HLM – Chapter 8 The Haunted Castle

The main gate of the castle was a wooden structure assembled from long wooden planks, resembling a fence. It stood about five to six meters tall and around ten meters wide, worn and battered. A thick iron chain held it shut, secured with an old-fashioned black iron lock.

Wang Bo pulled out the key. The keyring looked like a hand bell, with around forty to fifty keys on it. The largest one was about the size of a chicken leg—clearly the one for the main gate.

He had expected the rusted iron lock to be difficult to open, but to his surprise, the key turned with little effort. Charlie explained, “Actually, the castle has only been closed for less than half a month. The old lord was still living here until recently.”

Wang Bo pushed the door open and joked, “So someone just died in there. Are you scared?”

Charlie scoffed, “I’ve seen more dead people than you’ve seen living ones…”

At that point, he fell silent, perhaps realizing even he couldn’t believe his own bluff.

From the outside, the castle looked grand and imposing. Though old, it still retained an aura of authority. But stepping inside, it became clear that the interior was filthy, chaotic, and badly decayed:

After entering through the main gate, there was another inner wall—shorter than the outer one—forming a narrow alleyway between the two. Only after passing through the inner gate did they truly enter the castle. On either side of the inner gate were small rooms resembling guardhouses or reception booths. Directly ahead was a small plaza, now overgrown with weeds, at the center of which stood a broken statue—only the bottom half remained.

On the east and west sides of the plaza were some trees and buildings. The trees were tall but withered, and the buildings varied in height and were in such poor condition that their functions were unrecognizable. Charlie, who was relatively knowledgeable, pointed out that one used to be a granary, another a bakery, that one a hall, and another a chapel. But due to the extreme disrepair, it was hard to tell what was what.

The only clearly identifiable structure was the massive stone building directly facing the small plaza—the main body of the castle. It towered nearly forty meters high, majestic and immovable like a mountain!

With a sense of reverence, Wang Bo pushed open the door. Just as he was about to step inside, he suddenly heard a murky voice in English.

“Huh?” He turned back and asked, “Charlie, what did you just say?”

Charlie was still struggling behind him with the bags and looked confused. “Say what? I didn’t say anything.”

Wang Bo frowned. “You didn’t? I thought I just heard someone talking.”

Charlie shot him an annoyed look. “Trying to scare me, huh? Move aside—let’s drop our stuff and take a break already…”

He shoved past Wang Bo and walked in first, heading straight up the stairs. Meanwhile, Wang Bo began opening windows and doors in the main hall for ventilation. The hall was huge—more like a small square than a room. Wang Bo thought he could organize group dances here in the future.

The first floor of the castle’s main building was extremely tall and spacious—probably around ten meters high. It didn’t feel like a residence at all, more like a government office building back in China. There were three staircases leading to the second floor: two spiral staircases on either side, and one grand, straight staircase in the middle of the hall, divided into four landings. The design was magnificently imposing.

Just as Charlie reached the second floor, his steps suddenly faltered. He slowly turned his head to look down at Wang Bo, a terrified expression on his face.

“What’s wrong?” Wang Bo’s heart tightened as he asked.

Charlie’s voice trembled. “Just now… was the voice you heard saying ‘Who’s there’? In a really strange tone?”

Wang Bo swallowed hard. “I didn’t hear clearly… damn it, Charlie, don’t mess with me. You’re not saying you heard something too, are you?”

He really hadn’t caught the words earlier—just sensed a vague, short phrase. He’d thought it was the wind or a door creaking. But now that Charlie mentioned it, he started doubting himself. The odd, garbled tone had indeed felt weird—like a foreigner awkwardly trying to speak Chinese.

At that moment, the sun dipped behind the mountains, and the dim twilight barely illuminated the castle’s interior. The atmosphere turned chilly and eerie. Mountain winds blew in through the now-open windows, making them creak with long “cree-eak” sounds. The entire castle gradually took on a haunted, uncanny feel.

Charlie, it turned out, was even more of a coward than Wang Bo. He ran back downstairs with his luggage, footsteps clapping loudly, and asked, “Are we really staying here? Bro, someone literally just died in this place!”

Wang Bo replied, “Didn’t you say you’ve seen more dead people than I’ve seen living ones?”

Charlie whispered, “But… a lot of people have died here too! It’s been a century and a half. At the peak of the Roberts family, there were over two hundred people living here—all died here. Just think how many that is!”

