19: Chapter 19 Memory Corridor

As the golden light dissipated, Chen Mo found himself standing in a corridor.

It was not the road of the Ghost Realm, nor the Basement of the Farmhouse, but an ordinary corridor.

The wall plaster was yellowed, the floor was terrazzo, and the fluorescent light tube overhead emitted a buzzing electrical sound.

He recognized this corridor.

The dormitory building of the Orphanage, the third floor, the floor where he had lived.

Chen Mo stood where he was, not moving.

The Pupil of the Sequence activated automatically—in his golden vision, everything around him was wrapped in faint lines, very stable, unlike the active lines of a Ghost Shadow.

【 Entering special space: Memory Corridor · First Floor 】

【 Current scene: Orphanage · Dormitory Building 】

【 Trial content: Kill 3 E-Class Ghost Shadows within 24 hours 】

【 Current progress: 0 / 3 】

【 Hint: The Ghost Shadows here come from your memories, the things you fear the most 】

Chen Mo gripped his cleaver and walked forward along the corridor.

On both sides were doors with numbers posted on them. 301, 302, 303... The room he had lived in was 307, the second to last room at the end of the corridor.

He walked to the door of 307 and stopped.

The door was closed.

A voice came from inside.

" Chen Mo, come in. "

That was the voice of the director.

Chen Mo pushed the door open.

In the room, a man stood with his back to him. He was wearing a gray Zhongshan suit, his hair was gray, and his back was slightly hunched.

That was the director of the Orphanage.

He slowly turned around.

The face was still the same face, but the eyes were empty—no eyeballs, only two black holes. Something was squirming inside the black holes, and golden threads surged out from within, flowing down his cheeks.

" Chen Mo. " He opened his mouth, his voice squeezing out from the depths of his throat, " So many years, and you still haven't changed. "

Chen Mo did not move.

He looked at that face, looked at those hollow eyes, and looked at those golden threads.

Childhood trauma.

In the Orphanage, the person he feared most was the director. It wasn't because the director beat or scolded him, but because of the way the director looked at him—that kind of gaze, as if looking at an object, not a person.

" Do you know why you are in the Orphanage? " The director took a step forward, " Because your parents didn't want you. "

Chen Mo gripped his cleaver.

" Do you know why they didn't want you? " The director took another step, " Because you are a burden, you are redundant, you are something that shouldn't exist. "

Chen Mo still did not move.

But he could feel those words piercing into his heart like needles.

Not because he believed them, but because he had heard these words too many times. During those years in the Orphanage, every sleepless night, he would repeatedly think about these questions.

Why him?

Why was he the one abandoned?

" You deserve it. " The director walked in front of him and reached out that withered hand, " You deserve to be alone, you deserve to be unwanted, you deserve— "

The cleaver hacked into his neck.

Chen Mo slashed down without any hesitation.

The director's body froze, those hollow eyes staring at him.

" You're right. " Chen Mo said, " I really am unwanted. But so what? "

He slashed again.

" I don't need anyone to want me. "

Third slash.

" It's enough that I want myself. "

The director's body collapsed with a crash.

Golden threads surged out of the corpse and into Chen Mo's body.

【 Killed E-Class Ghost Shadow " Childhood Trauma " 】

【 Obtained: sequence fragment × 5 】

【 Current fragments: 114 】

【 Obtained special reward: Mental Resistance + 10 】

【 Mental Resistance: Ability to resist mental pollution increased 】

Chen Mo stood where he was, watching the corpse slowly disappear.

Then he turned around and walked out of the room.

At the end of the corridor, a new door appeared.

He walked over and pushed it open.

Behind the door was another scene.

The Orphanage's cafeteria.

He stood in front of the food serving window, and in front of him was a familiar figure—

The auntie who always gave him an extra scoop of food.

But now she was standing with her back to him, her shoulders heaving, as if she were crying.

" Auntie? " Chen Mo spoke.

The figure turned around.

It was the auntie's face, but the eyes were empty, just like the director's.

" Chen Mo... " She reached out her hand, " Why didn't you come to save me? "

Chen Mo was stunned for a moment.

" That night, the Ghost Night came, and I hid in the back kitchen. " She took a step forward, " I thought you would come to save me, but you ran. You ran away by yourself. "

Chen Mo did not speak.

He remembered that day. The first day the Ghost Night descended, he had indeed run away from the cafeteria side. At that time, he heard movement in the back kitchen, but he didn't go over; he just rushed out the door.

" You stood by and watched me die. " The auntie's face began to twist, " You watched me die. "

Chen Mo gripped his cleaver.

He looked at that twisted face, looked at those golden threads surging out from her eyes.

" Yes. " He said, " I didn't go. Because I didn't know what was inside, because I wanted to survive. "

He took a step forward.

" But if it happened again, I still wouldn't go. "

The auntie's face twisted completely, turning into a hideous monster, and it lunged at him.

Chen Mo dodged to the side, simultaneously slashing at its neck.

The same position, the same force.

The monster fell to the ground, and golden threads surged out.

【 Killed E-Class Ghost Shadow " The Forgotten " 】

【 Obtained: sequence fragment × 5 】

【 Current fragments: 119 】

The cafeteria disappeared.

Chen Mo stood in an open space, and in front of him was the last door.

There was no number on the door, only a line of text:

" The one you fear the most is not someone else, but yourself. "

Chen Mo looked at that line of text.

Then he pushed the door open.

Behind the door was a room.

It was very small, only a few square meters. A bed, a table, a chair.

A person was sitting on the bed.

Looking exactly like him.

Wearing the same clothes, holding the same cleaver, even the faint golden light in the right eye was the same.

That " Chen Mo " raised his head and looked at him.

" You're here. "

Chen Mo did not speak.

" Waited for you a long time. " That " Chen Mo " stood up, " Those outside were just appetizers, I am the main course. "

He took a step forward.

" I am your self-doubt. " He said, " I am those questions you think about every night when you can't sleep—did you do the right thing? Can you survive? Do you deserve to survive? "

Chen Mo gripped his cleaver.

" Don't be in a hurry to act. " That " Self-Doubt " laughed, " You know you can't kill me. Because I am you, and if you kill me, you are killing yourself. "

Chen Mo was silent for a second.

Then he spoke.

" You're right, you are me. " He said, " But only a part. "

" Self-Doubt " was stunned for a moment.

" I do doubt myself. " Chen Mo said, " Every night. But do you know what I do after doubting? "

" What do you do? "

" I tell myself, doubting is fine, but stopping is not. " Chen Mo took a step forward, " So you are not me, you are only a part of me. And a part can never represent the whole. "

He swung his cleaver.

" Self-Doubt " did not dodge.

The cleaver hacked into his neck, and golden threads surged out.

But this time, those threads did not surge into Chen Mo's body, but flowed in all directions.

Before disappearing, " Self-Doubt " laughed.

" You're right. " He said, " I am only a part of you. But remember—I am always here. "

He disappeared.

The room also disappeared.

Chen Mo stood in the void.

【 Killed E-Class Ghost Shadow " Self-Doubt " 】

【 Obtained: sequence fragment × 5 】

【 Current fragments: 124 】

【 First floor trial completed 】

【 Evaluation: Face yourself, defeat the Heart Demon 】

【 Rest time: 1 hour 】

【 Enter the second floor after one hour 】

Chen Mo sat on the ground, gasping for air.

He looked down at his hands—they were still shaking.

Not because of exhaustion, but because of those words.

The director's words, the auntie's words, and the words of that " self ".

Every word pierced into his heart.

But he was right.

Doubting is fine, but stopping is not.

Chen Mo stood up and looked forward.

In the void, a door was taking shape.

Behind the door was the second floor.

Two more Ghost Shadows were waiting for him.

He took a deep breath and walked towards that door.