Master Wang had already prepared everything.
These two idiot strears who loved sticking their noses where they didn't belong would be killed by the very fears they fantasized about, and it would all be broadcast live. This way, the rumor that Water Mirror Resort had terrifying urban legends would be caught on video, turning it into undeniable fact.
The incident would blow up! It might even hit the trending searches!
Even if the news was suppressed, many people would still see it. That would draw even more thrill-seekers looking to capitalize on the hype...
And then they would die here, too.
The body count would keep rising, and eventually, it could no longer be covered up.
Whether the resort was ultimately bulldozed or so genuinely powerful master was brought in to resolve the situation... there would finally be an explanation for all of it. And since the earliest known incident occurred back in 2008, when he was still in elentary school, it absolutely could not be tied to him.
This way, any suspicion falling on him would be entirely cleared.
All he had to do was stay hidden.
"I see."
Ming Po nodded. "You wanted to find out who was behind all this, right?"
"...Yes."
The young man whimpered. "I wanted to know... who killed my mom. I... I hate him, and I'm scared..."
Standing to the side, Ai Shiping finally understood. "Because Water Mirror Resort was just quietly abandoned, and you discovered that the Wangliang inside had never been fully exterminated."
"...I found out last year."
Master Wang spoke honestly. "I sneaked in to investigate, but I saw my mom—my mom, alive!
"It startled at first. But after thinking it over, I figured it out, and that wasn't enough to stop .
"I felt it then—the person controlling this place might not be around anymore. Maybe they died, or maybe they left. If people ca here to explore but didn't believe in ghosts... they wouldn't see anything at all.
"I just... wasn't as scared anymore. I was waiting for an opportunity, until..."
"Until I ca looking for you?"
Ai Shiping smiled, not appearing particularly angry. "You have a pretty good eye."
Water Mirror Resort must have entered a stable state.
At the very least, when Master Wang snuck in to lay his traps—placing those news clippings—he hadn't encountered any problems. Yes, traps.
Although any fear could be manifested by the wishing machine, these specific cases were deliberately chosen.
"The crying and coughing in the dining hall could be heard, and the man jumping from the building could be seen. The horror escalated step by step... If soone truly believed there were ghosts here, they would be burned alive in the room where the fire happened.
"As for this place..."
Ming Po looked back at the woman in the bathtub. "You never intended for us to co here from the very beginning."
The first and second incidents were ant to set the mood, building the atmosphere.
The blood bathtub was just thrown into the mix, an event ant to lure curious people into investigating.
The actual killing blow was always the fire incident.
If nothing unexpected had happened, Xiao Li likely died in one of the rooms on the second floor.
Ai Shiping glared at Master Wang. "Did you play the role of that 'Xiao Li' too?"
The ghosts hadn't actually managed to hurt him; at worst, it was just like a trip through a haunted house.
To Ai Shiping, as long as he ca out unhard in the end, the motive could be forgiven.
However, Ai Shiping's mory had been temporarily blocked.
That was what infuriated him the most.
"Yes, I played him..."
Master Wang shrank back and whispered, "I didn't create any little ghosts. And... I didn't kill Xiao Li either. He... he scared himself to death..."
Ming Po sneered.
Master Wang jumped in fright, instantly swallowing his excuses.
"Let ask you sothing," Ming Po suddenly said. "If you really found the mastermind behind all this, what would you do? Kill him?"
"Ah, no, no, no, how could I... I'm a law-abiding citizen..."
"Law-abiding?"
Ming Po laughed out loud. "If you were law-abiding, would I be standing here?"
He splashed his way out of the bathroom, walked to the door, and stopped right in front of Master Wang.
Ming Po reached out and grabbed the master by the jaw, his grip so forceful it felt as though it could crush bone. "For soone who has tasted blood, saying that... is a bit hypocritical, isn't it?
"When you saw Xiao Li burning to death in his hallucination, you felt absolutely ecstatic, didn't you?
"If you were truly afraid, you would have stopped us long ago."
Seeing Master Wang's pupils tremble, Ming Po's deep voice resonated like a late-night radio broadcast. "What are you hiding from? What are you shivering for?
"Your mom was shivering right before she died, too. Xiao Li must have been trembling before his death as well. After all, the water was so cold... Heh, and the fire was so hot..."
"I was wrong, I was wrong!"
Master Wang let out a beast-like wail. "I was wrong, bro, I was wrong! I'll never dare to do it again!"
"You killed Xiao Li, yet you didn't dare to touch him? He killed your mom, and you never thought about killing him?"
Ming Po narrowed his eyes, leaning in to whisper in his ear. "Then what is the point of you being alive?"
"I will! I will! I will! I'll kill him! I will definitely kill him!"
Master Wang was drenched in sweat, his clothes plastered to his back. His voice sounded more like a howl of agony than a plea for rcy. "I swear! I swear, bro!"
