Chapter Seven: Unveiling the Supernatural Staff

Twenty minutes later, Shang Yi shook his head and stepped out of the two scenes.

After enduring the nightmarish horrors of Jiuyin Mountain Prison, he now felt his own haunted house was little more than a children’s play area in a shopping mall. Not only was he unafraid, he even found it somewhat amusing.

The props were too fake, the settings unconvincing; even though there were no actors for now, with these limitations, there was little opportunity for them to shine. At that moment, a chime sounded in his mind—the system interface appeared, showing a new scene tab.

Wintersea Amusement Park Haunted House, West Suburb

Number of scenes: 1
Regular staff: To be unlocked
Core staff: Tang Ya
Special staff: Tang Bohu
Props: Skull-Crushing Hammer, Demon-Slaying Blade
Skills: Portable Space, Ghost Hand, Ghost Tongue, Left Eye
Attributes: HP, Stamina, Strength, Agility

[Jiuyin Mountain Prison Scene]
Physical setting: Completed
Terror rating: To be unlocked
Internal staff: To be unlocked
Visitors today: None
Total visitors: None

Shang Yi noticed that the description for the Jiuyin Mountain Prison scene listed the physical setup as “completed.” Yet he hadn’t seen this setting before; was it just now arranged? He hurried back to the first floor of the haunted house. When he opened the door, the world beyond had indeed transformed.

The boring old sets and props had vanished without a trace, replaced by a chilling prison corridor shrouded in cold mist. The newly installed prison scene was vast, encompassing the entire former first and second floors of the haunted house. The layout of rooms had been slightly adjusted from that of a real prison—the first floor matched the prison’s ground level with an added surveillance room, while the second floor merged what had been the underground levels one to three.

Inspecting every floor, Shang Yi discovered all the remaining props from the previous haunted house were now stored in a supply room on the third floor. The new prison set was so grim and terrifying, it was nearly indistinguishable from the real Jiuyin Mountain Prison.

He roamed each room with a haunted house owner’s eye, analyzing every potential fright. On a shelf in the interrogation room, he saw a stack of prison regulations with yellowing covers and couldn’t help but marvel at the authenticity of it all.

Just then, the system chimed again. Opening the interface, he saw a new mission had appeared:

[Jiuyin Mountain Prison Scene]

Main Quest: Unlock Ghostly Staff
Mission Description: See your own ghostly face in a mirror.
Completion Requirement: Enter the prison restroom at 2:55 a.m., turn off the lights, face the mirror, aim a flashlight directly under your chin, lift your face vertically, turn on the flashlight at 3 a.m., and hold still for five minutes.
Mission Hint: Make good use of your special staff.

Upon reading the requirements, Shang Yi’s first thought was that the task itself wasn’t difficult—just a bit unnerving. With eyes open, he wouldn’t be able to use his “Left Eye” skill; if anything sinister appeared, he wouldn’t see it anyway. But that didn’t really bother him—the idea of ghosts was benign as long as he couldn’t see them.

His real concern was if something like a lizard or crocodile might suddenly emerge. With Tang Ya in deep sleep, he had no way to defend himself against monsters. He used the Left Eye skill to scan every scene and confirmed there were no hidden ghosts. Apparently, without completing the staff-unlocking quest, no spirits would manifest in the prison.

There was still some time before the appointed hour. Shang Yi went to inspect the newly generated restroom on the first floor. It wasn’t large—four stalls, six urinals, and a huge mirror over the sinks.

He retrieved a regular household flashlight from the supply room, loaded the batteries, and tested the mission procedure in the restroom: lights off, flashlight ready. The instant he switched it on, a horrifying ghostly face appeared in the glass, making him jump. But on closer inspection, he laughed and shook his head. It was simply the effect of the flashlight in the dark, casting dramatic shadows across his own features. It looked terrifying—a true ghostly visage—but if scrutinized carefully, it was still his own face, frightening himself with his imagination.

Prepared but still uneasy, Shang Yi’s understanding of the system over the day told him things would not be quite so simple.

He pondered his options. According to the mission hint, his only allies were Tang Bohu and the still-slumbering Tang Ya within him. He returned to his third-floor room and did everything he could to bond with Tang Bohu. After searching online for the honey badger’s favorite foods, he fed Tang Bohu chunks of meat, then some nuts and honey. Sated, Tang Bohu’s attitude softened remarkably; he became uncharacteristically docile. If not for knowing the honey badger’s reputation for ferocity, Shang Yi might have mistaken him for a slightly odd-looking kitten.

He suspected that Tang Ya’s possession had influenced Tang Bohu’s temperament—the little badger’s affection for him grew rapidly. First, he opened the cage and stroked the white fur atop its head—no reaction—so he boldly picked it up and cradled it like a tame kitten. He knew it was risky; if the creature went wild, a few bites would be no joke. But for the sake of the midnight mission, he had no other ally.

Honey badgers are nocturnal; the later it got, the livelier Tang Bohu became. After holding him for a while, Shang Yi shut the door and let him roam free. Tang Bohu, having been caged for who knows how long, was overjoyed to explore, scampering about the room.

Shang Yi searched the supply room until he found a dog collar. Back in his room, he tried it on Tang Bohu—the fit was perfect. He tied a leash to it and walked Tang Bohu around the room. Seeing the little badger still full of energy, he took him to the first-floor prison corridor to run together.

He spent time bonding with Tang Bohu until around 2:30 a.m. As the hour approached, Shang Yi set up his phone on a tripod in front of the restroom mirror to record the event.

He was well aware that as a soon-to-be haunted house owner, his most important duty would be to master the art of fright. Jiuyin Mountain Prison was, after all, a place where monsters gathered and terror reigned.