Welcome to the Bizarre Games

Chapter 458 Haunted
"In short, that's it. The reason I've gathered you all here is to save my daughter."

moment.

In the reception room, everyone, including Li Sanli, was asked to leave, leaving only a few professionals sitting around the table, while the middle-aged man—also a wealthy man named Lin Chen—was speaking slowly.

“My wife passed away early, and I’ve been busy with work, so I’ve neglected to discipline my daughter, which has led to her being quite rebellious all along.”

Lin Chen's words were somewhat rambling, but they were clearly filled with nostalgia.

"I didn't know how to get along with her, so I tried my best to meet her needs and not interfere in her life. As a result, she ended up hanging out with a bunch of shady characters."

The gazes of the group all turned meaningfully to Zhou You.

As one of the 'neither fish nor fowl'—though he had never met the girl Lin Huan—he still politely interrupted.

"Brother Lin, time is of the essence, let's get straight to the point."

Lin Chen was taken aback, but quickly gave a wry smile.

"Sorry, I always tend to ramble on when it comes to my daughter. So let's get down to business, young man."

Upon hearing this, everyone else immediately sat up straight.

Lin Chen then gave a detailed explanation.

"—Speaking of the mass suicide of college students a few days ago, you should all know about it, right? That was a club that specialized in talking about gods and ghosts, and my daughter was one of them."

"About three months ago, this club was going to investigate an ancient temple. My daughter had mentioned it to me before, but because they said the temple was near the university and the country's security was pretty good, plus I was busy with a business at the time, I didn't pay much attention to it. I just told her to be careful and not to have any accidents."

Lin Chen paused at this point.

At this moment, his face showed only deep regret.

"When we first came back, there was nothing wrong. My daughter was the same as always. When she called me, she was excited about going to some comic convention. But soon, something was wrong."

This time, it was the man in the Zhongshan suit who spoke.

"—Was that the first person to die by suicide?"

“That’s right, back then,” Lin Chen’s words trailed off again. He coughed twice, seemingly unwell, and then said, “Excuse me, I haven’t slept well for several days. If you all don’t mind, could I have a smoke first?”

The question was asked, but he did not seek any answer. Instead, he took the cigarette case handed to him by his secretary, took out a cigarette, lit it, and exhaled.

Amidst the swirling smoke rings, his spirits lifted somewhat, and he continued speaking.

"The first one to die was their gang leader—it's said online that he hanged himself, but I have some connections with the police. According to the files, he didn't actually hang himself at all. Instead, he was covered in animal-attracting drugs, given a sedative injection, and then hung himself on a tree, where he was torn apart by wild animals while still alive."

It was a rather bizarre and perverse way of dying, but everyone else seemed to take it for granted and just listened quietly. Only Mr. Wen, who called himself a member of the Taoist Council, froze for a moment and then became somewhat restless.

Lin Chen didn't notice him and continued speaking calmly.

"The second one did indeed die by jumping off a building, but according to the police's autopsy results, he first drank a full half liter of concentrated sulfuric acid before jumping, and endured it for a while until he lost consciousness before jumping off."

This time, even the man in the Zhongshan suit and the Taoist priest looked rather grim.

Only Zhou You and the monk remained seated, their smiles unchanged.

"—Of course, I didn't know any of this at first. I only knew that someone had committed suicide at Huan'er's school. It was my fault. If I had paid more attention to him, things wouldn't have come to this."

Lin Chen sighed, then continued.

"After the second person died, Huan'er seemed a bit off. I initially thought she was too frightened and wanted her to take a break from school to recover, but soon she told me that she could see ghosts."

At this moment, the Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain frowned and interrupted.

"Has he opened his ability to see ghosts?"

Not only him, but even Zhou You, all thought of this possibility first.

Although we live in the degenerate age, there are still some ghosts and monsters, but they are usually of very low rank—even little female ghosts are rare these days—and ordinary people can't see or touch them, so they are naturally not affected.

However, there are always some exceptions. Perhaps it is due to an accident, or perhaps it is simply because they have this talent that they have developed the ability to see ghosts.

In layman's terms, that means being able to see ghosts.

However, Lin Chen shook his head.

“I consulted several people before this, including a master who came from Hong Kong, but no matter who it was, they all said that my daughter did not have the ability to see ghosts—and that the ghosts she claimed to see never existed at all.”

