Chapter 101

Chapter 101: Haunted House Siblings—Then I’ll be the guest’s boyfriend.

“What does ‘large-scale joint examination room’ mean?” You Huo asked.

No one answered.

The mist retreated behind them, and the surrounding scenery became clear.

This was an empty street; on the right stood a solitary small building, while on the left was an old basketball court.

The basketball hoops were rusty, the backboards’ white paint peeling, and the rims loose, creaking and swaying in the stifling evening breeze.

The bloody sunset flowed over from the end of the street.

You Huo turned in place: “Qin Jiu?”

There was no response.

Qin Jiu wasn’t there, Yu Wen and his father weren’t there, Chu Yue wasn’t there, and the three girls including Shu Xue weren’t there either.

You Huo’s face instantly darkened.

At the corner of the street, a traditional highway speaker was attached to the lamppost, and the system’s voice crackled to life:

[Large-scale Joint Examination, also known as a Multi-Region Composite Screening Examination.]

[This examination includes a total of 2,048 participants from various countries and regions.]

Over two thousand people?

So where are all the people, stuck at the entrance of the dungeon?

You Huo listened expressionlessly as the system continued to spew nonsense.

[The exam is divided into three stages.]

[“The first phase consists of selective unit tests, to be completed individually by each examinee.”]

[“Note that your performance in the first phase will determine your position in the second phase.”]

[“The second phase is a free-form examination hall. In this phase, you will encounter companions from all over the world, engaging in free competition and elimination.”]

Free competition is understandable.

Strictly speaking, their previous examination halls were based on free competition, but that “competitive” state was largely downplayed by them, forcibly transformed into one carrying multiple, or team-based battles.

However, free elimination is quite intriguing.

Back then, the bald man who had targeted Shu Xue was also afraid of death and had pushed her out at a critical moment. In other words, he used the hands of the question’s NPCs to commit murder by proxy.

He had yet to witness one examinee directly killing another examinee.

Unrestricted elimination will likely turn this mutual slaughter into tacit approval.

A trace of disgust appeared in You Huo’s eyes.

[The third stage is a special phase, also known as the bonus question. Candidates who successfully pass the second stage, under the condition of meeting the corresponding prerequisites, will enter the bonus question phase. The results of the bonus question will partly be included in the total score, and partly distributed in the form of rewards.]

Upon hearing this, You Huo already understood.

He is currently at the first stage, where he must act alone.

The expert visibly becomes displeased.

The system takes a breath and begins to announce the question for the first stage:

[This is a coastal town named Brandon. Sherry and Sally are a pair of siblings. Sherry is a girl who’s a bit obsessed with her looks—her favorite thing to do is look in the mirror. She’ll stop to admire her reflection in anything that shows her face. Sally, on the other hand, is a bit of a glutton, but he loves his sister dearly, always giving her the larger share of delicious treats. What an adorable pair of children. Recently, the siblings have encountered a difficult problem that has troubled them for a long time, and they still haven’t been able to find the answer. Can you help them?]

[The time limit for this stage of the exam is 3 days. The cumulative score after 3 days will serve as the final score for the first stage.]

[Important Reminders: Do not make Sherry cry, and do not let Sally go hungry.]

[Special Reminder: You may correct wrong answers, but corrections come at a cost.]

Good luck.

It seemed like the examination system had taken the wrong medicine, outright stating that “wrong answers can be corrected.”

But with the second half of that statement, it’s likely not going to be anything good.

The road broadcast fell silent.

Then, from the basketball court, the sound of thump—thump—thump— suddenly echoed.

Like a duet.

You Huo turned his head and saw a boy and a girl bouncing a rubber ball on the edge of the basketball court.

The little girl was wearing a red dress, the standard attire for horror movies, with a small ponytail on top of her head. The little boy was wearing denim overalls.

Apart from that, the two of them looked almost identical, with golden hair and snow-white skin, gazing innocently in this direction.

