DaoistOUnPCJ

A driverless bus carrying a group of cursed people to a black house...... In the house, there was a door stained red with blood. The cursed, every once in a while, will be forcibly pulled into the terrible world behind the bloody door to complete the horror...... When Ning Qiushui experienced one terrifying story after another in the treacherous house, and finally survived nine deaths, he found that all this was very different from what he thought...... It turned out that it was not a curse, but a ...... - "Late at night, friends, come and sit in the house, there is a brazier here, and by the way, listen to me nag you about this."

Spooky dorms

The sudden scream shattered the villa's deathly silence.

Everyone immediately looked toward the second floor.

The group rushed upstairs to the source of the scream—the paralyzed old woman's room. Wang Yuning, who had taken dinner upstairs earlier, now sat slumped against the wall, trembling violently. The steaming meal lay scattered across the floor.

"What happened?" Ning Qiushui asked.

Wang Yuning slowly raised a shaking finger toward the bed. "Sh-she... spoke!"

Following her gesture, the group stared at the motionless old woman gazing blankly out the window. Liu Chengfeng snorted:

"What's the big deal? The mistress said she's paralyzed, not comatose. Scared of an old lady? Thought you were tougher than that."

For once, Wang Yuning didn't retort, her face ashen. Ning Qiushui helped her up while Liu Chengfeng grumbled but obediently fetched towels to clean the mess—an odd sight given his rough demeanor.

After tidying the room, Ning Qiushui approached the old woman's bed. Her serene face showed no abnormality as he tucked her blankets tighter.

Back downstairs, complete darkness had swallowed the villa. Pale electric lights did little to dispel the oppressive gloom.

"Wang Yuning," Ning Qiushui poured himself tea, "what did the old woman say?"

At the question, Wang Yuning's face drained of color. "I... was feeding her beef tenderloin. She spit it out. When I tried again..." She shuddered. "She turned her head and whispered... 'The meat has no taste.'"

A thunderclap shook the villa as she spoke. Ning Qiushui rushed to the window. Torrential rain lashed against the glass. "It's starting... the storm, just like the letter said."

(The mysterious letter he'd received before boarding the bus—still his secret.)

As others murmured about the "tasteless meat," Ning Qiushui sealed the window. "We'll rest now. Tomorrow we'll make congee for her."

When discussing room assignments, Yan Youping sniffled: "Three girls... how do we split two beds?" Xue Guize shrugged: "You're all small. Squeeze together."

The group eventually paired up—Ning Qiushui with Liu Chengfeng, girls in the farthest room, others nearby. Wang Yuning entered last, leaving the corridor light blazing. Twenty meters of darkness separated her room from the switch.

Inside their shared room, Ning Qiushui removed his shirt, revealing toned muscles. Liu Chengfeng whistled through toothpaste foam: "Damn, hidden weapon under those clothes!"

"Why follow me?" Ning Qiushui asked bluntly.

Liu Chengfeng grew serious. "After we survive the blood door... I'll explain."

Their conversation turned to the villa's mysteries. "Not just the old woman," Ning Qiushui murmured. "This entire area... eight nearby villas showed recent habitation. Where did everyone go?"

He pointed through the window—dozens of neighboring houses stood completely dark. No lights. No life.

As they prepared for bed, a foul odor emerged. Tracing it upward, they found yellowish-brown liquid oozing through ceiling cracks. "What the hell..." Liu Chengfeng dragged the bed away.

Ning Qiushui's voice turned grave. "Stay awake tonight. No lights. No matter what you hear—ignore it."

Despite efforts, exhaustion eventually claimed Liu Chengfeng... until metallic scraping jolted him awake.

The sound of blades being sharpened.

A shadow paused outside their door. Liu Chengfeng's hand hovered over the light switch before remembering Ning Qiushui's warning. Through the door crack, a distorted silhouette loomed—inhumanly still.

Minutes crawled by before the shadow moved deeper down the corridor, stopping at each bedroom door. When silence finally returned, Ning Qiushui whispered: "Not human. It made no footsteps."

Cold sweat dripped down Liu Chengfeng's back. The villa's true horror had begun.

Chapter 4: The Tasteless Meat