There's definitely something wrong with this murder mystery game

The Haunted House occupied roughly 140 square meters and was adjacent to the Rapids Advance building, with both structures backed by a small grove.

To create a terrifying atmosphere, the exterior of the Haunted House resembled a demon with a gaping maw, its entrance and exit adorned with blood-stained fangs, eyes a piercing, bloodshot red, appearing particularly ferocious.

The entrance was an old wooden door, marked with claw and bloodstains, along with a few carved words of horror.

The horror ambiance seemed to be quite well-crafted.

The male security guard walked ahead, pushing open the door to peek inside.

It was pitch-black inside, and the walls on both sides were made of decent-quality stone walls, while vision was limited to seeing only about two meters ahead.

The entryway was so narrow that only one person could pass through, and after two or three meters there was a ninety-degree turn, which completely blocked the view of what lay beyond.

The sense of mystery was also well maintained.

"The main lights aren't on. I remember the master switch is inside," the security guard said, turning back to speak to the two behind him, "before, the ticket seller mentioned that she went in to check on the facility's electricity."

"Then we'll have to grope our way in the dark," Xu Shuo paused, then turned to the female tourist and said, "I'll go first and he'll follow, with you in the middle."

"Okay," the female tourist pursed her lips and smiled, not declining.

She blinked, sizing up the young man's tall figure, her gaze flitting about.

There was a small threshold at the entrance of the Haunted House, with the male security guard still leading the way, the female tourist lifting her heels to follow closely behind, and Xu Shuo walking at the rear. He didn't close the door.

After the trio slowly passed the ninety-degree corner, the narrow passage abruptly opened up, becoming more spacious as they moved further inside.

But the originally clean yellow-brown stone walls were now splattered with red, blood-like streaks, adorned with bizarre abstract paintings that looked dim and eerie under the faint lighting seeping through the ceiling crevices.

A few low, hoarse voices emanated from inside the Haunted House.

The footsteps of the security guard walking in front halted.

The female tourist wrapped her arms around herself and frowned slightly upon hearing the noises, "Why is this Haunted House still in operating mode?"

The security guard spoke thoughtfully, "That mysterious person probably knew we would inevitably come to investigate. This act... could it be to scare us?"

The reason sounded incredibly far-fetched...

But if the mysterious person wanted them to find the murderer themselves, then there was no need for these pointless excesses.

Could it be that the search for the murderer was just a smokescreen?

Just then, the wooden door behind them suddenly clanged shut, and all three immediately turned to look back into the darkness.

In the next moment, a cold draft spread swiftly, dropping the temperature inside the Haunted House a few degrees, causing an involuntary shiver to run through their bodies.

Xu Shuo quickly walked a few steps to the door and twisted the doorknob. Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire

"It's locked," he said, turning back.

"..."

"..."

Suddenly, both of them fell silent.

Xu Shuo then tried to ram the door, but the outwardly worn wooden door was seemingly as unyielding as reinforced concrete; no matter how hard he banged against it, it didn't budge an inch.

The doorframe didn't even shake, as if it were a wall.

There were only two doors in the Haunted House that led outside, so if they couldn't exit through the entrance, then they had only one choice...

"Let's take a lap around to the exit," said the security guard, his voice grave.

Although they had planned to walk a full circle inside the Haunted House, volunteering and being forced were two very different situations.

Moreover, they were being forced without knowing anything, placing them immediately in a precarious situation. For a moment, the three of them stood still, not moving.

Xu Shuo spoke earnestly, "Let me go ahead, then. I'm pretty strong, so I should be better equipped to handle any situation that comes up."

The security guard looked at him upon hearing this.

The young man was over one meter ninety tall, sturdy, and if he didn't have such a simple and honest appearance, his stature alone could be rather intimidating.

The title of "security guard" should have been given to him...

Xu Shuo did not receive a response for quite some time, and he did not question the male security guard's psychological well-being again, instead, he proactively walked to the front.

Although the passageway was already spacious enough, the three of them still did not intend to walk side by side.

The male security guard fell to the back, and the female tourist continued to walk in the middle position. She looked up and felt as if there was an incredibly secure human wall in front of her!

Of course, assuming there was nothing wrong with their group.

Strange noises emanated from the depths of the Haunted House: howling winds, whimpers, thunderstorms, and fierce screams—essentially a cacophony of sounds straight out of the underworld mixed together in utter chaos.

This seemed to be a common issue with amusement park haunted houses; they would play whatever background noises were terrifying and strange.

However, it was a relief that this was just an ordinary Haunted House, so there were no live actors dressed as monsters or demons—the terrifying things on both sides of the passage were all inanimate props.

But when they reached the first corner after the straight M-shaped path, the dawdling trio halted their steps once again.

This passageway was five meters long, and the ground was vibrating.

In the dim light, one could vaguely see that the floor was a rust-stained steel plate, constantly making a thunderous rumbling noise, along with the anguished growls of someone struggling in pain.

This spot was designed to give visitors the sense of urgency that "something underground wanted to break out." So, as they stepped on the steel plate, they could clearly feel the vibrations under their feet, along with the roars coming from below.

And now, all of it seemed even more realistic.

As if there was indeed a monster locked beneath.

"Let's cross one by one," Xu Shuo said, looking back.

The two behind him nodded in agreement.

They didn't know what was going on with this Haunted House, so naturally, they had to be cautious. Although the system still classified this script as "authentic", authenticity also had its array of terrifying traps.

Xu Shuo stepped onto the steel plate. The vibration he felt made his whole body tremble.

From beneath the steel plate came "banging" sounds, which, for no apparent reason, made one's nerves even tenser, wanting to quicken the pace and get across.

Five meters. It wouldn't take long to cross.

After safely standing on the other side of the passage, he looked towards the other two, "There shouldn't be any issues. Just to be safe, run straight across."

"Okay."

The female tourist pulled up her knitted long skirt and, taking three steps at a time, ran and jumped across—despite her forceful movements, not losing an ounce of grace.

But upon landing on the passageway, due to the imbalance caused by her high heels, she lurched forward a few steps, almost colliding with Xu Shuo who was standing at the side. Instinctively, she leaned back to avoid him but nearly fell, only to be swiftly caught by an arm around her waist.

The female tourist paused, then looked up into the other person's dark yet tender and soft eyes.

"Be careful," Xu Shuo said, helping her to stand firm.

"Thank... Thank you."

Once the female tourist stood upright, she moved to his side. Then, again, she looked up at the young man's broad shoulders, her gaze awkward and somewhat unnatural.

Now that the two of them had crossed, only the male security guard on the other side was left.

Xu Shuo stepped aside to clear the way in front of the passage so that the other could run straight across.

"According to the clichés in horror films, I've heard that the last person always encounters some situation, so be careful," the female tourist joked after straightening her long skirt, looking towards the man opposite her.

"I'll run across in one second, I'm sure nothing will happen, right?" the male security guard also smiled.

In the dim and oppressive atmosphere of the Haunted House, their words were an ordinary attempt to lighten the mood—neither of them truly had any particular thoughts about it.

However, sometimes jokes, once made, leave people with a bit of uneasiness.

The male security guard stepped on the steel plate and, feeling the vibrations coming from underneath his feet, he did not hesitate to bolt towards the other side at a very fast pace!

"Boom!"

At the moment of his landing, a violent vibration erupted from behind him!

...