pdf-ebookys Chapter 7: The Door in the Painting
Chapter 7: The Door in the Painting
What Zhang Ze was most concerned about was the loss of manpower.
These hands were not as simple as he thought.
The hotel ghost tried to devour these hands, but ended up being devoured by them instead. Clearly, the owner of these hands was more dangerous and terrifying than the hotel ghost.
One is a vengeful ghost in red.
Just an ordinary ghost.
The difference in strength is obvious.
"The cool moonlight makes my longing for you flow like a river."
Suddenly, Zhang Ze's phone rang.
Zhang Ze thought it was Li Sanbao contacting him again, but when he looked, he found it was the official account of the New Century Amusement Park Haunted House, which was Chen Ge's phone number.
"Zhang Ze, I watched your live stream."
"At first I thought you were trying to make friends with me, but I was wrong. Your live stream was actually targeting my live stream."
"Are you trying to generate publicity for your haunted house?"
Chen Ge's voice contained a hint of anger.
Clearly, Chen Ge understood Zhang Ze's intention after watching the live stream.
Even a fool could tell that Zhang Ze was targeting him.
Combined with the phone call Zhang Ze made to him, saying that if he died, Chen Ge would take over his venue, the provocation seemed even stronger.
"Boss Chen, we are competing fairly."
"My haunted house is just starting out. I may not even have the venue ready yet. From the plot, props, actors, to other aspects such as promotion, funding, and popularity, I need to start from scratch."
"But I'm confident that once I release my first copy, it will definitely surpass your haunted house!"
"Of course, if I die, I will allow you to inherit my estate. And if something happens to you in the future... I will also take over your haunted house."
Fight, or you cannot survive.
With the nightmare mission completed, Zhang Ze's tone became firmer.
Anyway, the system explained it very clearly.
Zhang Ze's haunted house must surpass Chen Ge's haunted house.
He and Brother Chen are definitely in a competitive relationship.
"Then let's wait and see."
Chen Ge left a message and then ended the conversation.
Zhang Ze put down his phone and looked back at the system interface. He had now completed mission ① and mission ③ Nightmare, and was still missing mission ②.
【② (Daily): Increase the haunted house's scream index, making it more attractive than Chen Ge's haunted house. Reward: 1 roulette spin】
As long as he completes the scene of the murder.
Scream factor: 2 stars.
It can instantly surpass Chen Ge's haunted house.
Chen Ge's Haunted House now only has one mediocre zombie horror night and one half-star ghost marriage left. Even if it completes the Peaceful Apartment, it will only get one star at most.
Zhang Ze started with a 2-star team.
How do I lose?
Anyway, Zhang Ze is already a "nightmare rising star," a hot commodity in the eyes of vengeful ghosts. It's impossible for him to date or be friends with ghosts like Chen Ge did.
He can only pass the test through sheer ability.
do my best!
……
……
Eight o'clock in the morning.
Zhang Ze ate a simple breakfast and then entered the wealthy neighborhood, specifically Mrs. Zhou's detached villa.
He made his decision.
Today we must deal with the murder painting.
"Madam Zhou?"
Zhang Ze knocked on the door.
Madam Zhou pushed open the door, her face looking extremely haggard, clearly because she had slept very poorly the night before while keeping vigil.
He explained his intentions to Madam Zhou.
Mrs. Zhou indicated that she had no objection.
She couldn't wait to get rid of the painting as soon as possible. Having it in the house was just creepy. Besides, Old Zhou's death was also related to the curse of the painting. If Mrs. Zhou weren't so timid, she would have taken matters into her own hands long ago.
However, when Mrs. Zhou knocked on Xiao Zhou's bedroom door...
I want to talk to Xiao Zhou and try to persuade him.
"Squeak~"
The door wasn't locked; it was opened directly.
When Mrs. Zhou entered the bedroom, she found it empty except for paintbrushes and white paper scattered on the floor.
Xiao Zhou is missing?
"It's over!"
"It's all over!"
Hearing the commotion, Zhang Ze went to Xiao Zhou's bedroom and saw a thick layer of paper piled on the floor, with several drawings outlined in lines.
"Mr. Zhang, Xiao Zhou is missing. We're all doomed. It must have been that painting that did it."
"Old Zhou disappeared for a while before he died, and when he reappeared, he was already dead."
"I'm calling the police. They'll definitely find a way. No matter what it takes—burning the painting or chopping it for firewood—they'll find a way to save my son!!"
Madam Zhou was distraught.
Zhang Ze stopped her from calling the police.
"This is a paranormal event."
"The police can't handle this."
He knew very well that the police in Hanjiang City knew almost nothing about the supernatural, and that the Ghost Stories Association even killed a police officer later, with the police having almost no chance to fight back.
Get the police involved in paranormal events.
It will only lead to meaningless deaths.
"What should we do then?"
"I've already lost my husband, and if my son dies too, I won't live anymore!!"
Mrs. Zhou was emotional.
He looks completely different from yesterday.
There was no other way; Old Zhou had only been dead for a short time, and if Little Zhou were to die as well, it would be too much of a blow to her.
Zhang Ze did not explain.
Picking up a few pieces of paper from the ground, these were all drawn by Xiao Zhou himself. Many of them depicted characters from Boonie Bears, namely the two little bears, Xiong Da and Xiong Er, Bald Qiang, and a woman in red whose face was not clearly visible.
The watercolors in some of the paintings were not completely dry.
First picture: The little bear appears.
The second image: A woman in red is added to the picture.
The third picture: The woman in red failed to get close to Xiao Zhou, but she was in front of another woman. That woman was using a green watercolor pen, and Zhang Ze didn't react for a moment.
Then I looked at Mrs. Zhou's pajamas.
It happened to be a green onesie pajama.
Does this green-clad woman represent Mrs. Zhou?
In the fourth painting, Xiao Zhou stands in front of the woman in red and enters the bedroom with her.
There are four paintings in total.
It's very brief.
Perhaps the process was too rushed, as many of the figures were drawn with rough lines. One must have seen Xiao Zhou's previous paintings to recognize what each color represents.
After recognizing him, Zhang Ze guessed what had happened.
The red-clad female ghost in the painting was originally about to kill someone again.
However, the target of the murder was not Xiao Zhou, but Madam Zhou.
It seems that Xiao Zhou bravely stopped the woman in red in order to protect his mother, and the woman in red then took Xiao Zhou away.
As for their final location, it was Old Zhou's bedroom.
That's where the murder painting was located.
"I have a way to find Xiao Zhou."
"You don't need to call the police yet."
"Let me go to the bedroom alone. No matter what happens during this time, don't open the door. If I haven't come out after a day, call the police."
Zhang Ze said to Madam Zhou.
Upon hearing this, Madam Zhou nodded, moved. She was completely at a loss for what to do. At this moment, Zhang Ze stepped forward to take charge, and she naturally obeyed his words.
Zhang Ze entered the bedroom alone.
Close the door.
This time when Zhang Ze entered the bedroom, he clearly felt a sense of being watched, which he hadn't felt at all the last time he entered the bedroom.
Clearly, "Nightmare Nova" has made its move.
Zhang Ze knew perfectly well that the source of that voyeuristic feeling lay within the painting. He cleared his throat and began to speak:
"I know what you're trying to do."
"There must have been some conditions under which you committed murder."
"Otherwise, we wouldn't have been killing so slowly."
"Now I meet all the conditions. Give me a chance to become your nourishment. I have what you want."
The words fell.
The painting in front of me began to change. The woman in red gradually faded until, in the end, the entire painting disappeared completely. Rather than disappearing, it was more like it transformed into something else.
It turned into...
A door.