First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 111
Chapter 111: Haunted House
Lian Sheng stood in front of the machine, looking at the options displayed and asked, "What's this voting about?"
The couple beside her said, "It's for selecting the difficulty level. Scary or easy. By the way, are you here alone?"
"Actually there are five of us, but I'm playing alone." Lian Sheng pointed behind her, "They don't seem very interested."
The group followed her finger and their expressions became indescribable. Lian Sheng seemed to see something in their faces... contempt. Yes, contempt. Clear and undisguised.
A girl said, "Being perpetually single - could it develop into some kind of terminal illness?"
Another girl added, "If it never gets cured, then it's terminal. But you get used to being single after a while. Stay used to it long enough, and it becomes enjoyable."
And then... there was no more conversation.
"Birds of a feather flock together. Choosing friends is important," the girl said. "There's a big difference between a bro who only talks games with you and one who discusses women with you."
The girl asked, "You're still a student, right? What's your major?"
Lian Sheng was somewhat confused: "We're all from the Military Academy."
"Oh—!" The group nodded in sudden understanding, exclaiming in unison: "No wonder!"
A gathering camp of steel-straight men.
Lian Sheng: "..."
The girls secretly peeked at the group of guys, instantly bonding over their shared perspective. Their boyfriends stood nearby, straightening their collars with motherly smiles, feeling inexplicably proud.
Look, go ahead and look. Only through comparison can one appreciate the difference.
"I think military men are really handsome, especially those guys - they're seriously good-looking," a girl sighed while shaking her head. "But their emotional intelligence... what a shame."
Another girl glanced at Lian Sheng and said, "I think they deserve to be single. Low EQ is one thing, but having no aesthetic sense at all is just deadly. With such scarce female resources in military academies, they don't even know how to cherish them!"
Lian Sheng: "..."
Lian Sheng asked, "So which one should I choose?"
"Pick the normal level, you can go with us," the girl said. "If you get scared, I can stay with you."
Lian Sheng politely declined: "It's just a game, I can go alone."
Then she selected the hell difficulty level.
The group: "..."
Lian Sheng looked at them and nodded: "I fear no challenge."
In the distance, the four guys sensed a peculiar gaze and huddled together with their backs turned.
Fang Jianchen whispered cautiously: "I think they're looking at us."
Cheng Ze: "I think they're discriminating against us."
Ye Buqing: "Is it too late to back out now?"
Fang Jianchen immediately jumped: "Do people live for others' opinions? If so, then go! Go on! Hurry up and go!"
The three looked at him disdainfully.
"I thought you invited us because you missed our brotherly bond, but it was all fake," Cheng Ze accused Zhao Zhuoluo. "Didn't expect this, tsk tsk. Comrade Zhao Excellent, you skipped the high-energy part and went straight for a nuclear weapon without any warning. That's too much."
"What's too much?" Zhao Zhuoluo pointed at the person ahead. "Female. Right age. Lonely. Isn't this the opportunity you've all been waiting for?"
"No!" Fang Jianchen waved his hand. "Lian Sheng represents a gender of her own."
Ye Buqing: "Queen?"
Cheng Ze: "Dominatrix?"
Something felt off about these descriptions.
Fang Jianchen exhaled deeply: "The bane of ghosts."
The four sighed in unison.
"Hah..." Fang Jianchen pointed inside. "The bane of ghosts... but this is a haunted house..."
A crack appeared in Zhao Zhuoluo's conscience as he hesitated: "Should we go in with her?"
"I really, really don't want to get beaten up," Fang Jianchen shuddered. "And I'm afraid she might throw herself into my arms."
The three looked at him with expressions that said "you wish."
"If it's her first time in a haunted house and she doesn't even know what it is, then it's very possible," Fang Jianchen said. "Haunted houses are made to be so realistic. I'm not even sure I dare to go."
More terrifying than Lian Sheng throwing herself into their arms was the possibility that they might throw themselves into Lian Sheng's arms.
While the four brothers were stuck in indecision, Lian Sheng had already entered with her group.
Their eyes followed her disappearing figure, finally breathing a sigh of relief.
Great, no need to make a decision anymore.
Lian Sheng walked into the Hell Difficulty - Haunted Mansion room without looking back.
