《The Apartment》 1.The Blood Words Li suddenly opened his eyes. His heart was burning with pain. Itscoming again? This time, its my turn? Li propped himself up and turned on the bedside lamp. The excruciating pain in his heart finally subsided slightly. He got out of bed, put on his slippers, and then walked out of the bedroom to the living room, turning on the lights. He saw it. On the white wall of the living room, a line of blood-red words appeared! This extremely eerie scene would have terrified anyone into losing their soul if they saw it at midnight. But Li didn''t react. Its my turn again He looked at the words carefully. June 7th C July 7th, 2024. Go to Youshui Village on the outskirts of Shi city and live there for a month. After Li finished reading the eerie blood words, they suddenly began to blur. The blood seemed to be absorbed by the wall, graduallydisappearing. Youshui Village Li remembered the name. He wanted to go back to sleep, but it was impossible. He simply left the living room light on, brewed a cup of tea, and drank it. He didn''t smoke, so he could only have tea. Although coffee might be more effective, Li always felt that his mood was easier to calm down while savoring the aroma of tea. Looking at his reflection in the tea, Li clenched his teacup. He had moved into this apartmentalmost a year ago. Although a year didn''t seem long, Li felt as if he had lived countless years. The next day, as the sun rose, Li woke up at the living room dining table. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. He was only wearing a thin nightgown and a blanket. He didn''t know if he would catch a cold sleeping like that. The teacup on the table, the remaining tea was completely cold. He looked at the wall clock in the living room. It was already6 am. Li rubbed his eyes, went to wash up, got dressed, and then made himself breakfast. He fried an egg, put it in the sliced bread he bought yesterday, and spread some mayonnaise. That was his breakfast for today. Li was actually very skilled in cooking. It was mainly because he lived alone for a long time, so he had to learn to cook. Over time, he could actually cook a great meal. Biting into his homemade sandwich, taking out the milk from the microwave, Li flipped open his calendar to calculate his arrangements for the next month, June. He was an online novelist, and he was quite famous online. He had already signed a contract with a novel website, so he only needed to stay at home and concentrate on writing, receiving royalties. "No major issues," he said, biting into his sandwich, "In June, I just need to take my laptop and update my novel on time. HmmI just dont know what will happen then." Then he put down his calendar, chewed the bread and fried egg in his mouth, and clenched his fists. I must livelive to come back here! After getting dressed, he walked out of the door, but didn''t lock it. He lived in room 404 on the fourth floor. It was quite an unlucky room number, but it wasn''t Li''s choice. He came to the first floor of the apartment. There were no residents on the first floor, but there was a huge hall similar to a hotel. There were sofas and chairs everywhere in the hall for people to rest. And on one of the sofas, three people were sitting. The three people all stood up when they saw Li walking towards them. They were a tall, bespectacled young man in a suit, a young man wearing a hat with a delicate face, and a girl in a green dress with a very cute and pretty face. Youyou all have those blood words on your walls, right? Li pondered for a moment and asked. The three nodded in unison. They were also residents of this apartment. "So that''s the case. At least we have four companions this time." Li breathed a sigh of relief and sat down with them. The expressions of the four were all solemn. Li the pretty girl in the green dress said with a very worried expression, Is it reallyokay? This time, they want us to stay for a month? And it''s in a remote village on the outskirts of the city? "Yeah," the bespectacled young man in the suit said, "I checked the map. The outskirts of Shi city are backed by mountains and very desolate and remote. It''s completely a backward mountain village." There are many rural areas in China. Li was very calm, It''s not unusual to have poor and backward villages that are completely disconnected from the city. Don''t think too much about it. It''s not the first time, after all." ButIm still The bespectacled young man in the suit was about to say something else, but the young man wearing the hat stopped him. The atmosphere fell silent again. After a long time, no one else appeared. It seemed that they four were the only ones whose walls had the blood words this time. Its almost seven o''clock. Li looked at his watch and said, "You three go to work first. I''ll continue to wait here. If there are new members, I''ll call you." Li''s composure and intelligence always made them feel relieved. So the three of them got up and left the apartment. Just now, Li had searched online with his phone, but he couldn''t find Youshui Village. But since it was said to be on the outskirts of Shi city, he would be able to find it. If they couldnt find it based on these clues, the blood words would indicate a more precise address. And on June 7th, they had to enter Youshui Village and absolutely couldn''t leave before July 7th. Absolutely couldn''t Time flew by, and soon it was June 6th. 2.A Taste of Fear It was 2:30 pm. Li, along with the three, walked up the steep mountain path step by step. This mountain was called Hei Wu Mountain, and after repeated verification, it was confirmed that Youshui Village was on the west side of this mountain. The mountain was treacherous, and the transportation to the outside world was very inconvenient. The village was almost isolated from the outside world, living a self-sufficient life without electricity or running water. It could be said to be very poor. The bespectacled young man in the suit was named Qin . He was a young reporter who often ran around for news, so he wasn''t too tired. But the other two, the young man wearing the hat, Luo, and the pretty girl in the green dress, Ye, were ordinary white-collar workers who worked in offices on weekdays. They had walked several kilometers up the mountain path, and their shoes were worn out. They were both extremely tired, but no one dared to rest. They had to reach Youshui Village before dark. Li, holding a compass and a map, didnt seem to be tired. "LiLi," Luo asked, gasping for breath, "How much longer, mymy legs are about to break" "If you want to stop, go ahead," Li said without looking back as he looked at the compass, "I don''t care if I abandon you, as long as you''re not afraid of death." "Howhow could that be!" Luo knew Li''s personality well. Noin fact, everyone was like this. The people who lived in that apartment would eventually become indifferent to the lives of others. Luo had only lived in that apartment for half a year. After walking over another mountain peak, Li''s spirits lifted. He looked down at the foot of the mountain and said, "Look! We''re here!" It was indeed a large village. Although it looked dilapidated, the houses were not as shabby as they imagined. At a glance, hundreds of buildings stood on the spacious land. There were even two-story buildings. There were rows of rice paddies between the buildings. They could also see many people working hard. Once they got here, there wouldnt be any problems. The four then excitedly rushed down the mountain. Entering Youshui Villagewould be like completing the instructions of the blood words. No one could disobey the instructions of the blood words. As they reached the foot of the mountain, Li noticed a young farm girl with a beautiful face carrying two buckets of water. He immediately called out to her. "Miss..." Li walked over and asked, "This isYoushui Village, right?" The farm girl looked about seventeen or eighteen years old, with big eyes that were very charming. "Yes, it is. You" The farm girl looked at Li and asked, puzzled, "May I askwho are you?" "We''re tourists from Shi city. We''ve walked a long way and want to rest in the village for a while." The girl immediately said excitedly, It''s rare to have city people coming here. My name is Axiu. Come with me. I''ll take you to Uncle Wang''s restaurant. Uncle Wang''s noodles are really delicious. They''re all made with well water. Well waterthis village didn''t have running water, right? Besides, when he looked out just now, he really didnt see any telephone poles. It seemed this village was really backward. The farm girl named Axiu was very enthusiastic, so Li and the others followed her. At this time, Li''s gaze, unintentionally, shifted to the bucket of water Axiu was carrying on her back. The water in the bucket looked very clear. He didnt know if it was well water or stream water. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ButLi''s body trembled as if he had been electrocuted! At the bottom of the bucket, a pale, eyeless woman''s face appeared! The face appeared so abruptly that it was impossible to react! Li immediately took several steps back, his heart racing. Then he walked back to look at the bucketit was still an ordinary bucket of water, with no abnormalities. But Li was very clear that what he had seen just now was definitely not an illusion. "AAxiuMiss" Li forcefully suppressed his fear and said, "Wwe won''t trouble you. You''re busy carrying the water bucket anyway." Without waiting for Axiu to reply, he quickly turned around and strode towards his three companions, giving them a look. The three immediately understood and followed Li away from Axiu. Axiu was stunned, not understanding what she had done to offend them. As they walked through the village, their unfamiliar faces attracted a lot of attention. The villagers all looked at them in confusion. Hei Wu Mountain wasn''t a famous scenic spot, so why would there be tourists coming here? Ye whispered to Li, "LiLi, youyou alreadysaw''that thing''?" Li didnt say anything. He just nodded in response. Although he knew that entering Youshui Village would definitely not be a safe way to spend a month, he didnt expect that he would Li looked up at the sky, feeling as if the sun was gradually being obscured by clouds. This timehow many of the four of them could live to see July 7th and return to the apartment in Shi city? It had been a yearLi had experienced this many times. He had almost died several times. He had almost died at the hands of "those things". "Those things" came from nowhere, and no one knew why they appeared, but they were everywhere, able to put you to death anywhere, anytime. And in this world, the only place where they could escape "those things" was in that apartment in Shi city. Only there could they absolutely guarantee their safety. This was an absolute rule that they couldn''t disobey after becoming residents of that apartment. It was 2:30 pm. Li, along with the three, walked up the steep mountain path step by step. This mountain was called Hei Wu Mountain, and after repeated verification, it was confirmed that Youshui Village was on the west side of this mountain. The mountain was treacherous, and the transportation to the outside world was very inconvenient. The village was almost isolated from the outside world, living a self-sufficient life without electricity or running water. It could be said to be very poor. The bespectacled young man in the suit was named Qin . He was a young reporter who often ran around for news, so he wasn''t too tired. But the other two, the young man wearing the hat, Luo, and the pretty girl in the green dress, Ye, were ordinary white-collar workers who worked in offices on weekdays. They had walked several kilometers up the mountain path, and their shoes were worn out. They were both extremely tired, but no one dared to rest. They had to reach Youshui Village before dark. Li, holding a compass and a map, didnt seem to be tired. "LiLi," Luo asked, gasping for breath, "How much longer, mymy legs are about to break" "If you want to stop, go ahead," Li said without looking back as he looked at the compass, "I don''t care if I abandon you, as long as you''re not afraid of death." "Howhow could that be!" Luo knew Li''s personality well. Noin fact, everyone was like this. The people who lived in that apartment would eventually become indifferent to the lives of others. Luo had only lived in that apartment for half a year. After walking over another mountain peak, Li''s spirits lifted. He looked down at the foot of the mountain and said, "Look! We''re here!" It was indeed a large village. Although it looked dilapidated, the houses were not as shabby as they imagined. At a glance, hundreds of buildings stood on the spacious land. There were even two-story buildings. There were rows of rice paddies between the buildings. They could also see many people working hard. Once they got here, there wouldnt be any problems. The four then excitedly rushed down the mountain. Entering Youshui Villagewould be like completing the instructions of the blood words. No one could disobey the instructions of the blood words. As they reached the foot of the mountain, Li noticed a young farm girl with a beautiful face carrying two buckets of water. He immediately called out to her. "Miss..." Li walked over and asked, "This isYoushui Village, right?" The farm girl looked about seventeen or eighteen years old, with big eyes that were very charming. "Yes, it is. You" The farm girl looked at Li and asked, puzzled, "May I askwho are you?" "We''re tourists from Shi city. We''ve walked a long way and want to rest in the village for a while." The girl immediately said excitedly, It''s rare to have city people coming here. My name is Axiu. Come with me. I''ll take you to Uncle Wang''s restaurant. Uncle Wang''s noodles are really delicious. They''re all made with well water. Well waterthis village didn''t have running water, right? Besides, when he looked out just now, he really didnt see any telephone poles. It seemed this village was really backward. The farm girl named Axiu was very enthusiastic, so Li and the others followed her. At this time, Li''s gaze, unintentionally, shifted to the bucket of water Axiu was carrying on her back. The water in the bucket looked very clear. He didnt know if it was well water or stream water. ButLi''s body trembled as if he had been electrocuted! At the bottom of the bucket, a pale, eyeless woman''s face appeared! The face appeared so abruptly that it was impossible to react! Li immediately took several steps back, his heart racing. Then he walked back to look at the bucketit was still an ordinary bucket of water, with no abnormalities. But Li was very clear that what he had seen just now was definitely not an illusion. "AAxiuMiss" Li forcefully suppressed his fear and said, "Wwe won''t trouble you. You''re busy carrying the water bucket anyway." Without waiting for Axiu to reply, he quickly turned around and strode towards his three companions, giving them a look. The three immediately understood and followed Li away from Axiu. Axiu was stunned, not understanding what she had done to offend them. As they walked through the village, their unfamiliar faces attracted a lot of attention. The villagers all looked at them in confusion. Hei Wu Mountain wasn''t a famous scenic spot, so why would there be tourists coming here? Ye whispered to Li, "LiLi, youyou alreadysaw''that thing''?" Li didnt say anything. He just nodded in response. Although he knew that entering Youshui Village would definitely not be a safe way to spend a month, he didnt expect that he would Li looked up at the sky, feeling as if the sun was gradually being obscured by clouds. This timehow many of the four of them could live to see July 7th and return to the apartment in Shi city? It had been a yearLi had experienced this many times. He had almost died several times. He had almost died at the hands of "those things". "Those things" came from nowhere, and no one knew why they appeared, but they were everywhere, able to put you to death anywhere, anytime. And in this world, the only place where they could escape "those things" was in that apartment in Shi city. Only there could they absolutely guarantee their safety. This was an absolute rule that they couldn''t disobey after becoming residents of that apartment. 3.Apartment 404 It all started a year ago. Looking back now, it feels like a nightmare. After graduating from university, Li, against his parents'' wishes, resolutely became an online novelist. Of course, it wasn''t for any reasons like dreams or ideals. He simply did it because he could make money from it. Very few people made online novel writing their full-time job. Li was one of them. His royalty income wasn''t very high, barely enough to make ends meet. Besides, his new work might not continue to be popular. In this era, there were more readers who loved the new and hated the old. Especially for online novels, which were just fast food literature, simply a means of entertainment. Li was once very lost. He always felt that his future was directionless. He rented a house in Shi city and lived alone. Every day, he would get up and open his computer to write and upload novels. He basically did all his daily shopping online. He had practically become a "homebody." He mostly wrote war-themed novels, even though he didn''t really understand war. His novels were becoming less and less popular online. This month, fewer and fewer people subscribed to his novel chapters. His monthly income was less than eight hundred yuan. It wasn''t enough for his daily expenses, let alone rent. He felt like he had reached a very difficult point in his life. That day Li was strolling through a commercial street in Shi city. Usually, he would be updating his novel at home at this time. But nowhe was considering his future. Stolen novel; please report. He realized that he was still too naive. Although he had expected this day to come, he thought that once he had saved some money, he could invest in stocks. Maybe he could even start his own business in the future. But reality wasn''t that simple. Should he find a job? He didn''t have any work experience. What company wouldn''t value experience these days? There were countless college graduates entering society, they wouldn''t be taken seriously. Holding a job-seeking weekly magazine in his hand, Li''s frown deepened. As he walked, he had unknowingly entered a community and walked into an alley. I shouldfind a job first, Li couldnt bring himself to go back home and ask his parents for help. He had to get through this hurdle, even if it meant fighting for it. After allif he delayed paying his rent for another month, the landlord would have no choice but to kick him out. He had moved out to live on his own because he disagreed with his parents. He wanted to go back home when he had achieved something. Butnow he was in this situation. As he walked, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine. He lowered the job-seeking weekly magazine in front of him. In the sunlight, his shadow was projected on the ground But he was still holding the job-seeking weekly magazine in front of him! Then, he saw a terrifying change in his shadow. Li was standing still, but his shadow started to move! His shadow detached from his feet and moved towards the corner of the alley in front of him! Li was stunned. It took him a few seconds to react! He didnt have a shadow anymore! He didnt think, his mind went blank, and he ran away, following the direction his shadow was running! The shadow moved very fast in this winding alley, and Li had to exert a lot of effort to catch up with it. Finally, after passing through another alley, Li saw his shadow enter a very open area. In the center of this areawas a very tall apartment building. The apartment building, at a rough glance, looked at least twenty stories high. The building also had a large area, about two hundred square meters, with white walls and rows of orderly balconies on the exterior. But this apartment building had an extremely eerie feature. It was noon, and the sun was shining directly down. But this huge apartment buildingdidn''t have a shadow on the ground! How was that possible? Li rubbed his eyes frantically. He strongly suspected he was dreaming. But the scene before him was undeniably real. At the entrance to the apartment building on the first floor was a revolving door. His shadow moved on the ground towards the revolving door and automatically went through it. At this moment, all the ghost stories he had heard as a child came rushing back to him. He was only about thirty meters away from this apartment building. This seemingly ordinary apartment building seemed to be a monster that wanted to eat him, ready to swallow him whole at any moment. But somehow, he still walked towards this apartment building. As if something was calling to him. He reached the revolving door, stretched out his hand, pushed it open, and walked in. What met his eyes was a spacious hall. The floor was made of polished marble, the ceiling was hung with crystal chandeliers, and to the left of the hall, he could see a staircase, while to the right, there were three elevators. His shadow floated on the ground towards one of the elevators, and then the elevator door opened. The shadow floated in, and the elevator door closed. Li immediately ran to the elevator door and nervously watched the elevator floor display. The elevator stopped on the fourth floor. Li immediately ran to another elevator, pressed the button, and the elevator door slowly opened. He dashed inside and pressed the button for the fourth floor. As the floor number went up, Li''s heart also went up. My shadowmy shadow Li strongly felt that losing his shadow meant something terrible. Finally, he reached the fourth floor. 4.The Alley of No Return The moment the elevator door opened, he immediately stepped out and stood on a long corridor. The corridor was also well lit. But the farther he walked, the more of a deep feeling it gave him. There were doors on both sides of the corridor. Each door had a number on it: "411", "410", "412", etc. When Li reached the door of room 404, his shadow suddenly floated out from the gap in the door and returned to his feet. However, the shadow was still doing something Li hadnt done. His shadows right hand seemed to be holding something, but he couldnt see clearly. Then, his shadow put it in his shadows trouser pocket. After doing that, his shadows hands dropped, and it stood motionless. Li tried to wave his right arm. To his surprise, his shadow also waved its right arm! The shadowreturned? At that time, he reached into the trouser pocket where his shadow had put the thing, and he felt a hard object. It was a key. The key looked ordinary, except it had the number 404 engraved on it. Li looked at the door of room 404 next to him, trembling, inserted the key into the keyhole, turned it gently, and the door opened. He walked into room 404. What he saw was a rather large living room, with a coffee table, sofa, wardrobe, TV, and even a karaoke system and stereo speakers next to the TV. It seemed to be a very expensive model. And next to the TV was a row of floor-to-ceiling windows, leading to a balcony. He took a closer look and saw that there were two bedrooms, a study, a bathroom, and a kitchen. The room was well decorated, the furniture was new, and most of it was branded. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The room was about eighty square meters. According to current house prices, this house, even if it was a second-hand apartment, wouldn''t be cheap. At leasthe couldnt afford a house like this with his current income. Whatwas going on? "Youyou''re the new resident?" Li turned around at the sound of the voice. What he saw was a pretty girl in a green dress. Whowho are you? Li asked cautiously. Dontdont be afraid, the girl quickly waved her hand, IIm like youmy shadow also automatically ran into this apartment, and thenI became a resident of this apartment. Youalso got the key, right?" Li was startled. He immediately walked towards the girl, holding the key, and asked, "What''s going on? Thiswhat is this apartment" Since youre the new resident, according to custom, Ill take you to meet our building manager. Hes the one we all elected. When you meet him, hell tell you whats going on. Then, hell register your arrival. "Bubuilding manager?" "There are currently thirty-nine people living in this apartment, including you, that makes forty. All of usare all forced to be bound to this apartment and have to live here forever." Li was instantly furious, "Youare you kidding me? I can''t possibly live in this hellhole!" The girl smiled bitterly, "Theres nothing we can doII was also very scared when I first entered this apartment, buttheres really nothing I can do. Once our shadows enter this apartment and are given the key, it means we''ve become residents of the apartment, and thenwe cant escape this apartment." As she said that, the girl had a pained expression on her face. "Nocan''t escape?" Li felt the situation becoming more and more bizarre, "Why cant we leave?" "In the past, there were those who were chosen as residents but didn''t live in the apartment. Those peoplewould be killed by their shadows." "Whwhat?" Li was dumbfounded. "Youyou''re joking, right?" "Didnt you see? This apartment has complete control over the shadows. Normally, you can control and manipulate your shadow at will. Butif you do something against the rules, your shadow will control your body to commit suicide. I''ve lived in this apartment for two yearsI''ve seen many people commit suicide and die because they violated the rules of the apartment, controlled by their shadows." People, actually being controlled by their shadows? Such absurd words, but Li couldn''t refute them. Because he had just witnessed the abnormal changes in his shadow! Li began to feel that this apartment was completely beyond his comprehension. "Whwho built this apartment? Whywhy did they choose us to be residents?" The girl shook her head and said, "I don''t knowIve thought about it many times over the past two years, but I can''t understand it. I really can''t understand! This apartment itself is beyond comprehension! But one thing is certain. We cant see the person who built this apartment. For those who arent residents, this apartment doesnt exist in the world. Whwhat do you mean? Did you pass through an alley to get here? "Yeyeah" "Actually, its a dead end. Only those chosen as residents can enter this apartment through that alley. This piece of land occupied by the apartment doesn''t exist either. It''s non-existent land!" "Nonon-existent?" Li looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the balcony. Outside, rows of high-rise buildings were clearly visible. "We can see the outside world, but the outside world can''t see us." The girl saw Lis confusion and explained to him, "Once you leave the apartment and walk out of the alley, you won''t be able to see the apartment. Those who aren''t residents don''t know that this apartment exists in the world." But the apartment was real. And once you entered, it was like stepping onto an extremely dangerous and terrifying path of no return! 5.The Price of Freedom The history of this apartment building is said to be beyond calculation. And the number of people who have lived in this apartment is quite large. Over the decades, the residents have developed a tacit understanding and experience, knowing what to do and what not to do, how to benefit themselves, and how to avoid harm. Therefore, whenever a new resident moves in, an old resident will tell them the detailed precautions. If they don''t explain clearly, they might break the rules and die a terrible death. There are two basic rules. Once you become a resident of the apartment, you must follow these two rules, no matter what. First, and most importantly, except in cases where the blood words instruct you to go out, you absolutely cannot leave the apartment for more than forty-eight hours. If you break this rule, you will die. Second, after becoming a resident, if blood words appear on the wall of your room, you must absolutely follow the blood words'' instructions. If you deviate even slightly, you will also die. Li had witnessed firsthand what happened to those residents who didn''t believe these two rules and disregarded the blood words'' instructions and left the apartment. Those residents all died in extremely bizarre ways. Without exception! Ye, the resident of room 403, was Lis next-door neighbor. Luo, the resident of room 507, had lived there for half a year and had survived two blood word instructions. Qin, the resident of room 507, had lived there for more than nine months and had survived three blood word instructions. The blood word instructions usually involve going to specific locations and doing certain things. During that time, many bizarre things would inevitably happen. Often, you wouldnt even realize it, you''d already be dead. You wouldnt even realize you were dead when you died. It sounds unbelievable, even unimaginable, butit''s an undeniable fact. Li, too, had taken a long time to fully accept all this. After all, it all happened so suddenly, it was too unreal. But at that time, he didn''t dare to leave the apartment for more than forty-eight hours. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. After all, that was equivalent to suicide. Eventually, he borrowed some money from the other residents of the apartment, paid his rent, and moved into the apartment. Most of the residents of the apartment, like him, entered the apartment because their shadows automatically went into the apartment, and they chased their shadows into the apartment. The person who had lived in the apartment the longest was the building manager, Yuan. Yuan was a young man who wore glasses and looked very polite and refined. He had been living in this apartment for over five years. He told all the residents that the only way to survive in this apartment was to escape back to the apartment in time after the allotted time ended! No matter what existed at the designated location, no matter what curses you faced, once you escaped back into the apartment, you would be completely free from all danger. You could go out again after entering the apartment without worrying about being harmed. Untilthe next blood words appeared. Over the past year, Li had witnessed firsthand the fate of those who were chosen to be residents but didn''t live in the apartment because they didn''t believe the residents. He had tried to persuade those people to move into the apartment, but they all ignored him. As a resultafter forty-eight hours, Li personally saw their shadows change one by one. They either controlled them to jump off buildings or use knives to commit suicide. The most tragic one was controlled by his shadow to run to a crossroads, where he was run over by a truck and turned into a pile of flesh. After seeing that, Li couldnt even look at meat for three months. The blood word instructions usually went from easy to hard. The first blood word instruction was the least dangerous, and the chance of survival was quite high. But from the second time onwards, the danger and strangeness would gradually increase. Then the thirdthe fourthall would require you to give your all to survive by a hairs breadth. The blood word instructions were usually given monthly. According to the experience of the old residents, there had never been a case where they hadnt received blood word instructions for more than half a year. When your room received a blood word instruction, your heart would feel a burning sensation. Even if you werent in your room, you would immediately realize that blood words had appeared in your room. Once you finished reading the blood words and remembered them, the blood words would disappear. The blood word instructions never instructed them to do something they couldnt do, like go to the moon. They were all physically achievable actions. Finally, according to the experience of the old residents over the decades, they reached a conclusion. That isthere is only one way to leave this apartment. That isto complete ten blood word instructions consecutively and still be alive. You would then be free to move out of the apartment without fear of death. Of course, the word "consecutive" was superfluous because the standard for completion was simply that you could return to the apartment alive. If you died, you naturally wouldnt be able to complete the next blood word instruction. Your room would then become an empty room until a new resident moved in and generated new blood word instructions. Until now, he had already completed three blood word instructions. And the last time he completed a blood word instruction, it was almost a near-death experience! The instruction was simple: go to the fifth floor of a deserted school and stay there until midnight. At that time, there were six people, including him, who received the same blood word instructions. When it was midnight, everyone ran out of the school. Howeverno matter where they went, they found themselves in a dead end! Then, as they ran, they discovered that their companions, who had been fine, suddenly turned into bloody corpses! Finally, Li gritted his teeth, jumped from the window onto a tree, climbed down, and then got into one of the dead companions'' cars and sped off towards the apartment! 6.The Village of Whispers Although Li had learned how to drive, he didnt have a driver''s license. The car was also a new model, and he was sweating bullets as he drove back to the community where the apartment was located. Butas he got out of the car, he felt a hand grabbing his foot! He fell to the ground, and he sawa child wearing a school uniform, with a pale face, attached to the bottom of the car! Li acted decisively. He immediately pulled his foot out of his shoe! Then, he ran desperately into the alley! He had been going to the gym every day to exercise and improve his running speed. The other residents exercised with him. In the end, almost everyone had developed running speed comparable to marathon runners. Butno matter how fast he ran, the child in the school uniform was still catching up to him! Every time Li looked back, he sawhim approaching him! The scariest thing washe was just walking, and there was no way he could be fast enough to catch up to him! Finally, when he was only ten meters away from the apartment, he saw Yuan and a group of residents waiting for him at the revolving door! "Hurry! Li!" At that time, Yuan, who always looked polite and refined, was yelling desperately, "Ten more meters and you''ll be safe! Hurry!" According to Yuan later, at that time, they saw that the ghost wasless than two meters away from Li! Li ran the last ten meters with all his might. At the same time, the ghost had closed the gap to zero, and it stretched out its arms to hug Li! But Yuan and the others couldnt run out to save him! After all, leaving the apartment, there would be no guarantee of life safety! At the last moment, Li suddenly burst into speed again, roared, rushed towards the revolving door, and pushed it open! During this process, the ghost child had already touched his sides! Once Li entered the apartment, the ghost was powerless. It stood at the door for a long time, then its body turned into smoke and slowly disappeared. Afterward, Li lifted up his shirt and was horrified to find that he hadtwo small black handprints on each side of his waist! This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it The handprints didnt disappear completely for a long time. Two months after that incident, the current instruction came. This was the fourth time he had completed a blood word instruction. It wasdefinitely a time when the danger was at an extremely high level! This village was much larger than he expected. However, as expected, there was no place to stay. That was natural. Of course, according to the blood words instructions, he had to live here. Leaving the range of Youshui Village would be considered breaking the instructions of the blood words. The village was surrounded by mountains. The surrounding terrain was steep. A long river ran through the village, providing the best guarantee of water. With this water source, they could irrigate the crops, and the villagers could live a self-sufficient life in these mountains. Most of the fields were planted with rice. Even some children under ten years old were helping to plant rice in the paddy fields barefoot, with mud and water all over their faces. After walking for a while, a middle-aged man finally walked up to them and asked, "Gentlemenare you city people?" The children were all very curious about Li and his companions. After all, it was rare to see a city person in these mountains. Many of them had never seen things like electric lights or televisions. Li vaguely felt that there was a hint of hostility in the middle-aged mans tone. If you are reporters covering that incident, get out of here immediately! The middle-aged mans eyes widened. "It''s been so many years, why won''t you let it go?" Lis heart skipped a beat. That incident? Could it be related to this blood word instruction? He quickly waved his hands, No, sir, youve got it wrongwe are just ordinary tourists. We want to stay in your village. Dont worry, well pay. These days, there were indeed some seasoned hikers who did not follow the tourist routes planned by travel agencies and went on self-guided tours to remote mountains and wilderness. But Hei Wu Mountain wasnt a tourist attraction, and there werent usually tourists coming here. The middle-aged man clearly didn''t believe Li. Nonsense! Get out of here! Dont think I dont know what youre up to!" The middle-aged man was getting more and more excited, but Li knew very wellhe couldnt leave this village. According to the blood word instructions, he had to stay in this village for a month, otherwise He would die! The instructions of the blood words were to be obeyed absolutely. Li had learned that lesson the hard way. Whats all this commotion? A raspy voice rang out, and then people pushed their way through. A gray-haired old man was slowly walking over, supported by a young woman in her twenties. The headman "Headman, theyre city people. They must be here for that Li Bing incident!" Thats right! Thats definitely it! The old man looked as if he was in his eighties. He walked towards Li and his companions, trembling, and said, Young menwhy have you come here? Li quickly stepped forward and bowed, "Hello, headman. We are simply here to enjoy the scenery and experience the rural lifestyle. Thats why we want to stay in this village. Dont worry, we wont stay for free." Oh? Experience the rural lifestyle? Thats very interesting. The headman seemed to be thinking something. Then he said, Well, come stay at my place!" Li was stunned. The headmanwas so willing to agree? Headman, howhow can you let these people of unknown origin stay at your place?" The middle-aged man immediately said, They must be reporters! "It doesn''t matter," the headman said very generously, "It''s been a long time since Youshui Village had visitors. Its rare to have guests. How can we not treat them well?" The headman''s words made Li suspicious. Was there something else he was up to? But as long as he could stay, that was all that mattered. The restdidnt matter. To be honest, Li was still very worried about escaping on July 7th. With the terrain here, driving would be slower than walking, so they could only escape on foot. But with such a steep mountain, if they were pursuedhow many of the four of them could survive? Last time, there were six residents, and only Li survived! So, Li decided to figure out what exactlythe evil force that existed in this Youshui Village was. Maybe he could find a solution! 