Behind the curtains was pitch darkness, and as the four of them stepped in, abruptly, a strange wind blew the curtains down, lighting two candles in the darkness—lit by no one, they ignited on their own.
In such a situation, the pitch blackness was somehow more comforting than the dim, flickering candlelight.
The candle flames danced, casting everything in the room in shadow and light.
The walls were covered with ivy, which was withered; the leaves had long since turned a dry yellow.
Xiangxiang, with her sharp eyes, pointed to one of the dried leaves. "That one! It’s dripping blood!"
Looking in the direction she pointed, they could see the sharp, triangular leaves of the ivy gleaming coldly, as if they were edged with sharp needles, and blood was dripping... drip by drip down from the tips.
The blood that dripped onto the ground was instantly absorbed by the soil, giving the feeling that they were standing in a desolate wilderness.
Suddenly, another gust of strange wind blew, extinguishing the candle flames in an instant and plunging everything back into darkness.
Xiangxiang took a deep breath and gripped the small hand she was holding tighter, "Little Taotie, don’t be scared, Sister is here!"
Little Taotie’s soft childlike voice responded, "Sister Xiangxiang, I’m not scared, but why is your hand trembling? Are you cold?"
"Ah!" Xiangxiang screamed.
Mo Haihao asked anxiously, "Xiangxiang, are you alright?"
"Something touched my face! It’s wet and slimy! Such a disgusting feeling!"
Xiangxiang couldn’t help but cover her nose, feeling extremely nauseated.
"Your hand, give it to me," Mo Haihao reached out to touch it.
Xiangxiang screamed, "Mo Haihao!"
Mo Haihao’s entire face turned red with embarrassment, thankful that in the darkness where you couldn’t see your hand in front of you, no one could see him blushing.
He had reached out to touch Xiangxiang’s hand without paying attention and had touched something soft...
Before his thoughts could wander further, Mo Haihao immediately stopped himself, cursing himself several times for being a jerk, then calmed down and apologized, "I didn’t mean to, I was trying to grab your hand."
Xiangxiang hmphed but didn’t say anything.
Suddenly, the candlelight flared up again.
The environment around them had changed.
Though they were standing in place without any warning, everything changed, which was quite unbelievable.
One could only say that the Haunted House had integrated lighting effects and high technology, making it even more advanced.
Mo Haihao muttered, "This 180, it seems worth it."
Xiangxiang gave him a glare.
Mo Haihao awkwardly pulled at the corner of his mouth.
Xiangxiang ignored him and crouched down to ask Little Taotie, "Are you scared?"
Little Taotie shook his head, "Not scared!"
The surrounding environment had turned into a rock face, as if they were inside a cave, with the sound of dripping water echoing in their ears, drip by drip, sending shivers down one’s spine.
Xiangxiang wondered, "It’s not blood dripping again, is it?"
Mo Haihao replied, "The sound of the dripping water is probably meant to lead us to check it out."
Xiangxiang asked, "Shall we go inside?"
Mo Haihao nodded, "We’ve come this far, we can’t let the 180 go to waste."
Both adults led a child each as they walked deeper into the cave, which grew darker, obscuring what lay ahead. After taking ten steps, a heavy noise came from behind them. They looked back and saw a stone gate had closed, blocking their way back and leaving them with no choice but to move forward.
Eerie laughter echoed around them, as though piercing through their eardrums.
White figures floated back and forth in front of them, layer upon layer; looking out, the cave was filled with Ghosts.
"Is this the lighting?" Xiangxiang tried to remain calm.
Mo Haihao’s expression darkened, and he took off his sunglasses; the strange light flashed through the depths of his Different Pupils.
"No, these are Ghosts."
These weren’t light effects, but countless real Ghosts!
Who could have imagined that someone would go so far as to employ the dead to act as the ghosts in the Haunted House?