Chapter 148 Ultimate Terror

More than an hour later.

Brother Qiao's last fan emerged from the "Haunted House Nightmare" project, his face pale as a ghost.

Looking at the resting area.

Master Ruan was flushed, chatting and laughing, and even wanted to go through it again.

The others were sprawled haphazardly on the chairs, some staring blankly at the ceiling, others with vacant eyes, as if they had lost their souls.

As for Qiao Liang... his face was deathly white, and he was popping chocolate candies into his mouth one by one.

A brother next to him, equally pale, weakly raised a hand to stop him. "Old Qiao, don't eat anymore, you'll get diabetes if you keep going..."

Qiao Liang paid no attention, seeming to lack even the strength to speak.

Everyone saw the last fan come out, staggering because his legs were weak.

Seeing each other's condition, even the dullest person realized one thing.

They had been royally screwed!

Clearly, the only reason the Qiao Laoshi fan squad had been completely wiped out was because a traitor had infiltrated them, leading them straight into the enemy's ambush!

How dare Master Ruan say he was timid? That he was scared?

Aside from all the screaming, when was he afraid!

Everyone had seen Ruan Guangjian screaming all the way and still successfully clearing the level, giving them the illusion that the project wasn't that terrifying.

Qiao Liang didn't make a sound after going in, further reinforcing this belief.

However, it was all an illusion!

It wasn't that Qiao Liang wasn't afraid, he was just terrified. He lay shivering in the bathtub, not daring to utter a word. When he got to the part under the bed, he was so scared that his legs went weak, and he couldn't get out on his own; the staff had to help him out.

After coming out, he was dizzy with fear, shoving chocolate candies into his mouth, his mind a blank.

Ruan Guangjian was puzzled. "Huh? Didn't anyone clear the level? Doesn't that mean no one can go to the next project with me?"

Everyone: "..."

Have some shame!

Especially Qiao Liang, who almost fainted from anger.

Boss Pei could tolerate this kind of person? He could be friends with him?

What a broad mind Boss Pei must have!

Ruan Guangjian's current state was like after an exam, with everyone else wailing, he came running over with his perfect score and asked, "Huh, these questions were pretty easy, how come no one passed?"

And he was being so sincere about it, which made it even more infuriating!

Of course, Qiao Liang was angry for other reasons as well.

He was puzzled, why was there such a big difference between people?

Why could this guy scream all the way and still clear the level, while he was so scared he had to be dragged out by the staff?

However, looking at Ruan Guangjian's infuriating "honor student expression," Qiao Liang suddenly had an idea.

You may not be afraid of "Haunted House Nightmare," but what about..."Ultimate Terror"?

The promotional page said that the scariness level of "Haunted House Nightmare" was "moderate," which was already so terrifying, so how scary would "Ultimate Terror" be, which was directly labeled "Don't Go"?

After playing so many of Boss Pei's games, the one thing Qiao Liang was most certain of was that you had to listen to Boss Pei's words in reverse for many things, but when Boss Pei said a game was difficult and abusive, you had to believe him!

You absolutely couldn't be stubborn, or you'd definitely get a lesson.

Thinking of this, Qiao Liang changed his expression. "Master Ruan is amazing! So unassuming! Now that you've got an entry pass for 'Ultimate Terror,' you're definitely going to experience it, right?"

Ruan Guangjian hesitated. "But, no one else got an entry pass, so no one can go with me."

"Or I can wait here for a while, and you can all go in again and get entry passes, and then we can go together..."

Qiao Liang quickly waved his hand. "No, no, no! There's really no need!"

"I'm not in good shape today, and I've been staying in Jingzhou these past few days, so I'll fight another day."

"More importantly, shouldn't you be striving to be the first person to clear 'Ultimate Terror'?"

Ruan Guangjian hesitated. "But, if I go by myself, I'll be very scared..."

Qiao Liang: "..."

Yeah right!

He says he's scared, screams louder than anyone else, but can still accurately remember all the steps and follow them perfectly? And comes out with a rosy complexion?

Qiao Liang chuckled. "It's okay, I believe you can do it! Let's go, we'll go with you and cheer you on!"

Ruan Guangjian was deeply moved. "Okay, since Brother Qiao trusts me so much, then I'll risk my life!"

Everyone left "Haunted House Nightmare," went around the Golden Maze, and headed towards "Ultimate Terror."

Stepping outside and being hit by the bright sunlight, the icy coldness in Qiao Liang's hands and feet finally began to subside.

At the same time, his empty brain was finally able to recall his previous experiences.

