I stared blankly at the book Horror Stories, unable to feel anything. It was as if the book didn't exist here, yet it undeniably was.
"Alright, Ethan Zhang, what now? Do you want to just walk away, or do you want to step into this Horror Stories? After all, you're the only person in this world whose Instinct still remains—or rather, whose consciousness still harbors Instinct."
I quietly looked at Horror Stories, then glanced at John Chou.
"Your Instinct..."
"Has already been sealed inside this Horror Stories, heh. I suspect those people wanted to seal not John Chou himself, but his Instinct."
Mona Ouyang said this, and I immediately showed a puzzled expression. Who exactly were those people she was referring to?
"Alright, I'll tell you, Ethan Zhang. It's the Immortality Society and the Ghost Syndicate—both are your enemies, heh. And this Horror Stories I created, which has developed its own consciousness, is a priceless treasure to the Immortality Society and Ghost Syndicate. Everything is still in the experimental stage, and this is also the bargaining chip for Martin Ouyang, the Immortality Society, and the Ghost Syndicate!"
I was so shocked by everything Mona Ouyang said that my whole body started trembling uncontrollably.
What I heard next was even more staggering. Mona Ouyang told me that ever since Horror Stories gained consciousness, thanks to Martin Ouyang's efforts, it began to develop the ability to turn dreams into reality. However, no matter what, it's still a dream; transforming it into reality is extremely difficult at this stage.
"Hmph, that idiot Victor Duan was completely used by Martin Ouyang, the Immortality Society, and the Ghost Syndicate—just to avoid me."
"What's going on?"
I immediately asked, and John Chou burst out laughing.
"Brother, after all, this Horror Stories was created by that dead demon. Back then, before he sealed Little Cat's power, he quickly regained his own strength. That's why he could possess and appear in the world of the living. Those guys used Victor Duan to make Mona Ouyang think that Victor Duan was just using Horror Stories to collect negative emotions, so the dead demon didn't interfere. Since he created it, destroying Horror Stories would have been easy for him at that time."
I understood, clenching my fists as I looked at Horror Stories. A sense of defeat overcame me—I’d been used too. Because of me, John Chou was sealed inside.
"Brother, what do you plan to do?" John Chou smiled as I walked step by step toward Horror Stories.
"Is there even a question? Of course I'm going in—to drag out those bastards and expose their ugly faces, one by one."
I reached out a hand toward Horror Stories.
"Ethan Zhang, remember this—no matter who enters Horror Stories, they'll end up in the story prepared for them. You'll completely forget everything that happened before."
A smile appeared at the corner of my mouth, and I nodded.
"You don't need to tell me. I've been through this many times before." I said, as my outstretched right hand slowly approached Horror Stories.