They were very young, probably not even in elementary school yet. They were even smaller in stature, especially in front of someone as tall as You Huo.

You Huo walked over.

The siblings both had to crane their necks upward to look at him, yet they didn’t stop what they were doing.

They were hitting the ball very hard, making it thud heavily against the ground. But their expressions showed no strain; instead, they smiled sweetly with pursed lips.

Their blue eyes were especially clear, and their long, thick eyelashes matched the color of their hair.

They were truly beautiful, like a pair of exquisite dolls.

But there was an inexplicable sense of oddness.

“Sherry? Sally?” You Huo looked at them.

The two neither nodded nor shook their heads, just stared back at You Huo with curiosity.

After a moment, the two siblings suddenly grinned sweetly and said, “Guess?”

The teeth that peeked out were fine and dense, stained with blood in several places. Who knew what they had just eaten.

You Huo: “…”

What a lovely pair of good children.

Is the system blind???

“Are you a guest looking to stay?”

The siblings always liked to speak together, their gestures and expressions strikingly alike.

“Sort of,” You Huo said.

He glanced up. One end of the street disappeared into a white fog, while the other led to the sea. The area he could move around in was quite small; aside from this little building, there was no other place to go.

Beep beep beep.

A rapid series of electronic beeps suddenly sounded.

The sound was all too familiar, exactly like the proctors’ warning alerts.

You Huo almost thought Qin Jiu had arrived, but a quick scan revealed the sound was coming from the siblings’ watches.

“It’s very late, we should go back.”

Sally acts quite like an older brother.

Shelly hummed in agreement, then gave another sweet smile, once again revealing her blood-stained fine teeth.

They held the leather ball in their arms and led the way in front.

The ball was larger than their heads.

You Huo watched for a while, reached out his hand, and said, “Give me the ball.”

Shirley tilted her head up, her pale cheeks moving as she spoke: “Do you want to help?”

You Huo: “Not at all, I just want to weigh it.”

Sherry: “…”

She puffed out her cheeks before letting the air out, hugging the ball tightly.

Sally looked up and said, “Mom and Dad said that we should carry our own things.”

Sherry: “Right, you’re being so inconsiderate.”

You Huo: “…”

Alright.

The siblings refused the guest’s unreasonable request.

Before they could take a few steps, Sally felt her short legs dangling in the air.

A pair of slender, pale hands slid under his arms and hoisted him up completely.

This guest said, “Then I’ll have to handle both the person and the ball together.”

Tone cold, like a bully.

…the kind that’s exceptionally good-looking.

Under the siblings’ mournful stares, You Huo set them down.

He had thought those two leather balls just looked heavy, never expecting them to actually be quite weighty.

It felt as if something had been stuffed inside.

What could be stuffed inside something of this size?

You Huo’s expression didn’t look too good.

Sally took out the key hanging around her neck and opened the door to her home.

You Huo thought he would smell something odd——

Like something decaying? A sour stench? Or the smell of blood?

According to the usual horror movie tropes, this kind of room should be filled with an unsettling odor.

But unexpectedly, the room carried a faint, cold fragrance.

Almost there, but not quite.

It was as if someone had forgotten a certain woody perfume in a corner, yet after many years, it still faintly emits its lingering fragrance.

Some say that scent and memory are most tightly bound, making the passage of time come vividly alive.

The moment this scent was caught, countless memories began to stir.

You Huo could almost feel a violent stirring in his brain and heart.

He paused mid-step, halting by the door.

A large one-sided floor-to-ceiling window, a long straight living room, a staircase that folded upward twice. When the setting sun shone through the window, it cast square patches of light on the handrail and corners.

And… that wooden passageway running along the wall, leading down to a separate room.

These had all appeared in the dream.

This was actually his house, yet he hadn’t even recognized it from the outside.

Because the system, that idiot, had turned it into a haunted house.

