Lu Liangting’s expression was severe, his tone resolute. These two things alone made it clear he was dead serious. So much so that even the female ghost hesitated, her eyes sizing him up with curiosity, and she genuinely didn’t attack him.
Back in the female ghost’s memories, Lu Liangting had done something for her. Though he hadn’t succeeded, it had still earned him some goodwill with her.
He was the one who, when the great fire ignited, rushed in without a second thought to save someone—the female ghost on the fifth floor. In the end, he failed to rescue the person and was himself burned half to death by the blaze.
“The person I’m looking for probably died in this building. I don’t know who she is or her name. I can give you a rough description of her appearance.”
Lu Liangting was no more than five meters from the female ghost. In other words, the ghost could kill him with ease. Yet even so, he showed not a shred of fear.
“She wasn’t very old, around fifteen. She wore a white dress, her hair loose and covering most of her face. Her eyes were pure black, and her skin was pale, covered in black vein-like patterns.”
As he described Bai Yu’s appearance, Lu Liangting felt a knot of anxiety in his stomach.
This was practically his only chance. If the female ghost didn’t know either, then things would be truly troublesome.
But she should remember. After all, not that many people had actually died in this building.
Among these twenty or thirty ghosts, there couldn’t be several who looked just like her, could there?
She was unique. The feeling she gave off was unlike any of the other wraiths in this building. Freer, smarter, and more benevolent.
Now that he thought about it, not just in this building, but among all the ghosts he had ever seen, she was the most special existence.
What Lu Liangting didn’t know, however, was that his words had triggered a very unpleasant memory within the female ghost.
That white-dressed female ghost had defied her on her own territory. The key issue was that her own strength was truly inferior to Bai Yu’s. She had been beaten quite badly that night.
The female ghost’s intellect wouldn’t reason it out like that; she only knew one thing: Bai Yu was an enemy.
Boom!
Spirit fire erupted in the corridor. Lu Liangting’s heart jolted in alarm, and he stumbled back half a step involuntarily.
Why such a huge reaction? Didn’t this female ghost have a certain degree of intelligence?
‘Could it be that the ghosts who died in this building are all food to her, or some other vitally important thing?’
Lu Liangting’s hand had already slipped into his pocket, gripping the bloodstained pen. He truly hadn’t expected the female ghost to go berserk the moment he finished asking his question, as if his words had touched a nerve.
Bang!
The door slammed shut with immense force, the gust of wind whipping at the hair on Lu Liangting’s forehead.
“This…”
Not only that, but the key, still in the lock, popped out on its own and clattered to the floor. Just as he reached down to touch it, a red spirit fire suddenly flared to life on the key, scorching his fingertip.
Though it was a burn, he didn’t actually feel any heat. Instead, there was only a piercing, bone-chilling cold.
“What exactly just happened? Is that female ghost so important to her…”
Lu Liangting was completely baffled. He stared at the red mark burned onto his fingertip, his brow furrowing deeply. He hadn’t come today just to ask about the white-dressed ghost’s whereabouts. He also wanted to get a piece of information from the female ghost.
Who exactly killed Xia Han?
The only certainty was that Xia Han’s death was connected to a ghostly monster. But with so many ghosts in this building, who the murderer was—only the female ghost in Room 506 knew.
Pocketing the key, Lu Liangting wasn’t about to give up. He planned to check all the unoccupied rooms on the fourth and fifth floors. Perhaps he would find some clues.
The old landlord was dead, and his family was handling the aftermath. He only had these few days.
Filled with worry, Lu Liangting retreated back to the fifth-floor corridor.
He didn’t start from the fifth floor mainly because he was worried the Room 506 ghost would kill him. He was no match for that Fierce Ghost right now.
“I wonder how Mingyue is. She lives right here. I should try my best to convince her to move away.”
Muttering under his breath, Lu Liangting followed the stairs down to the fourth floor.
The smell of disinfectant in the corridor had faded significantly, replaced by a scent of burning that began to permeate the air. Living here for so long, the oppressive atmosphere was enough to cause anyone problems.
·
·
[Mingyue, you there?]
A ding-dong sounded from her phone. Zhao Mingyue casually glanced over, surprised to see it was a message from Lu Liangting. That blue lotus avatar was far too conspicuous; no one their age would use that style.
Maybe it was the electrical circuits, but Zhao Mingyue felt the lights in her room were exceptionally dim today.
She had just finished showering and was telling Bai Yu about this, casually asking about Lu Liangting’s situation as well.
Bai Yu told her Lu Liangting was on the fifth floor.
Rubbing her wet, long hair with a dry towel, Zhao Mingyue’s delicate jade-like fingers pressed on the phone screen, about to reply, when another message from Lu Liangting popped up.
[Mingyue, I have something very, very important to tell you. Can you come out? I’m already at Sunshine Apartment.]
Her fingers paused. Zhao Mingyue’s willowy eyebrows lifted slightly. Something felt off. Lu Liangting would never speak in this tone. Just as she was about to reply, another ding-dong rang out.
[Mingyue, you there?]
Zhao Mingyue truly hesitated now. Frowning, she didn’t reply. But in less than ten seconds, another message arrived.
[You there?]
[You there?]
[You there?]
[Mingyue, can you come out? I want to talk to you.]
The electric lights in the room flickered, the glow dim and shadowy.
Outside, there was utter silence, not a single sound.
And then suddenly, Zhao Mingyue thought she faintly heard footsteps coming from outside. Very soft, as if someone was pacing quietly in the corridor.
[Mingyue, where are you? I’m on the fourth floor.]
“…”
The phone buzzed incessantly, a ding-dong almost every four or five seconds, followed by three rapid dings in a row.
And after the last message—‘I’m on the fourth floor’—the phone fell silent. Half a minute passed, and no further sound came.
But just moments ago, Bai Yu had clearly said Lu Liangting was on the fifth floor confronting the female ghost. He couldn’t possibly be casually tapping on his phone while talking to a ghost, could he?
She trusted Bai Yu. Bai Yu was a ghost, able to see things she couldn’t.
So the question was: who was this ‘Lu Liangting’ sending her messages?
While she was still pondering, this ‘Lu Liangting’ actually called her directly. The phone’s ringtone shattered the silence. Zhao Mingyue reacted fast, instantly dismissing the call, but she was still a step too late.
The soft footsteps outside suddenly quickened, turning into heavy, rapid strides charging straight for her door.
[Oh, so you are home. I’m coming to find you right now.]
The footsteps accompanied the phone’s final ding-dong. Zhao Mingyue whipped her head around to stare at the living room door.
She took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.
Faced with this horrific scenario, her choice was…
“Sister Yu, someone’s trying to kill me!”
As soon as her voice faded, countless blood threads eagerly surged from the floor’s crevices, covering the walls. The beautiful silhouette in a white dress stepped out from the shadows, standing silently before the living room door.
