Chapter 1 A Host's Trick

We sometimes see a trick played by hosts on quiz shows. For example, there are three panels on stage, and the host tells the contestant that behind one of the panels is a brand-new car, while the other two are empty. Then, he asks the contestant to choose one to open.

The contestant chooses the first panel. At this point, the host, who knows which panel hides the car, goes to the third panel, opens it, and finds nothing behind it. Then, the host walks over to the contestant and says, "Do you still want to choose the first panel? Would you like to change your choice?"

Most people would not change their choice, simply because of stubbornness or fear, believing that the host is using reverse psychology to trick them into falling into a trap. But in reality, regardless of where the car is, putting aside emotional factors, based on statistics, and making a choice based on the change in variance, one should change to the second panel.

Feng Bujue didn't enter the first door after careful consideration. Whether what he saw before was himself after a spatial-temporal overlap or a mere illusion, whether it was a form of interference or a hint, choosing to enter another corridor didn't decrease the possibility of finding a potion, while the probability of encountering danger, or "choosing wrong," was lower than entering the first door.

Exploring other paths first could also serve as corroboration for what happened on the first path. After collecting more script information, perhaps he could explain that scene more accurately.

Tap, tap, tap… Extremely rapid footsteps.

After entering the third door, Feng Bujue started running down the corridor. He ran very fast, his figure like a purple leopard, darting through the corridor. He knew that he couldn't waste any more time in these monotonous corridors.

The first twenty-three minutes were almost up, and he hadn't found a single potion yet. Even after finding a potion, he would probably have to spend time solving several chainsaw door games. Those games were invigorating, refreshing, and good for the body. If played in reality, besides causing permanent disabilities and psychological trauma, there was a high probability of death. But in Thriller Paradise, taking the current script as an example, playing poorly would result in a significant loss of survival points or time; and at worst, he would have to offer up his Contra Medal.

The [Jazz Dance] skill hadn't been blown in the last script, which was fortunate for Feng Bujue. This divine effect, which both increased running speed and reduced stamina consumption, could help him buy a lot of time right now.

"Huh?" As Feng Bujue ran, he saw a door suddenly appear on the side of the corridor ahead, a wooden door that looked quite old.

This was in the middle of the corridor. He didn't know how long the road ahead was, but the existence of a room in this corridor was quite unexpected. He had thought these monotonous corridors were just channels to consume players' time, connecting different FLAG locations. He didn't expect there would be some setups halfway through.

Feng Bujue stopped in front of the door without hesitation and reached out to pull the doorknob. He definitely had to go in. What if there was a potion inside? No one said that potions had to be at the end of the corridor. Besides, whether the corridor had an end, and whether there was a potion at the end, were both questionable. Just like what would pop up behind the door in front of him, everything was unknown.

The door was opened, very quietly, without the creaking sound of wood that Feng Bujue had imagined. The room inside was dark. The corridor lights were swallowed by the darkness at the entrance. Feng Bujue didn't rush in. He took out his flashlight and shone it inside to see the internal situation first.

This was an empty little room, without any furniture. Some empty cardboard boxes and large baskets were piled up in the corner. There was even a window in the room, but it was tightly sealed with an iron plate. There were no other doors in the room, and no carpet on the floor. The floor was different from the corridor outside, looking very old and uneven, with some mottled marks, seemingly caused by insect damage.

It was still hard to say what clues or items were hidden in this room, but one thing was certain: there was no one inside, nor were there any places for people to hide.

Feng Bujue observed for a dozen seconds and then stepped inside.

When both of his feet crossed the threshold and his entire body was in the small room, a strong chill seized him. The feeling was like standing in the snow in winter wearing only a thin shirt. The coldness was so real that it was definitely not caused by any psychological factors.

"Whoa... What's with the AC? One step outside the door and it's still room temperature..." Feng Bujue, who wasn't afraid anyway, still muttered to himself casually.

He raised the flashlight, intending to look around the corners to see the blind spots that couldn't be seen from outside. At this moment, the door behind him moved on its own, closing as quietly as it had opened...

"Closing again?" Feng Bujue seemed a little impatient with this situation of being locked up after entering a confined space. He turned around, grabbed the doorknob, and turned it hard, trying to open the door.

The result... he really failed.

After the door was closed, Feng Bujue was trapped, and the chill in the room intensified. Feng Bujue couldn't force the door open, and he ended up panting. The flashlight illuminated the puffs of white air he exhaled from his mouth.

