Chapter 38: We Did Not Come Here to Admit Defeat

“Enter through the main building over there, head straight down, and you’ll find the exit. Take the elevator and you’ll return to the entrance of the haunted house.”

“This iron gate will be locked after you go inside. You have to find the underground exit to leave here. Have fun.”

With those words, he cast a meaningful glance at the five students, then slammed the iron gate shut with a resounding clang, locking them inside the courtyard of the Rune Apartments.

The fiery enthusiasm of the police academy students cooled instantly as they were shut into the apartment. Each one stood frozen, staring blankly at the sinister, frightening courtyard before them.

“Where’s the prison scene?”

“Isn’t this completely different from what was described in the guide?”

“I spent half the night studying the forensic manual just to prepare for the terrifying prison doctor…”

Qi Lu, Pan Feng, Chai Shan, and Ji Keke all turned to Qin Wei, their eyes saying plainly: “You’re the one who dragged us here, so you’d better be responsible for us.”

Qin Wei hadn’t expected things to develop so differently from what he’d imagined. But as a police academy elite, dealing with unexpected situations was always emphasized in their training.

“Everyone, don’t panic. Listen to me. Even though all our previous preparations were wasted, we still gained some understanding of this haunted house.”

“Since we know nothing about this scenario, let’s treat it as exploring a new game level, or as entering an unfamiliar environment during a criminal pursuit—just like our academy exercises.”

“I suggest we never split up, from start to finish. The haunted house owner encouraged us to look for the registration forms, saying there’d be a reward, but I don’t believe a businessman would be so generous.”

“I suspect he wants us to split up searching for registration forms, so the actors can pick us off one by one. We shouldn’t fall for his trick.”

Qin Wei’s mind worked swiftly, quickly analyzing the haunted house owner’s commercial ploy. His reasoning was compelling, leaving the two girls momentarily stunned.

“I disagree with your analysis,” said a tall, bespectacled young man with fair skin and a refined demeanor—Pan Feng, Qi Lu’s boyfriend, and the only law student among them.

“A haunted house is an entertainment venue—any deep entertainment comes with its own tricks. If visitors deliberately avoid all the setups, the haunted house’s design is wasted, and the thrill is lost.”

“Searching for something specific is bound to trigger many scare points. We’re here to challenge the haunted house, not to cower.”

“We should experience every fright, then walk out with our heads held high to prove we police academy students aren’t easily scared.”

“As for collecting all ten registration forms for the two thousand yuan reward, that’s not the point. Legally, the entrance contract doesn’t mention it, so if the owner reneges, we have little recourse.”

Standing next to Pan Feng was a short, plump young man, unremarkable in appearance, but his branded sportswear and gold jewelry betrayed his wealthy background—Chai Shan, the only rich second-generation in the criminal investigation program.

“I agree with Pan Feng. We’re here to show the haunted house owner we’re not pushovers, not to hide.”

“Besides, two thousand might not be much, but it’s still money—why not take it if it’s there for the taking?”

“From a business perspective, if the owner promises money and then cheats, the haunted house’s reputation suffers, which is far more serious than losing two thousand.”

Chai Shan fingered his gold ring, his eyes gleaming. “Even if legally he can get away with it, I believe he’ll value his business reputation, and if a visitor meets the conditions, he’ll pay.”

Unlike Yuan Rushuang’s typical student look, Qi Lu sported blue hair and heavy makeup, exuding a mature, sensual vibe more like a woman accustomed to society. Possibly due to family connections, her appearance had never been checked by the academy staff.

At this moment, she heard the three boys’ opinions split into two camps—her admired police academy star on one side, and her boyfriend on the other—leaving her torn.

She wasn’t particularly brave, less so than Yuan Rushuang. She’d come partly for the safety in numbers, with Qin Wei leading, and partly hoping to use the opportunity for a date with Pan Feng.

Entering the Rune Apartment scenario, she was quite scared, so deep down she wanted to follow Qin Wei’s suggestion and keep everyone together—not worrying about the registration forms.

But because of her relationship with Pan Feng, she didn’t want to contradict him in front of everyone.

“I support Pan Feng and Chai Shan’s opinion,” Qi Lu finally chose her boyfriend’s side.

