Forced entries

Ava quickly realized that John was lying.

Perhaps John was trying to keep his sister from worrying about him.

Or maybe he was just trying to show off a tough guy facade in front of a beautiful woman.

Either way, Ava didn't buy John's story.

Not bothering to call him out, she said, "It's rare to see someone with such a positive attitude like yours. Anyway, it's great that Thriller World hasn't affected you."

"Right? My brother might be a bit of a flirt, but he's really got a sunny disposition!" Mia said with a laugh.

"If you had another chance to enter Thriller World, would you take it?" Ava asked.

"I don't know," John shook his head.

He was pondering this question too.

After all, because of the system, his rewards were much greater than others.

Now, he even had his own private enterprise in Thriller World!

And those challenges didn't seem too hard. Especially since the later instances of Thriller World came with federal government protection mechanisms!

But for now, John wasn't in a hurry to consider this. What he was more concerned about was why his sister had a curse on her.

After the meal, Mia wanted to take John for a walk, but Ava said she had some matters to attend to and had to leave first.

As they were leaving the restaurant, Mia remembered something, told John to wait in the car, and then ran back to talk to Ava.

"What are they talking about?" John raised an eyebrow slightly.

Although it might just be a little secret between friends, John always felt that his sister was hiding something from him.

He knew Mia too well. But they were too far away to hear the content of their conversation.

"I heard them," the Blood-Eye Ghost suddenly said.

"What did they say?" John asked eagerly.

"I'm not telling you."

John scratched his head.

"Come on, buddy, you're sharing a body with me. What's mine is yours, and what's yours is mine. Don't be so petty, spill the beans!"

"I'll tell you, but it'll cost you a piece of MythiCarn!" The Blood-Eye Ghost said, salivating at the thought. He was clearly hooked on the stuff, the taste was unforgettable!

"That stuff is precious, not some hot dog you can find on any street corner."

"Then half a piece."

"Deal!"

In reality, there were only two pieces of MythiCarn.

But John found the price of MythiCarn in the newly opened system store—80 ghost Coins a piece.

Although it was a bit pricey, if it could help establish a good relationship with the Blood-Eye Ghost, it was worth it.

After tasting the delicious MythiCarn, the Blood-Eye Ghost smacked his lips contentedly.

"What did they say?"

"Your sister is about to be forcibly sent into Thriller World."

"Why do you say that?" John's expression changed.

"There are two types of forced entries. One is during emergencies, where people on the brink of death are sent in."

"The second type involves selecting an instance and then placing a forced transmission curse on someone from your human world a couple of days in advance."

"The first type is quite rare, and you just happened to be one."

"The second type is more common."

"Each instance in Thriller World needs participants, but there aren't enough volunteers, so Thriller World selects participants itself and forces them to join. Without any accidents, your sister is likely to be forcibly sent in these next few days!"

The words of the Blood-Eye Ghost weighed heavily on John. No wonder he always felt his sister was hiding something from him; it turned out she was about to be forcibly sent into Thriller World.

"The difficulty of the instance one is forced into is random, and some terrifying instances, despite having protective mechanisms, can still result in the participant's death."

John asked gravely, "So, Ava's purpose in coming here was to share her experience with my sister?"

"From their conversation, it seems Ava's role isn't just to share experience; she seems to be planning to take your sister's place in Thriller World."

"Take her place?" John was taken aback.

"In your human world, there's a machine that can transfer curses. As long as the identity is switched, entering Thriller World before the forced transmission can replace the original person," the Blood-Eye Ghost explained.

"I've seen cases before where humans have entered Thriller World in place of others. They do it for the wealthy who are afraid to die, and the price is not low! I wonder how much your sister paid to convince Ava?"

John squinted his eyes, looking towards Mia, and asked, "When do they start?"

"From what I gathered in their conversation, it should be tomorrow."

The Blood-Eye Ghost was getting somewhat impatient: "Man, you ask too many questions. If you keep asking, it's going to cost you extra!"

"No need to ask further, I've got the picture."

John already had a plan in mind.

Ava said her goodbyes to Mia and returned to her car.

"Sis, what were you guys chatting about for so long?" John asked with a smile.

"Just some girl talk, little secrets between us women. You boys shouldn't pry so much."

Mia flicked John's forehead and started the car.

"Also, Ava will be visiting our home again tomorrow. Dress properly, don't be so scruffy!"

"Okay, got it."

The following day at noon.

Ava arrived as promised, carrying a bag of fruit and a black case.

"John, we meet again. You do look much sharper today than yesterday."

Upon entering and seeing John dressed formally, Ava smiled slightly.

"I heard from my sister that you were coming today, so I changed into something nicer."

"Sis, are you planning to set Ava up with me?"

Mia pinched John discreetly, her little brother was at it again with his nonsense! Couldn't he be a bit more subtle?

Ava didn't seem to mind, she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled brightly: "No problem at all, I'm still single. Whether you can win me over is up to your skills!"

After a round of light-hearted banter, John enthusiastically helped Ava bring her things inside, curiously asking, "Ava, what's with the black case?"

"It's something I need for work. It's not safe to leave it in the car, so I brought it up," Ava said nonchalantly.

"Can I take a look inside?" John asked with interest, looking up.

"Kid, can't you sit still for a moment!" Mia thumped John on the head.

"Mia, didn't you have something to show me? Take me to your room," Ava suddenly said.

Mia snapped out of it, turned around, and glared at John: "You just sit here and behave, got it?"

With that, the two women went into the room and locked the door behind them.

John's gaze then fell on the black case on the table.