During game shows, host would employ the same trick. If there were three doors at the set, the host would tell the participant that a brand-new car was behind one door, and the other two would lead to nothing. He would then allow the participant to make the choice.
Say the participant chose the first door. Then, the host, knowing where the car was, would go to the third door and open it, revealing nothing. The host would turn to the participant to ask, “Do you still want to choose the first door? Would you like to change your choice?”
Most people would not change their choice, either out of fear or stubbornness, believing the host was employing reverse psychology, trying to trick them. But in reality, no matter where the car was, abandoning all emotions, with only statistics as the basis, one should always change to the second door.
Feng Bujue’s choice of not entering the first door was based on multiple considerations. Whether it was the real him that he saw earlier or a mere illusion, whether it was an illusion or a hint, the chance of entering the other corridor and finding one of the potions would not be lowered. The chance of making a mistake and finding danger though was lower than the first door. Exploring the other corridors could also work to clarify the situation with the first corridor. After knowing more about the scenario, perhaps he could analyze what had happened earlier.
Tat tat tat…
A high frequency running footsteps. After Feng Bujue entered the third door, he started to run. He ran very fast like a purple leopard on the hunt. He rushed down the corridor. He knew very well that he should not waste any more time in this seemingly endless corridor.
The first twenty-three minutes went past just like that, and he was no closer to finding the first potion. Ever after he found the potion, there was a high chance that he still would need time to solve several Saw puzzles. This kind of game would wake one’s mind up and strengthen one’s body. If it was played in real life, it would not only cause permanent disfigurement and mental scaring, one could easily die. But in Thriller Paradise, if one did not play this game well, the lightest consequence was wasting time or Life Points, and the heaviest punishment would be the loss of Contra Medals.
It was a stroke of good luck that Jazz Shoes did not get ruined in the precious scenario. This equipment that improved his running speed while maintaining his Stamina Points could help him buy some lost time.
“Eh?” Feng Bujue ran and ran until a door appeared in his path. It was a wooden door, and it looked rather old.
This was right in the middle of the corridor, and who knew how much longer the corridor would lead, but the door meant that there was a room in the middle of the corridor. This was rather surprising. Feng Bujue had thought that the monotonous corridor was merely a way to waste the player’s time, as a kind of lull between events, but it looked like he was wrong.
Feng Bujue stopped before the door and pushed it open without hesitation. He had to enter it. What if the potion was inside? No one had said the potion had to be at the end of the corridor, and it was unknown whether there was an end to the corridor. Regardless, he needed to move forward, and stopping there was not an option. What was behind the door was an unknown.
The door opened; it was very quiet. The door did not creak noisily like Feng Bujue expected. The room was very dark, and the light from the corridor was swallowed when it reached the door. Feng Bujue did not hurry to get in. He took out his flashlight and used it to examine the inside of the room.
This was an empty little room. There was no furniture, and a large basket and some empty paper boxes were abandoned in the corners. There was a window in the room, but it was sealed up behind a thick layer of wooden beams. There was no other door in the room, and there was no carpet on the ground. The floor was different from the corridor outside. It looked old and uneven. There were some weird stains, which looked like the words of bugs.
It was hard to say whether hints or items were placed inside this room, but one thing was for sure—there was no one inside, or rather, there was no space for anyone to hide. Feng Bujue observed for ten seconds before taking his first step inside.
When both of his legs stepped over the threshold and his entire person was inside the small room, a strong chill assaulted him. It felt like he was standing in a snowstorm while wearing only a thin layer. The chill felt very real, and it was not an illusion.
“Burr… What kind of air-conditioning is this? The temperature was normal just beyond the door…”
Since Feng Bujue did not feel fear, he said this without any trace of fear. He raised the flashlight and looked around. He focused on the corners of the room and noticed the door behind him closed on its own. Just like when it was opened, it slid shut without making a noise.
“Again with this?” Feng Bujue seemed to be impatient with this kind of situation. He turned around to pull on the doorknob. He turned it harshly, trying to get it to open. Of course… he failed.