The two couples behind her hesitated briefly before choosing to follow Lian Sheng into the Haunted Mansion section.
It was an old-fashioned Eastern-style courtyard.
The lighting was dim, creating a dusk-like atmosphere. Candles placed around illuminated the scene. A cold, damp wind blew toward them from somewhere unseen.
The beams were covered with dense cobwebs. Broken thresholds and furniture were scattered about. A faintly lit path on the ground showed the way out.
Lian Sheng waved her hand through some cobwebs, feeling nothing, but the webs did fall away, disappearing after floating to the ground. Then a giant red-spotted spider crawled out from a corner and returned to its spot to spin more webs.
Expressionless, Lian Sheng slapped it down with one hand, making the girl behind her scream.
Lian Sheng turned to see the girl's horrified and disbelieving face. She showed her empty hand and explained: "It's fake. I was just curious."
Of course she knew it was fake. Having live animals in a haunted house that could hurt visitors would be a serious issue. But even if fake, she'd never seen any girl brave enough to slap a spider bare-handed.
Someone behind urged: "Move forward? Stuck at the entrance already? Want to leave?"
Lian Sheng stepped aside: "Go ahead. The setup here is quite realistic. I want to examine it more."
The others shook their heads frantically.
Lead the way? Too scary.
The couples shook their heads: "No rush, take your time. We want to examine it too."
Lian Sheng continued forward. Halfway through, she noticed a dry well in the courtyard. A white-clad female ghost with long disheveled hair was climbing out, her fingers gripping the well's edge.
The couples behind immediately broke down, clinging to each other and screaming.
Their fear infected the others, and soon the whole group was screaming.
Normally they should run away quickly, but they feared losing sight of the group. There was safety in numbers.
Lian Sheng covered her ears.
The real horror might be these people behind her screaming at ghosts. Good heavens, the noise was piercing.
Unable to bear it, Lian Sheng rushed forward and stepped on the ghost's head.
"Oh!" Lian Sheng exclaimed. There was physical feedback.
So some were holograms while others had actual substance. Definitely not real people though—the texture was soft, like stepping on cotton.
The white ghost sank slightly under her foot before reaching out to climb again. Lian Sheng grabbed its hair and lifted, finding it surprisingly light.
Holding it at eye level, she examined it under the dim light. It only had half a body, the rest being empty white cloth. The dummy raised a hand to brush its hair aside, revealing a featureless face painted blood red.
Before the machine could make it smear its painted hand on Lian Sheng, she put it back.
The screaming behind her paused for a second before erupting even louder.
"Ah—! Ah—!!"
The people behind began screaming for their lives, turning to flee chaotically.
Several girls cried out: "Run! I can't take this anymore!!"
Their boyfriends gasped while tightly gripping their arms, dragging them toward the exit.
Lian Sheng: "..."
Although there were no live staff in the haunted house to prevent injuries, there was constant monitoring to help those who panicked or couldn't continue.
The staff monitoring the cameras were stunned by Lian Sheng's actions and quickly made arrangements.
"Escort the people in section three out. Yes, stop the others behind. Pause the music and dynamic scenes. Highlight the exit path. Be ready to go in if needed."
Within five minutes, everyone from Lian Sheng's group had rushed out, barely able to stand.
The waiting crowd was startled.
One girl cried hysterically: "I'm never doing haunted houses again... I must be insane!"
People looked at the sign above and nodded respectfully—truly hell difficulty...
The four guys in the distance shivered at the sight.
They watched from afar but didn't see Lian Sheng.
Cheng Ze asked: "Where's Lian Sheng? Did she get lost inside?"
Zhao Zhuoluo: "She just went in."
"But everyone else came out except her?" Ye Buqing said. "They entered together, right?"
Fang Jianchen asked nervously: "Is she... scared of ghosts?"
Cheng Ze comforted himself: "She's never been someone you can judge by normal standards."
Ye Buqing: "Then what are her normal standards?"
Zhao Zhuoluo: "Not afraid of ghosts?"
Fang Jianchen: "So...?"
Cheng Ze: "She's afraid of ghosts?"
Ye Buqing stepped forward: "Don't worry, there are staff inside. Let's go to the exit. If needed, we'll go in to get her."
"Five minutes!" Cheng Ze said, checking his optical computer. "If she's not out in five minutes, we're going in."
