Volume 14 - CH 4

Chapter 4: Rosalyn Hall

Location: Atlantis Time: 11:00 AM

Good times always pass by so quickly.

Although I didn’t feel that continuously rushing back and forth in the kitchen was good, compared to the haunted house, it really was the best.

At eleven in the afternoon, everyone all gathered in the resting lounge.

Even though it was said to be a lounge, it was just a classroom given to the people who finished work.

“One, two, three, four, great, we’re all here.” After Chifuyu counted us and determined that no one ran away, he revealed a very satisfied smile that in my eyes looked demonic and devious.

I really want to say that I don’t want to go.

“Four tickets, I bought them all.” Pulling out four stamped tickets, Chifuyu waved at me, “It won’t do at all to leave one out.”

He was warning me, I know.

Wait a minute!

Weren’t you in front of the counter using the abacus just now? When did you get the time to buy tickets?

“Then let’s hurry to the haunted house.” Miao Miao excitedly said, as if there wasn’t anywhere else to go during this school festival except for the haunted house.

In fact, we didn’t necessarily have to go to the haunted house. For example, I received flyers from classmates with other shifts before. Hitting balloons or shooting darts are all pretty good leisure activities…

“Let’s go!”

No one actually waited for me!

“You guys plan to go there dressed like this?” I ran two steps before realizing that something was wrong, and hastily shouted at the other three’s footsteps.

We’re all still wearing the dim sum house’s uniforms!

Miao Miao turned her head and looked herself up and down for a while, “The uniform is cute and can be advertisement. Miao Miao will wear this.” She turned in a small circle and very happily said.

If you wear it, of course it’d be cute.

“Let’s go!”

Don’t forget to wait for me again!

Hurriedly catching up to those unscrupulous classmates who walked very fast, I followed behind Chifuyu and slowed down my pace.

The corridor was very lively, and if you subtract the classrooms that every class used as resting areas, nearly an entire row of classrooms have been converted to shop areas. At a glance, the whole corridor was almost full of crowds moving around.

This was the first time that I realized how great the people in our school are. From children to adults, the crowd had them all. The age distribution was very spread out, and there was even a night market scene of an old grandpa with a little girl.

“The adventure society’s event is about to begin. Dear boys and girls, are you ready to set out!” A person wearing a rabbit costume stood at a doorway, surrounded by a bunch of little imps. The rabbit shouted this and the little imps below him looked at him with a strange gaze.

“If you’re going to start, hurry up and start, so wordy!”

Black lines fell from the rabbit’s head on the spot.

Kids these days really aren’t cute, especially those from the school.

“Hey! Students.” Just as I withdrew my gaze, a short figure squeezed out of the crowd holding a black thing that should be cotton candy and ran toward us.

I recognized who it was. It was the librarian.

“Lily, you can move around freely today?” Chifuyu paused his steps and greeted the librarian.

“Yeah, there aren’t many people at the library today, so it’s fine if I just return before noon.” Lily shook her animal ears. On them were shiny accessories, which looked like they were probably bought in the classroom stores as well. The stores operated by the students this year had a lot of pretty good items. If you have time, you can look around too.

Seeing Lily, I instantly thought of something else: “Do you know someone named Lizzie Acker?”

Lily’s ear twitched a bit and she blinked while looking at me: “I know her, have you seen her?”

I took out the necklace Lizzie entrusted me with and gave it to her. Because I couldn’t say for sure when I would bump into Lily, I always carried it with me, “She wanted me to tell you that she’s still doing fine, that’s all.”

Taking the necklace, Lily lowered her head and looked at it for a long time, before silently putting the object away. Then she raised her head and had a cute smiling face again: “That’s good then, I’ve always been worried about her. It’s good like this.” She said happily, as if this news was great to her.

Also smiling along, I felt glad that I brought it with me.

“Thank you, if there’s anything you need help with, just tell me. I owe you a favor.” Lily told me, abnormally happy.

