The ancient return was exposed by his sister's live stream.

Chen Hao glanced down, his eyes indifferent, his tone calm: "It's just filth formed from condensed Yin energy, nothing serious."

He continued walking forward without stopping, his aura growing stronger, and a faint golden light emanated from his body, completely dispelling the approaching yin and filth, protecting Yao Yao behind him and keeping her safe.

Just then, a soft footstep sound came from the corner at the end of the corridor, "tap...tap...tap..." The sound was slow and soft, but it was particularly clear in the quiet corridor, yet no one could be seen.

Chen Siyao held her breath instantly, gripping Chen Hao tightly with her small hands, her heart pounding. The live stream chat also fell silent instantly, everyone holding their breath and staring at the corner of the corridor in the camera.

Who's there? A person, or... a ghost?

Chen Hao paused slightly, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. A faint sneer curled at the corner of his mouth, revealing a hint of understanding. Clearly, the thing in this ghostly realm was beginning to lose its composure and wanted to reveal itself.

The "tap-tap" of footsteps grew closer and closer, slowly approaching Chen Hao and his companion from the corner of the corridor. However, no matter how they looked, they couldn't see anyone. Only the sound echoed in the empty corridor, carrying a chilling and eerie feeling.

Yang Wanqing's face turned pale with fright, her lips trembled slightly, but she still managed to hold back her scream. She clung tightly to Chen Hao, her voice trembling with tears, and whispered, "Brother Chen Hao... what was that sound? I'm scared..."

"Don't be afraid, they're just some small fry, they won't amount to anything." Chen Hao said calmly, patting Yang Wanqing's hand to comfort her, his eyes still calm and without the slightest fear.

The live stream chat was flooded with comments:

[Tourist 001: Holy crap! I can't see anyone, just hear footsteps! This is terrifying!]

[Visitor 002: God, act quickly! Don't let that thing get close!]

[Visitor 003: I was so scared I didn't dare watch anymore, but I couldn't help but want to keep watching, it's so addictive!]

[Visitor 004: As expected of a ghost town, the level of eeriness is off the charts!]

The footsteps grew closer, closing to within ten meters of the three. Suddenly, the corridor lights flickered and went out completely, plunging the entire corridor into darkness. Only the light from Chen Siyao's phone emitted a faint glow, illuminating a small area in front of them.

In the darkness, the chilling aura instantly intensified several times over. A cold aura brushed past Chen Hao's side, carrying a hint of malice, yet it dared not approach the golden light surrounding Chen Hao, and could only linger around him.

Yang Wanqing let out a small gasp, almost dropping her phone. Chen Siyao steadied her hand, saying, "Stay calm, don't panic."

Chen Hao slowly raised his hand, and a faint golden light gathered at his fingertips. Although the golden light was weak, it was particularly dazzling in the darkness, instantly dispelling the surrounding yin energy. The lingering cold aura retreated instantly as if it had encountered its nemesis, and the footsteps also faded away and disappeared into the depths of the corridor.

The lights were quickly restored, and the corridor was once again illuminated by a pale glow. Everything returned to calm, as if the eerie scene from just moments ago had been nothing more than an illusion.

In the corridor on the 29th floor, the emergency lights emitted a stark white light, illuminating the dark red scratches, the long streaks of blood, and the shoes, clothes, and cell phones scattered all over the floor.

The stench of decay in the air grew stronger, mixed with an indescribable, fishy smell.

Chen Hao stood at the very front, his gaze piercing through the walls, through layers of cement and steel, landing on a room on the thirty-first floor. His divine sense spread like water, covering the entire top three floors.

Then he paused for a moment.

In a room on the thirty-first floor, there was a person who was conscious. Not the kind of consciousness that comes from being possessed by a spirit, but the consciousness of a normal, living person.

The man was huddled in the corner of the room, clutching something in his hand. A warm, familiar spiritual energy was pulsating slightly on his chest—it was the imperial jade plaque he had carved.

