Super Thrilling Live Broadcast

Chapter 7: Super Thrilling Live Broadcast Room

Acute myocardial infarction was determined by forensic examination as the cause of death, but why a perfectly healthy person would suddenly have a heart attack and die is something no one can explain clearly.

I found the newspaper from that day, glanced at it roughly, and stuffed it into my pocket before grabbing my equipment and hurriedly heading out.

"I don't believe in ghosts unless... I see it with my own eyes."

To save time, I flagged down a taxi, and coincidentally, the driver was the same Uncle Xie from that day.

"Hey, Anchor, just got my car back and I run into you. What a coincidence!"

"Anxin Hotel in the north of the city, could you hurry?" I wasn't in the mood to chat with anyone at the moment, my mind full of the live broadcast task for the underworld show.

Why did they choose that place? Who was the woman who called me?

"I heard there was just a death at Anxin Hotel not long ago. You really know how to pick a place, Anchor." Uncle Xie was quite talkative, but he didn't understand social cues. "You're lucky to have me as your driver. Other drivers wouldn't take you. Do you know that there are rumors online saying that the guest didn't die accidentally, but was scared to death? Hmm, that place is really eerie. A few years ago, it seemed like someone disappeared inexplicably there..."

Uncle Xie became more and more excited as he spoke, and I wanted to ask him, "Have you ever considered my feelings?"

"Uncle, my broadcast might be different from what you imagine. Can you let me have some peace and quiet?"

"What's different about it? I've seen plenty of young folks like you. You sing, dance, show off, play games, right? By the way, where do you broadcast? I'll check it out."

"Forget about checking it out. If you ever see my broadcast one day, please remember to call the police immediately, because there may be things in there that are not just for show." I couldn't reveal the existence of the underworld show voluntarily; it was the first rule in the contract.

Sighing, I took out the eight-inch large-screen phone and looked at the three lonely icons on it. Finally, I clicked on the third app—the one with my own black-and-white photo.

"Welcome to the underworld show. The live broadcast task has been issued. Come up with a name for your broadcast room."

Regardless of the form of the broadcast, the fundamental purpose is to attract attention and viewership. Given this prerequisite, a name that catches the eye is essential.

I recalled what the paper man interviewer had said to me: "Active in the shadows at midnight, directly hitting the most thrilling horror of this city, don't you find it exciting?"

"Since it's about seeking excitement, why not choose a name full of gimmicks?" I typed four characters in the blank space—"Super Thrilling!"

"Naming successful. Would you like to start today's broadcast?"

After thinking for a while, I clicked "No." The reason was simple: Uncle Xie was still in the car, and there was no need to involve him.

"Master, please hurry, I don't have much time left..."

Anxin Hotel was located in the northern suburbs of Jiangcheng, close to the Henshan Prison. The area was sparsely populated, with only a few migrant workers who were tempted by the cheap rent choosing to live there.

As the buildings on both sides gradually decreased, the bustling city lights had already left me far behind, and the solid and neat cement road had turned into a bumpy dirt road.

"Anchor, see that sign over there? That's Anxin Hotel. Let's stop here. It's not easy to turn around further ahead." Uncle Xie stopped the car on the side of the road, looking like he was unwilling to drive further.

I looked in the direction he pointed, about a few dozen meters away, there was a three-story old building, with a sign made of colored light bulbs on the rooftop spelling out "Anxin Hotel," but the "An" character was out, leaving only "Xin Hotel."

"It's 'An' character, the light bulb on top seems to be broken." Uncle Xie handed me a cigarette. "Take care of yourself. They say that dirty things can't stand the smell of smoke. I can only take you this far."

Shaking my head wryly, I paid the fare, picked up my black suitcase, and got out of the taxi.

Looking around, there was not a soul in sight. Within a hundred meters, only the "Xin Hotel" emitted a faint red light.

"Should I call the police?"

I hadn't taken out my phone yet when the engine roared behind me, and dust filled the air. When I looked again, Uncle Xie had already driven the taxi a hundred meters away.

"I'll be damned..."

