In Virtual Reality 57 ☆ Red Stairwell (4/10)

As she leapt out the window, a lightning bolt cut across the sky. Illuminated by the lightning, Xu Jin Yi caught a glimpse of blood-red eyes suddenly reflecting on the transparent window.

It appeared that after the ghost finished devouring the man, it immediately moved towards Xu Jin Yi's location. Fortunately, both her feet had already left the windowsill, and she was falling straight down in freefall.

"Boom!"

Hmm?

Xu Jin Yi looked at her gradually darkening field of vision but did not see the white light that accompanied thunder. She lifted the VR goggles slightly to look around and saw the window on her balcony covered with layers of sudden rain and mist.

It appears to be raining outside.

It was already October, and the temperature outside was slowly dropping. However, it was a clear morning, and only a short time had passed since it started raining.

While her VR view was still dark, Xu Jin Yi disconnected from her device and slightly closed all the wide-open windows in her home. Raindrops had already begun to patter against the glass in just a few minutes.

As Xu Jin Yi listened to the sound, it grew louder and more ominous, like a powerful force was approaching. The rain outside was relentless, and the cold mist was seeping in through the windows, causing Xu Jin Yi's nose to feel chilly.

After checking that there was no leakage, Xu Jin Yi returned to the living room. The sound of raindrops tapping against the window, along with the game's sounds, created an immersive experience that made it easy to forget reality.

After jumping out of the window in the game, she returned to the room on the fifth floor. This time, Xu Jin Yi planned to carefully investigate the house. She pulled out her phone in the game and began timing her investigation.

Standing at the house's entrance, Xu Jin Yi noticed a doormat with black and red stripes on the floor. It was a standard doormat for wiping shoes, and most households would have one placed both inside and outside. The mat was dark and looked like it had been used for a long time. An embedded wooden shoe cabinet was on the right side of the mat. Xu Jin Yi lifted her hand to open it and was met with a cloud of dust. Many shoes were in the shoe cabinet: leather shoes, canvas shoes, and slippers... but most were prominent men's shoes. Xu Jin Yi crouched down and casually searched through them.

"Hmm?"

Deep amid a group of large-sized men's shoes in the shoe cabinet, there was a pair of white high heels. Xu Jin Yi reached in and dug around, shaking off a pile of stinky shoes before finally pulling out the high heels placed in the deepest part.

Beneath the dim white light shining from above, she got a clear view of the high heels. They were pointed and had high heels, and although they appeared dull and grey, a quick rub would make them shine bright white again. Nestled inside the high heels were plush tiger head socks that were meant for children.

"Three people live here?" Xu Jin Yi questioned, "But why are children's socks inside women's shoes?"

She scoured the shoe cabinet again but couldn't find any other women's shoes. Xu Jin Yi neatly placed the high heels beside the sofa, stood up and checked other items.

Turning around, she noticed a round clock on the TV in front of the small coffee table. However, the hour, minute and second hands were all frozen, indicating it was broken.

Looking closer, she noticed that the transparent protective cover on the clock face had a large crack with several missing pieces. There were even broken glass shards lying below the clock. It appeared as if something had struck the clock before it stopped working.

Xu Jin Yi withdrew her gaze and headed towards the long table where the TV rested.

On top of it sat a small white rice cooker that Xu Jin Yi had recently attempted to use to fend off the female ghost, but it was futile and had ended up back on the table.

Next to it was a transparent kettle with a few limescale remnants at the bottom, suggesting it had been used for quite some time.

On the right side of the table, beyond the TV, several white plastic bags were arranged. They appeared to be supermarket bags, but they were empty.

Xu Jin Yi scoured for the receipts but had no luck. Frustrated, she gave up her search and went to the small kitchen.

As she was examining the sink earlier, a commotion outside had piqued her interest, and she hadn't been able to scrutinise her surroundings thoroughly.

The kitchen, though small, was orderly and tidy. The kitchenware, cutlery and seasonings were all neatly arranged. However, the chopping board stood upright next to the kitchen counter to save space, its surface etched with deep scratches and stained a dark red. Xu Jin Yi felt uneasy, suspecting that the murderer had dismembered the victim on the same board.

This time, Xu Jin Yi didn't turn on the tap. Beneath the harsh kitchen light, she finally glimpsed what was clogging the sink. A mass of dark tangled hair.

She didn't know if it was just her imagination, but the mass of hair seemed to move and attempt to surface. When she looked again, it remained still.

The uninitiated may consider it a trick of the light. Still, Xu Jin Yi was a seasoned horror game enthusiast and was well aware that even the slightest irregularity in a horror game could not be attributed to mere imagination.

The game developers must be playing sinister games and biding their time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to unleash their horror on unsuspecting players!

Without hesitation, Xu Jin Yi picked up the pot lid hanging on the wall and placed it on top of the sink.

'Wait until I finish my investigation before you come out!'

After a brief consideration, she placed an entire bottle of rapeseed oil on the pot's cover, pressing it down securely.

The kitchen countertop had little on it.

Xu Jin Yi retrieved her phone and switched on the flashlight. Squatting down, she meticulously inspected the floor. As she suspected, several strands of truncated hair were lodged in the corner by the countertop, along with...

She stood up and took two chopsticks, using them to retrieve a bone fragment, approximately half the length of a finger, which was lodged between the countertop and the refrigerator. The murderer probably missed this bone fragment when tidying up. The bone possessed an unmistakable cut surface, with meat shreds still present.

As Xu Jin Yi picked up two teeth from the corner, she confirmed with certainty that the victim had been dismembered on the killer's cutting board. She was at a loss for where to place the extracted teeth, so she left them on the kitchen countertop. The two lonely teeth lay there, betraying no indication that they once belonged to a living person.

