Chapter 7: The Stream Ends

When the six unconscious people appeared on the screen, the Water Friends who had been spamming the chat and bickering with each other fell silent.

They clearly remembered that when Xie Sui first entered the room, there was no one there.

[When did those six people show up? Am I seeing things? Did anyone take a screenshot when the host first came in?]

[Probably not seeing things. I didn’t see them either. It’s like those six people appeared out of thin air.]

[Good grief. I thought this was a supernatural exploration stream, then the host turned it into a lecture on breaking feudal superstitions. I thought the host was some ‘Lonely Wriggler’ exposing industry secrets, but then he went back to his roots, entered The Haunted House to show us ghosts, and even pulled off a teleportation trick… My heart is completely numb now. I won’t be surprised no matter what kind of crazy stunt the host pulls next.]

[It’s ‘Lonely Warrior’… brother, that typo of yours turned ‘warrior’ into ‘wriggler,’ and now the whole sentence feels different.]

Aside from the outdoor streamer who first went missing and his assistant, who showed signs of slight dehydration, the other four lying on the floor appeared physically unharmed.

The reason the Rescue Team had never found these six missing people was that their eyes had been clouded by the ‘spirit’ of The Haunted House during their search. Even if they searched this room, they would subconsciously avoid the people hidden within it.

In the eyes of ordinary people, those ‘eaten’ by The Haunted House were no different from the abandoned furniture and construction debris inside.

That room of flesh from earlier was The Haunted House’s ‘stomach bag,’ a feeding ground where it air-dried humans. The six missing people had been hidden in pairs behind that giant face, sandwiched between the wall of flesh and the actual wall.

The wall of flesh was invisible to the naked eye of an ordinary person. It was an energy field constructed by The Haunted House’s ‘spirit’ using its own power. Although this energy field had no physical form, under the evil spirit’s control, it could change the direction of airflow and accelerate its circulation. When humans were trapped in these chimney-like wall gaps, the rate of dehydration and death would accelerate.

Judging by the ‘Chang ghosts¹‘ that had just been transcended² and the evil spirit’s proficiency in making human jerky, The Haunted House certainly hadn’t just started causing trouble. It likely had accidents shortly after it was built, which was probably why it had been abandoned.

The initial disappearances were likely suppressed by the developer. At that time, the internet wasn’t developed. As long as newspapers or official media didn’t report it, the public had no way of knowing what had happened in The Haunted House.

One had to wonder what that developer was thinking. Why didn’t they demolish the house after the accidents, instead of just leaving it idle here?

If they were rich enough to buy land in a popular tourist spot, could they really not afford the demolition fees? Or did they feel that compared to the money wasted on demolition, the lives of these ‘commoners’ didn’t matter? Capitalists really should be hung from lampposts³.

Although he knew exactly what was going on, Xie Sui didn’t say much under the gaze of the camera. No matter how the bullet comments questioned him, he pretended that he had found these six people by accident.

Just as Xie Sui was about to step forward and check the condition of the six people, the sound of brakes screeching echoed outside The Haunted House, followed by blue and red lights reflecting through the windows into the interior.

Since there was no other lighting in The Haunted House besides Xie Sui’s fill light, the police lights shining through the entrance were exceptionally obvious.

Seeing that the Law Enforcement Team had arrived, Xie Sui quickly waved to the two Little Ghosts holding the camera and the fill light, signaling them to return. He then took the camera from them himself.

The Law Enforcement Team and the Rescue Team moved quickly. Before long, heavy and hurried footsteps echoed from The Haunted House’s entrance.

Under the intense glare of police flashlights, Xie Sui, looking down from the second-floor landing, locked eyes with a Law Enforcement officer who had just walked in and looked up.

What followed was a busy rescue operation.

During the rescue process, a member of the Law Enforcement Team even appeared on camera. They gave a stern explanation in Xie Sui’s stream about the dangers of chasing supernatural clout and provided some educational tips on emergency wilderness survival for those lost in the mountains.

The Water Friends in the stream listened to the officer’s lecture honestly and silently, as well-behaved as if they were in an online class.

Tonight’s stream was truly surreal. No one watching expected a supernatural exploration stream meant to ride a trend would end up as a serious educational session featuring the Law Enforcement Team.

Because Xie Sui had called the police in time and helped them find the six missing people, the Law Enforcement Team only gave him a verbal reprimand before letting him go.

Once the Law Enforcement Team left the camera’s view, the Water Friends, who had been holding back for a long time, finally couldn’t resist sending bullet comments.

[Wait, I noticed a problem. Why did the host start holding the camera himself after the Law Enforcement Team arrived?]

[Yeah, and the Law Enforcement Team only scolded the host… so where’s the assistant who was holding the light and the camera?]

[Something is definitely wrong. Schrödinger’s assistant.]

[Could it be that there really are ghosts…]

Seeing that the atmosphere in the stream was turning sour, Xie Sui prepared to end the broadcast and make his escape.

“There are no ghosts in this world. We must believe in science. That’s all for today’s stream. Thank you for your support, Water Friends, and thank you to the bosses for the tips. If you’re interested in the host, feel free to follow. See you next time.”

Xie Sui’s results for his first broadcast were excellent. With tens of thousands of viewers, he shot straight to the top of the Newbie Streamer Rankings and even caught the tail end of the image recommendations on the Blue Sea Platform’s homepage.

However, none of that was the main point. The main point was that during this one-hour stream, Xie Sui had made quite a bit of money. He received a total of 21 Space Battleships, which netted him 19,800 yuan, equivalent to two months of his previous salary.

On the Blue Sea Platform, the ways to earn money besides fan tips included a share of the ad revenue from the scrolling ads at the bottom of the stream. Fan tips could be withdrawn at any time, but the platform’s revenue share could only be withdrawn once a month.

Unfortunately, new streamers couldn’t receive a share of the platform’s revenue during their first week while being supported by the Newbie Streamer Rankings’ poverty alleviation program.

Oh well, one should be content. Earning this much money during his first stream was already very good, a result of various lucky factors stacking up. Not only did Old Zhao help drive traffic, but he also rode the heat of the trending supernatural photos and happened to attract a wealthy boss like Ganfan Huahua Shijie.

After packing up his livestreaming equipment, Xie Sui hitched a ride in a police car to leave The Haunted House and return to his residence.

Beneath the shadows of the prosperous Guomao business district lay a chaotic urban village. Separated by only a few blocks, a massive wealth gap was clearly divided.

The apartment Xie Sui rented was in this urban village. It was a redevelopment zone consisting mostly of illegal self-built housing, the kind where you could reach out of your window and touch the neighbor’s windowsill across the way.

This urban village was a melting pot of all sorts of people, and its public security was terrible. However, the advantage was that the rent was cheap, it was relatively close to the television station, and there were no commuting expenses.

The salary of a television host was actually quite high, but because his family expenses were so large, Xie Sui saved as much as he could on himself to help lighten his father’s financial burden.

In any case, as long as it was livable, it was fine. He didn’t have any valuables in his room worth stealing, and most people probably wouldn’t dare come to his place to steal anything anyway.

Xie Sui took his keys out of his pocket and opened the door.

The interior was pitch black. The apartment he rented had essentially zero natural light, so he needed to keep the lights on even during the day.

Dragging his exhausted body, Xie Sui unbuttoned his clothes as he walked further into the room.

The clothes constricting his body were stripped away one by one, revealing deathly pale skin. Dark purple bruises were exceptionally prominent against skin so white it was nearly transparent – a silent struggle of his internal organs, their will to survive manifesting as lividity on the surface of his body, pleading for the attention of their master.

Xie Sui lightly tapped the bruises that had already spread to his ribs with his finger.

These marks, which should have only existed on a corpse, now carried a cold aura of death, manifesting shamelessly on his body. Representing the extreme colors of life and death, they intertwined and collided, spreading from his spine all the way to his abdomen in a truly shocking sight.

Looking at these terrifying marks, Xie Sui had no reaction. Expressionless, he tossed his discarded clothes over the back of a chair and shuffled into the bathroom in his slippers.

He turned on the shower, and cold water poured over his body. The droplets carried the chill of early spring, seeping into his very bones. As if he were a masochist, Xie Sui stood motionless under the showerhead, letting the cold water wash over him.

Creak!

With a sharp, grating noise, the shower actually turned itself off.

Xie Sui snapped out of it. Before he could say anything, a bath towel appeared out of thin air in the cramped bathroom and was thrown onto him.

Feeling the force of the towel hitting him, Xie Sui smiled helplessly. He dried the cold water off his body with the towel and then walked out of the bathroom.

The moment he stepped out of the bathroom, the lights in the room suddenly flickered on.

The warm yellow light dispelled the darkness, illuminating the small one-bedroom apartment, along with a row of black Ash Urns facing the bed and the spirit tablets neatly arranged on the desk.

Xie Sui squinted, his eyes irritated by the sudden brightness. He stared at the slightly vibrating Ash Urns and chuckled softly. “Why turn on the lights? No one in our house needs lighting anyway…”

He hadn’t even finished speaking when he was interrupted by the sudden ringing of his phone.

It was Zhao Haotian calling… Xie Sui glanced at the time on his phone. It was almost two in the morning; it looked like he had just finished his livestream.

Xie Sui answered the phone while drying his hair.

“Little Xie! Congratulations! You hit the top of the newbie streaming chart on your very first broadcast! How was it? You must have made a lot in tips! I heard that the big shot Ganfan Huahua Shijie became your top donor.” Even in the early hours of the morning, Old Zhao’s voice was as energetic as ever, without a hint of fatigue.

“Yeah, thanks to you helping me with the traffic. Are you free tomorrow? Let me treat you to a meal.”

“I’m free, definitely free! I was just about to tell you about that.” Old Zhao paused and continued, “You’ve finally hit the jackpot, kid. Someone specifically contacted me saying they want to see you! We can have our meal anytime, but tomorrow you should go to this big shot’s meeting first.”

“See me? Who?” Xie Sui was a bit confused. Who would need to contact him through Old Zhao?

“It’s Ganfan Huahua Shijie, the tycoon who tipped you to the top of the rankings. Something happened at his house, and he’s in urgent need of…” At this point, Old Zhao suddenly lowered his voice. “By the way, Little Xie, do you really know a bit about those matters? I just finished my broadcast and didn’t see your livestream. Since you didn’t leave any contact information on the streaming platform, that big shot found me in a hurry, saying he needs your help with something.”

“Well, we’ll talk about it when we meet.” Xie Sui was vague and didn’t agree immediately.

“True, it’s better to talk about this kind of thing in person. But from what I gathered, he seems to be in a real hurry and wants to find someone with actual ability to take a look. I’m telling you this as a brother – if you really can’t handle it, don’t force yourself. There are plenty of ways to make money, but your own safety is what’s most important.”

A warm feeling rose in Xie Sui’s heart, and his voice carried a hint of a smile as he said, “Yeah, don’t worry, I know.”

“Get some sleep. That tycoon booked a table at Fushun Lou. Just get there by twelve o’clock.” After saying that, Old Zhao hung up the phone.

Fushun Lou was a Chinese-style hotel with a rumored history of two hundred years. It was famous for being expensive and difficult to book. The fact that Ganfan Huahua Shijie could secure a table there showed how much importance he placed on this meeting.

Old Zhao’s sudden phone call reminded Xie Sui of something. He hadn’t yet retrieved An-an, whom he had left by Zhang Yun’s side.

Before the livestream started, Zhang Yun had left him alone on the mountain. At the time, Xie Sui had let An-an follow him just so he could stay in contact with Zhang Yun, but he hadn’t expected to be brought back by the Law Enforcement Team in the end.

He closed his eyes to sense her, but perhaps because the distance was too great, Xie Sui couldn’t feel An-an’s presence.

He sighed. Forget it, he would let An-an stay with him for the night and ask Old Zhao for Zhang Yun’s specific location tomorrow.

He hoped An-an would obediently wait for him to pick her up, and he also hoped Zhang Yun wouldn’t do anything too drastic to provoke her.

Translator’s Notes