INSIDER Chapter 97

A spirit board… huh? Lu Chu, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, finally got interested.

Playing a summoning game in a place where there really are “ghosts,” you could predict what would happen next.

Indeed, all horror stories begin with someone courting death.

While Lu Chu was thinking this, the boy who suggested playing the spirit board had already taken out paper and a pen from somewhere. By his stance, it was clear that this game was going to happen.

Not far from the dining table where they were eating, in the corner, there were two square tables for playing board games. The tables were surrounded by a long, leather sofa on the east, west, and north sides, leaving a gap on the south side for people to come in and out.

The boy who suggested the game pointed there and said, “The dining table is full of plates and bowls, so space is limited. We can’t set up here. Let’s move to the board game area, the sofa there is big enough for everyone to sit down.”

Hearing this, everyone stood up. Some had drunk a lot and were staggering as they walked. The group moved towards the square tables. The boys pulled the sofa back a bit to create more space.

“Isn’t the spirit board game played with four people? Wu Xuan, who’s in?” someone asked.

Wu Xuan, the boy who suggested the game, looked around and said, “Count me in. Who else wants to play?”

“I’ll join!” A girl with heavy makeup and a sturdy build raised her hand. She looked at the scared girls beside her and said, “What’s there to be afraid of? I think it’s thrilling!”

A boy clapped for her, “Great, I like someone with your attitude!”

The girl smiled suggestively at him.

At this point, Wu Xuan looked at Chen Hong, raised his glass, and said, “This party was organized by Chen Hong, so he has to join the fun!”

Everyone else chimed in.

Chen Hong rolled up his sleeves and shouted, “Alright, I’ll play. I’m not afraid!”

Gao Yong also said, “Count me in. Since my buddy organized this party, our dorm must show support.”

Gao Yong hadn’t drunk much, but Chen Hong was really out of it. As the host of the party, everyone knew him, so they kept toasting him throughout the meal. Even though he went to the bathroom several times, he was still quite drunk.

As for Wu Xuan, he suggested playing the summoning game because he was already drunk.

The girl who volunteered, Cao Wenwen, was from the acting department of the art academy. Though she had a sturdy build and wasn’t petite, she was very pretty and sociable, getting along well with the boys. During dinner, she toasted every boy, drinking heartily. Now, feeling a bit tipsy, her behavior became even more bold.

With the participants decided, the boys noisily removed one of the square tables and pushed aside the board games on the remaining table. They had already moved the sofa back, so now with one less table, there was even more space between the sofa and the table, enough for four people to sit cross-legged.

Chen Hong, Cao Wenwen, Wu Xuan, and Gao Yong sat cross-legged on the floor between the sofa and the table, sitting at the north, south, east, and west positions.

The others, eager to watch, crowded onto the sofa, full of excitement.

Lu Chu sat on the northeast corner of the sofa, with Tang Shizhe on his left.

Tang Shizhe’s goal was to meet cute girls and get out of his single life, so during dinner, he was very outgoing, drinking and chatting a lot.

Among the group, the only ones who were sober were a few girls who couldn’t drink and Lu Chu, who kept a low profile.

Tang Shizhe, drunk, put his hand on Lu Chu’s shoulder and asked, “Do you believe in ghosts?”

Lu Chu simply replied, “Whether you believe or not, you should maintain a sense of reverence for spirits.”

Tang Shizhe shook his head, kicked Chen Hong who was sitting cross-legged in front of him, and said, “Do we really have to play? Even if we have nothing else to do, we shouldn’t play this game at night. It’s really creepy.”

Chen Hong laughed, “Are you scared?”

“Not scared. I believe in science,” he said, then added, “It’s just not appropriate…”

Tang Shizhe was too drunk to explain properly.

Cao Wenwen said, “We’ve prepared everything, so we have to play. Are you a man or not?”

Tang Shizhe spread his hands, “I give up.”

The boy who suggested starting the game at midnight, Du Yangnan, looked at his watch and said, “It’s 11:45. We can start soon.”

Chen Hong’s girlfriend, Zhang Qian, looked gentle and spoke softly.

She poked Chen Hong’s arm and said, “I’m a bit scared.”

Chen Hong, despite being drunk, held her hand and comforted her, “Don’t be scared. I’m right here. If you get scared, just come over, and I’ll hold you.”

Tang Shizhe kicked him again, “Are you trying to make us single guys jealous? Most of us here are single!”

Chen Hong quickly said, “Tang, I’m just kidding!”

“But do you know how to summon the spirit?” Chen Hong asked.

Everyone looked clueless. Even Wu Xuan, who suggested the game, only had a vague idea, “I know we need paper and a pen…”

While everyone was confused, Du Yangnan wrote something on a piece of paper and showed it to everyone, “Here, this is the incantation. Just draw a circle while chanting it. But properly summoning a spirit requires things like blood and corpse oil, which we don’t have.”

Zhang Qian hugged herself and said, “No one has those things, so don’t go too far.”

Chen Hong reassured her, “Don’t worry, he’s just joking. We’re just doing this for fun.”

Lu Chu glanced at Du Yangnan and thought this person knew quite a bit.

With about ten minutes left until midnight, Du Yangnan watched the time, his alcohol buzz returning. He slapped the table and said mysteriously, “Do you know other ways to see ghosts besides the spirit board?”

Wu Xuan was interested, “Like what?”

Du Yangnan looked at his watch and said, “There’s still time. Let me tell you about one. Someone near the light switch, dim the lights!”

The girls protested, “Just tell the story without dimming the lights!”

“It’s for the atmosphere,” Du Yangnan insisted. “You need the right atmosphere for a ghost story.”

Lu Chu, sitting near the switch, got up and dimmed the lights. The room, dimly lit in the middle of the night, instantly felt eerie.

The already scared girls huddled together for comfort.

Satisfied with the atmosphere, Du Yangnan, who was knowledgeable about horror stories and movies, began speaking slowly, “Most people know about the spirit board and using a cow’s eye to see ghosts in a graveyard at midnight. But my favorite method involves four people.”

Chen Hong asked, “What’s that?”

Du Yangnan explained, “At midnight, in a spacious square room, close the curtains, turn off the lights, and shut the door. Each person stands in one corner of the room.”

He pointed to the four corners of the square table, “In the dark, the first person walks along the wall to the second person and taps their shoulder. The second person then walks to the third person and taps their shoulder, and the third person does the same to the fourth. By the time the fourth person reaches the first person’s position—”

He paused, “There should be no one there. But the fourth person can still tap someone’s shoulder.”

A girl gasped.

“At that point, the fourth person shouldn’t scream or turn on the lights. Just act like nothing happened and move away, otherwise,” Du Yangnan’s voice lowered, “the four players will be trapped in that room forever.”

A girl screamed and clung to her friend, covering her ears.

“Alright,” Du Yangnan said, checking his watch, “it’s almost time to start the spirit board game!”

The girl who screamed refused to play, and her friends sat with her in the KTV area.

Cao Wenwen impatiently asked, “Can we start now? I’m getting bored.”

“Wait,” Du Yangnan watched the time, then said, “Three, two, one, zero! Begin!”

Chen Hong, Cao Wenwen, Wu Xuan, and Gao Yong held a pencil together, the tip lightly touching the paper.

Despite their earlier bravado, the four felt nervous.

They closed their eyes and, following Du Yangnan’s instructions, drew circles on the paper while chanting.