Chapter 47: "The Haunting Begins: Jiang Chen’s Terrifying Mind Games at Gonjiam"

The expedition team's challenge plan was to enter the Gonjiam Mental Hospital at night, explore its secrets, and stay inside for one full night.

As the sun set, Jiang Chen and the expedition team made their final preparations before stepping into the infamous hospital for the first time.

Zaha, the expedition's designated support staff, stayed outside the hospital in their tent. His job was to monitor the team using a thermal imaging camera and track their movements while providing support from the outside.

The entrance to the hospital loomed before them.

Creak.

The main doors groaned as they pushed them open. Years of decay had left the hinges rusted, making an eerie, whisper-like sound as if the hospital itself was murmuring.

The moment they stepped inside, a wave of cold air swept over them.

A massive lobby unfolded before them—once a reception hall, now a ruinous space covered in dust and cobwebs. Large portions of the ceiling had collapsed, and strange graffiti covered the walls, painted in what looked like crimson red.

Words like "pain," "torture," "suffering," and "help" were scrawled across the walls, making the already eerie atmosphere even more suffocating.

Despite their bravado, the expedition team hesitated.

Even the confident Barlow, their leader, took a moment before addressing the group.

"Alright, listen up. We're professionals. There's nothing to be afraid of. I don't believe in ghosts, and neither should you," he said, trying to boost morale.

"Yeah, ghosts aren't real," William, the tech specialist, added with a forced chuckle.

"Let's eat something. It'll help us relax," Judy suggested.

"Good idea!" Laura said, already rummaging through her bag for snacks.

But before they could settle in, Barlow's voice rang out again.

"Hey, look at our little friend over there." He pointed at Jiang Chen, who was standing in the corner, staring at his phone.

Barlow smirked. "What's wrong, kid? Too scared to move?"

The rest of the team laughed, using Jiang Chen as a distraction to relieve their tension.

Unbothered, Jiang Chen continued browsing on his phone. If they had bothered to look closer, they would have been shocked—he was reading an article titled "100 Ways to Summon the Dead."

Hearing Barlow's taunt, Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow. A playful smirk appeared on his lips.

"Why don't we play a game?" he suggested.

Barlow scoffed. "What are we, children? We don't have time for games."

Jiang Chen remained unfazed. "This isn't just any game. It's one of China's most famous spirit-summoning rituals—Pen Fairy."

The moment he said it, the room seemed to drop a few degrees.

Curious, the expedition team watched as Jiang Chen grabbed an old wooden board from the floor. He took out a marker from his bag and quickly drew a grid with different symbols—circles, triangles, and squares. At the top, he wrote "Yes" and "No." Below, he added "Male" and "Female."

Once everything was ready, he explained, "This ritual allows you to communicate with spirits. You can ask them anything, and they will answer by moving the pen."

He paused before adding ominously, "However, not every spirit is friendly. If we summon the wrong one, it might… stick around."

The moment he finished speaking, the laughter in the room died.

Even Barlow, who had been mocking Jiang Chen, fell silent.

In the live stream chat, viewers went wild.

[WTF?! Is the anchor really going to play Pen Fairy inside Gonjiam?!]

[Bro, do you have a death wish?]

[I was watching this in bed… now I'm fully awake.]

[High-energy moment incoming!]

Jiang Chen smirked. "What's wrong? You're not scared, are you?"

Barlow clenched his jaw. "Of course not! I'm an atheist! Let's do this!"

The others hesitated, but they couldn't back down in front of a live audience.

Jiang Chen lit a few candles and placed them around the wooden board. The group sat in a circle, each placing their fingers lightly on the pen.

Together, they began chanting.

"Pen Fairy, Pen Fairy, come to us…"

Minutes passed.

Silence.

Then—

Whoosh.

A sudden gust of wind swept through the room, flickering the candle flames.

More importantly, the pen began to tremble.

Barlow and the others froze, their eyes widening in shock.

Jiang Chen, however, simply smiled.

Ding—

[Collected Fear Points: +0.1 from Barlow]

[Collected Fear Points: +0.1 from William]

[Collected Fear Points: +0.2 from Judy]

Jiang Chen's grin widened. This was working even better than he expected.

"Go ahead," he urged. "Ask the Pen Fairy a question."

Barlow swallowed nervously before asking, "Are you a man or a woman?"

The pen suddenly dragged across the board, circling the word "Male."

A chill ran down Barlow's spine.

Judy and Laura gasped, covering their mouths as if trying to suppress screams.

"F-F**k! This can't be real!" Barlow yelped, jumping to his feet.

As if in response, a loud BANG! echoed from down the hall.

A door had slammed shut on its own.

"AHH!"

The entire expedition team screamed.

Ding—

[Collected Fear Points: +1 from Barlow]

[Collected Fear Points: +1 from William]

[Collected Fear Points: +1 from Judy]

[Collected Fear Points: +1 from Laura]

Jiang Chen calmly blew out the candles.

"My bad," he said. "I forgot to mention—if you don't properly end the ritual, the Pen Fairy might get… upset."

Barlow's face turned pale. "W-What?!"

Jiang Chen shrugged. "But don't worry! There are other games we can play—Die Xian, Four Corners, Bloody Mary, Mirror Ghost…"

Barlow, William, and the others were now visibly trembling.

Jiang Chen's live stream chat exploded.

[This is the best horror stream I've ever watched!]

[I can't tell who's scarier—the ghosts or the anchor.]

[Jiang Chen just speed-ran psychological warfare.]

Meanwhile, Barlow and his team were already regretting their decision to challenge Jiang Chen.

And the real horror?

The night had only just begun.