Chapter 46: The Fear Experiment Begins: Gonjiam’s Dark Secrets Await

At this time, the sky was still drizzling.

The originally bright sky was shrouded in dark clouds, and the whole world seemed to darken all of a sudden.

For Jiang Chen, it seemed as if the heavens knew he was about to explore a legendary haunted location, deliberately adding to the eerie atmosphere.

Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital was located deep within a secluded forest, almost as if it had been isolated from the rest of the world. Nobody wanted to be associated with this place, and even the locals avoided talking about it.

Jiang Chen walked through the damp forest, stepping over fallen branches and feeling the moisture in the air. As he climbed up a small hill, he finally caught sight of Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital standing ominously in the distance.

The abandoned hospital had three floors, its exterior walls cracked and covered in vines. The surrounding trees had long withered, their skeletal branches stretching out like claws trying to grasp at something unseen. A cold chill seeped into Jiang Chen's bones as he stared at the forsaken structure.

"Ding—"

"The host feels fear!"

"Congratulations to the host, you have obtained the [Level 1 Fear Aura] ability!"

"Ding—"

"It is detected that the host has fear. Fear points increase by 0.0001. You need 50 points to upgrade!"

Jiang Chen's eyes widened slightly. The system's sudden notification caught him off guard.

So, this was what the [Fear Becomes Stronger] ability did? It allowed him to awaken an ability related to fear and grow stronger by collecting fear points!

Just as he was processing this revelation—

Woof! Woof!

A loud growl echoed through the forest as a wild, rabid wolfdog lunged toward Jiang Chen from the underbrush!

Feral dogs, especially large ones, were extremely aggressive. They retained their wild instincts and, when desperate enough, wouldn't hesitate to attack humans.

However, Jiang Chen remained completely calm. He didn't even flinch. Instead, he saw this as an opportunity to test his newfound ability.

With a single thought—

He activated [Fear Aura].

Baa—

In an instant, the large wolfdog, which had been charging at full speed, skidded to a sudden halt just a few meters away from Jiang Chen.

Its previously fierce growls turned into pitiful whimpers. The dog trembled, tucking its tail between its legs as though it had seen the embodiment of its worst nightmares.

Without hesitation, it turned around and bolted into the forest as if running for its life!

Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow. "Not bad. It works."

This ability wasn't just useful against animals. If he encountered dangerous creatures—or even people—he now had a way to subdue them without direct confrontation.

However, just as he was about to take another step, a sudden wave of dizziness washed over him. His head felt heavy, and his body slightly wobbled.

"So it consumes my mental energy..." Jiang Chen muttered.

It seemed that activating [Fear Aura] came at a cost. The stronger the fear he induced, the greater the strain on his mind.

Shaking off the fatigue, he continued walking toward Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital.

Yet, another issue troubled him.

Gaining fear points through his own fear was inefficient—only giving him 0.0001 points per moment of fear.

At this rate, even if he scared himself half to death, he wouldn't reach the upgrade threshold.

"There has to be another way to accumulate fear points." Jiang Chen frowned.

Soon, he arrived near the perimeter of the hospital.

From a distance, he spotted a group of people setting up a base camp.

It was the team from the International Adventure Club.

They had already set up several tents near the entrance. Jiang Chen observed them carefully—this was a professional team, unlike any he had encountered before.

Their captain, Wyatt Barlow, was a well-known figure in the exploration world. He had been featured in National Geographic's Top Ten Explorers of the Year.

The team consisted of five members:

William: A man with curly hair and glasses, responsible for technical operations.

Zaha: A bald, overweight man who handled photography and medical support.

Wyatt Barlow: The expedition leader, muscular and confident.

Morse Rolla: A blonde woman in charge of emergency response.

Michelson Judy: Another blonde woman, serving as the team's nurse.

They had specialists for every aspect of the journey, from medical care to survival expertise.

This was why the Western media were so confident. Jiang Chen was just one person, while the International Adventure Club had a full professional team.

As Jiang Chen approached, the group turned to face him.

"Hey! Look who's here. Our little yellow man has arrived!" Barlow sneered, flexing his muscles. "Look at him. One punch, and I could break him in half!"

"I didn't expect you to show up," William said, adjusting his glasses. "I appreciate your courage."

"Little brother, don't get scared and run away!" Laura smirked.

Judy also let out a small laugh, looking down on Jiang Chen with thinly veiled contempt.

Jiang Chen's expression remained indifferent.

"You should be the ones worrying," he said calmly. "Do you actually understand what you're walking into?"

The team exchanged glances.

"Heh. We did our research better than you, kid," Zaha snorted. "This hospital was operational from 1992 to 1996. Then it shut down due to mysterious circumstances—"

"You think I asked about its history?" Jiang Chen interrupted. "I'm talking about the legends surrounding this place."

The smirk on Zaha's face stiffened.

The team members glanced at each other again, this time with uncertainty.

Jiang Chen could tell—they hadn't bothered looking into the supernatural rumors surrounding Gonjiam.

Their arrogance prevented them from taking such things seriously.

Zaha quickly pulled out his phone and searched through local forums.

What he found caused the blood to drain from his face.

Barlow's expression hardened. The two women, Laura and Judy, visibly shivered as their confidence wavered. The more they read about the mass suicides, the cursed Room 402, and the alleged human experiments, the more the atmosphere grew oppressive.

Then—

"Ding—"

"Fear points collected from Barlow: +0.1"

"Fear points collected from Zaha: +0.5"

"Fear points collected from Laura: +0.3"

Jiang Chen's eyes gleamed.

He had unintentionally discovered another way to earn fear points—by making others afraid.

And judging by the numbers, the more terrified someone was, the more points he could collect.

This was an unexpected jackpot.

The five people standing before him were no longer just his competition.

They were fear generators.

Jiang Chen's lips curled into a subtle smirk.

At this moment, a rather unfriendly idea formed in his mind.