Qiao Liang realized that it wasn't that his group was too weak, but that "Haunted House Nightmare" was too scary!

Other haunted houses basically made the scene pitch black, occasionally making strange noises or popping something out to scare you, mainly relying on sudden, unknown fear.

But "Haunted House Nightmare" was completely different, it played more like a "conspiracy," it was psychological warfare!

The scene visibility wasn't low, and even all the things you had to do were explained in advance, so you could mentally rehearse what was going to happen next.

But this didn't help reduce the feeling of fear at all!

To make a not-so-appropriate analogy, a typical haunted house is like watching a horror movie, where suddenly popping up heads and a lot of blood give you a strong visual impact, scaring you quite a bit in a certain moment, but this fear gradually fades after watching the movie.

And "Haunted House Nightmare" is like you having just finished watching a horror movie, being forced to leave your house, coming to an unfamiliar place under the dim streetlights and faint moonlight.

There are no suddenly popping up scary things, and no ghostly wails, only silence. However, you will constantly look back, wanting to be sure that there is a mysterious shadow behind you, and the more you look back, the more flustered you become, and the more flustered you become, the more afraid you become, wanting to run away, but not daring to, and you can only completely collapse under this increasingly heavy psychological pressure.

As someone who liked to analyze things, Qiao Liang naturally came to these conclusions after calming down.

At the same time, he became even more certain of one thing.

Ruan Guangjian was too detestable!

To be able to persevere in such a terrifying place and still remember all the steps to clear the level, there was definitely something seriously wrong with this person!

Arriving at the entrance of "Ultimate Terror," Ruan Guangjian once again put on an "once I depart, I shall never return" expression.

"Brother Qiao, I'm going in!"

Qiao Liang wasn't fooled at all, and said hypocritically, "Okay, good luck, we'll all support you!"

After Ruan Guangjian showed the staff his entry pass and stepped into that dark entrance, the faces of the others, which had been tense all along, finally returned to normal.

Qiao Liang chuckled. "He dared to screw us over! With just a few words from Qiao Laoshi, I screwed him right back! How long do you guys think he can last in there?"

The fans looked at each other, their expressions varying.

"Don't underestimate him, he was screaming all the time before, but he still managed to persevere... I estimate he'll last at least ten minutes this time."

"I don't believe it! The difficulty of this level is labeled 'Don't Go,' which is a whole level scarier than the previous one, he can still come out unscathed? That's underestimating Boss Pei too much!"

"Come on, come on, actions speak louder than words, let's have a contest, whoever loses pays for dinner!"

The crowd stood at the entrance, and since they had nothing to do, they simply started a prize-winning contest.

Qiao Liang began to analyze. "Currently, the playtime of large haunted houses in the world is basically more than half an hour, any shorter and it's not worth the ticket price."

"I think this place is so big that the entire process will probably take about half an hour."

"So, let's guess how long it will take him to come out!"

"Under 20 minutes, or over 20 minutes, including clearing the level!"

The fans also put their minds to work, trying their best to analyze it so they wouldn't have to pay for dinner tonight.

"I choose to believe in Boss Pei, Boss Pei's 'Ultimate Terror' must be very terrifying, I guess under 20 minutes!"

"I also think it's under 20 minutes."

The fans had all unanimously chosen under 20 minutes.

Then, everyone looked at Qiao Liang, waiting for his prediction.

Qiao Liang pondered for a moment. "Of course I believe in Boss Pei, and I also believe that 'Ultimate Terror' must be very terrifying. But in my opinion, Ruan Guangjian cannot be judged by common sense."

"Everyone underestimated him before, which is why we learned such a big lesson and were wiped out in 'Haunted House Nightmare.'"

"This time, I guess he will last more than 20 minutes, and may even clear the level!"

Everyone took out their phones, watching the countdown while waiting for Ruan Guangjian to come out.

Ten minutes.

Fifteen minutes.

The later the time was pushed back, the more confident Qiao Liang became, and the way he looked at the others was more and more like he was looking at a group of meal tickets.

He had already lasted fifteen minutes, which meant that Ruan Guangjian had gradually adapted to the degree of terror inside.

A little more persistence, lasting over 20 minutes, wasn't that easy?

Looking at the increasingly anxious expressions of the "meal tickets," the corners of Qiao Liang's mouth couldn't help but curl up, staring at the countdown on his phone, just waiting for the moment when 20 minutes had passed to announce his victory.

However, just as the countdown reached 17 minutes, he heard the "meal tickets" let out a burst of cheers.

"He's out, he's out!"

