Traces of this manor can be found online.
It's not called the Ghost Manor, but rather a luxurious estate named Bly, located in the English countryside.
Strangely, the website even has job postings for teachers, with a dedicated person in charge.
So why did it appear on a road in Florida?
It all felt like a mystery.
John recalled the phantom card's hint, which mentioned traces of the Ghost Manor, not a person's name.
It seemed the Ghost Manor was an entity, similar to a containment object.
This was somewhat similar to Silent Hill.
However, it didn't matter as long as it didn't target John; he was checking the information out of fear of violating some rule of the manor, which could lead to him being targeted.
Facing such supernatural horror, he currently had no power to resist.
…
The next day.
Round Clam Public School.
John had been taking frequent leaves recently, but under the influence of money, all the leaders, including the principal, said it was fine, and he even received excellent grades in all his courses.
Upon arriving at the classroom, he greeted his classmates.
Everyone responded enthusiastically, even more so than usual, because school was about to go on vacation.
With several months of vacation ahead, everyone was discussing where to travel or vacation.
John went to his seat in the back row, and a classmate to his left invited him to visit another state.
John asked curiously,
"Jack, where do you guys want to go?"
"How about Crystal Lake? Everyone says it's thrilling."
"?" John silently refused. The internet said people often went missing at Crystal Lake. Others might not know, but did he not know why they went missing?
Jason, the American horror killer, was sleeping there, and he was immortal.
Damn, you guys actually want to seek thrills?
There was a reason why there were fewer people abroad.
Just then, it was time for class to end, and the black-haired beauty sitting in front of John turned around and asked with a smile,
"Jhon, I heard your father left you an old castle in Florida. Do I have the honor of visiting it?"
In this era, the concept of a 'school beauty' didn't exist yet, but the sexy allure before him was the talk of Round Clam Town and the school's cheerleading captain, Jennifer.
Most of the men in the school were Jennifer's admirers.
Only John wasn't too keen on her, because he had seen Jennifer's body. If there was a ranking for the beauty of women in American horror, Jennifer would definitely contend for the top spot.
"Hi Jennifer"
But John knew she would be possessed by a demon and turn into a femme fatale who ate human brains, so he "temporarily" kept his distance.
Why temporarily? Because occasionally he also wanted to test the demon's mettle.
However, since the phantom card had no prompt at this moment, it meant Jennifer should not have been possessed yet. As for when it would happen, who knew?
"Jennifer, I might be traveling soon and won't have much time to return to the old castle, so you know."
"What's the point of traveling? Haven't you already traveled once and returned? Don't you think the old castle is more interesting in comparison?"
Jennifer playfully stuck out her tongue, her hint very obvious.
But whether it was genuine or not remained unknown.
According to rumors about John and the school, Jennifer seemed very open, but in reality, few could catch her eye; in common parlance, there were too many simps.
Just as John was about to speak, Sam, another international student, interrupted their conversation unhappily.
"Hey, John, this vacation I'm planning to go caving with the teachers. Are you interested?"
John looked at Sam's suggestion of caving and, with a little inquiry, realized it was "The Descent." If nothing unexpected happened, Sam's expedition team would go into the wrong cave and encounter the monsters within.
He suddenly realized that the students in his class seemed to be one worse than the other at courting death.
Basically, every place they planned to go was somewhat problematic.
Although he hadn't heard of a few, the chance of something going wrong was really not small.
John was now a little worried that when everyone returned to school after the next vacation, there would be few classmates left in the class.
Jennifer and Sam were both waiting for John's answer.
In Jennifer's opinion, John would definitely choose her, after all, Sam's appearance was just ordinary, and she couldn't compare to her in terms of looks or figure.
Or rather, few people in Round Clam Town could compare to her.
A demon or cave monsters, was there even a choice?
The cave monsters had physical forms, and there was no telling when the demon possession would occur. John very wisely chose Sam.
The cave was more suitable for him!
"Sam, that's a great suggestion! I'm very interested in exploring, and perhaps I can even provide some professional equipment for you all."
"John, I guarantee the teachers will welcome your participation."
Sam finished speaking and simultaneously gave Jennifer a provocative look.
This made Jennifer very angry and stirred her competitive spirit. She didn't believe she would lose to such a bitch.
So, on John's usual route home after school, Jennifer blocked his way.
Her goal was simple: to make John stand up Sam. For this, she could give John a chance to pursue her.
Yes, even though John was very rich and tall, he was still just a Chinese international student.
In Jennifer's opinion, giving John a chance was already quite good, and besides, she felt differently about John than about other simps. As long as John was willing to put in a little effort, she really wouldn't mind saying yes to him.
"Jennifer, are you kidding me? Do you think I lack women?" John's words carried a hint of disdain.
Jennifer merely looked down at herself upon hearing this. She couldn't see her toes, only a expanse of fair skin that could make any man lose his mind. She asked, puzzled,
"Am I worse than Sam? Why didn't you choose me over her?"
Indeed, John had to admit that Sam and Jennifer were not on the same level. Jennifer was tall with curvaceous lines. This kind of figure had a captivating languidness; her sexiness was palpable.
She was like a plump, delicious peach, brimming with sweet juice, that made one want to commit a crime just by looking at it.
"? I'm just genuinely interested in exploring the cave."
Jennifer retorted, "So you're just interested in exploring, and not really choosing Sam, is that right?"
Looking at the woman's slightly expectant gaze, John said speechlessly,
"When did I ever say I was interested in Sam?"
Jennifer suddenly laughed and even apologized to John, then she asked again,
"So I'm more attractive in your eyes than Sam, right?"
"Yes." John didn't deny it. Anyone would choose the same; purely in terms of charm, anyone with eyes would choose Jennifer.
Jennifer regained a confident smile.
"Since you like exploring caves, do you want me to go with you?"
"No, the cave is very dangerous." John didn't want to bring a mere pretty face along.
"Can I assume you're concerned about me?"
"You're really narcissistic, Jennifer."
Jennifer cunningly said, "My beauty is something you personally admitted. You don't mind if I tell Sam, do you?"
John: →_→
"I don't mind."
Jennifer: "Jhon, I now believe you genuinely like exploring. I take back what I said earlier. Perhaps I'll be pursuing you. Remember to call me when you get back from your adventure."
As classmates, they had each other's phone numbers.
Before John could refuse, Jennifer had already swayed her perky hips and left. She had proven her charm.
Jennifer's reason for being proactive with John was simple: she valued his handsome looks and substantial wealth, being very realistic.
However, upon realizing that John was different from those men driven by lust, she immediately changed her approach.
…