Song Xinxue.

Chen Hao frowned slightly. How could she be in Building A? He withdrew his divine sense and glanced at Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing beside him.

Two girls were standing close to him, one on each side. Chen Siyao held up her phone, the camera pointed towards the depths of the corridor, her hand trembling but the image was still relatively steady; Yang Wanqing clutched the hem of his clothes, her knuckles white, her whole body huddled behind him, only half of her head showing.

"Brother, those sounds... seem to be getting closer." Chen Siyao's voice was very low, almost inaudible.

Chen Hao didn't answer. He looked at the two girls—they were afraid, but not afraid enough to run away.

My sister's eyes were bright as she stared into the darkness at the end of the corridor, like a cat crouching in front of a mouse hole, its paws reaching out and then retracting.

Yang Wanqing was terrified, but the hand gripping his clothes never pulled him back.

He remembered Chen Siyao when she was little. She was only five or six years old then, and she was incredibly brave. She would climb trees, scale walls, and raid bird nests—she dared to do anything. Once, she climbed to the top of the tallest banyan tree in the neighborhood and couldn't get down. She squatted on a branch and cried. He climbed up to get her, and she cried as she said, "Brother, it's so beautiful up there. I want to climb again next time."

Now that she's grown up, she doesn't climb trees anymore; instead, she plays escape rooms and murder mystery games, which are popular among young people. Every time she comes back from playing, she talks about it for ages, describing how scary the NPCs were, how cleverly the mechanisms were designed, and how the plot twists were, all with great enthusiasm.

Isn't this the most realistic murder mystery game script? Chen Hao's lips curled up slightly.

Hearing this, Chen Siyao turned her head sharply: "Brother? Was that you laughing just now?"

Before Chen Hao could even retract his smile, Chen Siyao caught him red-handed. Yang Wanqing also peeked out, staring at him with wide eyes.

At this moment, the live stream camera followed the three of them, capturing Chen Hao's rare smile clearly. The screen, which was originally filled with comments like "So scary," "I'm terrified," and "This place is so eerie," instantly exploded, with comments flooding the screen like a tidal wave.

[Yaoyao's Little Red Riding Hood: Did I see that right? The High God actually smiled?! The iceberg has melted!]

[I am Ying Zheng: What? The god laughed? Laughed in the realm of ghosts?]

[Youyou: Did I hear that right? The God smiled?]

[Qin Jia Xiaoyu: A once-in-a-lifetime series! The High God can actually laugh!]

[Sakura: Laughing in a ghost realm, what kind of mental fortitude does that take?]

[Haohe: No, don't you guys find it terrifying? (Suddenly chuckled in the ghost realm...)]

[Not eating cauliflower: Has the aloof, god-like persona crumbled? I don't care, I'm a fan for life.]

Chen Hao's smile froze for a moment. He coughed lightly and said without changing his expression, "No, it's a ghost laughing."

Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing exchanged a glance.

Yang Wanqing whispered, "But... that laughter just now clearly came from Hao-ge's direction."

Chen Siyao scratched her head, looked at the eerie surroundings, then at her serious-looking brother, and said with a hint of disbelief, "Really? Maybe I misheard. With so many ghosts here, it's normal for the laughter to be strange."

Yang Wanqing glanced at Chen Hao again. Chen Hao's expression had returned to its usual calm, as if nothing had happened. She nodded, "That's right, it must be a ghost."

Chen Hao withdrew his gaze and looked back into the depths of the corridor. In that darkness, countless souls wandered, howled, and devoured each other.

------

Sudden!!!

A female ghost's voice entered Chen Hao's consciousness, and Chen Hao frowned slightly.

The voice continued, "Great God, in consideration of how hard I've worked, could you please make a small request? Please!"

Chen Hao's lips curled slightly. "What do you want?"

The female ghost's voice seemed to carry a hint of excitement: "This servant only needs to urge you on the updates a little bit. The high-energy content is about to continue!"

(Please urge me to update!)