Horror Game

Volume 1 Central Hall-Chapter 6: Siren Town

Chu Qiu was unaware of these discussions. His attention was quickly drawn to something else - he saw Jelf.

Jelf was hiding stealthily under the stairs, talking with someone. After the conversation, he walked back.

Jelf had sneaked out in the wee hours of the night, and now he's actually back.

Chu Qiu had a good view from the stairs and saw that there was another person following behind Jelf. This person's height, clothing, and appearance were all the same as the driver who had picked them up today.

The two seemed to be discussing something in hushed tones, with Jelf handing the driver a pile of colorful items and giving him a few instructions.

If Chu Qiu wasn't mistaken, what Jelf gave to the driver should be the currency of this world.

【You have triggered a hidden side story for the plot character - Jelf's b****y Plot】

"After exploring the entire side story, you have received a reward of 50 points. Currently, the completion rate of the side story is 15 percent."

Chu Qiu narrowed his eyes slightly, reached into his collar and took out the one-yuan coin with a hole punched in it, aiming it at the driver. The character information popped up on the panel.

【npc: driver】

[Character introduction: Your driver, the one who brought your group to Siren Town, was hired by Jelf, who is said to have a deep understanding of Siren Town. This driver has a criminal history, including arson and robbery]

Sure enough, this is also an NPC with status.

Previously, Chu Qiu had never had direct contact with the driver. When driving, the driver always sat in the front seat, and Chu Qiu sat in the last row, so she couldn't see the driver's face.

When getting off the bus, the driver didn't get off either, so Chu Qiu never saw the driver's face directly and therefore never identified the driver's personal information.

He hadn't noticed anything before, but now that Chu Qiu had come back to his senses, he realized that it seemed like Jelf had been intentionally or unintentionally blocking Chu Qiu's contact with the driver, whether it was by choosing to sit between Chu Qiu and the driver or by letting out a cry of surprise when getting off the car

What secret conspiracy are these two people trying to keep hidden from themselves?

Regarding this conspiracy, based on the currently available information, Chu Qiu speculated that Jelf may have given money to this driver with a certain criminal history to ask him to do something for him. The specifics of this matter are currently unknown, but Chu Qiu strongly suspects it to be revenge against Andre.

When we entered the town, the driver had already mentioned that many people in this town had been without an economic source for a long time, advising them to be cautious.

Initially, Chu Qiu thought it was a reminder, but now it seems more like a smug and arrogant warning from the driver, as well as a territorial demarcation of prey.

He was issuing a warning to Jelf - without his cooperation and protection, Jelf would be easily harmed by other townspeople in this town.

Of course, the driver was a resident of Siren Town, and he was also in dire need of money. It was certainly possible that he might do something like robbing the entire bus full of people, including Jelf, due to his financial difficulties.

This driver has probably done many things to take people's money and help them out of trouble, so he doesn't seem like a good person. Moreover, he's obviously crazy about money. When he entered Siren Town, he was already insinuating threats towards them. No wonder Jelf didn't sleep all night and had to come down to give this driver money.

If we don't get the money in time, I don't know what this driver might do.

Before Jelf saw him, Chu Qiu returned to his own room and helped Jelf close the door that had been left open.

When passing by Andre's room, Jelf hesitated for a moment and lowered himself to put down a dark object. Chu Qiu saw through the peephole that what Jelf had put down resembled a large piece of fish meat.

Soon, Chu Qiu saw a pile of eerie and gloomy mermaid waxworks gathered in front of Andre's door.

A series of dull creaking sounds of waxworks moving echoed in the corridor again.

For safety reasons, Chu Qiu covered the peephole in his room with a white cloth to prevent mermaids from peeping, and propped a cabinet against the door, hoping to make some noise to wake him up if a mermaid broke in.

His stamina points had been depleted. After completing all these tasks, Chu Qiu lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.

I had a dreamless night.

————

The next day, Chu Qiu woke up and found that both the closet door and the main door of the room were closed, but the bathroom door was almost open.

When Chu Qiu opened the bathroom door, he found that the mermaid waxworks, which he had blindfolded and bound, had all freed themselves from the white cloth. They were now entangled in various twisted and bizarre postures, moving towards the bathroom door. Some of the mermaid waxworks had already reached the bathroom door handle, just a step away from turning it.

The poses of these mermaid waxworks reminded Chu Qiu of when he used to play "123 Freeze", suddenly turning around and seeing the person behind him unable to control their facial expressions and posture.

The eerie, cold, and pale waxworks, emerging from behind the door and chasing after the surging crowd, exude a strange and unsettling aura.

