The Four Corners Game again!
Lu Fei couldn't help but sigh internally.
Why were people so determined to test the supernatural? It often took a tragedy to make them regret their recklessness.
While most ghost stories were fabrications, there was always a chance some were real. Was it worth risking one's life for that slim chance?
"Miss Su, someone recently fell to their death in that building. How could you dare to play games there?" Lu Fei couldn't help but ask.
This was the exact question Su Liguo and his wife wanted answered.
Su Ningxue bit her lip and replied softly, "It's precisely because of that incident that we decided to go. We wanted to prove to people online that ghosts don't exist..."
Lu Fei shook his head in disbelief.
"Walking into danger knowingly. What a way to tempt fate."
"You!" Su Liguo frowned. "What kind of friends do you have? Jiang City is full of places to have fun, and you chose the one supposedly haunted?"
"We didn't know!" Su Ningxue cried, pulling the blanket over her head.
"Chairman Su, don't be too harsh. It's not entirely Miss Su's fault. Let's hear her out," Lu Fei intervened, hoping to glean useful clues from the young lady.
After much coaxing from her mother, Su Ningxue reluctantly continued.
"There were four of us, so we decided to play the Four Corners Game as described online."
"At first, everything seemed normal, but then I felt something cold and wet on my back, like a clump of soaked hair."
"My hair only reaches my shoulders—it couldn't have been mine."
"In that moment, I was terrified," she admitted, gripping her mother's hand tightly.
"But I didn't believe in ghosts. I thought it might be a prank, that one of them had brought a wig to scare me."
"I decided to play along and scare them back, so I kept quiet and continued moving to the next corner with that thing on my back."
"Suddenly, I felt a burning sensation on my chest, like something was heating up. I snapped out of it and realized I was on the rooftop."
"The wind was strong, and I was just steps away from falling."
"I was so scared I ran back down."
Even now, Su Ningxue looked shaken.
"I clearly remember being on the fourth floor playing the game. I have no idea how I ended up on the seventh-floor rooftop, alone."
"Later, I noticed that the burning object was the protective talisman my father made me wear. It had turned to ash, as if it had been set on fire."
"That's when I really got scared. I called out for my friends and ran downstairs. They were still on the fourth floor and had no idea I'd been on the roof."
"When I told them, they thought I was joking and didn't take me seriously. I urged them to leave, but when we got downstairs, we realized one person was missing."
"Just as we were about to look for him, we heard a loud crash—someone had fallen from the rooftop..."
Her voice faltered, and she swallowed nervously, turning to her mother.
"Mom... what happened to him?"
Su Liguo's wife sighed deeply, unable to answer.
Seeing the expressions around her, Su Ningxue understood and covered her mouth with her hands, tears streaming down her face.
Her mother hugged her tightly. "Don't be afraid, Xiaoxue. We'll make sure nothing happens to you."
"And from now on, stay away from those so-called friends!" Su Liguo scolded. "You're lucky the protective talisman saved you. Otherwise, it would've been you who died!"
"Old Su, calm down! She's already shaken enough," his wife rebuked him.
"I'm just worried about her! I shouldn't have sent her abroad. She's forgotten all the traditions and taboos of our culture..."
"Enough. Shopkeeper Lu is still here," his wife reminded him.
Su Liguo sighed, regaining his composure. "Shopkeeper Lu, my daughter's recklessness must seem laughable to you. Our family has had such bad luck this year. Could you give us a few more protective talismans?"
"Of course," Lu Fei said, taking out three Talisman of Ghost Repulsion symbols.
Su Ningxue's mother immediately gave one to her daughter, insisting she keep it close.
This time, Su Ningxue didn't hesitate. She carefully tucked the talisman away, treating it like a treasure. Her gaze toward Lu Fei carried newfound respect.
"Miss Su, did you eat anything while you were in the building?" Lu Fei asked again.
Spiritual afflictions typically affect the exterior of the body, but for something to end up inside, it must have been consumed.
"Eat anything?" Su Ningxue thought for a moment. "We brought milk tea with us. Does that count? At one point, we left the milk tea on the ground to take photos. When we picked it up again, it tasted strange."
"That must've been when the contamination happened," Lu Fei mused. "Did you see anything else unusual?"
Ghosts and cursed items often share distinct traits. The more information he could gather, the better he could address the problem.
Su Ningxue shook her head. "No, we didn't stay long... Oh, wait! I have photos and videos on my camera. We were planning to post them online."
"Can I take a look?"
"Of course!"
Her mother retrieved a compact camera from Su Ningxue's bag and handed it to Lu Fei.
Lu Fei turned it on and began flipping through the images.
The photos showed three girls and one boy posing around the building. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, so Lu Fei skipped ahead to the video of the game.
The camera's night-vision mode illuminated the dim scene. Four young people stood in the corners of a dorm room, walking forward one by one.
The room was eerily quiet, with only the sound of faint footsteps.
At first, everything appeared normal.
Then, as the group completed a circle, the footage suddenly shook violently. Dark shadows appeared on the screen.
The shadows clung silently to the backs of the four individuals, with long hair draping down their spines.
Lu Fei's eyes widened in shock.
"Four of them!"
Moments later, strands of long hair descended from above the frame, quickly covering the lens entirely.
The screen went black, and the camera appeared to malfunction.
Lu Fei tried to restart it, but the camera refused to turn on. He suddenly felt a chilling sensation on the back of his hand.
When he looked, his brows furrowed.
A long strand of black hair had emerged from the camera's crevice, creeping across his hand.
With a burst of magic, the icy hair disintegrated into ash.
"Miss Su, everything you brought back from that building must be burned!" Lu Fei said firmly.
His heart pounded. This hair was insidious and relentless!