Holding the dagger previously used by Nie Shi, Fang Chen felt a sense of unreality as the slightly cool handle glided through his grasp, with his thumb tracing along the engraved marks etched upon it.
Fang Chen watched as Nie Shi pulled open a drawer, loaded a magazine into the gun, racked the slide of it, and seamlessly holstered the pistol at his waist. The entire sequence of movements was fluid and natural, as if Nie Shi had executed them countless times before.
Fang Chen found his body leaning backwards on reflex. He should be scared, as the situation insisted. However, when Nie Shi raised his gaze and looked at him, Fang Chen regained his composure and steadied himself. The momentarily suspended tension in his heart promptly resettled, revealing a strangely complicated sense of reassurance.
Nie Shi had always shown little expression. His silent and intense gaze, which was akin to deathly stillness, made people uncomfortable, particularly when directed at someone. Unfortunately, one of the individuals who could attest to this statement, Fan Yingying, wasn’t here to do so. On the other hand, Fang Chen, who had never experienced that, remained oblivious to this fact.
Unbeknownst to Fang Chen, beads of sweat appeared in the palms of his hands, and he almost failed to catch the dagger sheath that Nie Shi hurled over to him.
“Are you really giving this to me?” Fang Chen asked with uncertainty, fastening the sheath to his waist while watching Nie Shi secure his holster.
“Mm.”
Thinking about that lump of skin and bones sent shivers down Fang Chen’s spine. He absolutely had no intention of using this short dagger to stab anything, especially after the haunting mental image.
Nie Shi turned towards the kitchen, and Fang Chen thought he might be fetching another weapon. However, Nie Shi simply opened the refrigerator, took out two packets of yogurt drink, and handed one to Fang Chen. “Want some?”
Fang Chen was silent for a moment. Then, under Nie Shi’s gaze, he accepted the yogurt drink, tore open the packet with a bite, and sipped half of it as he followed Nie Shi out of the kitchen. Realizing that only the two of them had weapons for self-defence, he stopped in his track and said, “Um, maybe…”
*
“Why hasn’t Fang Chen returned yet?” Fan Yingying fretfully clutched at her own hair.
“Oh, come on, it’s only been a few minutes. Don’t worry, let’s wait a bit longer.” Gao Cheng glanced at the clock. He, too, felt a growing unease, and shifted over to sit beside Xie Ying.
Xie Ying, initially with her head lowered, felt the sofa sinking and raised her gaze.
Gao Cheng asked, “Hey, beautiful, what do you think is going on here? All this is way too creepy.”
Xie Ying took a deep breath. “I’d rather believe this is a dream. Maybe when I wake up, I’ll find myself still at home.”
Gao Cheng nodded in agreement. “Right.”
The rain was getting heavier, and the sky was gradually darkening. Despite the scorching summer of August, the open window introduced a chill to the room.
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.
The drop in temperature caused goosebumps to form on Gao Cheng’s skin. Just as he was about to get up to close the window, Xie Ying, one step ahead, moved towards the balcony and shut it herself. Gazing down, the rain-drenched street below was hazy with mist. Xie Ying ran her hand over the window, the glass faintly reflecting her red dress—so vibrant, much like her fervent personality.
“I feel that it’s as if the entire city has emptied, leaving only the few of us behind.” Her shoulders trembled slightly. Closing her eyes, she pressed her forehead against the cool glass. “Is this normal?”
Suddenly, a heavy knocking echoed from outside the door. Bang bang bang!
A sudden jolt coursed through Gao Cheng. Fan Yingying, on the other hand, was startled and bit down her arm to stifle any instinctive loud scream from escaping her lips.
Xie Ying turned around, her graceful, slender silhouette reflected in the glass. Her long, flowing hair moved along with her movements.
“Who…” Gao Cheng hadn’t even finished half of the word when shouts came from outside, “Open the door! Is anyone there? Open the door!”
The group exchanged a glance and approached the entrance cautiously. Fan Yingying, attempting to rise from the sofa, stumbled, prompting Xie Ying to gesture a silent “shh,” signalling her to stay quiet. “It’s okay; let’s go check it out,” reassured Xie Ying, her calm composure accentuated by Fan Yingying’s visible trembling.
