The eerie giggle echoed, tinged with a strange malevolence that seemed to jolt Luo Shu's nervous system directly. He felt a flicker of fear rise, but his Sanity Level merely ticked up slightly as his mind raced, scanning for potential threats.
"First, there's the father… now the daughter. What are they trying to do here?" he murmured to himself, glancing around. "The mission is to survive 12 hours… so this should be pretty dangerous."
Just then, a soft thud interrupted his thoughts—a gentle, fleshy sound, as though something had dropped.
"Hehe…" the childlike voice sounded again, from the balcony this time. Luo Shu's heart skipped a beat as he thought of the hollow-eyed ghost and its request. A spark of excitement lit up within him.
"Maybe I'm close to triggering the story progression!" He leaped to the balcony, excitement rising.
Looking down, his eager expression quickly fell.
He crouched down, picking up a small, blood-smeared head that had rolled his way—a little girl's face, battered and blurred, with hauntingly clear dark eyes.
Disappointment flickered across his face. "What… it's not even an eyeball…"
Yes, at his feet lay a young girl's head. She appeared to be around six or seven, her face mangled beyond recognition, except for her eerily intact eyes. It seemed she had intended to scare Luo Shu, but his reaction left her at a loss.
"Uh… uhm… big brother… could you play with…" she began, voice faltering.
But before she could finish, Luo Shu casually tossed her head back to the floor.
The Little Girl Ghost: "???"
The head bounced twice, like a rubber ball.
Curious, Luo Shu picked it up again, marveling at its surprising bounce. "Huh? So springy?"
The Little Girl Ghost: "?????"
What's wrong with this guy? Am I… not scary?
Determined to make another attempt, she contorted her face, pulling the mangled flesh into a mockingly cheerful grin.
"Big brother… do you think I'm pretty?"
Her sweet voice, paired with her grotesque head, made for a uniquely chilling sight. But to Luo Shu, it was far from aesthetically pleasing. Contrary to popular belief, he didn't enjoy grotesque or unsettling things.
Ignoring her question, he became engrossed in studying her head, flipping it back and forth.
"Strange," he mused. "Your head has a solid feel, but your father was more of a ghostly figure. Where's the inconsistency?"
Lost in thought, he tossed her head to the ground, bouncing it once… then again, and finally, began dribbling it around the living room.
Thump, thump, thump.
The Little Girl Ghost was paralyzed with fear, her voice reduced to panicked screams.
"Aaaaaahhh…"
Thump, thump, thump. "Aaah!" Thump, thump, thump. "Aaah!"
Getting into the rhythm, Luo Shu grinned and began a full three-step layup, skillfully bouncing her head against the wall and catching it as it rebounded back to him.
Meanwhile, he was able to glean more information.
Just then, a shaky voice called out, "H-Hey… Level 1 guy… where are you?"
Sylas had woken up a few moments ago, staggering in on wobbly legs. Pale as a ghost herself, she managed to drag herself to the living room—only to find Luo Shu, fully absorbed in his gruesome game of basketball with the severed head.
She froze, eyes wide in disbelief.
Seeing her, Luo Shu perked up, dribbling the head in her direction. "Oh, you're awake! I think I found something like a 'pattern' here."
Sylas stood completely still, transfixed by the gory head in his hands.
Luo Shu continued enthusiastically, "I noticed that when these ghosts get close, you normally lose health and stamina. But! If the ghost is scared, the passive damage effect significantly decreases!"
The head, still in his grasp, glared in Sylas's direction, looking utterly defeated. "I don't want him to play with me anymore…"
The sight was so bizarre that Sylas toppled over on the spot, passing out once again with a thud.
Luo Shu sighed in exasperation. "What a useless teammate…"
Meanwhile, in the chat:
[She… passed out again? I'm speechless.]
[Luo Shu's dialogue is hilarious. "Some people might even lose Sanity…" Ha! As if everyone doesn't!]
[Like there's anyone who doesn't lose Sanity… Oh wait, he doesn't… he gains it? Alright, I'll just leave quietly.]
[Impressive, honestly. I thought he was just messing around, but there's logic behind it.]
[From the little ghost's perspective, Luo Shu is terrifying!]
With his teammate down for the count, Luo Shu left her lying there, continuing his investigation solo.
He dribbled the "ball" over to the kitchen and found a woven bag, tossing the head inside and slinging it over his shoulder.
The girl's head kept screaming, but Luo Shu quickly silenced her. "Quiet, or I'll use you as a footstool."
She immediately fell silent.
Attempting to gather information, he asked, "Where's the rest of your body? You've got a head; surely there's a body."
The ghost girl shook her head inside the bag.
"Why are you scaring us?" he asked again.
She blinked at him, whispering, "I can't say."
"Can't say" implied she knew but wasn't allowed to tell. Luo Shu probed a few more times, but when she remained tight-lipped, he hung the bag on a clothesline on the balcony to keep her from draining his health.
After all, ghosts here all seemed to emit a passive, draining aura that chipped away at his health and stamina. He was down to 65%.
Sighing, he muttered, "Well, I think I'm starting to get the gist of this game's logic."
Stepping over Sylas's sprawled form, he headed to the bathroom, which looked unexpectedly clean.
His vision wavered slightly as the Anomalous Code began to act up again, causing his screen to ripple and glitch.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]