Chapter 17:
Bang! Bang!“Open the door! Please, someone! Is anyone out there?”
Lu Ren pounded desperately on the door, his hands turning red, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to leave this suffocatingly quiet room as soon as possible.
Being alone in the abandoned school building filled him with overwhelming fear. His mind was too clouded with anxiety to think straight.
No matter how much time passed, the hallway outside remained deathly silent, with only the echoes of Lu Ren's knocking.
“Damn it! Damn all of them!”
Realizing he had been abandoned, Lu Ren suppressed the urge to cry, cursing endlessly. But there was still no response.
“Damn you, Ke Su! Why did you drag me into this? It’s all your fault!”
His throat sore from shouting, Lu Ren slumped against the door. He didn’t dare to blame Qian Huan and his gang for locking him inside. Instead, he directed all his resentment toward the mysteriously vanished Ke Su.
Just as Lu Ren was counting Ke Su’s faults, he suddenly heard the sound of high heels clicking on the floor outside.
He was about to shout for help but quickly realized that none of his classmates were wearing high heels. Moreover, this was a sealed-off building—there shouldn’t be anyone else here.
Remembering why the building was sealed, Lu Ren felt a chill run down his spine. He crouched down and peered through the gap under the door.
Click, click, click...
A pair of red pointed high heels stopped right in front of the door. The feet inside were neatly placed together, like a well-mannered lady, but the tense, blueish skin on the feet was marred by patches that looked like corpse spots.
Seeing this, Lu Ren froze, holding his breath. Then, as if the person outside had sensed him, the feet pressed tightly against the door, the pointed toes pushing into the gap, as though they were trying to force their way in.
It was terrifying.
Lu Ren recoiled, terrified, lying still on the floor. After a moment, he noticed that the shoes remained pressed tightly against the door, unmoving. The toes of the shoes had squeezed through the gap, fitting perfectly. Whoever was on the other side had to be pressed entirely against the door to create this pressure.
Lu Ren imagined the person’s posture. In the empty hallway, a woman in red high heels was pressed entirely against the door, even her face against the wood. The image was unbearably eerie.
His body went cold as his mind raced with countless ghost stories. He was on the verge of a breakdown. Lu Ren tried to calm himself, thinking maybe he had misunderstood, and this was just some lost woman curious about the locked room. Perhaps she was just trying to peek through the peephole.
Remembering the peephole, Lu Ren slowly sat up and looked up at the door, intending to check the peephole. Suddenly, a strong feeling of being watched washed over him.
His eyes shifted higher, landing on the small window at the top of the door used for light. There, a head, draped in long black hair, was staring right at him.
“Ahhh!” Lu Ren screamed in terror. He wet himself, scrambling backward, huddling in the corner of the room, too scared to move. But as his screams echoed, it seemed to trigger something outside. The door handle began to twist violently, and the head in the window disappeared.
Rustle, rustle...
As Lu Ren stood there, terrified, strange whispers filled the room.
Lu Ren, screaming in panic, saw the entire office start to twist and warp like a mirror. Countless strands of flesh began to grow from the walls, crawling toward him like living organisms, welcoming him into the deeper layers of this twisted world.
“Help! Help! Someone help me!”
The endless tide of flesh surged forward, like a living being, consuming everything in sight.
Ding—
The elevator doors opened. Qian Huan, just about to step inside, hesitated and asked, "Did any of you hear something? I swear I heard that brat Lu Ren."
Li Lanlan, clinging to his arm, looked confused. "What? I didn’t hear anything."
By this time, only Li Lanlan and Qian Huan had decided to take the elevator. The others had already headed for the stairwell but lingered, watching with concern. They didn’t want to follow him, but they also didn’t want to leave outright.
Qian Huan glanced around. He was sure he had heard a frightened voice, but since neither Li Lanlan nor anyone else seemed to have heard it, he shrugged it off, chalking it up to his imagination, and stepped into the elevator.
“If you don’t get in now, don’t blame me when I leave without you.”
Qian Huan arrogantly stared at the others. When no one moved to join him, he angrily pressed the elevator's close button, refusing to look at the group of cowards. As a result, he missed the shocked expressions on their faces.
Li Lanlan, following Qian Huan into the elevator, leaned sweetly against his shoulder. She glanced outside just before the doors closed and noticed some of the others staring in shock at something behind Qian Huan.
Huh? What were they looking at?
Curious, Li Lanlan turned to look at Qian Huan’s right side, specifically the left corner of the elevator. There was nothing there.
Perplexed, she withdrew her gaze, failing to notice that the elevator's reflective walls showed the faint silhouette of a long-haired woman standing close to Qian Huan.
The woman’s back was turned to the elevator door, and though she should have latched onto the nearest person by now, she hesitated. After observing for a moment, she finally climbed onto the man’s back. Her frail ghostly figure seemed to tremble slightly, as if she had just encountered something terrifying herself.
Ding—
The elevator slowly closed. The group outside watched in horror as the long-haired woman's figure, along with Qian Huan, disappeared into the elevator.
“G-g-ghost! There’s a ghost!”
A pale-faced lackey, unable to take it anymore, screamed and ran toward the stairwell. This place was haunted. If they stayed here any longer, they’d all die.
His scream shattered whatever sanity the group had left. They all rushed toward the stairs, but in the next moment, the floor beneath them suddenly became sticky and wet, as though they were stepping on some decaying organic tissue. Slippery fluids seeped out, filling them with unspeakable dread.
The unbelievable transformation sent everyone into a state of panic, their screams echoing throughout the cursed building.
"What's happening?! What is this?! No! Don’t come near me!!!"
"Ahhh! It’s moving, it’s moving!!!"
"What is that?! The ceiling! The ceiling has it too! Help me! I’m being pulled! No! Let go of me!!!"
Everyone stared in horror as the once-empty corridor before them was now filled with blood-red, pulpy flesh. The stench of rotting flesh mixed with fresh blood suffused the air, making their skin crawl.
"What is this..."
Wang Yun was on the verge of a breakdown, pushing aside the classmates who had tried to reach for him for help. He dashed towards the stairwell, with Wen Wen following closely behind, her face drained of color as the nightmarish scene unfolded in front of them.
The world drenched in flesh had finally descended upon them, but for the students trapped inside the school building, their nightmare had just begun.
------------------------------------------------------------
"Team Leader Zhou, we’ve reviewed all the student information. There are still eleven students unaccounted for inside the school, and the school authorities said they haven't been able to reach them either," Xiao Wu reported with a frown.
Zhou Shi glanced at the list and sighed. He knew he had to go inside and search for them—he couldn’t just stand by. Even if it was a token effort, he had to go in for appearances’ sake.
He ordered Xiao Wu to equip the necessary tools and prepare a five-man team to scout the area. The commotion had already escalated, and if the students hadn’t come out by now, it was clear that they had encountered serious trouble.
Of course, Zhou Shi didn’t plan to risk his life for the students. His goal was to conduct a quick search. If he couldn’t find them, at least he could say he made an effort.
Soon, the team was formed, consisting of three new executors and two seasoned ones. Zhou Shi carefully laid out the plan and led them through the gates of the University of Li City.
Following the location data from the students’ ID cards, Zhou Shi headed towards the third building in the science complex.
"How did they end up here? Didn’t the school say they had already sealed the area? Yet this group of students just casually wandered in?" Zhou Shi sneered as he watched the small red dots representing the students’ positions crowding together on the detection screen.
This school's so-called lockdown was a joke.
Xiao Wu shared his disdain, feeling that the school authorities had only complicated matters.
As they conversed, the group quickly approached an intersection just two streets away from the third building.
"Turn left, and once we get inside—"
Before Zhou Shi could finish his sentence, his voice suddenly cut off. He froze, his eyes locked on a familiar figure standing in the middle of the intersection.
A little boy stood there, holding a red ball. His head tilted to the side in a seemingly innocent manner, but his face was drained of color, and his eyes were completely black, devoid of any whites, staring straight at them.
Zhou Shi's face went pale as if doubting his own eyes.
The other seasoned executor was equally stunned before he quickly realized what he was seeing. His expression also turned grim, while Xiao Wu and the two new executors were left confused, unsure of what was happening.
It was clear that both of the experienced executors had recognized the figure ahead—a B-grade entity recorded in the archives of the City of Li, The Blind Boy, a specter they had once gone to great lengths to contain, yet here it was again.
"Team Leader Zhou? What’s going on? What’s happening?"
One of the new executors, standing at the back of the group, called out in confusion, even leaning forward to take a better look at what lay ahead.
Bang, bang!!
The ball in the boy’s arms fell to the ground and bounced twice. His black, pupil-less eyes locked onto the new executor’s position.
"He he~" The boy grinned brightly, though his skin was paper-white, with no trace of blood.
Thud—
The new executor’s head rolled to the ground, his last word still hanging on his lips. His expression hadn’t even had time to change before his head hit the floor.
It all happened in the span of three seconds. Xiao Wu, standing next to the now-headless executor, didn’t even have time to react. The young man, similar in age to Xiao Wu, had already died. Blood spurted from his neck, the cut clean and smooth as if his head and body had been loosely joined blocks that had now slipped apart.
Xiao Wu stared at the scene in stunned silence, his lips quivering, nearly letting out a scream. But seeing the shushing gesture from Team Leader Zhou ahead of him, Xiao Wu forced himself to remain calm.
Even an idiot would realize by now that the boy in front of them wasn’t human. From the reactions of his more experienced colleagues, Xiao Wu guessed that the boy’s killing method was likely related to sound. He quickly clamped his hand over his mouth, standing frozen in place. The other new executor, equally terrified, mimicked his actions.