Seeing Charlie’s ghost-fearing expression, Wang Bo actually became a bit bolder. He patted Charlie on the shoulder and said, “Alright, buddy, let’s just stay here. The helicopter already left, and we didn’t bring a tent. If we don’t sleep here, where else are we going to sleep? Besides, maybe you just misheard earlier. No need to be scared—ghosts don’t exist, haha.”

Though timid, Charlie had a tough mouth. Hearing Wang Bo say that, he sneered, “Who’s scared? I was worried you’d be scared! OK then, since you’re not scared, let’s stay here—we’ll take the second floor, there are guest rooms up there.”

Wang Bo looked at him with amusement and asked, “What about the first floor?”

“The first floor is for the council room, game room, kitchen, living room, restroom, and dining room. Who puts bedrooms and guest rooms on the ground floor of a castle?” Charlie replied with irritation.

The castle as a whole was made of stone—rough-looking but solid. The staircase was also made of stone, but polished smooth, clearly showing that the Roberts family had put great effort into building it.

At the turn of the stairs were a series of rooms. Wang Bo tried a few keys and managed to open the two nearest ones. The rooms had functioning water and electricity, but aside from wooden floors, bedframes, and a few tables and chairs, there was nothing else. The style was simple to the point of being spartan.

However, the rooms were clean. Charlie explained it was because the British and New Zealand funeral delegation had stayed here after Sir Roberts passed away—not even a week ago—so naturally, things were still tidy.

Wang Bo let Charlie choose one of the rooms first and took the other for himself. He dusted off the bedframe using some dirty clothes, then laid out bedding, unpacked some fruit, food, and daily necessities—just like that, the room began to feel like home.

Though the bedroom was quite plain, the fact that it was entirely his own gave Wang Bo a great sense of satisfaction. It felt even better than the luxurious apartments he’d rented in Beijing.

Dinner was a joint effort. Charlie, having once been part of the New Zealand funeral delegation, was familiar with the layout of the castle. He located the kitchen on the first floor, tossed out the old pots and utensils, and replaced them with newly bought cookware. Wang Bo handled the cooking.

There was no natural gas in the castle, so they used an electric wok. Wang Bo first boiled a pack of macaroni, cooled it down with cold water, then stir-fried it with rice-mixing sauce, carrots, onions, and diced ham.

Since leaving home for school in another city back in junior high, Wang Bo had over a decade of cooking experience. While he couldn’t make fancy dishes, he was skilled with home-style cooking. The stir-fried sauced pasta gave off a mouthwatering aroma. He finished it off by topping the dish with two fried eggs and a few strips of cucumber—visually appealing and delicious.

He also made a rich soup using tomatoes, cucumbers, and eggs. It was simple: finely chop the tomatoes, dice the cucumbers, sauté with some scallions, crack in the eggs, and simmer into soup.

One bite of the pasta and Charlie’s eyes lit up. He slurped up a mouthful and gave a thumbs-up. “Brilliant! Your cooking skills are way better than your looks!”

Wang Bo laughed. “Thanks for the compliment—though your angle is pretty fresh. I really feel like pouring my soup over your face as a thank-you!”

A simple dinner ended with light-hearted chatter. At the end, Wang Bo said sincerely, “Charlie, thank you so much for all your help these past few days. We’re making do tonight, but one day I’ll cook a proper feast to show my gratitude.”

Charlie waved his hand nonchalantly. “You’re being too polite, Wang. First of all, this is my job—totally expected. Second, didn’t I already say? You and I hit it off right from the start.”

Though Charlie said that, Wang Bo still felt indebted to him. Charlie truly had been a great help—when he saw Wang Bo’s phone couldn’t access the internet, he even lent him his iPad.

After watching a movie, Wang Bo leaned against the window, gazing for a while at the bright moonlight outside, then lay on the bed to sleep.

He had a minor issue—mild neurasthenia, a common affliction among programmers. He was a light sleeper; even the slightest noise could wake him. And tonight, he was sleeping in a new bed, which made it even harder to drift off.

He didn’t know how long he’d been asleep when he suddenly heard a faint voice:

“Hun-gry… hun-gry… huuuun-gryyy… Who’s there… who’s there… whooo’s there…”

The voice sounded off, just like Charlie had described earlier on the stairs—odd intonation, stiff and unnatural. It was as if a foreigner was clumsily trying to speak Chinese.

The moment he heard it clearly, Wang Bo was instantly wide awake. Adrenaline surged through his body, and cold sweat beaded on his back.

Lying on his bed, he didn’t dare sit up immediately. He first held his breath and listened carefully. Maybe he was just hearing things?

He focused all his attention, ears straining.

Just then—

BANG! BANG! BANG!

His bedroom door was suddenly struck hard from outside!