【I have a haunted house】Chapter 14: The Missing Person Notice

At 4:30 PM, Nick stood alone in the props room of the haunted house, staring at the cluttered table in front of him, unsure of what to choose.

"What do I need to prepare to stay in a haunted house?"

"ID card, phone, power bank, lighter, fruit knife, multi-purpose tool hammer... Oh, and don't forget this doll," came the response.

Nick stuffed the doll that had appeared in front of the mirror the previous night into his backpack. After checking to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, he zipped it up and left the room.

"Xiao Wan, I'm leaving early today. You lock up when you're done. I have something to do."

"Boss, it's not even five yet. Are you going on a trip?"

"The key’s on the prop room table. See you tomorrow."

Seeing Nick act as if he were about to "let loose," Xu Wan could only helplessly huff, tossing the haunted house flyer aside before rushing into the props room.

"This kid..." The evening breeze scattered the flyer, and Nick shook his head, picking up a stone to weigh it down. "I hope she doesn't see me on tomorrow's morning news."

Despite the appearance of calm, Nick was actually extremely anxious. He had been uneasy the entire afternoon.

The nightmare-like task from last night had opened another door to a different world, and made him acutely aware of the dangers embedded in the tasks issued by the black phone.

"Trial tasks are definitely harder than regular ones. I must be extra cautious tonight." To prepare for the night ahead, Nick set off on a shared bike to the Ping'an Apartment before it got dark.

The task only provided a location, so to find the Ping'an Apartment, Nick had to rely on a complaint from nine months ago, asking around as he went. It took over two hours to finally arrive.

"Who would want to live in such a remote place?"

The dirt road, overgrown with wild grass, twisted and turned into the depths of the forest. There were no streetlights, but through the sparse branches, Nick could just make out a building in the distance, dark gray in color.

Nick had asked many people on his way, but most had never heard of Ping'an Apartment. In the end, an elderly man in his sixties had pointed him in the right direction and warned him several times that the place was unlucky, that someone had died there before, and that the locals avoided it even in broad daylight.

Nick could only bitterly smile. If it weren't for the task on the black phone, who would willingly stay in such a place?

"It’s 6:50 PM. The task says I need to arrive by 11, so I have plenty of time to figure out what’s going on in this haunted house."

Following the winding dirt road, Nick ventured deeper into the forest. After walking several dozen meters, he finally came upon the infamous haunted house.

The estate was surrounded by a high, dark gray wall, with only a single entrance. A rusted iron gate stood wide open, with a brand-new lock hanging from it.

"The gate’s falling apart, but the lock’s still new. Wait, what’s this?" Beside the iron gate was a white sheet of paper. At first, Nick thought it was just an advertisement, but as he shone his phone light on it, he realized it was a missing person notice.

"Zhang Qing, female, 27 years old, 157 cm, slender build, with a black mole near her right eye. Likes to wear red clothes and pants... Anyone with information, please contact Mr. Wang. Generous reward offered!"

At the bottom of the notice was contact information and an address that caught Nick's attention—the address was the same as the haunted house.

"That’s strange." Instinctively, Nick felt something was off. He took a photo of the notice with his phone before entering the yard.

The building was much larger than he expected—three stories in the main building, with a warehouse and what seemed to be a water room nearby.

"The walls are peeling like this... Looks like it’s at least 20 or 30 years old." Despite the overall dilapidation, the place was surprisingly clean. There was no trash on the ground, and the weeds had been cleared away.

Nick parked his bike in the yard and entered the main building, calling out, "Is anyone here?"

The long corridor was pitch black. After a few seconds, the door at the end of the hallway cracked open slightly.

"Hello?" Nick approached the door, but the person inside seemed unwilling to face him. The door only opened a crack before stopping.

The room was unlit, but through the narrow opening, Nick could see a woman standing inside. Her eyes were bloodshot, suggesting she had likely been staying up late, and her mental state appeared to be quite poor.

"I was wondering how much it costs to stay here for a night?" Nick spoke softly, trying to sound as friendly as possible. However, to his surprise, the woman smiled awkwardly and immediately slammed the door shut.

"What was that about?" Before he could process what had just happened, he heard footsteps from upstairs. The only motion-sensing light in the hallway flickered on, revealing a middle-aged man with a limp coming down.

He must have overheard Nick’s question, for he immediately asked, "You want to stay here? How long are you planning to rent?"

"You’re the landlord?" Nick walked over. "I only need a room for one night."

"One night?" The limping man scrutinized Nick up and down with a look that seemed as though he was trying to see through him. "Fine, show me your ID, then come upstairs to pay."

Just as Nick was about to follow the man upstairs, a sound came from the yard’s iron gate. The limping man frowned, and his expression darkened instantly.

He stopped in his tracks, and Nick was left waiting in silence.

Moments later, a disheveled middle-aged man entered. His clothes were torn, and he carried a thick stack of flyers.

"Wang Qi, I told you your girlfriend isn’t here. If you keep pestering me, don't blame me for being rude!" The limping man stood at the bottom of the stairs, blocking the way.

The middle-aged man ignored him and trudged up the stairs.

"I’m talking to you!" The limping man shoved him forcefully, sending the middle-aged man crashing into the wall. The flyers scattered all over the floor, one of them landing at Nick’s feet.

"It’s the missing person notice, exactly like the one posted on the gate." Nick squinted, and without making a sound, he picked up the notice from the floor, keeping a careful eye on the stairs.

The middle-aged man didn’t fight back. He climbed to his feet, silently picking up the scattered flyers as if he were a zombie.

"You don’t need to worry about him. He’s just a madman," the limping man waved Nick off, signaling for him to head upstairs.

"Madman?" Nick glanced at the man as he passed by him. "The introduction to the ‘Midnight Escape’ scene mentioned that a mental patient had infiltrated the apartment. If this man is mad, could he be the murderer I’m looking for?"