Chapter 165: Expert at Courting Death

No one set up the related memories, but Chu Zhongtian still knew the identity of the guy who brought out a paranormal videotape.

This death-seeking teenager, about the same age as Chu Zhongtian, is named Shitian Shunta, and he is Chu Zhongtian's die-hard friend.

The solitary Chu Zhongtian often goes to his house to mooch meals, and since Chu Zhongtian's house is empty, the two naturally treat his place as their base.

They often stay up all night playing games and watching movies, having a blast.

Shitian Shunta also has a key to Chu Zhongtian's front door, allowing him to come and go freely.

On the first night entering the mission world, Chu Zhongtian played games with Shitian Shunta and learned the situation.

"Huh, they..." Seeing a few people standing beside Chu Zhongtian, Shitian Shunta froze for a moment, and upon seeing An'an, he froze completely.

What's going on? I feel something's off!

Why would Chu Zhongtian have such a beautiful woman standing beside him?

"They're my friends." Chu Zhongtian briefly explained, walking up to Shitian Shunta, "Where's the videotape?"

"Here." Shitian Shunta pointed at the projector, "It just started playing."

Chu Zhongtian silently nodded, glanced at the TV screen still in snowflake state, walked over, and squatted down.

He ejected the videotape.

"Is this it?" Chu Zhongtian waved the videotape in his hand at Shitian Shunta.

"Yeah." Shitian Shunta laughed, "How about we watch it together!" He looked very excited.

"You're really a genius." Chu Zhongtian "praised," then violently slammed the videotape in his hand onto the floor.

The videotape bounced up, fell down, and some black fragments shattered outward.

Shitian Shunta's smile instantly froze.

After glancing around, Chu Zhongtian picked up the ashtray on the coffee table that hadn't been used for a long time, slightly larger than a palm, and slammed it hard onto the videotape.

Shitian Shunta was so scared his body trembled.

After smashing it several times, reducing the black videotape to "unrecognizable," Chu Zhongtian looked at Shitian Shunta and asked, "Do you have a lighter?"

"Huh?" Shitian Shunta froze for a moment, rummaged through the snack pile, pulled out a lighter, and handed it to Chu Zhongtian.

Chu Zhongtian took it, threw the videotape's "remains" into the ashtray, pulled out the tape, and lit it.

Shitian Shunta opened his mouth wide.

"Don't mess with those weird paranormal videotapes again, got it?" Chu Zhongtian looked at Shitian Shunta and said.

"... Yes, yes." Shitian Shunta stammered.

Chu Zhongtian gently smiled: "I'm not targeting you; I just think this kind of behavior is courting death, not good, you know?"

"But, Ah Chu, you weren't the one who loved these paranormal things the most before? A few days ago, you even dragged me to explore a haunted house." Shitian Shunta said.

"Huh?" Chu Zhongtian's smile gradually faded, "I dragged you to explore a haunted house a few days ago?"

"Ah Chu, you forgot?" Shitian Shunta said, "A few days ago—oh, you hit your head the night before last..."

Everyone's excuses are equally terrible, not treating the other person as human.

Fortunately, they all served their purpose.

"Wait, wait." Chu Zhongtian stopped Shitian Shunta from continuing, "I want to be quiet."

"Ah Chu..." Shitian Shunta looked at Chu Zhongtian with some worry, but his expression suddenly changed, pointing at the TV and saying, "Look! Look behind you!"

Chu Zhongtian turned around and saw the TV screen flickering with snowflakes, vaguely forming a face-like shape.

It seemed as if someone inside the TV was pressing their face against the screen, not only that, but also straining to push outward.

"Oh." Accompanied by a curious voice, Tang Luo walked over, squatted in front of the TV, and observed with interest.

After a moment, he reached out and touched the TV.

The feeling was of a warm, convex screen, with nothing cold or numb about it—no "standard abnormality."

"Master." Chu Zhongtian's voice sounded somewhat sharp, "I didn't destroy the videotape! Why is a ghost face still appearing!"

Fortunately, it was only a barely visible snowflake ghost face; if it were a dried-up well...

Shitian Shunta was already terrified, sitting frozen in place.

The videotape was taken out by Chu Zhongtian, yet the snowflakes formed a human face?

He actually really got a paranormal videotape?!

"I don't know." Tang Luo stood up, looked behind the TV, reached out, and unplugged the power cord.

The snowflakes on the screen instantly vanished, turning pitch black.

No power, and it withered—this ghost is kinda weak.

"..."

"..."

"Just a coincidence, right?" Chu Zhongtian said, "Definitely a coincidence!" I'm lying to myself.

Tang Luo didn't speak, just patted his shoulder.

"Shunta, where did you get the videotape from?" Chu Zhongtian walked over to the dazed Shitian Shunta and asked.

"From a rental store." Shitian Shunta said, "I didn't know it would turn out like this." He felt like he was about to cry.

"It's fine, tell me the location, and also, where we went exploring a few days ago—tell me that too." Chu Zhongtian said, "I need to know the exact location."

