was irreversible… Zhang Yu had already experienced this, and the others were soon to follow.
They could only bet everything on the item in front of them.
Wen Jianyan gritted his teeth, and his gaze lingered on the blood-red wooden box for a moment.
The paint on the box was like thick, sticky blood, and the black hole at the top was deep and unfathomable, like a portal to a terrifying world.
“Where’s the ghost money? Give it to me.”
Soon, three pieces of ghost money were handed to Wen Jianyan.
One was from Su Cheng, and the other two were originally with Qi Qian. After Qi Qian’s death, his talent activated, and the critical items he carried in the instance were automatically transferred to the paper doll holder, Tong Yao. As a seasoned player, Qi Qian had clearly anticipated the potential loss of key items due to his death. That’s why he risked his life to snatch the ghost money, having already prepared a backup plan.
Even if Su Cheng had taken the ghost money from him, it wouldn’t have been lost.
Wen Jianyan glanced at the ghost money in his palm.
One was ordinary ghost money, which could clearly be used to exchange for the key to the next shop, while the other two were crimson, with eerie human faces on them.
Taking a deep breath, he placed one of the crimson ghost money into the box.
As a powerful force pulled the money from his fingers, it disappeared into the darkness.
The next second, a scratching noise came from inside the box, sending shivers down their spines. Soon, a blue-black dead hand slowly emerged from below.
With a light “clink,” something was placed on top of the box.
Wen Jianyan steadied himself and stepped forward to look at the item.
A metallic disc.
Everyone recognized the shape.
“It’s… lamp oil?” Tong Yao was taken aback, half-relieved and half-disappointed.
It’s not that having more lamp oil was bad, but it couldn’t solve their immediate crisis.
Wen Jianyan didn’t respond. He picked up the disc and unscrewed the cap, then paused slightly.
It was some kind of thick, solidified oil.
But…
This lamp oil wasn’t gray-white. Instead, it was a strange, blood-red color, as if soaked in blood.
For every Ko-fi received for a perticular novel, I will release a new chapter!