“Nn.”

Afterwards, the time-restricted librarian held the cotton candy and said goodbye to us again after more or less greeting us, quickly springing back into the crowd of people in the corridor and vanishing.

At the same time that we were about to continue ahead, a chaotic commotion and scream immediately drifted over.

“Move aside, move aside! Don’t block the road!”

The figures of the medical team appeared in front of a classroom.

They pulled out half a corpse from that classroom.

I raised my head and saw a large sign hanging on that classroom, which said: Haunted House.

Now, I suddenly really wanted to go home.

I felt a suspicious aura from that haunted house just by standing from afar like this.

“Yang Yang, let’s hurry, we’re already there.” Miao Miao pulled my hand and kept walking forward.

I don’t want to go!

The outer wall of the three classrooms that were said to be opened into one was completely nailed up with wooden boards. It looked very similar to a wooden house about to collapse. The wooden boards also had moisture and black dirty marks that appeared very realistic. It felt as if they really did tear off the house’s wooden boards and nail them outside. Even spiderwebs and strange bugs crawling back and forth appeared on one corner of the boards.

Based on convention, the front door has an entrance and the back door should have a door that is the exit but is closed.

A woman stood at the entrance, an older sister who was dressed somewhat like a streetwalker. With thick makeup plus a tobacco pipe, a super short skirt and large curls, there was a very abrupt sense of incompatibility with the outer wall.

There was a line of people in front of the haunted house, probably several dozens or so; however, they weren’t lined up at the entrance, but rather, at the ticket gate that was more to the side. A person dressed like a tramp sat there, stamping the tickets.

The entrance was completely black when you looked through it. Whatever was inside couldn’t be seen at all.

“Okay, let’s go right in.” Chifuyu straightforwardly walked ahead with the tickets.

I hastily grabbed the back of Chifuyu’s collar, “We’re not going to first observe for a while before deciding?” That entrance is weird!

Chifuyu turned and rolled his eyes at me, pulling his collar back, “Stretching your head out is a knife and shrinking back is also a knife.* What’s there to be afraid of?”

[T/N: Both are risky options]

Everything about it is very terrifying!

“Yes, at any rate, we’ll know once we go in.” Ryan abruptly spoke and gave us a fright. Turns out he was still beside us.

Right before we were pulling and pushing, a group of people who finished buying the tickets were already walking up to the entrance, giving their tickets to the big sister and going inside.

The big sister took the tickets and put them on her pipe. In less than a second, the tickets all ignited, then became gray crumbs and disappeared.

That group of people was quickly engulfed by darkness after entering, and a tremendous sound came from the entire haunted house in just a short few seconds, as if something heavy crashed into the ground with great force. The sound echoed throughout the whole corridor, causing the visitors to temporarily become quiet.

“Move aside, move aside! Don’t block the road!”

The figures that suddenly emerged from the entrance were the familiar medical team, a two-person group, both dragging half a corpse as they ran out. A teleportation array quickly appeared beneath their feet and they disappeared just like this.

I took a step back.

Then another step.

Are you sure you really want to play there!?

I lowered my head and saw that the floor of the entrance was full of black suspicious marks. The blood of the corpse just now covered half of the black stains.

Don’t tell me what those stain are! I don’t want to know at all!

Raising my head, what I saw was actually Chifuyu’s excited itching-to-try expression as he waited for us.

Have mercy on me…

“Come on, let’s charge toward the haunted house!” Miao Miao grabbed my hand and rushed toward the entrance.

No———!

“My stomach suddenly hurts, you guys go play first!”

Chifuyu pushed his glasses as he looked at me, “Yang Yang, could it be you’re scared of ghosts?” His glasses emitted an eerie glow.

Yes! That’s right!

“I’m scared of ghosts…” This moment of life and death definitely can’t be like the guys in the soap operas who insist on slapping their faces to toughen themselves up and say that they’re not afraid; they’re the ones who become unlucky, “So you guys go have fun…” I admit that I don’t have any guts. Let me go just this once, dear sirs.

