Chapter 45: Into the Depths of Fear: The Haunting Secrets of Gonjiam Mental Hospital

Jiang Chen had long anticipated that there would be a hidden mission accompanying this expedition, so he had already prepared by opening the live broadcast room early.

As expected, the moment he started the live stream, a system notification chimed in his mind.

Ding—

[Congratulations to the host, the hidden mission is triggered. The host is requested to record the adventure process in a live broadcast, and the number of viewers must exceed 50 million!]

Jiang Chen wasn't surprised in the slightest. He had already expected the system to set some kind of challenge related to this event.

Since the announcement of his expedition, major live broadcast platforms had been aggressively promoting it, ensuring that the hype was at an all-time high.

As soon as Jiang Chen activated the stream, millions of people flooded into the live broadcast room, waiting for him to begin.

The bullet screens exploded instantly.

[Anchor, here we come! Signing in!]

[Anchor, this time, you must show those arrogant Western bastards a lesson!]

[We'll support you forever!]

[Where are you exploring this time?]

[People upstairs, are you blind? The title of the stream changed; don't you know?]

[Gonjiam Mental Hospital? What's there to explore in a mental hospital?]

[Shh, let the anchor explain. He's always got great insights!]

Jiang Chen smiled faintly at the barrage of comments. He knew how to keep the anticipation high. Without wasting time, he began his explanation.

"Gonjiam Mental Hospital is an abandoned psychiatric hospital in Korea. It was originally put into use in 1992, but within just four years, in 1996, it was abruptly shut down."

The audience was intrigued.

[Only four years? Why? Don't hospitals make a ton of money?]

Jiang Chen glanced at the chat and continued.

"It wasn't about money—it was because of the bizarre and unexplainable events that kept happening within the hospital during those four years."

The bullet screen lit up again.

[Okay, now I'm curious. What kind of things happened?]

[Anchor, hurry up, tell us more!]

Jiang Chen paused for effect before proceeding.

"There are countless rumors about what happened inside Gonjiam. Some say patients committed mass suicides. Others claim there were mysterious deaths—cases where people died without any clear medical cause. The most infamous event was the sudden disappearance and suicide of the hospital director."

A ripple of unease swept through the audience.

[Mass suicides? How many people died exactly?]

[Anchor, don't keep us hanging. Tell us everything!]

Jiang Chen obliged.

"In 1995 alone, a total of 45 patients committed suicide inside the hospital. Many believe it was due to the extreme abuse they suffered from the hospital's unethical doctors. It's said that these doctors conducted inhumane experiments on the mentally ill, pushing them to the brink of despair."

The chat was horrified.

[What the hell… 45 suicides in a single year? That's insane!]

[What kind of experiments were they doing?]

[This sounds worse than a horror movie…]

Jiang Chen's voice remained calm as he continued.

"But that's not all. The most terrifying legend of all is about Room 402—or rather, according to my research, it should be Room 221.

It is said that this room can never be opened.

Every attempt to unlock it has failed. It's as if the room itself doesn't exist in this world.

Some claim that inside the sealed room lies a parallel dimension—one that traps more than 500 lost souls who met their end in this accursed place."

The chat froze for a moment before exploding.

[Holy sh*t! Anchor, are you serious?!]

[No way, is this real?]

[If this were just some ghost story, why would the hospital shut down? There must be truth to it!]

Jiang Chen's expression didn't change as he moved on to the next part of his explanation.

"There's also something strange about the location of the hospital. According to historical records, the land where Gonjiam was built was once the site of a massive massacre during wartime. Some believe that the atrocities committed there left behind overwhelming resentment, cursing the land forever."

[Oh my god… so the place was haunted even before the hospital was built?]

[Why would anyone build a hospital on such cursed land?!]

[Now I understand why this place is one of the 'Seven Scariest Forbidden Places in the World.']

Jiang Chen nodded.

"That's exactly right. CNN ranked Gonjiam Mental Hospital as the number one most haunted and forbidden location in the world.

For decades, countless explorers have tried to uncover its secrets.

But to this day, no one has truly solved the mysteries of Gonjiam."

For a few moments, the chat went eerily silent.

Then—

[Anchor… are you really going inside?]

[Forget it, I'm out. I'm too scared to even watch.]

[Who would go into such a place willingly?!]

[But damn it, I still want to watch what happens!]

[This will be the scariest live broadcast ever.]

Jiang Chen chuckled at the responses. His viewers were scared, but their curiosity outweighed their fear.

After glancing at the chat one last time, he left the airport and set off toward Gonjiam.

A system notification rang in his head.

Ding—

[Congratulations to the host for completing the mission and arriving at the destination of the Korean adventure!]

[Congratulations to the host, you have obtained a one-time [Fear Becomes Stronger] ability card!]

Jiang Chen's eyebrows lifted slightly.

A new ability card?

It had been a while since he had received one.

But what did it mean?

"Fear Becomes Stronger… Does that mean I grow stronger when I feel fear? Or does it strengthen me when others fear me?"

He wasn't sure yet, but one thing was certain—this ability was definitely meant to help him inside Gonjiam.

A second system prompt appeared.

Ding—

[Would the host like to use the one-time [Fear Becomes Stronger] ability card?]

Jiang Chen didn't hesitate.

"Use it."

Regardless of what it did, any advantage was worth having before stepping into hell itself.

With everything in place, Jiang Chen continued toward Gonjiam Mental Hospital.

A place where reality and nightmare blurred together.

An adventure unlike any other was about to begin.