Chapter 360: Candy

After seeing Du Yu out, a heavy weight lifted from my chest, giving me a bit more confidence in this upcoming live broadcast.

I spent the rest of the time in the shop, meditating to consolidate the Profound Truth Mental Method and the Yin-Yang Ghost Art.

The sky outside darkened. With the lights off in the shop, I listened to the ticking of the clock and slowly opened my eyes.

When night fully fell, the Underworld Live Show Phone on the desk emitted a pale white glow.

"It's eight o'clock..."

I brought the phone to my ear, took a deep breath, and pressed the answer button. "Hello?"

There was no human response from the receiver, only the howling of cold wind. It felt like a long time passed before a timid female voice finally came through.

"I... I'm lost. This was the only number that would connect. Can you help me?"

Hearing this female voice, my scalp practically went numb. My hair stood on end, and my heart raced. "How do you want me to help you?"

"My brother said he would come pick me up, but it's been a very, very long time. Can you help me find him?" The voice carried a trace of uncertainty. She seemed inherently kind and likely felt her request was too demanding. Her tone softened. "I know it's a lot to ask, but I have to find him. Please."

My heart rate slowly returned to normal, and my voice steadied. "Can you tell me where you are right now? Is there anything special about your surroundings?"

"I'm in a telephone booth. I've never been here before. There are no lights, just dark paths everywhere. It looks like a ghost town. Oh, right, on the city streets and in the walls, I keep seeing water stains the same size as normal people. They stick to the ground, and some have seeped into the walls. It's so strange. When I look at them, I always feel like they're looking back at me."

Her voice was filled with uncertainty and a deeply hidden terror. She also seemed to be harboring some unspeakable secrets. I tapped my fingers on the desk, my brain working in overdrive. "When did you get there? Did your brother say anything important to you before he left?"

"It's always night here, so I don't know how long I've been in this place. My brother didn't tell me anything before he left. He just said he would be back soon to take me away." The girl's voice trembled, as if she couldn't stop shivering.

An image surfaced in my mind: a completely pitch-black, eerie city filled with human-shaped stains, where a terrified girl hid inside a telephone booth, dialing an unknown number for help.

"I accept your request. I'll help you find your brother, but before we hang up, could you tell me your name?"

"Thank you. My brother's name is Xia Chi, and my name is... Xia Qingzhi."

The call disconnected. A steady dial tone echoed in my ear, but her final words whipped up a storm in my mind.

'If the girl on the phone is the real Xia Qingzhi, then who is the girl who gave me the Underworld Live Show card and accompanied me all this time? Everyone forgot her brother; she was the only one who remembered. Who is she? Is she Xia Qingzhi? Or someone else entirely?'

Countless guesses surged from the depths of my mind. Without me realizing it, my body had already been drenched in cold sweat.

"Ding!" The call ended, and a text message arrived in the Underworld Live Show Phone's inbox.

"There is no need to attribute the origin of evil to supernatural factors; humanity itself is fully capable of committing every kind of atrocity."

"The true demons are usually just ordinary mortals, entirely unremarkable. They dine at the same tables as us, and they share the same beds with us."

"Live Broadcast Task: Arrive at Room 2o6 of the Anxin Hotel before ten o'clock tonight and eat the candy on the plate."

"Optional Task 1: Find the extra person. Reward: 5 points."

"Optional Task 2: Kill the Traitor. Reward: 10 points and one chance to be exempted from a live broadcast."

"Optional Task 3: Reward of 1 point for every person killed."

"Note: The Underworld Live Show Phone's special SOS call function has been activated. When you encounter an unresolvable deadly situation, you can dial this mysterious number. The other party might help you escape, or they might plunge you into even deeper despair. The first call is free and lasts for three minutes. Every subsequent call will cost ten points."

The Underworld Live Show's text messages were as concise as ever. After reading them, however, I sank into a long silence.

'There's something wrong with this live broadcast!'

The calls and text messages before a live broadcast usually gave me some sort of hint inadvertently—or, more accurately, a subtle implication.

