I became Hokage in Tokyo

Chapter 17: A Terrifying Night (Part 017)

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"

After being frightened, people often have two reactions. One is that their mind goes blank, their body stiffens and they stand still or even faint. The other is that under extreme fear stimulation, certain hormones are secreted, and the body reacts faster than the brain. What they did at the time is something they can't even recall afterward.

After escaping from the first floor, he frantically ran to the second floor, and after passing through a dark corridor, Hayama Takuya finally stopped, panting, and gestured to the photographer behind him:

"...Did you capture that thing on the ceiling just now? Everyone in the live stream, did you see it? There was an arm hanging down from the ceiling, and there was blood..."

Hayama Takuya looked utterly terrified, his face pale and clearly shaken.

"Yayama, you suddenly yelled and then ran away. I only had time to follow you, so I didn't get any pictures."

The photographer following behind him said in a low voice.

He shouldn't have spoken, but because of Ye Shan's terrifying scream and his sudden escape, the others couldn't help but follow. Now the team was scattered, and only he was following behind Ye Shan.

This is what is known as the herd mentality.

Ye Shan glanced at the trace of bright red blood still on his hand, and ignoring the dust on the wall, quickly wiped it clean, leaving several bloody finger marks.

"Ladies and gentlemen, look! You have no idea what I just saw, it was absolutely terrifying! It looked like someone was hanging upside down from the ceiling over there, and blood was falling on me..."

The camera was pointed at several bloody finger marks on the wall.

However, the chat room didn't believe it. This chat room was mainly filled with fans of the apprentice shrine maiden Katori-chan, and most of them were just big shots who wanted to see the girl. They naturally had some hostility towards him, a pretty boy.

Some mocked Hayama for being a cowardly pretty boy, others ridiculed their script as garbage and their props as fake, pointing out that the bloodstains were obviously ketchup, and still others mocked Hayama's acting as terrible, suggesting he could strip naked and dance if he had no work to do.

In short, it was all sarcastic and cynical remarks, demanding that Hayama go back to the first floor to photograph the ceiling from that time.

Ye Shan took out his phone, glanced at the comments, and was immediately furious.

But he couldn't utter the curses aloud.

Are you kidding me? Going back to that godforsaken place?

Looking at the dark, abandoned corridor and the dilapidated windows, shining a flashlight into the floating dust, that eerie and terrifying atmosphere enveloped me once again.

Recalling the fleeting glimpse he had seen under the ceiling, a scene resembling a horror movie, Ye Shan couldn't help but have second thoughts.

Because of the scandal that Hayama sang naked at a female fan party while wearing only a tie, his popularity plummeted. It was through the arrangement of the live streaming platform that he had the opportunity to collaborate with Katori-chan, who was on the rise in popularity, in the hope of regaining some popularity.

If I run away now, I'll definitely be labeled a coward and a wimp by the haters.

"Wait, although it's different from the original script, could those things on the ceiling have been props set up by Katori-chan?"

Hayama suddenly had a flash of inspiration, as if he had discovered some truth.

This collaboration was originally a partnership between his team and Katori-chan's team. If Katori-chan's team did anything underhanded behind his back, he wouldn't be able to find out.

Katori was initially reluctant to participate in this collaboration, only agreeing to it under pressure from platform executives.

Could this scheming fake witch be harboring resentment, deliberately setting up terrifying scenes outside the script to see him scared out of his wits and make a fool of himself in the live stream, so she can step on him, the former top streamer on the platform, to rise to the top and attract more viewers?

After thinking it over, Hayama felt that his idea was correct: the people setting up the scene on the first floor in the script were Katori Sauce's team.

Thinking of this, Ye Shan finally regained some courage, and his expression finally calmed down.

"Going back to the first floor is no problem, of course, but before that, let's find Katori-chan first. I'm really worried about a girl like her getting lost in a place like this. How can I abandon her and escape alone?"

Like a male protagonist searching for his missing lover, Hayama wore a strong yet worried expression as he continued to wander around the second floor with a flashlight.

According to the original script, the characters were supposed to get separated on the second floor, so he could perform alone from then on.

Previously, some small props such as newspapers and black-and-white photos about the fire were hidden on the second floor. According to the script, Hayama was supposed to "find" them, bring them to the third floor, and then, after experiencing a series of terrifying scenes, uncover the truth of what happened back then.

However, Hayama was still a little nervous. He decided to find Katori-chan and meet up with her first. With more people around, it wouldn't be so easy for Katori-chan to scare him.

Since Katori-chan can change the script, he can certainly do it too.

The abandoned mall reeked of decay, but it was not uncommon for small animals like rats to inhabit it, making soft rustling noises in the night.

Every now and then, Ye Shan's heart skipped a beat, but he still pretended to be nonchalant.

After pretending to search for a few minutes, just as they were about to finish walking down the corridor, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the other end of the corner. A short, fat man with a round face full of fear appeared at the corner.

The short, stout man was clearly drawn by the lights, and his face lit up with ecstatic joy when he saw Ye Shan and the photographer behind him:

"Hayama, help! There's something in this house..."

Before he could finish speaking, the short, fat man fell headfirst to the ground, tears and snot streaming down his round face. He gripped the floor tightly with both hands and let out a terrifying scream:

"Help! Help! Something is pulling on my leg..."

In less than three seconds, the short, fat man was dragged away, leaving behind a series of hysterical, dying screams. Soon, the screams stopped abruptly.

A terrifying abandoned shopping mall, a man being dragged away by an unknown entity, a punctuated scream, and what happens after turning the corner—enough to conjure up a complete horror movie in one's mind.

"What is Hirano up to? Has he been bribed by Katori to work together to scare me?"

The short, stout man, Hirano, was part of Hayama Takuya's team and knew him well. Although Hayama was initially startled, he wasn't too afraid.

He glanced down at the live stream. The chat was now much busier, with many praising the fat man's acting skills. His facial expressions shifted from hope to despair, accompanied by a desperate scream—it was truly first-rate.

"Hirano seems to be being dragged away by something! Quick, let's rush over and save him!"

What the hell is Katori-chan doing? !

Ye Shan cursed under his breath, but dragged his feet forward, with the cameraman carrying the live-streaming equipment following behind.

After turning the corner, when I shone a flashlight on them, I couldn't see anyone anymore.

In the dusty corridor, only a long, thick drag mark could be seen, along with two thin drag marks dug out by hand, silently telling the story of the owner's despair.

(End of this chapter)