The line to Chen Ge’s haunted house was moving forward slowly. While they waited, Alex continued telling everything he remembered about this world. Most of the girls already knew the basic information, except for Erina, Alice, and Hisako — for them, all of this was new. He had to explain what ghosts were and how a person could open a Red Door.

A Red Door can only be opened when a person reaches “the lowest point in their life” — falling into the pit of despair, unable to overcome their pain and resentment. The Red Door exists in a special building where its “pusher” has placed their door. This building mirrors reality, but inside it lies the Red World. Its structure and appearance depend entirely on the one who opened it.

“In essence,” Brunhilde noted, “whoever opens the Red Door gains their own domain, filled with their own despair.”

Alex agreed but added an important detail: the one who opens the Red Door doesn’t just own their territory — it’s populated by ghosts and spirits unique to each pusher. They symbolize that person’s heart. If they’re strong enough, they can control them and even create their own ghost army. Every ghost exists only thanks to its master, and it’s the master who decides whether they live or die. The pusher can even set rules that all beings beyond the door must follow. And if they have traumatic memories connected to a specific person, that person can appear in the Red World as a real entity.

“I have a question,” Marie spoke up. “Can this door ever be closed? Or will it stay open forever? Will it close if the pusher dies?”

“Unfortunately, no,” Alex shook his head. “If the pusher dies, they become a Red Ghost and remain forever bound to the world born of their wounded heart.”

“So,” Hephaestus frowned, “they’ll be chained to their own suffering for eternity? What about the afterlife, reincarnation?”

“A pusher can leave the Red Door,” Alex explained, “but then it will go out of control and start affecting the real world. It can be closed, though…”

“Well, why’d you stop?” Ada snorted and smacked Alex on the butt.

“This is a dramatic pause,” he replied dryly.

“Cut the pauses,” Coco interjected, also smacking him. “We don’t want to wait until the next century.”

“All right. To close a Red Door, you need to find the pusher, make them relive all the despair contained in their world, and hold them there. The world beyond the door exists only because of that despair. Without its source, it disappears. In theory, that sounds simple, but in practice… few can face the darkness they once fell into. There’s another way — make the pusher see the beauty of this world and regain happiness. Then their world will stop feeding on negativity and slowly fade away.”

The girls admitted that Alex’s words made sense, though accomplishing such a feat was nearly impossible. Pulling someone out of deep darkness was a task few could handle.

Alex glanced at Lily involuntarily. He wondered: if she had been a resident of this world, perhaps she too could have opened a Red Door — she had suffered so much before they met. Lily caught his look, rolled her eyes, and kicked him in the leg. Her feminine intuition told her he was thinking about something unpleasant. Alex just smiled and ruffled her hair in an attempt to reassure her. She still hadn’t forgiven him for that dragon ride… and the subsequent fall from a great height.

As their conversation continued, another person was carried out of the haunted house on a stretcher. Alex smirked and noticed the message on the display about the third hospital ward. That meant Chen Ge had already met other members of the Ghost Stories Society, defeated some of them, and also encountered the first Red Door pusher — Meng Nan.

Meng Nan had opened the Red Door as a child, without understanding what he had done. The hospital director took advantage of this, seizing control over the door. However, Meng Nan managed to separate the good part of his soul and send it beyond the Red Door, taking upon himself all the pain and negativity.

Alex stood in front of the screen listing the quest rooms available to visitors of the Haunted House, wondering where to go. His attention was immediately drawn to “Mu Yang Middle School” — a place far more interesting than the psychiatric hospital ward.

Aside from a ghost girl capable of answering important questions, the location also had a classroom with twenty-four student ghosts and even the famous “toilet spirit.” Alex smirked, his decision made.

The line finally reached him and his family. The girls were clearly tired from the long wait, their only entertainment being to watch people carried out on stretchers or clinging to railings so they wouldn’t collapse. Fortunately, GIR, MIMI, and Stitch were diligently bringing snacks and drinks to help pass the time.

After much convincing, Alex persuaded the girls to let him go first — he still had several locations ahead of him — though their disapproving glares made him sigh. Soon enough, however, they all burst out laughing and let him go in peace.

“What mission would you like to choose?” Cheng Ge asked with a professional smile.

“Mu Yang Middle School,” Alex replied with a faint grin.

“Since this is your first time here, I’d recommend starting with a half-star mission. ‘Mu Yang School’ is a two-star challenge,” Cheng Ge warned in the same calm tone.

