The corridor was narrow and gloomy, filled with a cold, oppressive air. A dozen or so people walked slowly in a passage that only allowed one person to pass at a time, their expressions varied.
"..."
Li Mo walked at the very front, his face expressionless, calm and composed.
Behind him were seven ordinary people who had joined their group to play in the haunted house, three women and four men. No, that's not right.
To be precise, it was three couples with a shining, single-and-ready-to-mingle third wheel.
"Boo hoo, baby, I'm so scared..."
"It's okay, it's okay, the ghosts that come out later are just NPCs, they're all fake, ghosts are also people."
The same example happened to the other two girls. The three boys being clung to looked very young, around seventeen or eighteen.
Although their legs were also trembling, they still pretended to be calm in front of their girlfriends.
The dim light made too many normal things look strange. Fear comes from the unknown, especially things that suddenly jump out of one's cognition and are hostile to them.
"So, why am I here for overtime?"
Li Mo fell into deep thought and couldn't help but ask himself.
It was known that the ambient temperature was low. It was the air conditioner blowing cold air to cool down, only letting the skin feel the low temperature, without any more substantial bone-chilling cold.
Even the temperature was not turned down to the lowest in consideration of the players' experience.
The dim environment did not seem blurry to Li Mo. His normal state was having died once, and he could see his surroundings well in the dark.
Unless this darkness came from a space contaminated by Bizarre, in which case he could only see with a light on, but the moment the light was turned on, he would be targeted, which was digging his own grave.
"Hee hee, with Brother Mo leading the team and Dr. Mei as the external brain, I feel like the haunted house is nothing special~"
Pardo said with a giggle, her tail wagging back and forth, not caring about the gazes of the people behind her.
"...We seem to have been walking for a long time, ten minutes, and turned three corners. There's a gap in the wall at the corner, there should be a mechanism." Mei calmly analyzed.
"Yes, so as long as we look back," Li Mo continued Mei's words, turning around in front of everyone.
Everyone was puzzled. The three girls looked back in the direction Li Mo was pointing.
"You'll see a ghost," Li Mo and Mei said at the same time.
Sure enough.
At the corner behind them, a hand that didn't look human reached out from the wall, dry and withered. Thick black hair covered its face, revealing only a head, staring at them with a strange expression.
The light on the ceiling at the corner suddenly began to flicker. The shadow of the person in the corner stretched, shortened, and then stretched again.
Under the atmosphere's influence, some girls had already shrunk into their boyfriends' arms.
"It's not over yet," Li Mo said lightly.
This level of scariness was not worth the price of their tickets at all.
If he were to design it, it would at least have to erase the shadow, then wear a white dress, cover a two-and-a-half-meter-high bone frame, and just stand behind the player without moving.
Using technology to eliminate the shadow behind them, letting the players discover it themselves. Then open the ceiling, and hang an upside-down ghost from it.
Let the ghost behind them slowly raise its hand and point to the ghost on the player's head. When the player's gaze turns, they will see a ghost less than half a meter away from them, that clearly visible ghost face.
It would be best to have the upside-down ghost's eyes and intestines all flow out.
And it's not over yet. When the players flee in a panic and run to the only exit, they would place the player's posthumous portrait inside the door, and have the upside-down ghost and the ghost behind them hold the portrait and approach them step by step...
Hua's gaze was always on Li Mo's face. Seeing his cunning, mischievous smile, she couldn't help but say, "I feel like you're thinking about something bad."
"Is it that obvious?" Li Mo put away his mischievous smile.
"Thump thump..."
The sound of something falling to the ground echoed in the passage.
When everyone took out their flashlights to shine on it, a centipede made of eyeballs quickly wriggled towards them.
"Ahhh!"
Li Mo and the others consciously made way for the couples and the single person behind them. They ran towards the only forward direction, where there were three doors at the end.
"Aren't we going?" Hua asked.
