Chapter 54: Who is the Ghost?

“Which one should I choose?”

After contemplating for a while, Gu Yi ultimately chose the first option, “Mental Shelter.”

Swoosh!

A flash of white light passed before Gu Yi's eyes, and he realized that his mental power had become much stronger than before.

The voice of the system resonated once again.

“Adventurer, you can choose to leave the Weird World now or continue your adventure in the Weird World.
However, if you leave the Weird World, the weirdness will still invade your reality one year later.”

“May I ask if you choose to continue the adventure or return to the real world?”

Gu Yi took a deep breath.
“Of course, I will continue the adventure.”

“You are a brave adventurer.”

Gu Yi felt his body becoming weightless and fell into a deep sleep.

…

Clank, clank.

The sound of glass marbles falling on the roof could be heard.

Gu Yi opened his eyes and found himself in an unfamiliar bedroom.

From the furniture to the walls, everything had a wooden structure, resembling an old residence from the Republican era.

He was lying on the bed, and the sunlight outside was too bright for him to open his eyes fully.

Information about the Dungeon flooded his mind.

[Dungeon Name] The Family of Three

[Dungeon Description] Our family of three has been living in this old house for almost a year.
My birthday is coming up in a week, and my parents and younger sister seem a bit nervous.
My parents have repeatedly urged me not to leave this town, but I discovered that this town is far from being as simple as I thought.

[Clearance Conditions]

[1.
Perfect Level: Uncover the truth of the town and successfully eliminate the Unspeakable.

2.
Excellent Level: Successfully leave the town.

3.
Normal Level: Survive until the birthday.]

After reading the background information about the Dungeon, Gu Yi couldn't help but shudder.

Just the background introduction of the Dungeon raised two major doubts.

1.
The Dungeon is named “The Family of Three,” and the protagonist refers to themselves as “the family of three” in the beginning, but later mentions “parents and younger sister.” Does this imply that one of “I,” my sister, father, or mother is a ghost?

2.
The Dungeon has strict time and space constraints.
There seems to be a fatal danger in the town, requiring a quick departure.
The protagonist “I” also appears to encounter danger on their birthday, and the investigation time given by the Dungeon is only seven days.

Boom!

A thunderous explosion reverberated in Gu Yi's mind as he regained control of his body.

“Start deduction!”

Gu Yi didn't dare to act recklessly.
He decided to use his talent for investigation first.

(The deduction begins!)

(You are climbing out of bed.)

(You walk to the bedroom door and try to open it.)

(Something seems to be blocking the door.)

(The character you are playing has thin arms and a weak physique, unable to push the door open.)

(You temporarily give up.)

(You return to the bedside to search.)

(You find a mobile phone in the bedside cabinet, with a red countdown displayed on it.)

(There are 6 days, 23 hours, and 57 minutes remaining.)

(You manipulate the phone but can't access any other functions.)

(You hide the phone on your body.)

(You continue searching for clues and finally, find a diary in the wardrobe.)

(Only two pages of the diary are clear, with the rest covered in a layer of mist, making it unreadable.)

([May 11, 2021, sunny.])

([Mom said my sister had an accident and was critically injured, undergoing treatment in the hospital, so she can't reunite with us.
But I know my sister has long been dead.
Because I saw her head crushed by a truck with my own eyes.])

(The diary entries from May 12th to May 17th are not visible.)

([May 18, 2021, Cloudy.])

([Today is my birthday.
My parents celebrate it for me, but I don't want to celebrate.
I still can't accept the fact that my sister is dead.
But they insist because today is also the day my sister is getting discharged from the hospital.])

([I saw that thing, it looks exactly like my sister.])

([Is she really my sister?])

(You look back and notice a calendar hanging on the wall.)

(It's currently May 11th, 2022.
This diary entry was written last year, just before “I” moved to this old house.)

(You gather a few pieces of information.)

(1.
In “I's” perspective, the sister has died in a truck accident, and the “ghost” in the three-person family is the sister.)

(2.
“I's” birthday is on May 18th.)

(3.
The parents don't believe that the younger sister has died.
There should be one party between “I” and the parents with a cognitive barrier.)

(You continue flipping through the diary and find a note.)

([Old House Lease Instructions])

(To ensure you have a wonderful year in the old house, please follow the rules below during your stay.)

(1.
The front door of the old house is worn out.
If the door can't be opened, kick the bottom right corner of the door panel and quickly push the door.)

(2.
If you hear two sets of footsteps when going upstairs, immediately stop and wait until the other set of footsteps disappears before proceeding.)

(3.
Please go to sleep before 10:00 PM every night.
If you hear your mother calling you in your dream, do not open your eyes.
It may not be your mother.)

(4.
Never go to the third floor.)

(5.
The almond water sold at the ten-mile convenience store on the east side of the old house is delicious.
Make sure to try it.)

(You turn over the note but find no additional handwriting.)

(Apparently, this old house is also affected by weirdness.)

(You open the front door following the note's instructions.)

(You catch a glimpse of your mother passing by in front of you.)

(Mother: Where is your sister?)

(You: I don't know.)

(Mother: Go wake up your sister.
It's time for school.)

(You look around, feeling lost.)

(Mother: Go call your sister.
Hurry up.)

(Your mother points upstairs.)

(You step onto the staircase.)

(You hear two sets of footsteps.)

(You quickly stop your steps.)

(Mother: Go call your sister.
Can't you hear?)

(Your mother instantly appears in front of you.)

(She is bleeding from her seven orifices, hanging upside down from the ceiling and looking at you.)

(Your pupils dilate, and your heart stops.)

(You are scared to death.)

(The deduction ends!)

Gu Yi opened his eyes and touched his nose.

“This kind of face jump scare? How boring.”

With the protection of mental shelter, Gu Yi didn't care about the psychological harm caused by the vengeful ghost mother.

He got up from the bed, putting away his phone and diary while pondering the deduction he just experienced.

Why did his mother suddenly turn into a vengeful ghost?

Was it because he didn't act according to her demands in time?

But the rental instructions clearly stated that he should stop when hearing two sets of footsteps on the stairs.

Moreover, if even his mother could transform into a vengeful ghost…

Then who among the family of three is the excluded one?