Chapter 277
Inside the chamber, the frozen atmosphere was more terrifying than any ghost.
It was known that Xu Shuangrong and Lai Bingxuan had both experienced campus bullying during their school years—one was the victim, while the other was wrongfully framed as the perpetrator.
And it was also known that Xu Shuangrong was the one who had indirectly framed Lai Bingxuan.
Now, the situation unfolding before their eyes was essentially forcing Xu Shuangrong to face that truth head-on.
[Director Niu deliberately chose a school bullying theme—was it intentional or just an accident?]
[It was an intentional accident.]
[A live public execution moment.]
Lai Bingxuan recalled painful memories. Overcome with anger, she forgot her fear and stared at Xu Shuangrong with eyes more resentful than a ghost’s.
Xu Shuangrong had no choice but to pretend she didn’t see it.
Liu Woxing tried to ease the tension. “So… what do we do next? The classroom door still seems to be locked.”
Xie Mi wandered around the classroom as if it were her own house, then returned.
“I found that none of the other chairs can be moved—only this one can. And considering that the female ghost was standing right here just now, I suspect someone has to sit in it.”
At those words, everyone except Shen Moqing tensed up.
The three who were still on guard held their breath, trying to make themselves as invisible as possible.
A sly glint flashed in Xie Mi’s eyes.
“How about this—on the count of three, whoever’s closest to this seat has to sit in it. Deal?”
Before the timid ones could voice their protests, Shen Moqing had already agreed.
“I agree.”
Cowards: Why’d you have to answer so fast?!
“I’m starting the count—three—”
“Two, one!”
The three who still wore blindfolds scrambled to yank them off and run, but because they weren’t familiar with their surroundings, they only managed two steps before crashing into a heap.
“Ahhh!”
“You stepped on my foot!”
“Who the hell yanked down my pants?!”
Xie Mi and Shen Moqing raised their lanterns to illuminate the scene.
Qiu Chengye had fallen the farthest. Even after tumbling, he hadn’t given up—he was crawling forward on all fours.
Xiao Jingxi, panicked and flailing, had grabbed at random and ended up pulling Qiu Chengye’s pants halfway down, revealing glittering dragon-patterned underwear.
Yu Jinzhe had fallen right onto the target desk and chair, becoming the “chosen one.”
[Brother Jinzhe… condolences]
Yu Jinzhe’s face turned pale, pupils trembling wildly.
Xie Mi slowly bent down to meet his gaze, half her face ghastly under the weak light.
“It’s decided. It’s you.”
Shen Moqing also leaned in, his eerie smile equally chilling.
“Go, child.”
The boy let out a shrill scream.
Not scared to death by the ghost, but by his own teammates first.
[Classic scene: Shen and Xie bullying the kid]
[You two have no bamboo shoots left!]
“Forget it, I’ll go.”
It had only been a prank to begin with. Xie Mi fearlessly sat down in the seat.
“Guys, I’ll—”
Bang!
Before she could finish, the ground beneath her vanished. Chair and body dropped into a trap, disappearing instantly without a trace.
“Teacher Xie!” Liu Woxing lunged forward in panic, but couldn’t grab her.
Lai Bingxuan froze. “Xie Mi? Where’s Xie Mi?!”
Xu Shuangrong, of course, didn’t miss the chance to show her “sincerity.”
“Teacher Xie! Teacher Xie! Teacher Xie!!”
For a moment, the live broadcast was filled with wails, as though someone had really died.
Seeing Shen Moqing remain calm, Yu Jinzhe tried to stir trouble.
“Movie Emperor Xiao seems awfully worried about his sister. Mr. Shen, aren’t you worried?”
Compared to Xiao Jingxi pounding the desk in fury, Shen Moqing did seem oddly composed.
He simply smiled.
“I’m really afraid Teacher Xie is hiding somewhere laughing.”
“Hahahahahahaha—”
Down in a pit of soft sponge, Xie Mi rolled on the ground clutching her stomach in laughter, listening to the anguished howls from above.
Seriously—
Who was that screaming their throat hoarse?!
It was none other than Xiao Jingxi, overcome with regret for failing to protect the one he liked, pounding the table and going full drama mode.
[Hahahahahahahaha I can’t hold it in either]
[After hearing Old Shen, I rushed to check Old Xie’s cam, and sure enough—he was right!]
[Who wouldn’t laugh? Xiao Jingxi’s having a seizure over there]
[For a sec I thought he was turning into a zombie—not kidding]
Without Xie Mi, the seven-member team’s task became clear:
Find their missing teammate.
They searched everywhere—chased by ghosts in the hallway, doors knocked in the bathroom, elevators suddenly dropping.
The group was nothing but screaming, crawling, sobbing, and snotting everywhere—their usual images completely shattered.
[HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA]
[Brother Jinzhe climbing the wall like Spider-Man—what the hell]
[Xiao Jingxi flailing his limbs like he’s trying to grab all the air and suffocate the ghost]
[Qiu Chengye, you howled so loud my headphones broke!]
[Someone save Sister Lai, she looks like she’s about to fall apart]
By comparison, Liu Woxing and Xu Shuangrong, though scared, at least still seemed vaguely normal.
Shen Moqing sat elegantly at a bloodstained desk, calmly solving puzzles as if time were still.
But as more traps were triggered, the number of missing teammates grew.
The first was Shen Moqing, who willingly entered a trap to protect his ears.
The second was Liu Woxing, forced to become the tank after Shen vanished, entering with dead eyes.
The third was Xu Shuangrong, who bravely sacrificed herself with tears and a bitter smile to protect the others.
The fourth…
There was no fourth.
The remaining four were already retching against the wall in terror.
“Why aren’t they coming out yet?” Xie Mi, munching sunflower seeds while watching the monitor, asked curiously.
Shen Moqing lounged lazily on the sofa.
“Probably because they don’t know that entering the trap means you come right back out.”
Liu Woxing sat nearby, still shaken from the ordeal.
Mostly because of his teammates—
Climbing walls, crawling on the floor, flailing like lunatics…
He figured the NPCs inside the chamber would be more scared than them.
Xu Shuangrong looked regretful. “I thought going into the trap meant we had to do solo missions. If I’d known we could come out right away, I wouldn’t have gone in first.”
“Wanna go back in then?” Xie Mi leaned over.
Xu Shuangrong fell silent.
[Sis, you really don’t let anyone off easy]
[That was satisfying]
The four who remained inside were left facing hell-level difficulty—terrified out of their minds while also guarding against their teammates’ random outbursts.
They seemed to lose all strength and willpower.
In the end, the production team, eager to move the schedule along, called a halt. That was how the escape room finally ended.
The four stumbled out, resentment heavier than the ghosts’.
Qiu Chengye: “Whose idea was this? Who came up with this plan?!”
Xiao Jingxi: “Never make me play escape rooms again…”
Yu Jinzhe: “… (apparently lost the ability to speak)”
Lai Bingxuan: “I’m going to buy this whole escape room and demolish it to the ground!”
[Sister Lai needs supplements!!]