“Yang Yang, that won’t do, if you’re scared of ghosts, the future missions will be very difficult.” Miao Miao blinked her big eyes like an angel as she looked at me.

My future is full of civil servant paths. I won’t have to deal with ghosts, thank you.

“And also, didn’t you face off against the Ghost Tribe last time? What’s there to be afraid of here?” Chifuyu pushed his glasses and continued to emit bright light, reasoning logically as he looked at me.

That Ghost and this ghost aren’t the same!

“Enough nonsense, go.” Ryan, whose presence was almost forgotten again, grabbed my collar and dragged me forward.

Save me!

The big sister holding the tobacco pipe descended in front of us like a death god.

“Four people.” Chifuyu gave the tickets to her.

The big sister glanced at us, her gaze pausing on me, “Hey…Aren’t you that guide’s student?” She has good eyesight, immediately recognizing me, “I’ve seen you come to our classroom a couple of times.” The big sister let out a breath and black smoke came out of her mouth, which looked a bit horrifying.

“Nn, yeah…” It’s rare for a passerby A like me to actually have people who recognize me.

Burning the four tickets like before, the big sister stared at me while holding a cigarette, “On account of you being my classmate’s friend, I’ll kindly warn you about something; after you go in, you must first crouch down, or else you won’t be able to play anymore.”

My eyelid twitched completely. Why do we have to crouch first after going in?!

“Thank you for your warning.” Chifuyu politely thanked her.

And so, the big sister let us pass, “Welcome to our haunted house. I hope you all enjoy yourselves.”

It all became a forgone conclusion; there wasn’t even an interval for me to have some time to escape.

“Let’s go in.” Ryan gave me a push, and I staggered a step forward, stepping into the haunted house.

The surroundings immediately darkened, just like a change in space. The light from the entrance just now vanished at once.

I reached out and couldn’t see my hand.

I heard the sound of wind.

“Yang Yang! Hurry up and crouch down!”

Someone suddenly knocked me down from behind, and my whole face crashed down into the floor. For a second, my mind couldn’t think.

My eyes were completely blurry and black, and then my heart was filled with dirty words.

It hurts!

The whistling-wind sound abruptly blew past above my head, and then it became a familiar tremendous sound that also appeared before. With a boom, my entire ears were shocked till they tingled.

I felt the floor against my face shaking.

What was that?

A tiny sound rang out, and I saw a small shiny orb appear from the side. Reflected on it was Miao Miao’s face, “Did anything happen to you? The haunted house prohibits the use of full light inside, so we’ll have to make do with a dim light first.”

Even prohibits full light.

I felt that there wasn’t any difference even with a full light. There probably won’t be any less terrifying parts anyway.

Turning my head, Chifuyu, who knocked me down before, had just stood up, “So dangerous, good thing that senior gave us advice just now, otherwise there wouldn’t be any need for us to play anymore.” He reached out to pull me up from the ground.

It was only after I stood up that I saw something horrifying.

Using Miao Miao’s dim light, I saw a huge decapitating scythe pierced into the other wall at the other end of the darkness. The wall even had fresh bloodstains, which were clearly left by that group of people just now.

I finally understood why that big sister told us to crouch down as soon as we went in.

If we didn’t crouch down, there wouldn’t be any need for us to crouch down again.

“This is a real blade.” Standing nearby to examine the scythe, Ryan said the above nonsense.

Otherwise, you really think Senior and the others would be so kind as to use fake blades? Don’t be foolish, dear classmate!

Just when the surroundings fell into silence, the room lit up faintly with a dark red glow. It wasn’t that type of big bright light, but a weak little light where you could manage to see a passageway and a bit of decorations.

Speaking of which, if anyone has gone to a haunted house before, this type of light shouldn’t be unfamiliar to you.

