A Core Ship From The Start

House of Death.

The Western-style House located deep within the suburban forest has long since fallen into disrepair. Yet today, the once silent area is bustling with noise once more.

"So this is the House of Death."

Getting out of the car, the host frowned slightly, staring at the massive, dilapidated mansion before her. As the host of "Exploring the Suicide Holy Land", she had visited many suicide sites. But this place gave her a feeling that was obviously more eerie than the others, not just simply gloomy, but with an indescribable strangeness...

The host shook her head and then looked toward her assistant.

"Is everyone here?"

"Everyone is here..."

Facing the host's inquiry, the assistant answered softly, looking around somewhat uneasily. Seeing her assistant's unsettled demeanor, the host frowned in dissatisfaction.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

"No, it's just... who is that person?"

The assistant whispered while pointing to the side. The host followed the assistant's finger to see a tall and sturdy man standing next to the director. The man was wearing a black trench coat and sunglasses, looking as intimidating as a demon. Just standing there, he made people afraid to approach.

"I-I don't know either."

Seeing the man, the host was also startled. As a seasoned host at the TV station, she was well aware of the unspeakable ties between the entertainment industry and gangs. However, this variety show wasn't particularly popular, and it never had any association with gangs, right?

"Could this be some gang's territory?"

"It's not impossible... I'll ask the director."

Saying this, the host took out her phone and sent a text to the director— though the director wasn't far away, she preferred texting over approaching him.

"Ding-dong."

Not long after, the director's reply came, and seeing the text, the host breathed a sigh of relief.

"Phew... nothing to worry about, the director said it's a bodyguard hired specifically to ensure our shooting safety."

"I see."

Hearing the host's response, the assistant also breathed a sigh of relief.

"Indeed, we should have a bodyguard; otherwise, it's always nerve-racking and quite terrifying."

Although "Exploring the Suicide Holy Land" is quite popular with audiences due to its sensational nature, and is a regular variety show at the TV station, the staff all know that this job is not easy. Venturing into uninhabited areas and dealing with corpses was daunting at first, but after a while, one becomes desensitized.

The issue is that they are exploring places chosen for suicide.

They also often encounter people who have committed suicide or are part of a collective suicide.

So the problem arises, the crew members dare not provoke such people.

After all, if someone isn't afraid of dying, why would they fear killing?

In fact, when the crew first started this program, they encountered a similar incident. The host at the time naively approached a suicidal office worker, asking, "Why do you want to commit suicide? How do you feel now? Have you considered how your family will feel after you die?"

To the crew, these questions seemed harmless, as entertainment shows thrive on aggressive content, and Japanese people, even if they harbor resentment, often maintain a minimum level of composure in front of the camera.

But they didn't anticipate that the office worker would go berserk, pulling a knife from his briefcase and stabbing the host!

This scared the crew so much that they nearly fled for their lives, while the unfortunate host was stabbed several times. After the incident was exposed, he was fired. The show almost got canceled, but it was preserved, later adopting a new host and exploring a mystery-solving style, which gradually regained its footing.

However, after that incident, the crew finally realized the most terrifying aspect of these suicide holy lands.

That is—there is no law to speak of!

Even though these places are within the country, and technically under legal jurisdiction, as previously mentioned, if people aren't afraid of dying, why would they fear the law?

In fact, the crew even discovered a village in the sea of trees, where the inhabitants had come intending to commit suicide, but for various reasons, they didn't succeed. Instead, they gathered together and became a lawless band of outlaws!

The crew barely escaped with their lives that time, almost perishing there!

Since then, the crew has understood just how savage humans can become when they shed the veneer of civilization.

Honestly, some team members wanted to quit, but— the pay was just too good.

Once we've earned enough, we'll call it quits!

This was the thought of many members of the crew, including the host.

Of course, when to earn enough and quit was another matter.

Previously, they complained about the stinginess above, not sending a bodyguard for such dangerous work. But this time, a bodyguard actually showed up, and he clearly looked like he could fight... Hmm, now they felt much more at ease.