"Okay—okay." Shitian Shunta nodded somewhat dazedly.

Ten or so minutes later, several people watched Shitian Shunta walk toward his own home.

"That guy is a shut-in, not going to school, a true NEET." Chu Zhongtian said, "By the way, does 'I' count as having screwed him over?"

Dragging people to explore haunted houses and such feels pretty courting death.

If you like thrills, go to a proper amusement park's haunted house—just make sure the boss isn't surnamed Chen, then nothing will happen.

Why insist on going to some abandoned house where someone died, or even where the whole family died?

"Sure enough, it's a survival mission."

The original owner had already "made preparations," just waiting for these gods and demons to come and die.

Chu Zhongtian's counterpart should be the one who sought death most perfectly, capable of earning the title of "Best Expert at Seeking Death" for the year.

"Where do you think we should go first?" Tang Luo said excitedly, feeling he could earn merit.

"The video rental shop." Li Suibian drew a circle on the map.

"Then the video rental shop it is." Tang Luo said. Whoever holds the steering wheel decides.

"This mission really wants me dead." Chu Zhongtian couldn't help but say.

Upon careful calculation, he bore the weight of three great mountains on his back! Living in dire straits.

The increase in strength cannot be delayed.

"Master, if danger arises, could you let me go first? As long as I'm not truly about to die, please don't save me!" Chu Zhongtian gritted his teeth and said to Tang Luo.

"Good." Tang Luo nodded, "At that time, the poor monk will grant you Buddhist blessings."

"Thank you, Master." Chu Zhongtian exhaled deeply.

"This is the place."

The car smoothly glided to a stop; not far away stood a rather old video rental shop.

The sign was covered in stains, clearly not cleaned for a long time.

Sitting behind the counter was a middle-aged man with a disheveled appearance, a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

"Boss, did someone rent a supernatural video tape from you last night?" Chu Zhongtian approached and asked.

An'an also held the Heavenly Hound beside her.

Tang Luo and Li Suibian leaned against the car, casually observing their surroundings.

"What supernatural video tape?" The boss yawned, "I don't know."

"It was rented by someone named Shitada Shuntai. I want to know the origin of the tape." Chu Zhongtian pressed his hand on the counter and pushed it forward.

His finger and the counter held a highest-denomination bill, the action looking very worldly.

"Oh?" The boss's eyes lit up, similarly taking the bill in a worldly manner and said, "Ah, I remember now—there was such a guy who rented a tape; I don't even know how he dug it out from a corner lump."

Although it's a DVD rental shop, the vast majority of rentals are DVDs.

Video tapes and playback devices, here, are practically antique novelties.

Ordinary households truly don't have them.

"And then, where did it come from?" Chu Zhongtian pressed further.

"Well, actually, I'm not too clear either." The boss said, "No deception! I often collect secondhand DVDs here. The tapes were acquired long ago; I've long forgotten."

"Forgotten? Don't you keep records at all?" Chu Zhongtian displeased.

"Just one tape—who would deliberately note it down?" The boss said, "I haven't even watched it; whoever wants to rent, rents."

"You dare rent a tape whose content you don't even know?" An'an said.

The boss hehehed, saying: "Most of what I rent out here are..."

He didn't continue, giving everyone a knowing look.

Since even indescribable content can be rented, who still cares about renting a tape whose content they don't know?

"Damn it." Chu Zhongtian cursed.

The lead was thus cut off.

Blame him for being too excited back then and smashing the tape.

Otherwise, if we rewatched it now, we might see something; if a ghost really crawled out, it would actually be a good thing.

"No clues, Master, Uncle, let's go to that haunted house." Chu Zhongtian said.

Li Suibian opened the car door and got in.

In the car, Chu Zhongtian briefly repeated the boss's words to Tang Luo and Li Suibian.

"Video tape, haunted house where a family of three died—truly fitting. You say if we stay there seven days, will we trigger a battle between Sadako and Kayako?" Li Suibian laughed while driving.

Sadako and Kayako are also internationally famous ghosts.

Their settings are related; even those who never watch horror films absorb some through osmosis, and given the current situation, associations are inevitable.

"I've seen the movie; they merge, and in the end, humanity is wiped out—that's a terrible film." Chu Zhongtian said, then slapped himself after speaking.

He suddenly realized he seemed to have a bit of a jinx attribute.

"Master, if ghosts really fuse, can you handle it?" Chu Zhongtian asked with a mournful face.

"Huh?" Tang Luo said, "Isn't this what the poor monk does?"

"Oh, right." Chu Zhongtian recalled, this matter was already handled by Master Xuanzang when he returned "home" at noon.

"Arrived."

Li Suibian parked the car steadily and pointed to the house diagonally opposite.

A building that looks very ordinary, a three-story small structure, with a high wall forming a courtyard outside.

Even under the blazing afternoon sun, this house gives off a feeling of gloomy and sinister aura.

The "sinister" sensation made Tang Luo's hands itch—he really wanted to slap it directly.