This time, everyone fell silent.

After a long pause, Zhou You suddenly spoke.

"May I ask if this lady could come out so we can have a look at her?"

It was a very reasonable request, but what Lin Chen said next surprised everyone.

"I'm sorry, no, that won't work."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Wen from the Taoist Association was immediately taken aback.

".Why?"

"As I just mentioned, I've hired several people to treat my daughter. Some of them do have some skill; even if they can't completely cure her, they can at least suppress the symptoms. But the others are pure frauds. After being treated by them, my daughter's condition not only didn't improve, but it worsened. So..."

Lin Chen suddenly raised his head.

Although his face still looked tired and his voice was still polite, for some reason, Mr. Wen felt a chill run down his spine and swallowed all his words.

However, the man from Longhu Mountain suddenly spoke up for him.

His voice was extremely cold, as if he already knew what Lin Chen meant.

"It seems Mr. Lin doesn't trust us. Well then, if you don't believe me, I'll take my leave."

Having said that, he straightened his Taoist robe and was about to call the boy outside the door to leave cleanly and neatly.

however.

Lin Chen gently tapped the table.

However, the words were not a plea to stay, but rather a plain statement.

"As you all know, I, Lin Chen, only have one daughter. I have worked hard all these years to build this family fortune, hoping that she can live a better life in the future. If she passes away, then all this money I left behind will be of no use."

He took a deep breath, pulled out a few blank checks, and threw them on the table.

"As long as it's within my means, you can fill in any number you like."

"I will pay no matter what."

When Zhou You walked out of the reception room, he immediately saw Li Sanli waiting anxiously.

Upon seeing Zhou You come out, he eagerly approached him.

"Hey Lao Zhou, have you figured out a method yet?"

"What method?"

Li Sanli stomped his foot angrily.

"A clever way to escape!"

This time, it was Zhou You who looked at him in astonishment.

"You were so enthusiastic before, you even drove for days and nights to bring me here to pick up this job, why are you suddenly not going to do it anymore?" "That's not..."

Li Sanli looked around and then lowered his voice.

"I originally thought it was just a small job exorcising ghosts, who would have thought it would be such a big deal? Just by looking at this, it must be at least a fierce ghost."

Zhou You nodded slightly.

Li Sanli is right.

Generally speaking, ordinary people's homes rarely attract any vengeful spirits or evil ghosts, since they are usually busy with daily necessities and have no chance of encountering anything powerful. But it's different for wealthy merchants.

How do you say that?

Anyone who's built up this kind of wealth must have some dirty tricks up their sleeve.
Li Sanli was still rambling on and on.

"Old Zhou, that haunted table last time gave us a real run of trouble. What if this one really is haunted? Maybe we should go back first. You're the only son left in the Zhou family. I can't bear the responsibility if something happens to you."

However, Zhou You smiled and shook his head.

"Li Da Nao, I could have left if it were just now, but I'm afraid I can't now."

"Why? This is a society governed by law. You can't force a cow to drink water if it doesn't want to. Wait a minute, I'm calling 110 right now."

However, Zhou You gently pressed his phone button and then waved the blank check in his hand.

"The reason is simple: I've already taken the job."

Let's go back to the beginning.

Lin Chen's meaning was very simple.

It's just a matter of letting them stay here for one night. Those who haven't given up and are still willing to work, we'll go and negotiate with them.

It seems simple. It's not the coldest time of year, and Lin Chen's villa is fully equipped with everything. You could stay for two months without any problem, let alone one night.

but
Watching the security guards and servants hurriedly leave, and Lin Chen slowly retreating with a look of pity on his face, everyone felt a little uneasy.

—It felt like being a sacrifice thrown into a pit.
At this point, even a fool would sense that something was wrong.

The one from Longhu Mountain directed the young Taoists to paste talismans inside and out. The one in the Zhongshan suit used cinnabar as ink to draw a magic array on the ground. The monk sat cross-legged in a corner and softly chanted scriptures. Even Mr. Wen took out a bunch of magic tools, then stuck a peach wood sword in front of him and tremblingly chanted the True Scripture of Salvation from Calamity.

Zhou You, who did nothing, seemed out of place.

Upon seeing such a scene, Li Sanli could barely stand and said through tears.

