“What exactly is going on?” Gao Cheng asked immediately when he saw the couple coming down from upstairs.
Wang Huiwen and Zhang Rui exchanged glances and explained the whole situation in full detail.
They thought it would be the end of their involvement after giving him the explanation, but who knew Gao Cheng would continue suggesting, “Didn’t Fang Chen say to inform others? I’ll go with you guys too then.” He held a handkerchief in his hand, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a smile on his face.
Zhang Rui immediately rejected, “There’s no need to trouble yourself. We’ll go down and inform them after packing our things.”
“Oh, come on, don’t say that. I have nothing to do anyway; I’m thinking of going down with you guys and have a look at the situation at hand.” Gao Cheng used the handkerchief to pat away the sweat on his neck.
“Alright then.” Zhang Rui nodded. “We’ll call you when we’re ready.”
The two returned to their apartment, and Wang Huiwen immediately asked, “Are you really planning to go down and inform the others?”
Zhang Rui was somewhat irritated. “Hurry up and pack. Get things ready and let’s go quickly; I don’t want to stay a second longer in this cursed place!”
“Do you think I want to?” Wang Huiwen was also frustrated. “Just look at the mess we’re in because you bought such a shitty apartment…”
“Alright, alright, enough with your words.” They had actually packed most of their things last night. After enduring fear and anxiety throughout the night, they could finally move out of this hellish place now.
“Where will I stay afterwards?” Wang Huiwen sat on the sofa, unlocking and locking her phone screen. “With this apartment gone, where will I live now?”
“Aiya, I get what you’re worrying about… Let’s talk about it after we leave here,” Zhang Rui responded perfunctorily, then turned around, and saw Wang Huiwen sitting on the sofa with crossed legs. He brushed past and kissed her glowing and seemingly well-nourished cheek.
The two were passionately entwined when the door was knocked, and Gao Cheng called from outside, “Rui-ge, it’s me, Gao Cheng. Are you ready? Let’s go downstairs together?”
Zhang Rui sighed and was about to respond when Wang Huiwen stopped him. “What are you doing? Are we really going down with him?”
“Well, what else can we do? He’s already come knocking at the door. Hurry up and follow along.”
Wang Huiwen stood up and couldn’t help but say, “I bet this guy has some issues too. Did you see the handkerchief he was holding? It’s pink. Say, do you think he’s a pervert?”
“That’s enough, lower your voice. You think this door is soundproof?”
As the door opened, Zhang Rui took the lead while Wang Huiwen linked arms with him, looking as though they were the perfect couple.
When they reached the second floor, Zhang Rui approached and knocked on the door only to find that it wasn’t locked and was easily pushed open.
Near the entryway, a black, hairy mess lay on the floor. Zhang Rui leaned in to get a closer look, trying to figure out what that thing was. Then, he saw hints of pinkish tender flesh among the dense hair.
Wang Huiwen let out a sudden shriek, startling Zhang Rui, who then reacted with a jolt before beads of cold sweat began to form all over his body.
*
Fang Chen and the others heard the scream and rushed downstairs. Wang Huiwen and Zhang Rui, who had been frozen stiff in front of the door just moments ago, were now scrambling up the stairs with haste.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Fang Chen, having just stood up and hurried down from his previous resting position, was still a bit wobbly and unsteady, prompting Nie Shi to support him with one hand. As the couple squeezed through, the two men ended up pressing against each other. Nie Shi supported himself with both hands against the wall, shielding Fang Chen with his side.
Gao Cheng was standing behind the couple, so he didn’t manage to witness the horrific scene the couple saw. Confused, he said, “Seems like someone fainted inside…” He turned to glance at the partially closed main entrance security door and then at Fang Chen and the others, freezing in place. “What’s going on?” No one spoke, so Gao Cheng asked again, “What’s wrong with him?” Just a moment ago, he saw Fang Chen slump down and sit on the stairs.