7.A Deadly Welcome Li still remembered Yuans special warning before he left. "From the fourth blood word instruction onwards, the danger is often invisible. To survive, you have to observe, be cautious, and find some kind of pattern. Dont miss any unnatural details, no matter how small they are. Its been a long time since anyone has survived three blood word instructions, so I hope you can survive." And he specifically emphasized one point "Don''t trust anything anyone says, not even yourself. Because your eyes will deceive you. You might be walking on a cliff, but youll feel like youre on flat ground." Li kept these words in mind, not daring to relax for a moment. The headman''s invitation was a huge "unnatural" event. "I am the headman of this village, my name is Zhang." The headman, supported by the young woman, led Li and his four companions towards his own house. "Headman Zhang," Ye asked first, "Whyare you willing to let us stay?" "Haha," the headman smiled mysteriously and said, "I''m not like those backward old-timers. Youshui Village can''t stay stuck in these mountains forever. Dont be nervous. Stay as long as you want." The young woman supporting him quickly said, "Grandpa, isis that really okay? Tomorrow, isis Bings memorial day. At a time like this" Bings memorial day? Li''s heart skipped a beat. Tomorrowwas the day he was officially supposed to start living in Youshui Village according to the apartments blood word instructions. And that Bing, was she the Li Bing they were talking about? And it just happened to be her memorial day If he said it was a coincidence, he wouldnt believe it if he were beaten to death. The headmans house was quite grand. It had a bit of a small villa vibe, with three floors and a reinforced concrete exterior. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Unlike most of the other houses, which were mostly ordinary cement houses. It wasnt the time to be polite, so Li and his companions went into the headmans house. Of course, the headman was also cautious. He took them to his room. After they sat down, he told his granddaughter to leave and close the door. Then, he asked, Now, can you tell me your names?" After all, they were strangers. The headman wanted to know who they were. Li replied, "My name is Li. This is Qin, Luo, and Ye" At that moment, the door suddenly opened, and a young man with a crew cut walked in, coldly scanning Li and the others. He said to the headman, Grandpaits true, I heard people in the village say that you brought some shady people to stay here?" Awu! Why are you so rude! Headman Zhang immediately said angrily, "Who I invite is my business. Do you have to approve it?" The young man named Awu, however, was not willing to back down. He said, Grandpa, its your freedom to invite whoever you want, but I cant stand these no-good people running around the village!" Immediately, Luo, who was quick-tempered, got angry and stood up. He said, Youwho do you call no-good? Li also stood up immediately and said in a low voice, "Are you serious? Is this the time to be arguing about this?" Then he said with a smile, Sir, were here to experience the rural lifestyle. We dont have any malicious intentions. Well leave after a month." A month? The young man named Awu was furious. He said, Do you think you can stay that long? Get out! Im telling you, all the ghost stories are just made up by people with a guilty conscience. Li Bing committed suicide. The police have closed the case! Some people are making up stories about ghosts to stir up trouble!" Suicide? This surprised Li. But it was still nerve-wracking. Everyone had seen ghost stories. It was common for people who committed suicide to become ghosts. Awus glaring gaze made Li even more certainghosts werent made up. "Okay, Awu!" Headman Zhang slammed his cane on the floor and said, "Go back to your room! Mr. Li and the others are my guests. How can you be so rude to them!" Humph! Awu ignored him. He said, Grandpa, are you really letting them stay for a month? Do you know who they are?" Headman Zhang swung his cane and hit Awu! The latter, caught off guard, was hit hard on the shoulder! Go back to your room! Headman Zhang said angrily. Suddenly, he started to cough. Li was baffled. He was beating his grandson for them, a group of strangers? What was the headman up to? The level of unnatural events was getting stronger. Awu glared at Li and his companions and said, Lets see how long you can enjoy yourselves!" Then he rushed out of the room. He bumped into a middle-aged woman. "Awu! What are you doing!" The middle-aged woman covered her forehead and said, Youre so reckless! Mom, go ask Grandpa yourself! Then, Awu rushed out. The middle-aged woman immediately chased after him. "I apologize for the commotion," Headman Zhang immediately closed the door and said, "Dont worry about anything. Just stay. Stay as long as you want." Li felt as if Headman Zhang had invited them here for a reason. What was it? 8.A Hidden Enemy There were four people living in Headman Zhangs house: him, his daughter Ying, the middle-aged woman he had just met, his grandson Wu, and his granddaughter Su, the young girl. His son-in-law had died three years ago. Considering Awus attitude, Li thought it would be inappropriate for them to eat together, so he suggested that they have meal by themselves. They didnt have to trouble the headman. After all, they had brought plenty of food, just in case. To Li''s surprisethe headman didnt insist. He agreed to his suggestion. Night fell. The rushing water poured down the waterfall. Axiu walked towards the waterfall, wading through the water. Sister Bing Tears streamed down her face. At the same time, near the headman''s house lived the middle-aged man who had given Li and the others a hard time that morning. His name was Yan. He was a very jovial person in the village and was well-respected. He lived alone and was still single. "What is the headman thinking" It was almost midnight, but Yan couldnt sleep. It was almost summer, but he felt cold all over. He had even added another blanket. But even so, he still felt shivering. Suddenly, he felt something wet in the blanket. He didnt pay much attention to it at first. But later, he felt like the entire blanket was soaked in water! Yan immediately sat up and threw back the blanket. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The entire bed was completely soaked in water, he didnt know when. He immediately sat up. When his feet touched the floorthey were also submerged in water! "Whwhat''s going on?" He began to feel uneasy. The room was dark, and because there was no electric light, he couldnt see anything and had to feel his way forward. Because he had lived here for a long time, he was familiar with the layout, so he didnt bump into any furniture. He felt his way to the drawer and found that it was also full of water. He opened the drawer, took out a kerosene lamp and a box of matches. He felt a little reassured after lighting the lamp. It was past midnight. The time was now June 7th. Yan walked out of the bedroom and looked outside. He found that the water on the ground was quite serious. "Is it raining heavily?" But outside, the moon was bright in the sky. There was no sign of rain whatsoever! Soon, he felt water dripping from the ceiling. Yan held up the kerosene lamp and looked up. There was indeed water on the ceiling. Butas he saw the scene, he was immediately terrified! Whhow was this possible? On the snow-white ceiling, there werefootprints! Footprints made of water! The footprints were clearly visible. There were five toes. Could a person possibly walk upside down on the ceiling? Yan calmed himself down. He clenched his lips and stared at the footprints on the ceiling. They actually extended into the kitchen. Although he was very scared, Yan still wanted to go take a look. Maybe he could find some explanation for this bizarre phenomenon. He trembled as he slowly walked towards the kitchen. The kitchen wasnt very big. He could see everything at a glance. There was nowhere for anyone to hide. Exceptthe big cupboard. And the footprints on the ceiling actually extended to the top of the cupboard and then moved to the wall next to the cupboard! "No, thats impossible." Yan held the kerosene lamp high, slowly approaching the cupboard. Every step he took was like walking on thin ice. When he finally reached the cupboard, he grabbed the door with his left hand and took a deep breath. Noits not meLi Bing, you committed suicide. It wasnt me who killed you. Dont come for me" Then, he slammed the cupboard door open! In the light of the kerosene lamp, he saw Rows of neatly arranged bowls and spoons. Everything was normal. Whew! Yan felt like he was going to collapse, but he finally relaxed. It must have been his imagination. But what about the footprints on the ceiling? Was it someone playing a prank? But no one in the village had a grudge against him. Besides, could those water stains from the footprints have accumulated that much water? He should just scoop out the water. Otherwise, he wouldnt be able to sleep. So he closed the cupboard door, deciding to scoop up the water with a basin. Just as the cupboard door was about to close A bloodless hand reached out from the cupboard, holding the door open! Yan didnt have time to react. Another hand reached out, grabbed his neck. The cupboard door opened, and Yans body was pulled into the cupboard! The cupboard door slammed shut. For a long time, there was no sound. The water, as if absorbed, seeped into the ground and disappeared. A gust of wind blew, and the cupboard door opened again. Inside, there were still just neatly arranged bowls and spoons. 9.The Ties That Bind Li looked at the bright moon outside the window. As the hands of his watch crossed midnight, it meant they were now bound to this village. They could only leave on July 8th at midnight, one month later. A monththat was a long time, even by their standards. He still vividly remembered Ye taking him to meet Yuan for the first time. Yuan, who lived in room 1006, gave Li an immediate impression of disbelief. He was the one who had lived in this terrifying place for four years (Yuan had lived there for four years before). Could it be true? He wore rimless glasses and a crisp, well-ironed suit. He was tall and had a refined, kind face. He lookednothing like the building manager Li had imagined. "Are you the new resident?" Yuan accepted him easily, as if it were a common occurrence. "Yes, . I" "Dont say anything." Yuan immediately told him to sit down in the room and then said to Ye , "Ye, go and tell everyone about the new arrival." Ye looked at Yuan at that time, her face flushed like a ripe apple. She couldnt even look directly at him. Then, shyly, she nodded and walked out. Yuans room was about the same size as Lis. However, it was more simply decorated. "Dont be too nervous," Yuan said with a smile, "Everyone who enters this apartment for the first time feels lost. And when I tell them the truth, they feel like their worldview is collapsing. Its difficult to accept and believe." "IIm still confused about all this." Li put his hand on his forehead and said, Mr. Yuando I really have to live here forever?" Would you like coffee or tea?" Yuan didn''t answer directly. Instead, he took a ceramic cup from the cupboard and said, "I have Hangzhou Dragon Well tea. And for coffee, I have imported Colombian and Brazilian coffee beans. My parents send them to me from abroad." Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. CoffeeI always feel like its no different from Chinese medicine." Li said with a wry smile, Hmm, tea is fine. By the way, no goji berries. Okay. Would you like some chrysanthemums? Sure. Yuan looked about twenty-four or five years old, a little older than Li, but he acted very mature. After brewing the tea, he politely handed it to Li. Then he said, "Believe what Im about to tell you. I can assure you that Im not lying. However, I cant guarantee how much of it youll be able to accept." "II understand." Then, Yuan told Li everything. When he finished, Lis expression was one of complete shock. He couldnt accept such a bizarre explanation. Butit was true. He had tried to go outside the alley to look back at the apartment. Sure enoughit had disappeared without a trace. This was truly an inexplicable building. I understand how youre feeling, butI must tell youyou will die if you leave this apartment for more than forty-eight hours. If you dont believe me, I can show you some videos. To convince people, I used to I believe you." Li accepted this very easily. Then he said, "Soyouve all encounteredencountered" in those places instructed by the blood words. "Yes." Yuans face turned pale. "Unfortunately, Ive ceased to be an atheist since I entered this apartment." The existence ofthe supernatural? Lis hands began to tremble uncontrollably. Yuan pushed up his glasses and said, Ilooking back on my life, Im shocked Im still alive today. Just remembering it all makes me doubt how I even survived it." Li then asked a question. You saidusually, there wouldnt be more than six months between blood word instructions. Sofor the same resident, how long is the usual interval between blood word instructions?" Thats hard to say." Yuan continued, "It will be faster at first, with a new set of blood words appearing every few months. However, the longer it goes on, the longer the intervals. Ive completed five blood word instructions, and the last one was almost a year ago. Sothat means we have to live here indefinitely if there are no instructions? Yes. Theres no other way. The story about completing ten blood word instructions and being able to leave was also told to me by the old residents when I first moved in. Those old residents are all dead now." Li knew very wellhe would probably have to live in this apartment for a long time. Then, Yuan took him to meet the other residents in the apartment. The following people left a deep impression on Li: Hua and Lian, a couple who lived in room 706. The couple was very young, they seemed to have just graduated from university. They had moved into the apartment a year before Li. Li got along well with them. There were also two other people who he couldnt forget. One was Tang, who lived in room 502. The other was Oda Saki, who lived in room 402. Tang was an extremely gloomy and taciturn young man with icy eyes. He looked at everyone as if they were his mortal enemies. Oda Saki was a Japanese college student studying in China. She spoke Chinese very well. She always had a calm and composed expression, making her seem inscrutable. Another reason why Saki left a deep impression on Li wasshe was so beautiful that Li was amazed. She was a classic Gothic lolita. Since Li moved into the apartment, he naturally met Oda Saki, his next-door neighbor, often. At first, he wanted to get to know these experienced residents. Ye was very easy-going, but Oda Saki always seemed very distant. When she wasnt busy, she was always reading a Japanese edition of The Tale of Genji. Li remembered that he had specially gone to Oda Sakis house with Ye to say goodbye yesterday when he went out. She was still as cold as ever. She didnt say a word throughout the whole time. 10.The Water Knows Hua and his wife, however, were very enthusiastic. They repeatedly urged them to be careful and to come back alive. Li was very moved. He had developed a deep bond with them over the past year. They had allbeen supporting each other to survive until now! Thinking about this, Li felt a mix of emotions. He looked at Luo and Qin sleeping beside him. And Ye , who was constantly fighting off sleepiness. Ye, hang in there. We have to have two people awake. Li said, "Just hold on a little longer. Here, have some more tea. "Im fine" she said, although she yawned widely, "II cant fall asleep." Li had no choice but to chat with her to help her stay focused. "Well, lets talk. Ye, youlike Yuan, dont you?" Ah, yesuh? Ah, no, no, no. I Ye quickly waved her hands and said, II dont like Yuan Ye was able to survive until now because of Yuan. She had endured for three years. "Yuan," Ye s face turned crimson at that moment, "He probably wouldnt like me. Besides, survival is the top priority right now. II cant even think about those things" Li said with a smile, Were definitely going to survive and leave that damn apartment togetherwe will! Ye felt a little reassured when she heard Li say that. "Luo, hes impulsive. Im worried about him, Li looked back at Luo, who was sleeping soundly, Hes quite pitiful. After his parents died, he came to live in Shi city alone. He didnt expect to encounter something like this." Yeah" Ye nodded and said, AndQin toohe got divorced because of his wifes affair. He was depressed and wandered around alone at night, drinking and getting drunk, and then his shadow was Qin had received the same blood word instruction as Ye before. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. There were only three of them at that time, and one of them died, leaving only Qin and Ye alive. So, Ye also had a strong sense of camaraderie for Qin. She hoped he would survive. The next dayfinally arrived. "So, Mr. Li and Miss Ye havent woken up yet?" Headman Zhang came to greet them early in the morning. Luo replied that Li and Ye were very tired and were still resting. Its okay, Headman Zhang suddenly looked around, making sure no one else was around, and then asked Luo in a low voice, "Mr. Luowhen is your boss coming?" Ah? Boss? Luo was stunned and asked, What boss?" Haha, youre still pretending. I know your boss told you to act like everything is normal. Its okay. Ive already informed the villagers. They wouldnt dare disobey me. Feel free to look around the village. I have no objections. "II dont understand" "Yes, yes, you dont understand. You dont understand. Dont worry, Ill take good care of you while youre staying in the village. Your boss has already contacted me. Looking at Headman Zhangs enthusiastic attitude, Luo began to realize that the headman had misunderstood something. But it seemed that the village had let them stay because of this boss, and he even went so far as to hit his own grandson and be so hospitable to them. Solet him continue to misunderstand. "Grandpa!" Su suddenly ran over in a hurry, gasping for breath. "Grandpa, something terrible has happeneduncle, uncle Yan, hes disappeared! Yan?" Headman Zhang immediately frowned, then said to Luo, Mr. LuoIll go take care of something. "Disappeared," for Luo, who was extremely sensitive to everything, was a word that was very easy to connect. Li had repeatedly warned him to pay absolute attention to any unnatural events. So he immediately said, "Headman, Illgo with you to take a look! In front of the rushing waterfall, Axiu took off her shoes and socks and soaked her feet in the water, wiggling them. Axiu" She turned around and saw it was her next-door neighbor, Liang , her childhood sweetheart. Liang, who was very handsome, had always been very close to Axiu. After Axius parents died, they clearly expressed their wish for Axiu to marry Liang. However, Axiu had been putting off the marriage, using her parents mourning period as an excuse. After all, people in rural areas had more conservative ideas than people in cities. Butafter the incident with Li Bing, Axiu had also distanced herself from Liang. Today is Sister Bings memorial day, Axiu turned her head and said, I will go pay my respects to her. No matter how much the villagers avoid her, I will never forget this day. Why? Axiu, are you going to keep turning your back on me because of Li Bing? Shes already dead. What more can I do? "I dont want to see you anymore." Axiu continued coldly, "If you come closer, Ill be rude to you! Liang looked dejected. He said, Alrightalrightanyway, its this day, and its no use talking to you. But Axiu, you have to remember that Im sincere about you! After Liang left, Axiu bent down and scooped up water to wash her face. And at that moment, she sawin the reflection of the water, not her face, but another womans! She slowly took her hand away. Her own face was still reflected in the water. "Sister Bing" Axiu was not afraid at all. She said, "I know. I know you hateeven if youve become like this, youre still my Sister Bing. Im not afraid of you. I believe you would never hurt me. Go ahead and do it. Kill all those people who drove you to your deathall of them" 11.Shadows of the Past In this small village, where could you even find a police officer? When something big happens, its always the village headman who takes charge. Everyone knows each other, and crimes like theft or murder never occur. Therefore, Yan''s disappearance became a major event in the village. The disappearance of Yan turned into a significant issue. The villagers even organized themselves to search for him in the surrounding areas. After all, Yan was well-liked, and nobody wanted anything bad to happen to him. When his disappearance was discovered, a commotion broke out. This is Li Bing''s revenge, it''s her revenge! At that time, Luo was right beside Headman Zhang, who had gone to Yans house to investigate. He knew that Yan was the middle-aged man they had seen the previous day. However, just as they were leaving Yans house, a slightly dark-skinned woman suddenly shouted these words in fear. The name Li Bing had been mentioned before, and Luo was certain that this incident was likely related to her. Without thinking, he asked, What do you mean? Who exactly is Li Bing? The dark-skinned woman looked to be under twenty years old, tall in stature. Just as she was about to say something, a burly man behind her hurriedly stopped her, scolding, Aqin, dont talk nonsense! Theres nothing to it! Everyone, please dont mind her Who knows? Suddenly, a cold voice interrupted. Luo immediately looked toward the source of the voice and saw the girl carrying buckets they had met the day before, Axiu. Axiu, you... The burly man quickly said, What are you talking about These past few years, hasn''t strange stuff happened more than once in the village? Haha, you all feel guilty like thieves, too afraid to speak out, but... I know very well. This is Sister Bing''s curse on you all! By this time, most of the villagers had gathered, and as they watched Axiu, no one dared to speak for a moment. Every person wore an expression of fear and unease. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Luo began to sense that there was indeed something very mysterious going on. Although he had heard rumors of a haunting, the details were still unclear. Could it really be... the vengeful spirit of this Li Bing? Hmph! Axiu, stop spreading these superstitions! At this point, a short-haired girl with glasses and a chubby man stepped forward. The chubby man glared at Axiu fiercely and said, Dont forget, Li Bing committed suicide! It has nothing to do with us! Suicide? Song, how dare you say that! How did you treat Sister Bing back then? Axiu glared at him and said angrily, Sister Bing grew up with us, but after that incident, all of you treated her like the plague, mocking her, even throwing stones at her! I saw it with my own eyes several times! You The chubby man, Song, was caught off guard by her words and retorted, So what! She was the illegitimate child of her mothers affair! Letting her stay in the village was already a great kindness; what right did she have to complain? If you dare to say those words again! Axiu was furious, about to rush forward, but the short-haired girl with glasses beside Song reacted faster. She stepped forward and slapped Axiu across the face! Try laying a hand on him! How dare you hit my man in front of me, do you think I don''t exist? You Ling Axiu was momentarily stunned, clutching her slapped face. Seeing Lings aggressive demeanor, she suddenly head-butted her, then grabbed her hair tightly, yelling, Youre an accomplice too! Youre also responsible for Sister Bings death! I wont let you off either! Although the villagers tried to pull Axiu away, her strength was too great. She had Lings hair in a mess and even scratched her face. Luo, watching from the side, was dumbfounded. His first impression of Axiu the day before had been that of a quiet, simple village girl, but now she seemed so fierce? Could it be that even the countryside is now influenced by modern trends? Nevertheless, he had basically understood the ins and outs of the Li Bing incident. In other words... she grew up with the younger generation of the village, with Axiu being her closest friend, almost like sisters. Later, it was discovered that Li Bing was actually born from her mothers affair, which, to the conservative villagers, made her unacceptable. They likely subjected her to severe humiliation, and she couldnt bear it, so she chose to take her own life. However, even if her spirit still lingered, there was no reason for her to harm Luo and the others, who had no grudges with her. But the apartment they were staying in was unlikely to be a safe place. Since they were required to stay there for a month, something was bound to happen during that time. Later, when he inquired with the village headman, he got more detailed information. Li Bing''s parents were both from the village, and she had grown up with the village children, always being well-liked for her lively and cheerful personality. Among the young people, the ones closest to her in age were Wu, Su, Liang, and the aforementioned Song and Ling, as well as the dark-skinned Aqin. The burly man was her father, Mu, the village stonecutter. Five years ago, one night, Li Bing''s mother, after drinking too much, let slip that Li Bing was the result of an affair with an outsider who had visited the village years before. She had calculated carefully and was certain the child belonged to that outsider. This revelation infuriated Li Bing''s father, who nearly beat his wife to death. He then stormed out of the village, vowing to find the man who had wronged him, and he hasnt returned since. Naturally, Li Bing and her mother became social outcasts in the village, and eventually, her mother died of a broken heart. During this time, only Axiu helped Li Bing organize her mother''s funeral. The days that followed were indeed hellish for Li Bing. The villagers treated her like garbage. They felt she was filthy, avoiding her whenever possible, or subjecting her to verbal abuse. Finally, after enduring such a life for about a year, Li Bing threw herself off a waterfall, ending her life. 12.The Tongue Jar Axiu cried for several days, and she also single-handedly organized Li Bings funeral. After returning to the village headmans house, Luo shared everything he had seen and heard withLi and Qin, who had just woken up. Li first made sure the door was securely closed. Then, lowering his voice, he said to Luo and Qin, "I understand the situation. We can''t stay here any longer." "What?" Luo hadn''t quite processed it yet, but Qin already understood. "Zhang Wu and Zhang Su... and their mother, Ying, all spoke harshly to Li Bing back then, didn''t they?" "Yes... so, you mean..." "If Li Bing has indeed turned into a vengeful spirit seeking revenge, then there are three people in this house who might be her targets. If we stay here, won''t we get caught up in it?" Li''s point was valid. But... where else could they go? "Axiu..."Li said without hesitation. "Her home is probably the safest because logically, Li Bing wouldn''t take revenge on her." "Huh?" Luo was stunned, then said, "But... but... she''s living alone, with both her parents gone. The three of us, grown men, staying at her place..." "We''re talking about life and death here, and you''re worried about that?" Qin adjusted his glasses and said, "Can you think of a place safer than Axiu''s house?" Indeed... in this remote village, if there was one place that could be considered absolutely safe, it had to be Axiu''s house. "But... are we just going to force our way in?" "We''ll talk to her," Qin said, also troubled. "She was quite friendly to us yesterday; maybe she''ll agree. But, being in a conservative rural area, it''s not common for someone to take in unrelated men, and it could cause gossip." There was no other choice. So,Li decided to approach Axiu himself. Meanwhile, in the forest near the village... "Are you out of your mind?!" Ling shoved the dark-skinned Aqin to the ground, scolding her. "Saying Li Bing is out for revenge? Aren''t the ghost rumors bad enough already?!" "But... but..." Aqin trembled and said, "Do you remember? Uncle Yan always scoffed at the ghost stories. He even said that if there really was a ghost, he''d like to meet it! He said that just a week ago!" "So what? How could there be ghosts!" "But... it''s all so strange. The village headman''s son-in-law... he died mysteriously too. People don''t say it out loud, but everyone''s worried... And it always happens within a month after Li Bing''s death anniversary. This... this is too weird..." Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. "Shut up!" Ling kicked her again in anger. "If you don''t stop talking, you''ll be sorry! Ghosts? Where are they? Li Bing, if you have the guts, come out and scare me right now! Ha, you don''t have the guts... you don''t... you..." Ling''s words trailed off. Because... She saw it clearly. In Aqin''s wide-open mouth, there was a pale, disheveled face! "You..." Suddenly, Ling yanked Aqin up and demanded, "Open your mouth wider!" "Sister Ling, what... what are you doing..." "Open your mouth wider!" But now, that face was gone. Aqin''s mouth looked normal. But Ling couldn''t believe what she saw was a hallucination because it was so clear! Her eyes widened as she looked closely at Aqin''s throat, almost pressing her face into Aqin''s mouth. But... nothing. Ling started backing away, staring at Aqin in terror. Gradually... she realized something was wrong. "You''re... why are you soaking wet!" "Huh?" Aqin looked down and saw that indeed, water was seeping out from her body, soaking her clothes until they clung tightly to her skin. And then, Ling saw something that made her blood run cold. Aqin''s wet clothes clung to her stomach, revealing the clear outline of a face underneath! "Ah!" Ling screamed in terror, covering her face, then grabbed a rock from the ground, kicked Aqin down, and viciously smashed the rock into the face outline on her chest! The rock had a sharp edge, and Ling stabbed it into Aqin''s chest with all her might. Aqin tried to stop her, but Ling, now completely deranged, was incredibly strong. After a few blows, Aqin''s chest was a bloody mess! Ling didn''t know how long she kept it up, but then she suddenly stopped, looking at Aqin''s face. By now... it was completely bloodless. Her originally dark skin had turned ghostly pale, with blood pouring from her mouth. Ling tore open Aqin''s clothes, exposing her abdomen. But now... she could only see the wounds she had inflicted, no trace of the face. "A ghost... it was a ghost..." Ling muttered to herself, dropping the rock and shivering violently as she backed away. "No, it wasn''t me... Li... Li Bing, it wasn''t my fault. You killed yourself; I only cursed and hit you, but I didn''t kill you... It''s not my fault, don''t come after me, don''t..." Then, she scrambled to her feet and ran away as fast as she could. "You can stay as long as you want." Axiu''s answer surprisedLi and the others. "Really... it''s okay?"Li asked again, "The three of us..." "Sure." Axiu smiled and said, "You''re reporters, right? As long as you expose the truth about what happened to Sister Bing, you can stay as long as you like." They still think we''re reporters...Li thought. Do I really look that much like a tabloid journalist? Axiu''s house wasn''t big, and it would be a bit cramped with five people staying there. But since they only needed two people to sleep at a time, with the others on guard duty, it would work. "Alright, we''ll go pack our things. Thank you so much."Li thanked Axiu repeatedly. "We''ll definitely pay you rent, don''t worry, we won''t take advantage of you." AfterLi left, Axiu closed the door and bolted it. Then, she walked back to the kitchen. The kitchen in her house was quite large, with a big water tank. Axiu walked over to the water tank, opened the lid, and looked inside. A man''s body was soaking in the water, his face now paler than paper. This man... was the missing Yan! "Uncle Yan, I haven''t forgotten how you treated Sister Bing. You spread rumors about her everywhere, acting like a gossip queen. So..." Axiu took out a pair of scissors, grabbed Yan''s hair, pulled his head out of the water, and pried open his mouth. Then... she inserted the scissors into his mouth and cut off his tongue! "Sister Bing, don''t worry." Axiu''s pretty face twisted into a chillingly cruel smile. "Just send them all to me one by one. I''ll take good care of them." Then, she walked into the inner room, unlocked a cabinet, and took out a small bottle, placing the tongue inside. Inside the cabinet were many other bottles, each containing a tongue! She closed the cabinet and locked it, then suddenly heard a loud splash from the kitchen. She quickly ran back, only to see... The body in the water tank was no longer Yan, but the recently killed Aqin! Axiu sneered and raised the sharp scissors in her hand once again... 13.Secrets in the Mist You youre going to stay at Axius house? Headman Zhang was completely stunned when Li said that. He hurriedly asked in a low voice, Is there something wrong with my hospitality? Axius house is so small, you No, Headman, your hospitality has been very generous. But we want to experience the rural lifestyle, and your hospitality has been too good. It doesnt feel like were really in the countryside. Of course, this was a lie that couldnt even be considered half-truth. In fact, who could be fooled by this flimsy excuse of experiencing rural life? The Headman had clearly offered them a place to stay because of some misunderstanding, but now they could only pretend to be innocent. Seeing that Li insisted, Headman suddenly looked enlightened and said, Oh, I see, I see. You, what do you mean? I understand. However, Mr. Li, you must remember one thing. Headman Zhang looked unusually serious as he said to Li: Please remember this. Axiu, if she mentions anything about ghosts or the disappearance of some people in the village, dont believe her. Its just nonsense. Yes, there have been a few people who mysteriously disappeared within a month after Bings death anniversary, but its just a coincidence. Coincidence? People nowadays want to go to the city to make a living. Many people think that theres no future in staying in the village, especially young people. They go to the city to work and seek opportunities, thinking that the city is paved with gold. As for why they all chose Bings death anniversary, I think they probably wanted to attribute everything to the rumors of ghosts. That way, the villagers wouldnt know that they actually went to the city. Otherwise, if theyre found by those nagging villagers in the city, itll be a lot of trouble. This logic was very weak. Li felt even more that the Headman was deliberately concealing something. In short please, Mr. Li, dont believe anything Axiu says, Headman Zhang said solemnly. She had a very close relationship with Bing, thats why shes like this. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. After leaving the Headmans house, Li became even more certain that the Headman knew something but wouldnt tell him. And Axiu was she also hiding something? As they approached Axius house, he suddenly noticed a young man wearing glasses walking towards Axius house. When he noticed Li and the others, he immediately frowned. You are you the four outsiders from the city? The young man wearing glasses, Liang, said unhappily: What are you doing here? After all, the Headman had greeted them, so out of respect for the Headman, he only maintained a rather cold attitude. Luo also recognized Liang. He had seen this person this morning. When Axiu was hitting Ling, Liang had also tried to stop her. I remember you Luo thought for a moment and said, Youre called , Liang. He answered coldly: My father is the only doctor in the village, and he has a close relationship with the Headmans family. I dont know what the Headman is thinking, but A Wu told me, he said that youre definitely not good people! I advise you to leave early. Ghosts and all that are nonsense, dont even think about digging up news! At this point, he suddenly remembered something and asked: Wait youre all carrying luggage going to Axius house? Youre going to stay at her place? Yes. Li replied. Liang was instantly furious. He forgot the Headmans warning and roared: Who do you think you are! You dare to go and stay with Axiu? You dare! Whats your attitude? Luo was also annoyed: What if we dare? Who is Axiu to you, do you have any right to care? Shes my fiance! Liang took three steps in two, grabbed Lis collar and said, Get out of this village right now! If you dare to step into this village again, Ill cripple you! The son of a doctor, you should have some compassion, right? Li remained calm and said: Mr. Liang, please let go. Well leave after a month, we wont cause you any trouble. Go to hell! Liang was furious. He was about to punch Li, but Li grabbed his fist and said, Mr. Liang, please dont force me! During this month, they were not allowed to leave Youshui Village even for a step. Therefore, they had to act tough! If they softened now, it would be troublesome if the villagers united to drive them away in the future. You Liang was about to say something more, but then he suddenly saw two people running towards Li from behind, so he let go of his hand and shouted: A Wu, A Su! The two people who came were Wu and Su from the Headmans family. What are you doing? Liang? Su had seen Liang about to attack Li earlier, so she rushed forward to stop him: This this is not good, Liang Su, you and I have grown up together with Axiu, tell me, can I just let those people with unknown origins stay at Axius house? You know how I feel about Axiu! Su nodded and said, I know, thats why I came to have a look. Then she turned to Li and said: Mr. Li, Mr. Luo, Mr. Qin, and Ms. Ye you should leave. Look, no one in the village welcomes you Who said that? I welcome them. A familiar voice came, and everyone turned to the same personAxiu. She looked coldly at Liang and said, Liang, youve grown bold. Who is your fiance? Who are you going to cripple? A Axiu, listen to me, those four people are definitely up to no good Theyre better than you! Axiu didnt even look at him, she went straight to Li and said: Mr. Li, dont mind him, come with me. Liang, who could no longer bear it, immediately grabbed Axius hand and said, Axiu! What do you mean?! This is what I mean. Im not your fiance, and Im not going to marry you! How you treated Sister Bing, I remember it clearly! 14.Who Is The Hunter Then she turned her gaze to Wu and Su and said, You two arent good either! Wu, you, you once tried to rape Sister Bing, right? A Wu instantly turned pale and angrily said, You youre slandering me! I know! You told Sister Bing that she was a bastard born from her mothers adultery, that her blood must also be wild and unrestrained. That time you pushed her down under the bushes and tried to force yourself on her. If the Headman hadnt happened to pass by, Sister Bing Wu immediately looked at the gazes of the people around him and hurriedly defended: She shes lying! Dont believe her! Su, you, you believe your brother, right? And you, Su! Axiu coldly pointed at her and said, You may not have done anything directly to Sister Bing, but you grew up with her since childhood. When she experienced such a major event, you always stood by and watched. When her mother died, you didnt even go to comfort her! Axiu, I I Su seemed to want to defend herself, but she couldnt say anything. Li looked at this scene and thought: Axius feelings for Li Bing were not ordinary, they were a deep and unforgettable kind of love. Wu, Liang was also shocked and asked: You wouldnt have done that, would you? You really did that? Youre crazy! Its not me! A Wu still stubbornly defended: You believe Axius words? She also said that Li Bings soul wont rest and is coming for revenge, do you believe that too? We grew up together since we were kids. I can tell if youre telling the truth or not. Liang then ignored him and continued to say to Axiu: Axiu okay, I understand. From now on, no, forget about from now on, isnt today Li Bings death anniversary? Ill go with you to pay respects to her. Ill confess to her for what I did wrong, okay? Please dont be like this! I really like you! However, Axiu gave a strange smile and said: You like me? Okay, then prove it to me. Prove? How do I prove it? She pointed to the waterfall on the mountain in the distance and said: You, jump from there. Oh, dont forget to cut off your tongue first. If you do that, Ill believe that you really like me. When she said these words, she wasnt joking at all. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Moreover, her eyes became full of resentment and cruelty! This made Lis heart sink. A, Axiu Liang was also a bit scared by her gaze and said: You youre not serious, are you? You wont jump? Then, just cut off your tongue. If you cant do it, dont say you like me. Axius icy and resentful gaze made Li, Luo, and the others shudder. At the same time, Ling rushed back to her house and the first thing she did was lock the door tightly! I I killed someone I killed someone Ling leaned against the door, recalling the scene just now, still terrified. At this time, her husband, Song, could be heard from the inside room: Whats wrong? You look like youve lost your soul? She struggled to get up, walked into the inner room and said to her husband who was sitting in the room: Hey I said, we, should burn some paper money for Li Bing. Ah? Song was stunned and said, Are you okay? You really believe that Uncle Yan disappeared because of ghosts? I Im uneasy I, I At this time, she kept looking out the window. Dont think too much about it! Song hurriedly helped her sit down on the bed and said: Youre influenced by Axiu, right? Some people have disappeared, but not many! Its just that the Headmans son-in-law died a bit strangely. He was perfectly fine and then suddenly fell down at the Headmans door covered in water but this cant be considered a ghost, right? Its all made up by Axiu! Actually, everyone is talking about whether Axiu killed those people. But I dont think its possible, shes a weak woman, how could she kill so many people. I I dont know, I, I saw, I Why are you talking so randomly! Forget it, dont think about it anymore. Theres something, I was thinking about it just now, and I think it might be related to those four outsiders from the city. What? Ling immediately asked: What happened? Probably more than a month ago, someone brought the Headman a letter from the city. This is quite rare. After reading the letter, the Headmans attitude became very strange. He became more and more taboo about the ghost stories, so no one dared to say anything in front of him. A letter? How come I dont know about it? Of course you dont know, youve never cared much about village affairs. I guess, maybe those four people are related to that letter? Otherwise, why would the Headman let them stay at his house? It sounded reasonable. Okay, dont think too much about it. Stay here well, Ill go to the toilet first. Saying that, Song went out. The toilet was outside the room. Song opened the door and came to the cesspool inside, pulled down his pants and squatted down. At that moment he suddenly felt a chill on his butt, and a loud gurgling sound came from inside. Before he could react a horrifying sight appeared! Rushing out of the cesspool, wasnt water, but bright red blood! And mixed with the blood were pieces of flesh, organs, and even a severed head! Ahhhhhhh Song hurriedly pulled up his pants and rushed to the toilet door However, the toilet door was locked! He immediately used his body to slam against the door, but no matter how he slammed, it didnt budge! He immediately pounded on the door and shouted desperately: Ah Ling, Ah Ling! You spendthrift, hurry up and open the door! Open the door quickly! At this moment, he unintentionally turned his head back, and then he froze. A hand covered in blood, extended from under the cesspool! Song instantly collapsed on the ground, wanting to say something, but it got stuck in his throat, he couldnt say anything. Then, a head completely covered in thick hair, slowly emerged from the cesspool 15.The Tongue Collector Song was already terrified out of his wits when he suddenly heard a knock on the door, followed by Ling''s voice: "What are you yelling about! Someone died!" The voice was like a heavenly sound to Song''s ears. He immediately turned his head and shouted, "Ah, Ah Ling... open the door quickly, there''s... there''s..." Then he turned his gaze back to the cesspool... but it was empty... I want to learn more about the ghost story." Li decided to take on the role of a reporter. Qin also took out his press card, making Axiu more convinced. Then, Li laid a sheet of paper on an eight-legged table in the outer hall of Axius house, took out a pen and asked, Miss Axiu what were going to ask you next is very important. I hope youll answer truthfully. Li was certain that everything wasnt as simple as it seemed on the surface. That apartment wouldnt assign them a mission that wasnt a threat to their lives. After all, this was the fourth blood inscription instruction for him. The ghost in the school last time was a completely indiscriminate killing. But this time, it seemed like a clear case of revenge-motivated supernatural events. Then she had no reason to attack him. The difficulty was actually lower than the third blood inscription instruction. That was impossible. So Li was certain that they must have missed something. And what they missed was definitely fatal! That apartment would never leave them with a blind spot where they could survive! Li, who had lived in the apartment for a year, knew this deeply! Axiu was sitting opposite Li at this time. She smiled faintly and said: Mr. Reporter, then, you must write down my words and publish them. Yes, definitely. Okay then Ill tell you. Axiu began to recount what happened after Bings death. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Bings death did cause quite a stir in the village. Although everyone had previously looked down on Bing, human life was precious, and the matter was stirred up for a long time afterward. And Axiu, who had a deep affection for Bing, was heartbroken. After that, Axiu lived like a walking corpse, she didnt have the heart to farm, and she didnt eat properly for several months. In the end, she was just skin and bones. Those days were really painful. And there were two people who always came to visit her and bring her some food. Those two people were Liang and Su. In the past, aside from Bing, Axiu and Su had the best relationship. Although she was the granddaughter of the Headman, she was usually very approachable. As a farm girl, she was also very diligent. It was just that she was too weak and lacked determination, so when Bings incident happened, she went along with the crowd. Although she also sympathized with Bing, she didnt dare to speak up for her. Their former friendship had been completely shattered. The look in Axius eyes when she looked at Su was filled with hatred. About a year later, on the evening of June 6th of that year, Su came to see Axiu again. Although they couldnt talk much and fell into awkward silence, she still repeatedly urged Axiu to take care of herself. After she left, Axiu still couldnt sleep. Although it was getting late, she wasnt tired at all. Tomorrow was Bings death anniversary. After the death of her parents, Bing was the only irreplaceable family member for Axiu. Since they were young, no matter what, Bing had always protected her. At every moment, she had been like an older sister, caring for and loving her. She couldnt get over Bings death. And on that night She suddenly heard strange noises coming from the water tank in the kitchen. Axiu was initially startled, but she still slowly walked into the kitchen and moved towards the water tank. When she said this, Ye, who was listening, shivered involuntarily and couldnt help but look at the kitchen. Dont be afraid, Miss Ye. Axiu smiled and said: Sister Bing wont hurt you. Then, she continued to talk. At that time, she didnt know where she found the courage, but she lifted the lid of the water tank. And what appeared in the water tank was the corpse of Sus father, the Headmans son-in-law! Initially, Axiu was extremely flustered, but then she noticed something! A pair of white, slender arms were wrapped around the waist of the Headmans son-in-laws corpse! And when Axiu noticed those arms, they immediately retracted behind the corpse! Axiu immediately pulled the corpse out of the tank (when she said this, Ye looked at Axius face with a bit more fear), but the owner of those white arms was nowhere to be found. But Axiu understood. It was Bing. Sister Bing had killed this man. Su had also been warned by him to cut off ties with Bing, and never be too close to her. Because of him, even Su became cold towards Sister Bing. Do you know what I did later? Axius face became a twisted smile at this point: I cut off his tongue! Because they talked too much! Then, I moved his body to the front door of the Headmans house! Qin heard this, pushed his glasses up and said calmly, Miss Axiu you, you actually told us this? Arent you reporters? Then report this. Axius smile widened, as if she was talking about ordinary daily topics: Well, my words dont matter. After Sister Bing died, whether I live or die, I dont care anymore. The Headmans son-in-laws tongue was cut off but this matter The Headmans family didnt tell anyone. Hehe, they probably figured something out, right? Some people did suspect me, but so what? Anyway, my relationship with the villagers has long been like water and fire. Only Liang kept pestering me, but I hope every day that one day his body appears in my water tank! The missing people in the village, they all appeared in the water tank? What did you do with the bodies later? Just cut off their tongues. After doing that, the original body will disappear, and then a new body will appear. 16.The Unseen Hunter Li recorded everything, then forced himself to stay calm and said, Thank you, Miss Axiu, your information is very valuable. This woman is clearly not normal. Her obsessive affection for Bing led her to do such unthinkable things. At this time, Qin used his gaze to ask Li, meaning it was clear: How much can we trust this womans words? Li replied with his gaze: Basically believable. If it were before, Li would have definitely thought that Axiu had severe delusions. But now he felt that it was actually closer to reality. Water tank corpse cut tongues Axiu Bing Li felt that there was a key point they were missing, hidden in all of this. What was it? Bings vengeful spirit lingered, and every year, a month after her death anniversary, she went on a killing spree, sending the bodies to Axius house. It was terrifying to think about. Was it really a good decision to move into Axius house? Do you think Li lowered his voice and asked, How many more people will she kill? Well probably Aqin, Liang, Ling, Wu, and Su, these five people, will definitely die Li asked another question. A question that he was extremely concerned about. Can you communicate with Bings spirit? Axiu shook her head and said: I cant. If I could, I really wish I could communicate with my sister more! Arent you afraid? Afraid? Why should I be afraid? Axiu still maintained a smiling expression, but this made it even more terrifying. Ye finally couldnt help but say, Miss Axiu you shouldnt do that you Li quickly gestured to Ye to stop talking, but it was too late. Axiu glared at her coldly and said: What? Dont those people deserve to die? They forced Sister Bing to death! Didnt they? Didnt they! You you what are you talking about Ye didnt dare to say anything more. That night, the disappearance of Aqin also caused the village to fall into great panic again. At this time, people were living in fear. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. The countryside where people used to leave their doors unlocked at night were now locking their doors tightly and traveling in groups. What was going to happen in the next month? Night. Li and Qin sat in the hall, listening to the soft snores coming from the inner room, and began to discuss their next plan. Somethings wrong. Qin wasnt a stranger to executing blood inscription instructions, and he didnt believe that everything was that simple. Li took out a flashlight, shone it on the sheet of paper, and analyzed it to Qin: That water tank seems to be the main medium of communication between Bing and Axiu. Every time, she sends the corpses of those she kills, but they always disappear later, except for the Headmans son-in-laws corpse. From all the circumstances, Bing and Axiu have a deep affection and connection. So if were nice to Axiu, she has no reason to attack us. On the surface, it seems so Is that not true? Its too strange. The villagers also do suspect Axiu of murder, but they seem to be more accepting of the ghost story. From their hostility towards reporters and what they initially said this matter seems to be quite big. They claim not to believe in ghost stories, but I feel like they cant completely rule out that possibility either. Li you mean Maybe there are people still alive who have seen the dead Bing, so they spread the ghost story. After all, its more logical to think that Axiu killed them. The Headman is very concerned about us, and repeatedly warned me that Axius words are lies. Why does he care so much about whether I believe Axius words? Does it mean anything to the Headman if we believe this village is haunted? This Qin was also puzzled by this question: The Headman is indeed unnaturally attentive to us Yuan told me that from the fourth instruction onwards, everything will become more and more bizarre and unusual. But this is a very simple case of vengeful spirits, the clues are too clear. Although its really bizarre in reality, its not particularly bizarre compared to my previous three blood inscription instructions. Indeed Qin also remembered some of the experiences he had had in the past. At that time, many of the experiences were still incomprehensible. Bing committed suicide and became a ghost, then she took revenge on those who bullied and insulted her before is it that simple? Li pointed to several key points on the paper with his pen and said, I noticed something. Wh, what? Water. Water? Bings appearances are all related to water. The first time I entered the village, I found the ghosts face in the bucket of water Axiu was carrying; Bing died in the water; she also put the corpses in the water tank and gave them to Axiu. All of this is inextricably linked to water. In deed. Maybe, she can only act through water? No, it cant be that simple. But water is definitely a signal that cannot be ignored. Okay I understand. And at the same time, there was another person who couldnt sleep Su. She lay alone in bed, tossing and turning. Finally, she got up and decided to take a walk by the fish pond outside the house. Tonight, there was no moon, and the village was shrouded in darkness. As Su walked along the edge of the fish pond, her heart was filled with memories of Bing, who used to be so lively, cheerful, and full of laughter. So, she slowly squatted down and scooped up some water. Bing Unknowingly, her face was covered in tears: Im sorry Im sorry At that moment, she suddenly felt a chill. Looking down at the dark fish pond, she vaguely felt an indistinct silhouette inside. What was that? Then, she suddenly heard footsteps coming from behind her. She turned around and saw a figure slowly walking towards her in the darkness. Who who are you! Su was also terrified at this moment, but she still asked. The figure didnt answer. When the figure walked closer, she discovered that its body was twisted in a strange way, as if it didnt have any bones! Su immediately stood up and tried to run, but it was too late The figure had appeared in front of her at some point. But it was too dark, she couldnt see the figures face clearly. At this time, the fish pond behind her made a splashing sound, as if something had rushed out. The figure in front of her reached out and grabbed Su by the neck! Su only felt that the hand was completely soaked in water Bi Bing At this moment, she only felt that her life was about to be drawn out of her body. She really did come back. Just before death, a ray of moonlight suddenly shone down. What appeared in Sus eyes was Bings icy, pale face. 17.Unending Terror Su suddenly opened her eyes wide! She was still lying in bed, she hadnt gone out at all. A nightmare? Was everything just a nightmare? However, when she touched her neck with her hands, she found that her neck was full of water! Then her eyes looked at the door of her bedroom. She had clearly closed the door! Drip Drip Drip Drop by drop of water fell on the floor. A pair of bare feet were slowly moving across the floor. The moonlight shone through the window, and in front of Su, a woman, completely drenched in white, dripping water, walked past her doorway! Ah ah Su could only make meaningless sounds with her mouth wide open, watching this scene unfold before her. She just stayed on the bed like that, dumbfounded. After a long time, she finally mustered the courage to get up, her pupils constricted and dilated, she was too terrified to speak. She slowly got up and moved towards the doorway. But every step she took felt heavy, as if she were carrying a thousand pounds. When she reached the doorway, there was no one there. But on the floor, there were rows of water marks, proving that what she had just seen wasnt a dream. Su felt as if her whole body were in a cold cellar. She lifted her feet and continued walking forward, her bare feet stepping on the water, freezing cold. And then the ceiling and walls began to seep water continuously. The amount of water was increasing. Su walked to the door of her brothers room. At this time, the floor had begun to flood. Water was also constantly seeping from the doorway of her brothers room. Su reached out and gently pushed the door open. Her brother was still lying peacefully in bed, and his room was also seeping water everywhere. Strangely, Wu was sleeping soundly, showing no signs of waking up. Bro brother, hurry, hurry and escape Su mustered all her strength to say these words, but she couldnt go on. The cotton quilt covering her brothers chest, bizarrely, was bulging! Then, the bulge slowly moved upwards! Stop, Bi Bing Although Su said this out loud, she didnt dare to take a single step. Suddenly, the quilt bulged violently, and two white hands suddenly reached out towards Wu! No The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Su opened her eyes again! She was still lying in bed. The floor didnt have any water marks. The moon outside the window was still covered by a dark cloud. Another nightmare? How could she wake up from a dream within a dream? Just then, a black figure suddenly appeared at the doorway. Su almost screamed! However, a familiar voice came from behind. Su, whats wrong? It was her mother, Ying. Mom Su burst into tears and threw herself into her mothers arms, saying, I, Im scared Im so scared What are you afraid of, child? I, I had a dream Bing, Bing came back, shes going to kill my brother Sus mother, Ying, said with a smile: What are you talking about? Thats impossible, Bing is dead, how could she come back. But Dad and Uncle Yan Your fathers death its not anything supernatural, dont listen to the villagers talking nonsense. Poor child, youre thinking too much. Youre thinking too much. Mom you, you sleep with me, okay? Ah? No way, youre so grown up. Why do you still want to sleep with me? Please Mom Okay, Ill go get the blanket. After her mother left, Su finally felt relieved. But after a while, she suddenly remembered something. Mother? Didnt she spend the whole night playing mahjong at Wangs grandmas house the last two days, and even slept there? She didnt even come home today! And just then a black figure reappeared at the doorway! Ah Su suddenly sat up from bed again. Another nightmare. Su gasped heavily in bed, constantly looking around. Was this reality? Or a dream? She didnt dare to go back to sleep, she immediately sat up, put on her clothes, rolled up her blanket and went out of the room. Then, she groped her way to her brothers room, deciding to sleep with him tonight. One after another nightmare was too much for Su to bear. Finally, she reached the doorway of her brothers room. Su took a deep breath and pushed the door open. Her brother was still sleeping soundly in bed. She tiptoed over, shook the sleeping Wu, and said softly, Brother brother! Wake up, its Su! But Wu seemed to be sleeping very soundly, he didnt move at all. Su couldnt wake him up, so she simply lay down beside him. After all, the bed was quite big, so she snuggled up close to her brother, then closed her eyes. They were sleeping together, so she finally felt more at ease. Then, unknowingly she fell asleep again. Suddenly, in her hazy sleep, she felt someone pushing her, saying: Su, wake up, wake up. It was her brothers voice. Brother let me sleep a little longer Wake up, Su! Su rubbed her eyes sleepily, then opened them Her brother was looking at her in front of her. But why were his eyeballs bulging and bleeding? And why was his face completely pale and bloodless? Su suddenly woke up! She opened her eyes wide. The woman with disheveled hair was pinching her brothers head, grinning maliciously at her! Su immediately closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she was still sleeping in her own bed. It was still a nightmare. It seemed to go on forever, never ending. She didnt know whether she was in a dream or reality anymore. Was everything just a dream or real? Would she never wake up? Thinking of this possibility, she felt a chill run through her. She gritted her teeth, got out of bed, went outside, and groped her way to the kitchen Then, she picked up a black, sharp knife. Then, she sat in the kitchen with the knife, intending to stay up all night. Anyway, she didnt want to sleep anymore. Hopefully, this was reality! Time passed slowly Suddenly, she saw a black figure appearing at the kitchen door! And although she couldnt see the figures face clearly, it was indeed the woman with disheveled hair! She didnt hesitate, she rushed forward in one stride, and stabbed the figure in the chest with a knife! The figure immediately grabbed her face with both hands, but Su didnt care, she pushed the figure to the ground and stabbed stabbed, stabbed, stabbed with the knife! Die! Die! Die, die! Go to hell, die! Although Su saw the figure not moving, she still continued stabbing Just as she had stabbed nearly a hundred times, suddenly Drip Drip That sound rang in her ears again! Su opened her eyes again, waking up from the nightmare! How many more times would she have to repeat this? Su was really going crazy now. What should she do to wake up from the nightmare? What should she do? Was it all Bings vengeful spirit coming to claim her life? But what did she do to her? Was it because she just stood by and watched, that she wouldnt let her go? Was she going to torture her for this? Su gritted her teeth and pulled back the covers again. She was going to see how many layers this nightmare had! Barefoot, she wandered around her house, but there was nothing unusual. Suddenly she heard footsteps. Although they were very faint, she clearly felt someone walking past her! She immediately turned around and followed them. Then, she reached the kitchen door again. In the kitchen there was a black figure! And when the figure saw her, it suddenly raised the knife in its hand and stabbed at her! Slightly stunned, she was pressed to the ground by the figure. Then the figure raised the sharp knife This time, the nightmare wouldnt end. 18.The Loop When Luo opened his eyes again, he suddenly found himself... in a forest! How could this be? He was clearly lying in bed! Then, a dangerous signal arose in his mind. Could it be could it be that He immediately propped himself up and stood. The dense forest was filled with boundless darkness, as if a monster could appear from it at any time. He felt extremely cold for a moment, but he didnt dare to move. He had been living in the apartment for too short a time, and he didnt have much experience. At this moment, he didnt know how to react. But he couldnt understand why it happened to him. There was no reason! Just then, he suddenly heard a voice behind him: You arent you one of the city people? He turned around and saw that it was Liang who had spoken. Not only him, but behind him were Song, Ling, and Wu. You Luo immediately understood: You guys wouldnt be too? We woke up and inexplicably ended up here, Wu looked around and said, Could it be that youre playing tricks on us? What are you talking about! Luo didnt have the mood to argue with him now. Song and Ling, however, seemed particularly frightened. The calmest one was Liang. He calmly said, Lets go back, its not far from the village. Everyone calmed down and started walking. After all, it wasnt far from the village. Luo, however, was very nervous, constantly looking at his shadow, afraid that it would change. Fortunately, his shadow remained normal. It seemed that they were still within the boundaries of the Youshui Village specified by the apartment. Liang! Song suddenly shouted, Axiu has Axiu been acting strangely lately? What do you mean? Liang asked, puzzled: What are you? I, I Recalling that terrifying experience, Song was still trembling, but he still mustered the courage to ask: Is Axiu doing something? If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. He had recently begun to suspect that Axiu might have cast a spell on them? Or maybe she was a legendary sorcerer? Only this could explain the supernatural phenomena that happened to him. What are you talking about! Liang angrily said: What do you think Axiu has done? She could she be a witch or something? She just feels strange. I, I suspect that she might know how to summon ghosts, otherwise, how come, every time she curses us on Li Bings death anniversary, it always comes true? Look, Uncle Yan and Aqin have disappeared Shut up! Liang erupted in anger and was about to attack, but Wu stopped him: Liang! What are you doing! I also think shes abnormal! Ling quickly added: Shes always so gloomy! Shes always thinking about how to get revenge on us, for Li Bing, shes probably capable of anything! Yes, havent they heard of sorcery? Maybe shes one of those people! Or maybe shes using a Ouija board or something. Luo listened to them arguing about these things, feeling a headache. A sorcerer? Of course not! Yuan had told them that the blood instructions given by the apartment were absolutely pure supernatural curses, there couldnt be any human factors involved. Axiu couldnt possibly have played such a role in this. However, he couldnt tell them this. Luo just wanted to get back to Axius house as soon as possible. After all, staying in this dark, damp forest, who knows what will happen next? Damp He suddenly recalled that Li had warned him that water was a key element. The grass on the ground was indeed quite damp, and Luo became alert. As time passed, he felt a gust of cold wind, and then said: Stop arguing lets, lets just go quickly! Those people then stopped arguing. Luo suddenly felt a bit strange what was going on? He felt like something was unnatural. But he couldnt tell what was unnatural for a while. The five of them continued walking. Luo was also terrified, afraid of anything that might appear around him. And just then Liang! Axiu has Axiu been acting strangely lately? Luo was startled. How why were they asking that again? But the person asking the question wasnt Song, but Ling. What was even more strange was that Liang didnt seem to remember being asked this question before. He was just as confused as before and asked: What do you mean? What are you? Then Ling replied: Is Axiu doing something? Suddenly, Liang became furious again and said: What are you talking about! What do you think Axiu has done? This dialogue was exactly the same as before! Only Songs words were replaced by Lings. Luo immediately interrupted her: You, why are you saying exactly the same thing as before? However, Ling ignored him and continued: She could she be a witch or something? She just feels strange. I, I suspect that she might know how to summon ghosts, otherwise, how come, every time she curses us on Li Bings death anniversary, it always comes true? Look, Uncle Yan and Aqin have disappeared Shut up! I think shes abnormal! This time, Ling said the same words she had said before: Shes always so gloomy! Shes always thinking about how to get revenge on us, for Li Bing, shes probably capable of anything! Yes, havent they heard of sorcery? Maybe shes one of those people! Or maybe shes using a Ouija board or something. It was like a replay of a recording, with Liang charging forward again, and Wu stopping him Enough, enough! Luo stopped them and said: You are you crazy? Why are you repeating exactly the same thing as before? What, what is wrong with you? Everyone looked at Luo as if he were an alien. Wu glared at him and said: What do you mean? You guys have become so strange! Luo said, You, are you possessed? Whats wrong? Just as Yuan had said. The further down the line, the more bizarre and abnormal the blood instructions became. The more difficult they were to understand, beyond human common sense. And he had also said that if they encountered this situation, they shouldnt panic, they should try to find the pattern in the bizarre phenomenon. But Luo was completely flustered. His mental capacity wasnt as good as Li or Qins, and he couldnt compare to Yuan. At this moment, he only felt that the people in front of him were possessed. Then, he ignored them and turned to run. Soon, he gradually realized as if he was just running in circles, the scenery around him had hardly changed. It was just that the forest was full of trees and grass, so he hadnt noticed it at first. But now it seemed very strange. 19.The Giant Mouth At that moment, footsteps sounded behind him. Luo turned around and saw the same group of people! And the bizarre phenomenon occurred again Liang This time, the person asking the question was Wu: Axiu has Axiu been acting strangely lately? At this moment, Luo felt that the unnatural feeling was becoming stronger. What do you mean? What are you? Liang still had the same confused expression, as if he hadnt been asked twice before. And Wu also bizarrely continued to say what Song and Ling had said: Is Axiu doing something? What are you talking about! What do you think Axiu has done? She could she be a witch or something? She just feels strange. I, I suspect that she might know how to summon ghosts, otherwise, how come, every time she curses us on Li Bings death anniversary, it always comes true? Look, Uncle Yan and Aqin have disappeared Shut up! I think shes abnormal! Shes always so gloomy! Shes always thinking about how to get revenge on us, for Li Bing, shes probably capable of anything! Yes, havent they heard of sorcery? Maybe shes one of those people! Or maybe shes using a Ouija board or something. Exactly the same! At this moment, Wu was like Song and Ling combined! Liang was furious again, and in one stride, he charged forward and punched Wu! The punch was very hard, Wu was knocked to the ground, and he even bled from his nose. Before, it was Wu who had stopped Liang, but now he was the one getting punched. Then Liang got on top of Wu and punched him repeatedly in the face! Stop stop Luo wanted to go forward to stop him, but his feet felt as heavy as lead. Stop Stop it Everything in front of him was like a dark spiral, and he felt his body being drawn into the spiral as well. At that moment, Li, who had discovered that Luo was missing, and Qin searched for him separately throughout the village. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Luo! Luo! Luo! Li kept calling his name, hoping he could hear it. But no matter how much he searched, he couldnt find him. Just then, he suddenly felt someone approaching him from behind, and he quickly turned around! He saw Axiu! A Axiu, you Who are you looking for? Axiu said with a smile, Mr. Luo, is he missing? Yes, yes Li nodded and said: He was sleeping in the outer room, but now Hell be fine. I think Mr. Luo probably went for a walk somewhere. Axiu didnt show any sign of worry, she still looked cheerful and carefree. This made Li feel terrified. She, what the heck Whats wrong? Mr. Li? Axiu walked towards him step by step, and Li unconsciously retreated. You Li asked gravely: Who are you really? Humans shouldnt be involved in supernatural horror phenomena, Yuan had said. Li had no doubt about that. But Was Axiu really human? Was there any evidence to prove she was a human? However, Axiu replied, without answering the question: This village, Youshui Village, was able to develop thanks to the excellent location of the Black Crow Mountain, with its good mountain ranges and water resources. Even in this mountain, we can still live a self-sufficient life. My parents, and Sister Bings parents, have always been dedicated to developing and building this village. Do you know, Mr. Li, it was really hard in the beginning, building a village like this I was born, and I had to dig mud, carry water, and get up every day before dawn. For me, this mountain, this water, are unforgettable memories. Although it was hard work, it was my most beautiful and precious memory with Sister Bing. As farmers, we deeply believe that as long as we work hard, we will definitely be happy. A Miss Axiu But now, I sincerely hope that this village will be destroyed. What kind of nonsense is it that hardworking people will always be happy its all false. Even though Sister Bing and her mother worked so hard to build this village, just because of their self-righteous values, they ignored their pain and pushed Sister Bing into the abyss of hell, they even forced her to her death Dont, dont say that Miss Axiu Even if she becomes a ghost, what does it matter? Axius face suddenly became ferocious, and her tone became more and more fierce: Even if Sister Bing becomes a vengeful spirit, shes still more beautiful than those so-called humans! No its not like that Lis forehead was constantly sweating, he continued to retreat: You dont know you dont understand at all, the real hell do you know what real hell is like? The real terror Luo walked through the dark forest. And Liang was walking in front of him. Liang The words had just left his mouth when Luo felt incredibly strange, but he still continued expressionlessly: Axiu has Axiu been acting strangely lately? This time it was him! It turned out he couldnt choose for himself, he couldnt help but say those words! When he said sorcerer and Ouija board, Liang turned around, his eyes became incredibly malicious! Then, he rushed forward, pinned Luo to the ground, and swung his fist at him! Luo suddenly realized what was making him feel unnatural Because, every time they repeated that dialogue One of the five of them would inexplicably disappear! So at first, it was Song who was talking, and after he disappeared, it became Ling, and after she disappeared, it became Wu And now, Wu had also disappeared! But he, including himself, only felt unnatural! Where did they all disappear to? Soon, he found the answer. Before him, it was no longer Liang who was attacking him, but a giant woman in white clothes, whose body was several meters tall! And the woman opened her mouth, which stretched for more than two meters long! In her mouth there was a lot of water! And Song, Ling, Wu, and Liang, the four of them were struggling desperately in the water! The giant womans mouth was getting closer and closer to Luo 20.The River of Doom Real Hell? Axiu looked at Li in front of her with some confusion, while the latter became more and more uneasy. The disappearance of Luo, the thing he feared most in his heart, had finally happened. Although he had expected it, he had indeed held a glimmer of hope that he could safely pass through a month of time. But now it seems impossible. Based on his past experiences and what Yuan had said, he could roughly judge. Disappearing at the location indicated by the blood letter was basically equivalent to meeting with an accident. Although he thought so, Li still found it hard to accept that Luo died just like that. He still remembered when Luo''s shadow entered the apartment, he was in a state of panic and almost cried. It was Li who comforted him and told him that he could leave after completing ten blood letter instructions. Although he didn''t know how many years it would take, at least there was hope. But now the one who finally regained hope and volunteered to live with him In that apartment, there was trust between the residents, but there was also more mutual suspicion. The only people Li could completely open his heart to and fully trust were Yuan, Ye, Luo, Hua ''s couple, and Tang, the surgeon in Room 106. Last time, Li escaped death and returned to the apartment. After he came back, the six of them gathered at Hua''s couple''s house and ate hot pot together. After all, in this apartment that was like hell, being able to survive was the greatest happiness. At that time, Luo also managed to escape death and return to the apartment, so everyone said they had to celebrate. That day was one of the few happy days in the apartment. Everyone chatted and laughed, talking about their past, and hoping that they could leave this apartment together in the future! Everyone was looking forward to that day. But deep down, they all knew that very few people could actually leave the apartment. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. No one could lift the curse the apartment cast upon their shadows, so they could only act according to the apartment''s rules. But Li still hoped that he could live with Luo and the others, and leave the apartment together! But was it finally shattered? At the same time, Qin entered the dense forest to look for Luo. Although he hadn''t known Luo for long, he liked the honest and straightforward young man. Although in the apartment, one often couldn''t even protect themselves, but after all, everyone was bearing the same fate. When a certain resident died, it was inevitable to feel a sense of sadness at the death of a rabbit. Qin was really unwilling to see the people around him die like this. Suddenly A rushing river appeared in front of him. The river was about ten meters wide. How? Qin was immediately stunned. Logically speaking, this river shouldn''t appear! What was going on? He was only about five meters away from the river, but he didn''t dare to take another step forward. In the dark forest, under the sky without a single ray of light, the appearance of such a strange river made Qin feel a chill. At this moment, Li''s words echoed in his mind. "Water" He wanted to retreat, but Qin couldn''t help but worry about Luo. Turn back or move forward? Thinking about it, he lowered his head but this lowering of his head made him scream out in shock! The river that had been five meters away from him was now only a few centimeters from his feet! It moved? When did it happen? As Yuan said the blood letter instructions became more and more bizarre as you progressed Escape! At this moment, Qin no longer hesitated. He turned around and took a step, but he stepped into the water! Then, his whole body sank! Fortunately, Qin was a good swimmer. He immediately, without hesitation, swam towards the shore! But Although he kept swimming, after about two minutes, he still couldn''t reach the shore! But the shore was clearly right in front of him! Weird this unbelievable situation was about to completely overwhelm Qin! The previous blood letter instructions had never shown such incredible situations! It was simply not like being in the real world! Moreover, Qin began to notice something else. That is The river was wider than before! Roughly estimated, it was at least tens of meters wide! As for the depth, he estimated it would definitely be no less than ten meters! Maybe even deeper! Unable to reach the shore, and such a deep river this was simply a desperate situation! Once he ran out of strength, he would only have one way out! Li! Qin shouted at the top of his lungs: Help! Li, Li! His phone had been soaked in water and was completely useless. He could only rely on shouting, hoping that Li could hear him. He was now using all his lung capacity to shout Li''s name, even if his throat became hoarse, he had to let Li hear him! At this moment Li also faintly heard someone calling his name. Who is it? Li immediately looked towards the forest behind the village, listening carefully, and seemed to hear the voice calling his name again. Luo? Qin? He immediately became nervous and rushed towards the forest! And Axiu behind him, looking at Li''s back, had a sinister smile on her lips. Li ran with all his might, desperately searching for the source of the sound, and also shouted: Luo! Is that you? Luo! Qin, are you there? Answer me! Where are you? He didn''t want to see anyone else die. He had he had already seen too many people die in front of him! Answer me! Qin! Li''s voice was almost hoarse. Just when he was about to give up hope, he heard Qin''s call from ahead. I''m here Li, Li, save me! 21.The Hidden Beast At the same time, Axiu returned to her home. She closed the door and held it shut with her body, muttering to herself: It''s getting faster Sister Bing, everything will end. Everything will end. She slowly walked back to her room and saw Ye still sleeping soundly on the bed. Although I dont know why Sister Bing wants to do this to you as well but she must have her reasons. You must have done something wrong to Sister as well. Then, she walked into the kitchen and approached the water tank step by step Qin was now in the middle of the river! The current was extremely rapid, and he was gradually getting tired from swimming. At this time, the river was already over a hundred meters wide! Just when he was about to give up hope, he suddenly saw a glimmer of light in the distance. Then he saw Li running towards him with a flashlight! When Li saw the wide river and Qin struggling in the middle, he quickly took off his shirt and was about to jump into the river! But Qin shouted: Li! Don''t jump in, if you jump in, you won''t be able to get back to the shore! Take the rope, pull me, pull me up! Okay! Hold on! After Li finished speaking, he put down his backpack behind him, unzipped it, and took out a very long, thick rope! Because they were coming to such a dangerous place, they naturally had to be prepared. They carried various emergency medical supplies, as well as weapons. Unfortunately, it was quite difficult to buy firearms in China, so the weapons were only cold weapons. Qin! Swim a little closer! As he said this, Li took the long rope and prepared to throw it to Qin. This rope was about tens of meters long. Fortunately, his backpack was big enough to fit it. Li was also very nervous at this moment. Although he had trained many times in the past to deal with this situation, this was the first time he actually used the rope. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Qin immediately continued to swim towards the shore. Although he was constantly being hit by the current, the will to survive made him hold on for dear life! I''m throwing it! The long rope flew through the air, and Qin reached out his right hand, tightly grasped one end of the rope, and then firmly tied it to his arm! Good! Li breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to pull, he suddenly felt something wet on his feet then, his body suddenly plunged down and fell into the water! No! However, endless water surrounded Li''s body, and he immediately grabbed the shore again, but the shore was already five or six meters away from him! How how is this possible! This damn apartment, how can it be so unmerciful! Despite this, Li still held the rope tightly and desperately swam towards the shore. But no matter how he swam he couldn''t reach the shore, and the distance to the shore was also getting farther and farther! No don''t! Li''s heart sank. He was going to die He was going to die in this You Shui Village! Just the fourth blood letter instruction and he was going to die? This was only the fourth time! Li could swim, but if he kept going like this, he would eventually run out of strength! Moreover, the current was so intense that sooner or later, they would die in this river! No I don''t want to die, I dont want to die Just then, in the middle of the river, a giant whirlpool suddenly appeared! The whirlpool engulfed both Li and Qin, and both of them were involuntarily swept into the center of the river! Li and Qin were now being spun around by the whirlpool, and they didn''t know how much water they had swallowed. The whirlpool was getting more and more intense, and they were no longer able to keep their bodies on the surface! Grab the rope! Li! This sudden voice was like a heavenly sound! Li barely opened his eyes, and saw a long, thick rope being thrown from the sky. He quickly reached out and grabbed it! As for Qin, only one hand was still on the surface of the water. He was five or six meters away from Li, and in this giant whirlpool, this distance was like a chasm! Li held the rope tightly, this was his only hope for survival! Hold on! I''m pulling you up! This was Ye''s voice! Ye had woken up when Axiu came back, but she was pretending to be asleep. When she heard Axiu''s strange words, she immediately took her backpack and rushed out of the house. Finally, she found the dense forest here. Li held the rope tightly, while Qin''s body had completely submerged in the water. Ye! Li shouted: Stay away from the river! The river will automatically approach your feet! If Ye also fell into the river, then everything would be over! Although Ye was a girl, every resident of the apartment would exercise in the gym every day. After three years, her arm strength had been trained to be quite strong. Her backpack also always had a rope. Hearing Li''s words, Ye quickly stepped back, constantly paying attention to her feet, and continued to pull Li. This rope was personally selected by Yuan, and its toughness was naturally needless to say, and Ye was also strong. In the blink of an eye, Li was only ten meters away from the shore. Li, who was completely submerged in water, felt relieved. At this moment, the whirlpool seemed to have subsided. But something even scarier happened. Ye suddenly felt the ground shaking under her feet, and then the ground around the river began to rise! In fact, if you looked down from the sky, you would find that it was a circular river. Li! Ye was alarmed and quickly continued to pull the rope. At this moment the river actually rose! In a moment of life or death, Li finally approached the shore, and at this moment, the river was already five meters high! Then, Ye widened her eyes. What she saw was an unimaginable nightmare! The ground continued to rise, and the mud under the river actually revealed a giant white eye! This river It was actually the inside of this giant woman''s mouth! 22. Countdown Li still didn''t understand what was happening. As his body reached the edge of the river, he was already ten meters above the ground! If he fell from this height But he couldn''t hesitate! He held onto the rope tightly, stepped on the edge of the river, and jumped down! At the same time, the giant woman''s mouth suddenly closed! Immediately, her enormous head turned into a puff of smoke and disappeared without a trace. Li''s body landed on the ground, but since it was wet grass and only soil beneath, his injuries weren''t serious. However, he still felt a piercing pain in his body. But when he saw the giant head, the bizarre and inexplicable scene completely made him forget about the pain. "Li Li" Living in the apartment for three years, Ye had seen many strange and inexplicable phenomena, so she was already numb. But Li was extremely shocked. This extremely exaggerated and terrifying sight made him feel chills all over. "We are we actually going to stay in this terrifying village for a month?" Li''s mind went blank. Although he had anticipated various situations, the actual situation far exceeded his expectations! "Ye" Li was covered in water at this moment, but he didn''t know what to do next. Only a third of the month had passed. What should they do next? "I was still too naive. I thought after living in the apartment for a year, I was very experienced. But compared to Yuan, I''m still far behind." Ye sighed and said: "Forget it, Li, anyway, you''re still alive. Let''s go" "Qin is dead." This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Ye''s heart sank when she heard Li say this. "He he''s dead?" "Yes. He was in the water too just now." "How could?" Ye lowered her head, her heart aching. In the past three years, so many residents around them had died that Ye was almost numb. The last time, she barely escaped death with Qin, but this time Ye didn''t shed a tear. This wasn''t the first time she had experienced this. Her tears had almost dried up after entering this apartment. "But at least you, Li, are alive." Ye helped him up and said: "We must support each other, survive this month! Well, there are still about two weeks left, and we can leave You Shui Village." Two more weeks "There''s nowhere safe." Li knew this very well. This You Shui Village there was nowhere that would allow them to spend a month in peace! Bizarre phenomena would continue to occur in the days to come! "Bing" What exactly did she want? Why did she want to kill Qin and him? Was Luo still alive? He was probably in grave danger. If Bing''s goal was to seek revenge on those who had hurt her in this village, there was no reason to spare him. So the only explanation was that she had turned into an indiscriminate killing demon! Then what about Axiu? Would Bing spare Axiu? This assumption was possible. So, if they showed kindness to Axiu, could they escape death? "Let''s go back to Axiu''s house." This was his only choice at the moment. No matter how dangerous Axiu was, he had no choice but to rely on Axiu as his only lifeline. When the two of them returned to Axiu''s house, they knocked on the door and heard Axiu ask cautiously: "Who is it?" "It''s us." Li said weakly: "Miss Axiu please open the door." When Axiu opened the door, Li caught a glimpse of a person lying in the house. It was Liang. His tongue had been cut off, and he was lying on the ground covered in water, probably dead. "Oh well, you saw it." Axiu didn''t seem to care: "Whatever, you know anyway. I just cut off his tongue." "Axiu" Li didn''t dare to offend her, so he said: "Please stop. Can you think of a way to communicate with Bing, and ask her to stop killing" "Shut up!" Axiu said coldly: "What right do you have to call her name?" "You" "Although I don''t understand why Sister Bing would attack you but if she did, there must be a reason." She said with a cold smile: "Alright, come in. You can stay here, don''t forget to report it! Otherwise, why would I take you in?" Crazy This woman was absolutely crazy! But what did it matter if they knew she was crazy? This crazy woman was their only hope of surviving in You Shui Village. The next day the disappearance of Liang, Wu, and the others caused a huge stir in the village! Although people would disappear every year, this year too many people disappeared! And the village headmanman''s grandson and granddaughter were among them! But, although more and more people suspected Axiu, no one dared to confront her. The reason was simple. The belief in ghosts had become deeply ingrained, so if they were to harm Axiu, who was the best friend of Bing, wouldn''t they be asking for death? After that, people in the village would avoid Axiu when they saw her. No one dared to say a bad word to her, and many even tried to curry favor with her, sending her a lot of food, and even helping her plant rice and irrigate her land. However, the days that followed were surprisingly peaceful. No more unusual phenomena occurred. Perhaps after killing so many people at once, Bing also wanted to take a break? So in this way, with uneasy hearts, July 7th finally arrived. Li and Ye relaxed a little, but they were certain something extremely terrifying would definitely happen before midnight tonight. 23.The Truth Unfolds "You two are leaving at midnight tonight?" At the dinner table, Axiu looked surprised, but then she said: "Alright well, please do a good job reporting. Anyway, if you don''t report it you know the consequences." Consequences Li knew what they were. But he had no intention of reporting the news. No matter how vicious and cruel the vengeful spirits were, as long as they could escape back to the apartment, they would be completely safe. The apartment, though terrifying, was also the safest haven. Yuan had mentioned this many times, and he had completely confirmed that no matter how terrifying the ghosts were, they could never enter the apartment. After dinner, Li and Ye immediately packed their things and prepared to leave. "Leaving so soon?" Axiu was still tidying up the bowls and chopsticks on the table, and asked in confusion: "Why are you in such a hurry to leave?" "We have something urgent, we have to leave tonight" "But, climbing over Hei Wu Mountain is very time-consuming. And at this hour, there are no buses down the mountain, how are you going to get there?" "Our car is parked down the mountain, it should be fine." "Oh? Do as you please." Then, the two of them left as if they were running away. During this month, Li and Ye had been extremely friendly to Axiu. They helped her with housework several times and tried their best to make her less busy. If Bing really had such a good relationship with her, they hoped that this would make her spare them. Of course, if it was that easy to survive, then this fourth blood letter instruction would be too simple. Li himself didn''t believe it was possible. Li and Ye walked to the edge of the village before stopping and sitting down. They both looked at the watches on their wrists. To prevent the time from being wrong, they both bought famous Swiss brand watches, although they were expensive, this money couldn''t be saved. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. If the time was wrong and they left the village ahead of time, resulting in their shadows controlling them to commit suicide, then they would be in tears. "Li" Ye was already extremely nervous at this moment, her heart was beating rapidly. Finally they were about to leave this village! "Listen carefully, Ye." Li said solemnly: "That mountain path is quite difficult to walk, this trip will probably be very difficult, even if everything goes smoothly, it will take three hours to reach the foot of the mountain. Taking the car to the city will take about two hours. And entering the city and then going to the apartment will also take about an hour." Six hours! Six hours would decide their lives or death! If they could enter the apartment after six hours, they would be able to survive! "Yuan told me" Li continued: "Although the apartment is very cruel, there are often situations where death is inevitable. But there are still a few people who have the chance to survive. So we absolutely cannot give up!" Ye nodded. For three years, she had also known this truth. Although six hours was a long time, ghosts wouldn''t attack you all the time. Otherwise, how could Yuan and Ye have survived to this day? Time kept ticking by, and midnight was getting closer. In Axiu''s house in You Shui Village. In the kitchen, the lid of the water tank had been opened. "The village headmanman''s family is heartbroken now haha, it''s so funny," Axiu''s face was extremely distorted at this moment, her eyes looked as vicious as a demon. She held the scissors in her hand and said: "Sister Bing you killed well, you killed them all! Oh, right, there''s also Wu and Su''s mother, she must die too, because she also spoke ill of you. Yes, kill her tomorrow, and then I''ll cut off her tongue, haha, isn''t that great ah, ah?" A hand suddenly stretched out from the water tank! Like a boneless creature, a twisted body slowly rose from the water tank. Loose hair, a pale face, arms swinging meaninglessly She looked down at Axiu from above, her body reaching the ceiling. "Sister Bing" Axiu shouted excitedly: "You finally, finally came to see me!" And at this moment, at the edge of the village, Li looked at his watch again less than five minutes left before they could leave the village! "We''re about to leave" Li was still on high alert, vigilantly observing his surroundings. Suddenly, he noticed a figure approaching. "Who" Li was shocked and shouted: "Who are you!" He shone his flashlight at the figure, but it was a young woman, about twenty-four or five years old. She was dressed like a city dweller, carrying a briefcase in her hand. "You?" Li looked at the woman, she seemed to be a "person". "Who are you?" The woman said in surprise: "Did the village headmanman send someone to pick me up? No, I didn''t tell him I was coming today." "I" Li was confused and immediately asked: "Do you know the village headmanman?" "Yeah, your clothes don''t look like the villagers. Who are you?" "We we came to see the sights, experience the countryside" "Oh?" The woman smiled and said: "That''s quite interesting! But why are you staying here in the middle of the night?" "This" "Alright, forget it, whatever. I''m going to take a look around the village, I haven''t been back in years" "Uh, miss, did you used to live in the village?" Li asked. "Ah" She still smiled amiably and said: "Yes, I left the village several years ago. Two months ago, I wrote a letter to the village headman, saying that I would come back this time to invest and help the village get rid of poverty." "What? You are" "Oh, right. I forgot to introduce myself, my name is - Li Bing." In Axiu''s house, the tall, white-clothed woman slowly stretched out her hand towards Axiu her eyes without pupils revealed a chilling and terrifying aura! 24.The Last Miles Li was more shocked than ever before! "What''s what''s wrong?" Li Bing looked at Li and Ye''s astonished faces in confusion, and then she understood and said: "Oh, I know. The people in the village told you that I died, right? Back then, I really wanted to jump off the waterfall, and I even took off my shoes. When I was about to jump I felt it wasn''t worth it to die like that. So I left the village and wanted to find my father first" Thinking back carefully, the villagers never said they had found Li Bing''s body. They just said she had jumped off the waterfall and committed suicide, and the basis for this judgment was simply her shoes. With such a rapid current, it was normal not to find the body. It was no wonder that the villagers misjudged Li Bing as dead. "You you said you wrote to the village headman two months ago?" Li suddenly asked: "Why didn''t the village headman mention it?" "Ah I asked him to keep it a secret. After leaving the village, although I didn''t find my father, I worked and started a business in the city, and finally opened a small restaurant. Unexpectedly, after a few years, it developed into a chain restaurant, and I started a company and became the chairman I made so much money, the first thing that came to my mind was the village. Although I have such painful memories, my parents, Axiu, Su, and the others are all here they are memories I can''t erase. So I decided to come back to the village to invest, so that the village can become wealthy. But I wanted to give Axiu a surprise, let me appear in front of her personally and tell her that I''m still alive. Oh, Axiu, she is" "I know." Li interrupted her: "Axiu misses you very much." "Really is she okay?" Is Axiu okay now? "I also told the village headman that I might send a few managers from my company to the village first to investigate and plan specific investment matters. But to avoid gossip, they will claim to be experiencing rural life, and asked the village headman not to spread it, and to receive them well. And even in front of the village headman, don''t mention me, just pretend they are really experiencing rural life but then I decided to come here myself." You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. So that''s it! The village headman mistook them for people sent by Li Bing! The boss he mentioned was naturally Li Bing! No wonder he was so enthusiastic towards them and asked them to go around the village more But then, a problem arose That giant woman who killed Luo and Qin Who was she? Who was she? And at this moment, Axiu was still standing in front of the huge white woman, still treating her as "Sister Bing". "Sister Bing" Axiu was almost moved to tears at this moment, and she slowly walked towards the giant woman, but in a flash, the giant woman grabbed her firmly and pulled her whole body into the water tank! Axiu didn''t understand why "Sister Bing" killed her until the moment she died. "Run" Li felt his whole body tremble at this moment! Li Bing was still alive, so no matter who that female ghost was, she definitely wouldn''t spare them because of Axiu! And at this time, the hands on the watch finally coincided at twelve o''clock! Midnight! "Run! Ye!" With Li''s thunderous roar, Li Bing, who was beside him, was startled, and then Li and Ye ran forward with all their might! Living in this apartment, they spent the most time training for running when they exercised. To be honest, if a ghost was determined to kill you, even if you ran faster than Liu Xiang, you still wouldn''t survive. But, after all, those who ran faster would always have a better chance of survival. Li Bing felt a little surprised, but at this moment, her desire to see Axiu immediately was paramount. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have come to the village at this time. As she entered the village, she suddenly felt a white shadow brush past her! "That what was that?" Li Bing instantly felt as if her whole body had turned to ice "Ye, be careful of the water, don''t go near any place with water!" Li held Ye''s hand tightly, and they walked side by side on the mountain path. For now, they weren''t running, but trying to take larger steps. After all, the journey was long, and if they ran now, they wouldn''t be able to walk the rest of the way. The mountain path was extremely difficult to walk, and Li kept a close eye on his surroundings. Although there was no movement for now, he knew if he let his guard down even slightly, he might lose his life. Survive! I must survive! Ye was also like a startled bird at this moment, she couldn''t take two steps without looking back, or looking up, or looking down, for fear that a ghost would jump out from somewhere. After all, she had come so close to death several times in the past three years. She remembered the most dangerous time, in a haunted house, she had been hung from a rope to the ceiling, and was about to suffocate to death. It was only when Yuan discovered her in time and cut the rope that he saved her. At that time, she was completely desperate, she really thought she was going to die. Having experienced that, she didn''t want to die even more! They walked for about twenty minutes, and there was no sign of any ghosts, so she gradually calmed down and continued on the road. Li, however, remained vigilant. Yuan had mentioned to him that there were actually quite a few residents who had safely passed the blood letter instruction period, but died on the way back to the apartment. Some even died right at the entrance of the apartment. Just then, Li suddenly saw a white shadow moving quickly between two trees in front of him! 25.A Race Against Time "That that''s" Ye also saw the white shadow, and instantly felt her legs go weak Li immediately pulled her up and ran! Of course, even while running, he didn''t take his eyes off the compass in his hand, otherwise, if he got lost, it would be too late to cry. After running for about five or six minutes, Li felt extremely exhausted, Ye was no better, and they both started to gasp for breath. "Li Li" Ye said, panting: "She didn''t follow us, right?" "I I don''t know" Li was looking around, up and down, left and right, but it was just rows of trees and rocks, very quiet. "It seems like she didn''t" Their hearts were beating rapidly, and any relaxation could lead to their deaths. They both knew this very well. Just then, Li suddenly saw the white shadow appear behind Ye! "YY , Ye you, you have something behind you" When Li said this, Ye was so scared that her heart almost stopped! She quickly turned back, but there was nothing. "What are you doing! Li, you''re trying to scare me to death!" But the white shadow did appear behind Ye just now. This quiet forest, at this moment, had become a terrifying existence that was about to swallow them both. And they had to spend three hours like this? If they didn''t reach the apartment, they would probably go crazy. But they had to move forward. Staying here would only be more dangerous! "Let''s go! Ye!" Li gritted his teeth, and continued walking forward with Ye. We can''t die! We absolutely can''t die! Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Every step they took at this moment was like walking on thin ice. However, fortunately, there were no more unusual occurrences for most of the time that followed. The calm lasted for about two hours or more. They had already reached the outskirts of the mountain, and if all went well, they would soon reach the foot of the mountain. As long as they weren''t in the apartment, nowhere in the world could be considered safe. So they still couldn''t relax their tense nerves. "Ye" "What is it? Li?" Li took a deep breath and said: "If we can go back alive you should confess your feelings to Yuan. At least, don''t leave regrets in your life. Your feelings for him are actually very deep, right?" Ye''s face flushed red. "Okay I, I''ll think about it." Finally, they successfully reached the foot of the mountain, and Li saw their car. He had been afraid that the car wouldn''t be there, but it seemed like he was worrying too much. After opening the car door, Li took out the car keys and inserted them into the door, and only when the door opened, did he and Ye finally breathe a sigh of relief. After getting in, Li started the engine. Ye closed the car door and fastened her seatbelt. The car started smoothly, which was quite unexpected to Li. He thought something would happen during the process. It was just neither of them noticed that there was a puddle of water in the back seat! "So you came here too?" The city, the apartment. The lobby on the first floor, two people were gathered there at this moment. Tang, the surgeon, and Wen, who was always gloomy. Actually, based on the time calculation, the four of them wouldn''t be back so soon, but Tang was very worried about them, and couldn''t sleep well. After waking up, he simply put on his clothes and came downstairs to wait for them. It was quite a surprise to see Wen there. However, Wen was still as cold and gloomy as ever, and Tang didn''t say much and sat down on the sofa. "I wonder how many of them will be able to come back?" Just as Tang was worried, the elevator door suddenly opened, and two more people walked out. It was Hua and his wife Lian. "Oh, Hua, Lian!" Tang immediately stood up and said: "You two couldn''t sleep either, and came to wait for Li and the others?" Hua nodded, and Lian said: "I''m so worried about the four of them especially Li and Ye, I hope at least they can come back alive" Both of them also sat down on the sofa, and now at least the three of them could chat. Otherwise, the atmosphere would be too depressing. "They will definitely be able to come back alive." Lian said firmly: "They will!" After passing one more toll station, Li''s car would be able to enter the city. Driving on this road, Li was truly on edge. Don''t come out at least not now And just then, in the puddle of water on the back seat, five white, ghostly fingers began to stretch out! However, Li and Ye were completely unaware. Then, a complete hand stretched out, then another hand A hideous face, full of resentment and malice, began to emerge from the water. The puddle began to shrink and formed the image of the female ghost. But Li and Ye still didn''t notice. Because the rearview mirror in the car didn''t reflect her! Contrary to the usual ghost stories, the rearview mirror, which is usually used in cars to "remind" the driver that there is a ghost behind them, was now actually concealing Li and Ye. Then she stretched her water-soaked hands towards Ye, who was focused on looking ahead 26.The Last Whisper At that moment Li suddenly slammed on the brakes! "What what happened? Li?" Ye was startled by him, and the white woman instantly turned into a wisp of smoke and disappeared. Li gripped the steering wheel tightly and said: "I just feel like something''s wrong" "What, what is that?" "It feels like it''s been too smooth. Yuan once told me that the scary thing isn''t the unusual, but the overly normal. And in the process of carrying out the blood letter instructions, there''s nothing scarier than ''everything being normal''." "But, but" Ye looked around again and said: "It shouldn''t be, right" Li pondered for a moment and sighed, saying: "Forget it we still need to be vigilant. Before we enter the apartment, even a second before stepping through the revolving door, we can''t let our guard down in the slightest. Otherwise, everything will be in vain." Then he started the car again. Soon they finally reached the city. They both breathed a sigh of relief. The distance between the city and the city was quite close, so they were able to reach the city area quickly. However, it was the early morning, so there weren''t many vehicles on the road. But as the neon lights of the city appeared, they both gradually felt relieved. The apartment was getting closer and closer. But conversely, the nearby roads became more secluded and darker. "Ye" Li still wasn''t letting his guard down at this moment, saying: "We" "Ahhh!" Ye suddenly pointed at the car window beside Li in horror! That pale, hideous ghost face was pressed against the window! "What!" Li hurriedly looked towards the window, but there was nothing. He gritted his teeth, parked the car on the side of the road, opened the door, and got out with Ye, deciding to walk back to the apartment! They ran desperately, paying attention to their surroundings from time to time, and the entrance to the community was right in front of them! Speaking of which, the standard of this community was really not good. There were no iron railings outside, anyone could enter and leave, the security guards turned a blind eye, and the management was chaotic. Of course, living in that apartment, there was no need to worry about security issues. Some residents didn''t even lock their doors at night. After all, no one in that apartment would be bored enough to steal things. After running into the community, they both completely spread their legs, sprinting towards the apartment at full speed! Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Life or death was about to be decided! Right in front of them was the alley! "Ye, we we will definitely be able to survive!" When they ran into this alley, which was so familiar they couldn''t be more familiar with it, both of them were uneasy. What would the female ghost do? What would she do? Yuan and the others were standing at the entrance of the apartment, watching Li and Ye running towards the apartment! "Li!" Yuan shouted through the glass: "Hurry! Hurry!" Ten meters eight meters six meters four meters three meters two meters One meter! Li was overjoyed. Just as his hand was about to touch the revolving door of the apartment He suddenly felt dizzy, shook his head, and when he looked again, the apartment was actually twenty meters away from him! How, how is that possible? It was still so bizarre! Just like the unreachable shore! Li was stunned if that was the case, he wouldn''t be able to enter the apartment! What should he do? Ye was also astonished. They were at the entrance of the apartment, but they couldn''t go in! "How, how is that possible?" Li continued to run forward, but every time he was about to reach the apartment door, he was pulled back twenty meters away! Just then Li saw the most terrifying thing. A pair of bare white feet emerged from the left side of the apartment! A giant woman in white, whose height was comparable to the apartment, walked out from behind the apartment! Yuan, Hua, Lian, and the others were all extremely anxious, while Wen stood by and watched coldly. The giant woman in white walked in front of Li and Ye! "No" Li felt a sense of despair he had never experienced before! Unable to enter the apartment, and unable to fight this woman What should I do? What in the world should I do? The woman bent down slightly, opened her mouth, her chin instantly extended to a height of tens of meters, and inside her mouth was an endless amount of water. "Li" Ye was already full of tears: "I, I don''t want to die I don''t want to die I, I haven''t told Yuan, told him that I like him" Li frowned tightly, thinking of a solution Was there really no way to deal with her? Yuan had repeatedly emphasized that human beings were powerless against these ghosts and goblins, and no weapon could harm them. So, the only way to be saved was to escape into the apartment. Ye was still crying at this moment, when she suddenly felt as if her body was sinking into water. When she realized it, she was already in the female ghost''s mouth! Then, the female ghost closed her mouth, and when she opened it again although there was still a lot of water, Ye was gone! Ye was dead She was also dead! Li had only one thought at this moment - escape! So, without hesitation, he turned around and ran away as fast as he could! Since he couldn''t enter the apartment, he had to run first! But, if he didn''t enter the apartment within forty-eight hours, death would still befall him! But could he escape? The female ghost took a single step and caught up to him! Her enormous mouth slowly approached Li However, at that moment, two ghastly white hands suddenly emerged from her mouth! Then, another giant, ghastly white head emerged from the female ghost''s mouth! The woman''s face was full of cruelty, ferocity, and malice! It was even more terrifying! And this newly emerged giant female ghost, tightly grabbed the original giant female ghost''s body, struggling frantically. Li was stunned, and then he suddenly felt that the face of this newly appeared female ghost was very familiar Then, he recognized it. Those cruel, ferocious eyes were Axiu! Without hesitation, Li turned around and ran towards the apartment! "Thank you thank you! Axiu!" Axiu''s obsession and hatred were actually so terrifying! She had become an even more terrifying evil spirit! This was completely unexpected to Li. And because of Axiu, it seemed like he could get closer to the apartment! Seeing the revolving door right in front of him, Li immediately dashed forward and entered the apartment! He survived! He survived again! At this moment, Li was completely exhausted, lying on his back on the floor of the lobby, gasping for breath. Outside the apartment, Axiu''s body was constantly trying to get out of the giant woman''s body! This bizarre and inexplicable phenomenon left Yuan and the others dumbfounded, and they forgot to congratulate Li on surviving again. You Shui Village. When the excited Li Bing arrived at the entrance of Axiu''s house, she gently knocked on the door, but she found it was ajar. In Axiu''s house, she didn''t see anyone. "Axiu" Li Bing looked at the empty room with a sense of loss, not knowing what to do. In the end, the two sisters still missed each other, and they were not able to meet again. The two giant female ghosts, in the end, roared and howled continuously, both turning into smoke and disappearing without a trace in front of the apartment Sister Bing If we have the chance, let''s be sisters again in the next life Li, lying on the floor, exhausted, only faintly heard these words before he fainted. 27. The New Resident K City, the famous Zhen University, a renowned science academy. Ziye had been teaching physics in this class for a year. After graduating from Teachers College and obtaining a master''s degree, she gave up the opportunity to study abroad and instead stayed at this university where her parents had taught, continuing their legacy. This was largely due to Ziye''s stunning beauty, which could be described as breathtaking. She had always been incredibly beautiful since she was young, with a delicate, oval face, long, flowing, shoulder-length hair, captivating eyes, and features that were like a work of art. Coupled with her usual proud and cold demeanor, and the nobility that radiated from her every move, both boys and girls were deeply attracted to her. Ziye''s beauty wasn''t the kind that would arouse primal desires, but a kind of beauty that would make people of all genders genuinely feel a natural and effortless charisma. In the year she taught, many students had become very close to her. After this class, Ziye organized her teaching materials and cleared her throat. With a calm expression, she said to the students in the audience: "Finally... I need to tell you all something. Today is my last day teaching at Zhen University. I have submitted my resignation to the principal. And I have already finished the handover process with the new physics teacher." The audience was immediately in an uproar. The students, who had become like family to Ziye in the past year, all started talking excitedly. Many asked loudly: "Teacher why are you resigning?" "Yeah, there''s no reason..." Ziye continued speaking. "This university is my parents'' alma mater, where they were professors, so I have a lot of affection for Zhen University. But due to personal reasons, I can''t continue teaching here. I''m really sorry maybe I''ll come back occasionally, after all, the teaching facilities and laboratories at Zhen University are quite good." "Personal reasons?" Everyone discussed among themselves, maybe the teacher was going to study abroad? The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Or maybe she was getting married and resigning? Although they were reluctant to let her go, since Ziye had made up her mind, they couldn''t say anything else. " You must come back to visit sometime" "Yeahwe''ve had a wonderful time together in the past year" Although Ziye was usually reserved and taciturn, she was very attentive and her words and expressions conveyed her meaning. Many people felt very warm and comfortable around her. Leaving the gate of Zhen University, Ziye took one last look at the school where she had lived for a year, then slowly turned her head and walked away. Li opened his eyes. Beside him were Yuan and Tang. "You''re awake, Li!" Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, saying: "You''ve been unconscious for two weeks." "Two weeks" Li felt his mind was a jumble. After recalling carefully he remembered that he and Ye had escaped from You Shui Village and returned to the apartment, and then Ye was eaten by that eerie female ghost at the entrance of the apartment and he "It was Axiu who saved me." Li finally recalled everything. No matter what, he was lucky to survive the fourth blood letter instruction. But Ye, after all, couldn''t escape this ordeal "Ye, Luo, and Qin are all dead, right?" Yuan sighed and said: "There''s no way every time we carry out the blood letter instructions, someone has to sacrifice themselves. Li, you being able to survive is already quite good. The fifth blood letter instruction should appear after a long time, right? You can''t slack off either, you need to prepare well during this time. The fifth blood letter instruction can be considered a watershed..." "Watershed?" Li was stunned, then Yuan said: "Considering you hadn''t passed the fourth blood letter instruction at that time, I didn''t want to put too much pressure on you, so I didn''t tell you. The fifth blood letter instruction is a transition, and after this transition from the sixth blood letter instruction onwards, the danger and horror will naturally jump to a new level!" "But, don''t worry too much," Yuan comforted him: "Starting from the sixth blood letter instruction, the apartment will provide relatively generous conditions for avoiding ghosts." "Generous conditions?" "Yes unlike now, where you have to fight tooth and nail to run back to the apartment. Starting from the sixth blood letter instruction, as long as the time limit is up no matter where you are, as long as you want to return to the apartment, you can open a passage to enter the apartment anywhere!" Is there such a good thing? "You mean even if we''re on the other side of the earth, we can come back to the apartment instantly?" "Yes. Don''t even mention the other side of the earth, even if you''re on Mars, you can come back immediately." In other words, starting from the sixth blood letter instruction as long as you endure until the blood letter instruction deadline is up, you can escape! "One more thing starting with the sixth blood letter instruction, the time limit generally won''t be too long, like this time, a whole month, is almost impossible. At most, it will be a week. And the closer you get to the end, the shorter the deadline. It is said that for the tenth blood letter instruction, the deadline is less than a day." Less than a day? "Yes" Yuan continued: "The closer you get to the end, the more generous the conditions for survival become, but conversely the death rate also increases." Yuan himself was actually quite scared. Could they survive until the last blood letter instruction? 28.A Calm Before The Storm That was extremely difficult! But, they could only continue. No matter how much they hated this apartment, no matter how much they wanted to get out of here, they couldn''t do it. In the past, there were some residents who tried to destroy the apartment, but they were all controlled and killed by the shadows. The shadows had been completely controlled by the apartment, and they couldn''t disobey at all. Even in places where no shadows could be cast, they could still be manipulated. It could be said that to survive, they had to follow the apartment''s rules and live until the last blood letter instruction. There was no other way. "Okay, let''s not talk about this" Yuan patted his shoulder and said: "I''m just reminding you, don''t slack off, you should still try to exercise as much as possible before the next blood letter instruction comes, train your reaction time and adaptability" In the face of ghosts, human flesh and blood are ultimately helpless. There''s simply no way "Forget it, I don''t want to think about this." Li felt his stomach rumbling, saying: "Um do you have anything to eat, I''m very hungry" "Ah, yes!" Tang immediately said: "I''ll go make you something to eat, Li! Um, what do you want? Maybe something light would be better?" "Anything. Porridge or noodles are fine" After surviving the fourth time, Li was truly filled with mixed emotions. But, at least he could finally live a peaceful life for a while. Once he endured until the sixth one, he wouldn''t have to work so hard and could directly return to the apartment. "Right, Li." Yuan mentioned: "While you were unconscious for the past two weeks a new resident moved into Ye''s room, 403." "Huh?" Li was slightly stunned and then asked: "You what did you say? A new resident? So soon?" "Yeah she entered the apartment three days after you came back. She''s a female teacher, and she''s already moved some luggage into the apartment. When she first entered the apartment, she was a little panicked, but after about a week, she gradually calmed down it''s not easy." "Really?" Li was surprised that there was someone with such good quality. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! When he first entered the apartment, he had to successfully complete the first blood letter instruction before he could gradually calm down his extreme fear. Since she was a new neighbor, he should go and say hello, they would be seeing each other all the time anyway. "She''s out now, but she should be back soon. She must have already submitted her resignation to the school where she teaches." "I see" After eating something, Li finally regained his strength. After getting out of bed, he couldn''t help but think: What kind of person is this new neighbor He got dressed, went out of his room, and walked to the corridor outside, looking at Room 403 across the way. Recalling the shy girl Ye from the past, she had left him forever Li couldn''t help but sigh with regret. "You''re awake? Mr. Li?" A somewhat indifferent but very delicate voice reached his ears. Li turned his head and saw a woman standing there. The woman was in her twenties, with long, flowing hair and a delicate, oval face. Her forehead was covered by long bangs, and beneath her light eyelashes were a pair of somewhat unfocused, crystal-like eyes. Her expression was very indifferent, very casual, but her brows and eyes revealed a kind of wisdom that saw through everything. In that instant, Li was struck by the woman in front of him, and he was momentarily stunned. The woman walked over and said: "Let me introduce myself, my name is Ziye, I''m the new resident of Room 403. " Li finally regained his composure and quickly stretched out his hand, saying: "Hey, hello I, I''m Li, the resident of Room 404 ! In this apartment, don''t be too afraid, we" "I know." Ziye still had no expression on her face and said: "We have to try our best to survive ten blood letters, right? I, I will." "So like that Ziye, what did you tell your parents about moving in here" "My parents are both dead. When I was very young." "I I''m sorry, I" "It''s fine it''s all in the past." Just as she was about to reach the door of Room 403, she suddenly said: "By the way I remember you''re a web novelist?" "Yeah" "What''s the name of your book?" "Bullet Flies Over", it''s a military novel set in World War II." "Really?" She nodded, took out her key and opened the door, saying: "I''ll check it out." After the door closed, Li was still standing there in a daze. He stared at the door, as if he wanted to see through it. In the days that followed, Li returned to his past life of writing web novels and earning royalties. Although it was a mundane and boring life, it was far, far happier than the month he spent in You Shui Village. His parents occasionally called, of course. The phone in the apartment could only make calls outside, but no calls could come in. They still thought that Li was living the ordinary life , renting a room and wrote books, advising him to find a more stable job and live a peaceful life. They probably wouldn''t have think of the incredible experiences their son had gone through in the past year. Ziye lived a very regular life. She would participate in the routine discussion meetings with the other residents every day. Although she didn''t speak often, she took notes very seriously each time. Although she was very quiet like Oda Saki, Oda Saki gave people a feeling of coldness that kept them at bay, while she gave people a feeling like a warm spring breeze, gently blowing across the earth, making them feel very comfortable. She had a pretty good relationship with Oda Saki, who also lived on the fourth floor. The two of them often discussed things together. And Li would occasionally go to her and talk to her about the blood letter instructions. Li found that her composure was almost unbelievable, he had almost never seen her show any sign of panic or unease. Perhaps she was suppressing her pain, not showing it to others? When would the next blood letter instruction come? 29.Game begins On this day, Li once again came to Ziye''s house. She always kept her room meticulously clean, the floor always spotless. This was rare, as most people didn''t have the time or inclination to do so. When Li entered the house, Ziye was wearing black-rimmed glasses, seemingly looking over something. Miss ... are you looking at something? Yes, organizing notes and news from previous years. Ziye said as she motioned Li to enter the living room, Would you like some tea? Nothanks. Speaking of which, are you settling in alright? So far so good... Ziye sat down after gesturing for Li to take a seat, "After investigating, it seems that... almost every time the apartment assigns a blood word, evil spirits and ghosts appear. However... I''ve discovered that a significant proportion of them have no origin or cause." Yes..." "And there''s no pattern, they seem to just aimlessly terrify and kill you one by one." Ziye took off her glasses, But it seems that those who survive are able to gradually grasp the way out of the blood word. The hidden way out is the key." "Yes..." Li nodded, The way out is crucial, but it''s hard to discern any patterns. It''s something that Yuan and the others have been researching..." "Yes, I''ve combined two important examples to discuss with you. Specifically..." At this point, her expression suddenly changed, and she covered her left chest with her hand! Then she slammed her fist against the sofa, her face contorted in pain A burning sensation in her heart! The first blood word was already issued, and so quickly? Li immediately turned back to look at the wall A great deal of blood began to flow from the wall, forming characters This Ziye gradually felt the pain subside, she looked at the wall and muttered, "This is... the blood word instruction?" The blood word on the wall read: On August 16th C 20th,2024, go to the western suburbs, to a Western-style villa located on the left side of Zhuo Feng Road. The villas courtyard has three maple trees. A special reminder: after entering the villa, the ghost will transform into something seemingly normal inside the villa, making it impossible for you to notice. Those who can identify the ghost''s transformation will be able to leave the villa before the deadline." This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Ziye''s burning sensation had stopped, but her forehead was covered in beads of sweat. The blood word then disappeared, as if absorbed into the wall. At the same time, three other people received the same blood word instruction. One of them was Oda Saki, who lived on the fourth floor. "A haunted house? Find the ghost''s transformation and you can leave?" She looked at the blood word, her brow furrowed. Something seemed off about this The other two were Yuan and Wen from room 502. This blood word, with its unique condition, was extremely concerning. Yuan was especially uneasy, after experiencing five blood words, he knew that such a unique condition must inevitably hide some terrifying phenomenon. However in the downstairs lobby, Yuan and the other three were extremely stunned to see Ziye! "How... how is that possible!" Yuan exclaimed in disbelief, "You just moved into the apartment, this is your first time encountering a blood word. I''ve experienced five blood words, and Oda Saki and Wen have each done four! How how did you..." This was too much of a difference! Nothing like this had ever happened before! "Yes..." Oda Saki was also bewildered, "That''s incredible impossible. You are you truly encountering the blood word for the first time?" But there was no doubt about it. Ziye had taken over Ye''s apartment. However, Ziye didn''t react much, saying, Its unclear whether this is good or bad luck. Perhaps I have something unique about me" While she appeared calm, Li noticed her pupils moving nervously. Upon arriving at Yuan''s home, Yuan said, "This is truly unexpected It''s incredibly rare for a resident to receive a blood word instruction on their first day. Even the long-term residents have never told me of such a precedent." Typically, individuals with different blood word execution indexes would participate in the same blood word instruction, but the differences are usually not too large. For example, someone encountering their second blood word might be assigned with someone experiencing their third, or someone experiencing their fourth might be assigned with someone experiencing their fifth... but to have someone experiencing their first blood word instruction assigned with a senior resident who has encountered six This was too abnormal. Who is she? Why is the apartment treating her differently? Yuan, Ziye, Oda Saki, and the others sat together, discussing their plans for the day. I don''t know why I receive these special treatments either, Ziye said calmly, "However, this blood word instruction has a potential danger. Have you all noticed this?" Danger? Yuan asked, confused, "What danger?" Identifying the ghosts transformation allows you to return to the apartment early. Thats an excellent condition, which means you have a better chance of survival. But is that really the case? Yuan didn''t understand what Ziye meant, but Li immediately understood. She said to her, Miss , youre saying that this is actually more dangerous for us, right? Because being able to leave early means youve found the ghost Usually, we try to avoid contact with ghosts, but now the apartment is forcing us to confront them. "That''s definitely one point. But it''s not the only thing." Ziye pointed to the wall, The blood word instruction is very vague. What does identify mean? What form will the ghosts transformation take? Maybe a potted plant, maybe a painting, maybe a puddle of water and who knows if it can change form? Does identifying mean perceiving it as a ghost or guessing its a ghost? 30.The Monster！s Gaze Does identifying mean speaking it aloud or understanding it in your heart? Does someone telling you count as identifying? What if the thing directly manifests as a ghost in front of you, does that count as identifying?" Indeed, identify is a very ambiguous concept, as Ziye pointed out. And if you misunderstand that concept and leave the designated location, the consequences would be unimaginable! "Here lies the problem. Because we don''t understand this concept, what can we do? At the very least, we need to be certain that we have truly identified the ghost. That will inevitably create a commotion, so everyone else will try to learn from the identifier how they managed to do it. If the identifier refuses to speak and just runs for their life, then the others probably won''t let them go without a fight. Ziyes words hit the nail on the head, and Li immediately understood. "Will there be infighting?" "Who knows? Human nature is the most unpredictable thing. I think humans are much scarier than ghosts." Li agreed with Ziye''s words. While the residents of the apartment were currently united, in order to survive, their selfish nature would inevitably surface That was truly terrifying! "Listen up..." Yuan took a deep breath, "The designated time starts the day after tomorrow. I think we should go ahead and scout the villa tomorrow. The blood word instruction seems a bit unclear. Plus, we''ll be confined to the villa once we enter, unable to leave. I can ask the people around the villa if they''ve heard of anyone dying there, maybe that will provide some clues We''ll use our phones to stay in touch." The next day, Yuan set out for the suburbs. The only information he had was the villa on Zhuo Feng Road and the three maple trees in its courtyard. Yuan felt a strong sense of unease at the moment Ziyes special circumstances and the unusual conditions of this blood word felt like a giant trap. This blood word instruction was too strange Normally, he wouldn''t be so reckless as to come scouting ahead of time, but this unease was too overwhelming, making him restless. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Yuan drove slowly along the tree-lined path. The sun was shining brightly, and there were flowers blooming everywhere, creating a peaceful scene. But Yuan felt like there was a giant, devouring black hole ahead, terrifying him. Finally reaching Zhuo Feng Road, Yuan slowed his car and carefully examined both sides. There were many buildings, but they were all quite far from any villa. Inside the apartment, Ziye was already packing her belongings. The refrigerator was full of food, enough to sustain them for five days if they were careful with their rations. After packing everything, she grabbed a map and prepared to leave. Just then, there was a knock at the door. "It''s me, Miss." It was Li. She opened the door and asked, Is something wrong, Mr. Li?" "Miss" Li seemed to hesitate for a long time before handing her a notebook, This is something I wrote a summary of the patterns I''ve observed from my experiences over the past year. You can take a look and use it as a reference. Ziye was slightly taken aback, she took the notebook and flipped through it briefly, her expression changing slightly. Then she asked, "Why are you helping me? Is there any benefit for you?" Li felt a little awkward, but meeting Ziye''s gaze, he still answered, "It''s just I want to help you that''s all. Of course, the content of the notebook is just a reference, things might not follow the patterns written in it completely. "No, I think it''s quite valuable." Ziye closed the notebook, "Thank you for the notes." "If it can be of any help then I''m glad. At the same time, Yuan, who was in the suburbs, was drawn to a dilapidated mansion. It was definitely a villa, two stories tall, with a large footprint, silver exterior walls, a pointed Western-style roof, surrounded by a fence, and three maple trees in the courtyard. This was it! Yuan immediately stopped his car, his heart pounding. After all he was too close to the haunted house. And he didn''t know if it was just his imagination, but the sunshine, which had been so bright just moments ago, suddenly felt gloomy and dim, and the flowers around him seemed withered. His car was about a hundred meters from the villa. He couldn''t bring himself to approach any closer, he even reversed his car a little. He grabbed a black briefcase from the floor and took out a pair of binoculars, using them to observe the villa. They had to move in before midnight tonight Looking through the window, he could see a bedroom, as he could faintly see a bed inside. Yuan then moved his binoculars to the second-floor window. What he saw was a person standing in front of the window, wearing black clothes, with long, flowing hair, a decaying, rotten face, a completely broken jaw, held together only by a few tendons beneath his mouth On that face, a pair of blood-red eyes stared straight ahead, as if they were looking directly at Yuan! Yuan''s binoculars fell to the ground with a thud. Even from a distance of more than a hundred meters, he was terrified beyond words. He picked up the binoculars again and looked and there was no one in front of the second-floor window. He had to stay in that haunted house? He had to find the ghost? Even Yuan felt like hed be better off committing suicide than doing that. A minute in that place would be torture! And the apartment wanted them to stay for five whole days? He began to regret coming here early. Without hesitation, Yuan started reversing his car, determined to find some clues, to discover the ghost''s true form! 31.The Shadow Of Trust Besides Yuan and Ziye, two other people were participating in this blood word instruction: Oda Saki, a Japanese exchange student living in room 402, and Wen, who lived in room 502. It was incredibly rare for someone to survive to their fifth or sixth blood word instructions in this apartment. Ziye had just moved in, while Wen and Oda Saki were long-time residents. This combination was quite strange. Wen was driving, taking them to the suburbs. In the backseat, Ziye and Oda Saki sat together. Both of them were reserved and introspective, making them an odd pair. Ziye exuded an innate intellectual beauty, while Oda Saki possessed a delicate and blossoming youthful charm, each with their own unique appeal. Wen initially thought that both of them were the silent, stoic type, especially Oda Saki, who always wore a standard poker face. Ziye also seemed to be like that, so he figured they wouldn''t say much to each other. But in reality they got along surprisingly well. Uncharacteristically, Oda Saki wasn''t engrossed in her thick copy of The Tale of Genji. Instead, she was quite interested in the new resident, Ziye. And Ziye, in turn, sensed that the Japanese girl wasn''t an ordinary person, based on her mannerisms and demeanor. Oda Saki continued, cupping her chin with her hands, "I''ve been researching this apartment. I still don''t understand the relationship between the apartment and the ghosts. I wonder, does the apartment create the ghosts, or do they exist independently, and the apartment simply uses them to kill us? Do you think the apartment and the ghosts are a creator-creation relationship?" Ziye shook her head, "We don''t have enough data or information yet. I can''t say for sure. It can''t be proven if the ghosts that appear in the blood word instructions are created by the apartment." "There are still so many mysteries surrounding the apartment," Oda Saki continued to analyze, "For example, you received a blood word instruction right after entering the apartment, and you''re also executing the same blood word instruction as Yuan. It seems like the apartment is undergoing some kind of change" This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Oda Saki''s words made sense. "By the way, there''s something you don''t know," Oda Saki suddenly said to Ziye, "Starting from the sixth blood word instruction, you can open the passage to the apartment from anywhere as long as the deadline arrives. In other words, as long as you survive until the designated deadline, it''s basically considered a win." Ziye''s eyes flickered, she nodded and said, "Really? Then Yuan is in a very advantageous position. This is his sixth blood word instruction, right? He''ll definitely want to find the ghost''s transformation. But I doubt he''ll go directly into the haunted house. It''s too dangerous. He''s probably trying to gather information around the villa, see if anyone died there or if there are any legends associated with it." Oda Saki let out a cold chuckle, "You think the same as I do. But since you''ve thought this far, you should also know that Yuan is a cunning old fox, right? He''s been able to survive until now, he must have sacrificed the lives of many people who executed blood word instructions with him. He''s more dangerous than anyone. He claims to be scouting ahead, but I think even if he finds any clues, he won''t tell us. Human nature is treacherous, one must be wary" "I know that." Ziye leaned back, "But I think he won''t be able to find anything. If it were that easy to find clues, the apartment wouldn''t offer such a generous condition. I''m not going to waste my time on futile efforts." "You seem not afraid at all?" Oda Saki became increasingly puzzled, Ziye didn''t look like a new resident at all. Ziye turned her head to look out the window. Really not afraid at all? When the car reached the suburbs, it was right on Zhuo Feng Road when Wen saw Yuan''s car. "Yuan is already at the intersection," Wen stepped on the brakes, seeing Yuan getting out of the car and walking towards them. Wen leaned out and asked, "Yuan, did you find any clues?" Yuan looked pale. He looked around and then said, "Get ready for the worst. To survive these five days, you absolutely can''t let your guard down for even a second!" Yuan didn''t mention the ghost in front of the window at all. When the two cars reached the villa, Wen could also feel the eerie and desolate atmosphere. It was indeed quite fitting for a haunted house. "You''ll probably be fine." Oda Saki suddenly said to Ziye, "After all, this is your first time executing a blood word instruction, so you''re less dangerous than us. It''s rare for someone to die on their first blood word instruction." Ziye suddenly smiled, "Thank you for the good wishes. I hope you can survive too, because I think you''re someone I can really get along with." The four of them got out of the car and walked to the front of the villa. The lock on the fence was rusty and easily broken. Then, the four of them sat in the car, quietly waiting for midnight. Time passed quickly, and soon it was dark. "There are hardly any houses around here" Wen said as he chewed on a pizza that had mysteriously appeared in his refrigerator, while operating his laptop, "I checked, there''s no record of this villa being haunted. It seems like another ghost whose origins we can''t trace." Ziye was deep in thought She was very aware that if someone found the ghost''s transformation, they wouldn''t reveal the secret or provide any hints to others. Instead, they would simply run away! Because if they spoke up, all four of them would have to escape the villa together, and the ghost would naturally chase them. Yuan could immediately run back to the apartment, but the other three would need to drive back to the city. It would be very dangerous if the ghost chased them during the drive. A smart person would let the others remain in the apartment to buy them some time. 32.The Hidden Danger When it was only five minutes to midnight, the four of them got out of the car and walked towards the villa. They followed the stone path through the courtyard, gradually reaching the front door of the villa. The door was covered in dust and cracks, easily broken open. They walked through a long corridor and into a large living room. The living room spanned two floors, with stairs leading to the second floor on both the left and right sides. Although it was old, the villa was clearly luxurious, it was strange that it was abandoned now. There were several sofas in the living room, a large red carpet on the floor, two or three large chandeliers on the ceiling, and clothes racks on either side of the room. Pictures hung on the walls, and potted plants were placed in the corners. The reason for believing they were potted plants was simple if they were real plants, they would have withered and died long ago since no one took care of them. Paintings sofas coffee tables chandeliers stairs carpets walls potted plants Which one could be the ghost''s transformation? "Anyway..." Yuan said, "Let''s turn on the lights first." Just then, Ziye suddenly flipped the switch of the chandelier, and the lights turned on! "They even left us electricity, the apartment is really thoughtful," Ziye looked at the chandeliers, quietly muttering, "Well the distance between the first and second chandeliers on the left is about three meters, the second and third chandeliers are about" "Why are you remembering this?" Yuan asked, confused. "If the chandeliers are the ghost, then if the distances change next time, it means they may have moved." Ziye said while taking out her phone to take pictures of the chandeliers. Then she went on to take pictures of the paintings and potted plants. Seeing what Ziye was doing, Oda Saki and Wen immediately followed suit. Ziye''s phone had a very high resolution, so the pictures were very clear. But she didn''t think this alone would be enough to easily find the ghost. Next, they started heading up the stairs to the second floor. It seemed like the place was very old, every step creaked, and the handrail was wobbly. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. The closer they got to the ceiling, the more carefully Ziye observed. The carpet had no patterns, making it difficult to find reference points. So Ziye took out a utility knife from her backpack and cut a slit in the carpet every time she reached a piece of furniture near the carpet. If the carpet didn''t have a cut in front of a piece of furniture later, it would mean the carpet had moved. "I''m warning you, don''t move the carpet," Ziye specifically stated while cutting the slits, "Otherwise, it might lead me to make a mistake." Ziye was sure that the three of them wouldn''t do that, they were also eager to find the ghost''s transformation. When they reached the second floor, Yuan suddenly looked at a sculpture as if he had discovered a new world! It was a plaster sculpture of a naked foreign woman. "Could it be" Yuan slowly approached the sculpture, "Is this the ghost?" "It shouldn''t be that simple." Oda Saki shook her head, "Directly transforming into a sculpture? That''s a bit too obvious." "Not necessarily." Ziye walked to the plaster sculpture and said, "The apartment might be taking advantage of our mindset." Later they found plaster sculptures in many of the rooms on the second floor, most of them sculptures of people. So, Ziye made a suggestion, "Wen, Yuan, help me move these plaster sculptures to the living room. Lay them down horizontally, place something heavy on top, and then take pictures." The two of them quickly helped to move the sculptures. In the end, the living room was filled with plaster sculptures, creating a rather eerie sight. "Take pictures of every part of each sculpture," Ziye said as she took pictures, "If there are any slight changes in the expressions or poses, it means the sculpture might have moved." After completing the task, they started assigning rooms. Yuan and Wen would share a room, and Ziye and Oda Saki would share another. They chose rooms next to each other, and the two in each room would take turns guarding at night. Closing the door, Ziye breathed a sigh of relief. "Are you going to keep looking? Ziye?" Oda Saki asked, "Or should we get some sleep first?" "I''ve already taken pictures of every part of the villa. I''ll check them all tomorrow morning, there''s no rush now." Ziye pulled up a chair and sat down, "You should get some rest. It''s summer now, it''s fine that there are no blankets in the room. I''ll watch over you." "You aren''t worried that the chair you''re sitting on is the ghost?" Oda Saki blurted out. Ziye nodded and said, "You have a point. But aren''t you worried that the bed is the ghost? If we''re all afraid and worried, how are we going to last five days? I can''t just stand guard all night, I''d definitely get tired and fall asleep. It''s okay, this is my first time executing a blood word instruction, right? I shouldn''t be that unlucky." The night falls. Oda Saki had already fallen asleep on the bed, while Ziye showed no signs of sleepiness. The wind occasionally hit the windows, Ziye clenched her fists, her eyes constantly fixed on the door. "Where is it hiding?" Just then, a loud bang suddenly came from downstairs. Then, the loud bangs kept coming, and Oda Saki was startled awake. Upon hearing the first bang, Ziye quickly rushed out of the room, reached the stairwell, ran downstairs, and flipped the switch of the chandelier. All the plaster sculptures were shattered on the ground. "This this" Wen looked at the broken plaster sculptures on the ground, "Could it be" The sculptures were all lying horizontally and secured, they shouldn''t have fallen and broken. In other words it must have been caused by an external force! And Ziye felt that those evil eyes were constantly emitting an overwhelming malice towards her! "Where are you?" Ziye constantly looked around, not missing a single detail, taking out her phone to compare the room changes with the photos. She knew that she had to find the owner of those evil eyes as soon as possible. Otherwise she would likely become the first victim! 