Uncle Xie left decisively. Now, even if I wanted to go back to the city, I had no way.

Carrying the suitcase, I walked slowly on the dirt road, sometimes deep, sometimes shallow. A real hero not only needs to face the bleakness of life but also needs to learn to deal with lousy teammates.

Using the faint light from my phone screen, the legendary old hotel, full of stories, finally appeared before my eyes.

A three-story single building, with two corridors on the left and right, the steps were littered with uncleared garbage, and the corners of the walls still had police caution tape used for crime scenes.

Not the yellow and white caution tape used at construction sites, but the dark blue and white caution tape used for criminal cases!

"Why hasn't this been recycled?" If an ordinary person came here, they probably wouldn't feel anything unusual, but having spent a few years at the police academy, I had labeled this place as a scene of murder and strangeness.

"Is anyone here? I want to check in." The stairs were narrow, and it wasn't until I reached the second floor that I saw the hotel front desk.

On the greasy and dirty countertop, there was a notebook spread out, roughly recording the information and ID numbers of a group of guests. The handwriting was messy, looking like a child's scribbles.

"What era is it, and they're still keeping handwritten accounts?" I casually flipped through it, and the earliest check-in record was from a week ago: "It turns out that the whole building is just me staying here alone..."

"Cough..." The notebook was pressed down by five thin and dry fingers, and an old man with almost no hair on his head stood up from behind the front desk. "Do you want to stay? Alone?"

His voice was as weak as a candle in the wind, with a kind of indescribable frailty. I took a step back as if nothing had happened, but I remembered the old man's face in my mind: his eyebrows were very light, the left side of his face was covered with sparse age spots, and the right side seemed to have been burned by fire, with a scar the size of a fist.

"Yes, just me." The old man's appearance was the kind that you would never forget at a glance. To be honest, even before the broadcast started, I already felt a sense of

horror.

"ID card, please, for registration. The single room is 35 for one night. Forget about the deposit; just don't break anything in the room." After the old man registered, he handed me a key and shouted towards the dim corridor, "Old woman, take the guest to Room 103 and boil some hot water to bring over."

"Room 103?" The live broadcast task for the underworld show was to check into Room 203, so I furrowed my brows. "Boss, can you change me to another room?"

"Sure, which room do you want to change to?"

"203."

"Snap!"

The key in the old man's hand fell to the cement floor with a loud clatter, and his reaction surprised me.

"What's wrong? Can't people stay in that room?" I kept a calm expression, my hands inserted in my pockets, one hand tightly holding the talisman, and the other gripping the phone.

"They can stay... It's just that a few months ago, someone died here, right across from Room 203..."

"Why worry if it's across the hall? He didn't die right in that room." I pretended to be relaxed. "Just give me this room, boss. Don't be superstitious; we should believe in science."

"Okay, okay..." As the old man looked for the key to Room 203, I squatted down, intending to help him pick up the key for 103 that had fallen to the ground. But when I lowered my head, I noticed something strange— the old man was wearing a pair of rubber shoes covered in dirt.

"This is indoors. Why is he wearing rubber shoes?"

"Let's go, I'll take you to see the room." The one speaking was an old lady, carrying a kettle in one hand. Although she was about the same age as the old man, she looked short, fat, and strong.

I left the key at the front desk, picked up my suitcase, and followed the old lady up to the third floor.

"Why did we come to the third floor if we're going to 203?"" I couldn't afford to be careless with anything related to the underworld show's task, fearing any mistakes.

"The first floor doesn't have rooms for guests, and Room 103 is on the second floor, while Room 203 is on the third floor."

It felt like we had walked a long way. There was only one light bulb in the corridor, flickering intermittently, sometimes turning off by itself, and then inexplicably lighting up again.

"Here it is." The old lady inserted the key into the lock and pointed at the number on the door.

"Okay, thank you."

I was about to push the door when the old lady's mumbling voice sounded behind me, "Hey, it's not like the city here. Don't wander around at night. If..."

"If what?"

"If someone knocks on the door after midnight, or if you hear any noise, just pretend you didn't hear anything and don't come out."