The bodyguard was naturally none other than Duanmu Huai. Through Blondie's extensive social network, Duanmu Huai successfully infiltrated the crew as a bodyguard. At the moment, he stood behind the director, carefully observing the dilapidated House of Death before him.

From the outside, the Western-style house seemed old, but it wasn't as dilapidated as everyone imagined. On the contrary, it looked more like an abandoned mansion than a place known as the House of Death—a Suicide Holy Land.

Yet, eerily, when Duanmu Huai used his strength to probe the House of Death, he was surprised to find no trace of the Ancient Dominator's aura here, as if it were merely a simple abandoned house.

What's going on?

Duanmu Huai couldn't figure it out, but he didn't dwell on it. In short, whatever the situation was, they would only find out by going inside.

Meanwhile, outside the House of Death, the crew members were also ready.

As with every episode, this time they had invited several guests, including an old professor specializing in local history, an actress, and a crosstalk actor. The old professor would provide introductions, while the actress and crosstalk actor would join the crew in venturing into the depths of the mansion.

Of course, strictly speaking, there wasn't much to explore; just filming the rooms in the mansion and capturing the actors' frightened expressions—if they happened upon any corpses, the viewing rates would naturally skyrocket.

Indeed, this was one of the show's highlights. If they captured a corpse, they would shoot the whole process from discovery to notifying the authorities, satisfying many viewers' curious gossipy tendencies. At the same time, some viewers even approved of this approach, thinking the crew allowed the deceased a proper burial, which wasn't a bad outcome.

As for whether any of it was staged—come on, would anyone shoot a reality show and orchestrate things with real corpses?

That's way too hardcore!

Once preparations were complete, everyone stepped into the mansion, and the host began working in front of the camera.

"Dear viewers, what you're seeing right now is a Western-style house located in the suburbs of N City. It's called the House of Death. It gained this ominous title because of the house itself. According to the records, the first owner of this mansion, shortly after its completion, committed suicide with his family by ingesting poison. Because of this, the mansion was left vacant for a long time. Until the 1980s, when a businessman bought it, only for him and his family to be found dead in the house not long after. Thus, the name House of Death began to spread, even being called the grave of the deceased, attracting many who were drawn by the rumors to come and choose to end their lives here..."

Here, the host paused and turned to the old professor.

"Sir, what are your thoughts on this?"

"Hmm... If you ask me, it's just an unfortunate coincidence."

Facing the camera, the old professor gave his response.

"An unfortunate coincidence?"

"Yes, according to historical records, the first owner of the mansion, after building it, had a conflict with his family over financial matters. His son, aiming to seize the family fortune, conspired to poison them. However, something went wrong, poisoning everyone and resulting in a supposed mass suicide. But in fact, it wasn't suicide; it was an accidental murder."

"I see."

Upon hearing the old professor's explanation, the host nodded.

"Then what about the second owner? This is also why many believe the House of Death is cursed. Moreover, the cause of the second owner's death is well-documented and indeed a suicide."

"Hee hee hee, that's easier to understand."

Facing the host's inquiry, the old professor chuckled.

"Due to the financial environment at the time, as everyone knows, many financial tycoons lost everything, with many resorting to jumping to their deaths or using charcoal to commit suicide. This family was just another among them. At the time, their company went bankrupt, incurring a massive debt, forcing them to choose suicide. Therefore, I say it was just a coincidence."

"I see, it seems that this really was an unfortunate coincidence."

"Indeed."

"Alright, CUT!"

After the conversation, the director signaled the end of shooting by raising his hand.

"Next up is the exploration segment. Group two, get ready, and... Mr. Duanmu."

As he spoke, the director looked towards Duanmu Huai.

"Please keep an eye on them, to prevent any accidents."

"Understood, I will."

Duanmu Huai nodded, then squinted as he gazed at the mansion.

Indeed, if the old professor was correct, then everything that happened in that house was merely unfortunate coincidence.

But the question remains... is it truly a coincidence?