Day Four
Early in the morning, I arrived at the agreed location with my backpack.
Han Tianlin handed me a dagger, saying, "Take this for self-defense."
The area where the Red Sky Building was located was very desolate, backed by a mountain that had a large graveyard on it.
White wreaths were scattered all over the hills, and a gust of cold wind blew, sending yellow paper money swirling through the air.
After we got out of the car, there wasn't a soul in sight.
"Creak, creak—"
The muddy ground was covered with dead branches and leaves, and occasionally I would step on the white bones of unknown animals.
The Red Sky Building had more than twenty floors, and the outer wall's plaster had fallen off, revealing the red bricks underneath in patches.
The windows were also in ruins; when the wind blew, shards of glass would occasionally fall to the ground.
The main entrance was nowhere to be found, revealing a dark hole.
I swallowed hard, gripping the dagger tightly in my hand as I stayed close to Han Tianlin.
We both turned on our flashlights and searched for a staircase to go upstairs.
"Strange, it's sunny outside, so why is it so dark in here…"
Fearful, I pressed tightly against Han Tianlin, wishing I could cling to him.
"Don't worry, I'm here. If anything happens, just blow the whistle; I'll come right away when I hear it."
Han Tianlin handed me a metal whistle, which I hung around my neck.
The 18th floor was still a good ten minutes away, especially in this pitch-black situation.
"Creek—thud—"
My hair stood on end. "Did you hear that sound?"
No one answered me...
I fearfully shouted Han Tianlin's name, "Han Tianlin! Where are you!"
"Tick-tock—tick-tock—" was the sound of dripping water.
But this ordinary sound sent chills down my spine...
I recalled the evil gaze in the darkness and the drool pooling on the ground.
Suddenly! A hand landed on my shoulder.
"Ah!!" I thrust my knife forward, intending to throw that hand over my shoulder.
"Stop! It's me!" A familiar voice rang out; it was Han Tianlin.
I sighed in relief. "Where have you been? You scared me to death."
"I heard a noise over there, so I went to check it out." Han Tianlin's face was hidden in the darkness, making it hard to see his expression.
Fortunately, for the rest of the way, aside from the dimness and the occasional scurrying mouse, nothing strange happened.
Once we reached the 18th floor, we quickly found room 1808 by following the remaining door numbers.
It was a one-bedroom studio apartment, fully furnished with a bed and furniture, though covered in dust.
The scattered items on the floor and the overturned trash can painted a picture of the owner's frantic departure.
We decided to split up; I started in the bedroom while he took the living room, hoping to find something useful.
I rummaged through the desk, wardrobe, and bed.
When I lifted the pillow, I found a note:
"Beware of those around you."
The moment I saw it, my heart raced violently,
A wave of unprecedented panic and fear spread rapidly from my heart to every corner of my body.
I recalled the sound of dripping water that had not ceased since Han Tianlin had disappeared and then suddenly reappeared.
That sound was getting closer to me...
"Tick-tock—tick-tock—"
It seemed to echo right next to my ear.
At the same time, a foul-smelling breeze lifted my hair.
Every muscle in my body screamed danger!
I had no time to think; I threw myself onto the bed, rolled over, and grabbed the blanket beside me to throw at whatever was behind me.
With a speed I had never known before, I dashed out of the room and slammed the door shut behind me.
"Beep—beep beep—"
I picked up the whistle around my neck and blew into it with all my might.
The banging on the door grew louder, accompanied by a series of monstrous roars.
"Come back... hurry back..."
"My treasure..."
"I want to eat you..."
The person who had been following me was not Han Tianlin!
As I saw the door about to give way, I blew the whistle and ran outside.
As I passed the table in the living room, I noticed what seemed to be a box under it.
No, I couldn't just leave like this; I couldn't let this trip be in vain!
I thought for 0.1 seconds, turned my foot, bent down, and prepared to grab the box before leaving.
"Bang!" With a violent crash.
The old, dilapidated door was completely smashed apart.
A burly man in a security uniform suddenly rotated his head 180 degrees, revealing a gaping mouth on the back of his head as he lunged at me. I could even see the foul, sticky saliva that couldn't fit in that large mouth spilling out as he ran, splattering all over my face.
I finally understood where the "tick-tock" sound from earlier had come from.
"You damn mouth leak!" I swung a chair at his head.
"Die!!"
With a loud crash, the chair shattered into pieces, but that monster remained unharmed.
Except for the saliva that splattered all over my hand.
In extreme fear and a desperate will to survive, I unleashed an unprecedented strength.
I lifted the enormous barbell covered in dust from the living room and swung it like nunchaku, eyes closed, striking down at that disgusting mouth with all my might.
"Ahhh!!!"
I don't know how long I hammered away.
Until my screams grew weaker, I didn't stop.
"Okay, okay, it's dead now. It's alright, it's alright."
A pair of gentle yet firm arms wrapped around my shoulders, pressing down on my trembling hands.
I opened my eyes and saw Han Tianlin drenched in sweat.
"I'm sorry, I heard your whistle and came as fast as I could, but I was still late..."
"Woo... you scared me to death..." Seeing the familiar figure appear, I finally couldn't hold back my tears.
My legs went weak, and I collapsed to the ground.
Han Tianlin held me tightly, continuously comforting me. "It's alright now, it's alright..."
After regaining my composure, I wiped my tears and pointed to the box at my feet. "I found it."
Inside the box were a notebook and two handmade crossbows.
Han Tianlin quickly flipped through the notebook. "This is a diary; it must belong to that forum master."
"It records some strange events that occurred after the Red Mist appeared."
We each took a handmade crossbow and prepared to head out with the notebook.
The building was as quiet and dark as when we arrived.
We hurried down the stairs, and just as we were about to walk out the door...
"Watch out!" I was suddenly pushed aside.
Turning back, I saw Han Tianlin fighting with a monster dressed in a security uniform.
Its face was nothing but a gaping maw, devoid of any other features.
The uniform on the monster was stretched tight, revealing bulging muscles, and its towering height of 2 meters made it look like a mountain of flesh.
Han Tianlin was battling it with an axe, but he was clearly overpowered, struggling to hold his ground.
In the struggle, the axe slipped from his grip, the sharp blade facing Han Tianlin's neck, about to press against it.
In a moment of desperation, I pulled out my dagger and plunged it into the monster's back.
It let out a pained roar, releasing its grip and turning towards me.
But the fight upstairs had already drained all my strength, and I could no longer muster the energy to resist.
I weakly trembled as I raised the dagger towards it.
Just as that drooling mouth was about to bite into me,
"Bang—" was the sound of iron striking flesh.
"Thud—" was the sound of the monster falling to the ground.
The two sounds echoed simultaneously.
I opened my eyes to see a man with a red buzz cut wildly attacking the monster on the ground with a Watermelon Knife, which he held in his hand.
With swift movements, the blade flashed like cold light as it pierced in and out.
The large creature on the ground roared and stood up, raising its hammer-like fists and charging at the red-haired man.
With a "bang," a chair swung by Han Tianlin struck it, causing it to stagger.
"Thanks, brother," the red-haired man said to Han Tianlin.
Han Tianlin charged at the monster with an iron stool he had somehow moved, joining in the fray alongside the red-haired man.
By the time I calmed down, I was already sitting in the sunlight.
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