Thriller Zone: From the Mental Hospital to the Ghostly World

slam-la-

The sound of pages turning gradually became clearer, and Chen Ji's consciousness slowly returned.

The unease about the changes in reality was all forcibly suppressed by Chen Ji during the darkness just now.

His eyes shot open.

I was sitting at a desk, facing a closed window with thick fog outside.

It's clear that the venue for this wedding banquet is much smaller than the last one, and it may have to be limited to indoors.

There was an open book on the table.

It seems to be a collection of stories.

Chen Ji glanced at the book, but instead of looking at the contents immediately, he got up and looked around at his surroundings.

This is a bedroom with warm lighting, nice decor, and a small bathroom.

Phil entered the domain with him, but not here.

The bedroom door was tightly closed. Chen Ji tried to push it, but couldn't open it.

Just then, his hand on the doorknob trembled slightly, followed by a faint thud...not too far away.

Someone in the next room is banging on the door.

He was so strong that the door to his bedroom resonated with it.

So, were the other entrants also locked in similar rooms?

Chen understood perfectly, and instead of trying to push the door open again, he quickly scanned the bedroom layout.

He quickly realized something was wrong. This place didn't look like a private residence; it was more like a hotel. The four-piece bedding set on the bed was plain white, and there were four bottles of mineral water on the desk.

Opening the cabinet, you'll find a four-piece bedding set for changing, as well as a bathrobe and towels.

But the handmade decorations on the table and the withered plants on the windowsill proved that this was not a hotel.

Is it a guesthouse?

And those who enter the domain are the guests?

The banging on the door in the next room gradually subsided, and Chen Ji returned to his desk, looking at the book of stories.

The windows were tightly closed, and there was no wind at all, yet the book was turned, and it happened to stop on a particular page.

It should be a guide.

Chen Ji looked closely and saw that it was a fable, "The Blind Men and the Elephant".

There was nothing unusual; it was just the story he had known since childhood:

Several blind men wanted to know what an elephant looked like, so they reached out and touched it.

A blind man who touched the ivory said the elephant looked like a radish, but the man who touched the leg said it looked like a pillar; the man who touched the tail thought it looked like a rope, but the man who touched the body thought it looked more like a wall.

Each blind person has their own interpretation, believing they are touching the whole elephant, unaware that they are only touching a part of its body.

Below the fable, there was a line of deep red text.

Recognize it, find it, restore it.

After Chen Ji finished reading it, the line of text gradually faded away.

"The blind men and the elephant" is a hint, and the red text is the task?

Chen Ji seemed to be deep in thought, so the hint was actually quite obvious.

It is most likely equivalent to the "elephant" in the fable.

Those who enter the realm are like blind men touching an elephant.

Three tasks were assigned in total. In other words, the tasks were to identify the "elephant," locate the "elephant," and finally...

reduction?

Is the goal to restore "its" complete appearance?

Chen Ji frowned. What exactly was "it"?

There are many possibilities. It could be a ghost, the background story of this realm, or just some kind of artifact.

Thinking of this, Chen Ji suddenly paused for a moment and realized that his thoughts just now were actually like "blind men touching an elephant"!

With no clues, we can only push forward step by step, guessing at the truth.

For example, he only knew that he and the other entrants were separated, but he didn't know why.

Squeak...

Squeak.....

A crackling sound broke Chen Ji's reverie.

The sound was coming from a small tape recorder next to the bed.

Without any warning, a muffled conversation broke out, the voices of a man and a woman.

It gradually became clearer.

[Conversation content:]

Man: Little E, what are you doing with your phone?

Woman: Check for hidden cameras.

Man: (Laughs) Oh dear, you're like this again. Why are you so suspicious? Besides, this guesthouse is ridiculously expensive, it's no worse than a five-star hotel, how could it possibly have a camera?

Man: It's finally a holiday, you can finally relax. Don't be so tense, okay?

Woman: I always feel hairy all over my body, like someone is spying on me.

Man: Don't overthink it.

squeak-

(Sound of skipping)

Woman: (Pushes open the door) A stench of roasted tobacco! My clothes are all wet—

Man: Hehe, I couldn't hold it in anymore. Don't be angry. Look at our room.

Woman: Wow, that's great! And there's even a pool hall downstairs!

Woman: Little F, my stomach hurts a little.

Man: The sushi we had for lunch seemed to have a bad taste; it might have gone bad.

Woman: I don't know how the others are doing, I'm going to the restroom.

Man: OK.

Chen Ji pressed pause.

The man in this conversation is named F, and the woman is named E. They are a couple.

They came to the "villa" to relax after their "vacation".

This is clearly a tampered-with pseudonym.

Meanwhile, Little E, being suspicious and cautious, sensed that something was watching her... Could this thing be "it" from the mission, the elephant?

Little F, on the other hand, was like the first cannon fodder to die in a horror movie, with a carefree personality, completely ignoring his girlfriend Little E's anxiety.

Did these two have lunch with "them"? Did "they" also stay at this guesthouse?

Press the play button.

[Recording continues]

Man: I'm going to take a nap.

Woman: OK.

Woman: (Footsteps)

(Sound of door opening)

(TikTok music)

Chen Ji was a little confused. The girl, Xiao E, had obviously gone to the bathroom, but why was her voice so clear? Did she carry a recorder with her?

Woman: (Stomach rumbling)

Woman: It's so annoying, I have to go eat at that Japanese restaurant!

(A moment of silence)

Woman: (To herself) Why is it so cold?

Chen Ji sat up straight and moved closer to the tape recorder.

After talking to herself, Little E stopped speaking, and the tape recorder only emitted a faint electrical sound.

suddenly......

He vaguely heard a muffled sound coming from the tape recorder.

It was as if someone had tapped the wood very quickly.

But Little E didn't seem to hear it.

She started humming a song.

A few seconds later...

(Thump!)

Woman: Oh my god, that scared me!

(Thump!)

Woman: Weren't you asleep?

(Thump!)

Woman: Stop knocking! I'm not finished yet! What's the rush?

(Thump!)

Little E suddenly stopped talking.

A faint snoring sound could be heard.

It's Little F snoring.

The snoring was far away.

(Thump!)

The thud was very close.

Chen Ji heard a strange buzzing sound coming from the tape recorder.

It took him a few seconds to realize that it was the sound of teeth chattering when a person is extremely scared.

Woman: (crying) Little F?

(Thump!)

Woman: Why... is the knocking coming from inside the bathroom?

Several painful groans were heard.

She then fell silent.

A silence.

A few minutes later...

(Sound of door opening)

(Continuous thumping sound)

(The bed creaks)

Man: (Confused)...Hmm?

Man: Honey? Why are your legs so cold?

(Thump!)

Chen Ji then leaned back. Little E should be dead, and the ghost that killed her has now come after Little F.

So that thumping sound is a sign that a ghost is appearing?

This sound is very common, much like the sound of barefoot residents walking down a poorly soundproofed building, creating a muffled effect.

The thumping continued, but the man, Little F, remained silent.

Chen waited patiently.

Suddenly, a new voice came out.

It was Little F's voice; he was saying...

"Little E, what are you doing with your phone?"

Boom!

The girl's voice followed immediately: "Check for hidden cameras."

Boom!

and many more.....

Chen Ji was stunned.

The recording ended a long time ago.

This is... a replay.

He was instantly terrified and stopped the recorder!

Silence fell over the room.

Then, he heard it again—

Boom!