33.A Ghosts Disguise Check all the furniture immediately! Ziye made a snap decision, she didn''t dwell on the shattered plaster sculptures, instead, she immediately told Yuan and the others to check the furniture. She also used Bluetooth to transfer the photos from her phone to the other three, instructing them to carefully compare. Any discrepancies between the photos and reality could be crucial. Although Yuan was the building manager, Ziye''s unwavering composure impressed the three, so they followed her instructions. After all, if they could survive, who would care about being ordered around? Oda Saki went to check the paintings first. Most of the paintings in the villa were hung on the walls of the first floor, about a dozen in total, all Western paintings. Most of the paintings depicted scenery, houses, fruits, and only two were portraits. However, Oda Saki didn''t check the portraits first, in her opinion, they were the least likely to be the ghost''s transformation. Ziye herself kept her eyes on any movement in the living room on the first floor. Where are you? She knew that if she didn''t find it soon she might become the first victim! Just then, she suddenly looked at the shattered plaster sculptures on the floor! "Could it be..." She immediately squatted down and started gathering the pieces. Though it was difficult to discern, she still tried to analyze them based on the photos on her phone. "This piece is the right arm of the woman statue this piece is" Ziye was now fearing a certain possibility. If that possibility was true, she might be able to find the ghost''s transformation. In fact, she believed that the shattering of the sculptures wasn''t just to instill fear in them. She was most wary of Yuan. If he discovered her intentions, the consequences would be unimaginable. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. So, while she fiddled with the plaster fragments, she said, "No, we need to try to put these sculptures back together, otherwise, we won''t know if they could be the ghost''s transformation" Finally, all three of them came back and said they hadn''t found anything unusual. All the furniture in the room was exactly as before. Was that it? No, maybe it was just well hidden Impossible! They worked tirelessly for two or three hours, it was almost dawn, but they still couldn''t put the broken plaster sculptures back together. Ziye couldn''t confirm her hypothesis. But if her hypothesis was correct, she absolutely couldn''t discard the sculptures. Time passed by second by second, but there were still no developments. In the end, Ziye personally started checking all corners of the villa for any changes in objects. Another hour passed Still no progress. What to do? What to do? The feeling of drowsiness was also becoming increasingly apparent. If things continued like this, the consequences would be unthinkable. Looking at the broken plaster sculptures, she was also at a loss for what to do. After dawn, the four of them ate a quick breakfast, just to get by. They had all stayed in the living room last night, and Ziye hadn''t closed her eyes for a second. She knew once she fell asleep, she might not wake up again. "What should we do next?" Yuan looked lost, he looked at Ziye, "Miss , do you have any other ideas?" "In any case we should stay together, no matter what." Ziye''s conclusion was simple, "Actually, our current situation is quite similar to the blizzard mountain villa scenario in detective novels. It''s just that, for the sake of the plot, detective novelists often write about how all the victims still go about their own business after the first person dies, they don''t gather together." "But" Yuan paused, "Our enemy isn''t human, it''s a ghost" "Mr. Yuan I don''t know if you''ve noticed. Actually, this blood word instruction has an advantage for us." Oda Saki said, "Of course, there are both pros and cons. But if we stay together, the advantages will be more prominent. Of course, I just thought of this suddenly." "Advantage?" Wen looked bewildered, "What do you mean? We have advantages staying in this place?" "You mean, Ziye and the others staying in the haunted house has advantages?" At that moment, in apartment 404, Li was with Hua and Lian. When they were discussing the situation of Ziye and the others executing the blood word instruction, Li said that there were advantages to them. "What is it?" Lian, who was quick to speak, immediately asked, "What advantage is there exactly?" "It''s the requirement to find the ghost''s transformation." Li paused, looked at the two, seeing that they still didn''t understand, he had to explain more clearly, "Since we need to find the ghost''s transformation, it means that once the four of them are together, the ghost won''t be able to appear. Otherwise, all four of them would immediately know what the ghost is transformed into." So that''s it! Li continued to explain, "Especially Yuan. This is his sixth blood word instruction, so once he knows what the ghost is transformed into, he''ll immediately escape back to the apartment. Therefore, it''s safest to be near Yuan. However, if the ghost suddenly appears in its original form and kills them without any warning, they probably won''t have time to react. But with four people, it''s a different story. In other words, when four people are together, the ghost is unlikely to appear." There are actually such advantages! "But" Lian still didn''t understand, "It''s easy to understand for Ziye, it''s her first time executing a blood word instruction. But for Yuan and the others isn''t it too simple?" "Wrong." Li shook her head and continued to analyze, "For Yuan, it''s actually the most difficult, because" "Because once you find the ghost''s transformation, you can escape immediately!" 34.The Hidden Message Inside the haunted villa, Ziye revealed the mystery, "Mr. Yuan, you have the most advantages in this blood word instruction, but you also have the biggest disadvantage First, because you can escape back to the apartment immediately once you find the ghost, you''ll be the most proactive in searching the apartment, which means you''re more likely to come into contact with the ghost. Second, precisely because you can easily escape back to the apartment any attacks aimed at you will be extremely sudden, leaving you no time to react. You might not even realize you''re being attacked by the ghost before you''re dead." Yuan nodded after hearing this. Ziye''s words certainly made sense. "It''s best for all four of us to search together." "But" Wen asked in confusion, "Always together? What about showering and changing clothes?" "Are you out of your mind?" Oda Saki sneered, "Compared to life, is showering important? Besides, in ghost movies, it''s a very common scene for women to encounter ghosts while showering alone. I think the same way. It''s best for all four of us to stay together at all times." But how to solve the problem of going to the bathroom? It''s impossible for four people to go to the bathroom together, right? Although life is important, going to the bathroom in front of the opposite sex Oda Saki could tell you for sure that she wouldn''t do that. "Of course we have to separate when we go to the bathroom." As Ziye uttered these words, Oda Saki seemed to notice that the two men opposite her had a slight look of disappointment on their faces But Ziye had her own plans. She had checked the bathroom beforehand. And she had taken pictures there too. At most, only those of the same gender would be together when going to the bathroom. However, that would be much more dangerous than having all four people together. Therefore the bathroom was extremely dangerous! That''s why she took the most photos in the bathroom. The four of them just sat in the living room, staring at each other. They had to search everywhere for possible ghost hideouts. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. So, the four of them gathered together and searched all over the villa. The villa was quite large, with two floors, and many rooms. After searching for hours, Ziye continuously calculated the suspicious furniture in her mind. The first was mirrors. Including the bathroom, there were over twenty mirrors in the villa. And taking pictures of mirrors was pointless, as they only needed to see if the reflection and reality were different. Ziye would stare intently at each mirror for a long time before moving on. Another suspicious spot was the closets. As closed spaces, they were very suspicious and worrisome. There were twelve closets in the villa, each containing a lot of clothes. All the clothes were for women. Was this a female ghost this time? When she opened one closet, Ziye discovered a black dress. The reason she noticed it was because the clothes she had seen before were almost all colorful, there were hardly any clothes with monotonous colors. As she took out the black dress, she suddenly noticed Yuan''s eyebrows twitch. Although it was only a slight unnatural movement, Ziye noticed it. She didn''t fully believe Yuan when he said he hadn''t discovered anything when he came here yesterday. Clothes did he know something about black clothes? No, if he did, he would have been looking for black clothes yesterday. The blood word instruction didn''t mention anything related to black clothes, so why did he pay special attention to the black dress? Was it because black represented bad luck? That could make sense. But Yuan, someone who had experienced five blood word instructions, shouldn''t be making such a fuss about it, right? Black clothes Suddenly, Ziye remembered that she could see outside through the windows of the villa. Did Yuan see something? Through the window? For example, something wearing black clothes? Ziye squeezed the black dress in her hand, while continuing to watch Yuan, he didn''t seem to act strangely anymore. Ziye immediately put the black dress back in the closet. After closing the closet, she took out some transparent tape and sealed the closet with tape. If something came out of the closet, it would tear the tape. She also deliberately drew a faint line above the tape with a pen, so if the position of the tape changed, she would know. After putting away the pen, she thought Yuan had to be watched constantly. In fact, she had suggested that everyone stay together to make it easier to monitor Yuan. He might have discovered something but not said anything For example, the clue about the black dress, Yuan didn''t want to reveal it. Because he only wanted to save himself, he saw the others as pawns. There was definitely some mystery about that black dress. Could the ghost''s transformation be the black dress? They entered the next room, which seemed to be a study. There were two bookshelves, and most of the books on the shelves were novels. "We need to pay attention to this bookshelf," Ziye suddenly said to the other three, "There''s something wrong with it." "What?" Oda Saki looked over. Ziye pointed to the first shelf. The books on the first shelf, from left to right, were titled: "You are mine," "We Will All Be Happy, Right?" "Hunt them all," "Maybe You Will die later," and "Hope You Come Back Here." "What are these weird titles?" Wen furrowed his brow as he looked at the books, he had never heard of them, the titles were all so strange. "Haven''t you noticed?" Ziye said, "Starting from the left, read the first character of the first book. Then, read the secong character of the secondThen connect them together" 35.The Hunt Continues Oda Saki let out a cold chuckle, "That''s pretty creative... trying to scare us with this?" She then pulled out of the book, and tossed it on the ground, stepping on it with her foot! "Don''t be impulsive," Ziye pulled her back, "This bookshelf is quite mysterious." Then she squatted down, picked up the book, and placed it back on the bookshelf in its original order. Ziye took a picture of the bookshelf. At the same time, she kept an eye on Yuan to see if he had any new reactions. Where is it where is it She knew that panicking was useless. She kept thinking about the known clues they had. Could the ghost''s transformation be the black dress? During their inspection of the rooms, she paid particular attention to the closets, making sure there were no new black dresses, but there seemed to be only one black dress, and all the clothes in the other rooms were for women. After searching through all the rooms, the four of them returned to the living room. Ziye continued to approach the pile of shattered plaster sculptures, wanting to see if there were any changes. And just then Her vision turned blood red again! Those evil eyes were looking at her again! Ziye felt a wave of intense nausea, as if her body could barely hold itself up. She wanted to turn around, but the gaze seemed to completely bind her body. Eyes Then, she suddenly felt a pair of hands wrapping around her waist! This surprised Ziye greatly, she finally turned around and looked at her waist, but there was nothing there. The three behind her looked at her in bewilderment. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Ziye''s face turned pale, she started to breathe heavily, sweat rolling down her forehead. "Did did you see it?" Her voice trembled now. Oda Saki was surprised. She had never seen Ziye panic like this. But she was an incredibly intelligent person, having gone through four blood word instructions, she understood many things. She immediately knew that Ziye must have seen or touched something, but they hadn''t noticed at all. Ziye began to feel a bit naive. It''s safe if the four of them stay together? She had underestimated the apartment. Ziye quickly regained her composure, took out her handkerchief and wiped the sweat off her forehead, forcibly calming herself down. She knew that it had started to take action against her. Although she didn''t know where it was, she was certain that it was going to attack her! She had to find it as soon as possible! By the afternoon, the four of them gathered together and ate something as lunch. Even while eating, everyone was on edge, constantly watching their surroundings, afraid that something would suddenly turn into a ghost. Ziye''s gaze remained fixed on the fragments of plaster sculptures on the ground and the clothes racks in every corner of the living room. As she was chewing on a piece of bread, a loud bang suddenly came from behind them. The four of them jumped up as if startled by an arrow, looked towards the room where the sound came from, and rushed in! The room was the study. And the problematic bookshelf was now lying on the ground for no apparent reason! Numerous books were scattered everywhere. This scene was even more eerie for the four of them. This bookshelf was so heavy, it couldn''t have fallen just like that. Just like the plaster sculptures being completely shattered, this proved that the "it" hiding in the shadows was playing with and tormenting each of them! Oda Saki bit her lower lip tightly, almost drawing blood. Ziye also began to realize that every moment in this villa was no longer safe. After moving the bookshelf, Ziye crouched down and carefully looked at the scattered books. Just like with the sculptures she could no longer match the order of the books with the photos. Was it the sculptures? Or the books? Where was the ghost hiding? Ziye picked up one book after another, her brain spinning rapidly. What should she do? It seemed like there was no way to find it, no matter what they did. It seemed like they could only be played with, tortured and ultimately killed. Was there no way? Just then, someone''s face appeared in her mind. Li. He had given her a notebook, hadn''t he? She thought for a moment, took out the notebook, and flipped through it. Li had written extensive deductive reasoning for each of his experiences, his thinking was meticulous and clear, making it admirable. She decided to try seeking help from Li. Ziye asked Oda Saki, "Miss saki do you know Li''s phone number?" After all, the phones in the apartment couldn''t be reached from outside. "Yes, I do." "Tell me," as she spoke, Ziye had already taken out her phone and started to press the numbers. Then, she dialed Li''s number. At that moment, Li''s phone rang, he immediately picked it up and answered. "Mr. Li" "Ziye?" Li smiled. "Yes." She nodded, "I''ll tell you about the clues in the haunted house, can you deduce where the ghost''s transformation is? I don''t have any ideas right now" 36.The Crimson Gaze "Okay, go ahead and tell me." Li looked out the window, feeling very worried about Ziye''s safety. He wanted Ziye to survive no matter what. "Well a black dress? The bookshelf?" As Li listened to her experience, he jotted down these clues, his brow furrowed. Too few clues. But if they had more clues, it was likely that someone would be killed. Where could it be? Paintings, bookshelves, books, closets, clothes, carpets, plaster sculptures, chairs, beds, ceilings, chandeliers Anything could be the ghost''s transformation! Without any clues, how could they find it! No wait It couldn''t be completely without clues! "The apartment wouldn''t intentionally give us an unsolvable problem," Li took a sip of water and continued to speak to the other side of the phone, "Otherwise, they could just ask us to stay in the villa for five days, doing this would be redundant. This is a conclusion I drew from my previous experiences. In other words, if they ask us to find it, they will definitely give us some clues." "Clues" Ziye glanced at Yuan and said into the phone, "Actually, there is one clue" Seeing that she seemed to be hesitating, Li immediately asked, "You don''t want someone nearby to hear it? Okay, tell me, who do you not want to know? 1, Yuan, 2, Wen, 3, Oda Saki, 4, all. Answer me." "1." "Got it. This clue is related to 1?" "Yes, it''s related to the black dress." "Understood. Go on." "This" "You can''t say it? Let me guess he acted strangely when he saw the black dress?" "How how did you know?" This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. "You can treat it as a clue, which means the two are closely related. But Yuan wasn''t wearing a black dress when he went out, and he''s also very averse to black. You wouldn''t think of him in connection with the black dress, so it can only be interpreted as his reaction to the black dress. Generally, the blood word instructions assigned by the apartment shouldn''t be interconnected, they should be independent. That is to say, Yuan''s reaction must have been triggered by this blood word instruction. So he probably saw something when he went to the villa ahead of time yesterday. For example, he saw a ghost wearing black clothes at the entrance of the villa, or the window, or a floating black dress but the latter is less likely, because if that were the case, Yuan should have immediately concluded that the black dress itself was the ghost''s transformation." "I see, I understand now." Li remained silent for a moment, then said, "But it shouldn''t be as simple as the black dress. Did you seal that closet?" "Yes. I did that to confirm" "I see." Li opened the window, his brain working rapidly, he finally said to Ziye, "I have a guess. But it''s difficult to confirm." "Difficult?" "I''ll ask you a question" When Li asked the question, Ziye shook her head and said, "No, I didn''t pay much attention." "Give the phone to Oda Saki." After Ziye handed the phone to Saki, Li asked her a new question. Oda Saki thought for a moment and then replied, "No I didn''t feel anything special." "Really? I see. Give the phone back to Ziye." When the phone returned to Ziye, she picked it up and asked, "You what are you thinking? What did you figure out?" "For now, don''t think too much about the meaning of my questions. But I think the necessary clues should have appeared, or at least, they should appear before the first person dies." "What?" "You mean you feel a pair of blood-red eyes staring at you, right?" "Yes that''s right, filled with malice" "How do you know they''re blood-red eyes?" "Ah" Why did she know they were blood-red eyes Yes, why? "You seem to just say that your vision turned blood red, and then you felt someone staring at you, but you didn''t actually see the person staring at you, right?" Li continued to analyze, "So why did you have that feeling?" Why Why did she have that feeling "I I don''t know It''s like I was completely locked in by those eyes, and then my body was in a sea of blood. It''s like that" It''s a very abstract way of describing it. But Li wasn''t satisfied with that answer. "Don''t be so abstract. There must be a more specific reason, right?" Li continued, "I don''t think you''re the kind of person who would be influenced by so-called intuition. There must be a more important reason why you think they''re blood-red eyes." "You you''re saying" "You''ve had this feeling twice, both in the living room, right?" "Yes that''s right" Just then, Ziye suddenly noticed something. It was the red carpet on the floor. A corner of the carpet had been cut, revealing the very clean marble underneath. "Do you understand now?" Li continued, "You''re not being influenced by some abstract intuition. You saw something more concrete." Li finally hit the nail on the head, "Did you see something?" "Yes that''s right." Ziye squatted down and looked at the clean marble. At that moment, her vision turned blood red again, and on that clean marble, a pair of extremely menacing eyes, filled with malice, appeared! 37.The Threat Looms But in that instant, the eyes reflected in the marble disappeared. Li clutched the curtains tightly, his eyes fixed on the window, as if trying to see the haunted house where Ziye was at that moment. On the other end of the phone, he heard Ziye''s voice, "I saw it... I saw it..." "Did you see anything?" Li immediately asked anxiously, "What what did you see?" On the other end of the phone, Ziye replied, "The marble a pair of red eyes appeared in the reflection! But they''re gone now." "As expected" Li nodded, the situation was unfolding as he had anticipated, but it would be some time before he could draw a conclusion. He gripped the phone tightly, took a deep breath, and said, "But the ghost''s transformation shouldn''t be the marble. I don''t think it would be that obvious." "Me either." Wen and the other two were startled by Ziye''s discovery. Though they hadn''t seen the red eyes, they could imagine what it was like. "Anyway, stay away from mirrors as much as possible," Li gave her this advice, "As for the reason, it''s written in my notes." "Yes I''ve seen it." "Give the phone to Yuan, I have a few more questions for him." Ziye handed the phone to Yuan, then he and Li talked about topics completely unrelated to the haunted house. After that, he handed the phone back to Ziye. Li said to her, "It''s still hard to confirm my theory. If you have any new clues, I''ll call you again." After hanging up the phone, Li sat down heavily on the sofa. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. At the same time, he started to worry about Ziye. Actually, it wouldn''t be difficult to confirm that theory. It was strange. They had only known each other for a short time, but Ziye had already become very important to Li. But why did they meet in this apartment? In the past, Li had always scoffed at the idea of love at first sight," considering it a bourgeois sentiment concocted by romance novelists. But ever since he first saw Ziye that day, unconsciously, he was drawn to her mysterious aura. "What am I thinking about?" Li played with his hair, muttering to himself, "Living in this terrifying apartment where you could lose your life at any moment, where is there any time to think about these things? If I have to , I''ll think about it after I gain freedom and leave the apartment." But how much longer could Ziye survive? Li felt that if Ziye died, he would be very sad. It was strange. Even when Ye, who had been his neighbor for a year, died, he was completely numb. But Ziye, a woman he had met less than ten days ago, was making him so preoccupied. "Don''t die Ziye" Li could only silently pray for her in his heart. Meanwhile, in the villa, the four of them no longer dared to approach the living room. Ziye also felt that she could roughly narrow the scope down to the living room. But if that was the case what about the black dress, the bookshelf, and all that? At that moment, the four of them sat on the stairs, looking at the vast, empty living room. They could see everything in the living room from this vantage point, and they would be able to react if anything changed. "What did Li say?" Yuan asked Ziye, "What did he tell you?" "He didn''t say much." Ziye shook her head. Yuan turned to Oda Saki and asked, "Miss Saki, what did Li say to you?" "Nothing." Oda Saki shook her head. She was recalling the questions Li had asked her. What did that mean? "This is so boring" Wen suggested, "If we keep going like this, we''ll only get more and more nervous. Why don''t we just chat a bit? Let''s all share our thoughts." "Thoughts?" Oda Saki chuckled wryly, "Even if you stare at those pieces of furniture for a whole day, you won''t be able to tell if they''re the ghost''s transformation." "No actually, I have an idea." Ziye suddenly spoke. Oda Saki''s expression changed, she quickly asked, "An idea? You" "Those plaster sculptures" Ziye pointed her finger at the pile of sculptures. As she did so, everyone, including Oda Saki, involuntarily shifted back a few steps on the stairs. Ziye shared her viewpoint, "Since these sculptures are all shattered, we can''t confirm if these fragments are all the sculptures." "What do you mean?" Wen didn''t understand. However, Oda Saki immediately understood. She immediately said, "You you wouldn''t be saying, there are fragments of other sculptures mixed in there?" 38.The Mirror "I took pictures of the positions of the fragments, and I''ve compared them repeatedly, but there are no differences." Ziye''s eyes never left the sculptures, "But it seems like my theory was wrong." The four of them had gradually come to a consensus. The safest way to find the ghost was to force it to reveal its true form, then they could leave early and escape back to the apartment. But doing so would be like inviting a tiger into the house and seeking death. It was a gamble. A gamble that they could survive for five days, or force the ghost to reveal itself and escape early. But right now, even if they wanted to gamble, they couldn''t, because they couldn''t find it at all. Where was it? The four blood word instructions that Oda Saki had experienced before were not as torturous as this one. Although the ghost hadn''t appeared officially, it was scarier than appearing. They knew it was a haunted house, but they had to stay there for 24 hours. Suddenly, she stood up and walked upstairs. Ziye asked, "Miss Saki, where are you going?" "To the bathroom. And" Oda Saki said to Ziye, "Ziye, do you want to come with me?" Ziye thought for a moment, it was still safer for two people to be together, so she said, "Forget it, I''ll go with you." They walked down a corridor, and there was a bathroom at the end. The bathroom was quite large, and as they reached the entrance, Ziye suddenly pulled Oda Saki back, saying, "Miss Saki wait a minute. Li said to me, try not to go near mirrors." "Mirrors?" Oda Saki looked at her suspiciously, suddenly asking, "Could it be Li thinks the ghost is transformed into a mirror?" "No he didn''t say that." Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. There was a large mirror in the bathroom, Ziye knew she couldn''t go in. But there was no bathroom without a mirror. "What should we do then?" Oda Saki''s expression was awkward, "I need to pee really bad." She trusted Li''s words. That man was truly extraordinary, otherwise, he wouldn''t have survived until the end of the fourth blood word instruction. But if they didn''t go in, were they supposed to do it outside? Oda Saki''s face immediately flushed red. Oda Saki said angrily, "Give me the phone I''ll ask Li! Why can''t I go near a mirror!" "This" Ziye leaned into Oda Saki''s ear and whispered a few words, then she immediately nodded. But she still looked skeptical, "Is it that simple? It can''t be, right? If it was that simple to find the ghost''s transformation, then wouldn''t" "Miss Saki, this is just in case" "Are you stupid?" Oda Saki directly turned the doorknob and was about to go in, she said, "If that''s the case, wouldn''t we know the ghost''s transformation?" "But you''d be in danger too" "There''s danger everywhere." Then, she slammed the door shut. After entering the bathroom, Oda Saki''s first glance was at the mirror. It was normal, nothing seemed wrong. But Oda Saki was extremely cautious by nature, her gaze never left the mirror. After unbuttoning her pants and sitting on the toilet, Oda Saki suddenly felt a strong sense of suffocation. As if she was being watched by an evil gaze! "It''s coming?" She bit her lower lip, her eyes fixed on the mirror, "Come, then!" Suddenly, she heard the sound of the door opening. Oda Saki quickly looked over, but the door had already closed. Then she saw a terrifying devil in the mirror, wearing a black dress, covered in rotting flesh and blood, with a pair of red eyes, a split jaw, only connected to the mouth by a few tendons Ziye was still waiting at the door, waiting for Oda Saki to come out. But time passed, and she still hadn''t come out. Could it be Her feet kept backing away. Li was right! Just then, the bathroom door suddenly opened. Inside, lying on the ground, was Oda Saki''s corpse. But her head was on the bathroom sink! Ziye immediately turned around and ran frantically backwards! It had finally made its move! But as she ran forward, she ran into Yuan, who was covered in blood! "Ziye" Yuan said in a panic, "Wen, Wen is dead!" Dead? Ziye was stunned, then she and Yuan returned to the stairs, and they saw Wen hanging from the chandelier on the ceiling! He was hanged by a black rope around his neck! "What what happened?" Ziye was about to ask Yuan beside her, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she stopped. She had a bold hypothesis in her mind. Perhaps "it" was "Yuan let''s go to the bathroom on the first floor." Yuan seemed to trust Ziye very much, he didn''t ask why, and just followed her to the bathroom on the first floor. Ziye specifically chose a bathroom with a window, one that would allow them to immediately escape from the apartment. As soon as she entered the bathroom, she looked at the mirror Mirrors could reflect reality. It was a very simple method, but the price was that they would discover the ghost at the same time. In the mirror, beside Ziye, where Yuan should have been, was a terrifying devil in a black dress, with a pair of blood-red eyes, looking like a rotten corpse! 39.The Final Run Time rewound to yesterday, just before Yuan arrived at the villa. When he saw the horrifying scene reflected in the window through his telescope, his first reaction was to flee immediately and then search for clues about the ghost. However, just as Yuan reversed his car and was about to drive away, suddenly... a bloody hand appeared on the hood of the car in front of him! Before he could react, a patch of black completely enveloped the car window. Yuans eyes could only see a wide-open mouth, and he was completely swallowed up! And... the Yuan who appeared in front of Ziye afterwards was actually... The moment Ziye saw the truth in the mirror, she dashed towards the nearby window, leaped out, and then ran desperately towards the fence without looking back! Ziye repeatedly studied the blood inscription and finally came to a conclusion. The inscription said that the ghost would transform into something that appeared "very normal" to them. But the problem was that everything in the haunted house, even if it was like ordinary furniture, wouldn''t be considered very normal by anyone. The existence of the haunted house itself was already abnormal enough. So under those circumstances, the only thing that could still be considered normal in the eyes of everyone was the resident. "Thing"... Ziye was initially stuck on the literal meaning, and wasn''t very confident in her deduction, but she soon felt relieved. For the apartment, what was the difference between them and "things"? They were just toys to be played with and tortured. After reaching that conclusion, Ziye considered that the only person who had a chance to switch places was Yuan, who had gone to the villa earlier, and Li seemed to agree with her, because he had asked Ziye on the phone: "Did you feel anything wrong with Yuan?" In fact, Li asked Oda Saki the same question later, but she still said she didn''t feel anything wrong. Could it be a wrong guess? He went one step further, letting Yuan answer the phone, asking him a few questions that only Yuan knew the answers to. But he answered them all fluently. At that point, Li basically ruled out his own assumption. However, to be on the safe side, he still warned Ziye not to approach the mirror. After all, Yuan might reveal his true form as a ghost the moment he stood in front of the mirror. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Based on his past experience, some ghosts would occasionally reveal their true faces in the mirror. Ziye was currently in danger, and if Yuan had been replaced by the ghost, she would be the next to die. To survive, she had to find the ghost''s transformed form, so she could leave the villa ahead of time. In the end, Ziye also came up with this hypothesis and verified it using the mirror. Ziye grabbed the fence, leaped over it, and landed outside the fence. Then she took out the car keys that Wen had prepared for her in advance and opened the car door parked outside the villa. She had just gotten into the car and started the engine when she glanced at the side with the corner of her eye... but there was no movement. But this was even more terrifying... As the car started, Ziye stepped on the gas pedal. Suddenly, she saw from the rearview mirror... the terrifying evil ghost sitting in the driver''s seat of Yuan''s car behind her! Ziye slammed the gas pedal, and the car instantly shot forward like an arrow! These stretches of road in the suburbs were very deserted. Ziye was only thinking about getting to the city, where there would be more cars and she could find a way to shake it off. If... if only she had discovered it earlier... Although she was constantly accelerating, the car behind her was still in hot pursuit. However, Ziye wasn''t nervous. She had seen a rule in Li''s notes. Generally, the ghosts wouldn''t press too hard on the chase during the journey back to the apartment, and residents had a good chance of escape. The closer they got to the apartment, the more terrifying the ghost''s pursuit would be, and the harder it would be to escape. The fact that the evil ghost was pursuing her in the same way as humans, and didn''t show any special abilities, such as suddenly appearing in her car or clinging to the outside of the car, and didn''t act as exaggerated as in horror movies, where they could catch up to a car just by running or crawling... Before returning to the apartment, she still had a chance to think about how to escape. Li''s notes said that ghosts could not be killed by any means. Residents had experimented in the past, splashing black dog blood, hanging Zhong Kui''s portrait, wearing crucifixes, getting amulets blessed by high monks from Mount Wutai, buying exorcism charms, none of it worked. There was once a resident who bought a peachwood sword and tried to chop the ghost, but he ended up dying a horrific death. In short, all the methods that folklore claimed could drive away or fight ghosts had been tried by residents, and none of them worked. So, killing a ghost was absolutely impossible. This was exactly the same as those unsolvable horror movies. The only "solution" was to escape back to the apartment. Ghosts are all purely mental existences, and residents can only escape using physically feasible material methods. However, some people were still able to successfully return to the apartment. To summarize... either their luck was extremely good, and the ghost was slightly slower, allowing them to enter the apartment, but the possibility of success was too low; Or more often, because they had other residents as stepping stones, the ghosts would kill those residents, and then the other residents would escape to the apartment. In other words... If only one person survived and returned to the apartment, it would be incredibly dangerous. Ziye had been trying to avoid this situation, but now it had happened. She was alone, and even if she managed to survive now, the closer she got to the apartment, the more dangerous she would be. From entering the residential area to that alley, and then to the apartment gate, if the ghost was hiding anywhere, she would be trapped in a desperate situation. The alley leading to the apartment was particularly narrow, only wide enough for two people to pass through side by side, with nowhere to hide. Li also mentioned a special point in his notes: there was a resident in the past who thought of a way to climb the wall next to the alley and run back to the apartment, but he found out later that... if he didn''t walk in the alley, he could only end up in a dead end, and couldn''t enter the empty land where the apartment was located. That is to say... there was only one way to walk through that alley! No other way existed! And she could only walk, there was no other way! 40.The Final Trick She had been driving for more than ten minutes, and although the car behind her was in hot pursuit, it had not overtaken her. However, once she entered the city, things would probably become very troublesome. Li mentioned in his notes that none of the ghosts he had encountered so far were afraid of sunlight or crowds. They would still appear even in crowded public places, it''s just that only residents could see them. At this moment, Ziye casually glanced at the passenger seat... and what she saw was a face with blood-red pupils, a broken jaw, and a mouth connected to the jaw by only a few tendons! Before Ziye could react, she only felt her body fall, and then she fell onto the cold floor! She looked up... and found herself on the floor of the haunted villa! But Ziye didn''t even frown, she immediately got up and ran towards the front door of the villa. However... in that instant, a figure in black surged out behind her - She immediately turned her head to look... and at that moment, the ghost''s body appeared in front of her. Ziye instantly felt like her whole body was bound. Li was waiting with some residents in the lobby downstairs. There were many people gathered, after all, most of them were concerned about Yuan''s life or death. At that moment, the elevator door across the way suddenly opened, and a short but pretty girl stepped out. She was the newest resident in the apartment besides Ziye, and had moved in during Li''s time in You Shui Village. Her name was Mei, a very optimistic and cheerful girl who came to the city to attend university alone. Even though she lived in such a terrifying apartment, she wasn''t afraid at all. Instead, she said: "If so, it''s fine as long as we live to come back each time, right?" Should we call her foolish or naive? She must have also come to see Ziye, because she had been getting along very well with Ziye recently. Suddenly, Li saw a figure appearing at the entrance of the apartment! Li stared intently at the figure, it was... Ziye! This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. At that critical moment, Ziye suddenly thought... Yuan... must have been killed because he saw this evil ghost. Oda Saki must have seen the ghost in the mirror, and Wen was killed because he saw the evil ghost disguised as Yuan going to the bathroom... Could it be that... They were killed because they saw the ghost? The apartment had completely tricked all of them! The blood inscription instructed them to "find the ghost''s transformed form, and you can leave the villa ahead of time", but it was actually designed to lead them to hell! Ziye had seen something in Li''s notes: "The apartment is not just trying to torture us to death. It actually gives us many chances to escape. No matter which blood inscription is being carried out, there are always ways to survive. However... it''s not fixed." Most residents think that the execution process of any blood inscription, the ghosts, the curses, are all completely unsolvable, and the only way to survive is to escape back to the apartment. But that''s not true. There is a hidden way out with each blood inscription, it''s just that it''s not easy to discover or grasp it. For example, the You Shui Village incident actually had a way to survive. That way was to not get close to Axiu. The ghost should have been living in Axiu''s water tank, killing anyone who got close to Axiu, and finally killing Axiu herself. That is to say, living at Axiu''s house would make it impossible to avoid the ghost. But as long as you try not to get close to Axiu, you can survive. So... if you didn''t look for the ghost''s transformed form, or, in other words, didn''t see the ghost, even if you stayed for five days, you would be safe. The apartment''s trickery also involved those books. They used the phrase formed by the book titles to put psychological pressure on them, and combined with the terrifying consequences of the ghost''s revenge in the past, everyone firmly believed that they would die in the villa if they didn''t find the ghost''s transformed form. As a result... they would do everything they could to find it. The apartment was forcing them down a path of no return! However, Ziye knew the only way to survive. Just as the evil ghost was about to reach out to Ziye, Ziye suddenly closed her eyes! Then... she stood there for a long time... nothing happened. The ghost could actually only kill them if their eyes saw it. Yuan was the first victim, and the people who came later were the same. As long as the ghost appeared within their eyesight, it could kill them. But conversely, if they didn''t see the ghost, nothing would happen. So the apartment asked them to find the ghost''s transformed form, just so they would "see" the ghost. Therefore, as long as they closed their eyes and didn''t see the ghost, they would be fine. She kept her eyes closed for a long time, called a taxi, and was able to safely return. Li was instantly overjoyed. Although Yuan''s death shocked and grieved many residents, Ziye had managed to survive under such critical circumstances! After listening to her story, many residents were incredibly astonished: "Just closing your eyes can save you? It''s so simple?" "It''s very simple," Ziye said calmly, "but it''s hard to realize it." Li also breathed a sigh of relief and said: "I didn''t expect to be fooled by the apartment... I always thought the escape routes arranged by the apartment were very difficult to detect... I didn''t expect it to be hidden in the blood inscription." "It''s not necessarily true," Ziye said, "You may have realized it, but... you didn''t dare to gamble. After all, the ghost could still take our lives, and no one dared to take that risk." That was indeed the case. In any case, everything was finally settled. That night, Ziye had just come out of the bathroom after taking a shower, when the doorbell rang. Ziye heard Li''s voice: "Are you there? Miss ?" She put on her clothes, walked over, and opened the door. She asked, "What''s wrong?" Li was initially taken aback, but then he said: "Miss ... would you like to have some cake? I made some cake." "I just brushed my teeth," Ziye said, "But thank you anyway. I''ll come tomorrow." "Okay, good... Then, I''ll be waiting for you tomorrow..." 41.Hide And Seek The next day, at around noon, the doorbell rang at Li''s apartment. At that moment, Li had just finished updating the latest three chapters, shut down his computer, and went to open the door. And sure enough, the person standing at the door was Ziye. Li smiled slightly and said, "You''re here. I''ve been keeping the cake in the fridge." After Ziye entered, Li went to the fridge to get the cake. "Can you just take the food from the fridge in this apartment, you even made cake yourself?" Ziye asked in confusion. "Yeah, I got the eggs and cream from the fridge. This apartment is very convenient, you can just write a sticky note on the fridge door if you want to eat something. Here''s the cake." Li walked over with a strawberry cream cake, saying, "I bought the cake making tools a few days ago. I made it by following a cake making book. Food tastes better when you make it yourself." "Mhm." Ziye took out the notebook from her pocket, handed it to Li, and said, "Here''s the notebook back. Thank you for your notes Ive memorized everything. Li, you are very smart." Li took the notebook with a smile, placed the strawberry cream cake in front of her, and put a fork on top of it, saying, "Try it and see how it tastes. I''m considering opening an online cake shop if it''s good. Haha, I guess I''ve been watching too many Korean dramas lately It''s really delicious, at least have some, do you dislike cake?" "Mhm thanks." Ziye sat down, picked up the fork, and took a bite of the cake. It tasted really good. "The apartment really provides high-quality ingredients, this cream is so rich and flavorful, and the strawberries are" Ziye savored the cake, saying, "But your cake making skills seem pretty good too." "Right? Actually, I wanted to learn culinary arts back when I was taking the college entrance exams, but my parents insisted that I go to a science college. But I feel like I wasted my four years in college." Li seemed to be reminiscing, then he continued, "If you like it, I''ll continue to make cakes for you to eat in the future." However, Li''s next question that had nothing to do with the previous conversation made Ziye stop the fork she had inserted into the cake. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. "Would you consider being my girlfriend?" Before Ziye could react, Li''s expression had become incredibly serious: "I''m not joking with you, absolutely not." "Girlfriend?" Ziye looked up at Li. Her expression hadn''t changed much, as if nothing in the world could affect her. "Li, you don''t really know me, right? We haven''t known each other for that long, right?" "That doesn''t matter. I only know I like you, so I want to be with you. And we can gradually get to know each other as time goes on." Ziye took another bite of the cake with her fork and said, "This is so sudden someone actually confessed to me" "No one has ever confessed to you before?" Li was a little surprised. Ziye was so beautiful, it wasn''t possible that no one had ever pursued her, right? "People who interacted with me were all scared away. They all said I was a research fanatic, and that I spend all my time in the lab,." "No I really like people with a strong thirst for knowledge." "Really? However, I can''t just give you an answer like that" "It''s okay, you can take your time to think about it. I can wait for you. No matter how long, this proposal will always be valid." "Mhm. I''ll think about it. But right now, the most important thing is how to survive the next blood inscription." "Yeah I know" "Then I''ll be going now." After finishing the cake on her plate, Ziye wiped her mouth with a napkin and said, "Thank you for the cake, I hope I can have some again next time." "Yeah, okay, if you like it, I''ll definitely make some for you again" After Ziye left, Li slumped onto the sofa, constantly scratching his hair and cursing: "Li, you idiot! Why did you blurt it out so impulsively Oh my God, what''s wrong with me But, who knows how much time I have left? After Yuan''s death, the residents held another meeting that night. Most of them believed that Li would be the new building manager. After all, he was the only one who had survived four blood inscription instructions out of all the residents in the apartment. In fact, after hearing Ziyes account of how the blood inscription instruction was carried out this time, all the residents were quite excited. Because it proved one thing: as long as you found the apartment''s hidden "way out", surviving the blood inscription instruction was actually very easy. This time, all they had to do was close their eyes, and they could safely survive for five days! However, it was only easy in theory. If they didn''t know this, who would close their eyes for 24 hours a day? In the end, everyone unanimously decided that the new building manager would be Li. Several months passed. One day the apartment had another blood inscription instruction. And this time, the blood inscription instruction was incredibly strange. The content was: "On November 1,2024, before 12:00 on that day, reach the top of Huayan Mountain in the suburbs of the city, and then start playing hide-and-seek. Choose one person to be the ''ghost'', and the others will have to hide, preventing the ''ghost'' from catching them. During this time, they cannot leave Huayan Mountain. They can return to the apartment after midnight of that day." "Hide hide-and-seek?" The selected residents were all stunned when they saw these words. What did this mean? Playing hide-and-seek on the mountain counts as carrying out a blood inscription instruction? How could it be that simple? So, one of the selected residents, Yang from Room 806, went to ask the new building manager Li. "I think it can''t be that simple, just playing hide-and-seek, right?" Yang asked nervously, "Li, do you think there''s something hidden in this?" 42.A Deadly Game Li also found it very strange. He was quite sure that the apartment had hidden a trap in the blood inscription instruction. And that trap, if they fell into it without realizing it, would lead to their inevitable doom. However, he couldn''t figure out what the trap was, so he could only say to Yang: "In any case, the literal meaning must be followed. Once you reach the top of the mountain, choose one person to be the ''ghost'' and play hide-and-seek. Since it says hide-and-seek, you naturally need to hide in a place where people can''t easily find you, so try to go to places on the mountain that are easy to hide. Huayan Mountain is very large, hiding shouldn''t be difficult. Also in general hide-and-seek, everyone hides separately. Although there are times when two people hide in the same place, it''s best to avoid hiding together in one place just in case. I know, acting alone is scary, but there''s no other way." Yang nodded and continued, "If we''re found, what does that mean? Will we die? Also, if the person who is the ''ghost'' can''t find the others, will they die too?" This was the most concerning question for the selected residents. If that was the case, then at least one person would die no matter what. They didn''t know for sure if this was true, but anything was possible in this incredibly strange apartment. Li shook his head and said, "It''s not very likely. The apartment isn''t designed to torture us to death, otherwise, there wouldn''t be anyone who has survived the blood inscription instruction. It will definitely arrange a way for us to survive. If what you said was true, then one person would be in a desperate situation with no way to escape." Li''s words reassured Yang, after all, he had survived four blood inscription instructions, his words were very convincing. However, despite that, how would they choose the "ghost"? Vote?? Play rock-paper-scissors? In any case, no one would volunteer to be the "ghost". Even if they chose someone, the person who was the "ghost" might not agree to be the "ghost", after all, the apartment didn''t specify how to choose the "ghost". Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. But they had to have one person to be the "ghost", otherwise, they would all be manipulated by shadows and commit suicide. Li also found this problem difficult, so he said: "You guys can negotiate it yourselves later. Someone has to be the ''ghost'', there''s no other way. Make a decision as soon as possible." On November 1st, at around four in the morning, the selected residents set off. This time, Chen from Room 1304 was driving. He was a very handsome young man with a gentle personality, and he was very popular in the apartment. Besides Yang, there were three other people: Tang, Zhang, and Si from Room 1215. Yang was a science major who had graduated from college, but he didn''t have a job yet. He was quick-witted and often had clever ideas. Tang had a very good relationship with Li, and he was also quite talkative. Zhang was always solitary and didn''t communicate with others, so no one was very familiar with him. As for Si, he was a fortune teller, and he always carried a deck of Tarot cards with him. They set off very early, and they reached Huayan Mountain and successfully reached the summit before eight o''clock. Huayan Mountain was a mountain in the suburbs of the city, but it was rather desolate. Legend had it that during the Republic of China period, a group of bandits occupied the mountain as their base and killed many innocent people, so the mountain was filled with vengeful spirits. Because of this legend, besides some people who liked to seek thrills, most people didn''t like to come to this mountain, so Huayan Mountain was truly deserving of the name "remote and desolate". Looking down from the top of the mountain, they only saw bare gullies, with very few trees. The ground was covered with weeds, but because very few people came here, there wasn''t much trash. The mountain was very empty and there was no sound at all, they couldnt even hear birds chirping, so all five of them had a feeling like they were deaf. "It''s a really oppressive place." Yang kept looking left and right, checking his watch, saying, "Well we still have plenty of time, let''s decide who''s going to be the ''ghost'' first." At this point, Si took out a deck of Tarot cards and said, "Why don''t we decide using Tarot cards?" "Don''t joke around!" Yang quickly stopped him, saying, "Mhm, I think playing rock-paper-scissors would be better? Do we decide that the winner is the ''ghost'' or the loser is the ''ghost''?" After a long debate, they finally decided to play rock-paper-scissors, and the person who became the ''ghost'' was Si. "It''s me." Si sighed, squatted down on the ground, spread out the Tarot cards on the ground, and then drew a card and looked at it. "What is it? What card is it?" Tang asked with concern, "What does it foretell?" Si quickly put the Tarot card back and said, "No it''s nothing." He looked like his face was not good. They all squatted down together and discussed what they should do next. "In any case, according to the building manager''s instructions," Yang repeatedly told Si, "You have to do your best to find us, we''ll hide very well, and we won''t let you find us easily. Mhm, we''ve all set our phones to vibrate, so you won''t be able to find us through our phone rings." Si looked worried at this moment: "What if I can''t find you guys what will I do" "It''s okay," Chen comforted him, "The building manager said that the apartment will always leave a way out for us." And so finally, it was noon! 43.A Silent Fear As twelve o''clock struck, the game of hide-and-seek officially began. According to the rules, Si, the "ghost," closed his eyes, turned his back to them, and started counting. He could only go find them after he finished counting. Yang and the others repeatedly warned Si not to peek. After all, this was a basic rule of the hide-and-seek game. If he broke the rule, it would be the same as breaking the apartment''s blood inscription instruction. The moment Si turned his back, the other four immediately took off running down the mountain! Everyone was running at a hundred-meter dash speed, as no one knew what terrifying consequences awaited them if they were caught. Yang ran the fastest. He often participated in track and field events in school during his student days, and he had excellent results. He had even challenged a marathon. Plus, after moving into the apartment, he often exercised to improve his running speed. So, before Si even reached five, the other three couldn''t see him anymore. Yang ran for almost seven hundred meters before slowing down, but he wasnt out of breath. He didn''t dare to relax at all, and he kept looking left and right. Even though they were supposed to hide, were there any places to hide on Huayan Mountain? There were almost no trees, the bushes weren''t tall, and they would be very conspicuous wherever they went. Unless, they could find a cave. However, Yang thought that hiding in a cave was a last resort. After all, once the cave was found, there would be no escape. The mountain was big, but Si had twelve hours to find them. So he thought it would be better to wander around the mountain, as it would be harder for Si to bump into him. At the same time, he still didn''t understand what kind of trap was hidden in this blood inscription instruction. But he was sure that it couldnt be just a simple hide-and-seek. The mountain path of Huayan Mountain was extremely bumpy, uneven, and very difficult to walk on. The ground was extremely dry, and the air seemed to have no humidity at all. Yang even felt like sand was getting into his nostrils when he breathed. Yang had often played hide-and-seek as a kid, and back then, he was also the one hiding, just like now. Every time he chose a place to hide, he would be very cautious, and he would even run very far. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. In the end, others couldnt find him, but he would also get lost and couldnt find his way home. Because of his experience getting lost, he developed a strong fear of hide-and-seek, so he never wanted to play it again. And now he had to carry out a blood inscription by playing this annoying game. On the other hand, Zhang wasn''t running slowly either. He was already five or six hundred meters away from the top of the mountain. But his physique was not as good as Yang''s, and he was already out of breath. He had been running, but then he started walking. However, the thought of being found by the "ghost" and not knowing what the consequences would be made him dare not stop, and he continued to pick up the pace. The rules of the blood inscription instruction were that as long as they didn''t leave Huayan Mountain, they could hide anywhere. So should he run down the mountain? That way, they could leave as soon as the time was up. However, he immediately rejected this idea. If Si found them, then without being able to leave Huayan Mountain, there would be nowhere to escape. He should find a safe place to hide on the mountain. Twelve hours, it didn''t seem like a long time, just half a day. But for them, the apartment residents, every minute, every second was agony and torture! Zhang would check his watch almost every two or three minutes, and then he would constantly look back to see if Si was chasing after him. "I wonder how fast that kid runs. Will he turn around and sneak a peek at our running route?" Zhang, who was solitary and aloof, didn''t have a particularly good relationship with the other residents, and Si lived on a higher floor, so he wasn''t very close to him. The only resident he had a relatively good relationship with in the apartment was Qin , who was already dead. When he found out that he had died, Zhang sighed in sorrow. But there was no way. In this apartment, everyone was living on borrowed time, and every time they went out to carry out a blood inscription instruction, they might not be able to return. Living in this apartment was indeed terrifying, but after a long time, the fear gradually became numb. The residents were all trying their best to survive the tenth blood inscription instruction, so they could finally be free and leave this damn apartment. "I wont die! I will definitely leave this apartment alive!" As Zhang was thinking this, a gust of wind suddenly blew up. The wind was a bit strange, it whipped up the dust on the ground, and even blinded him for a moment. Zhang didn''t manage to stand firm, and he suddenly fell to the ground, twisting his ankle! "Ah" Zhang was terrified. Twisting his ankle in this hide-and-seek game wasn''t a joke! He quickly tried to massage his ankle with his hand, but no matter how hard he rubbed it, it still felt painful! At this rate, he wouldn''t be able to run, he would even be slow even when walking! Instantly, sweat dripped down his forehead, he kept looking left and right, and he prayed to all the gods and goddesses he could think of, hoping that Si wouldnt find him at this time! It wouldn''t be that unlucky The mountain is so big, there''s no reason for him to find me so quickly He stood up, gritted his teeth, and continued to move forward. After all, he was still relatively close to the top of the mountain. Even though his ankle ached with every step, Zhang still endured the pain. Chen initially wanted to drive the car up the mountain, but the mountain path was bumpier than he imagined, especially a section of the road made up of loose gravel. If he drove over it, the car''s tires would be punctured, so he could only park the car at the foot of the mountain. They could only escape on foot. Actually, even though Li said it was better to run separately, he still hoped to escape with someone else. He was usually talkative and humorous, and he was very popular in the apartment. He had the best relationship with Yuan. When he found out that he had died from Ziye, he was heartbroken for several days. He couldnt believe that Yuan, who always wore glasses and was full of confidence, would die so easily. But it was true, none of the residents had any guarantee of survival. Li became the new building manager, and although he could accept it, there was always a subconscious resistance in his heart. He always felt that only Yuan was qualified for the position of building manager, after all, Li had only been living in the apartment for a year. Of course, Li''s intelligence was unquestionable, but he always felt that he was still a step behind Yuan. Yuan''s always confident and unshakable expression in the face of pressure had encouraged many residents to actively face the blood inscription instructions, and Li couldn''t give people that feeling. Moreover even Yuan had died, what about the other residents? It couldn''t help but make people feel extremely desperate. However, to survive, they had to keep carrying out the blood inscription instructions. Chen hoped that Li could give the residents new hope. After all, Yuan couldnt be resurrected. 44.Real ghost "I wonder how they are doing" After he became a resident of the apartment, Chen decided to divorce his wife after much deliberation. After all, his wife was still young, and after he moved into the apartment, no one knew what the future held. In this day and age, a divorced woman and a widow were completely different concepts. The former would naturally find it much easier to remarry than the latter. Moreover, he couldn''t tell his wife the truth, otherwise, he would be considered a delusional patient. In the end, he gritted his teeth, gave a migrant worker a sum of money, and acted out a scene in front of his wife, saying that he had been fooling around outside and therefore wanted to divorce her. After all, if he divorced for no reason, his wife would only keep looking for the reason, and she might think that he had a hard time and wouldn''t be willing to divorce him. As a result, Chen bore all the blame, even his own son looked down on him. His wife was very angry at first, and because Chen had to live in the apartment, he left home with a divorce agreement and only let the lawyer talk to his wife. This made his wife even more convinced that he had completely changed his heart. She thought long and hard, and finally signed the divorce agreement. Although this had happened half a year ago, Chen still felt very painful when he thought about it. His wife was very strong-willed, the house they lived in was mainly bought with Chen''s money, and the owner was registered as Chen, so his wife simply left home, took their son, and went out to work and earn money to support their son. For a time, those who didn''t know the truth all blamed Chen. Even his own parents said that they would cut off contact with him if he didn''t reconcile with his wife. His relatives and friends told him that it was understandable for men to fool around outside, and it was normal to lose their way occasionally, but there was no need to "dismiss" his wife! Some people also asked him if he wasnt going to fight for custody of his son? Of course, Chen couldn''t fight for custody of his son. He couldn''t live with his son. And, as the party at fault, even if he fought for custody, the court wouldnt likely grant it to him. In the half year after the divorce, Chen had been sending his wife alimony on time, but she never contacted him proactively. Moreover, his wife''s new home was quite far away, although it was more than enough time to make a round trip in forty-eight hours, no one could guarantee that there wouldn''t be a traffic jam or some kind of emergency, so he usually wouldnt leave the apartment unless it was necessary. In the end, Chen gathered his courage and went to see his wife once, but she refused to see him. After the residents of the apartment found out about his experience, they were all very moved. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Especially Yuan, after knowing about it, said: "Don''t be discouraged! Once we leave this apartment alive, I will definitely help you pursue your wife again! Although even then, we can''t tell her about the apartment, but at least you can be with her!" Yuan''s sincere words deeply touched Chen, so he became close friends with Yuan. The two of them made an agreement to leave the apartment alive together! But who would have thought Yuan would leave before him. His past vows were still fresh in his ears, but Yuan was already gone forever. "I will live for both of us! Yuan!" Out of the four, Tang ran the slowest. Tang was one of the residents who was closest to Li in the apartment, and he also had a good relationship with Chen. Tang was a very gentle and kind person, a typical good man. Everyone in the apartment would call him "Doctor Tang" when they saw him. Tang''s parents were not in the country, and he worked at a large hospital in the city. As a surgeon, he often helped treat the residents when they carried out blood inscription instructions, and even provided the residents with many medications and emergency medical knowledge, which moved the residents very much. The residents all privately thought that if a resident in the apartment died, more than half of the residents would be heartbroken and cry, and that resident would definitely be Doctor Tang. Tang admired Li''s father, Li Yong, very much. Yong was the director of Zhengtian Hospital, a famous comprehensive hospital in the city. Li''s mother was the chairman of the board of the hospital. Tang had once attended a medical lecture given by Director Li, and he greatly admired Director Li''s professional knowledge. For this reason, he had a particularly good relationship with Li. But he was very surprised that Li didn''t inherit his father''s hospital but became a web novelist. He couldn''t help but feel very curious. He had discussed medical knowledge with Li, and found that Li''s talent in this area was no less than his father''s. Li''s explanation was that he didn''t like this kind of fated inheritance. Anyway, he wasn''t only proficient in medicine, he could also work in other fields. However, Tang always felt that this wasn''t the main reason. He felt that Li didn''t want to be a doctor because he was sensitive to death. To be a doctor, you had to face the birth, aging, illness, and death of people all the time, which was actually a great test of one''s mental toughness. Li once said, "I always feel that if you''re a doctor for too long, you will become very numb to people''s death. No matter how tragic the death is, it won''t evoke sadness. I don''t like that. To be happy for the living and sad for the dead, that''s what it means to be human." That sentence had always been deeply etched in Tang''s heart. He agreed with Li''s statement. For doctors, medical skills were certainly important, but compassion and sympathy were also essential. Only by never forgetting the awe of life in your heart, could you do your utmost to save every life. As Tang was thinking about this, he was already far away from the top of the mountain. Suddenly, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and saw that it was a call from Li. Tang answered the phone and asked, "Li, what''s wrong?" "Tang have you chosen the ''ghost''? I just had some new thoughts about the blood inscription instruction, and I wanted to talk to you about it." "Oh, we have. What are your thoughts?" "How did you choose? Who''s going to be the ''ghost''?" "We decided by playing rock-paper-scissors. Si is going to be the ''ghost''." Li didn''t seem to hear clearly and asked again: "Who? Who is going to be the ''ghost''?" "Si, the one from Room 1215, the one who likes to play Tarot cards." Li yelled into the phone suddenly: "Tang! Wake up! Our apartment only goes up to 1214 on the 12th floor, Room 1215? Si? Is there such a resident in this apartment?" "Li Li, what are you joking about, didnt Si gather with us downstairs before and say that the blood inscription appeared in his room" "Wake up! Only you, Chen, Yang, and Zhang received this blood inscription instruction! Where did this Si come from?!" Tang suddenly jolted, and his brain suddenly became clear Right When did our apartment have a resident named Si? Even if I search my memory bank, I can''t find this person! What living in Room 1215, a resident who liked to use Tarot cards to do fortune telling, everything related to Si in the past All fake memories! It was probably after leaving the apartment, that they encountered "it," and then were misled by "it," thinking that "it" was also a resident of the apartment, and then followed "it" to Huayan Mountain, and through playing rock-paper-scissors, decided to let "it" be the ghost At this moment, Tang realized something. That is to say the four of them were now playing hide-and-seek with a real "ghost" 45.The Call A real "ghost"... was playing hide-and-seek with them, trying to find them all... Tang instantly shivered and subconsciously turned his head to look back. He immediately quickened his pace and asked Li as he ran: "Li... Li, what do you think we should do now?" In fact, Li had already vaguely realized the possibility of the "ghost" appearing in front of them in this way. Moreover, he guessed that no matter how they chose the "ghost," it would be the nonexistent "Si" who would be chosen. Li continued to think about how to deal with the current situation. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said: "Try to run around randomly without any pattern, but you must make sure that you are getting further and further away from the top of the mountain. Your escape route should be very chaotic, and also, don''t go near any cliffs. Absolutely do not hide in a fixed place, as it will be easy to be found!" "I... I understand" "If you get hungry, eat something while you run, and try not to stop. If you get really tired, you can only rest for a short time, and you must always pay attention to your surroundings. Remember, try to avoid narrow paths, the more open the place, the safer it is! I''ll call the other three people, be careful!" After hanging up the phone, Li immediately called Chen. Chen was also far away from the top of the mountain at this time, wandering around the mountain in circles. When he felt his phone vibrate, he quickly took it out and saw that it was a call from Li. "Hello, Li what''s wrong?" Li immediately told him everything. At first, Chen didn''t react, but after a while, he was enlightened as if he had been struck by lightning! There was no one named Si in his memory! "How, how is that possible" After all, Chen had only moved into the apartment half a year ago and had only carried out one blood inscription instruction. He couldn''t understand such a bizarre and inexplicable phenomenon. Li repeated what he had just told Tang to him, and then said: "In any case, don''t panic first. Actually, it''s good this way. At least we know the meaning of the blood inscription instruction now. It''s better this way than everything being shrouded in mystery." Then, Li called Yang The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. At this time, Zhang had reached the gully on the north side of Huayan Mountain. He couldnt find any place to hide at all, not even a single tree. He took out a bottle of mineral water, unscrewed the cap, and took a big gulp, then wiped his mouth. The pain in his ankle was much better than before. But even so, it was still difficult to walk. If he tried to run, it would be even more uncomfortable. He won''t chase after me, will he? Zhang carefully recalled everything related to Si. But suddenly, he realized that his memories of Si were quite vague. What was even more strange was that less than an hour after they parted ways, he couldn''t even clearly remember what Si looked like. "Whats wrong with me is my memory failing?" Zhang put the mineral water back in his bag and continued to walk. But after taking only a few steps, the phone in his inner pocket started to vibrate. "Hmm? Who is it?" He took out the phone and saw that it was a call from Li. He had just opened the flip phone when he suddenly felt his left foot step on something and lose its footing. He quickly grabbed a large rock that protruded from the ground nearby, and the phone fell off the cliff! Zhang was terrified when he grabbed the rock, but then his hair stood on end! This why is there a cliff here? It was clearly a flat piece of ground just now! And looking at the height of the cliff, it was at least fifty or sixty meters, if he fell Zhang''s face instantly turned pale with fear! Escape He must escape as soon as possible! Chen was on the west side of the mountain at this time. After receiving Li''s call, he didn''t dare to relax at all and kept running, as a result, his physical strength was almost exhausted. However, the thought of a "ghost" chasing them made Chen dare not stop for even a moment! After all, it was not a human! No matter how fast he ran or how well he hid, there was always a chance that he would be found! This was truly terrifying! The closer they got to the bottom of the mountain, the harder it was to walk. Not only was the ground uneven, but there were also more and more rocks. This greatly affected their speed. And just then, his phone vibrated again. Chen quickly took out his phone and saw that the caller was his ex-wife! He immediately slowed down and answered the phone. He had called his ex-wife many times over the past six months, but she had never answered. Why was she calling him today? As soon as he answered, he heard his ex-wife''s voice, clearly choked with sobs: "Chen! Something terrible happened! Something terrible happened! Our son, Bing was hit by a car! He''s in the hospital and they''re trying to save him! His blood type is RH negative mine isnt, and the blood bank doesn''t have that type only you can donate blood to him" Chen''s mind went blank, and his hand holding the phone started to tremble He was RH negative, and this blood type is quite rare, so if someone with this blood type needs a transfusion, they usually need a family member to donate blood. His son had inherited this blood type "How how could this happen!" Chen felt like his heart was breaking, "How did he get hit by a car? Is it serious?" At this moment, he had even forgotten his own situation. "It was at noon during his lunch break, he went to play outside the school, and he was hit by a car when he crossed the road because the driver ran a red light I, when I got to the hospital, Bing, Bing, he was covered in blood The doctor said if, if he doesnt get a blood transfusion soon, it will be very dangerous! The hospital, is the Zhengtian Hospital..." "Zhengtian Hospital?" Chen''s heart skipped a beat. The hospital wasnt that far, if he drove as fast as he could, it would take about an hour to get there "Binghow long can Bing hold on?" Chen was about to go crazy at this point. "The doctors are doing everything they can to save him now He lost too much blood, if if he doesnt get a blood transfusion soon, he''ll be in danger! He''s in the emergency room on the 5th floor..." Of course, Chen was in a hurry, but he couldn''t leave Huayan Mountain! 