"Okay, okay... This is a time-wasting trap. I have to solve a puzzle to get out, right?" Feng Bujue shook his head, quickly turned around, and started a carpet search of the room, quite helplessly.

He looked at the four corners, all normal, with nothing there. Then he walked towards the old cardboard boxes and empty baskets in the corner. At this moment, Feng Bujue suddenly felt something...

He realized that a pair of eyes was staring at him from above.

Feng Bujue slowly raised his head, while also moving the flashlight's beam upwards, and then he saw... In the center of the ceiling, there was a dark shadow formed by air floating. Its shape wasn't very clear, looking like a human shadow. Its body was close to the ceiling, as if it could isolate or swallow light. When the flashlight's light shone on it, the light ring was separated around its body.

Feng Bujue stared calmly at this guy, and it looked down at Feng Bujue. This strange atmosphere didn't last long before the shadow gradually faded and disappeared...

Unexpectedly, about three seconds after it completely disappeared, suddenly, two beams of ghostly blue light shot down from above, precisely from where the shadow's eyes had been.

Any normal person standing here would be startled, but Feng Bujue just stood there without moving, not even twitching, and said weakly, "You startled me... You're quite lively..."

At this moment, the shadow pounced down from above. Feng Bujue quickly took a step back, easily dodging, and took out the [One Hit Kill Pistol], pointing it at the other party and saying, "What do you want to do?"

The shadow gradually changed from a state of nothingness to a clear and real form. It became a black humanoid creature, looking like one of those murderers who were caught by Conan, except this guy's eyes were blue, and there was a strange wrinkle on his body. Blood-like liquid could be faintly seen flowing in the wrinkles, as if this guy's blood vessels were on the outside of his body and were transparent.

"Can you tell ghost stories?" the shadow said, its voice like a middle-aged man.

"You... Hahahaha..." Feng Bujue didn't know what was wrong with him. He suddenly found this scene extremely funny, and this sentence especially hit his funny bone. After about ten seconds, he barely controlled his emotions and said, "I'm warning you, I'm in a hurry."

"Tell a ghost story," the shadow said again.

Feng Bujue put down the gun. It wasn't that he was worried that the One Hit Kill Pistol couldn't kill this guy, but he was worried that killing this guy might cause him to be trapped in this room. "If I tell one... is there any benefit?" he asked.

Despite being a seemingly simple and casual question, Feng Bujue considered it very carefully. He didn't ask, "If I tell one, will you let me out?" but asked, "Is there any benefit?" so that the other party's answer would have more possibilities. If the FLAG of this room was to tell a story and then open the door, then any question would be the same. But if there were other benefits besides leaving after telling a ghost story, then Feng Bujue's question could find out all the rewards in advance.

"If you can scare me, I'll let you out," the shadow replied.

"Wouldn't it be easier to shoot you and then leave?" Feng Bujue didn't raise his gun. He was just testing with words.

"Hmm..." The shadow was actually considering. "Okay, if the story you tell scares me, I'll not only let you out, but I'll also send you directly to the 'prison cell' at the end of this corridor. You were running towards there just now, right? That road is very long."

Hearing this, Feng Bujue understood everything. Dealing with it with a gun would also allow him to leave, but the time wasted here wouldn't come back. But telling a story... although it would take a few more minutes, it would allow him to directly reach the end of the corridor. Maybe it would save some time. Who knew how long the second half of the corridor was...

"Okay, I'll tell one." Feng Bujue seemed to be familiar with this kind of thing. He used the flashlight to shine on his face from below, using a gloomy tone and a deep voice, "Once upon a time, there was a taxi driver..."

Seeing this, I think everyone should understand why Feng Bujue is forbidden from being around children...

"...He often had to work very late. One day, when he was passing a relatively unfamiliar road, he saw a woman in white waving at him ahead..." Feng Bujue chose a story that wasn't too long. Although with his storytelling skills, he could tell a one-hour monologue, or even conceive a short horror novel and narrate it orally, he naturally wanted to keep the length as short as possible at this moment. "The driver didn't think much and stopped the car.

The woman opened the back door and got into the car. Her weight seemed very light. When she got into the car, the driver didn't feel any change in the car. The driver asked her, 'Where are you going?' while moving his gaze to the rearview mirror..."