Chapter 15
The special task appeared.
This random task—left only with the intention “game companion” due to an accident—showed up abruptly, giving him just five minutes to consider, carrying the urgency of a limited-time offer that would expire immediately.
Jiang Jitang quickly opened the detailed briefing.
[Task Details:
1. This is a targeted task, issued only to taskers with senses surpassing the average person.
2. The requester wants the tasker to act as an external player in a game of “Hide and Seek.”
3. Location: An abandoned art museum covering 100,000 square meters.
4. Duration: 90 minutes
5. Objective: Find the hiders and seal them.
There are nine hiders.
During the time limit:
Capture & seal a hider without a tool -> +10 points
Capture & seal a hider with a tool -> +20 points
Capture & seal all nine -> +200 points, 1 wishing star, and 1 game souvenir
The hiders are already in hiding. Conditions:
1. No modification of venue;
2. No damage to in-house items;
3. No use of supernatural abilities.
Likewise, the tasker must not damage items, use supernatural abilities, or use anything other than the provided flashlight and art frame.
Once a hider is found, both sides may use non-conventional power. The tasker must seal the hider with a frame—failure voids the score.
Basic physical information of all nine hiders will be provided.
Forbidden: No screaming.
If none are found, a random organ from the tasker will be taken.]
So this is a special task? Face creatures with extraordinary power… and failure means losing an organ? What kind of horror game is this?
Yet Jiang Jitang’s gaze couldn’t help drifting to “200 points” and “1 wishing star.”
Play? Or not?
His electric scooter sped toward the small building amid his hesitation.
At the back door—next to the iron gate of their yard—a man in a casual shirt stood smoking, his brows tightly furrowed.
Judging by the cigarette ash on the ground, he’d been waiting a while.
“Jitang!” The moment he saw him, the man’s eyes were full of shock and doubt, quickly turning into joy.
“No insurance, no loan, no scrap cardboard or broken phone. Shop’s already rented out. Sorry, coming through.”
Bang! The man watched in disbelief as Jiang Jitang drove through the back entrance and closed the gate.
Forget the durian and chicken for now. Fortune favors the bold. I’m playing.
The moment he confirmed the task, he was teleported away without even a second’s pause.
—
Under a dim yellow streetlamp, he saw the surroundings: a space fenced in by rusted iron barriers, darkness beyond. Inside—a four-story building, a garden of overgrown weeds, and two abandoned cars.
“These are the tools?”
In front of him:
– A black high-powered flashlight;
– Nine palm-sized blank picture frames;
– A stack of photos;
– An emergency escape map of the museum;
– A floating display counting down 90 minutes.
“So it’s night… and in an abandoned museum with no functioning lights.”
Holding a picture frame, Jiang Jitang looked around. 100,000 square meters—almost 200 acres. That’s a large area. Thankfully, at least two-thirds was greenery and parking lots, eliminating some trouble.
Meow~
A sharp, eerie cry suddenly broke the silence. A cat sprang from the grass, its glowing eyes darting off.
Plenty of wild animals nearby—breathing sounds overlapping chaotically.
He didn’t move yet, instead switched on the flashlight and checked the nine hiders’ profiles.
Men and women, young and old—tall, short, fat, thin. Other than not being human, nothing major. Two were problematic: one could liquify, another was bone-thin—both excellent at hiding.
Never played hide and seek against monsters before.
Thinking of himself as the hunter, and the monsters the hidden prey, the fringe of his bangs curled up happily.
Good game. Fun game. Want to play.
After reviewing the information, he looked around.
Streetlamps stood outside the garden about ten meters apart—solar-powered, still functioning at night. So he could vaguely see the greenery.
The lawn seemed fine—only 50-60cm tall and sparse—not ideal for hiding. But there were shrubs and small woods too.
Jiang Jitang walked toward them with his flashlight.
“Hoo—” A night owl took off from a tree as he passed, other animals stirring. He rubbed his ear. Too many small animals—sound alone couldn’t pinpoint positions.
He’d have to rely on systematic elimination. In the silence mixed with noise, he headed toward the flowerbed.
Click. A sound different from before. Jiang Jitang looked down at a stone slab. Many like it formed the path, but this one felt… off.
Snap. Fingers inserted into the gap; with a light lift, he flipped the stone. Underneath was a faded face.
No hair, no bodily hair. A grayish-white face, smooth and moist like fish skin. Only one eye and one mouth—no nose. That bloodshot eye glared at him.
Only the head stuck out—it had buried itself under the ground entirely, unable to even reach out. Furious.
Biting the flashlight, Jiang Jitang pressed the frame onto its head. “Sorry, interrupting.”
A sizzling sound like acid burning skin came from the face. It screamed, then was sealed inside the frame. A terrifying face appeared on the blank canvas.
Rules say it must be sealed. Blame the rules.
The sealed frame slowly vanished. As the twisted face faded, Jiang Jitang put the stone back.
So that’s the ‘burrow technique’—a classic hide-and-seek trick. Basic but effective. With certain props, unbeatable.
By the way… they can’t speak here?
[Cyclops Horlick eliminated.]
[Seeker found and sealed a non-tool hider. 8 remaining.]