“Don’t worry, I can handle it. I’m just here to take a look,” Alex said casually.

“In that case, please sign the waiver in case anything happens. And a reminder: photography and video recording are prohibited,” Cheng Ge added, placing the form in front of him.

“Sure thing, boss. Girls, anyone want to join me? Or have you already split into groups?” Alex turned around.

“I’ll go,” Nyx said irritably. “My nerves are already shot from waiting in this line.”

Alex was more than happy for Nyx’s company. Since moving into his estate, she had become even more withdrawn: speaking only with his family members, ignoring gatherings of the gods, and not recruiting any followers.

Signatures were taken quickly. Right after, GIR, MIMI, and Stitch came bounding over, clearly intent on joining. Cheng Ge eyed the trio with suspicion — they were obviously not animals — then looked over the strange group as a whole. The man with rainbow-colored eyes, who seemed to see straight through him, was particularly unsettling.

“Boss, give these three their forms too,” Alex said, pointing downwards.

Soon the “troublemakers” had left their paw prints, and Cheng Ge led the group down a hallway, recounting the history of Mu Yang School. Alex and Nyx could feel the presence of ghosts, scanning their surroundings. GIR, MIMI, and Stitch were already itching for a hunt, but one sharp glance from Alex was enough to make them instantly abandon the idea. He had no intention of ruining the business of someone who helped ghosts find a home.

When they reached the old double doors, Cheng Ge pushed them lightly, and they creaked open. A cold breeze brushed against Alex and Nyx’s faces. They only rolled their eyes — such tricks scared only ordinary people. Alex was the first demon ever created by the Creator, and Nyx was the goddess of night and darkness. What they had seen in the past made any horror seem pale in comparison. Alex was nearly impossible to frighten, considering the things he had witnessed in his travels and battles with Nyan-Nyan’s avatars — beings whose true forms could drive any mortal insane.

“Boss, you should oil those doors,” Alex remarked. “I get that it’s part of the atmosphere, but creaking in ‘scary’ places is out of style.”

“Ahem… I’ll keep that in mind,” Cheng Ge coughed. “The mission is this: scattered around the grounds are nameplates of students. Find fifteen and you’ll complete the quest.”

“And if we find them all?” Nyx asked, shoving her hands into the pockets of her black tracksuit jacket.

“I can give you a discount on your next visit,” he replied, avoiding her bottomless black gaze.

“No need. We’re just here to look around. But even from here, I can tell the builders perfectly captured the atmosphere of an abandoned school,” Alex said with a smile. “You can easily give them five stars.”

“I’ll let them know. Please, go ahead,” Cheng Ge said politely, stepping aside.

Alex, Nyx, GIR, MIMI, and Stitch stepped over the threshold, and the doors creaked shut behind them.Alex glanced back and shook his head — something like that could only scare kids.

Sweeping his gaze over the dark hallway, he tried to decide where to go first. Passageways branched off in different directions — toward classrooms, restrooms, and offices. They would have to explore them all.

Out of the corner of his eye, Alex noticed GIR, MIMI, and Stitch already getting ready to sneak away, so he quickly clipped their leashes on. The last thing he needed was for them to run around the school scaring the poor ghosts who were supposed to be doing the scaring.

Suddenly, he felt someone take his hand. Turning, Alex saw Nyx with her usual calm expression. He raised an eyebrow in surprise but didn’t pull away — after all, he considered this reclusive goddess part of his family.

“So, where are we going?” Nyx asked, lifting her black eyes to his. “And are we going to look for the name plaques of the students?”

“Hmm… There’s one interesting ghost here. I think we’ll start with him,” Alex replied, still rubbing his chin.

“And what’s so interesting about him?” Nyx asked with a smirk. “Don’t tell me you’ve been drawn in by a ghostly girl? Am I right, Harem King?”

“Careful with your words, Nyx. Someone might not like what you’re saying,” Alex chuckled, feeling Zhang Ya’s hair slip out from his shadow and squeeze his leg with unexpected force.

“Heh, whatever you say. Though honestly, I already thought you were planning to gather a harem of ghost girls,” she teased.

“No… This ghost is a pen that’s said to answer questions and even glimpse into the future. I think it’ll be fun to test it,” Alex said, and Zhang Ya’s grip instantly loosened.

