Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Investigation Bureau of Strange Creatures Takes Notice

A short while later, the clown emerged, dragging out Sun Miao, who had wet his pants. Wang Hui introduced him from the side, saying, "This is one of our staff, responsible for internal operations." At that moment, the two companions felt as if their faces were on fire with embarrassment. Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined that Sun Miao would actually be so frightened inside that he’d lose control of himself.

Helpless, they promptly paid the six hundred yuan fee, and the three of them slinked away, tails between their legs. Throughout the ordeal, Sun Miao kept repeating, “Damn it! There really are ghosts in there! That clown isn’t human! He’s really not human!” But the more he shouted, the more the other two wished they could sink through the floor, especially with his wet trousers making the humiliation complete.

When they returned home, the three each offered their own commentary on the haunted house, recounting their experiences inside. Sun Miao’s account was by far the most exaggerated, insisting again and again that the place was truly haunted. He admitted unreservedly to wetting his pants out of terror, making no attempt to hide it; in fact, he even urged everyone not to go, warning that it could scare someone into a heart attack.

Yet the more he talked, the more he sparked the internet’s curiosity. People revisited He Yang’s earlier video, noticing an inexplicable, eerie atmosphere. As a result, the story’s popularity soared to new heights. Originally, it was just a trend among horror enthusiasts, but now it was spreading everywhere, with the rumors growing ever more outlandish. Some claimed the haunted house had caused deaths; others argued it didn’t even exist at all, that the whole thing was a fabrication.

Before long, a long queue formed outside the haunted house. Everyone wanted to see for themselves. Wang Hui could barely contain his delight—after all, this was clean money he could spend freely, with no fear of any investigation. With people lining up to hand him cash, how could he not be overjoyed?

“Please, take your time, everyone! Due to space limitations, only three visitors may enter at a time!” In truth, there was no such restriction; the clown simply wanted to control each person’s hallucinations precisely, and three was the upper limit for optimal effect.

People waiting outside saw groups of three enter, only to be greeted by blood-curdling screams, and then watched as they emerged pale and shaken. The more this happened, the more their curiosity grew, and they jostled for a chance to enter. In just one day, the phenomenon exploded once again. With so many people sharing their experiences, the haunted house became a true shrine for thrill-seekers.

Moreover, countless netizens became convinced that the place was connected to another dimension—how else could it have such an effect? Thanks to the online buzz, everyone in Tianjing City grew curious about this mysterious haunted house. The crowds swelled, and its reputation burned ever more brightly, spreading throughout the entire country.

But that was not the most outrageous part. The most absurd thing was that a swarm of social media influencers, sensing the trend, began to capitalize on the haunted house’s fame. Their stories grew ever more exaggerated, even inventing a terrifying backstory for Wang Hui himself.

When Wang Hui saw the fictional tales these influencers spun about him, he said, “My real experiences are even more ridiculous than this!” Soon, reporters from all the major platforms vied to interview him. Whenever this happened, Wang Hui would narcissistically flick his hair and reply, “There’s nothing much to say. I’m just a wage earner—the real boss is someone else.”

“And what’s your boss’s name?”

“Xiao Zi.”

Eventually, the matter attracted the attention of the Bureau for the Investigation of Supernatural Entities in Tianjing City. Wang Xinnian contemplated the mission report his superiors had sent down.

“This assignment is a bit over the top—they’re actually sending us to investigate a haunted house.” Despite his words, he couldn’t conceal a gleam of pleasure on his face. “Let’s just do as we’re told. It beats going head-to-head with those terrifying supernatural creatures. Earning a salary without risking our lives—what’s not to like?”

Like the team of Li Juetian and Sun Shi, this squad also consisted of a D-rank paired with an E-rank. Though they were part of the same unit, the two’s personalities were completely different. Wang Xinnian relished combat and the feeling of being a hero, while his subordinate, Yi Long, preferred to slack off and collect a paycheck for doing nothing.

Upon hearing Yi Long’s attitude, Wang Xinnian frowned. “Do you even know what the duty of a Spirit Handler is?”

“Sure, it’s to protect ordinary people, isn’t it?”

“No. I believe a Spirit Handler’s real duty is to fight supernatural entities!” With that, he shoved the mission file at Yi Long. “I’ll leave this boring assignment to you.”

Yi Long’s face twitched. “And what about you?”

“Me? Naturally, I’m off to find supernatural beings and take on something more interesting.” He shot Yi Long a look. “Just go investigate whether there are any supernatural entities there. If there are, let me know. That’s all.” With that, he vanished.

Left holding the mission file, Yi Long could only sigh helplessly. Why did he have to be stuck with such a hopelessly delusional team leader? It seemed he’d have to work hard on improving his own abilities to get away from this guy as soon as possible.

After skimming the file for a while, a smile slowly formed on his lips. This task seemed much more interesting than he’d expected. Following the mission details, he found related videos online. He’d intended to judge how authentic they were, but the more he watched, the more serious he became.

While ordinary viewers might miss it, as a Spirit Handler, he could sense something unusual. First, the videos appeared to show nothing, yet the vloggers were clearly terrified. It was said that while inside, people couldn’t even see each other. That was truly disturbing. Yi Long couldn’t imagine any ordinary trick that could achieve such effects. If the vlogger wasn’t faking it for the haunted house, then things were getting interesting.

He watched more and more videos, his expression growing increasingly grave. This haunted house really seemed to have something hidden. Still, he wasn’t convinced that an actual supernatural being was involved; he was simply curious how the haunted house managed to pull off such feats.

After all, if there really were a supernatural entity, there would have been deaths by now. Yet, aside from obviously fake reports and videos, there was no evidence of any fatalities. But if there truly were a supernatural being, its intelligence and abilities would be absurd—building a haunted house within human society to feed off fear, while producing such elaborate illusions.

He donned his black Spirit Handler’s coat, pulled on his hat, and turned in the direction of the haunted house.

“A haunted attraction, is it? Fascinating. If a supernatural being really is behind it, then it’s even more intriguing.”