Leaving the escape room “Mu Yang Middle School,” Alex didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

The ghosts inhabiting the haunted house run by Chen Ge had made it abundantly clear that he and his companions should leave and stop causing trouble for the local residents.

Alex instinctively glanced at Stitch — he had just scared the restroom ghost so badly that the poor thing fled without even trying to frighten him back. Nix, walking beside him, was the opposite — she was delighted: she enjoyed the way the ghostly students followed them closely, how Alex teased the pen spirit, and, to top it all off, how Stitch had driven that poor ghost into retreat.

As they made their way down the corridors toward the exit, Alex and Nix could still feel the presence of twenty-four wooden mannequins trailing behind them, as if making sure the guests would truly leave the escape room. These “students” had no idea that they might soon encounter a company far more dangerous. If Alex barely managed to restrain GIR, MIMI, and Stitch — who, if they wished, could cause absolute chaos inside the room — then the women from his family would hardly be any less destructive, especially if someone tried to scare them.

Finally, they passed through the dim hallways with flickering lamps and reached the massive rusted doors — the “school” exit. Alex pushed the panels, and they creaked open. Before leaving, he made sure to wave goodbye to his twenty-four “escorts.”

The moment they stepped outside, the doors slammed shut behind them with a loud bang. Alex couldn’t help but laugh — it was the first time he had ever been literally chased away by ghosts. Hearing his laugh, Nix smiled as well; the situation was so absurd that even she, a goddess of darkness, found it amusing. Once, people would avoid her, driving her away from wherever she went — but being chased away by ghosts? That was a first.

As soon as they stepped into the street, the queue for the haunted house went silent. People had expected to see terrified newcomers, as usual: some leaving pale as chalk, others being carried out on stretchers. But Alex and Nix looked as if they had just been on a fun amusement ride.

Chen Ge, selling tickets, was also surprised — he had expected at least a trace of nightmare in their eyes. The women from Alex’s family, hearing the murmurs in the crowd, rolled their eyes in unison — at least they were glad Alex, GIR, MIMI, and Stitch hadn’t caused complete destruction inside.

Alex noticed the glances from his companions, gave them a thumbs-up, and, smiling, walked over to the counter. He placed all twenty-four name tags on the desk — a murmur of surprise rippled through the crowd. No one had ever managed to collect them all before; most people barely scraped together a dozen before fleeing in panic.

Chen Ge, seeing the haul, looked up at Alex and met his rainbow-colored eyes, in which amusement sparkled.

“Boss, you’ve got an interesting haunted house. Just remind your kids they’re supposed to scare guests, not chase them,” Alex said with a faint smile.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Congratulations on clearing ‘Mu Yang Middle School.’ Would you like to choose another escape room?” Chen Ge replied in a professional tone.

“Nope. I’ve seen everything I wanted to. See you later, Boss. I think we’ll meet again soon,” Alex said, placing his hands behind his head.

Chen Ge frowned. The remark about “meeting again soon” reminded him of patients from the third hospital ward, who, after treatment, joined the ghost storytellers’ society. The thought that Alex might be one of them flashed through his mind and quickly faded — there was no one in the archives with such an appearance.

Meanwhile, Alex and Nyx returned to the girls and shared their impressions. A few words from Alex confirmed that he had simply been mocking the ghosts. Nyx added that, in the end, the ghosts themselves handed them the remaining name tags, hinting, “Please, just leave.” No one was surprised that after Stitch’s stunt, they didn’t even try to attack.

Seeing the girls’ growing interest, Alex sent them a list of all the quest rooms with descriptions of where you could definitely encounter ghosts.

“Anya, Jinx, Nyaruko, want to come with me? You wouldn’t be allowed in here anyway — you’re kids,” he offered to his daughters.

The three little princesses exchanged glances. On one hand, they were tempted by the idea of spending time with their moms and then sneaking into the haunted house. On the other hand, it sounded far more exciting to go with their beloved dad to a place where real ghosts lived — and hunt them without any restrictions or lectures.

The women didn’t mind Alex taking the daughters with him. They knew perfectly well that the moment they looked away, the girls would cause trouble and turn everything into chaos. Alice, Nobukatsu, Valerie, and Göll also briefly considered tagging along with their older brother, but in the end decided to stay and simply visit the haunted house with the rest.

