The living room was on the left, the balcony tightly covered by curtains. The television opposite the sofa had a black screen, showing no signs of having been turned on.
A plate of peanuts and scattered liquor bottles sat on the coffee table.
The second hand of the wall clock above the television ticked steadily, displaying the time as 8:04 PM.
The kitchen was on the right, and the dining table near it was laden with abundant dishes and an exquisitely decorated birthday cake. Xu Xi walked to the table and looked down, noticing nine extinguished candles inserted into the cake.
[Nine candles, representing a ninth birthday?]
Seeing the birthday cake, the live stream comments became active, with viewers beginning to share their speculations.
[But this instance is really strange, haven't seen a single NPC so far]
[True, honestly it's a bit too calm]
[Probably a lower difficulty instance, this newbie's luck isn't bad]
Facing not the eerie scene he had imagined, but just an ordinary residential apartment, Xu Xi undeniably felt somewhat relieved. Just as he wanted to continue searching for other clues, a sudden creaking sound came from behind him.
"!!!"
Xu Xi's body stiffened abruptly, not daring to move an inch. His heart, which had gradually returned to normal, began pounding violently again.
What was that sound?
Had something supernatural appeared?!
Could there be some unspeakable thing clinging to his back right now??
Having seen too many horror tropes, Xu Xi's own imagination scared him so much his legs went weak.
However, the strange sound lasted only a brief second. If he didn't know where he was, Xu Xi might have thought he was just hearing things.
But he wasn't like those foolish protagonists who naively believed it was just auditory hallucinations.
He could guarantee that something had definitely appeared!
[I don't dare open my eyes]
[I originally thought this instance was too calm, but now I suddenly think continuing that calm would be just fine]
[This sound is a bit like something getting stuck]
[Comments shield me!!! Supernatural beings retreat!!!]
Some additional viewers had trickled in since Xu Xi left the bedroom, and now they were all sharing his fear and trepidation.
Xu Xi tried hard to glance behind him using his peripheral vision, but unfortunately couldn't see anything.
Trembling, he reached back and frantically patted his back a few times, relieved not to feel anything "as cold as a corpse."
[But honestly, watching this newbie patting at air is kind of funny]
[That relieved expression is totally me, when I stick my foot out exploring under the covers at night I make the same face]
[What benefit do you get from making me laugh to death, person above?]
[Stop patting, stop patting, there's nothing there, only air my silly baby]
After confirming there was truly nothing on his back, Xu Xi finally relaxed his tense muscles.
Swallowing hard, Xu Xi slowly turned his head, having mentally prepared himself to see something terrifying or a horrifying scene.
But when he completely turned around, he couldn't help but freeze, because within his line of sight he saw no obvious abnormalities - everything remained exactly as it was before, unchanged.
Wiping the clammy sweat from his palms, Xu Xi tried hard to calm himself down. He knew panicking was useless right now; in this kind of horror instance game, only by staying calm could he have a chance of survival.
Holding onto this thought, Xu Xi cautiously approached the coffee table, scanning back and forth to find the source of the sound.
Just then, that familiar strange sound came from above his head.
Xu Xi instinctively looked up and saw a loose ceiling fan falling straight toward him.
[Ahhhhhhh noooo my silly baby!!!]
[Sigh, I originally thought this newbie was quite steady, didn't expect him to die so quickly]
[Leaving, next live stream]
Amid the frantically scrolling comments, Xu Xi watched helplessly as the huge ceiling fan rushed toward him. His heartbeat completely stopped at that moment, yet his body seemed frozen, unable to react in time.
Until a sharp pain came from his forehead, and before everything went dark, Xu Xi finally realized that the strange sound earlier had come from that ceiling fan.
...
"Ah—!" Xu Xi's eyes snapped open as he sat up abruptly, breathing rapidly in large gasps. But when he saw the room before him, he was genuinely stunned.
Familiar furnishings entered his view.
What... was going on?
Hadn't he been killed by the ceiling fan?!
The faint lingering pain in his forehead told him that wasn't a dream!
[What's wrong with this newbie? Had a nightmare? Why does he look so fearful and incredulous?]
[Person above, maybe look at where he is now?]
Most new players, except for the few with exceptional mental fortitude, would feel some panic and confusion at the beginning. So the live stream comments accepted Xu Xi's fearful expression quite well, even considering it normal.
Frantically checking his body and finding no external injuries, feeling the warm temperature of his skin, Xu Xi finally confirmed that he was truly still alive.
Or rather, he had indeed died, but... had returned to the beginning?
Xu Xi felt somewhat dazed.
Recalling the moment of death when his head was smashed not long ago made him shiver uncontrollably.
In his original world, he had died suddenly from overwork, without time to generate any thoughts or emotions. Only through this experience did he learn that watching yourself face death truly brings endless fear and despair.
Moreover, he had clearly died... so why had he been reborn?
His violently pounding heart took a long time to calm down. Supporting his weak body, Xu Xi began observing the room he was in, deliberately ignoring the indistinct television sounds coming from outside the door.
Although this room also had some peeling wall paint, overall it looked slightly better than outside, with brighter lighting.
The bedsheets and blankets on the bed were printed with cartoon character patterns. The cabinet held various types of toys. Opposite the bed was a desk piled with books, a blue backpack slung loosely over the chair. Several red paper certificates were posted on the wall above, while a small soccer ball lay quietly in a corner.
Turning his head, he saw a photo frame on the bedside table. The photo seemed to show a family of three, but eerily, all three faces were blurry.
Without a doubt, this was the child's bedroom.
[Look, he's starting to search for clues!]
[Why don't these three family members have faces? Like they're pixelated, can't show their faces?]
[Person above, careful they hear you and crawl through the internet to your house]
[Come then, I'll punch them one by one]
[Wow~ gege so mighty~~]
[Oh no! This live stream has been invaded by gege monsters!]
Comment after comment scrolled by. This time, because Xu Xi didn't sit still for long, many viewers remained in the live stream.