So the four headed to the exit, timing it as they waited by the door.
Lian Sheng walked alone, observing everything along the way.
She passed through the front courtyard's corridor and reached the central sleeping quarters, where she caught up with some stragglers from earlier groups.
At the end of the hallway stood a white figure. Occasionally, a red female ghost would float across the path.
Lightning flashed on the ceiling while windows rattled violently, accompanied by eerie wailing sounds.
"Ah—! Ah—!!"
A girl was screaming hysterically, too scared to move forward. Her boyfriend screamed along with her. Both seemed lost in their own terror.
They stood frozen at the turn, unable to advance or retreat. Their companions ahead were long gone, though faint screams could still be heard.
"I'm scared!" the girl whimpered. "Get me out of here!"
The boy nodded: "Yeah!"
Girl: "I'm scared! Get me out!"
Boy nodded harder: "Yeah!!"
Enraged, the girl kicked him: "What good are you then?!"
Whether genuinely scared or just teasing her, the boy dodged and said: "Mom, I'm scared too!"
The girl roared: "Are we leaving or not?!"
The boy immediately caved: "Leaving, leaving."
The girl buried herself in his arms again.
They took a step forward. The girl covered her eyes while the boy peeked ahead cautiously. Suddenly, a window opened, revealing a pale face with bright red lips.
A child partially hid behind the window and asked: "Big brother and sister, are you here to take me away?"
"Ah—!!"
They scrambled back even farther.
Lian Sheng: "..."
Lian Sheng pushed past them, placing one hand on the girl's shoulder and guiding her forward.
The boy was stunned, watching as they moved ahead together.
With her short hair and slightly taller-than-average height for a girl, plus bulky winter clothing, Lian Sheng looked like a guy next to his petite girlfriend.
"Hey!" The boy trembled with anger. "Let go of her!"
Lian Sheng turned back: "You, shut up. I'm getting you all out now."
The boy froze upon realizing she was a girl.
His girlfriend also turned and snapped: "You! Shut up! You're useless!"
They continued forward. When the right window opened again, before the head could fully emerge, Lian Sheng grabbed and yanked it out, tossing it aside without a glance.
The girl, feeling her domineering aura, covered her face shyly: "You're so cool, big sis."
"Where?" Lian Sheng said flatly. "Ensuring civilians' safety is every soldier's duty."
Girl: "Oh my god, are you military? You're so awesome!"
The boyfriend stood frozen, utterly shocked. His mouth hung open as if his jaw had dislocated.
This thing's alive, right? This is a haunted house... it's alive, right...?
Zhao Zhuoluo and the others checked the time when suddenly several staff members rushed into the haunted house.
Zhao Zhuoluo stood alert: "What happened?"
Ye Buqing felt a bad premonition: "Something went wrong inside?"
The four fell silent, tense with regret.
"We shouldn't have let her go alone. She's still a girl, goddammit! We're terrible!" Fang Jianchen said. "Let's go in now?"
"Two go in, two stay outside," Cheng Ze said. "Not sure which exit she'll use."
Zhao Zhuoluo and Cheng Ze ran toward the entrance.
"Wait!" Ye Buqing shouted sharply, pointing ahead. "...She's coming out."
One could never imagine the scene: a slender, short-haired girl walking out of the haunted house with one arm around another girl and the other dragging a mechanical prop.
Behind her were six or seven people clutching her clothes until they were safely out.
Zhao Zhuoluo and the others were dumbfounded. Fang Jianchen felt drool hanging from his chin.
They... weren't quite ready to accept this.
Lian Sheng let go, dropping the prop. Without the lighting effects, it looked rather crude. She turned to the girl: "If you're scared, don't come to places like this anymore."
The girl nodded shyly: "Okay, big sis~"
The boyfriend trailed behind timidly, muttering: "She's... supposed to be my girlfriend..."
The group: "..."
Spotting Zhao Zhuoluo, Lian Sheng waved and approached.
The four wore complex expressions, all slightly dazed.
Staff rushed out carrying props, aghast: "What did she do to our equipment?! These aren't covered by the ticket price—you'll have to pay for damages! We painted these faces ourselves!"
Zhao Zhuoluo: "..."
He could explain—just give him some time.
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BAHAHAHA bro she makes my morning
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