ABMSI Chapter 37

With the addition of new members, their group of four had become six, which limited their choices of escape rooms. The staff brought out a recommendation booklet, and after browsing for a while, Duan Wei realized that most six-player rooms were horror-themed. The only non-horror one was a family-friendly room that looked like something for little kids.

Still, Duan Wei thoughtfully considered the girls’ preferences and turned to Xu Jianian. “Can you handle a horror type?”

“I’m fine with anything.” Xu Jianian had loved horror movies since childhood; this level of fear was nothing to her. She shook her head dismissively.

The two other girls looked a bit frightened but clearly didn’t want to play a boring family game either, so they nodded as well. One had long hair, the other short. Duan Wei had overheard earlier while they were waiting that the two were seniors from the nearby No. 9 High School, on a short vacation break.

As for their occasional glances in his direction, Duan Wei didn’t care much. After all, judging by Fu Duqiu’s usual temperament, there was no way he’d suddenly take an interest in some NPC that wasn’t even mentioned in the original plot.

For once, Duan Wei found Fu Duqiu’s straight-man nature useful.

But the further they went into the game, the more Duan Wei felt something was off.

That long-haired girl… seemed to be watching him the whole time??

When the group reached the entrance of the first escape room, Duan Wei had barely stepped inside when the long-haired girl suddenly leaned closer. The lighting in the room instantly turned blood-red, and the speakers began playing a child’s sing-song voice all around them.

The sound itself wasn’t particularly creepy, but in a sealed room like this, it became terrifying. Even Duan Wei was startled. Holding the only walkie-talkie in one hand, he instinctively put his arm around the trembling girl beside him, utterly bewildered.

Passing by, Peng Yan saw Xu Jianian standing nearby and, pretending to be calm, gave the room a quick scan. “Let’s go. Start searching.”

Before they entered, the host had briefly explained the story’s background: this was an orphanage long abandoned. Years ago, all the children there mysteriously disappeared overnight. A massive fire then destroyed the building, killing the headmaster and all staff, turning the place into a local haunted legend.

Their task: uncover what really happened and find the missing orphans.

Most horror escape rooms had similar plots, but Duan Wei still listened carefully. Then, flashlight in hand, he began rummaging around.

It was his first time playing this kind of game, so he wandered aimlessly like a headless fly. The long-haired girl, after calming down, stuck close to him, occasionally letting out little whimpers.

Her short-haired friend, on the other hand, stayed glued to Fu Duqiu. But unlike Duan Wei, she seemed a bit intimidated by his cold, aloof aura—too afraid to talk, following quietly behind him, and often being completely ignored.

After a while, the awkwardness thickened. Feeling a bit tired, Duan Wei sat on a small bench to watch the others solve the puzzle. After some time in the dim light, he started to feel used to it. His gaze drifted—and there stood Fu Duqiu not far away, holding a few photos of the orphans, with one of the girls trailing behind him.

They say if you want to accelerate feelings between two people, take them to a haunted house. In the dark, emotions heighten; fear turns into intimacy—perfect for a little hand-holding or a comforting embrace.

But Fu Duqiu? Completely unbothered. He studied the clues with clinical calm, his concern for the girl beside him utterly barren. Occasionally, Duan Wei even caught snippets of their conversation.

Girl: “I’m kinda scared. Can you turn this way a bit?”
Fu Duqiu: “You can move closer to the wall. If you lean against it, you’ll feel less scared.”
Girl: “…”

Duan Wei nearly burst out laughing.

He thought, If Fu Duqiu ever becomes someone’s boyfriend, he’d be ridiculously easy to manage.

The thought startled him, and he quickly shook it off. Just then, Peng Yan suddenly shouted, “I think I found the way out!”

“Quick!” Xu Jianian, who had been holding it in for a while, couldn’t wait to get out.

Peng Yan followed the clues around, then picked up a framed photo from a cabinet and brought it to the table they had been studying. Slowly, he aligned the frame with the edge of a drawer.

Click! The frame locked perfectly into place. Duan Wei stood up just as the room’s lights flared on again.

“Nice one, Peng Yan,” Duan Wei praised.

“Of course.”

But moments later, the lights dimmed again. The walls on both sides began to ooze streaks of crimson blood. The long-haired girl beside Duan Wei grabbed his shirt in terror, her pheromones almost leaking from the panic.

Something wasn’t right. “Peng Yan, did our ticket include live NPC^[1] actors?” Duan Wei asked.

“…” Peng Yan hesitated. “I think… maybe it did.”

“…”

The group instinctively huddled together. Though the room was sealed, cold drafts seemed to swirl around them. The two girls were shaking in the corner, Peng Yan was pale with fear, and only Xu Jianian remained bright-eyed and excited, eager for more.

Just as everyone stood frozen, Peng Yan felt a faint breeze brush past his ear. He scratched it absently and turned his head toward the source of the wind—

—and came face to face with a female ghost that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. She wore a long white dress, her hair draped messily over her face, her skin and clothes smeared with blood, and her tongue grotesquely stretched out, dragging on the floor.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH—MOM! MOOOOOOM!”