Gao Cheng peered through the peephole and saw the heads of two people. He grinned and turned to Xie Ying, saying, “It’s Zhang Rui and Wang Huiwen.”
Xie Ying sensed something amiss in his tone and asked, “Why…?”
Gao Cheng blurted out with annoyance, “They ran away the fastest just now.” He completely forgot about his own sorry state back when they were on the second floor, with him leaning stiff and motionless against the wall.
“Let’s open the door first.” Xie Ying, unaware of what had just unfolded and not fully understanding Gao Cheng’s reaction, turned the door handle, allowing the two inside without hesitation.
Both Zhang Rui and Wang Huiwen breathed a sigh of relief as the door in front of them opened to welcome them in. The latter immediately knelt on the floor, her entire body was drenched to the skin, marking the imprints of a bra on her clothes. Gao Cheng stole a couple of glances at the sight of her, while Xie Ying assisted Wang Huiwen onto the sofa. Meanwhile, Zhang Rui was too busy breathing to catch his breath and didn’t even bother to say a word.
Fan Yingying, standing timidly on the side, muttered under her breath, “Why hasn’t Fang Chen come back yet…”
Having recovered from the initial shock, the first thing Zhang Rui said was: “There’s no one outside!” After blurting it out and seeing the knowing expressions on the others’ faces, he took a breath and continued, “We drove…”
Upon encountering the horrifying corpse on the second floor, both Zhang Rui and Wang Huiwen grabbed their luggage and fled. Even if they were to be held at gunpoint, they didn’t want to linger in such a hellish place any longer. As the car rolled down the road, Wang Huiwen attempted to contact the moving company, only to discover that her phone had no signal. They continued driving, and Zhang Rui noticed the desolate streets. Despite the open doors of the small shops along the road, not a single soul was in sight.
Trembling, Wang Huiwen pulled out a cigarette, and soon, the car became filled with the distinctive aroma of tobacco as she lit it. Zhang Rui sniffed and breathed in the second-hand smoke, sobered up, and slowly became aware that the daylight was gradually fading. His eyebrows that had been smoothened out from the relief were now replaced by furrowed brows.
Wang Huiwen regained her composure, extinguished the cigarette, and suggested with a hint of shakiness in her voice, “How about we just go back?” She was on the brink of despair, her mind haunted by the nauseatingly skinny creature and the hairy corpse on the second floor. She didn’t want to return… but what other option did they have? The sky grew darker by the moment, and if they continued driving, they might risk being ambushed and shred apart by the monsters.
However, no matter where they tried to escape, it was as if an invisible force had enveloped them, constantly pulling them back to the starting point.
Faced with no other choice, Zhang Rui turned the car around, speeding back. They huddled together as they entered the elevator, pressing the button for the third floor repeatedly, but the button wouldn’t work.
“Don’t tell me we have to use the stairs?” Wang Huiwen shivered. The corridor was eerily cold, and she was still drenched from the rain. With the combination of cold surroundings and lingering fear, her inner dread was intensified to the utmost.
“Let’s go up.” Zhang Rui swallowed nervously, realizing it was getting dark, and they needed to regroup with the others as soon as possible.
They ascended the stairs together, reached the second floor, and noticed the door was still wide open. Wang Huiwen, unprepared for what she might encounter inside, felt her heart pounding violently. However, to her astonishment—there was nothing.
An empty entryway, a clean floor, no hairy corpse on the ground—nothing.
She was about to go insane.
*
Considering that both of them had self-defence weapons, Fang Chen brought along another kitchen knife from Nie Shi’s house, planning to give it to the group.
Fang Chen silently looked at the kitchen knife in his hand. Nie Shi thought he was reluctant to hold it and was about to reach for it when Fang Chen dodged his hand.
Nie Shi was confused.
Fang Chen replied dryly, “I’ll just hold it.” He turned the knife over and removed the price tag.
The two walked reluctantly side by side. Fang Chen, with his head lowered and lost in thought, was a few steps slower behind. Noticing that, Nie Shi immediately stopped and turned to the side.
“Hmm? What’s wrong? Why did you stop?” Fang Chen slowly snapped back from his reverie and raised his head to ask first.
The corridor was stuffy and hot like always since no one had bothered to open the window for fresh air. There was a pervasive sour and fishy odour in the air, which Fang Chen thought might be the smell of sweat, accompanied by a hint of decay.