"Not even twenty minutes!"

"Old Qiao is paying!"

?

Qiao Liang raised his head in disbelief, seeing Ruan Guangjian walking out, his face rosy and his pace unhurried.

Indeed, only seventeen minutes had passed!

Seeing that the "meal tickets" were about to start celebrating, Qiao Liang quickly shouted, "Hold on!"

"My previous option was over 20 minutes including clearing the level, if he cleared the level, then I still win!"

The fans were instantly stunned.

"Damn it? Old Qiao, you're cheating! Playing with words!"

"That's not fair, it was clearly under twenty minutes!"

Qiao Liang chuckled. "The number 20 minutes was originally estimated based on a full playthrough of more than 30 minutes, the bottom line is that you guessed he wouldn't complete the full playthrough, and I guessed he could."

"Now he's clearing it so quickly, obviously I, who was more optimistic about him, guessed right!"

The fans were speechless.

Qiao Liang was very proud, feeling that he was definitely accurate whether he was analyzing problems or judging people!

This Ruan Guangjian definitely couldn't be judged by common sense, looking at how steady his pace was and how rosy his complexion was, how could he look like he had been overly frightened inside? He had clearly cleared it too quickly!

These "meal tickets" wanted to fight with me? They were still too inexperienced!

One of the "meal tickets" went up to him. "Master! Did you really clear the level?"

Qiao Liang sneered inwardly, this was simply a last-ditch struggle! Unable to accept defeat!

Looking at Ruan Guangjian's expression, what was there to doubt?

However, Ruan Guangjian smiled slightly. "I didn't clear the level, I only completed half of it."

Qiao Liang: "??"

Amidst the ecstatic fans, was Qiao Laoshi, who was dumbfounded and bewildered.

"W-why?" Qiao Liang couldn't accept this fact.

Ruan Guangjian smiled and said, "Oh, I was actually planning to clear the level. But this project can actually be saved! Next time I come, I can continue playing from where I saved!"

"I felt that such a fun project was a bit of a waste to clear in one go, I want to save it and experience the most exciting parts next time."

Qiao Liang: "???"

What the hell do you mean save it!

You mean you're saving the good stuff so you don't have to eat it all at once, so you're hoarding it?

Am I supposed to praise you for being thrifty?

Qiao Liang's analysis was completely correct, but the result was wrong.

The fans' analysis was completely wrong, but the result was correct!

What kind of haunted house even has saves? It's obviously not a proper haunted house!

Qiao Liang didn't know whether to blame Boss Pei or Ruan Guangjian.

He only knew that his wallet was going to bleed heavily today...

A fan asked curiously, "Master, what's it like inside? Is it scary?"

Ruan Guangjian smiled and said, "It's a little scary, but it's very interesting! I really strongly recommend that everyone get a pass, you'll definitely have a completely different horror experience!"

Everyone returned a smile.

Yeah right!

He thinks the haunted house is so fun that he doesn't want to finish it in one go, and even wants to save it specially, is this still a person?

You have to listen to this guy's words in reverse!

Everyone had been skeptical, but after hearing what Ruan Guangjian said, they instantly made up their minds.

"Ultimate Terror" was definitely very terrifying, and ordinary people should never try to challenge it, otherwise the consequences would definitely be serious!

Ruan Guangjian looked at the unbelieving expressions on everyone's faces and said seriously, "I'm telling the truth! This difficulty is actually quite suitable for beginners to experience, and there are saves and safe houses every so often, so you can relax, it's very user-friendly!"

Qiao Liang's fans still had polite smiles on their faces. "No need!"

They all turned to look at Qiao Liang. "Old Qiao, we're fine, but as a professional up-loader, don't you really want to go in and experience it and make a video? We'll definitely give you a triple tap when you do!"

Qiao Liang said, "Yeah right," and remained unmoved.

Other people's fans just want the up-loader to cross-dress, my fans want me to die!

Ruan Guangjian expressed regret. "Ah, is that so, that's a pity."

"As far as I know, the last project in the haunted house may contain some of Boss Pei's philosophical thinking..."

"If you don't play this project, then analyzing the spirit that Boss Pei expresses in the game in the future will probably be incomplete."

Qiao Liang: "..."

It had to be said, Ruan Guangjian's words hit Qiao Liang's weak spot.

But... what if Ruan Guangjian was lying?

Looking at his smile with hidden daggers, that wasn't impossible!

Ruan Guangjian smiled and said silently in his heart, "Boss Pei, don't worry, I'll trick Qiao Laoshi in, so he'll make a new video to help you promote it!"