Xu Jin Yi was at a loss for words, and perhaps due to psychological factors, she could detect the scent of blood.

The murderer...

While Xu Jin Yi had earlier conjectured that the house's resident was the rude NPC man, there was no direct evidence to support this theory.

'Let us examine the bedroom for any clues!'

The nearest bedroom to the kitchen was the small one directly across from the dining room. Xu Jin Yi approached the door and turned the handle, but it remained unyielding. Her VR glasses promptly alerted her that the door was locked and required a key.

Xu Jin Yi resigned herself to the situation and returned to the living room, where there was a larger bedroom. This time, the door was unlocked, and she pushed open the wooden door to reveal its interior.

What immediately caught her eye was the wedding photo hanging on the wall, but the man's face on the left had been intentionally painted black, leaving only the bride's face.

And...

Xu Jin Yi switched on the bedroom light, and the bride's appearance became clear to her. The woman's countenance betrayed no joy, only fear. She lowered her head slightly, clutching her white veil skirt with her left hand while her right arm encircled the groom. Her whole being emanated an air of unease and discomfort.

The smile on her face, which ought to have been a natural expression of happiness, was now fixed in a forced, upturned grin, conveying an ambiguous expression between tears and laughter.

Had she applied too much rouge to her cheeks? The rosy hue appeared incongruous with the bride's pallid lips.

Xu Jin Yi leaned in closer to take a better look.

"Bloody hell." She whispered to herself.

It wasn't rouge.

A handprint adorned her face. The bride had been slapped hard, causing severe bleeding beneath the skin, and definitely not blush!

Xu Jin Yi narrowed her eyes and furrowed her brow.

Suddenly, the bride in the wedding photo she scrutinised turned her head, locking eyes with Xu Jin Yi. In a flash, her eyes transformed from black-and-white to bloodshot. Her eyes overflowed with tears that bore blood and dripped onto the white pillow beneath the wedding photo, painting blood-red flowers.

The bride in the wedding photo remained frozen in that posture and didn't budge an inch.

Xu Jin Yi momentarily strode towards the bed and removed the bloody pillow.

But nothing was there.

She paused, placed the pillow aside, and resumed searching under the sheets.

Still nothing.

She flipped the mattress over.

Nothing.

The palm pad.

Nothing.

Lastly, only the bedboard remained. Within the gap of the bedboard, Xu Jin Yi spotted a small piece of paper that had been tucked inside. She retrieved it.

It was a small piece of paper, ripped from a large sheet of white paper and threaded with a thin string to form a "book."

Xu Jin Yi poised to open the notebook but found that the pages had merged. On the first page, a paragraph scribbled in pencil caught her attention.

【My Happiness】

Followed by four blank squares. Xu Jin Yi rummaged around and found a small piece of lead nestled by the wooden post adjacent to her bed.

Could it be a manually entered password?

She sat cross-legged on the ground, ruminating.

Happiness... Is it the start of happiness? When is that? Could it be the wedding date?

Xu Jin Yi gazed up at the wedding photograph, where the bride, tears streaming down her face, sorrowfully gazed back.

"..."

It just doesn't add up. When could it be, then...

Abruptly, a cacophonous pounding shattered Xu Jin Yi's train of thought. She took a deep breath, admonishing herself not to be provoked. Glancing at her phone, she noted the time from when she had started timing until now.

Less than five minutes.

She rose, retrieved the notebook and lead, and sauntered to the security door. The pounding continued, growing louder, and through the peephole, Xu Jin Yi discerned the resurrected man's snarling face.

"Hey! You're in there, are you not?" He tightened his right hand into a fist, and the thunderous sound of his blow, akin to a sandbag, striking the security door reverberated.

Despite this, Xu Jin Yi knew he would be unable to force his way in.

"Quick, fetch a knife! Do you wish to witness my death at the hands of that ghost thing again?!"

Xu Jin Yi disregarded the man's impolite manner of speaking, pondered momentarily, and then gazed at the notebook in her hand. She concocted a plan and resolved to deceive him.

"Apologies," she spoke softly, feigning weakness, "but the door is currently locked. I need a password to exit."

"A password?" The man scoffed and impatiently replied, "Come up with it yourself! What use is your brain for?!"

Xu Jin Yi took a deep breath, remaining silent for a moment before continuing, "But I am uncertain as to what the term 'happiness of the bride' means. Perhaps it pertains to your wedding anniversary? Can you recall the date?"

"That's irrelevant!" The man slammed the door, the reverberation echoing, and after a brief pause, he impetuously spoke, "June, isn't it? I cannot recall the precise date. Attempt anything, you have long arms, do you not?!"

Xu Jin Yi responded, "What about when your wife was expecting? That seems more plausible."

"How would I remember that?!" The man raged, kicking the security door, "Are you not going to unlock it?!! If you do not, I shall kill you!"

After confirming that the man outside was indeed the groom of this household, Xu Jin Yi's voice turned icy. "Well then, if you're not inclined help open the door, wait for death."

A murderer, an abusive husband, or a mentally unstable - what sort of person would continue playing with an NPC with these 'buffs'?

Disregarding the man's enraged shouts beyond the door, Xu Jin Yi returned to the bedroom and continued her quiet search for clues.

Once she had finished her investigation, if the female ghost had still failed to kill the guy, Xu Jin Yi would give him a flying kick on her way out.

"Stay calm, stay calm... first, let's solve the puzzle." She briefly closed her eyes before recovering her composure.

Let's continue.

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