Nyx raised an eyebrow slightly — now she was clearly intrigued. With their direction decided, Alex, still holding her hand, led the group forward. GIR, MIMI, and Stitch were barely restraining themselves from running ahead, but the leashes held them in check.

They moved down the dark corridor. Empty classrooms lined both sides, the creak of doors and strange noises from inside adding to the eerie atmosphere. Alex and Nyx peeked inside, while the trio of companions, completely ignoring Chen Ge’s warning, started filming everything — from abandoned desks to boards with creepy messages. They even managed to take a few selfies.

In one of the classrooms, Alex decided to search for the name plaques. GIR, MIMI, and Stitch scoured every corner and quickly found several. Alex smirked — if he had let them off the leash, those three would’ve probably collected all twenty-four plaques and driven the ghosts to tears.

“Thought it would be scarier,” Nyx said, sitting down on a desk.

“What were you expecting? You’re a goddess. I’d be seriously surprised if any ghost managed to scare you,” Alex replied, slipping the plaques into his coat pocket.

“Can’t argue with that. But I’ll admit — the creators of this place did a good job. Just like in a horror movie.”

“Yeah, but Zhang Ya’s Red City is far scarier. Anyway, let’s go find the ghost pen. We’ll see if it can answer my questions,” Alex said with a smile.

He tugged Nyx along, and she didn’t even think about resisting. GIR, MIMI, and Stitch, still busy searching, suddenly felt their leashes go taut and realized they were being dragged out of the classroom. In the hallway, the only sounds were Alex and Nyx’s footsteps, punctuated by the trio’s grumbling.

The path seemed endless. All the while, Alex felt many curious gazes on him — gazes that vanished the moment he turned his head. He knew who they belonged to — the twenty-four students of Mu Yang Middle School, forever bound to this place. Alex briefly told Nyx their story: they had all been orphans raised by Director Chen, who continued to care for his foster children even after his death.

Nyx simply nodded, sympathetic to the children’s fate.

Turning another corner, they came across wooden mannequins dressed in school uniforms.

“Ah, kids… Don’t just wander around. Better go scare the next visitors,” Alex said, placing a hand on one mannequin’s head.

Looking at the wooden mannequins, Alex saw their true form — the figures of children whose souls were trapped inside them. A warm smile flickered across his face as he gently patted each of them on the head in turn. Nyx watched with keen interest, as it was her first time seeing objects possessed by spirits. GIR, MIMI, and Stitch also examined the wooden figures with genuine curiosity, even managing to take a couple of selfies with them in the background.

As Alex, Nyx, and the trio of troublemakers moved on through the dark corridors, the mannequins’ heads slowly turned to follow them. The ghosts of the students seemed slightly stunned by their encounter with such an unusual person. But what surprised them most was that, when he patted their heads, they felt warmth — a long-forgotten, almost impossible sensation. The lights in the corridor flickered, and more wooden figures of other students appeared, silently following the group with interest.

Gradually, the corridor began to narrow, and Alex noticed a sign pointing toward the girls’ dormitory. He sighed heavily — they had finally reached their destination. He was already growing tired of wandering endlessly through gloomy hallways filled only with empty classrooms and abandoned teachers’ offices.

Reaching the girls’ dormitory section, Alex and Nyx decided to check the first room, but there was nothing noteworthy inside — just an ordinary living space that once belonged to one of the girls. Alex instructed GIR, MIMI, and Stitch to search for nameplates.

At that moment, he once again noticed mannequins in school uniforms in the corridor. This time, there were far more of them.

“Are these kids… following us?” Nyx asked, peering over Alex’s shoulder.

“They’re just curious,” he replied calmly. “Usually visitors get scared, faint, or run away. But we just walked past… even said hello, in a way. Kids are always like that. Haven’t you figured that out in all your long life?”

“Never had the chance,” Nyx smirked. “And you know that… especially after you barged into my head without permission.” She lightly smacked his arm.

“That was when we were enemies. Now we’re family. So don’t pout… Oh, looks like they found another nameplate!” Alex said, noticing Stitch grinning as he held it in his paw.

Alex took the nameplate from Stitch and stopped paying attention to the mannequins. But the less he and Nyx looked their way, the more of them there seemed to be. Nearly half of the wooden mannequins possessed by schoolchildren were now trailing behind them.

After peeking into a couple more rooms, Alex spotted a plaque on the wall labeled “Spirit of the Pen.” Realizing they had finally found the right place, he gently pushed the door open and peeked inside.

