Deep in the Living
Chapter 218 - 207 Fearful Choice

Chapter 218: Chapter 207 Fearful Choice

Considering the danger of Hell service and the possibility of Luo Di being rejected as an external Angel Envoy among the Spine community,

even Luo Di’s outstanding Spine Type and great talent cannot eliminate the risks that come with being a newcomer.

Before officially going to the Spine Base Camp to serve, Luo Di must possess something unrelated to the Spines or even True Hell—something uniquely his own.

This is also due to the special system of Luo Di’s own world.

Moreover, the complete absorption of the pituitary has been long anticipated by Luo Di. It would allow him to understand the Corners more deeply and end them more quickly.

Since Luo Di had already passed the "recruitment interview" with the Spines on the island,

once his body was fully recovered, his spine would directly project his consciousness there to participate in the service ceremony. To delay the Projection, Luo Di also voluntarily put on the "restraint ring" provided by Mr. Hook.

It would completely penetrate the cervical spine and be worn on the neck, greatly inhibiting the connection between the spine and the body, keeping Luo Di in a weakened state.

However,

the wait for the pituitary was longer than expected,

Luo Di met with researchers from Capital City every two days, either for psychological discussions or physical examinations, and even once had a piece of flesh cut off and taken back to Capital City for a "pituitary compatibility experiment."

A month passed.

Under the effects of the restraint ring, Luo Di’s body gradually declined, sustained only by his previously strong physique.

Finally, the testing of the pituitary was concluded.

The General Administration, Mr. Hook, and the squad leader all provided safety and stability assessments from different perspectives. This pituitary was currently the most suitable Corner medium for Luo Di.

Gurgle!

Swallowed down.

As the pituitary dropped into the stomach, the acidic juices covered it like waves, and the deep gray color on the surface of the pituitary began to spread within the stomach.

Eventually absorbed in the small intestine area, it flowed throughout the body in the bloodstream.

Luo Di did not feel any physical abnormalities,

no signs of the anticipated rejection reaction,

nor any whispering from Corner monsters or mental distortions.

Everything was so comfortable,

everything so natural.

When the blood carrying the color and the digested essence of the pituitary reached the brain area, a shade of grey quickly stained Luo Di’s own pituitary.

The symbol representing the Corner coordinates also appeared on the surface of his pituitary.

Hum!

A faint ringing in the ears arose within the skull.

A strong sensation of falling affected Luo Di’s consciousness.

Unlike the instant arrival with Hell Projection, Luo Di could feel his consciousness falling continuously along the gaps in the Corners.

Pop!

Eventually, he landed in an unknown area.

"Where is this?"

As Luo Di posed the question deep within,

a whisper came,

a whisper he had heard twice but had both times refused.

Despite coming from deep within, it felt as though something was whispering right beside his ear.

Only four words were uttered in answer to Luo Di’s question:

≮Room of Fear≯

The whisper provided the answer.

Pure white flame lamps lit up around, illuminating the current area.

An enclosed, circular area with six doors.

Each door was a different color, each with its own distinctive symbol.

1. "Red Door" – A skin oozing blood outward.

Just one glance would make one feel uneasy, blood rushing upward, with various fragmented images of sin filling the brain.

2. "Yellow" - A heart-shaped brain.

Looking at it would cause strong hallucinations, even the feeling that the brain on the door was beating like a heart, with blood oozing from the door cracks.

3. "Black" - A faceless, expressionless mask.

Looking at the mask, one would hear knocking, banging, lock-picking sounds. It felt as if a terrifying entity stood behind the door, ready to burst forth and deliver the ultimate chase and killing.

4. "Green" - A fang-filled mouth dripping with pus and wide open.

Just one glance would produce the clear sound of chewing, as if an unknown monster was gnawing on flesh somewhere, and this monster had already sensed "your" scent.

5. "White" - No symbol.

Looking at this pure white door, one would feel their soul leaving the body, as if there was a void world behind the door.

6. "Meat color" - An extremely lifelike human body mannequin.

Looking at the symbol, there would be a clear sense of physical abnormality, as if one’s skin and flesh were uncontrollable by the brain, becoming unnatural, deformed, and twisted.

"Six types of horror literature? Is this the initial system of the Corners... similar to those Hell Items belonging to different factions in True Hell.

Once choosing a door, it would determine the direction of fear’s development; I suppose that’s the idea."

As an aficionado of horror films, Luo Di quickly grasped the fundamental meaning of these doors and the initial choices of the so-called Corner system.

Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit him, and from his mouth, he spat out a "card".

A deep grey card, not matching any of the doors’ colors.

One side of the card depicted the Corner coordinate-like symbol.

The other side corresponded to the writhing tentacles.

The whispering voice came once again.

≮You possess the colorless card and may choose any Room of Fear at will.≯

"It seems not all investigators who come here can freely choose like me. The pituitary attribute absorbed will determine the color type of the card.

Interesting."

Luo Di didn’t need to choose, or rather, he had made his choice years ago.

He walked straight towards the Black Door marked with a mask symbol, representing the horror genre of Assassins.

He swiped the card to open the door.

Inside was pitch-black; all light ceased and trembled at the threshold.

But Luo Di stepped in resolutely, with an unusual excitement in his eyes, akin to the joy of approaching a dream.

As he stepped into the darkness and closed the Black Door behind him,

the lights came on as the door lock clicked shut.

"Hmm!?"

The scene before Luo Di momentarily stunned him.

"Has my memory been completely read?"

What appeared before him was not some hidden space or a place of promotion.

It was Luo Di’s own [home].

A 100% perfect replica of his home, even with the photos on the shoe cabinet intact.

The only difference was a courier box placed on the dining table.

The recipient’s name was written as Luo Di, while the sender’s information had been entirely torn off.

He opened the courier box.

Inside was a collector’s edition movie gift box containing a 4k UHD remastered disc, posters, postcards, and a journal of the same model as Luo Di’s.

The poster featured Luo Di as the main character of the movie.

「Adorned with his custom mask from Mingwang City, draped in a black trench coat and oversized leather shoes, he presented the classic image of Mr. D, walking in the cold rainy alleys on some sort of hunt.」

As for the postcards, there were several designs, with patterns of masks, pig heads, Jaw Splitters, and more.

The only thing that differed from a real movie gift box was that the poster, postcards, and discs lacked a movie title.

When Luo Di unboxed the most essential part, the disc case, and took out the disc,

Buzz! The grey card in his hands automatically adhered to the disc, bonding to its surface with a burst of colors, and seamlessly integrated into it, causing the disc to change.

At the same time,

the living room’s disc player and television switched on simultaneously, with clear intentions.

"This form of system acceptance is a bit too tailored to the individual... It’s totally different from the enforced spine integration in True Hell or the feeling of being implanted with wire by Mr. Hook.

This feels more like a matter of personal will."

Luo Di didn’t play the disc right away, instead, he fetched a dumbbell from the bedroom as if everything had returned to the past, to the days of living alone and watching movies at night.

While doing dumbbell curls, he began to watch the movie.

As the logo of Corner Film Factory lit up, the content of the movie officially started.

The story was about four girls who went on a vacation to an island and accidentally awakened a sleeping Murderer by venturing into the island’s Primitive Forest out of curiosity.

Standard B-movie clichés, yet they perfectly matched Luo Di’s memories.

The production quality of the entire movie was extremely high, completely conforming to Luo Di’s aesthetics as he became increasingly engrossed in it.

The majority of the movie was typical Chasing and Killing plot,

And when only one of the four girls, a black-haired girl with a ponytail, was left, the movie was approaching its final climax.

However, this girl was very good at running and managed to escape the Murderer’s hunting several times.

She also had excellent physical qualities, using the complex environment of the resort hotel to fight against the Murderer and even picking up a fire ax in the final moments to chop heavily on the Murderer’s face.

Sizz, sizz, sizz!

The screen flickered, with shades of grey emerging on the screen.

The Murderer’s mask was split and fell off by the ax.

But instead of Luo Di’s face beneath the mask, there was an unknown visage covered with tentacles.

Crack!

A right arm seized the girl’s head and lifted it high.

There was no chopping,

No crushing,

But instead... crunch, crunch~

Grey tentacles emerged from the palm, drilling into the girl’s mouth and infiltrating her body.

The girl’s face was quickly overtaken by Fear, her whole body rapidly deflated like a balloon as if something was being drawn out.

Crack!

Her head was crushed.

The girl’s entire body was completely pulverized by the tentacles inside.

The movie ended!

Luo Di was captivated by the last scene of the movie, even feeling a sense of resonance.

He felt something unusual,

Looking down at his right hand that was curling the dumbbell,

Sometime unknown, across the dumbbell, tentacles twisted and writhed.

The whispering voice came once more:

≮Fear has been accepted≯