The Boyfriends I Picked Up in Horror Games Are Bizarre - Chapter 77

Bai Yao had lived in Huashi City for quite a while, so she had naturally heard of many strange incidents that had occurred there. She asked with concern, “Isn’t it dangerous for you to investigate these things?”

Lu Sheng shook his head. “Probably not. There are many influential people who are interested in these matters, and a lot of reporters too. I’m just an insignificant intern reporter. No one would pay attention to me.”

“Who says so?” Bai Yao countered. “I think you’re very eye-catching. I couldn’t look away from the first moment I saw you.”

Lu Sheng looked at her with a smile in his eyes and said, “The only person who finds me eye-catching is you, Yao Yao.”

Bai Yao frowned slightly. “That’s because others have no taste.”

Lu Sheng nodded with a smile in agreement. “Right, in this world, only Yao Yao has good taste.”

Bai Yao was fairly satisfied with his answer. She carefully put away the strawberry necklace, had dinner with Lu Sheng, and then he saw her off to the bus. As for Lu Sheng, he said he needed to return to the news agency to work, so they agreed to meet again after he got off work.

The only bus to Yuhua Community was the No. 44, which only ran three times a day—morning, noon, and evening. The driver was a young man. When Bai Yao got on the bus, he stared at her intently and couldn’t help wiping his mouth.

But then he saw the man who had sent Bai Yao off.

Lu Sheng scanned her ticket and gave the driver a friendly smile. “Please get my girlfriend home safely.”

The driver straightened up in his seat and nodded nervously.

After saying goodbye to Lu Sheng, Bai Yao sat down at a window seat. She was the only passenger on the bus. Given the time of day and the remote location of the Yuhua Community, it wasn’t hard to understand why she was the only one.

According to Lu Sheng, this bus driver was also a resident of the Yuhua Community. But he seemed socially anxious and didn’t like talking, so she gave up on starting a conversation.

After getting off at her stop, Bai Yao didn’t go home immediately. She went to a store to buy a bunch of things, then headed to the white house behind her own and knocked on the door.

After a long while, a boy opened the door just a crack. He was covered in talcum powder and wore nothing but a pair of underwear. His eyes, unusually black, stared directly at Bai Yao without saying a word.

Bai Yao lifted the bag she brought and smiled. “Hello, Xiao Xiong. I moved in a few days ago and have been too busy to visit. These are some small gifts for my new neighbors.”

Xiao Xiong glanced at the bag, then opened the door and let her in.

Only then did Bai Yao realize how bare their house was. There was almost no furniture in the living room, indicating they were living in hardship. Looking toward the stairs, it got darker the further up it went. The house was poorly lit. She couldn’t imagine what they were thinking when they decorated it.

Bai Yao put the bag down, and Xiao Xiong immediately went to rummage through the food. She squatted down and asked, “Where’s your mom?”

Xiao Xiong paused, but said nothing.

Bai Yao found it a bit odd. She pulled a T-shirt with a cat print from the bag and said, “Even though it’s hot, you still need to wear clothes. What if a little girl walks by and sees you like this? She might think you’re a pervert.”

Just then, there was a noise from the stairs.

Bai Yao looked up and vaguely saw the figure of a woman in a white dress. The figure seemed to be getting closer and closer, and the creaking sound grew louder.

Bai Yao stood up quickly and said, “No need to come down and greet me. I was just leaving!”

She turned to the boy and added, “I heard your mom’s not in good health. Does she have arthritis, or maybe osteoporosis? Next time I visit, I’ll bring some medicated patches.”

The sound from upstairs suddenly stopped.

Bai Yao walked to the doorway and pressed the switch on the wall. Instantly, the lights in the house turned on, and the brightness dispelled the darkness, making the place feel much more welcoming and warm.

She said, “I’ve already paid your electricity bill. It should last for ten years. Remember to turn on the lights at night. Otherwise, if it’s pitch black like this, people might think it’s a haunted house. It would be bad if someone got scared.”

Bai Yao stepped out of the door and turned back to say to Xiao Xiong, “You’re welcome to come play at my place, but you have to knock first. Don’t sneak into my house without saying a word. Alright then, no need to see me off. I’m heading back now. Bye!”

She shut the door behind her as she left.

Inside the house, the deathly pale boy looked up at the stairwell, then turned his gaze to the girl’s figure disappearing outside the window. He raised a hand to scratch his head.

In truth, Bai Yao’s thoughts were quite simple. Since she planned to live here long-term, she had to maintain good relationships with the neighbors. She didn’t care what outsiders thought, but since Lu Sheng also lived here, if the neighbors started gossiping that his girlfriend lacked manners, it would embarrass him.

Bai Yao returned home. She tossed the unwashed laundry from the previous day into the dirty clothes basket, then turned on the washing machine. As she loaded the laundry, she hummed a tuneless little ditty she had made up on the spot, clearly in a good mood.

In the dark and damp underground tunnel, only two men remained, struggling with all their might.