The room resembled a preserved crime scene: four chairs stood in the center, and on one lay several white sheets of paper and a ballpoint pen held together with tape. Alex raised an eyebrow, wondering why it was broken. In the original timeline, he remembered the pen cracking because of Zhang Ya’s interference, but here, the circumstances seemed different.

He didn’t dwell on it. Alex led Nyx to the table and helped her sit down, while GIR, MIMI, and Stitch hopped right onto the tabletop. Soon, he noticed in the room the ghost of a hanged girl — the very one who was the “spirit of the pen.”

Alex barely remembered her story or the reasons why she became that way, but he knew one thing — nothing could be changed now. A fleeting thought crossed his mind: could he bring these ghosts back to life? But he immediately dismissed the idea, not knowing what consequences that might have in this world.

Sitting next to Nyx, he took the pen and placed a sheet of paper in the center of the table.

“So how do you communicate with it? Just ask, or is there some kind of ritual?” Nyx asked, crossing her arms. “And what kind of answers can it give anyway?”

“It’s simple,” Alex explained. “You need to say special words to summon the spirit. You can’t break the circle. And you can’t ask questions like ‘when will I die’ or ‘how will I die.’ After the conversation, you must release the spirit, otherwise it will follow you until death.”

“Mortals have strange pastimes,” Nyx said with mild disdain. “Who in their right mind would summon a spirit just for answers? They’re digging their own graves.”

“Well… hard to argue with that,” Alex smirked. “Alright, let’s start. Now you need to read what’s supposedly a spell… How did it go… Ah yes… ‘Spirit of the pen, spirit of the pen, you are my spirit from a past life, and I am your spirit in this one. If you are with us, draw a circle on the paper.'”

Nyx, GIR, MIMI, and Stitch placed their hands over Alex’s, deciding to mimic his actions. At that moment, he noticed the ghost girl carefully placing her translucent hand over theirs and beginning to guide the pen, drawing a circle. Nyx also sensed the spirit’s presence and, unlike the others, was not surprised. For GIR, MIMI, and Stitch, however, it was a source of amusement.

Alex thought about what question to ask first.

“Spirit of the pen, answer me… What is the ultimate answer to the question of life, the universe, and everything else?” he said with a mischievous smile.

Nyx looked at him with a dry gaze, clearly understanding he was just teasing the poor spirit. GIR, MIMI, and Stitch, on the other hand, gave thumbs up, clearly supporting the joke. For the spirit, Alex’s question was so strange that she froze as if her mind had a slight “overload.” Alex struggled to hold back laughter watching the spirit’s confusion. Still, the spirit moved the pen and wrote the answer — 42. This caused genuine delight among Alex and his group, while Nyx continued to watch them with a stone-cold face.

“Could you ask a more stupid question?” she said coldly. “Next you’ll be asking how the universe was born.”

“I already know the answer to that one. Just wanted to check if the spirit of the pen knows that iconic answer,” Alex smirked. “Alright, now seriously. Spirit of the pen, tell me… will your boss be attending the meeting of the Ghost Stories Society today?”

The ghost girl guided the pen and clearly wrote “Yes.” Alex nodded with satisfaction, realizing he had another meeting with Cheng Ge today. Nyx already knew what kind of society it was and who went there.

Humming a tune to himself, Alex turned his head toward the door and once again saw a group of wooden mannequins peering into the room. He rolled his eyes, gently touched Nyx’s hand, and smiled as he pointed toward the door. Nyx turned around and also noticed the curious mannequins, which apparently housed the spirits of the schoolchildren. She just sighed tiredly.

“Spirit of the pen, will that bastard who caused Zhang Ya’s death be at the meeting today?” Alex asked with such a sinister smile that even the ghosts lurking nearby shuddered.

The ghost girl flinched involuntarily, while GIR, MIMI, and Stitch grinned smugly. If that guy showed up where he was supposed to — a fun hunt would begin. The spirit guided the pen back to the previous answer and underlined “Yes.” Alex laughed out loud, a loud, almost predatory laugh. Nyx only felt a moment of pity for the poor “pig” they were about to hunt.

“Nyx, want to ask the spirit of the pen a question?” Alex asked gently, as if he hadn’t just looked like a nightmare villain seconds ago.

“No, thanks. I’m afraid your smile scared the poor ghost girl so much she almost died again,” Nyx replied with a blank expression.

