Ch. 6 - Don't Make a Sound, It’s Outside the Door

SHIT!

Bai Wan’s heart jumped in shock, and he instinctively prepared to bolt.

But then the figure by the statue suddenly whispered, “It’s me.”

Startled, Bai Wan squinted carefully and finally realized — it was Liu Tong squatting there.

Liu Tong gestured for silence and slowly walked over. Bai Wan kept his guard up, but after a brief test and confirmation, he was certain that this was the real Liu Tong. As it turned out, Liu Tong had come out as well when he heard the footsteps. He had noticed Bai Wan’s door was open and chose to crouch near the statue to observe the situation.

Both of them let out a quiet sigh of relief. Liu Tong gave him a look of genuine surprise and whispered, “You’re really bold, huh? Actually daring to come out and follow.”

“According to the diary, Annie heard footsteps and only disappeared a few days later. So I figured hearing footsteps tonight shouldn’t be fatal,” Bai Wan explained.

Liu Tong’s eyes flashed with approval. That was exactly the reason he himself had dared to come out and follow the footsteps.

Tonight might seem dangerous, but in reality, it should be relatively safe. After all, the diary explicitly mentioned that Annie had complained about the footsteps to her companions the next day — which meant she had survived until the next morning. That made tonight’s footsteps a valuable opportunity.

If they gave in to fear and stayed holed up inside their rooms doing nothing, they might end up disappearing just like Annie.

Of course, what if they had miscalculated? What if the footsteps could kill on the very first night?

Well... shit luck then, there’d be nothing they could do.

Surviving the Paranormal Game never came with a guaranteed method. Every decision they made was essentially a gamble — betting on which course of action gave them the highest chance of survival.

At this moment, Liu Tong truly found Bai Wan admirable. Sometimes, even if you understood the logic, it didn’t mean you’d have the guts to act on it. After all, stepping out of the safety of their rooms in this pitch-black night required immense courage.

Exchanging a glance, the two of them turned their gazes toward the second floor. The footsteps echoed repeatedly upstairs.

Holding their breath, they gently gripped the wooden handrails of the stairs and quietly began to ascend.

Tap... tap...

The sound upstairs was faint, almost like the drip of water. But the closer they got, the clearer the sound became. Both of them grew increasingly alert. Whatever was making that sound... was right above them.

Slowly, they reached the top of the stairs. Together, they carefully peeked their heads around the corner and looked down the second-floor corridor.

“What the hell...” Both Bai Wan and Liu Tong’s pupils shrank simultaneously, sucking in a sharp breath.

The dim corridor was devoid of lighting. Only a small window allowed the faint moonlight to spill in. There, in the faint glow, a man stood frozen in place, dressed in white pajamas, his eyes shut tightly.

Most bizarre of all — his feet would lightly tap the ground every now and then, like a grasshopper, bouncing up and down at regular intervals. That strange hopping was the source of the sound.

“Mr. Zhang?” Liu Tong whispered, startled. It was none other than Zhang Wen, the PE teacher, behaving in this utterly bizarre manner.

“But why is he jumping while facing the wall?” Bai Wan muttered, bewildered.

At that moment, Zhang Wen was jumping repeatedly in front of a bare wall, like a lunatic.

Then, under their astonished gazes, the wall began to change. An ancient, decaying aura slowly spread outward as a wooden door emerged from the wall. There was no room number on it. It appeared out of nowhere, right between Room 202 and Room 203.

Unlike the clean, modern doors of the other rooms, this door was old, dilapidated, and completely out of place.

Creaaak.

The ancient wooden door slowly opened halfway on its own, as if pushed by some invisible force. A damp, cold, rotting stench wafted out from the crack. It was as though the door hadn’t been opened in countless years, its scent thick with decay.

Then, accompanied by the tapping sound, Zhang Wen walked straight through the doorway and disappeared inside.

At the same time, a message appeared in Bai Wan’s mind. It was a notification for earning Paranormal Coins.

[+100 Paranormal Coins...]

He blinked in surprise but quickly realized the reason — he must have triggered a key clue, earning him the reward. Looking at Liu Tong’s faint smile, Bai Wan understood that he too must have received the same reward.

This guy...

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Bai Wan stared at Liu Tong.

This official dude didn’t seem to be sharing everything with the newbie players after all. He had deliberately left out details about earning Paranormal Coins — likely to reserve more coins for himself.

It was human nature. A complete stranger who helped you without holding anything back — now that would have been suspicious.