“Ten points.” He thought of the points coming in, smiling so widely his eyes curved.
But the garden wasn’t done yet. Everyone knew the “burrow method” was a commonly used and effective hide-and-seek tactic. Shrubs and woods were also excellent hiding spots—might be another after the stone slab one.
“Let’s check the woods.”
Before entering, something caught his eye.
A yellow-brown commemorative stone carved with “XX Art Museum”. Half his height, covered in dust and leaves, easily ignored.
Jiang Jitang crouched and pushed it gently. The light stone shell flipped open, revealing a crouching girl inside, knees hugged.
A pretty little girl in a Lolita dress with strawberries and cakes printed on it. Except… her mouth split from lip to ear, holding a doll identical to herself—also with a split mouth.
“…” The silent cake-dress girl smiled horrifyingly, her entire head splitting open, revealing rows of sharp teeth in the darkness.
“One-two-three. Great, thanks for cooperating.” He pressed the blank frame down mercilessly.
[Sweetheart Doll Annie eliminated.]
[Seeker found and sealed a tool-using hider. 7 remaining.]
“Twenty points.” More points added—Jiang Jitang beamed. Too easy. The doll girl, sealed, left in spite.
People really don’t share joy or misery.
Soon after, in the leaf-covered woods, he found a hider lying flat in leaf camouflage.
Perfect disguise—but still discovered. The hider’s face darkened, its hand stretched out, sharp poisoned nails raking five black-purple scars along Jiang Jitang’s arm.
He ignored the arm defending him; smoothly slammed a frame onto its face.
[Ghoul Capri eliminated.]
[Seeker found and sealed a tool-using hider. 6 remaining.]
The frame vanished. Jiang Jitang’s injured arm had already healed—but the wound still affected him slightly; when he stood, his vision darkened like low blood sugar.
No mirror needed—he knew his face didn’t look good.
Lawn—checked.
Woods—checked.
Shrubs—checked.
Flowerbeds—checked.
Abandoned cars—checked.
Backyard junk pile, trash cans, AC units—checked.
Outside the museum, everything cleared. 50 points earned.
Jiang Jitang turned to the pitch-black abandoned museum. The five-to-six-meter-high lobby doors stood open.
27 minutes had passed. One hour remained. In this 60–70-acre labyrinth-like building, six hiders were still inside.
Flashlight beam silently swept into the museum. Messy footprints on the floor. Suddenly, he turned around—the light flashing upward without warning—to the corner above the door.
A jet-black hider clung to the glass, mostly hidden by curtains, blending with surroundings.
Then—a beam of light on its head.
“Knew it.”
“!!!” The hider opened its eyes just to see the frame smashing toward its face.
It knew it’d been discovered—but couldn’t understand how it gave itself away.
Smack. Frame, direct hit.
[Lizard Man Jimmy eliminated.]
[Seeker found and sealed a non-tool hider. 5 remaining.]
The lizard man retreated unwillingly. Jiang Jitang shrugged, regretful. Because “CT never looks up,” you must do the opposite—pay special attention to above and behind.
Through the main doors: a long, wide marble corridor, lined with photos of artworks, replica sculptures, and promotional posters—all buried in dust.
On each side of the corridor—empty exhibition halls. No art pieces, only forgotten trash and clutter.
He heard no suspicious breathing, but some creatures might not need to breathe. So he checked carefully.
Inspection meant shining the flashlight to see if dust patterns were normal, knocking walls and floors to detect cavities.
If no suspicious sounds or signs of movement, he’d skip without wasting time.
Before leaving, he’d also check overlooked spots like overhead areas and corners.
Corridor, exhibition rooms—he quickly reached the last one: a high-ceiling multimedia hall, seven meters tall across two floors. He climbed the stairs on either side, reaching the second floor and moving inward.
A sloped theater-style hall—scarlet seats descending. At the front, a half-meter-high stage surrounded by thick curtains, with a curved table.
Jiang Jitang’s hawk-like eyes zeroed in on the 30–40cm-thick “step” facing the stage—covered in the same scarlet carpet, similarly dusty.
He walked over, crouched, lifted the carpet, and knocked.
Thump-thump—the sound of hollow space.
Squeak—the step opened. A curled-up small humanoid, wet and slimy, eyes blood-red, its seemingly melted skin sizzling under the light.
Smack.
[Boiling Eric eliminated.]
[Seeker found and sealed a tool-using hider. 4 remaining.]
[Skin-Woman Lisa eliminated.]
[Seeker found a non-tool hider. 3 remaining.]
Exactly—as the cue hadn’t even finished, Jiang Jitang pried open the inner panel of the step. A beam revealed a woman clinging to the wall like liquid.
The frame followed just as fast.
He didn’t want another injury. Painful even if not fatal.
This was another classic hide-and-seek tactic—two hiding in the same place. After finding one, the seeker would leave due to mental inertia, letting the other survive.
Nicknamed: “1+1 Sacrifice Strategy.”
The liquid woman screeched as Jiang Jitang smiled smugly.
“I’m a hide-and-seek master, you know.”
Wow I didn’t expect them to be non-human! Also, since he’s a ‘game companion’… who is he actually accompanying?