Anya, Nyaruko, and Jinx made their choice quickly — dad was the best option. They immediately climbed onto Alex, settling into his arms and on his shoulders. Saying goodbye to the girls, Alex promised that if he saw something interesting, he’d send photos or have GIR stream it live. The women gladly agreed — they were curious to see which haunted spots Alex would visit and what chaos he’d cause there, considering the company of six little “gremlins.”

After final goodbyes, Alex and Nyx, surrounded by their noisy gang of young ghost hunters, headed for the amusement park exit.

Once outside the park, Alex glanced around, making sure no one was watching, and pulled his favorite car from his inventory — a black 1967 Chevrolet Impala. The car was perfect for hunting the supernatural.

Seeing the ride, Nyx smiled.

“So, going full-on ghost hunter now? What’s next — an iron rod and salt?”

“Thanks for the reminder,” Alex smirked, helping his daughters into the back seat. “I’ll have to check if salt and iron work on ghosts in this world.”

GIR, MIMI, and Stitch, impatiently fidgeting, jumped in right after. Alex shut the door, got behind the wheel, and started the engine. Before driving off, he set the mood by putting Highway to Hell on the radio. As soon as the music started, the atmosphere in the car changed instantly. Alex drove one-handed, singing along, while the passengers — from Nyx to the youngest — joyfully joined in.

The city faded into the distance as the Impala rolled onto an old country road winding through the trees. Alex didn’t say exactly where they were headed first — it was a surprise. A few minutes later, a gloomy gray building appeared in the distance, abandoned and weathered.

Pulling over nearby, Alex cut the engine and took a closer look: before them loomed the Jiujang Psychological Recovery Center. In simpler terms — a psychiatric hospital, or, bluntly put, an insane asylum, where one of this world’s main antagonists once worked. Nyx, GIR, MIMI, Stitch, Anya, Nyaruko, and Jinx also craned their necks to see where Alex had brought them. Anya, Nyaruko, and Jinx clambered into the front seats, while GIR, MIMI, and Stitch climbed onto the roof to get a better view.

Nyx frowned, peering out the window.

“What is this place? Some kind of hospital?”

“You could say that. But it’s a mental asylum. They kept the ones who had completely lost their minds here,” Alex replied, stepping out of the car.

“I think I’ve seen a movie like this. A group went to film a documentary in an abandoned asylum… and no one made it out.”

“There are a lot of movies like that — always with ghosts,” Alex smirked. “No surprise they’re here too. But we won’t be staying long. This is just the first stop on our route.”

“Daddy, where are we going after?” Jinx asked with genuine curiosity.

“That’s still a secret,” Alex winked, planting a kiss on his daughter’s cheek, making her giggle.

Nyarluko quickly climbed onto Alex’s back and settled comfortably on his shoulders.

Meanwhile, Nyx scooped Anya up into her arms. Alex quickly scanned the area — there wasn’t a single police officer in sight. That was important: not long ago, Chen Ge had found people locked in cages inside this very psychiatric hospital — lunatics who had once been former patients of the facility’s third ward.

GIR, MIMI, and Stitch, acting with complete seriousness, pulled a huge bag of salt and several iron rods from the luggage. They were fully prepared for ghost-hunting: each of them had a modified vacuum strapped to their back, capable of sucking in spirits — like something straight out of a movie.

When the group reached the tall iron gates of the hospital, Alex suggested taking a group photo. Nobody objected — on the contrary, they were thrilled. Nyx stood next to Alex, holding Anya in her arms. Alex had Jinx perched on one arm, while Nyarluko remained comfortably on his shoulders.

GIR set up a tripod with the camera, adjusted the timer, and carefully framed the shot so that both the group and the ominous building behind them were in view. Once satisfied, he dashed over to join the others, squeezing in between Stitch and MIMI, flashing a peace sign at the lens.

“And now all together… Ghostbusters!” Alex said with a wide grin.

“Ghostbusters!” everyone echoed in unison.

The camera clicked, and moments later, a fresh photograph slid out. Stitch, like a seasoned photographer, detached the camera from the tripod with one paw while fanning the photo with the other, helping it develop faster.

