I Got My Cheat Skill by Acting My Way into a Horror Protagonist Role Chapter 23

We've moved to our new home...

Mom pushed my back, telling me to call the uncle I'd met a few times "Dad," but I couldn't say it because I knew he wasn't my real father.

I was a bit scared, tightly holding Mom's hand, hiding behind her, unwilling to call anyone.

I really want to go home, I really miss Dad, but Mom said I'll be living here from now on, that Dad went to a very, very faraway place, and that New Dad will take care of us from now on...

I'm already in elementary school, I understand that when Mom says "went to a very, very faraway place," it actually means he died. I also know Dad was killed by a car accident—that's what other people in our old neighborhood said, and Mom always cried when she said it on the phone.

Dad must have been in so much pain, because my legs hurt so much I can't walk either, it hurts so much, so much, I bled a lot. I don't know if Dad bled too—Mom never let me see—but I think he probably did. You have to bleed all your blood out to die.

In the new home, I gained a sister. She's in the same grade as me, her legs are fine, she can wear all kinds of pretty little dresses, she can run and jump, she can play hide and seek, she can do lots of things by herself.

Her room is really nice. My room used to be like that too.

Mom and Uncle told us we should get along well. Mom looked at me like she was about to cry. I don't want to make Mom even sadder.

New Dad looked very happy. He rubbed my head. I shrank my neck, still too afraid to look at him. I don't know why—he kept looking at me, kept looking, kept looking. It felt so weird, gave me goosebumps. I don't really like it.

I shared Miss Belle with New Sister, saying we could play tea party together, but she didn't seem to like Miss Belle very much, or maybe it's because she doesn't like me.

She said Miss Belle is ugly, that she has many more and better ones, but I think Miss Belle is really cute, and she's very comfortable to hug.

I settled into the new home. Mom lost her job because she had to take care of New Sister and me.

I don't really like this new home.

Because Mom looks even more tired.

New Dad always touches me. His hands are oily and a bit prickly, making my arms hurt. He's looking at me with that gaze again, keeps looking, keeps looking—

I also don't like it when he comes close to talk to me. His teeth are yellow-black, his mouth is big, and he has this awful smell of alcohol and cigarettes.

New Sister never plays with me, won't let me into her room. She secretly pinches me, puts strange things in my food, pushes me onto the balcony, locks the door, won't let me back inside.

I know she's a bad child now. She's a wicked witch! I hate her! I don't want to get along with her at all!

...

They're arguing outside again. It's Dad hitting Mom. At times like this, Mom also locks me in my room, won't let me go out...

Cigarette butts, cigarette butts, cigarette butts, liquor bottles, liquor bottles, liquor bottles... the house is full of these things...

Every time Dad drinks, he hits Mom, but Mom always says it doesn't hurt...

...Today, Dad pushed open the door to my room. The door was locked...

Mom hugged me and cried so sadly. She said it's because she's useless, can't protect me, that everything is her fault.

Mom cried, and I cried along with her. I really miss Dad, really miss our old home. I don't want to stay here...

I don't know when it started, but Mom stopped talking, stopped smiling...

She stays in the kitchen all day, constantly holding a kitchen knife chopping meat...

Xiao Gui'an and Xu Zisheng grew increasingly heavy-hearted as they read.

After casually flipping through a few pages, they could roughly deduce what had happened.

Xiao Gui'an was so angry his hands trembled, cursing under his breath, "Simply beasts! No, worse than beasts!"

[Proxy System, what is this? Is this real or fake?!]

The system coldly replied, [This is game instance setting, but references certain world projections. Host can consider it real or fake—it's merely imported data, no need to care too much—]

Xiao Gui'an didn't ask further, but his eyes grew sharper.

Xu Zisheng's entire aura also turned gloomy and cold, his eyes seeming to flash with chilling light.

He flipped a few more pages and glimpsed another section.

...Sister smiled very happily, seemed to really like me, then said she'd take me downstairs to play with her little friends.

100, 99, 98, 97...

They always leave me alone over there. There are things everywhere, hard to push through in a wheelchair. Pushing downward is easy to fall.

96, 95, 94, 93, 92...

They also catch spiders to put on me, lock me in that very hot little room, block the exit with things, won't let me out...

91, 90, 89, 88, 87...

Hide and seek, hide and seek... I don't want to play anymore, I never want to play again...

"Hahahaha, how are you going to play with us like this? You move slower than a snail!"

"You just stay right here, don't move until you count to one hundred!"

"Wu Yunqiao isn't just a little cripple, she's also a little mute!"

"Wu Yunqiao is so pitiful! Wu Yunqiao is an unwanted child!"

"Wu Yunqiao..."

"Why don't you just die?..."

"Wu Yunqiao..."

Finally, the short-haired girl who had been nearby reacted. She let out an extremely sharp, unpleasant scream, her eyes fixed fiercely on Xiao Gui'an and Xu Zisheng, throwing the building blocks in her hand hard at them.

"Give it back! Give it back!" the short-haired girl shrieked, twisting her legs, crawling toward them inch by inch.

The entire room began to mutate. The ugly dolls placed by the bedside all came to life, starting to surround Xiao Gui'an and the others.

The cobwebs overhead continuously expanded, and there was the sound of something moving rustling above.

"Sorry, we'll return it! We didn't mean to look!" Xiao Gui'an immediately closed the diary and properly placed it back into the backpack.

The two didn't delay any longer. Only about ten minutes remained now. If possible, they needed to reach the top floor to write the [Real Ghost]'s name.

Which was the name of the girl before them—

Probably in the second round, she would become the most terrifying [Seeker], continuing this [hide and seek she wants but doesn't want to play].

Before those mutated things could surround them, the two rushed out of 3B303 and ran toward the higher floors.

The closer it got to the second round rotation time, the more severe the mutation of the entire residential building became.

Fifth floor passed smoothly.

But as soon as they stepped onto the sixth floor, an evil wind assaulted them, as if they were being watched by some terrifying presence. "Two more came today, the building is really lively..."

Like sandpaper, rough and unpleasant to hear, with a feeling of air leaking out.

Xu Zisheng pressed Xiao Gui'an's head down as they ducked, avoiding that gust of fierce wind. Looking up, two small red paper figures landed lightly.

Their edges seemed cut extremely sharp, like blades.

On the stairs leading from the sixth to seventh floor, numerous red strings were connected together. Two small paper figures were continuously connecting and arranging them. Probably once completely tied, they would be trapped here.

"Where's that damn fatty?" Standing in the sixth floor corridor was an old woman wearing a bright red cotton coat. She hunched over, face full of wrinkles, sparse hair tied into a small, messy bun, holding a piece of paper cutting and a black pair of scissors.

The two red little figures revealed curved-eyed evil smiles, then hopped and skipped back to the old woman's side, twisting their bodies, appearing eager.

"Disobedient things, stealing from this old woman!"

Stealing things?

"We didn't steal your things! We didn't take them!" [Gui Yi] shouted, eyes showing fear.

Clearly this was trouble left behind by Chen Ze, but he hadn't told Xiao Gui'an and the others.

Obviously wanting them to be scapegoats.

But the ghostly old woman obviously wouldn't listen.

Somehow, the stairs behind them had also been connected with red strings by those paper figures.

"This old woman is very angry right now. Just when these papers need recoloring, perfect timing for more dye!"

The ghostly old woman sneered, her hunched body, two filthy eyes filled with deep anger and malice.

Who told Xiao Gui'an and the others to barge in like this? Since others knocked on doors they shouldn't have, then these other outsiders should accept their bad luck and bear her wrath.

Rules were set—she couldn't randomly leave this floor, but that didn't mean she couldn't teach intruders a lesson.

The ghostly old woman held the huge black scissors, continuing to cut the red paper in her hand. Two more paper figures jumped down from her hands.

"I'll hold them off, you run upward later. Don't worry, I'll protect you. The formation isn't complete yet, we can break through—"

"Trust me—"

Xu Zisheng directly shoved the blood-stained axe to Xiao Gui'an, clearly having developed some trust in him, instructing him.

Xiao Gui'an held that axe, standing behind Xu Zisheng with complex emotions in his eyes. Unfortunately, he now had to personally tear apart this trust. As [Gui Yi], he should become that whetstone.

As the 'protagonist,' Xu Zisheng wouldn't be seriously harmed.

His gaze gradually changed, his entire being completely immersed in that acting state. Now standing behind Xu Zisheng was no longer Xiao Gui'an, but the untrustworthy [Gui Yi].

Fear and panic filled his entire brain. The increasingly eerie and terrifying environment around them continuously pressured his nerves. The thought that there was no way to escape like this circled in his mind.

This won't work, I can't die here!

[Gui Yi] tightened his grip on the axe. Having a weapon in hand gave him a slight sense of security. Why did he have to charge forward with Xu Zisheng?

Couldn't he just find a relatively hidden place to hide later?

This was only the sixth floor—there were still two more floors above. Who knows what they might encounter?

This axe, this axe—

If the person in front died, wouldn't it become his own self-defense weapon?

[Gui Yi] thought like this, his eyes fixed on Xu Zisheng's back revealing a vicious glare.

The aura changed—

That overwhelming rotten negative emotion and boundless malice directed at himself seemed about to swallow Xu Zisheng whole.

Coming from behind him.

Coming from [Gui Yi].

Had he misjudged?

Why? Why? Why?

Clearly the other person shouldn't be like this—

Xu Zisheng tried to turn back to see [Gui Yi]'s expression, but the other person preemptively pushed him viciously toward the ghostly old woman's direction. He could feel the heavy axe strike his back from behind.

He staggered a couple of steps, then heard fleeing footsteps—urgent and chaotic, ugly and disgusting.

He had been betrayed.

The Cursed Child stood in place, with absolute clarity recognizing this fact.

The black moon mark carved on his wrist seemed to grow even deeper.