Chapter 74: Sadako-chan, Here I Come
While Liang Xiaoyu was wallowing in despair over her public humiliation, the volunteers finally turned their attention to the haunted house of horrors.
Most of these volunteers were affiliated with the military or were university students who had signed agreements with the government of the Rabbit Nation to work in state departments after graduation. A few international students among them were also highly regarded in their home countries, hailed by their national media as future treasures.
Money might have been hard to come by for these individuals personally, but for the powers backing them, it was not a significant obstacle. After spending some time and applying through special channels, many of them received dedicated funding.
Eager and excited, they began to prepare for the haunted house challenge.
Originally, many wanted to consult Liang Xiaoyu for advice or tips, but one look at the furious expression on the livestreamer’s face, and everyone wisely abandoned the idea.
Someone suggested turning to the Transformers for help. With their steel bodies and carefree attitudes, surely they wouldn’t fear any ghosts or monsters. Unfortunately, neither the lively Bumblebee and Jazz, nor the more approachable Prowl and Drift, nor even the solemn Optimus Prime, showed much interest in the haunted house. Privately, they had already arranged to host a welcome party for the new colleague later, and nothing would get in the way of that. According to the haunted house’s rules, scaring people senseless was Sadako’s job. The Transformers had no intention of disrupting her work.
The volunteers lined up in loose formation and entered the haunted house one by one.
Liang Xiaoyu watched intently, wishing with all her might that these people would be scared out of their wits the moment they stepped inside. If everyone turned out to be a coward, she could still maintain her reputation as the fearless heroine.
A minute passed, then two, then ten.
Liang Xiaoyu yawned, feeling a little deflated.
Just as she was about to change the subject, she suddenly saw a short-haired girl burst out of the haunted house entrance, her face stricken with terror.
She blinked, then burst out laughing, turning her livestream camera on the girl. “Look at that, it’s only been ten minutes and someone’s already failed!”
The girl heard Liang Xiaoyu’s words, looked around in confusion, then glanced back at the haunted house looming in the mist, her face contorted in fear. She shook her head vigorously, pursed her lips, and walked away in silence.
She had gone in with the others, never expecting to be the first one out. For someone as competitive as her, it was a blow. But recalling her experience inside, she couldn’t help shuddering.
Sadako, the vengeful ghost.
Her reputation was well deserved!
She never wanted to go back in there again.
About five or six minutes later, a young man with a dark complexion appeared at the entrance, his face equally haunted.
This time, Liang Xiaoyu was ready. She waved at him with a smile, “Hey, Wang Kang!”
She happened to know this young man. He was a senior at the National Defense University, from a rural background, diligent and outstanding, and had been selected as a volunteer. This fellow was exceptionally talented in martial arts and was currently training in the “Nine Suns Divine Art.” It was rumored that in a few days, once he had mastered the basics, he would purchase the rare Bosqu Snake Gallbladder to enhance his inner strength. He was a key recruit for the military.
Liang Xiaoyu had seen him go in first and had thought that, since he practiced such a strong, masculine art, he might just make it through. To her surprise, he was the second one out.
Wang Kang, hearing Liang Xiaoyu call out, snapped back to reality. He exhaled shakily, scratched his head, and said sheepishly, “Sister Xiaoyu.”
“Why are you out already?” Liang Xiaoyu asked with a grin.
Despite his honest demeanor, she knew he was sly underneath. He was the one who had told the Old Mischief that she’d been scared to death before!
“Sadako was targeting me,” Wang Kang said, embarrassed. “Maybe she didn’t like my martial arts skills.”
Liang Xiaoyu just smiled, seeing right through his excuse.
Men!
“It was truly terrifying,” Wang Kang muttered, a strange mix of fear and confusion flickering across his face. “I let my guard down.”
“Did you freeze up?” Liang Xiaoyu teased.
Wang Kang sighed. “Sister Xiaoyu, are you livestreaming right now?”
“Of course,” she replied, turning the camera on him. “Tell everyone, is there anything we should be aware of when braving the haunted house?”
Wang Kang pondered for a moment before saying, “If you go in, don’t try to judge Sadako with common sense. Otherwise, you’ll be in for a real shock.”
With that, he hurried away, too embarrassed to linger.
He felt certain he could never tell anyone the real secret.
The viewers in the livestream chat began to discuss the dark-faced young man.
“This guy looks pretty brave—didn’t get scared silly like Rain Thief.”
“He’s just putting on a show—men care about their pride.”
“He probably wore adult diapers just in case.”
“What do you think he meant by not judging Sadako with common sense?”
“Maybe he means Sadako’s scare tactics aren’t just crawling out of the TV.”
“Like how a certain streamer got hanged—[picture].”
“Haha, that’s harsh—the streamer’s face just turned green.”
Liang Xiaoyu, fuming, stuffed a giant bite of spicy konjac into her mouth, panting like a puppy from the heat.
She didn’t take Wang Kang’s words too seriously.
Like many viewers in the livestream, she figured he must have been scared silly too, just putting on a brave face and playing the mysterious sage.
In two days, a total of sixty-two volunteers attempted the haunted house.
Only two succeeded.
One man, one woman.
The man was named Wang Kang, from the Rabbit Nation military, a true soldier who had participated in anti-terrorism operations and had seen real bloodshed.
The woman was a North Stick exchange student, taciturn and withdrawn, rarely speaking to anyone.
Both were granted the right to purchase three types of supernatural abilities.
Wang Kang spent a staggering 2.3 billion in one go to acquire all three abilities—a promise and reward from the state to the first person to clear the haunted house.
With the nation behind him, he moved forward with confidence.
As for being removed from his volunteer post after obtaining the abilities and having to return for research cooperation, he didn’t mind at all. His future was now brighter than ever.
The woman, on the other hand, gazed wistfully at the three abilities, then left empty-handed. Her country had no money, and she refused to accept help from any outside powers.
Liang Xiaoyu could only watch, drooling with envy.
So, the next day, she once again set out, brimming with ambition, to challenge Sadako.
She failed miserably.
For the rest of the time, she focused on interviewing the other volunteers, especially the two who had cleared the haunted house.
Through her conversations and the discussions in the livestream, Liang Xiaoyu gradually grasped a few critical points.
“Those three supernatural abilities must be closely connected with Sadako.”
“Her method of killing wasn’t just scaring people to death, but using hypnosis to make them commit suicide.”
“The prerequisite for successful hypnosis is that the victim’s willpower must be weaker than hers…”
Liang Xiaoyu came to a conclusion, her excitement rising: “Her real goal is to break people’s willpower. As long as we remain unshaken, there’s nothing to fear!”
“Sadako-chan, here I come!”