“I don’t know.” Fan Yingying was also dumbfounded. Seeing how Nie Shi had no intention to take over the explanation, she continued, “He just suddenly…”
“It’s nothing.” Fang Chen rested his head against the wall, and Nie Shi slowly released his hands, still keeping a watchful eye on him. “Just felt dizzy all of a sudden.”
Fang Chen didn’t really recall much about his past. He was an orphan with no parents and had nowhere to go; besides that, he still couldn’t remember anything else. Those memories were his own to begin with, yet now, recalling them didn’t exactly evoke much excitement in him.
He tilted his head up and looked around, wondering why he had suddenly heard the sound of a bell.
“Why did they run?” Fang Chen asked.
“I don’t know either. They suddenly screamed and ran after opening the door.” Gao Cheng walked to the front of the door, swallowing hard. “Yesterday after work, I asked others, and they said they didn’t remember Auntie Wu and Uncle Wu either. I also heard about last night’s incident from Zhang Rui.” He placed his hand on the door handle. “And now, I’m starting to believe it.” However, a hint of doubt still lingered in his mind.
The door was pushed open again, and a person lay in the entryway.
Could it be called a “person”? A hairy coat embraced the entire body with a subtle, flesh-pink hue peeking from within. The hair was so densely packed that it appeared to be squeezing apart the very essence of flesh. His face appeared mangled, as if torn and shred apart by something.
Gao Cheng stood there motionless.
Fang Chen sensed something was wrong. Just as he was about to lift his leg and step down the stairs, his collar was grabbed by someone.
Nie Shi pulled Fang Chen’s back collar, bringing the latter behind himself. Walking down, he pushed aside Gao Cheng and entered the apartment without even sparing a glance.
Afterwards, Gao Cheng immediately leaned against the wall like a goldfish out of water, mouth agape in an “O” shape, as if continuously gasping deep breaths.
There was a rancid, rotten odour in the room. Fang Chen followed Nie Shi through the door but immediately took a step back when he saw the “hairy man” lying on the floor. He didn’t have time to be afraid before he abruptly turned his head, and sure enough, Fan Yingying was standing right behind him.
“Ahhhh! Ahh!!!” A scream travelled through the entire building.
Fan Yingying collapsed on the floor with her head clutched in her hands as she cried and trembled.
Before Fang Chen could get a clear view of the person on the floor, Nie Shi had already covered his eyes from behind.
“Dead.” Nie Shi looked at that mess of hairy man on the ground, the face of whom was scratched beyond recognition. His entire body was densely covered in fine, soft black hair.
There was a sound of movement in the room, and the door of the storage room creaked.
Fang Chen nervously gripped Nie Shi’s wrist, and Nie Shi relaxed his hands that were covering the other party’s eyes, “Do you want to have a look?”
“…No,” Fang Chen spoke a bit late; Nie Shi had already lowered his hands.
Seeing the gruesome sight of that plushy dead person sprawled on the floor, Fang Chen felt his entire bloodstream reversing its course. He took a deep breath, his voice trembling. “Did something make a noise just now?”
“Mm.” Nie Shi walked towards the creaking door.
“Wait!” Fang Chen wanted to stop him, but Nie Shi had already opened the door.
“Ding-ling.”
It was the sound of a bell.
A black-and-white cat ran out on tiptoes, affectionately rubbing against Nie Shi’s trouser hem, then playfully trotted over, as if wanting to rub against Fang Chen too. Fang Chen was startled and immediately avoided it, leaning against the shoe cabinet behind him.
“Meow~’” It swiftly leapt out of the door.
Fan Yingying, who was still on the floor, shook violently. Only then did Fang Chen remember that he had seen the cat in the corridor before.
“There are cats and dogs inside,” Nie Shi said. “They’re dead.” He proceeded to describe what he had seen.
Fang Chen didn’t want to approach, yet he felt a mysterious force tugging at him and pulling him towards those rancid-smelling corpses.