These human-like marble waxworks stacked together give a stronger sense of oppression, as their eyes stare at Chu Qiu from a high density within a confined space. This makes people feel uncomfortable, or rather, any normal person would feel uneasy when being watched by so many pairs of dead eyes.

Chu Qiu closed the bathroom door, no longer caring about the waxworks or tying them up.

Because it has no meaning anymore.

These things are getting away faster and faster. If we can't find more weaknesses to control this thing, constantly binding it with cloth is a very inefficient approach. It might even train these waxworks to quickly break free from the binding.

The moment Chu Qiu opened the door, a new prompt popped up on the panel:

"Player Chu Qiu completed the main quest - staying indoors without being alienated overnight, rewarding 20 points."

[Current balance: 23 points, available for purchasing items. Would the player like to make a purchase?]

Chu Qiu opened the shop. He was so poor that he could count the things he could buy with one hand. Chu Qiu bought a strong searchlight with 15 points, leaving 8 points - he thought for a moment.

... I wonder if there is any kind of 3D holographic projection equipment.

"Yes, one for 4 points. Currently, there is a promotional discount event going on, where three for 8 points. Would the player like to purchase three?"

Chu Qiu nodded without hesitation: "Yes!"

As a salaryman who is short of money, the words he can't bear to hear the most in his life definitely include "discount" and "promotion".

After purchasing it, he naturally started playing with the 3D projector he had just bought.

The projector, acquired through promotional discounts, is of decent quality. After Chu Qiu input his own portrait, the projected image was stunning. It had no sense of inferiority at all, with vivid colors and lifelike characters. In the dark, it almost looked like a real person.

Chu Qiu was very satisfied with the goods he had purchased.

However, his audience was quite dissatisfied. Once a newcomer in this game received their likes, follows, and views, they would have certain expectations for that newcomer.

A group of people gathered around the small TV, gesticulating and sighing repeatedly.

"This newcomer doesn't intend to use the projector as a human eye to admire the mermaid waxworks, does he? The weaknesses of the monster book clearly state that it requires direct human gaze. This projector can only deceive the mermaid waxworks for a short time, it won't last long."

"I can't believe I bought a discounted projector. It looks high-end, but it's completely useless! Otherwise, it wouldn't be a slow-moving product that no one would buy with just one point! What was this new employee thinking?"

"…Yes, this projector was on sale when I came in, and now so many years later, it's still on sale…"

"Damn it! 23 points, clearly the highest in the novice zone, and all of it was wasted. Not a single useful item was bought! Have you gone mad?!"

Suddenly, a player exclaimed in surprise in front of a small screen, "Come over quickly!! There's a newbie who bought a Flame Torch! This thing counters Mermaids, he's set!"

The crowd suddenly swarmed away from Chu Qiu's small TV screen and gathered around the novice who was said to have bought the right prop, with many nodding in agreement.

"Yes, this is a standard clearance item. This novice's approach is quite good."

"The Flame Torch can be used three times. If handled properly, he should be the only one among these newcomers to successfully complete the challenge."

……

Only a few people remained in front of Chu Qiu's small TV.

"34 people are currently watching Chu Qiu's small TV show, while 167 people have left."

【50 people have cancelled their likes for Chu Qiu's mini TV, 44 people have cancelled their favorites for Chu Qiu's mini TV, 17 people have downvoted Chu Qiu's mini TV, and no one has charged Chu Qiu's mini TV】

……

After experimenting with his own props, Chu Qiu left the room and went to Jelf's room to wake him up.

Jelf clearly didn't sleep well last night. His face looked a bit pale, and there were two big dark circles under his round-frame glasses.

The number of mermaid waxworks in Jelf's room was similar to that in Chu Qiu's room, according to Chu Qiu's estimation.

But unlike the waxworks that he had shut down in Chu Qiu's place, these waxworks were all quietly placed in their original positions. Whether it was Chu Qiu's illusion or not, he felt that the waxworks in Jelf's room looked noticeably more lifelike than those in his own room, and their faces also bore a subtle resemblance to Jelf's

The mermaid wax figure has a translucent rosy hue beneath its fair, waxy outer shell. Its eyes seem to be able to move in their sockets at any moment, and its expression is relaxed and natural, like a fish that has absorbed enough water, with the scales on its tail fully extended.

A faint fishy smell began to permeate the room.

Chu Qiu went to observe the rooms of Lucy and Andre again. After careful comparison, he found that the mermaid waxworks in these rooms were indeed closer to human skin color than those in his own room, both in terms of texture and hue. Moreover, they began to resemble the facial features of the people who lived in the rooms.