"If there are no accidents, there will be NPC ghosts behind all three doors. One will be on the bed, in the most obvious place. It will suddenly sit up after the player enters, and then scream to scare them." Li Mo looked back. The NPC showed a look of astonishment.
But in order to let the script proceed normally, it gradually approached Li Mo and Mei's group.
"Ah!" the NPC shouted loudly, a half-meter-long tongue coming out of its mouth.
Li Mo walked over, pulled out the tongue, and then handed it to her.
"Your movements are too human. As a corpse, your bones and joints should have been dislocated long ago. There's no rotten smell, and your flexibility when moving is too good. Have you studied dance?"
NPC: "..."
Please respect my profession.
The NPC lowered her head, looked at the tongue prop that had been returned to her hand, and was also pointed out that she had studied dance. She fell into a long period of contemplation.
"First of all, the skin color of a dead person is gray-green, not pure white, and the muscles and hair follicles will atrophy."
"Hey hey hey, Brother Mo, now is not the time to talk about this, right? Aren't we going to follow them?" Pardo pointed to the seven people who had already run far away and were about to open the door to escape.
Li Mo shook his head, "No hurry. There are ghosts behind all three doors, probably distributed in different areas, on the bed, at the door, or under the bed."
"In this way, after being scared by one door and entering another, you will pay extra attention to the place where the ghost appeared before. But where there is a focus in your field of vision, there is also a blind spot. It is easy to be scared by a ghost that suddenly appears in the blind spot."
"If there are no accidents, after all three doors are opened, you have to go back the same way, and then..."
Li Mo walked to the NPC behind him, "You just leave through the small path, leaving the way back for us, and then slowly catch up from behind, like a female ghost that is always following."
"..." The female ghost said nothing. Silence was her last bit of stubbornness.
"Pfft..."
A faint laugh came from Mei. Mei looked at Li Mo helplessly.
"You're quite experienced, Master Li Mo. In your opinion, if these ghosts were all real, how would you escape?"
Hearing Mei's rare praise, Li Mo straightened his back and smiled proudly.
"I would awaken four ghosts, and then start a second playthrough."
"Hmm?"
MEI's expression was stunned. She had thought that Li Mo would give a more meticulous plan, but she had not expected him to use up a life right away. This made her very worried.
Although the more he died, the calmer he became, the chances for error were reduced each time, and there was no chance for replenishment in a short period of time.
"After all, you didn't say what I had on me, so I can only make the worst-case scenario and use one life to obtain as much information as possible. Knowing that the chances of surviving by struggling are slim, I might as well prepare for certain death. With unknown rules, struggling is actually useless. Once you know the rules, there's no need to struggle."
Li Mo did not shy away from telling the truth of the world in front of the passers-by.
"Indeed, rather than wasting a life in vain, it's better to make the best use of it. That's a good judgment," Mei nodded.
Survival is a human instinct. Even if one has more than one life, many people still cherish every chance to live.
But a pointless struggle is very likely to be the last bit of dirt that buries oneself.
NPC: Can you please respect me?
"Ahhh!"
A heart-wrenching scream came from the room not far ahead. The seven people fled from the room in a panic, their faces full of terror.
They rushed into another room, were scared, and then rushed into the last one with a fluke, their roars deafening.
Li Mo's side drove away the female ghost and watched her crawl on the ground and drill into the small path on the ground—
Li Mo: "What are we having for dinner tonight?"
Hua: "Hot pot?"
Mei: "Uh, Sister Hua, there doesn't seem to be any hot pot in Nagazora City, but there is oden."
MEI: "Whatever, anything is fine."
Elysia: "Let's go eat street food! I know a few stalls that are connected together, they're delicious~"
Li Mo: "At the entrance of St. Freya High School, where the beauties are like clouds, right?"
Elysia: "Huh? Little Mo, you actually peeked at my phone!"
Li Mo: "Would you believe me if I said I guessed?"
Pardo: "Mmm... I'm a bit sleepy, I want to go back to sleep."
Can: "Meow..."
Pardo: "Brother Mo, Can says it's sleepy too."
