The Clapping Game

Wu Xian had been nervous for quite some time, repeatedly pulling his hand back quickly after reaching inside.

But the thing he feared didn't happen — there was no trap inside the integrated stove. The statue could be moved with ease. Wu Xian effortlessly dragged the statue out, a smile appearing on his face.

Plop!

Wu Xian's smile froze.

"Damn it!"

It really wasn't that simple. Something else had come out along with the statue!

It was a warm, sticky mass. Part of it was tied to the statue with a thin rope. As the statue was pulled out, this thing was dragged from deep inside the stove as well, landing on the floor with a wet thud.

Upon closer inspection, it was clear that this mass consisted of human internal organs — hearts, livers, stomachs, intestines, and even a brain — mixed with other matter that stained the floor in a dark, mottled pattern of red and yellow.

The shape of it…

Wasn't from any wild animal or livestock. It came from a human!

Before Wu Xian could fully comprehend what had happened, a piercing scream echoed from outside — a cry filled with both agonizing pain and a trace of relief.

Clatter!

With the sound of chains rattling, the light and shadow behind the billboard flickered, and something fell from it with a dull thump.

Though his view was blocked, Wu Xian knew exactly what had dropped.

It was the hollowed-out corpse of the man!

"Shit!"

Wu Xian angrily grabbed his curly hair, realizing he had fallen into another trap.

No wonder the corpse was hung in such a conspicuous place — this was a setup. Anyone who dared to use the statue in this room to pray would immediately trigger the release of the corpse, which would then haunt the unlucky soul!

This sudden turn of events cast a shadow over Wu Xian's heart.

But he didn't have time to deal with this new threat.

Outside, the sun was already sinking in the west. If he wasted too much time out there, he would face those strange, malevolent spirits without any shelter.

Besides, tonight's situation was different from usual. He had to return early to discuss a safe plan for the night with Yue Mei.

So Wu Xian found a box in the room, packed the statue of the God of Blessings along with incense, candles, and other items, then dragged the box and quickly left.

After stepping outside, Wu Xian took a closer look.

He noticed a clear human-shaped imprint on the ground — probably left when the corpse fell — as well as footprints and drag marks stretching into the shadows.

It seemed that this evil corpse moved by crawling on its hands and feet, dragging its torso along the ground.

"I just hope this thing finds me either earlier or later, but please don't interfere with tonight's plans…"

…

It wasn't dark yet.

All the survivors gathered in the lobby on the first floor of the Peace Hostel.

Shi Ji was still the cook today.

The meal had changed from large intestine rice to pork stomach stuffed rice, but their dishes always involved some kind of offal.

Yesterday, they had been rushed and only ate reluctantly, but seeing the steaming hot food today, no one dared to complain. They all ate heartily.

After the meal,

Su Huilan asked Yue Mei, "You were evasive this morning. Now it's time to be straightforward — how do you plan to solve this problem?"

"Do you know the Seeking-Child Ghost Mother?"

Yue Mei described the ghost mother's appearance, and everyone immediately understood. It was the very first evil spirit Wen Chao had once mentioned — the primordial malevolent force of this world!

Shi Ji asked doubtfully, "Can this evil spirit help us avoid that Door-Breaker demon?"

"Don't be disrespectful. Always address her as Ghost Mother!"

Yue Mei's voice grew stern. When she spoke of the Ghost Mother, her eyes glowed with a strange light. A few days ago, she had been forced to seek help from the indigenous people to survive.

On the first night, she encountered great horror.

But on the second night, amid the terror, she found a rare sense of safety within the blessed land. That feeling gave her unprecedented happiness.

She was a kind-hearted girl.

Such a blessing, naturally, had to be shared.

So she returned to the Peace Hostel to spread the Gospel of the Ghost Mother to others like herself — outsiders.

"Have you heard this prayer before?"

"Praise the Ghost Mother, offer my flesh and bones, shield my eyes and save my life, clap hands and honor the Lord!"

Upon hearing this familiar prayer, Wu Xian's pupils dilated.

Suddenly, he understood Yue Mei's meaning. Just like predators have their own territories, weaker predators usually avoid stronger ones.

The way to keep the Door-Breaker demon from attacking tonight was to attract an even stronger evil spirit!

But that stronger spirit was even more deadly for them.

The group fell silent for a long moment, then Wu Xian asked the question everyone was thinking:

"How can you guarantee that after we summon the Ghost Mother, we won't be killed by her?"

Yue Mei positioned her hands as if about to clap, her expression sincere.

"It's simple. Everyone plays the game with the Ghost Mother."

…

The sun sank below the horizon.

The city was plunged into darkness, with only a few scattered billboards still flickering faintly. The atmosphere was eerie and oppressive. Occasionally, twisted shadows darted across the streets.

On the fourth floor of the Peace Hostel, the doors to the only remaining rooms — numbers 404, 401, and 403 — were all open.

The six survivors divided into pairs, each group occupying a different room.

They all knew how to summon the Seeking-Child Ghost Mother.

By clapping their hands.

But once the Ghost Mother was summoned, there was only one way to avoid harm — they had to play the "Clapping Game."

Wu Xian and Shi Ji stood on opposite sides of Room 403, eyes closed. This was the position they had agreed on beforehand.

Though they had thoroughly memorized the rules, closing their eyes still filled them with unease — especially with the doors wide open, leaving the possibility of evil spirits slipping inside at any moment.

But there was no choice. This game had to be played.

The rules were simple.

Players were divided into seekers and hiders.

The first seeker was the Ghost Mother herself, who would target the first person to clap. Once that person was found, they would take over as the new seeker, while the Ghost Mother remained in place.

When the seeker changed, everyone nearby would instantly hear the news.

Within one minute, a second person must clap. The first seeker, eyes still closed, had ten minutes to find the second player. Then the second player would become the new seeker…

And so the cycle repeated.

To survive the game, there were ironclad rules that could never be broken.

First, timing had to be exact.

Second, the Ghost Mother would continuously clap while waiting, and had to appear at least once every round.

Third, throughout the game, no one was allowed to open their eyes, and everyone had to remain relatively quiet — no loud noises other than clapping.

If played correctly, the Seeking-Child Ghost Mother would be just another player in the game, and no evil spirits would appear.

But if any rule was broken…

The Ghost Mother would transform into a terrifying nightmare, and the rule-breaker would pay the ultimate price with their life.