The storage room was full of cat and dog corpses, some already mouldy and decayed. The blood coagulated on the floor turned blackish-red, giving off a nauseating odour. They were piled together in two neat stacks.
Fang Chen felt that the person standing here at the very moment wasn’t truly him; the current calm composure didn’t seem to belong to him, and the panic set in later than he had anticipated. His light brown eyes flickered, and a complex mix of emotions filled his chest, leaving his fingertips cold.
Suddenly, there were a series of “click-clack” sounds of high-heeled shoes coming from the first floor despite the early hour. The two people outside the door felt their legs weakened and could hardly walk, their eyes reflecting a sense of despair.
A red hem appeared in the corridor, causing Gao Cheng to widen his eyes as if they were on the brink of popping out, further resembling an oxygen-deprived chubby goldfish.
Xie Ying, clothed in a red dress and fully drenched from head to toe, appeared in front of everyone. Seeing Fan Yingying and Gao Cheng on the second floor, she instantly felt relieved, slumped down, and sat on the stairs, running her hands through her hair at the back of her head, muttering under her breath, “That’s great, that’s great.”
Everything was in chaos.
*
They went to Gao Cheng’s apartment; the door on the left side of the third floor was open, revealing no signs of its previous owner. The couple had already taken the elevator and left. Well, anyone encountering these strange occurrences would probably want to run away, wouldn’t they?
Unfortunately, unlike the couple, they had nowhere to go.
Xie Ying propped her forehead with her hand, carefully thinking through her words before saying, “There’s no one outside… not a single person. I went to the pantry to fetch a cup of water, and when I came out, the entire office was deserted. The streets were empty too, not even a single soul in sight.” She paused, took a sip of water, and continued, “The same goes for the residential neighbourhood. I didn’t even encounter anyone along the entire way back here.”
Fang Chen lowered his head, and a hand suddenly fell on his head. When he looked up and saw it was Nie Shi, he raised his head even further back, attempting to free himself from the grasp of that large palm.
Fan Yingying huddled in a corner of the sofa, her eyes fixed on Fang Chen.
The room was uncomfortably hot, stuffy, and humid. Fang Chen suddenly wanted to open the window. On his way towards the balcony, his shoulder brushed against Nie Shi’s arm. Upon opening the window, a refreshing breeze, carrying the scent of earth, wafted in, humidifying the air.
Fan Yingying hugged herself even tighter, trembling slightly. “The calls aren’t going through… there’s no signal on the mobile too. Just what on earth is going on?”
Gao Cheng took out the handkerchief again to wipe his neck. Half of the fabric was already dampened with sweat.
Fang Chen noticed his light pink handkerchief, glanced at it for a few seconds, then quickly averted his eyes and turned to look out of the window.
“So, that’s to say we can’t go anywhere now?” Xie Ying asked.
“Has it been raining outside?” Fang Chen suddenly asked an irrelevant question.
Xie Ying nodded after a moment of confusion. “Mm… it’s been raining for quite some time now, ever since I went out.”
Fang Chen: “What time is it now?”
Gao Cheng looked at his watch, “10:26”
“In the morning?”
“Well, when else?”
Fang Chen looked at the gradually darkening sky before turning back and remarked, his throat feeling dry and hoarse, “But it seems like nightfall is approaching soon.”
From Yunz:
Lfgf’r j gfmjq bo atf mtjgjmafgr~
- 1st Floor: Wu Couple & Fan Yingying
- 2nd Floor: Xu Wenluo
- 3rd Floor: Zhang Rui & Wang Huiwen (Couple), Gao Cheng
- 4th Floor: Fang Chen & Nie Shi
- 5th Floor: Xie Ying
- 6th Floor: A university student Fang Chen met in the elevator
That’s why you should know your neighbours. We almost lost this tradition in my country, only seniors and mothers with kids know each other
Thank you for your translation 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
Scary
Ty for the translation!