Miao Miao extinguished the light orb in her hand.

Then, what appeared before us was the first floor of an abandoned old house. It felt like a traditional Japanese house. We stood in front of its entrance hall, and all around us were dilapidated wooden walls and beams like outside. The hall decoration closest to us was a wooden cabinet. You could tell that it’s already been unused for a long time. A thick layer of dust accumulated on its surface, and tiny unknown black insects crawled over its edges.

I turned my head and saw that a door had appeared behind us from where we entered. On it was an unidentified family crest.

“The yin energy is very heavy here.” Ryan looked around at the surroundings like I did before saying this.

Dude, please don’t tell me that there’s yin energy here again…

Please let me walk through this entire course in ignorance.

I rubbed the goosebumps that appeared all over me, not really keen on continuing forward.

[Welcome to Rosalyn Hall.]

“Waah!”

A voice suddenly drifted out and scared me half to death. Beside me, Miao Miao grabbed and hid behind me.

A shadowy foot appeared behind us at some point. The shadow slowly emerged into a shape on the door. It looked like a woman, but I couldn’t make out the face, [This is our once-ancient residence, but during one of our happiest moments, we were massacred. Guests who came from afar, please find the secret within the house, otherwise, don’t even think about leaving here.]

Saying that, the human model began to slowly fade away.

“Wait! What’s the clue!” Chifuyu was a step faster as he reached out to grab that woman, but it was like he touched air, his hand actually passed right through her.

[My beloved, why must you be so heartless….]

The woman only left this strange sentence and disappeared.

The surroundings became quiet again.

We exchanged glances with each other, “Could it be a crime of passion…” Miao Miao was the first to speak.

“No, I remember the Rosalyn Hall incident wasn’t a crime of passion.” Pushing his glasses, Chifuyu began to turn his brain.

“There was a case like this in history, which should be something that happened a hundred years ago. At that time, the East had an aristocratic house, Rosalyn Manor. The master of the manor was the then very reputable aristocrat Rosalyn. He had a bold and generous way of doing things and had a great influence on the government at the time. But one night, an intruder broke in, killing a total of seventy-nine lives together with the masters and servants in the entire manor. Not even a single survivor was left. To this day, this suspended case still hasn’t been solved.”

Which means that this haunted house is based on actual people and event?

I think my goosebumps became even more exuberant.

“This should be the haunted house’s selling point theme, right? We’ll know if we hurry and walk through it.” Strangely enough, I remember that Senior was an ancient battlefield ghost? Why did it change to Rosalyn Manor?

Could it be that their haunted house has more than one theme?

Just as I wanted to take the first step to quickly get it over with, I realized that the other three were all looking at me.

“Wha, what’s wrong?” I froze for a moment. What’s wrong with you guys?

“Yang Yang.” Chifuyu put his hand on my shoulder, “We must first solve this mystery to continue forward.” He told me in a grave tone.

“Normally when they say ‘don’t even think about leaving before you solve the mystery,’ it means that if we don’t solve it, we really won’t be able to leave.”

…I’m not playing anymore!

The surrounding atmosphere was very weird, weird to the highest extent.

“Were there any clues about Rosalyn Hall at the time?” Miao Miao’s voice drifted over from the side.

I took a step forward, and the wooden floor issued a creaming noise, as if it would collapse at any time and also as if the sound didn’t come from below and came from something else instead. My whole body was almost filled with goosebumps.

Is this really a fake haunted house they constructed?

Why doesn’t it look anything like a fake!?

“Nn…I remember I seem to have seen some of the record files. Although the Rosalyn Hall of that time had support from many high-level positions, after the murders occurred, there was something rather strange.” Chifuyu tilted his head and thought for a while before saying, “At that time, when the bodies were counted, there were clearly seventy-nine bodies. When they were brought to a plaza to be all burned, there were also seventy-nine, without a doubt. However, after the bonfire died and the government official was going to gather up the skeletons, he was stunned to find that there were only seventy-eight skeletons.”