"Heh heh heh..."
Ming Po laughed in delight.
He released Master Wang's jaw, reached out, and patted his face. "Now that's a good boy."
Ming Po's slaps were neither light nor heavy, smacking loudly against Master Wang's chubby cheeks.
Master Wang didn't dare to move a muscle, only instinctively closing his eyes right before each slap landed.
Seeing this cowardly reaction, Ming Po found it sowhat dull.
The delighted smile on his face gradually faded as he quietly observed this hateful yet spineless man.
To be completely honest, Ming Po had originally planned to kill him.
Not for any particularly deep reason.
Simply because this foolish fat man had dared to bare his fangs at him.
But now, Ming Po felt... there didn't seem to be much point.
He had no resolve to kill, nor did he understand what it ant to take another person's life.
He was afraid, and he was full of hatred. Yet, he didn't dare to truly hate anyone.
Even though he had already taken soone's life, he deceived himself into believing it was rely an accidental tragedy.
For a person like this, death wasn't a punishnt. He feared death so deeply, yet he didn't even know why he was afraid.
"Even your hatred is so weak, even your revenge is so hypocritical."
Ming Po stood up and spoke softly. "Did you really love your mother?"
Hearing this, Master Wang froze on the ground.
He subconsciously glanced toward the blood-filled bathtub in the bathroom.
In a daze, he fell into a hallucination.
Before his very eyes—he watched his mother walk lifelessly into the bathtub, taking a razor blade and slicing open her wrist.
A look of struggle appeared on her face, but she could do nothing.
Master Wang instinctively straightened his upper body, seemingly wanting to reach out and pull her up to save her.
But the mont he extended his hand, he realized it was just a hallucination. Even if he saved her, it would be utterly aningless.
So his hand remained frozen in mid-air.
"...Wanting to hate, yet too afraid to hate."
Ming Po slapped his hand down. His voice suddenly broke through the illusion. "What a piece of trash."
"I..."
'I am not trash.'
Master Wang wanted to argue, but he didn't dare defy the words of the terrifying fiend before him.
He could only glare furiously at Ming Po, his hands unconsciously clenching into fists.
"That look in your eyes... Now that is a bit interesting."
Ming Po raised his eyebrows, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly. "When I co back next ti, we'll see..."
—If you are still this useless, I'll just kill you.
But before Ming Po could finish speaking, the entire world before him suddenly lted like cream.
The surrounding environnt rapidly lost its color and dissipated, leaving only him and Ai Shiping.
The ga's evaluation ford a screen of light, flashing swiftly across his vision.
"...What are you doing, Ink?"
Ming Po was sowhat displeased, his brows knitting tightly. "I hadn't finished talking yet!"
Even though the other party was his Host, Ming Po showed absolutely no fear.
Although the Adventure world was constantly running, they had a specific exit point.
Their exit point was supposed to be 'completing the livestream'.
Even though the main content of this ga had largely wrapped up, their livestream clearly hadn't finished yet...
"Sothing went wrong, kid."
Right then, the black Cat bounded over to him, speaking simply. "Be careful after you get out... Do not re-enter Phantom Specter for now."
Just as Ming Po was about to ask why, the glowing screen before him made him shut his mouth, his expression turning serious.
[Fatal Ga Error Occurred]
[Target 'Twilight Kin; Wangliang' has escaped from the current world]
[Ga 'Horror Livestream' forcibly terminated]
[Ga entering mid-term settlent...]
[Host: Ink (Balance - Silver)]
[Difficulty: 8 Days]
['Phantom Specter' Deviation from Material Realm: 68%]
[Rewards obtained: Ti Chips; Day's False Gold (8 pieces)]
[Evaluating...]
[Based on current maximum authority level, obtained Title: Madman]
[Madman (Slaughter - False Gold)]
[Equip Effect: Immune to all fear effects, clears all ntal abnormalities after sleep, gain permanent status: ntal Anomaly (Mild)]
[Active Effect: Temporarily restore sanity and gain greatly increased all attributes, lasting three minutes. Each ti this effect is used, the severity of the ntal anomaly deepens.]
[Title Acquisition Condition: Trigger a fatal ga error]
[Title Branch Evolution Condition: Unknown]
["Among all the attributes of the gods, the one I pity the most is: gods cannot commit suicide."]
The mont he snapped back to consciousness from the murky darkness.
Ming Po abruptly opened his eyes, vaulting out of his bed.
"...The Wangliang escaped?"
Ming Po muttered in a low voice. "Escaped to where..."
"Right here, big brother."
Before Ming Po could finish speaking, an ethereal and gentle voice echoed right beside him.
A little girl with long black hair stood by the bed, tilting her head and staring at him with great interest.
Her pupils were a pure, twilight yellow.
"Your eyes," she asked, "why aren't they yellow?"
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