Meanwhile, Alex examined the massive iron gates topped with barbed wire. Secured with a heavy chain and a large padlock, they looked sturdy. He was already considering how to open them quietly without attracting attention…

But GIR had his own ideas. Without saying a word, he swung his power hammer — and the gates crashed inward with a deafening bang.

“Well, that works too. We’re breaking in, not showing up for a doctor’s appointment,” Nyx smirked, still holding Anya.

“Not gonna argue. The way’s open — time to explore. Honestly, this is my first time entering an abandoned psychiatric hospital. Sure, it would’ve been better to do this at night, but we’re short on time,” Alex said with mild regret, thinking about how this was the last day of his vacation.

“Your fault for not planning your vacation better,” Nyx shot back. “Come on already, I want to see what it is about these hospitals that ghosts find so appealing.”

Alex just shook his head. He knew perfectly well why places like this were always crawling with supernatural entities, but he chose to stay silent so as not to ruin the mood.

As they walked through the grounds, GIR and MIMI were already live-streaming to the girls who’d stayed behind in the amusement park’s haunted house. There wasn’t much to see outside, so Alex led them to the main entrance. It, too, was chained shut with a heavy lock. In video games, this would be the moment to find an alternate route — but here they had GIR and his trusty power hammer.

One more swing, and the door was smashed open.

Inside, they were greeted by a gloomy reception area: a thick layer of dust, papers scattered everywhere — prescriptions, old patient files. Nyarluko and Jinx immediately jumped down from their father’s arms to start looking around. Anya climbed down from Nyx’s arms and joined her sisters. GIR, MIMI, and Stitch instantly turned into “detectives,” rummaging through drawers and peeking into every corner.

Lighting a cigarette, Alex slowly walked around the room and picked up one of the folders from the floor.

“Anything interesting?” Nyx asked as she came up beside him.

“No. Just a file on a patient with chronic insomnia who eventually went insane. Nothing new,” Alex replied, tossing the folder back onto the floor.

“All right, then here’s the plan: archive first, then the wards. And the basement…” Nyx tapped her chin thoughtfully. “There are always ghosts in the basement.”

Alex gave a brief nod, but the six gremlins hardly needed confirmation — they instantly shot off, shouting over one another as they dashed through the peeling white corridors of the asylum in search of the archive. Alex vaguely recalled whether it had burned down or not, but he did know there had been a room on the upper floors where runaway patients had once kept kidnapped people in cages.

Taking Nyx’s hand, he followed after them, fully aware that if the gremlins found nothing interesting, they’d tear this building apart brick by brick. As they climbed the stairs, Alex navigated using the map of the asylum he had found in the ground-floor reception.

They caught up to the gremlins quickly — barely a minute later, they were already standing at the archive doors. Inside was pure chaos: the six of them were overturning cabinets and patient-file drawers with the enthusiasm of treasure hunters. Alex and Nyx exchanged a glance, deciding not to enter. Moments later, after stopping the rampage with some effort, Alex suggested:

“How about we check out the third wing? Supposedly, that’s where the ghosts are.”

The words had barely left his lips before the gremlins bolted from the archive with gleeful screams, dropping whatever they were holding.

“Tell me, what sane parent would bring their kids to a haunted asylum?” Nyx asked, watching the gremlins vanish around the corner.

“Probably me,” Alex yawned lazily. “And do you really think any ghost here would dare approach them? GIR, MIMI, and Stitch would immediately ‘send’ those poor spirits straight to heaven. And then there’s Zhang Ya — do you think she’d let anyone scare Anya, Nyaruko, and Jinx?”

Nyx cast a glance at Alex’s shadow, which had taken on Zhang Ya’s form the moment they entered the asylum. Everyone in the family knew how dangerous she was, so there was no doubt.

Holding Nyx’s hand, Alex followed the gremlins as they charged toward the asylum’s third wing. Soon, they arrived at the spot where GIR, MIMI, Stitch, as well as Anya, Nyaruko, and Jinx, were already waiting — all with eager smiles. A neat line of salt stretched across the floor, and Alex rolled his eyes; the gremlins had thoughtfully made a “barrier” to keep the ghosts from escaping.

“So, who was kept in this wing?” Nyx asked, while the gremlins froze in anticipation of the answer.

“This section was for the especially violent patients,” Alex began. “After certain events, they became even more dangerous and eventually staged a breakout, killing many staff and other patients. Originally, there were ten of them. The ghosts are the ones who died during the riot.”