Once Zhou Shi saw that the two new executors had grasped the urgency of the situation and stopped making any noise, he finally felt some relief. He exchanged a look with his fellow seasoned executor, who also knew the details from the archives on The Blind Boy, signaling for him to pass over the tool kit.
[The Blind Boy: A boy, approximately 130 centimeters in height, always seen holding a red ball. His vision is extremely poor, but his hearing is highly sensitive. He will automatically lock onto the loudest sound within a 20-meter radius of himself. Once he locks onto a target, he will bounce his ball twice. Upon the second bounce, the target’s head will fall.
"Team Leader Zhou, we’ve reviewed all the student information. There are still eleven students unaccounted for inside the school, and the school authorities said they haven't been able to reach them either," Xiao Wu reported with a frown.
Zhou Shi glanced at the list and sighed. He knew he had to go inside and search for them—he couldn’t just stand by. Even if it was a token effort, he had to go in for appearances’ sake.
He ordered Xiao Wu to equip the necessary tools and prepare a five-man team to scout the area. The commotion had already escalated, and if the students hadn’t come out by now, it was clear that they had encountered serious trouble.
Of course, Zhou Shi didn’t plan to risk his life for the students. His goal was to conduct a quick search. If he couldn’t find them, at least he could say he made an effort.
Soon, the team was formed, consisting of three new executors and two seasoned ones. Zhou Shi carefully laid out the plan and led them through the gates of the University of Li City.
Following the location data from the students’ ID cards, Zhou Shi headed towards the third building in the science complex.
"How did they end up here? Didn’t the school say they had already sealed the area? Yet this group of students just casually wandered in?" Zhou Shi sneered as he watched the small red dots representing the students’ positions crowding together on the detection screen.
This school's so-called lockdown was a joke.
Xiao Wu shared his disdain, feeling that the school authorities had only complicated matters.
As they conversed, the group quickly approached an intersection just two streets away from the third building.
"Turn left, and once we get inside—"
Before Zhou Shi could finish his sentence, his voice suddenly cut off. He froze, his eyes locked on a familiar figure standing in the middle of the intersection.
A little boy stood there, holding a red ball. His head tilted to the side in a seemingly innocent manner, but his face was drained of color, and his eyes were completely black, devoid of any whites, staring straight at them.
Zhou Shi's face went pale as if doubting his own eyes.
The other seasoned executor was equally stunned before he quickly realized what he was seeing. His expression also turned grim, while Xiao Wu and the two new executors were left confused, unsure of what was happening.
It was clear that both of the experienced executors had recognized the figure ahead—a B-grade entity recorded in the archives of the City of Li, The Blind Boy, a specter they had once gone to great lengths to contain, yet here it was again.
"Team Leader Zhou? What’s going on? What’s happening?"
One of the new executors, standing at the back of the group, called out in confusion, even leaning forward to take a better look at what lay ahead.
Bang, bang!!
The ball in the boy’s arms fell to the ground and bounced twice. His black, pupil-less eyes locked onto the new executor’s position.
"He he~" The boy grinned brightly, though his skin was paper-white, with no trace of blood.
Thud—
The new executor’s head rolled to the ground, his last word still hanging on his lips. His expression hadn’t even had time to change before his head hit the floor.
It all happened in the span of three seconds. Xiao Wu, standing next to the now-headless executor, didn’t even have time to react. The young man, similar in age to Xiao Wu, had already died. Blood spurted from his neck, the cut clean and smooth as if his head and body had been loosely joined blocks that had now slipped apart.
Xiao Wu stared at the scene in stunned silence, his lips quivering, nearly letting out a scream. But seeing the shushing gesture from Team Leader Zhou ahead of him, Xiao Wu forced himself to remain calm.
Even an idiot would realize by now that the boy in front of them wasn’t human. From the reactions of his more experienced colleagues, Xiao Wu guessed that the boy’s killing method was likely related to sound. He quickly clamped his hand over his mouth, standing frozen in place. The other new executor, equally terrified, mimicked his actions.
Once Zhou Shi saw that the two new executors had grasped the urgency of the situation and stopped making any noise, he finally felt some relief. He exchanged a look with his fellow seasoned executor, who also knew the details from the archives on The Blind Boy, signaling for him to pass over the tool kit.
[The Blind Boy: A boy, approximately 130 centimeters in height, always seen holding a red ball. His vision is extremely poor, but his hearing is highly sensitive. He will automatically lock onto the loudest sound within a 20-meter radius of himself. Once he locks onto a target, he will bounce his ball twice. Upon the second bounce, the target’s head will fall.
Weakness: If the Blind Boy loses his ball, he becomes disoriented, unable to kill, and will focus entirely on retrieving his lost ball.]
☞ Chapter 18
Comments
Post a Comment