46.First blood As long as he left Huayan Mountain, his shadow would manipulate him to commit suicide. He remembered clearly that a resident who didn''t believe Yuan''s words had left the apartment, and after more than forty-eight hours, the person actually cut their own throat with a knife and died! Chen remembered it clearly, before the person committed suicide, their shadow moved first, and then the person moved! After that, Chen, who had still had a slight doubt about Yuan''s words, completely believed in the horror of this apartment! The only way to leave the apartment alive was to survive ten blood inscription instructions! "Is, is there really no one else who can donate blood?" Chen''s voice also trembled. At this moment, how he wished he could rush to the hospital to save his son, but if he left Huayan Mountain, he would be killed by the apartment''s curse! "That''s why I called you!" His ex-wife was now yelling, "Even if you abandoned me, Bing is your son! Are you not going to save him?!" "I I I, I can''t go" Chen felt like he was dying at this moment Why was it so unlucky, why did his son have a car accident at this time? There were still more than eleven hours before they could return to the apartment! If he didnt get a blood transfusion, the consequences would be unthinkable! Li! That''s right, Li! Zhengtian Hospital, just happened to be the hospital where Li''s father worked. Li''s father, Li Yong, was the director of Zhengtian Hospital, and his mother was the chairman of the board of directors of the hospital. "Wait a second, I''ll call someone" Then, he hung up his wife''s phone and called Li. "What''s wrong? Chen?" Li thought something big had happened when he saw his call. "Building manager! Please save my son! My son was in a car accident, and he''s in your father''s hospital right now! He needs a blood transfusion urgently..." "You, what did you say?" Li was very surprised, asking, "You, how did you know your son was in a car accident?" Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. "My, my ex-wife called me! My son is RH negative A type blood, the blood bank doesn''t have it only I can donate blood to my son!" Li couldnt believe it, how could this be such a coincidence! "Please, please call your father and ask him to think of a way Isn''t Zhengtian Hospital a big hospital, so" "I understand. I''ll try my best to help you. I''ll ask the other residents later if anyone is RH negative A type blood" "Thank you, thank you! Li!" At this moment, Chen was already sobbing. After hanging up the phone, Li immediately called his father. But his father''s phone was off! Maybe, he was in a meeting? Li immediately called his mother as well. His mother was a member of the hospital''s board of directors, and it would be the same if he talked to her. But her phone was also off! Maybe his mother was also in the meeting? Li rushed out of his room, went to the door of Room 403 next door, knocked on the door, and Ziye opened the door a moment later, asking, "What''s wrong? You look very anxious. Did something happen to the four people who went to Huayan Mountain?" "Ziye your blood type is" "B. What''s wrong?" "No, nothing" For a moment, where could he find someone who was RH negative A type blood! Seeing his anxious expression, Ziye immediately asked: "Is blood type related to this blood inscription?" Li was also in a hurry. What should he do? Zhang didn''t know what Li had wanted to tell him on the phone just now, did he discover the secret of the blood inscription instruction? But, it didn''t matter now. His phone fell from such a height, it was definitely broken. He started to get nervous. Maybe Li wanted to tell him something very important! And if he didn''t know, the consequences "Damn it! I knew I should have bought two phones to carry with me!" The desolate mountain, which was rarely visited by people, was still as desolate as ever. There was no sound around. But it was precisely for this reason that it was even more agonizing! Where would the ghost come from? If he was found by Si, would he really die? Would he be alright if he wasnt found? Its very possible that the apartment often deceives them through blood inscription instructions! But, he couldnt just sit around and wait for Si to find him. After all, he might also die if he was found. Just then Zhang suddenly saw that ahead, there was the cliff again, and the rock was right by the edge of the cliff! He had actually gone in circles and come back to the same place? This mountain was flat everywhere, there were no landmarks, no wonder this happened! Being close to the cliff, he could clearly see the mountain path below. Maybe he could see Si Si, the resident who was playing the "ghost," what was his name again? Zhang became more and more confused. He kept thinking, what was that person''s name? What was the number of the room he lived in At this moment, Zhang suddenly shivered Was there such a person in the apartment residents? He suddenly sat down with his bottom hitting the ground, cold sweat dripping down his forehead. There was no such person There was no such person in the apartment at all! So who was he? Zhang kept moving his body backwards, leaning against the large rock, his heart beating faster and faster! He was the real "ghost"! Suddenly, a ghostly white hand reached out from behind the rock, grabbing Zhang''s shoulder! "I found the first one." Before Zhang could react, his whole body was pulled behind the rock by the ghostly white hand! Then it was silent again. 47.Reflections in Water Yang was currently sitting on a raised rock. He had poured a puddle of mineral water on the ground in front of him. This way, he could see the scene behind him reflected in the puddle of water at any time, and he didn''t have to constantly turn his head to look. Fortunately, summer had already passed, and the weather was no longer so hot, otherwise, the puddle of water would have dried up quickly. Although there were no damp places on this mountain, and no trees could be found, the temperature on the ground was gradually decreasing as time passed. When Li called, Yang was initially startled, but he quickly calmed down. The situation hadn''t changed. After all, they had known from the start that this mountain wouldn''t allow them to survive for twelve hours peacefully. It was just that the "ghost" wanted to find them, which meant that the "ghost" didn''t have the ability to sense their location, otherwise, it could appear in front of them at any time. After all, the "ghosts" they had encountered in the past blood inscription instructions all had the ability to move freely to any location. This limitation should be the only way out that the apartment gave them. And it was his duty to make the most of it. He thought it was a poor move to wander around the mountain aimlessly like a headless fly. The mountain was huge, and if the "ghost" couldnt sense their location, then hiding in a specific place would make it less likely for them to be found, but wandering around would increase the chance of being found. "I''m not someone who''s scared out of their wits by the apartment," Yang took another sip of mineral water, wiped his mouth, and muttered to himself, "When Yuan was still alive, I discussed escape methods with him late into the night countless times, and I also made numerous deductions based on the experiences of other residents who had escaped. Yuan was truly a genius It''s a pity that he died so early." "Of course, hiding in one place all the time isn''t the best option. It''s better to change places every half an hour. The terrain of this mountain is very winding and tortuous, going from bottom to top. Moreover, the ''ghost'' will probably look for us along the paths that are further away from the top of the mountain, and I''m deliberately not staying too far away from the top of the mountain. So, going too close to the bottom would leave me fewer escape routes. In places with more forks, staying in various places randomly, this way it will be harder to be found. And changing hiding places every half an hour I dont believe that ''ghost'' can find me!" Using water as a mirror was also a clever trick. Although Yang had also brought a mirror with him, the mirror formed by water had a larger range. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. However, water was limited. Even though Yang had twelve bottles of mineral water in his backpack, he also needed to drink water to replenish his energy. Half an hour was almost up. Yang checked his watch, got up, and continued to walk randomly along the various forks in the road. Of course, he wouldn''t be completely fearless. In fact, he was also trying his best to suppress the fear that was constantly seeping out of his heart. But from the experience of many past residents, Yang had learned that the more afraid you are, the easier it is to panic. Only by staying calm and composed in the face of danger, like Yuan, was it possible to find the hidden way out of the apartment. "It won''t be that easy to bump into that ''ghost'' is definitely searching for Zhang and the others below the mountain" At this moment, Yang was maintaining a normal pace. He knew that constant running would only drain his energy, and the more tired he got, the harder it would be to escape later. After all, Yang had always been a good track and field athlete. He was very confident in his running speed. Now, the priority was to save his energy. Of course there was also the possibility of encountering the "ghost" by chance. If he really did run into it, then he would be finished. But Yang also knew that when carrying out blood inscription instructions, they often faced a situation similar to Russian roulette, where their fate was completely decided by luck. It was undeniable that luck was often a key factor in escaping. And Yuan had survived five blood inscription instructions that was because he was extremely lucky! When he survived the fifth blood inscription instruction, Yuan was facing a near-death situation. The blood inscription instruction stated that they had to go to a crossroads at midnight on a certain day, and stay there for ten minutes, and then they could return to the apartment. At that time, only Yuan and another old resident were carrying out the instruction. The old resident died on the first day! The crossroads at midnight was desolate and deserted, with only a few cars passing by occasionally. When they arrived at the crossroads, Yuan and the old resident were both wary of the passing cars or pedestrians. When midnight struck, Yuan and the old resident were originally standing on the street, but suddenly, they found themselves in the middle of the crossroads! Then, four large trucks came from all four directions of the crossroads! And the drivers of the trucks were all identical skeletons! The four trucks drove towards them at a very high speed, and it was almost impossible to avoid them! It was a complete death trap! That kid Yuan was really terrifyingly lucky. He was hit by four trucks at the same time, but he actually flew up and hit the balcony of a tall building next door when one of them hit him! Although he was seriously injured, he miraculously survived! The other resident was completely gone without a trace At this moment, Tang was far from as calm as Yang. He was running around aimlessly without any pattern, and he quickly ran out of energy. He kept checking his watch, and two hours had passed. Now, they still had ten hours left! Although the mountain was large, ten hours if he accidentally ran into it Tang didnt dare to think about it anymore. Li promised that he would continue to analyze the way to survive this blood inscription instruction, and he would notify him immediately if he had any new ideas. But Li wasnt omnipotent. Was there a way to escape the "ghost''s" search? Should he hide using a certain method? How to hide? There was no place to hide on this mountain at all! He couldnt even find a cave or a tree! And the apartment stipulated that they couldnt leave Huayan Mountain! In his state of anxiety, he suddenly thought, what if he met up with Yang and the others? If they were together as a group of four, it would be easier to boost morale, and they could think of further strategies. However, he still decided to ask Li for his opinion first, so he took out his phone and called Li. "Hello, is this Li?" Tang said immediately after answering the phone, "It''s like this, I was thinking, what if I meet up with Yang and the other three? If there are four of us together" "Absolutely dont do that!" At this moment, Li was on his way to the hospital. 48.Double kill He warned Tang, "If you are all together, you''ll be too obvious a target, and if the ''ghost'' is following someone, it can find all four of you! Also, if you do that, it might violate the rules of hide-and-seek." "But it''s too scary to be alone" "I understand." Li sighed and said, "But you can''t meet up. The most important reason is if the ''ghost'' can transform into Si, then it can also transform into Yang and the others! If the ''ghost'' finds one of them, kills them, and takes their phone, and you call them" Hearing this, Tangs heart skipped a beat. Thats right if that happened, wouldnt it be suicide! Didnt Ziye encounter a ghost disguised as Yuan last time? "Then Li, have you figured out the way to survive this blood inscription instruction?" Tang asked anxiously, "What if we are really found" "It''s not that easy to find you. Tang, listen carefully, if the ''ghost'' could easily find you, you wouldn''t be able to call me now. The apartment must have restricted the ''ghost''s'' actions in this regard, preventing it from sensing your location. In other words as long as it doesn''t see you, the ''ghost'' won''t be much different from a normal human in the process of searching." "Is is that really true?" "It''s been two hours, if it could easily find you, you would have all gone to meet the Grim Reaper by now. Also, try to save your energy, don''t keep running. If you really do run into the ''ghost'', it doesn''t matter how fast you run. Try to avoid places below the mountain walls, as it will be easier for them to see you." "Okay, okay" "As for the way out you mentioned" Li pondered for a moment and said, "I haven''t thought of it yet. It''s also possible that the ''ghost'' not being able to sense your location is the only way out. So, its possible that the ''ghost'' might use some kind of method to lure you out." "Lure me out? How?" "I just thought of it when you mentioned meeting up. If you receive a call, and it''s Yang and the others calling you, asking you to meet them at a certain place on the mountain don''t go! Of course, you can lie to them on the phone and say you''ll go, and then try to get as far away from the meeting place as possible." "You mean it''s possible that the ''ghost'' will use this method to call and lure me out?" "It''s very likely. So you can use it in reverse, stay away from the meeting place, and you can buy yourself some time!" "Okay Thats a good idea! Li, you''re a genius!" Then, just as Li was about to hang up the phone, Ziye, who was walking with him towards the hospital, suddenly took his phone and said to Tang on the other end of the phone: "Doctor Tang? This is Ziye. If you want to survive, I have a better way to tell you." "Ziye?" "Yes, it''s me. The method is very simple. Right now you should immediately run to the top of the mountain!" Tang was so stunned that he couldn''t speak! " You, you mean" "Yes, don''t you think the ''ghost'' might still be at the top of the mountain? The way out that the apartment gave you should include the condition of ''mountaintop''. Once you reach the top of the mountain, you cant go any higher. So, to escape, you have to run down the mountain. There are so many forks in the road going up Huayan Mountain, the ''ghost'' is naturally searching for you going downwards. So, go against the grain and run directly to the top of the mountain!" What a bold idea! Extremely bold! If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "But but" Tang''s voice trembled as he asked, "What if I run into the ''ghost'' on the way" "You won''t. It''s been two hours, is it possible that the ''ghost'' is still on the paths leading to the top of the mountain? Of course, it''s been searching for you in various parts of the mountain. Unless the ''ghost'' is guarding the paths leading up the mountain and not looking for you, but is that possible?" "But but" "Doctor Tang, listen carefully there is no guarantee of absolute safety if you stay in any place on this mountain! But the top of the mountain is different. Going there will actually get you out of the ''ghost''s'' search route! Of course, you don''t need to stay at the top of the mountain all the time. You can choose a route to go down the mountain later. After all, the ''ghost'' might also return to the top of the mountain to search later on. Think about it carefully, compared to wandering aimlessly at the bottom of the mountain, which path has a greater chance of being discovered by the ''ghost''?" Tang was in the midst of a fierce internal struggle. This was a gamble! And he was gambling with his life! It was true, the top of the mountain was the place where the "ghost" was in his heart now, but thinking about it carefully, would the "ghost" be there now? There were so many forks in the road going up the mountain It was unlikely that the "ghost" was guarding those fixed paths. Of course, there was a chance of encountering it, but staying here also had a chance of being discovered! " I" "Of course, it''s up to you to decide whether or not to accept it. I''m just suggesting it." After hanging up the phone, Ziye handed the phone back to Li, who was next to her. At this moment, the two of them had also reached the entrance of the hospital. "Your strategy" Li pondered for a moment and said, "It is indeed clever. But I''m worried that if the ''ghost'' has a clone" After all, it was a mysterious and unpredictable "ghost," it wouldn''t be strange if it had clones. "If it has ''clones'', there''s even less to worry about." Ziye continued, "There are four people to find, so it''s better to have more clones searching the mountain. But the number of clones can''t be infinite, otherwise, the whole mountain would be full of ''ghosts'', and the apartment wouldn''t do something so extreme. Therefore, even if it has clones, they would be searching for people, and there is no reason for it to leave one guarding the top of the mountain." At this moment, on Huayan Mountain, the person who was suffering the most was naturally Chen. His ex-wife called again. This time, she was still hysterical on the other end of the phone. "I beg you I beg you" His ex-wife was still sobbing, "The doctor said that his condition is critical, every second is crucial, if you don''t come Bing will die! Please please come!" At this moment, Chen fell to his knees on the ground, tears streaming down his face. "Bing Bing You, you go find Director Li, just just say that I''m a friend of his son, Li, and ask the director to think of a way There must be a way" "What could possibly be more important than your son''s life! Ahhhhhhhh, I''m going crazy! If Bing dies, I won''t live either, I''ll kill you and then kill myself! Bing, Bing, don''t die!" Suddenly, his ex-wife shouted loudly on the other end of the phone: "Doctor, doctor, please save my son, please save him!" There were many busy voices on the other end of the phone, and then his ex-wife suddenly yelled: "No! Bing! Bing!" "What what happened?" Chen felt like his whole body had gone stiff. "No Bing" Dead? His son was dead? The phone slipped out of his hand and fell to the ground. Chen collapsed to the ground. "No this can''t be real" The apartment had ruined his marriage, ruined his life Now, it had even taken the life of his only son Why! Why was heaven tormenting him like this! Chen, who had instantly lost his mind, raised his head and roared wildly at the sky: "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" He roared hysterically for a long time, his throat was hoarse, but he still roared wildly. He completely forgot that this might alert the "ghost." In the end, he slammed his head hard against the ground, and even though his forehead was bleeding, he didn''t care. At this moment, he thought about his ex-wife and how she needed comfort, so he picked up the phone with trembling hands and said with tears streaming down his face: " Bing, Bing he" "I found the second one." On the other end of the phone, a cold, emotionless voice answered. The voice sounded like it was very close Chen looked up In front of him, standing was a person wearing Si''s clothes, with a face whiter than paper. His right hand was holding a phone to his ear. He looked at Chen and said again, "I found the second one." The voice was exactly the same as his ex-wife''s! At the same time, Li walked into the hospital, strode to the counter, and said to the nurse on duty: "Excuse me, Miss, is there a patient named Bing in the emergency room on the fifth floor? He was admitted to the hospital after a car accident" The nurse on duty immediately checked the records, then looked up and said, "No, sir, there''s no such patient, you must have gotten it wrong." In an instant, Li suddenly realized something! He quickly took out his phone and called Chen, but the voice that came through was "The number you dialed is currently unavailable" 49.Pitfall Chen''s shrill roar was deafening, so loud that even Yang, who was quite a distance away, could hear it! Yang wasn''t that far from Chen, less than two kilometers. He could hear the roar clearly! "Whose voice was that...?" The rage and grief in the roar were chilling. Yang''s first thought was - that''s a ghost! He immediately took off running, racing through the maze of paths, his sole focus to get as far away from the source of the roar as possible. As he ran, the roar continued, his heart pounding with terror. Then, he recognized... it was Chen''s voice! Could it be... had he encountered a ghost? He pushed himself harder, increasing his speed. All along, Yang had been conserving his energy, avoiding exhaustion. But the roar threw his plan off. Fear of the "ghost" being near forced him to expend almost all his remaining energy in a few minutes. When he stopped, he was gasping for breath, his body weak. He must have run over two kilometers. Even for him, with his excellent athletic record, he had reached his limit. He needed a break before he could continue. "The ''ghost'' ... wouldn''t still be nearby, would it?" Yang looked around nervously, even peering up at the sky. Thankfully, the "ghost" wasn''t chasing him. He breathed a sigh of relief... If the voice had been Chen, it meant... someone had already been found? And judging by the shrill roar... being found by the "ghost" didn''t sound good at all! Just imagining it made Yang tremble. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. So soon... someone was found! Of course, he didn''t know that Zhang had been found even earlier. To confirm, Yang called Chen on his phone. But the message on the other end was: "Sorry, the number you dialed is not in service..." Not in service? What did that mean? Chen couldn''t have left the mountain. That meant... "Calm down! Stay calm! Don''t panic!" Yang took a few deep breaths, trying to reassure himself. "It''s nothing... It''s probably just a coincidence. The ''ghost'' happened to run into Chen. It wouldn''t happen again... it couldn''t." But no matter what he did, he couldn''t suppress his fear. Yang was no longer able to maintain his composure. He kept wiping the sweat dripping from his forehead and decided to change his plan. He would keep moving erratically, trying to minimize the chance of encountering the "ghost". Twelve hours... it felt so long! So many things could happen in that time! Even if the mountain was huge, it was hard to guarantee he wouldn''t run into it somewhere. The weeds on the ground seemed to be getting thicker, and the path was becoming rougher. As Yang walked, he suddenly stepped into thin air, falling into a pit! Luckily, the pit was only ten meters deep. Yang only sustained a few injuries, and the soil was relatively soft, so his leg didn''t break. Could it be a trap for animals? Yang immediately looked up at the opening above, knowing there was no way he could climb out. The pit was extremely narrow, barely wide enough for one person. In other words... if the "ghost" happened to pass by and see him... He had to call Tang or Zhang to rescue him! He immediately pulled out his phone, but was stunned to see it was broken! Would he be trapped in this pit until midnight? It wasn''t a good hiding spot. If it were covered from above, making it invisible, that would be different. But as it was... anyone passing by could see him! And the pit was so small, there was no place to hide. It was surrounded by dirt and rocks, offering no protection. Digging a hole? He stood up and tried to dig with his hands but quickly gave up. He couldn''t dig very deep with just his hands, even if he dug until nightfall. And even if he dug a hole and squeezed in, he wouldn''t be able to hide! He tried to climb up, but there was nowhere to get a foothold... it was too smooth! He climbed for five minutes, but hadn''t even gone up a meter. A rope? He had a thick, long rope in his backpack, maybe it could be useful. But... without tying the other end to something, he couldn''t climb up! He needed someone to hold the other end for him. He couldn''t get out alone... Driven by a fierce will to survive, he continued to try and climb up... An hour passed... Two hours passed... Three hours passed... As the sky began to be swallowed by darkness, Yang felt almost hopeless. He looked at his watch. It was six o''clock, only six hours left before the end. Fear overwhelmed him. He didn''t even feel hungry anymore. What to do? What to do? What to do? "Whoever dug this hole, I''ll curse their ancestors!" Yang cursed, losing his composure. His phone was broken... the rope was useless... he couldn''t climb up... Now, he could only pray that the "ghost" wouldn''t pass by. At least... the moon wasn''t very bright tonight. Would the darkness help him escape? But then Yang thought... what about midnight? How could he get back to the apartment if he couldn''t get out? If he couldn''t return to the apartment, the game of hide-and-seek with the "ghost" would continue indefinitely! Endless... just the thought sent chills down his spine! If time went on forever, the "ghost" would eventually find him! 50.Hopes Light There was only one way out... if one of the remaining residents happened to pass by, discovered him, and rescued him with a rope! Yes... yes! That''s how he could escape! But by this point, would they all have been found by the "ghost"? Being found by the "ghost" meant certain death! A way out... what was the "way out" Li had mentioned? Think carefully! Yang took out a piece of paper from his pocket, the one with the original blood-red instructions written on it: "November 1st, 2024. Before 12:00 on this day, arrive at the summit of Huayan Mountain in the city''s suburbs. Then play hide-and-seek. One person will be the ''ghost,'' while the rest must hide and avoid being caught. You cannot leave Huayan Mountain during this time. Return to the apartment after midnight on the same day." Were there any hidden "ways out" in the blood-red instructions? Last time with Ziye, closing his eyes and not looking at the ghost had been enough to return safely. Could there be a similar "way out" this time, one that wouldn''t count even if the "ghost" found him? The restrictions set by the apartment were mainly... One, the "ghost" cannot catch you. Two, you cannot leave Huayan Mountain before November 2nd. The "ghost" cannot catch you? Does that mean that if the "ghost" doesn''t physically touch you, it doesn''t count? He was hiding in this pit right now... No, that''s wrong! It''s a "ghost"! That wouldn''t matter! And if he hid here, he would definitely be touched by the "ghost"! There was nowhere to run! The second point was about not leaving Huayan Mountain before November 2nd... That was a common restriction, it didn''t seem like a "way out" left by the apartment. So what should he do? If it wasn''t hidden in the blood-red instructions... Thinking about it, this "ghost", while it was chosen by them, was probably decided by the apartment beforehand. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. No matter what they did, it would end up being Si who was the "ghost". Suddenly, he had a realization. Something was strange! Why would Si be the ghost? It was decided by rock-paper-scissors, but why use rock-paper-scissors? Usually, hide-and-seek has a person chosen as the "ghost" by rock-paper-scissors, but you can also volunteer. In that situation, if Si had volunteered, everyone would have agreed immediately. After all... no one wanted to be the "ghost." "Ghost" easily made people think of death, so everyone was worried that being the "ghost" would really mean death... But what was Si''s attitude like? He clearly... didn''t want to be the "ghost"! So, if someone volunteered to be the "ghost", wouldn''t that prevent Si from becoming the "ghost"? Could it be... This is the "way out"? They themselves had cut off their own chance of survival? Yang was startled by this terrifying thought. If there was no "way out"... wouldn''t that mean they could only rely on luck to get through this blood-red instruction? The problem was, not everyone had that kind of luck! Tang finally made his decision. He arrived at the mountaintop. Ziye''s words were true. The mountaintop was empty. He was right to gamble. When Tang reached the summit, he was completely exhausted. He was afraid that the "ghost" might be waiting for him at the summit, trapping him. But as dusk began to fall, Ziye had said not to stay on the summit until the very end. After thinking it over, Tang chose a path down the mountain. Li hadn''t called yet. He hadn''t figured out the "way out" either. So, the only option left was to hide and make sure the "ghost" couldn''t find him? That was the only way he could think of right now. As he walked, he took out the food from his backpack and ate. He couldn''t eat much because he was nervous. He finished two pieces of bread in three bites, took a few sips of water, and that was it. The sky was very dark tonight. Walking on the lonely path, Tang felt that even without the "ghost," it was scary enough. Every step he took, he was extremely careful, not making a sound. He was glad he brought a flashlight. Shining it on the path ahead helped to dispel some of the darkness. Please don''t come out... please... don''t come out... Yang took out the bread from his backpack and ate. He looked up at the sky every now and then, but he was afraid that if the "ghost" happened to pass by, he would be caught by surprise. What if they came face to face? Yang tried to cover himself with more dirt, spreading it over his head and face. He thought that if it was a little darker, it would be harder to see him from above. But he worried that other residents might pass by and not see him. So he would look up again from time to time... He felt like he was going crazy. Time passed slowly, and Yang became more and more anxious. Why hadn''t a resident passed by yet? Could it be... that they were all dead? No, no! He thought, it couldn''t be that dramatic. At least, there had to be someone else alive, right? But that thought kept growing in his mind, fear like a bottomless black hole, swallowing him whole... swallowing... Just then, he heard a sound... like footsteps nearby! There was so much grass around, even if you slowed down, there would be noise. Who was it? Was it the "ghost"? Or a resident? But he couldn''t yell, "Who is it?" If it was the "ghost", he would be asking for trouble. The footsteps were getting closer and closer. Yang kept spreading more dirt over his head, keeping his head down. Please God... don''t let it be the "ghost"! Then a beam of light shone down, followed by a voice that sounded like heaven: "Who are you?" It was Tang''s voice! Yang immediately looked up. Standing at the top of the pit was Tang! 51.A Test of Trust At that moment, Yang felt like he''d met his savior. He truly was his savior! It wasn''t the "ghost," but Dr. Tang who found him first. What incredible luck! He immediately shouted to Tang, "Dr. Tang! Help me, it''s Yang!" As he spoke, he brushed the dirt off his face, so Tang, holding the flashlight, could see his face clearly. "It is you, Yang..." Tang immediately opened his backpack, took out the rope inside, and lowered it. "Yang, grab the rope, I''ll pull you up!" The rope dangled down. As Yang reached for it, a fairy tale story popped into his mind. "Rapunzel," by the Brothers Grimm. This fairy tale tells the story of an evil witch who imprisons a princess with 70-foot-long hair in a tall tower. A prince, smitten with the princess, climbs the tower using her hair to meet her. When the witch discovers this, she cuts off the princess''s hair, throws it down, and lets the prince climb up. But instead of his beloved, it''s the evil witch who appears at the window. In the end, she blinds the prince. Although the story ends with the usual happily ever after of a Grimm fairytale, when Yang was a child, he found it terrifying. Now... the rope Tang had lowered was just like the princess''s hair in "Rapunzel." Who knew what would happen if he climbed up? Was this person really Tang? He hesitated. What if he climbed up, and this "Tang" revealed his true nature, then... Haunted by the shadow of that fairy tale, Yang couldn''t bring himself to grab the rope. "What''s wrong, Yang?" Tang asked from the top of the pit. "Why aren''t you grabbing the rope?" The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Grab it... or not? Yang couldn''t gamble! It was a matter of life and death! "You... are you really Dr. Tang?" He watched Tang''s expression closely as he asked. Even a hint of panic would confirm his suspicions. But Tang looked completely bewildered. "What are you talking about, Yang? Of course I am... Do you think I''m a ''ghost'' in disguise?" Was there a way to prove he was the real Dr. Tang? The answer was no. Last time, Li had told him that the fake Yuan had still answered many questions that only Yuan and Li knew. Don''t believe it! Absolutely don''t believe it! But Yang''s situation was completely different from the prince in the fairy tale. The prince could choose not to climb up, but Yang couldn''t. If this person was really Dr. Tang, and he stayed here... wouldn''t that be giving up his chance of survival? Was there a way... to climb up while making sure the Tang in front of him wasn''t a "ghost"? Yang''s mind raced, but Tang couldn''t wait any longer. "Yang! Grab the rope, I really am Tang. Remember? When you first moved into the apartment, the first time I went to your house..." "Don''t say that! I don''t believe you when you say those things!" Yang was even more suspicious, thinking that this Tang wasn''t the real one. "You, you must be the ''ghost''! The real Dr. Tang is dead!" "What are you talking about!" Tang seemed quite urgent. "If you don''t grab the rope, what if the ''ghost'' comes over..." "How about this!" Yang suddenly thought of a solution. "Dr. Tang, I remember... there''s a big, protruding rock nearby. Do you see it?" Tang shone his flashlight to the side and nodded. "Yes, there is." "Dr. Tang must have studied leverage. Tie the rope to your hands, wrap it around that rock, throw the other end down, and I''ll grab it. Then you jump down into this pit, and I''ll be able to climb up! If you do that, I''ll believe you''re not a ''ghost'', and then I''ll pull you back up!" Actually, Yang was testing him. He knew Tang''s character well. He was a complete goody-two-shoes, always willing to make sacrifices to help others. Yang had always considered the phrase "a doctor''s heart is like a parent''s heart" to be extremely insincere, but Tang lived up to it. If it really was a "ghost," it wouldn''t agree, would it? But if it did agree, then he could escape. Tying the rope around Tang''s hands was a precaution. Even if it was a "ghost," in that moment when they met in the air, it wouldn''t be able to touch him. Of course, if it really was a "ghost," there were many ways it could do it. But Yang was doing his best to minimize the risk. After all, he couldn''t stay here forever. Even if he was lucky enough for the "ghost" to never find him, if he didn''t return to the apartment within 48 hours after midnight, the consequences would be unthinkable! Tang seemed bewildered, as if he didn''t understand why he had to go through all that trouble. "Yang, if I really was a ''ghost'', couldn''t I just jump down and kill you? Why would I need to trick you into coming up?" "You can''t say that. Who knows if the apartment gave the ''ghost'' some limitations, like it can''t enter underground or something?" Yang continued, earnestly. "Dr. Tang... I lost my temper earlier, please forgive me. I don''t mean to doubt you, but you know the situation. If you do this, I can believe you, and you''ll have a companion on your way back to the apartment. Don''t worry, I''ll definitely pull you up!" Tang seemed hesitant, but Yang understood that whether he was human or "ghost," he would hesitate. Yang''s biggest concern was that Tang was afraid he wouldn''t pull him up. Although theoretically, Yang had no reason not to pull him up, it was normal for Tang to worry about that. Yang was about to speak again, to make a few solemn oaths, when Tang spoke.