'The broadcast location is the Anxin Hotel, which is where my very first live broadcast took place. The probability of having two broadcasts in the same location isn't high, but I can't completely rule out the possibility. Besides that, there's another suspicious point regarding the Underworld Live Show's task requirements.'

'Not only do I have to arrive at the Anxin Hotel on time, but I also have to eat the candy on the plate. What is the significance of this candy?'

Combining this with my previous broadcast experiences, I carefully speculated. 'The broadcast requires me to arrive before ten o'clock, but the time requirement for most live broadcasts is usually before midnight.'

I had encountered tasks with advanced broadcast times like this before. It happened during the broadcast at the Henshan Psychiatric Hospital, when I was kidnapped following a car accident. Looking back, that was clearly a trick by the Underworld Live Show to get me into the black magician's lair without anyone suspecting a thing.

'This broadcast time has also been pushed up to ten o'clock. Could it be similar to the last encounter?' Feeling uneasy, I simply chose not to bring the Black Leather Suitcase. Instead, I put the Underworld Live Show Phone and a few talismans in a bag, taped them to my calf, and kept the Brooch close to my body.

Looking around, I still didn't feel completely reassured, so I hid a few more useful small items on my person, like thin iron wire and a fruit knife.

'Xia Qingzhi's voice came through the phone, and the request is to find Xia Chi. That means I will very likely run into Xia Chi during this tenth live broadcast—I'll run into that missing former streamer!' My mind raced, connecting this to the optional tasks assigned by the Underworld Live Show. 'Optional Task 2: Kill the Traitor. Reward: 10 points and one chance to be exempted from a live broadcast. This reward is excessively generous, which shows that the Underworld Live Show really wants me to complete this task. Thinking along these lines, could Xia Chi be the Traitor the Underworld Live Show is talking about? Would killing him complete the task?'

Regardless of the task's outcome, Xia Chi was absolutely crucial to me. The existence of the Underworld Live Show was a complete mystery. For Xia Chi to dare betray them—assuming he wasn't a fool—he definitely held some key information that I didn't know about.

'Killing the Traitor is only an optional task. I can completely abandon this mission and secretly save Xia Chi, as long as he can clear up my doubts and answer my questions.' At this thought, a surge of excitement swelled in my chest. This live broadcast could very well mark a new turning point.

I smoked two cigarettes, and once my mood had completely settled, I took out my own phone, preparing to send a text message to Du Yu.

Before sending it, I first used my Judging Eye to sweep over every inch of the room. The Underworld Live Show knew everything about matters big and small in Jiangcheng, and there might be something constantly watching me as well. Only after confirming it was safe did I begin typing the message: "Between 9:50 and 10:00 tonight, come to Room 2o6 in the Anxin Hotel and eat the candy on the plate. Act cautiously. Do not reply."

It only took a few seconds to write and send the message. Nothing changed in the small shop, so I figured it was impossible for the Underworld Live Show to discover these little maneuvers of mine.

Putting away my phone, I locked the shop door and took a taxi to the Anxin Hotel.

At 9:05 PM, I arrived at my destination. The Anxin Hotel was located in the Northern Suburb of Jiangcheng, very close to Henshan Prison. The surrounding area was desolate; once it got dark, even vehicles rarely passed by.

'It's already my tenth live broadcast. I didn't expect to feel exactly the same as I did during my first—nervous, yet holding a hint of anticipation.' Walking along the dilapidated dirt road, I gazed at the blurry Anxin Hotel in the distance. The words "Anxin Hotel," outlined in small colored light bulbs, were already illegible. Ever since the hidden corpse case occurred, rarely anyone came to maintain this place.

Tearing off the seal on the door, I used my phone for illumination. 'During my first broadcast, I stayed in Room 203. This time, I need to go to Room 2o6. It seems the person who died suddenly of a heart attack used to live in this exact room.'

I kicked the door open. The furnishings inside were extremely simple. The only unusual thing was a dining plate resting on the bedsheets, and on the plate sat two pieces of candy—one red, one green.