“Daddy, what were those events?” Jinx interrupted, hanging off his shoulder, while Anya and Nyaruko nodded quickly, urging him to continue.

“Alright, alright, listen. You know about the Red Door, so we’ll skip that part. One day, they brought here a woman with severe bipolar disorder — committed by her own husband. At the time, she was pregnant. Near the end of her pregnancy, her husband confessed to cheating on her. Her condition worsened, and they transferred her to the third wing. It was here that she gave birth to a son named Meng Nan.”

“Now, here’s the interesting part. The Red Door didn’t appear because of the mother’s rage or despair — it was Meng Nan himself. His emotions, amplified by the patients’ moods, opened the passage. He was just a child and didn’t understand what the door was, only that his mother was behind it. The malice seeping from the door fueled the madness of the others.”

“The asylum’s director, obsessed with immortality, followed a hired doctor’s advice and put the boy into an artificial coma, trying to ‘seize’ the door. He had no idea that doing so would destroy control over it. When the door broke free, the patients rioted and escaped. Now, they’re together again, led by that same psychiatrist, and have formed a ‘Scary Story Club.'” Alex recounted everything he could remember.

“Wow, that could be an entire horror movie,” Nyx said with admiration. “You’ve got the main villain, the gullible hero, and an entourage getting in the way of the truth.”

“Daddy, can you open the Red Door? Please?” Jinx asked, gazing at him with wide pink eyes.

“Please!” Anya and Nyaruko echoed in unison, clinging to his pant legs and giving him puppy-dog looks.

Nyx looked at Alex with a sly grin, clearly wanting to know how he planned to stand up to his daughters and say “no” to them. Alex stood there, staring at the three little tricksters giving him their puppy-dog eyes. Usually, he was long immune to such tactics — but, alas, not to his own daughters. With a sigh, he promised to show them the Red Door, but on one condition: not a single gremlin was allowed to lay a hand on it.

GIR, MIMI, Stitch, Nyaruko, Anya, and Jinx all promised in unison that they would only take pictures in front of it. Alex took Nyx’s hand, and accompanied by the six gremlins, they entered the third hospital wing. Along the way, he explained what kind of patients had lived there and what illnesses they suffered from.

“Patient number ten,” he began, “had Lesch–Nyhan syndrome. He was obsessed with self-harm, constantly trying to mutilate his face, and suffered from violent fits of rage that required him to be tied down.”

“And who lived in this room? Or was being treated here? What’s the right way to say it?” Nyx asked, peeking through a slightly open door.

“I think ‘undergoing rehabilitation’ fits best. Patient number nine had Asperger’s syndrome — a genius, but mad. Patient number eight suffered from hemispatial neglect — he didn’t perceive half of the surrounding space. Number seven was a victim of Cotard’s syndrome: he believed he was already dead. In room six lived a woman with severe body dysmorphic disorder — she hated her body, exaggerated her flaws, and couldn’t accept herself.”

“For the love of the Creator…” Nyx muttered, glancing into the rooms. “Mortals have an incredible amount of problems with their heads. Yes, gods can be arrogant idiots sometimes, but you humans have way more competition.”

“Daddy, who else lived here?” Anya asked, holding his hand.

“In room five lived a paranoid with Fregoli delusion — he thought everyone around him was disguised as the same person. In room four was a man tormented by phantom limb pain after an arm amputation. In room three…” Alex paused. “That’s where Meng Nan’s mother lived. And this very room serves as the gateway to the Red World. Room two was a woman with Dorian Gray syndrome — obsessed with her appearance and endlessly undergoing plastic surgeries. The first patient suffered from Angelman syndrome — always smiling, had spasms and intellectual disability. The calmest of the bunch in this wing.”

Meanwhile, the girls left behind at the haunted house in the park carefully watched GIR and MIMI’s livestream. Every unfamiliar term they asked Red and White to explain, and the two patiently described all the diagnoses in simple words. The Valkyries, the goddesses, Rory, and the girls from Orario could hardly believe humans could have such strange illnesses.

Alex and his group stopped at the door of the third room — the future Red Door. It appeared only at night, at a very specific hour, and only for a short time before disappearing again until the next time.