Peng Yan’s scream shattered the silence. Everyone else froze in panic. Suddenly, a secret passageway opened up ahead. Before Duan Wei could react, Peng Yan grabbed Xu Jianian and bolted straight through it at full speed—no one could stop him.
He opened his mouth, about to shout, but before he could make a sound, Peng Yan had already vanished—gone without a trace. The female ghost floated rapidly toward him, and Duan Wei, reacting on pure instinct, grabbed the person behind him and bolted forward.

The passage was extremely narrow and pitch-dark—you couldn’t even see your hand in front of your face. Only two people could pass at once, single file. Thinking the girl might be scared to walk behind, Duan Wei reached back, took her hand, and said in a voice that even he found unbelievable, “Hold onto me. Don’t be scared. I’ll lead the way.”

The girl, who had been whimpering all the way earlier, said nothing this time. She obediently held his hand. The tunnel stretched endlessly, and as Duan Wei’s fingers tightened around hers, he suddenly noticed—her hand was… quite big.

Wait a second. Was this girl… an Alpha?

But she didn’t look like one?

This was obviously not the time or place to ask about someone’s gender, so Duan Wei just held on and kept walking forward. Eventually, a dim crimson glow appeared ahead, and he finally released her hand.

According to the game’s setup, they had entered another escape room. It was still dark, but at least they could make out some shapes and objects now. Seeing no sign of the rest of the group, Duan Wei instinctively pulled the person behind him deeper into the room.

“Are you scared?” he asked when the other person stayed silent.

“Yes,” came a male voice in reply.

Duan Wei froze mid-step and turned around—only to see Fu Duqiu standing right behind him.

And their hands were still interlocked.

“When did you get here??” Duan Wei immediately let go, staring at him in shock. “Where’s the girl?”

He looked behind Fu Duqiu, but there was nothing there—just darkness.

“You were the one pulling me,” Fu Duqiu said calmly. Seeing Duan Wei glance nervously over his shoulder, Fu Duqiu stepped aside, blocking the narrow passage. “What? Planning to run off without taking responsibility?”

“…” Duan Wei blinked, thrown off by the remark. Realizing the others were nowhere in sight, he turned back toward the room and muttered, “I thought I was dragging that girl who was following me.”

Fu Duqiu raised an eyebrow, walked a few steps closer, and said, “So, what—are you disappointed it’s me?”

“Don’t talk nonsense.” Duan Wei snorted. “It’s called being chivalrous. Not everyone’s like Peng Yan, okay?”

Fu Duqiu chuckled softly, the sound oddly out of place in the eerie silence. He tilted his head and began inspecting their surroundings for the first time.

The room resembled a classroom—pitch-black, with stark white walls covered in bloody handprints. A few gusts of cold air swept past, and the haunting nursery rhyme began playing again.

“Come on, let’s figure out the puzzle,” Duan Wei said, squatting down by a table covered with switches, not particularly eager to be alone with Fu Duqiu.

Fu Duqiu joined him, crouching beside him—just as the sound of footsteps echoed from the tunnel.

The steps were uneven, fast then slow. At first, Duan Wei thought it might be Peng Yan and the others, but after listening closely, he realized something was off. It must be an NPC. In a flash of panic, he spotted a bookshelf large enough to hide in and immediately ducked inside.

He had just closed the door when it hit him—

Fu Duqiu was still outside.

Cursing under his breath, Duan Wei yanked the door open again. Fu Duqiu was still standing in place, unbothered. Duan Wei darted out, grabbed him by the arm, and pulled him into the cramped space. As soon as they squeezed in, he shut the door again.

Sure enough, the female ghost drifted into view moments later. Duan Wei exhaled quietly in relief—only to realize how cramped it was now that two people were squeezed together.

Their pheromones mingled thickly in the air, white pine resin curling subtly into his nose. Duan Wei couldn’t tell if it was his scent or Fu Duqiu’s—but the air grew heavy with something dangerously intimate.

Uncomfortable, Duan Wei turned his head slightly—only to brush against something soft.

Fu Duqiu’s lips.

Both froze in shock. Duan Wei jerked his head back, heart hammering, desperate to do something to defuse the unbearable tension, but afraid any movement or noise might draw the ghost’s attention outside.

So he turned his face toward the door instead, breathing shallowly.

Fu Duqiu, however, kept his gaze fixed on him. In the thick air, he caught a faint trace of pheromone—sweet, sticky, and utterly unfamiliar.

It wasn’t Duan Wei’s scent.

It was the lingering Omega pheromone from the long-haired girl earlier, the one who’d lost control.

The cloying sweetness made Fu Duqiu frown slightly. His eyes drifted, almost involuntarily, to the back of Duan Wei’s neck—where his scent glands were just barely visible. And in that moment, an instinct older than reason flared hot and sharp through his body.

Every Alpha despises the idea of another scent—another claim—on someone they’ve marked. Even if it’s just residual.

Fu Duqiu’s gaze lingered there for a long time before he finally looked away.

He wanted to bite.