Chapter 172: Ghost Rope
【A bit boring.】
【Brother Tao, are you scared?】
Probably because Wang Tao’s actions were really too slow, the bullet comments started to become a bit impatient.
More and more people began to mock Wang Tao for making a fuss over nothing, and some even threatened to unfollow, demanding that he speed up.
Obviously, unlike those fans attracted by outdoor adventures, those fans could watch fishing for an entire afternoon.
What this new batch of fans wanted to see, however, was something related to the supernatural, not a grown man playing minesweeper with a grass basket.
Wang Tao also noticed these situations and could only try his best to soothe them: “Don’t be impatient. This kind of place is old and dilapidated, and close to the riverbank. There might be collapses. If I accidentally fall in, you won’t have anything to watch.”
Although he said that, Wang Tao still tried to speed up his steps as much as possible, while occasionally looking at the sub-machine and chatting idly with the bullet comments.
As long as there was interaction, these people shouldn’t start clamoring, right?
However, those bullet comments were probably just joking. As time passed bit by bit, the number of people in the live broadcast room showed no sign of decreasing; it was still continuously rising.
Clearly, quite a few people were interested in this haunted house.
Seeing that he was about to leave the grass and venture deeper into the old house, unless the official account stepped in to shut down the live broadcast, it would probably be difficult to get them to leave on their own.
Carefully stepping on the ground that he had tested to be solid, Wang Tao cautiously trampled the wild grass flat, using it as a safe mark.
In case of any situation, he could withdraw in the right direction along this path.
Of course, he wasn’t afraid of ghosts, but he felt that this old house seemed to be maintained by someone, not as dilapidated as he had imagined.
If there really was an owner at home, Wang Tao would rather escape than be caught as a thief.
Almost there, probably just a few dozen steps away.
Estimating the remaining distance, Wang Tao couldn’t help but feel a bit expectant.
Exploring inside the old house would be a novelty not just for the fans, but also a first for him. It was really hard to say what situations he might encounter.
Moreover, that bus he encountered today felt a bit strange. Maybe this place really had something odd?
As he was thinking this, Wang Tao passed by a crooked dead tree.
This thing didn’t catch Wang Tao’s attention. After all, from the beginning, he had observed that there were many such dead trees in this muddy ground, too numerous to count.
Logically speaking, the dense wild grass indicated plenty of nutrients in the soil, but all those trees were dead, without a single survivor. It really looked a bit eerie.
Maybe from the beginning, these trees weren’t alive; perhaps the dead trees were transplanted here as landscaping?
A bullet comment suddenly said: 【Look at these dead trees; they don’t look like ordinary trees at all. They have arms and legs, just like people.】
【Isn’t it possible that these dead trees are actually human corpses? This house is actually a killer’s home, and these are the killer’s works.】
【If corpses were hidden this way, even the staff wouldn’t notice anything unusual, right? Maybe those missing people are hidden inside. Streamer, do you want to open one and check?】
Noticing this long string of text, plus the somewhat eerie surroundings, Wang Tao actually shivered uncontrollably.
But that was all. After all, a killer or something like that was unlikely no matter how he thought about it.
He would rather believe in the existence of dirty things than believe that this place could have some outlaw committing serial killings.
Mocking himself inwardly for being timid, Wang Tao joked: “I can’t even identify the species of these trees. If they’re something precious and I damage them, I can’t afford to compensate.”
“If you’re interested, I’ll privately message you the address. You can come try it yourself.”
As he was speaking, Wang Tao had already passed under the tree branches.
Everything seemed normal at first.
Until he was about to pass by, he suddenly felt himself being tugged.
How could that be? There was no one else here.
He turned back sharply, and sure enough, there was no figure.
While Wang Tao was getting jumpy, he suddenly spotted the selfie stick lying quietly in the grass.
“Holy crap… You almost scared me to death.”
It seemed that because his action of jumping off the wall at the beginning was too big, the selfie stick inserted next to the backpack had extended halfway out and was just caught by the tree trunk.
The bullet comments became cheerful one after another:
【Brother Tao, if you can’t do it, let’s go back. It’s not embarrassing.】
【Your mouth is so tough, but you got a feeling this quickly?】
【Pass it on: Brother Tao is from Heartfire Bao.】
Wang Tao explained seriously: “This is called vigilance, not being a coward.”
Then he turned the camera around and started saying some profound-sounding words like “be careful and cautious” and “a moment of carelessness,” making everyone burst into laughter. The live broadcast room inside and out was filled with a joyful air.
His serious expression paired with silly words successfully amused quite a few people.
Seeing that the fans liked this, Wang Tao felt a bit relieved and bent down to pick up the selfie stick.
At that moment.
The old rope hanging on the treetop, unremarkable like trash, suddenly moved.
It seemed like an imperceptible breeze brushed by, lifting the rope, faintly pointing toward where Wang Tao was.
And whether it was an illusion or not, that rope was also extending bit by bit, silently stretching downward.
【Behind you!】
【Streamer, run!】
Wang Tao, who was just about to stand up, suddenly noticed the bullet comments in the live broadcast room change, frantically spamming repeated content.
He only found it amusing and said confidently: “I was just messing with you earlier. You didn’t really think I was scared, did you?”
“To be honest, even if I really encountered a fierce ghost, Brother Tao absolutely wouldn’t have even a little bit of…”
Before his bold words were finished, the old rope had already reached above Wang Tao’s head, then suddenly dropped down. The loop at the end of the rope accurately looped around Wang Tao’s neck.
“Urgh—”
The loop suddenly tightened. Although the other end of the rope was just tied to the treetop, it was as if an invisible person was pulling hard from the shadows, dragging Wang Tao backward.
The selfie stick he had just picked up instantly fell, and the picture in the live broadcast room became chaotic.
Bullet comments popped up one after another.
【What’s going on? Is this really acted? The acting is too good.】
【Did he encounter a ghost or a killer? Should we try calling the police?】
【Streamer, if you’re not dead, make a sound. Otherwise, if you make us report a false alarm, you’re responsible.】
Wang Tao, nearing suffocation, of course couldn’t see these messages. At this moment, he didn’t even have the strength to struggle, and didn’t even know what was happening.
He only felt his whole body stiffen, like a corpse.
No…
Just as Wang Tao had lost hope, the cloth doll that had been quietly hanging next to the backpack suddenly shook its head.