“It seems like that suddenly-appearing wooden door is the key to this dungeon,” Liu Tong whispered.

Bai Wan nodded, pondering whether they should go in after him.

But at that moment, both of their expressions changed drastically. An overwhelming sense of danger suddenly surged within them.

Hiss... hiss...

From within the half-open wooden door came faint, unsettling sounds. The foul, decaying stench intensified rapidly, from a distant waft to a suffocating stench directly beneath their noses.

RUN!

Without needing to say a word, both Bai Wan and Liu Tong turned in unison and sprinted downstairs.

They had already gathered enough information.

This was the critical limit. If they pushed their luck any further, they might actually die here.

Thud...

Not long after they bolted, heavy footsteps echoed from the second floor. But this time, the footsteps were different from before — heavier, mechanical... and terrifying.

It seemed... they had been discovered.

The footsteps grew faster.

Thud thud thud...

Bai Wan rushed back into his room, slammed the door shut, and locked it securely. He sat silently on his bed, holding his breath.

The footsteps descended the staircase and grew louder...

They were approaching Bai Wan’s room.

Tap. Tap...

Seconds later, the footsteps stopped directly in front of his door.

And then... silence. Nothing but silence.

Bai Wan stiffened, instinctively holding his breath. There had been footsteps coming to his door — but none leaving. That could only mean one thing.

Whatever was outside his room was standing there... unmoving. 

Right outside his door.

Frozen in place, Bai Wan didn’t dare make the slightest sound. His eyes remained locked on the door.

Minutes passed, but he remained confused.

What’s the ghost outside doing? Why isn’t it moving?

Is it pretending to leave, waiting for him to open the door?

As if he’d fall for that.

Suddenly, he recalled a line from the girl’s diary.

[Don’t make a sound... don’t make a sound... pretend there’s no one here... pretend there’s no one here...]

Could it be... this particular paranormal entity could only kill after confirming someone’s presence in the room?

Steadying his breathing, Bai Wan forced himself to stay as quiet as possible — pretending the room was empty.

Half an hour passed. There was still no movement outside. This made Bai Wan wonder if the ghost had already left.

But just then, his phone suddenly started vibrating.

Bzzz Bzzz Bzzz!

Bai Wan glanced at his phone, and his heart nearly stopped.

The caller ID displayed: Zhang Wen... Mr. Zhang.

And even more terrifying — from right outside his door, he heard the faint, distinct sound of a dialing ringtone.

Beep... beep... beep...

The sound was frighteningly close — no more than half a meter from the door. The entity outside was calling him.

Bzzz Bzzz...

The sound of his phone vibrating echoed through the room, overlapping perfectly with the dialing ringtone outside.

Bai Wan’s expression grew grim. He stayed utterly motionless, refusing to pick up.

Pretending there was no one inside.

Bzzz Bzzz...

The phone vibrated for over ten seconds.

Then... silence.

Instead, there was a faint beep.

Hiss...

Turning his head slightly, Bai Wan’s scalp went numb.

His phone screen now displayed an active call.

00:01... 00:02...

Oh shit! The paranormal entity had connected the call by itself!

Bai Wan sat rigidly, not daring to move a muscle. He even suppressed his breathing entirely.

On the other end of the line... was only dead silence.

In that chilling atmosphere, time passed second by second.

When the call duration hit one minute, the call automatically disconnected — and the footsteps outside gradually receded.

Only then did Bai Wan finally let out a long breath. This paranormal entity could even control mobile phones... incredibly terrifying. If he hadn’t controlled his emotions and stayed silent, he probably would have died right there.

Too weak... I’m still too weak.

With no life-saving items, his only hope — Mario’s Coin Room — could only be activated through a sewer, which was useless inside this room.

Stretching slightly, Bai Wan prepared to lie down and rest.

But... he glanced at the door again.

Cautious as ever, he walked over and peered through the peephole.

Darkness greeted him outside — no visible figure. Relaxing slightly, Bai Wan figured the entity must have left. He could finally drop his guard.

But just then, the clouds outside parted — moonlight streamed in.

And in that very moment, through the peephole, Bai Wan happened to glance toward a mirror in the hall.

Boom!

His blood instantly surged to his head, his entire body freezing as goosebumps erupted all over him.

In the mirror... a twisted, distorted figure was crouched in the blind spot beneath his door — directly beneath the peephole. Its pale, malicious eyes stared upward, its ear pressed tightly against the door...

Listening intently for any sound from within.

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