However, the decorative details and layout inside the house were quite different. There were photos of the siblings hanging on the walls, and on the floor lay dropped dolls and glass beads. Everywhere bore traces of a child’s life.

“Why are you just standing at the door instead of coming in?” The siblings urged him, “Hurry up, we still have homework to do.”

In that brief moment of distraction, the ball they were holding had already disappeared.

“What homework?” You Huo asked.

This time, the problem stated that the siblings had encountered a difficult question, and once again, this door was testing math.

He wondered…

Could the problem possibly be written in the siblings’ homework notebooks?

Are these two even eight years old combined?

What could their homework be, elementary school math?

“Look—every time Mommy and Daddy go out to play, they always leave a little question for us to test me and my brother.”

Shirley is standing in front of a full-length mirror.

Holding the edge of her skirt, she tilts her head and gazes at her reflection in the mirror.

When the little girl stares into the mirror, her eyes don’t move at all—it’s a bit eerie.

Older brother Sari picked up the doll and the glass beads, placing them on the sofa. He beckoned to You Huo and said, “I’ll show you my homework in a bit, but right now, as the master of the house, I need to assign you a room. You’ll have to listen to me.”

With a forced scrap of patience, You Huo followed him toward the inner part of the first floor.

“Mom said guests should stay in the guest room. You’ll sleep here tonight.” Sari pulled You Huo into the only bedroom on the first floor, opened the window, and said, “Look, this window faces the backyard. Sometimes you can see squirrels hopping past. This is my favorite room.”

You Huo had no interest in backyards or squirrels.

He stood with his arms crossed, facing away from the window. Sally was eagerly opening the cupboard, trying to pull out a quilt.

You Huo suddenly said, “I won’t stay in this room.”

Sally was taken aback. “Why?”

She turned around, looking up at him and asked, “If not here, then where?”

You Huo leaned against the window, tapping his foot as he said, “The one underground.”

“How do you know there’s another room underground?” Sally asked, then immediately shook her head and said, “Mom said it’s not allowed. Guests must stay here.”

“Where is your mom?”

Sally was at a loss for a few seconds before saying, “Anyway, Mom said it’s not allowed!”

“My feet grew on my own.”

Sally suddenly screamed, a problem shared by many naughty children who cry for no reason.

The sound of clacking leather shoes approached.

Sherry peeked in from outside the door: “Sally, what’s wrong?”

“This guest isn’t being obedient,” Saly stared at You Huo.

“Naughty ones are all bad children,” Shirley walked in, standing side by side with her brother.

Saly: “Bad children will receive punishment.”

Shirley: “Very, very terrifying punishment.”

Sally: “You’ll regret this.”

As the two brats spoke, their expressions darkened, exuding an eerie incongruity.

Many guests feared them, especially at times like these—paling instantly and becoming utterly compliant.

Yet today, this particular individual remained completely unfazed.

You Huo tsked and was just about to speak.

Unexpected sounds suddenly came from the window sill behind him.

It was a chaotic mix of footsteps and murmurs, as if many people had entered all at once.

Then, a lazy voice teasingly sounded out behind You Huo: “Just walked in and heard a threat. Which brat is so bold?”

You Huo was startled and turned to look.

He saw Qin Jiu standing outside the window, one hand propped on the side frame and the other against the raised glass, casually teasing the children.

Behind him, the others were climbing from outside into the courtyard. Yu Wen was helping Old Yu, who was perched on the wall. Shu Xue let out a long sigh and said, “We finally found everyone.”

Sari and Shirley, the sibling pair, stared at Qin Jiu and demanded, “Who are you!”

Qin Jiu said, “Let me think, what did you all call him?”

He lifted his chin toward You Huo.

Salim said seriously, “Guest!”

Qin Jiu gave an “oh” and replied, “Then I’m the guest’s boyfriend.”

Old Yu crashed down from the fence with a loud thud.