One man was missing his left forearm, the other his right foot. That was the price they had paid not long ago in order to break free from their chains and escape the scorching room. They had no choice but to sacrifice part of their own bodies.

Now, each of them wore an iron helmet that concealed their faces, leaving only terrified eyes visible. If they couldn’t find the key and remove the helmets in time, their heads would explode.

The key was quietly lying at the bottom of a pool filled with liquid, but that liquid was highly corrosive to living tissue.

No matter what, basic human instincts made them recoil from such deadly danger.

In this terrifying and sinister setting, a man in black robes sat lazily in a chair, looking at the photos in his hand with great interest. From time to time, he hummed a discordant tune.

One of the men knelt before him and pleaded, “Please let me go… I really, really know I was wrong…”

The other man also knelt. “I understand now how precious life is. I swear I’ll treasure it! Please give me another chance!”

They had once been wealthy, living indulgent lives. They couldn’t comprehend how they ended up being chosen by the masked killer and dragged to this hellish place. After enduring all kinds of torment, they had once begged for death. But now, as the number of survivors dwindled, the desire to live became stronger than ever.

The masked killer tilted his head, resting his chin in one hand. The expression on his white mask looked bizarre and comical. “Want to live?”

The two men nodded frantically.

“Alright, I’ll give you a chance.” The masked killer stood up, his tall, thin figure becoming even more menacing. The sound of his black boots stepping on the floor echoed like a death knell. He walked over to the two men, bent down, held out the photo in his hand, and smiled. “Look, this is my girlfriend.”

In the photo was a beautiful girl wearing a pink dress, running joyfully in the sunlight. Her happiness could be felt even through the photo.

When the masked killer said the words “my girlfriend,” there was a tone of pride in his voice.

The two men froze.

This freak actually has a girlfriend?!

But… they thought the girl looked kind of familiar?

The masked killer cheerfully asked again, “Do you think my girlfriend is pretty?”

The man on the left immediately responded flatteringly, “She’s pretty!”

The masked killer fell silent.

The air went still for a moment, and an even greater sense of danger crept in.

Suddenly, the man in black chuckled. “You think my girlfriend is pretty, so that’s why you said online that once the lights go out, she’s just like any other woman, huh?”

In the next instant, the man was kicked into the pool. His body was quickly corroded, and he screamed in agony as he struggled, but soon fell silent.

The other man trembled all over. He suddenly remembered. The girl in the photo had appeared not long ago on a certain website, one that collected pictures of so-called “Most beautiful female university students.” No one knew who had uploaded her photo.

At the time, he too had left some vulgar comments, but it was just mindless talk!

Staring at the black boots in front of him, the man lowered his head even further.

The masked killer smiled and asked the same question again, “Do you think my girlfriend is pretty?”

The man immediately answered, “No! She’s not pretty at all!”

“Really?” The masked killer’s voice sounded puzzled. “Then are you saying I have terrible taste?”

The man tensed up. “No, that’s not what I meant!”

The masked killer turned around. “Forget it. You should die too.”

With a loud pop, the man’s head exploded inside the iron helmet, splattering into a mass of blood and flesh, though the helmet itself remained intact. His body collapsed to the ground.

In the dim space, only the boy’s tuneless humming continued to echo cheerfully.

A few minutes later, he entered a darkroom, took off the ceremonial mask that symbolized the “Masked Killer,” pulled down his hood, and casually ran his fingers through his bright orange hair. Then he removed his robe, walked out of the darkroom, and entered a bedroom where the curtains hadn’t been drawn.

He turned on the light, and the photos on the surrounding walls were suddenly revealed in full light.

All the photos featured the same girl—her attending class, riding the bus, shopping in the supermarket, and even sleeping in bed… Images from all aspects of her daily life.

He stared at the photo in his hand, momentarily troubled, as there was no more space on the walls to hang new pictures. But soon he thought of a solution. He looked up at the ceiling and slowly broke into a smile.

Ten minutes later.

Lu Sheng lay in bed. The sheets and duvet cover were printed with the girl’s image. He hugged a life-sized body pillow featuring her photo. As soon as he opened his eyes, he could see the pictures taped to the ceiling. He took a deep breath and buried his face in the pillow, his body trembling with excitement, his soul seemingly shuddering in sync.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated. It was a message from the girl, along with a photo of the starry night sky.

【 The stars tonight are so beautiful, they immediately made me think of you! 】

He turned onto his side, staring at the message on his phone. His arms and legs clutched the body pillow tightly. The pendant on the necklace around his neck slipped out from under his shirt.

It was a red strawberry pendant, especially bright and beautiful in color.

The vivid color seemed to provoke something in him. He uncomfortably covered his eyes with his arm, his breathing growing rapid.

Damn. I am hard again.

Another message came in: 【 So… Shall we go for a walk tonight? 】

Lu Sheng immediately applied his well-practiced technique for suppressing arousal. He sat up quickly and replied: 【 I’m coming to find you. Wait for me. 】