Chapter 2: Expelled from Humanity

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The horror system 1008962368 was instantly flattered by a few words from Xie Yunxuan. It had heard complaints from other systems before, and compared to them, it considered its own host to be quite decent. After Xie Yunxuan gave a proud “hmph” in her mind, she brought up the information panel. Having achieved her goal, she shifted her attention and focused her consciousness on the information panel projected onto her retina.

Player Personal Information Panel Basic Edition
Horror Game Player: Xie Yunxuan
Identity: Special Player / Corpse Phantom (suppresses eerie beings of lower levels)
Fear Value: 1234 (10,000 fear value needed for next upgrade)
Level: E
Title: None
Phantom Coins: 0
Phantom Items: None
Paranormal Tools: None
Abilities: Super Regeneration, Razor Claw Slash, Illusion Attack

Xie Yunxuan internally scoffed: “Really basic.” She then used her consciousness to click on the detailed descriptions of her abilities.

Super Regeneration: The player can recover from damage independently. (Note: Recovery speed depends on level; fatal injuries are irreversible.)
Razor Claw Slash: In attack mode, fingernails extend by 20 centimeters to slash opponents.
Illusion Attack: Can use illusions to confuse enemies. (Note: Duration depends on the difference in strength between the player and the opponent.)

“Ding, congratulations to player Xie Yunxuan for participating in this dungeon game—Chongshan Psychiatric Hospital. Difficulty rating: three stars.”

Upon hearing the voice of system 1008962368, Xie Yunxuan closed her personal information panel with her mind.

“Ding, as the only special player in this dungeon, your missions are: one, to prevent ordinary players from leaving the dungeon; two, to uncover the secrets behind Chongshan Psychiatric Hospital.”

The first mission wasn’t difficult. But the second—what secrets did this psychiatric hospital hold?

Xie Yunxuan wondered silently. But since it was a bizarre dungeon, it was definitely more complicated than it appeared.

With that thought, she stopped dwelling on the question and turned to ask the system:

“By the way, what exactly is a Corpse Phantom? What is fear value? What are their uses? How is level calculated? Phantom coins are the currency in the horror world—how do I spend or acquire them?”

After asking, she stood and walked to the window. With her current power, she could barely make out the hospital’s courtyard outside.

Beyond the hospital walls stretched layer upon layer of swirling, eerie, gray-black fog, exuding an ominous aura.

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“Ding, Corpse Phantom is your current identity,” said system 1008962368, sounding a bit uneasy.

It bore undeniable responsibility for Xie Yunxuan’s current state. Originally, she wasn’t supposed to die; it was the system’s mishandling during the time-space traversal that caused her death, leading her into the horror game.

The main god was very strict with systems that made mistakes.

Thinking of the severe punishments from the main god, the system residing deep within Xie Yunxuan’s consciousness shivered.

As a smart system, it had to treat the player carefully from the start.

Most importantly, the player would inevitably level up eventually, mastering all the rules.

Moreover, once either players or eerie beings reached S-level, they tended to become extreme, irritable, paranoid, and violent.

Many colleagues had been crushed by their own S-level player hosts before. It was tragic.

What was worse, the main god system did not intervene in such matters.

An S-level player brought far more value to the main god system than any casually created system could match.

The system was still young and had a long lifespan ahead—it did not want to be crushed by its own player so soon.

Therefore, when answering Xie Yunxuan’s questions, system 1008962368 was unusually detailed—whether due to some reason or instinct.

One person, no—one ghost and one system, in a way, was a mutual journey.

“Ding, fear value is the fear that other players or eerie beings express toward the player.”

“Fear value has many uses.”

“Players can use fear value to level up, to repair themselves, or to purchase paranormal items in the system shop.”

“System shop?”

“Ding, the player can access the shop only after clearing a stage.”

“Only when the fear value reaches above 10,000 can the player enter the shop.”

“Phantom coins have a similar function to fear value but can be used to buy items within the eerie world.”

“Ding, one phantom coin equals 1,000 fear value. Phantom coins are rewards issued by the main god system after successful level completion.”

“Players can also trade phantom coins with other players or eerie beings in the dungeon.”

“Rewards vary after each stage, depending on the difficulty and mission completion.”

“Ding, levels are divided into nine ranks: three S-levels, then A, B, C, D, E, and F.”

“Upon reaching S-level, the title gains the suffix ‘King’.”

“Following that, strength levels descend from A through F.”

“Ding, titles are granted by the main god system based on the host’s daily performance and evaluations from other players or eerie beings.”

“One more thing: titles can be hidden.”

Xie Yunxuan thought the last part was just for players to show off or intimidate opponents.

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Finding no useful information in the dense fog, Xie Yunxuan drew the curtains closed.

She had a lingering feeling that something terrifying lurked within the mist.

“368, tell me, has the game just started or has it been going on for a while? How many days remain? How many players are left?”

As for the hospital’s rules, Xie Yunxuan guessed they were similar to those of the real Chongzhou Psychiatric Hospital.

She felt no particular emotion about becoming a Corpse Phantom; instead, she accepted it calmly.

As long as her consciousness remained, she was still Xie Yunxuan.

Besides, in the horror world, human identity was more of a burden.

After a while, the system’s voice echoed in her mind.

“Ding, three days have passed.”

“Ordinary players must survive seven days in the dungeon; the hidden mission is to uncover the secrets of Chongshan Psychiatric Hospital.”

“Players undertaking the hidden mission have their exit times extended by three days.”

“So, four days remain.” She intended to use the hospital’s rules to eliminate those players.

“Ding, a reminder: surviving seven days is the ordinary players’ mission; special players have no time limit.”

Catching a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror, Xie Yunxuan immediately turned the full-length mirror away.

Though her wounds had healed, her sunken skull made her look eerie and unsettling.

Immersed in her terrifying appearance, Xie Yunxuan failed to notice the deeper meaning in system 1008962368’s words.

“368, can this fear value fix my skull?”

“Ding, why? Doesn’t going out like this scare the ordinary players perfectly?” the system replied, baffled. As a system, it lacked human aesthetic senses.

“Ding, just in the few seconds after you woke up, you gained over a thousand fear value.”

“You’re truly remarkable! You have a real talent for this!” The system’s voice brightened with excitement.

Hearing such praise, Xie Yunxuan was momentarily speechless. With her appearance, she’d scare everyone away.

“Can it be fixed? How much will it cost? It’s inconvenient for me to do missions like this.”

In a bad mood, her tone soured, and her pupils reddened with a bloody tint.

“Ding, repairing the skull requires 200 fear value.”

“Then fix it.”