He decided to fulfill the request of his three little princesses and lightly touched the door. Almost immediately, blood began to flow from underneath it, pulsating crimson veins crawled up the walls, and the peeling paint vanished, replaced by a grim scarlet canvas. From behind the door came a muffled chorus of screams filled with pain and despair.

The six gremlins clapped their hands joyfully, while Nyx carefully studied the door, sensing how much darkness was hidden behind it. Stitch had already set up the tripod and prepared the camera to take a group photo.

At the exact moment the flash went off, the door quietly creaked, as if someone was trying to open it from the other side. Alex and Nyx exchanged glances, while the gremlins just smiled even wider.

“Hehehe… Who would’ve thought it’d appear right now…” came a nasty chuckle from behind the door. “Now I’m free.”

And then, as the Red Door slowly swung open, a thin, dried-up branch-like bony hand slipped out from the dark doorway. Behind it appeared the owner of the disgusting voice.

Before them stood a creature made of overly long, twisted bones covered with thin, grayish skin. Its face was so distorted that it provoked nothing but disgust and an unpleasant feeling of sticky unease.

Seeing the people, the gaunt ghost stretched its lips into a revolting grin — the smile of a predator suddenly served its meal on a platter. GIR, MIMI, Stitch, Anya, Nyaruko, and Jinx responded with grins of their own, looking at it with the same enthusiasm a cat has when staring at a canary.

Alex stroked his chin, feeling only a pitiful, weak force from the creature. Nyx, however, sensed only thick, viscous darkness in it, but no real threat.

“Hehehe… How cute,” the creature hissed. “I just stepped out, and here… a feast.”

“Well, what are you staring at?!” Alex said lazily, turning to the gremlins. “Catch it before it realizes it’s at the wrong address.”

It was as if a lightbulb went off over the six gremlins’ heads, and they all lunged forward at once. Before the skinny ghost could realize what was happening, it was grabbed by the legs and dragged out of the Red Door. The door clicked shut behind it, returning to the appearance of an ordinary room door.

Within seconds, the “guest” was tightly bound, and a thick stack of papers was shoved into its mouth to silence it.

“Unfortunately, buddy, you picked the worst time to escape,” Alex said, lighting a cigarette. “So enjoy… the most unpleasant pastime of your… second life.”

Nyx merely shook her head slightly, feeling a faint pity for the unlucky ghost. GIR placed a sack of salt nearby and tore it open with one swift motion. MIMI scooped up a handful and dumped it directly into the prisoner’s eyes. Meanwhile, Stitch decided to test how iron affected ghosts and smacked the prisoner’s hand hard with an iron rod.

The skinny captive squirmed, trying to break free, but had no chance. Jinx, deciding that just salt in the eyes was boring, pulled the papers from the ghost’s mouth and shoved them inside a funnel. Anya and Nyaruko immediately grabbed the sack and began pouring salt right into the ghost’s mouth, literally “feeding” it a twenty-gram portion.

Those watching the livestream saw the three little troublemakers gleefully “feeding” salt to the prisoner and could only shake their heads wearily, realizing the girls had definitely inherited Alex’s habits. Becca, on the other hand, was proud of her little “potato.”

When the sack was empty, the next phase began — testing the strength of the limbs. Alex and Nyx decided not to watch and simply walked over to the window. Alex tore off the grate and let fresh air into the corridor. Behind them, the sound of metal hitting flesh mixed with hissing and scraping echoed.

“Ghosts here can be either physical or purely spectral,” Alex said quietly, watching the clouds. “This one seems to have been the former… and it paid the price.”

When the noise died down, they turned around — only a dark shadow remained on the floor, like the very imprint of the ghost itself, forever etched into the floor.

“Wow, it was so weak… but still didn’t want to disappear,” Jinx said, wiping sweat from her brow.

“Weakling,” Anya nodded.

“Daddy, can you pull out another one? This one disappeared too fast,” Nyaruko asked cheerfully.

“Enough tormenting ghosts,” Alex smirked. “Besides, there’s another place where they hang out. If you want, we can head there right now.”

“You should’ve said that from the start!” Anya exclaimed and pulled him toward the exit.

Jinx and Nyaruko immediately joined her, while behind them GIR, MIMI, and Stitch pushed along. Nyx, hands in pockets and with a slight grin, followed — she was curious too, to see where Alex would take them this time.

To be continued…

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep