Chapter 41: Chapter 41

 “The Specters’ Favored, your courage is admirable. The Nightmare Mission this time is both a test and a reward!

“The name of the game is ‘Deep Water’. It can allow you to bypass the line between the living and the dead, giving you the opportunity to see those who have unfortunately passed away.

“Mission Requirement: Enter the bathroom alone at 3:30 am. Lock the door and turn off the lights. Fill up the tub with water and light a candle by the side before lying in it. The period between 3:30 and 3:40 am is the time of a day when Yin energy is most concentrated; it is also when the Yin and Yang cycle of the day converge. What you need to do is hold your breath at 3:44 am and submerge yourself under water, thinking about the name of the person you wish to meet the most.

“When time enters the twilight period between darkness and light, you’ll be able to see them at the edge of living and dead.

“Mission will be accomplished if you see said individual(s). If you do not, the mission will be automatically completed after holding your breath for sixty seconds.”

Chen Ge had a complicated feeling after reading the mission description. Compared to the first Nightmare Mission, this mission seemed a lot simpler. Closing one’s eyes for thirty minutes in a scary environment required superhuman courage and staunch constitution, but holding one’s breath for sixty seconds seemed doable for most.

However, it was exactly because it was doable by most that he was worried. This was a Nightmare Mission; it could not be that simple.

Similar to the previous Nightmare Mission, the location is the bathroom, but the difference is that I’m required to sink myself inside the bathtub and hold my breath for sixty seconds.

He carefully studied every single step of the mission. Including the preparation time, at most, the mission would require fifteen minutes, what scary thing could possibly happen in such a short amount of time?

Chen Ge was interested not only because the mission looked simpler but also due to a line among the mission description: “allow you to bypass the line between the living and the dead, giving you the opportunity to see those who have unfortunately passed away.”

Different from most, Chen Ge became calmer during periods of duress. He sat in his chair, contemplating the possibilities. His parents had disappeared in an abandoned countryside hospital, leaving behind nothing but a doll and the black phone. The black phone was activated when he was about to give up on the Haunted House. During the first Nightmare Mission, the doll became the thing that saved his life. So, the question worth pondering was, could the doll and the black phone have been purposely left behind by his parents to act as clues to their whereabouts?

If that was true, then this second Nightmare Mission would be additionally interesting.

Perhaps, they’re trying to contact me through this method to provide me with more information?

Of course, this was merely Chen Ge’s speculation. To be perfectly honest, even if the Nightmare Mission was not a plan set up by his parents, Chen Ge would carry on with this mission.

Allow you to bypass the line between the living and the dead, giving you the opportunity to see those who have unfortunately passed away.

For Chen Ge, this was a chance to confirm once and for all whether his parents were still alive or not. If he did not see his parents, then it meant that they were merely missing and still alive. If he did see them, then it would validate Chen Ge’s first speculation; his parents left the black phone behind for a purpose, probably as a channel to siphon information to him. Perhaps the black phone even contained his parents’ actual last words.

Looks like I have no choice.

Chen Ge glanced at his watch. It was already 2:55 am; thirty-five minutes until the starting time of the mission. I’ve wasted too much time shattering those mirrors on the third floor; I’ve got to hurry.

The mission requirement was for him to lie in a bathtub filled with water, but the only bathroom with a bathtub was inside the Murder by Midnight scenario. One of the doors of the workers’ passageway was connected to a bathroom with a bathtub. It was the trap door Chen Ge had been using to enter the scenario and to shuttle He San’s group out of the scenario.

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There are only thirty-five minutes left. There isn’t enough time to go look for a hotel with a bathtub, so it looks like I’ll need to do this within the mirror monster’s territory.

Since the decision had been made, Chen Ge no longer hesitated. He carried the four dolls with him and exited the Haunted House in the middle of the night to head toward the park’s canteen to grab two cleavers.

Even though these haven’t been used to slaughter pigs or sheep before, I did see the workers use them to prepare chicken and fish. I suppose you can consider them blades that have tasted blood before.

Chen Ge placed the blades beside his nose to take a sniff. Instead of the expectant smell of bloodshed, all he could smell was the heavy scent of green chilies and onions, which caused his eyes to water.

After returning to the Haunted House, Chen Ge ran between the fake bathroom and the toilet, carrying buckets of water. When it was ten minutes to the start of the mission, he finally managed to fill up the tub.

Everything is ready; it’s time to start.

The Murder by Midnight scenario’s front door was closed, and Chen Ge entered the bathroom from the workers’ passageway. As demanded by the black phone, he was inside the bathroom alone. The mirror inside the bathroom had already been shattered by Chen Ge. The pieces made scrunching noises as his footsteps shuffled over them.

It was quite noisy transporting the water, so the mirror monster should know about my presence by now, but that doesn’t matter; I only need to hold my breath for one minute, and everything will be fine.

From Chen Ge’s perspective, the mission was weird but not that dangerous.

He locked the bathroom’s door from within and rested the doll left behind by his parents against the door. Then, he placed the four ragdolls that represented the lingering spirits of Ping An Apartments’ victims around the bathtub.

“Everyone, I’ll be depending on your help later. Please help me fight for that one minute!”

Similar to before, he switched on his phone’s recording camera and placed it on a suitable table to start the recording. However, the place was so dark that the screen was almost black, expect for a fuzzy human-shaped shadow.

At the three-minute mark, Chen Ge removed the contents from his pockets and placed them on the counter. Following the black phone’s instructions, he lit a candle and stuck it to the bathtub’s rim. The dancing candlelight became the sole source of light in the room. Glancing downwards, Chen Ge saw his faces reflected in the many mirror pieces that littered the floor.

He removed his shirt and took a step toward the bathroom. Ripples could be seen breaking the water’s surface. The bathtub was shallow, but due to the dim lighting, Chen Ge found himself unable to see the bottom. Touching the water with his fingers, a chill ran up his arm and spread through his body, causing him to shiver.

This mission sure is freaky.

After taking one last look at the time, Chen Ge stepped into the tub while holding the two cleavers. As he sat down, the water overflowed, drenching the mirror pieces.

F*ck, it’s cold…

Chen Ge could feel his body temperature dropping; even his heart rate had slowed. The bathroom was quiet except for the dripping sound of water that fell down from the edge of the bathtub.

Just one minute, after this one minute, I’ll have the reward, and the most important question on my mind will be answered!

Chen Ge breathed in and out to control his heart rate, waiting for 3:44 am to arrive.