“As you wish… You know how it goes… Blah-blah-blah… spirit of the pen, don’t follow me or you’ll get a stick,” Alex muttered, putting the pen down on the table.

“Are you serious right now?” Nyx stared at him like he was an idiot.

“Well, I don’t exactly remember what you’re supposed to say to release the spirit. I think she won’t follow us anyway. Right, ghost girl?” he turned to her.

The ghost girl, realizing she was being watched, quickly nodded, clearly showing she didn’t intend to accompany them. Alex bared his sharp teeth, which only scared her more — amusing, since she was supposed to be the one doing the scaring. After a good laugh, he got up from the chair and prepared to explore the other rooms.

But the same wooden mannequins blocked the way for him and Nyx.

“Alright, kids… I’ll turn my back now, and you clear the way for us. Or I’ll have to move you myself,” Alex said with that same “kind” smile that made the mannequins freeze.

Alex, Nyx, GIR, MIMI, and Stitch turned away, then looked forward again — the path was clear. The wooden mannequins parted to the sides, giving way. Alex smiled, squeezed Nyx’s hand tighter, and they calmly walked past while the mannequins stood motionless on either side.

Along the way, Alex tried to recall what else was interesting in Mu Yan Middle School. A memory surfaced of a well with a spirit living inside it, as well as a legend about a ghost in a toilet stall. After a bit of thought, he decided to check out the well first.

They walked leisurely, still under the watchful “gaze” of the wooden figures that followed them. Reaching the well, Alex looked inside — at the bottom, there was only sand and two buried mannequins.

“Well, why are you just standing there? Come down,” Nyx nudged him.

Rolling his eyes, Alex let go of her hand and jumped down, forgetting that GIR, MIMI, and Stitch were tied to his belt with leashes. The trio followed him down amid indignant cries, desperately grabbing at the edge of the well. Nyx couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

Alex landed on his feet, while his companions fell face-first. Slapping his forehead, he only now remembered the leashes tied to him. He was about to apologize, but GIR, MIMI, and Stitch had already started pounding on his legs, expressing all their displeasure. Alex decided to stay silent and simply said briefly:

“Sorry.” Then he dug out the mannequins a bit and took two nameplates.

Climbing out of the well and pulling up the grumbling trio, he headed toward the last point of this area — the bathroom with the ghost.

Inside, Alex counted the stalls and pulled Nyx and his three companions in after him. Locking the door, he froze in anticipation.

“I get it, but it’s a bit cramped in here,” Nyx remarked, pressing her chest against his.

“Don’t complain. I’m perfectly comfortable. If the ghost doesn’t show up, we’ll grab the nameplate and leave,” Alex smirked, clearly enjoying the position.

Nyx’s eye twitched, and she grabbed his cheeks, stretching them to the sides. Alex was used to such “punishments” and endured them calmly. At that moment, footsteps sounded — as if someone was slapping barefoot wet feet on the tiles. The neighboring stall suddenly swung open and slammed shut loudly.

Alex and Nyx looked down — a red shadow of the ghost was visible on the floor. GIR and MIMI exchanged glances and made a “trampoline” from their folded paws, Stitch jumped, and they threw him into the adjacent stall.

Before Alex and Nyx could figure out what was happening, loud curses from Stitch came from there. The stall door flew open, and the slapping sounds quickly faded away.

When they came out, they found Stitch standing proudly, puffing out his chest and grinning widely. GIR and MIMI gave him a “high five” for a job well done.

“Well, you scared the ghost. Good job,” Alex said dryly, mimicking a robot voice.

“Good job,” Nyx echoed in the same tone.

“Ha-ha-ha-ha,” added Alex with a “robotic” laugh.

The laughter died down, and taking Nyx’s hand, he decided there was nothing left to do in this section. Only twelve nameplates remained to be collected — the gremlin collector inside him just couldn’t leave the collection incomplete.

They headed to the exit but were blocked by twenty-four wooden mannequins. One of them held all the missing nameplates. Alex wearily looked at the “school ghost children” and, shrugging, took them, trying to ignore the ghosts’ attempts to drive them away. Nyx only shook her head but didn’t hide her curiosity — the place was truly unusual.

Having collected the full set of twenty-four nameplates, Alex, Nyx, and their trio of “ghost hunters” finally made their way to the exit.

To be continued…

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep