Haunted Houses’ Chronicles – Prologue

Novel introduction & Translation masterpost
Translator: Michelle

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I turn off the lights, pull out a chair and sit down comfortably. I look up — Behind the lamp on the coffee table, nine people are waiting for me to speak. There are both men and women, all of them of similar age. In the dim light, they are looking at me with different expressions.

I don’t know them. In fact, they also meet each other for the first time. The reason why they are sitting here is because of the house where we are in now.

A month ago, I posted on a forum a promise that if anyone could, for the whole night, listen to my story in this house, I would gift the house to that person. The post received pretty good response, but eventually only nine people turned up.

That is also what I expect.

In today’s society, people have become more vigilant. Instinctively, people will see this kind of promise as having evil intention, the same way they do when something good suddenly falls from the sky. Thus most people will just watch from afar as though they are viewing something novel, while the rest will see me as making meaningless noise and laugh it off. Even for the people who are sitting here, it isn’t certain that they actually believe in my promise, rather, they may be here just to seek excitement.

In fact, my promise is true, but I am also not innocent. I do this because I have my purpose: to fulfil my promise with a friend.

This house is huge, with a market value of several million yuan. Even if there are ten people sitting in the living room, it still seems very empty. This is the most valuable house under my name. I have many houses all over the country, but I never stay in any of them. I am just someone who specialise in real estate investment, or to put in bluntly, I am a real estate speculator. The story that I am going to tell these nine people tonight indeed has to do with my experience in real estate speculation.

Before I begin my story, I give them forewarnings that this house has some problems and that I hope they will carefully consider their choice. If they indeed decide to stay, once I begin the story, no matter what happens, they will bear the consequences themselves.

The nine people look at each other, no one making a move. Two of them even burst out laughing. I let out a long sigh, explaining that I will give them a break after every hour. During these breaks, they are free to go to the washroom or stand up to walk around and relax their muscles. The most important thing is that I need to take a photo of nine of them together. If any of them then decides to leave at any point in time, I won’t stop them, but I will take an individual shot of that person.

Some of them look perplexed upon hearing such a request but still give me an approving nod. I don’t know if this house is such a great temptation or humans just can’t resist their own curiosity. Whatever the case is, nine people are sitting opposite from me, giving me that look of expectation.

I look at the time: It is about time to start.

I pour them a glass of water, light a cigarette for myself, take a deep breath, then begin my story.