The boy watched as the NPC hurriedly dashed towards the green house.
Although the boy had originally wanted to ask the NPC about matters inside the green house, he hadn't expected this green figure to be so proactive.
He saw him run rapidly to the door of the green house, then stretch out his hand to push it forcefully.
It didn't open.
Immediately after, the boy heard the green figure's voice grow louder.
"It's over... it's over..."
The boy, too, hesitated and wanted to go over and check. But just as he took a few steps, everyone suddenly heard a piercing scream emanate from inside the green house.
It was a chilling scream, sounding somewhat childish, like a child's cry.
"AH!" The boy shuddered violently, instinctively cried out, and then retreated several steps.
He trembled as he looked at the house in front of him. "What happened? There was no sound before..."
This terrifying scream was like a sharp awl, piercing everyone's ears, reaching deep and causing a throbbing pain in their heads.
Even Mr. Green frowned at the shrill sound, his tense expression becoming even more pronounced.
"The men went in there before; there were no women," a boy not far away said, covering his ears tightly and staring at the house in front of him with a shocked expression. "Could it be the sound of a ghost inside?"
At this moment, the sound from inside the room abruptly ceased, and the place fell into an eerie silence.
Not long after, there was the somewhat grating sound of a door being pushed.
Perhaps because they were still dazed from the previous scream, everyone felt their ears tingle upon hearing the door open.
They all widened their eyes, looking at the opening door, especially Mr. Green, whose eyes were exceptionally wide.
"Is anyone coming out?" the leading boy asked, watching the door intently.
A somewhat thin hand pushed the door open a crack, revealing an arm.
It seemed like someone inside was walking out. Before long, they saw the face of the person opening the door.
It was a somewhat frail-looking face, framed by a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles.
The boy recognized him. It was the frail-looking young man who had gone inside with the Doctor.
Everyone's eyes widened.
They saw Chu Changge push the door open completely and then slowly walk out, finally patting his sleeve as if to brush off some dust.
Mr. Green hurriedly approached, wanting to ask something, but then there was more movement from behind the door.
A somewhat sturdy leg stepped out, followed by a waist much more robust than the leg, a thick neck, and a face frozen in a panicked expression.
"What happened to you?" Mr. Green asked, looking at Fatty's pale face.
What had he seen to scare him like this?
"N-no... nothing..." Fatty stammered, feeling as if he were walking on cotton, ready to collapse at any moment.
Chu Changge glanced at him and reached out to steady Fatty.
And then, they saw the third person emerge from the door.
Unmistakably, it was the affable Doctor wearing a white coat and carrying a guitar.
He had a light-hearted demeanor and light steps, almost as if he were about to whistle. It also appeared he was holding something.
Mr. Green calmed himself to take a closer look, only to find different items in each of the Doctor's hands.
In his right hand was a rusty fruit knife, so decrepit it looked like it couldn't peel fruit anymore.
And in his left hand...
"Hair!" Mr. Green exclaimed, astonished at what was in Gu Mian's left hand.
It was a hank of long, voluminous hair—so much that it could make two wigs!
The severed ends were jagged, as if it had been hacked off.
Mr. Green clutched his hat, which almost fell off. "What on earth did you do!"
He still remembered the little girl in the green house who always asked people to braid her hair.
But it seemed that little girl might never be able to tie her beloved pigtails again.
"Th-there's nothing," Fatty stuttered, rubbing his hands together. "Just... helped someone with a haircut, the forceful kind..."
Mr. Green's hat practically jumped. He stopped bantering with Gu Mian and the others and dashed into the house, looking like he was rushing to visit an injured colleague in the hospital.
The boy who had been waiting nearby hesitated before approaching them. Truth be told, he suddenly didn't feel like getting too close to these three.
Chu Changge observed the approaching boy and glanced at his player information. His nickname was rather normal: "Wuyue League Master."
Wuyue League Master spoke with apprehension, "You... you made it out."
He seemed to want to ask something, but he swallowed his words.
Chu Changge read his mind and answered directly, "You don't need to wait anymore."
"Don't need to wait..." Wuyue League Master repeated upon hearing this, then lowered his head slightly. "Are they all... gone?"
Chu Changge nodded, his expression unchanged. "They're gone."
Fatty wore a peculiar look but said nothing more.
This group of people had already been thinking of leaving, and with this news, they naturally wouldn't stay for long.
But just as they were preparing to leave, Wuyue League Master asked about the situation inside, "The ghost inside must be very powerful, right?"
He had no intention of going inside; he just wanted to know what kind of ghost had killed his five classmates.
Fatty, standing behind Gu Mian, nodded fiercely in agreement. "Extremely powerful!"
Hearing this, Wuyue League Master's face showed a strange expression. "Then that shriek just now was..."
As he spoke, he subconsciously glanced at Gu Mian. He had wanted to see the Doctor's player information all along but had kept his distance. So far, he had only seen the information for the player named "Chu Changge," and that was just recently.
Speaking of which, that name seems a bit familiar.
Before he could dwell on it, Fatty answered, "She probably shrieked with joy because we braided her hair... The hair was her gift to thank us."
Fatty's voice was a bit unsteady when he said this.
Of course, his heart was even more unsteady; everyone who had been inside knew why that *thing* had screamed.
Wuyue League Master clearly didn't believe this nonsense, eyeing the large hank of hair in Gu Mian's hand skeptically.
Then he seemed about to ask something regarding Mr. Green. "That green person, he and you..."
But a girl suddenly ran over, interrupting him. "Wuyue, we need to hurry! The next ghost tide is almost here!"
Wuyue League Master quickly checked the time and, without asking any more questions, hurriedly left with his group.
Indeed, time was tight; there were less than two minutes until the next wave.
Looking at their retreating figures, Fatty turned to Gu Mian beside him and asked, "Doctor, should we find a place to hide too?"
Gu Mian had already spotted the female ghost in the distant house, waiting for them with two lanterns.
She was dutifully waiting there and had only emerged after the other people had left.
"Let's go over there first," Gu Mian said, gripping the hair in his hand and heading in that direction.
Almost as soon as Gu Mian's group entered the house and closed the door, Mr. Green's loud voice could be heard from the green house nearby.
But Gu Mian paid it no mind.
He walked over to the female ghost, picked up the lantern for braiding pigtails, and tossed the other lantern out the window.
For these five minutes, ghosts will crawl out of the lantern, and I don't want to be face-to-face with them.
*After you braid the little girl's pigtails, how will she thank you?*
Gu Mian looked at the last sentence on the lantern, let out a breath, and then slowly said, "She will attempt to open her mouth and bite off your handsome head."
Of course, it was just an attempt.
Gu Mian's head was still firmly attached to his neck, proving the girl's attempt had not succeeded.
Instead, she was the one who had lost something.
Fatty looked at this lantern and shuddered. He still remembered what Gu Mian had said in the green house after the girl's biting attempt failed: "I'll hold her down; you guys hurry and shear her hair!"