Chapter 12: The Legend of the Northern Suburb Villa

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“Excuse me, what should I do if someone suspected of being a murderer moves into my home? Waiting online for help, it’s extremely urgent!”

Chu Ning sat in front of his computer with a blank expression, crouched and waiting for the omniscient netizens to solve his dilemma. He had tried to resolve the problem before him in more effective ways, but unfortunately, all had ended in failure.

Call the police!

Chu Ning had chosen a deserted corner to make the call, but all he heard was the endless tone of a busy line; no matter whom he tried to reach, the only response was a busy signal. He was convinced that there were signal jammers around the villa—this was a premeditated visit.

The icons at the bottom of his screen kept flashing. Chu Ning quickly switched to the page that had responses, browsing through the feedback from netizens.

“Really? How do you know that person is a killer?”

“Cool, left hook, jab, step forward jab, finish off the killer!”

“Bro, call the police! Don’t tell me you don’t understand such a simple solution!”

The clattering sound of keys rang out as Chu Ning replied to each person willing to help, explaining his current situation in detail.

The phone and other communications seemed to be jammed. The house was in the suburbs, surrounded by wilderness. He himself was utterly defenseless. For now, his only hope was to seek help online, and at any moment, his life might be in danger.

“The killer doesn’t seem ready to act yet, so I might be able to hang on a little longer!” Chu Ning waited nervously for a reply, like a condemned man awaiting the verdict of fate—his only hope a distant, intangible thing.

“This is an interesting hypothesis. I love deduction riddles! Even if I know you’re trolling, I just can’t help but keep thinking it over.” This was from someone who clearly didn’t believe Chu Ning’s story, since there were indeed many logical holes.

If the communications were jammed, why was the computer left as a means of contact?

Besides, taken separately, these factors didn’t seem suspicious, but together they felt like a riddle intentionally crafted for someone—too coincidental, reminiscent of a popular survival mystery game.

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So there’s only one truth...

Chu Ning rolled his eyes and ignored the netizen who’d clearly watched too much Detective Conan. Everything he’d said was true, so why did no one believe him?

“You could download a classic escape-horror game. Once you clear it, I believe you’ll be inspired. The situation you’re facing isn’t much different from the protagonist in a horror game—there’s plenty for you to learn from.”

“If you really lack gaming talent and die a hundred times in the horror game, then all I can do is wish you good luck.”

If their roles were reversed and Chu Ning was just a bystander reading these bizarre comments, he might have been laughing himself silly. This batch of netizens was truly creative—what ridiculous advice they were offering.

“Home address, contact information, lock your door, and finally, pick up a handy weapon!”

Seeing an answer that brought him some relief, Chu Ning quickly typed out his home address, ready to follow the advice given online.

Knock, knock. Knock, knock...

The sound of knocking at the door made Chu Ning’s nerves go taut. He frantically switched to another page. Trembling, he rose from his chair, hesitating as he stared at the door, muttering to himself that the three days weren’t up yet, so he should still be safe.

“Could you open the door for a moment? There’s something I’d like to ask you!” Tanya knocked on Chu Ning’s door, her expression grave. The silence made her breathing quicken, and she kept glancing toward the room where the spirit in the mirror was hidden.

Chu Ning held his breath, listening to the sound of heavy breathing. The knocking grew more urgent, as if the person outside was growing impatient, giving him the sense that someone might break in at any moment.

Suddenly, the sounds outside vanished. Chu Ning’s heart pounded violently. The whole scene felt like the calm before a storm; he sensed that something terrible was about to happen.

He tiptoed to the door, careful not to make a sound, and peered out through the peephole.

There was nothing outside, no one at the door. The crimson eyes from horror movies didn’t appear. Chu Ning guessed that Tanya might have already left. He dared not open the door to confirm it.

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Chu Ning had no desire for someone to suddenly jump out and attack him. Since there was no compelling reason to go out, he simply pretended no one was there, sparing himself unnecessary fright.

With nothing else to do, Chu Ning sat back down at his computer, preparing to follow the survival guides he’d found online. The people on the other side of the network were probably getting anxious from the wait—he hadn’t replied for quite some time.

Switching back to the chat page on the forum, Chu Ning was about to send his personal information in hopes that someone could come to his rescue.

The conversation was still stuck on the location—North Suburban Villa. Just as Chu Ning was about to type in his contact details, a particularly long response came through. Chu Ning read it in silence for a long while.

I don’t know why you’re making up stories, but you really shouldn’t joke about things that could be misunderstood. Congratulations, you managed to fool me and satisfy your twisted sense of humor.

As far as I know, there’s only one villa in the northern suburbs—the so-called haunted house that’s been discussed online. It was abandoned years ago for reasons unknown, but rumor has it that every owner of the villa has died under mysterious circumstances, which is why no one has dared take it over, leaving it to decay.

Because of my work, I know quite a bit about this place. The municipal bureau once wanted to demolish it to lay down tracks, but the owner opposed it and some accidents happened, so the plan was shelved indefinitely.

I remember the owner’s name: Chu Ning, a young man who left a deep impression on me, always looking frail as if he could die at any moment. But what was truly memorable was his smile—so warm.

That constant smile on his face, paired with his emaciated body, made one appreciate the value of life even more. The next time I heard the name Chu Ning, it was news of his death. The abandoned villa became a place where thrill-seeking young people would test their courage.

Afterwards, several more people died there, and it eventually became the legendary haunted house. So after reading all this, I had plenty of time to trace your IP address—what do you think? Not bad at storytelling, am I?

Chu Ning sighed quietly. “Since you know the ghost stories about the northern suburban villa, how could you forget the incidents that stemmed from it? They say the owner of the villa wanders the internet, introducing the villa to strangers, and anyone who engages in deep conversation with him dies mysteriously the next day.”