Chapter 703: Truly Unsettling Encounters

Chapter 703: You’re in for a World of Hurt (Update 1)

The dim space was eerily silent.

The bizarre setting made the demonic images on the walls look even more grotesque.

Even Xiao Yu’s steel resolve couldn’t prevent his heart from skipping a beat.

Yet, deep down, he had to admit, ‘What an impressive drawing!’

The demons on the wall were rendered so vividly that they appeared almost alive.

It was hard to believe that someone could create such a masterpiece with nothing more than ordinary chalk.

Xiao Yu’s eyes were fixed on the painting on the left wall.

It depicted a strange demon with a human face, demonic horns, fangs, and a burly body that looked so real it seemed ready to step off the wall.

On the right wall,

the very same demon was shown splitting—its head, limbs, and torso fracturing into a host of ghostly figures.

Front and center, the mural showed these six phantoms viciously attacking a… human.

The face of that person was blurred, almost as if he had no features at all.

For some unknown reason, seeing this figure made Xiao Yu’s heart lurch.

He couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling that he was that person!

Was he the only one who felt that way?

No.

Everyone who saw the painting would inevitably project themselves into it, imagining themselves as the one under attack.

Xiao Yu’s face turned icy as he muttered, “Psychological Suggestion!”

Every person who entered this Villa was slowly influenced by it.

From the start, the Villa itself was designed like a demonic labyrinth.

Local whispers of hauntings spread as neighbors and passersby became unnerved by its eerie reputation.

Until one actually stepped inside, fell victim to poisonous hallucinations, or descended into the Basement to witness these murals…

It all worked like a hypnotic induction.

First came the guidance, then empathy, until the hypnosis fully took hold.

Only someone had interpreted this process in an entirely unorthodox way.

Hypnosis?

Xiao Yu shook his head. It wasn’t true hypnosis, though the effect was similar.

He was even convinced that the culprit couldn’t possibly be a psychologist.

Not even a psychologist wouldn’t use hypnosis?

They would. Even ordinary people can.

It’s just that most folks never notice it in their day-to-day lives.

To put it bluntly:

A con artist, aiming to deceive, manipulates your beliefs.

They use various tactics to alter your subconscious and thoughts, making you accept their every word.

Take fortune-tellers, for example.

They, too, employ certain methods to win your trust and subtly steer your thinking.

By the time you’re sitting before them, you’re already defeated.

Your subconscious has already begun to absorb their lie.

Some might ask, “Why do fortune-tellers seem so accurate?”

Because you never realize that once your subconscious has been altered, you ignore all their mistakes and only notice the hits.

And some shamans, exorcists, or soul-callers…

It’s the same principle.

When you stand before these people, you tell yourself, “I don’t believe it, I don’t believe it,”

but deep inside, your subconscious screams, “I do, I do!”

Just like with this Villa.

Before Xiao Yu and the others arrived, rumors of hauntings and curses had already spread.

Who among them would have believed such tales?

But once they arrived, their subconscious had already given in.

Those haunted memories twisted their minds, making them jump at every shadow.

Paranoia breeds doubt—hesitation, uncertainty, and loss of confidence… and soon, you begin to accept it!

Staring at the wall murals, Xiao Yu’s expression grew increasingly complex.

He recalled what the members of Team Two had said.

Some were cursed, while others were spared.

He was certain that anyone who had been cursed had ventured into the space behind the wall and seen these murals.

Those who hadn’t been cursed had never entered here or witnessed them.

Because these murals weren’t just art—they were the final switch to trigger the ‘hypnotism.’

At the moment you see them, you’re already hypnotized.

In common lore, this phenomenon is known as ‘Evil Art.’

Alternatively, you could call it a unique form of hypnosis…

The realization deepened the troubled look on Xiao Yu’s face.

The methods employed were simply too bizarre.

They managed to play so many people like puppets, almost convincing even Wang Dong and Team Two that demons truly existed.

That level of cunning and skill was simply unmatched.

The Villa had first appeared six years ago.

Thirty-six mummified corpses had died within a span of three years.

This indicated that if someone intended to toy with the police and National Security,

then they had been planning this scheme for at least six years.

Mastering mummification, refining corpse oil extraction techniques, excelling in chemical pharmacology, and possessing an expert understanding of architecture and Feng Shui.

Key point: they were also adept in a form of demonic ‘Evil Art’—a method akin to hypnosis!

Evil Art is like magic.

Magic fills you with wonder.

But Evil Art fills you with terror.

Once you understand the mechanics behind both,

they lose their mystique and fear.

The unknown remains humanity’s greatest fear!

“What do you intend to do?”

Xiao Yu turned to the ruined wall behind him—the very entryway into this space.

Originally, there had been a mural on that wall.

But when the wall was breached, the mural was defaced.

Even so, Xiao Yu could still make out half of a ghostly face.

It was the eerie, demonic visage, sporting a twisted smile.

One of its eyes seemed to stare at you coldly, sending shivers down your spine.

Xiao Yu fixed his gaze on the eye depicted in the mural.

Through the vision of Falcon’s Eye,

he noticed a tiny black dot on that ghostly eye.

Bang!

[Rhino’s Defense, Bear Force]…

Xiao Yu’s right hand plunged into the wall, his fingers digging into the concrete encasing the painted eye.

He pulled back forcefully.

A chunk of concrete, along with a small black box, was dislodged by his grasp.

Staring at the little box wrapped in concrete, a smirk crept across his face.

Wireless surveillance?

Does this mean every move we make is being watched?

Exactly.

If you create such a ‘masterpiece,’ you’d be disappointed if you didn’t see us being toyed with.

‘Make sure you hide it well—if I catch you, otherwise…’

Xiao Yu set the mini surveillance device in front of him and warned, “You’re in for a world of hurt!”

Wen

Xue