Nie Shi abruptly looked up for a moment and then quickly cast his gaze back down. “It’s nothing, let’s go.”
Following Nie Shi, Fang Chen descended two steps of the staircase. Out of curiosity, he also had the sudden urge to lift his head for a glance, but in an instant, Nie Shi held his head down. “Keep going.” The man’s low, indifferent, and cold voice echoed in Fang Chen’s ears, causing his head to go temporarily numb with a “buzz” sound.
A pair of withered hands grabbed the railing above their heads. Crouching on the stairs with its head tilted sideways, a shrunken head protruded between the railings. Its black lacquered eyes bulged out prominently.
Having his head held down, Fang Chen dared not look up again. Nie Shi’s elbow pressed against his back while his hand rested on his shoulder, enveloping him entirely in his embrace. As soon as the door opened, Fang Chen was pushed into the apartment.
Before entering, Nie Shi redirected his gaze upward again. The staircase was now empty, yet the unpleasant, rancid stench still lingered in the air.
Although he didn’t see anything, Nie Shi’s unusual reaction made Fang Chen’s heart shake with fear, to the extent that he didn’t even hear Gao Cheng speaking to him.
“Fang Chen?” Gao Cheng asked, “Why are you holding a kitchen knife?”
Fang Chen returned to his senses, bit his lip, and handed over the kitchen knife in a daze, with its sharp tip pointing at the man in front.
Gao Cheng dodged and asked, “What are you doing?”
Then, Fang Chen turned the knife around and handed over the handle. “Self-defence.”
Gao Cheng glanced at the dagger at Fang Chen’s waist and then at the kitchen knife in his hand. “Is this really necessary? And Fang Chen, wipe that expression off your face; those who don’t know might think you’re gonna make a heroic sacrifice or something.”
“Give it to me,” Xie Ying suddenly spoke, shifting to Fang Chen’s side. “Having something is better than nothing.” She took the kitchen knife with her slender and fair-skinned hand, adorned with gorgeous scarlet nail polish.
It was only then did Fang Chen notice the presence of two new individuals in the apartment—Zhang Rui and Wang Huiwen. Upon seeing Fang Chen and Nie Shi, they nodded towards the former and grinned at the latter, with a smile laced with an obvious attempt to please and appease, accompanied by an unmistakable sense of timidity.
“Zhang Rui and Huiwen told us about what happened last night. It turns out the commotion I heard at night was real…” Xie Ying said, pinching her eyebrows and frowning. She seemed to be accepting the situation faster than anyone else.
“Also, on the second floor… there’s no one! When we went upstairs, the door was open, but there was nothing inside,” Wang Huiwen added, shivering with icy cold hands and feet. A clear sign that she hadn’t recovered from fear yet.
“In any case, let’s prepare ourselves. If those ‘malevolences’ come at night…” Xie Ying tightened her grip on the kitchen knife. She was indeed braver than the average person.
Fang Chen suddenly became curious about what expression would Nie Shi have on his face right now. When he turned to look, he found Nie Shi with lowered head and half-closed eyes, not paying attention to what others were saying at all.
Gao Cheng injected a lighter note, “First, let’s go to the living room, then we’ll discuss.”
Fang Chen gently nudged Nie Shi and asked quietly, “Feeling tired?”
Nie Shi opened his eyes and shook his head, his voice somewhat muffled, “No.”
“You didn’t get any sleep last night?”
Nie Shi’s facial features had a rugged and sharp contour, yet his eyes possessed a different delicacy, a refinement that stood apart. His eyelids hung half-closed, with each eyelash clearly defined. In a voice tinged with weariness, he stubbornly insisted, “Not tired.”
Fang Chen suddenly felt an urge to pat his head. Nie Shi didn’t have the appearance of someone meek, but…
As he pondered, a sudden tug at his sleeve interrupted his thoughts. Turning around, he met a pair of teary eyes—Fan Yingying’s.
Nie Shi’s once half-closed eyelids were now fully opened.
Love triangle (if we count this ghost in Fang Cheng’s apartment it will be square, but I’m still not sure how connected ghost and Mr. Ni)
Thank you for your translation 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
Are Nie Shi and the ghost a different person?
A theory I have is that the ghost took the shape of Nie Shi, since mc said that he saw one of those things eating Nie Shi