After the door closed, Feng Bujue was trapped, and the chill in the room became more intense. Feng Bujue could not knock down the door, and all he got was an uneven breath after he tried. Under the light of the flashlight, his breaths froze into white puffs.
“Fine, fine… another time-wasting trap. I’ll only exit after solving the puzzle, right?” Feng Bujue shook his head and turned around. Helpless, he searched the room. He looked at the four corners, and they were normal; there was nothing there. Then he walked to the abandoned paper boxes and empty basket. Right at that moment, Feng Bujue felt something…
He realized that a pair of eyes had been studying him from a high altitude.
Feng Bujue slowly lifted his head and moved the flashlight upward. On the ceiling, there floated a shadow formed from an amalgamation of air. The shape was blurry. It looked roughly like a person. Its body was stuck to the ceiling, and it had the ability to swallow or bend light. When the light from the flashlight hit it, the light blurred naturally around its body.
Feng Bujue studied this thing calmly while the thing also looked down at Feng Bujue. This strange scene extended for not long before the shadow gradually faded away.
Three seconds after it disappeared, two rays of light suddenly shot from above. They came from where the shadow’s pair of eyes would be. Normally, anyone would be scared, but Feng Bujue stood where he was, unfazed. His finger did not even twitch. He sighed weakly. “You sure are a flighty little thing…”
Right then, the shadow leaped down from above. Feng Bujue took a step back, evaded it easily, and pulled out the One-Shot-Kill Pistol. He aimed it at the thing and said, “What are you doing?’
The shadow gradually materialized, turning physical from the immaterial. He turned into a black human shape, looking similarly to the killers found in the Detective Conan anime, but this thing’s eyes were blue, and there were strange ripples going up and down his body. One could see roughly something that looked like blood flowing, as if the blood vessels of this thing grew on the surface of his skin.
“Do you know how to tell ghost stories?” The shadow spoke, and he sounded like a middle-aged man.
“You… ha ha ha…” Who knew what happened to Feng Bujue? He suddenly thought this whole thing was rather preposterous, and he found the question ridiculously funny. Ten seconds later, he tried to get his emotions in order and said, “I’m warning you, I’m in a rush.”
“Tell me a ghost story,” the shadow repeated.
Feng Bujue lowered the pistol. He was not worried that he would not be able to kill this thing but was afraid that he might be trapped in there forever after killing it. “What benefit will I get… after telling you a story?”
This might sound like a random question, but Feng Bujue had actually put plenty of thought behind it. He did not ask if he would be let out, instead asking about vague benefits. This provided the shadow with a wide range of answers to provide. Assuming that the event in this room required the player to tell a story before gaining access to the exit, the question would not matter. If, after telling the story, there were benefits to gain other than the exit, then Feng Bujue’s question would tip him off to that possibility.
“If you can scare me, then I’ll let you out,” the shadow replied.
“Wouldn’t it be faster if I just kill you now and get out?” Feng Bujue did not raise his gun.
“Hmm…” To his surprise, the shadow started to think. “Alright, if your story can scare me, I will not only let you out, I’ll also directly place you in the ’prison’ at the end of this corridor. You were running that way, right? The road ahead is still very long.”
With that said, Feng Bujue understood everything immediately. He would still be able to escape by shooting the shadow, but the time wasted here would not be recompensated. And telling a story… even though that might take a few more minutes, he would be placed at the end of the corridor, which might save him some time because who knew how long the rest of the corridor was?
“Okay then, I’ll tell you a story.” Feng Bujue seemed to be very familiar with this. He placed the flashlight under his chin and continued in a low, eerie voice. “A long time ago, there was a taxi driver…”
At this point, it should be clear to all why Feng Bujue was barred from interacting with little children…
“…he often had to work late. One day, when he was driving past a part of town that he was not familiar with. He saw a woman in white waving his car down…”
Feng Bujue selected a story that was not that long. Even though, with his power as a writer, he could have easily made up a novella on the spot, but in this situation, the shorter the story, the better.
“The driver did not think much of it and stopped the car.
“The woman got into the car after opening the backdoor. She was very light. When she got in, the driver didn’t notice the car shifting. The driver asked where she was going as he moved his eyes to the rearview mirror…”