Please, you guys…can you not tell ghost stories in a haunted house?

I felt my whole body shivering and I had a I-don’t-want-to-continue-going-in feeling.

Wait, why would there be one less body?

“Couldn’t they have gotten mixed up when they were put together and burned..” I held onto a sliver of hope as I asked, and then walked close behind Ryan. The three of them seem completely unafraid of this haunted house.

“Impossible, based on what the data showed, because of how important the Rosalyn Hall murder case, all the bodies were burned and picked up separately. But only the master’s didn’t leave anything after being incinerated.” Chifuyu abruptly turned his head and pushed his glasses.

“Is, is that so?” I swallowed, dripping cold sweat.

“Usually when this situation appears, it only means one thing.” Walking at the front, Ryan gave me a glance and continued to say: “Rosalyn Hall’s master wasn’t human.”

Aih? Not human? Then what was he?

“I think so too. He should have been a transmogrified monster or another race. After encountering the fire, his form disappeared and became dust, which was why his bones weren’t found.” Stepping on the floor that made strange sounds, Chifuyu said very calmly.

Turns out he was a monster…

This shouldn’t be a ghostly haunted house, right?

“Aih…But if it was a monster that died, its spirit will be difficult to get rid of.” Miao Miao frowned slightly, once again issuing words that made even more goosebumps appear all over me.

When monsters die, don’t they just turn to dust!? Why does it have to be even more difficult to deal with than a ghost!?

They chatted while we slowly passed through the entrance hall. The first room to appear before us was on the left.

There was a half-broken paper sliding door, but the paste paper on the sliding door was long gone, leaving only the wooden frame hanging loosely above.

It was a huge room. One of the walls similarly had a broken sliding door, and the other two sides were real walls. On them were gray dust and unknown black traces. A few nail-like marks hung on them, but they were so worn down that I almost couldn’t tell what they were.

The room was dark and only had a light like the one in the corridor, which was such a dark red that you almost couldn’t see the ceiling.

The second we all stepped into the room, a swaying blue flame abruptly ignited in the already-dilapidated lantern holder at the corner.

“Ah——!” I immediately grabbed Ryan, who was in front of me, and took a step back.

Come on, since you guys are monsters, just come out the way a monster would, alright; I dislike ghosts, I hate ghosts! I don’t want this exact scene of being cursed by a ghost!

“That’s just a light.” Ryan spoke classic nonsense.

Of course I know that’s a light, but that light is glowing too unnaturally, didn’t you notice!?

“Yang Yang, didn’t you go on many similar missions with monsters and ghosts before? You should be used to it.” Chifuyu glanced at me and said.

“Those can be seen…” It’s not scary if you know what it is, but the problem is that we don’t even know what this is, okay!?

“Aren’t they all the same?”

“Not the same at all.” Don’t mention me in the same breath as you not-normal guys.

The blue light made the room brighter, but it looked particularly strange when mixed together with the earlier red color, as if something would run out between the two colors’ interlacement.

Chifuyu walked to the center of the room and looked around, “There’s nothing here.” He looked into a room on the other side. The room further inside lit up with a blue flame at almost the same moment, as if something was opening the way for us, “But it looks like we’ll probably find some things if we look harder.” He pushed his glasses, instantly upgrading this from a ghost film to a legendary detective film.

Ryan took a step forward and I followed a step behind him.

This place is so terrifying; it’s like something is going to appear if you don’t pay attention.

Just as I was thinking this, a subtle “kacha” noise directly drifted out by my feet, and a cool substance was stuck to my pants.

. . .

At a time like this, looking down means losing…

“Yang Yang, your feet…” Miao Miao pointed at me, her big eyes looking down.

Everyone turned their heads to look at me.

A half second later, I lost, because I looked down.

A skeletal hand had broken through the decaying wooden floor, and grabbed my foot.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh—!”

This place is haunted!