Pardo's eyes could barely open. She held Elysia's hand tighter. Can lay on Pardo's head, curled up into a ball, closed its eyes, and stopped meowing.
"Then let's go back. Elysia, you have to pay me for overtime. You're the one who brought us here." Li Mo was indignant. It was a hard-earned rest time, but he still had to work overtime.
What's the difference between this and a pilot going to an amusement park to ride a roller coaster with his family after work?
Elysia stuck out her pink tongue and said in a mischievous tone, "You know, I'm afraid of ghosts. I don't dare to go into a haunted house alone~ With you and MEI here, I can play boldly!"
"Checking in, right?" Li Mo sighed with some helplessness. Elysia had sworn to go to all kinds of places in the world to experience them.
Traveling around the world was also for this dream.
MEI's gaze shifted from the wall at the corner to the giggling Elysia. After a glance, she focused on the wall again.
Opening the mechanism on it, inside was a set of female ghost decorations, a wig, a white dress, a tongue prop, and an eyeball centipede toy...
It was no different from what she had guessed.
"Let's go back. Everyone is tired. Thank you for your kindness. As a reward, I will cook tonight."
As soon as MEI finished speaking, Li Mo's expression suddenly became horrified.
"What? Is there a problem? Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?" MEI looked at Li Mo, whose face was pale.
Li Mo muttered in a low voice, "It's more terrifying than seeing a ghost..."
"What did you say?" MEI asked.
"Nothing! I said good, I haven't eaten it for a long time. Elysia is back, so we have to let Elysia have a good taste! Elysia, you have to accept the food made by a beautiful girl with gratitude!"
"Uh... that, I suddenly remembered that a female friend of mine far away across the sea and I have an appointment to go to the top of the world. I'll see if there are any planes tonight... mmm!"
Li Mo forcefully pulled Elysia's arm, snatched her phone, narrowed his eyes, and smiled, repeating, "Elysia, you have to accept all the food made by a beautiful girl with gratitude! Or do you have some opinion of MEI?"
Elysia's forehead was covered in cold sweat. Don't you know if I have an opinion!?
MEI thought for a moment and took the initiative to suggest, "How about this, Li Mo, Hua, and Mei will go into the kitchen with me to cook. We'll put them in six plates respectively. Everyone can only choose one plate. If you choose one, you have to finish it, how about it?"
After she finished speaking, there was no response for a long time.
I'm so touched. She actually, actually only wants to harm one person!
What mercy!
Mei: "MEI-senpai, it's too little for everyone to eat only one dish. How about each of us makes a dish and then divides it equally into everyone's bowl?"
Everyone: "???"
I knew it! Mei, you really are a Bizarre with ulterior motives! You've shown your true colors!
How vicious!
"Is that okay?" MEI asked tentatively.
"No!" Li Mo and the others, who had witnessed the God-Slaying Cuisine, shouted emotionally.
Li Mo: "I just like to eat only one dish per meal! The unbalanced nutrition, the stimulation and pleasure brought by eating a single dish to the point of being tired of it is too fascinating for me!"
Elysia: "+1"
Pardo: "+1"
Hua: "+1"
Can: "Meow (+1)!"
Mei's pupils trembled, and her eyes couldn't help but show a look of surprise.
So, so everyone is like me... so self-disciplined, that's great.
The thought that everyone had more or less the same habit made Mei tremble all over, her eyes gradually becoming hazy.
Coming to this home was truly a very lucky thing.
"Moan...!" Thinking of this, Mei's hand became very restless. Fortunately, she came to her senses in time and didn't do any lewd actions.
And fortunately, there were no sharp weapons here that could cut open her stomach.
"Then... then let's do... as brother said...!"
---||---
After returning home.
Six plates of food covered with opaque lids were placed on the table. Except for MEI and Mei, the remaining four were facing a great enemy, sitting on pins and needles, with thorns on their backs...
"Elysia, you go first..."
"Ha, haha... Little Mo, you're usually the best to me. This time, I'll let you go first!"