Ji Keke, though short and not much noticed by boys, was lively and bold. Seeing everyone splitting up before even entering, she quickly spoke up: “Everyone’s points make sense. Qin Wei wants us together for our own good.”

“This courtyard is pretty big, with lots of buildings. How about we split up to search for registration forms, then meet up in the main hall?”

Qin Wei saw the group was divided, and Ji Keke’s suggestion was a good compromise, so he quickly agreed: “I support Ji Keke’s plan.”

“So, Qi Lu and Pan Feng go to the left bungalow, Chai Shan and Ji Keke to the right one, and I’ll check out the main building first. Once you’re all there, we’ll decide what to do next.”

“That works, no objections.”

“I agree.”

“I’m OK with that too.”

“Alright, I’ll head to the main building. Everyone be careful. Call if anything happens,” Qin Wei said, striding toward the main hall.

Qi Lu was pleased to see the group reach consensus, with no awkwardness, and that Qin Wei wasn’t upset at her. She casually took Pan Feng’s left arm, leaning on his shoulder as they walked toward the left bungalow together.

Chai Shan and Ji Keke watched the pair shamelessly flaunt their affection, exchanged a contemptuous glance, and headed toward the right bungalow one after the other.

Qi Lu and Pan Feng approached the left bungalow and saw the wooden door plastered with paper inscribed with strange symbols.

Pan Feng adjusted his glasses, looking mysterious. “Lulu, do you know what these symbols mean?”

Qi Lu eyed him with a smile. “The great lawyer is about to deliver another lecture?”

Pan Feng pushed the door with his right hand. “These are rune characters. I’ve seen them in some games—they have quite a history.”

The door wasn’t locked, opening a crack when pushed. He observed for a few seconds, and when no actors jumped out, he kicked it open fully.

The room was dimly lit. He pulled out his phone, switching on the flashlight to scan the interior, where he saw the dusty floor littered with various pottery jars.

Qi Lu, a bit scared, clung tightly to Pan Feng’s arm.

Her eyesight was much better than Pan Feng’s, and she quickly spotted something white jammed at the edge of a jar near the wall.

“Feng, look—could that be a registration form?”

“Where?” Pan Feng was severely nearsighted; even with glasses, his vision wasn’t great.

“Over there, in the corner.” Qi Lu pushed Pan Feng, carefully navigating the maze of jars to the corner of the room.

Pan Feng shone his phone’s flashlight around, relieved when nothing scary appeared, then bent down to pick up the white paper wedged beside the jar.

Qi Lu also used her phone flashlight to illuminate the paper in his hand.

The heading read: “Rune Apartment Guest Registration Form,” and the name field was filled in ink—Tan Gong.

“We’ve found one already—it wasn’t that hard.”

“Lulu, this room seems safe. Let’s check all the jars—there might be more registration forms.”

“Alright. The jars are scattered everywhere. I’ll start from that side, you from this one, and we’ll meet in the middle.”

With that, Qi Lu moved to the other side of the room, searching the jars with her phone flashlight.

Most jars were empty; some held colored pellets, others contained pungent liquids that made Qi Lu pinch her nose.

After a while, she reached a jar about waist-high, its lid loosely covered, with something white inside that looked like paper.

Delighted to have found another, she pushed the lid aside and peered in.

To her horror, the white object inside the jar was a ghastly pale human face!

And it had only one eye—wide open!

A chill surged through Qi Lu’s mind.

“Ah!”

Unprepared, she collapsed to the floor in shock.

“What happened?” Pan Feng, busy searching his jars, was startled by Qi Lu’s cry.

He stood up and walked over, shining his phone flashlight at her face, which was ashen with terror.

Her heart still pounding, Qi Lu felt a bit calmer as Pan Feng approached. “Help me up first.”

Pan Feng reached out to support her, and Qi Lu grabbed his arm to stand. As she was about to speak, her expression froze.

She realized the face she was holding onto wasn’t Pan Feng’s—it was the one-eyed face she’d seen in the jar!

Letting out an ear-splitting scream, Qi Lu flung Pan Feng’s arm away and fled the room in tears.

Pan Feng was baffled by her reaction and was about to chase her when a low voice sounded behind him: “Who told you to take my registration form?”

Though not loud, the voice struck Pan Feng like thunder on a clear day, making him shudder and turn instinctively.