Xiao Ling's phone kept buzzing incessantly.
Notifications from the livestream app flooded in—personal messages from viewers asking if she and Ah Xu were okay after the broadcast had ended abruptly.
Some praised the stream, calling it a "starter experience" that felt terrifyingly real and begging for more content.
Groaning, Xiao Ling rubbed her eyes and squinted at the clock.
"Omg… it's already 12 noon?!" she exclaimed, jumping out of bed.
She hurried to the door of Ah Xu's room next door and started knocking furiously.
"Ah Xu! Wake up!" she shouted.
Meanwhile, Ah Xu stirred awake from the pounding on his door.
Groaning, he shuffled over and opened it, squinting against the sunlight streaming in.
"What… what do you want so early in the morning?" he mumbled, voice hoarse from sleep.
Xiao Ling crossed her arms, scowling, her hair sticking out in messy strands.
"Early in the morning?! It's 12 in the noon, you idiot!"
Ah Xu blinked, rubbing his eyes.
"Wait… what?! How… how did it get so late?"
Xiao Ling let out a dramatic sigh.
"This is why I don't trust thrill-seekers dragging me into haunted mansions!
Now hurry up and get out of bed, sleepyhead. We've got stuff to do today."
Ah Xu rubbed the back of his neck, half-amused, half-exasperated.
"Yeah… yeah, yeah. Don't worry, I'm up."
Even with the looming quests and system notifications waiting for him, the two of them shared a brief, human moment of normalcy — the calm before the storm that was still waiting for them.
Meanwhile, Jia Le was woken up by the noise outside. He opened the door, squinting in the sunlight.
"Guys… it's the weekend," he said, rubbing his eyes.
"Why are you even up this early?"
Ah Xu and Xiao Ling exchanged glances, then realized he was right.
It was the weekend.
Since they had already told their parents they'd be staying at the school dorm, there was no need to wake up early to clean—normally, students staying over on weekends had to take turns tidying up the dorms.
Xiao Ling let out a relieved sigh.
"I completely forgot—it's the weekend. We don't have to get up early for anything."
Ah Xu slumped back into his bed, muttering, "Guess the system isn't going to let me rest anyway…"
Jia Le shook his head with a small smile.
"Alright, forget breakfast then."
He called out to his servants, his voice carrying through the house.
"It's already noon—prepare lunch for us later. Let us know when it's ready."
Both Ah Xu and Xiao Ling nodded, feeling the slight luxury of the moment settle around them.
For now, at least, they could enjoy a brief calm before the next challenge awaited.
At the dining table, the three of them enjoyed the luxurious spread that Jia Le's servants had prepared.
For a moment, it felt almost normal again — laughter, the clinking of utensils, and the faint warmth of sunlight streaming through the wide windows.
In between bites, Xiao Ling suddenly spoke up, glancing at her phone.
"Um… so, about the livestream last night…"
Both boys looked at her.
"One of the broadcasting companies actually reached out," she said hesitantly.
"They said they were interested in having us on board."
Ah Xu blinked, confused.
"Wait, what? Why would they want us? It was literally our first stream — and we didn't even finish it properly!"
Xiao Ling shrugged helplessly.
"I don't know! Maybe because it went viral?
The comments section is crazy.
People think it was some kind of performance art or a horror event."
Jia Le leaned back in his chair, smirking.
"Well… if they're offering, why not give it a try?"
Xiao Ling turned to him, eyes wide.
"Are you insane?
We just came back from that creepy mansion and barely made it out alive — and now you want us to do it again?"
Jia Le rubbed the back of his neck with an awkward smile. "I mean… just saying. It's a big opportunity."
While they bickered, Ah Xu suddenly leaned forward, an idea sparking in his mind.
"Xiao Ling," he said, voice lowering slightly. "Can I borrow your livestream account for a bit?"
She frowned. "Why? What are you planning now?"
Ah Xu gave a small grin, eyes gleaming with something between curiosity and determination.
"Let's just say… I might have a way to turn all of this into an advantage."
Xiao Ling hesitated for a beat, suspicion written all over her face, but she handed Ah Xu her livestream account anyway.
"Fine — but if you get us into more trouble, I'm banning you from ever logging into the account ever again," she warned.
Ah Xu grinned, pocketing the login like it was a key. Inside, his mind was already racing.
If I broadcast my hunts, people will see the ghosts for themselves — and I can finish the Quest while the world watches. He imagined using the stream as both cover and evidence: lure weaker spirits, devour them on-camera, build reputation, and earn rewards.
Plus, he thought, there's the Spin and the mansion reward… this could all pay off.
Jia Le shrugged, still half-amused, half-nervous.
"Just don't do anything reckless," he said. "If you go back to Feng Mansion, at least tell us where you're going."
"I'll be careful," Ah Xu promised — though even to his own ears the word sounded uncertain.
He could feel the system's faint hum, a reminder that the quests wouldn't wait for comfort or courage.
As they finished lunch, the plan took shape: they'd return to Feng Mansion, but this time it wouldn't be some stupid dare.
It'd be a mission — livestreamed, documented, and designed to get Ah Xu one step closer to controlling the mansion.
Xiao Ling rolled her eyes but didn't argue. She was terrified, yes — but she also knew they couldn't pretend nothing had happened.
Not anymore.
Outside, the Feng Mansion's windows glinted faintly in the afternoon light, like patient eyes watching the first moves of a game.
Within the shadows, ghostly figures began to stir — translucent forms drifting aimlessly at first, but soon gathering near the grand staircase where the once-strong specter had fallen.
Their whispers intertwined, forming a chilling chorus that echoed off the broken walls.
"He's gone…"
"The seal is weakening…"
"The devourer walks free…"
The air grew colder as their translucent bodies flickered and twisted. Instinct took over — the hunger for power, for existence, for dominance.
One by one, the weaker spirits lunged at each other, devouring fragments of soul and essence.
The corridor filled with distorted screams as their forms merged and mutated.
The surviving few grew denser, more defined — their hollow eyes burning faintly with malice.
Soon, a new leader emerged from the chaos — a specter far darker than the rest, its form unstable, dripping shadows like liquid night.
It let out a guttural hiss, its voice reverberating through the mansion's halls.
"The devourer thinks the curse is over…"
"We will rise again."
Outside, the once-silent mansion began to pulse faintly with ghostly energy, a warning that something old and furious was awakening once more.