"You're repaying kindness with enmity?"
"That's not right. Elysia's thoughtful reminder, Elysia never holds a grudge. Usually, she gets revenge on the spot."
Under the dining table, Elysia's round jiojio kicked Li Mo, her smile still bright.
"Is it that hard to choose?" Mei didn't understand. She casually chose a plate of food. After opening it, she only saw a plate of indescribable twisted objects inside.
Can food be made like this?
She didn't pay attention to MEI when she was cooking. It's hard to imagine that a human could make such a dish.
"Mei, my superman!" Li Mo shouted hysterically.
At this moment, Li Mo finally understood how much Mei didn't want him to die.
"Mei! My good sister, come to my room tonight. Elysia has prepared a special surprise for you~!" Elysia blew a kiss.
"Mei, I'll remember this favor. If you need any help in the future, just come to me. I will definitely not refuse anything within my ability," Hua said to Mei with a fist clasp, very respectfully.
"Sister Mei, I! Love! You! I'll give you half of my good luck. I hope you can live... ah no, no, how can I curse such a benevolent, kind, and radiant Sister Mei. Sister Mei, if you lose anything at home in the future, just come to me. I will definitely find it for you!"
Everyone's approval made Mei feel a little flattered.
Even brother was like this. Brother even said that she was his superman... so happy...
By the way, it shouldn't be too bad to eat, right?
Mei stared at the Cthulhu on the plate. The scorched black tentacles were covered with broken gaps. A few crooked hairs like earthworms were embedded in the flesh, revealing only half of the body.
The most unpretentious eggs, a few hideous openings like torn eyes, and dark liquid slowly flowed out from inside.
But Mei didn't pay too much attention. Even if it was bad, it couldn't be completely inedible, right?
It should just be that the appearance is relatively poor. The hair... uh, it shouldn't be animal hair that wasn't removed cleanly, but Sister Mei's hair, right?
Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, it's just eating a meal. How can you eat to death?
Mei pulled out the hair in the meat, picked up a piece of twice-cooked pork that was as shriveled as charcoal and put it in her mouth. After chewing lightly, her expression suddenly changed.
So, so bad...!
A raw, rotten taste stimulated her taste buds, like raw meat, dry, sticky, and not chewy at all.
The juice that burst out with every bite was like the stinky, green sewage in a gutter, choking her nose. After swallowing it into her throat and into her stomach, the stomach acid couldn't stop flowing back. The strong feeling of nausea and vomiting made her stomach churn.
"Mei..."
"My good Mei..."
"Mei..."
"Sister Mei..."
The four of them mourned for Mei.
However, the next second, Mei poured the food from the plate into her bowl and ate it ravenously. Her pale purple pupils gradually became dilated and more hazy.
This unparalleled pain made Mei feel extremely happy.
It was no longer limited to physical pain.
She could now experience, in the true sense, mental torture. It was clearly so bad to eat, but she couldn't help but eat it to experience a new round of torture. It was clearly so uncomfortable, like being strangled by the neck to the point of suffocation, but she couldn't control herself from doing it again.
Under the dumbfounded gazes of Li Mo and the others, the plate was swept clean. Mei looked at MEI, "Sister Mei, is there more? I want more."
MEI clenched her fists, "Of course there is. I'll go make some for you right now!"
With that, MEI stood up and walked towards the kitchen. Before leaving, she didn't forget to look back at Li Mo, "How about it? Do you want some too? I told you my cooking skills have improved a lot."
Li Mo shook his head desperately, "No, no need."
It would be fine if Mei couldn't eat it. If she couldn't eat it, it would mean she was relatively normal.
The key was that she finished it and wanted more. For Mei, who had the rule of gaining pleasure from self-torture, what MEI's cooking meant was self-evident.
However, MEI still made a dish for everyone and demanded that everyone finish it.
Li Mo was directly restarted.
That day, humanity finally remembered the fear of being dominated by the God-Slaying Cuisine—