"Old Zhou, you've really got greedy this time!"

—As mentioned earlier, this guy's courage is barely bigger than a needle tip.

Zhou You looked at the cola and said with a smile.

"Hey Li Da Nao, didn't you bring me here to pick up this job? Why are you blaming me now?"

"I...I...you..." Li Sanli stammered for a long time, finally stomping his foot angrily. "Sigh, forget it, let him die if he wants to. Poor Xuanxuan."

Zhou You chuckled.

"Alright, alright, stop wailing—you've already done your job by bringing me here, so what are you still doing here? Go home and keep your wife company, I don't need you here anyway."

"That makes sense, doesn't it?"

Li Sanli suddenly realized what was going on and stood up, intending to slip away with Lin Chen—but after taking only a few steps, he suddenly turned back to look at Zhou You.

Finally, for reasons unknown, he gritted his teeth and said...

"Fine, I'll stay here for one night—but I'm telling you, just one night. I'll leave early tomorrow morning."

Zhou You smiled and shook his head.

This guy is definitely a true brother, but...
This is no longer a simple matter of exorcising ghosts and catching evil spirits; no matter how you look for it, you can't involve an ordinary person.

Just as Li Sanli made up his mind as if he were going to his death, his phone suddenly rang.

Originally, this guy wanted to hang up immediately, but after seeing the caller's name, he immediately turned from a hero into a quail, shrinking back and hurriedly answering the call.

"Xuanxuan, yes, it's me. I haven't been able to get away these past two days, I've been spending time with my buddies. I just couldn't. This whole thing is my fault, I'm in no position to blame. What? You're pregnant????!!!"

A sudden scream drew the attention of those nearby.

Li Sanli, however, was completely oblivious to all of this, his face filled with disbelief, as he looked at Zhou You.

Zhou You then patted him on the shoulder at the opportune moment, delivering the final blow.

"Don't worry about me. If I can't beat them, I can just run away. I know what I'm doing. You should go back and see your wife."

Li Sanli was speechless and choked up for a moment. Finally, he gripped Zhou You's hand tightly and uttered a sentence.

"Old Zhou, you absolutely mustn't get into any trouble!"

Zhou You waved and smiled.

"Okay, get out!"

Seeing Li Sanli rush out like lightning, Zhou You shook his head and silently extinguished a talisman in his hand.

Although his Nine Heavens Profound Light Talisman Technique was only at the beginner level, it was more than enough to create illusions and fool ordinary people.

As for Li Sanli, he happily returned home, and then his wife scolded him.
That's his own business.
-
Let's go back to this side.

Although the owners have left, there are still quite a few guest rooms in this villa, more than enough to accommodate everyone.

Moreover, Lin Chen had said before leaving that he could use anything in the house as he pleased, and that he would bear all the losses caused and would not pursue the matter further.

However, the others were well aware of the taboo of splitting up in horror movies, so everyone chose to spend the night together in the living room. Even the most particular Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain simply made a partition.

In the end, Zhou You simply dusted himself off and went back to his room.

"As expected of a tycoon, this room is set up like a hotel. This wine seems quite expensive, but I don't recognize the brand. Oh well, it tastes good, I'll use it for now."

Zhou You looked around for a moment, then very familiarly opened the wine cabinet. Without even looking at the brand, he opened the lid and started chugging the wine into the wine connoisseur's gourd.

After feeling that the portion was about right, he pulled out a bunch more food, turned on the huge television screen, and then...
I switched to the children's channel and leisurely started watching Tom and Jerry.

The night is getting darker.

Logically speaking, in places like this, there should be officers on duty taking turns patrolling, even in the middle of the night.

but now.
Apart from the rustling of leaves in the wind blowing eastward, there was no other sound here.

There wasn't even a single bird chirp.

The TV program had long since ended, leaving only a glaring blue screen. Zhou You, reeking of alcohol, held the Wine Immortal Gourd in one hand and had a piece of ham in his mouth, seemingly having fallen into a deep sleep without realizing it.

However, at this moment.

Suddenly, a 'snap' sound came from outside the house.

It was as if someone was gently tapping on the window, but upon closer inspection, there was nothing there.

But soon, the slapping sounds became more frequent, and then...
A bright red bloody handprint was abruptly imprinted on the transparent glass.

(End of this chapter)