Chapter 14

Chapter 14

There's a traitor among us!

The catastrophe struck too suddenly for Cen Sheng to dodge. It wasn't until a bloody hand grasped his wrist, its sharp nails digging deep into his flesh, that he began to pull away.

With his left hand clutching the security door's handle to prevent Fortune from pulling it open, Cen Sheng forcefully retracted his right hand, caught in Fortune's grip, in an attempt to break free.

The strength of the Fortune monster, capable of denting a security door, was extraordinary. Cen Sheng, having undergone extensive combat training, was also strong.

The standoff at the door lasted over a minute. Panting, Cen Sheng gritted his teeth and asked in a low voice, "Fortune, did you eat Wang Wenlong?"

The crimson baby face at the door crack, thinking of something amusing, chuckled excitedly.

Its mouth, stretching grotesquely to its ears, nearly encompassed its entire face, revealing a dark, gaping maw.

Under Cen Sheng's gaze, the baby spat out half of a man's head.

The head rolled on the ground, letting out a piercing scream: "Don't kill me! Please, I beg you! Fortune, don't kill me!!!"

Cen Sheng's breathing halted, his mind buzzing.

This was Wang Wenlong's head; Fortune had indeed devoured Wang Wenlong!

Wang Wenlong was much faster than him, but fortunately, he had the sense not to try a chase battle with Fortune in the corridor.

Beads of sweat formed on Cen Sheng's forehead as he suppressed his fear, curling his lips into a faint smile towards Fortune, "Wang Wenlong was hiding in room 404 all along. It was I who deceived him into coming out for you to devour. How was he? Tasty?"

"Tasty, Wang Wenlong, tasty." The baby's voice was sharp and piercing, sending shivers down one's spine.

"I'm the new tenant of room 404. From now on, we'll be neighbors. Wang Wenlong was my housewarming gift to you."

"Neighbor?"

"Yes, you've enjoyed my gift, so we should get along well. Fortune is a good child, and uncle will bring you lots more tasty and fun things."

Cen Sheng's tone was gentle, his face adorned with a warm, spring-like smile, irresistibly inviting trust and closeness.

He often used this tactic to coax children, and since Fortune was a baby ghost, it should work on him too.

"Tasty?"

"Right, I'll bring you many more snacks like Wang Wenlong."

Cen Sheng unflinchingly made empty promises.

The baby stared at Cen Sheng for a moment before suddenly opening its mouth and shooting out a crimson shadow.

Cen Sheng reacted swiftly, dodging sideways to avoid the red attack.

It was a long, thin tongue, the same one Fortune had used to pierce through the peephole of room 404.

This strike from Fortune was aimed at his abdomen, with enough force to penetrate his body. Unlike with Wang Wenlong, Fortune had no intention of collaborating; it only wanted to devour him.

With his left hand holding the door and his right hand caught by the ghost, Cen Sheng was trapped at the doorway, with extremely limited space to dodge. If this continued, he would eventually be turned into a sieve by Fortune.

What troubled him most was that Wang Wenlong, now reduced to just half a head, could still move.

Spotting Cen Sheng, it rolled chaotically on the ground, chasing after his feet to bite.

Cen Sheng was wearing slippers he had brought from room 404, and Wang Wenlong's bite could easily draw blood.

"Die, Cen Sheng! Even at death's door, I'll drag you down with me!" - Yan Shan Ting

"Uncle! Come out so I can eat you, uncle!"

The relentless shouting of the head and Fortune, their hoarse and sharp voices, caused a painful ringing in the ears.

Just as the head was about to bite Cen Sheng's ankle, Wang Wenlong's head unexpectedly floated upwards.

An invisible hand grasped it and forcefully stuffed it into the wide-open mouth of the baby.

The ghostly man moved with incredible speed and impeccable timing. Both Wang Wenlong and Fortune, fixated on Cen Sheng, were caught off guard.

The baby's mouth was so wide open that Wang Wenlong was swallowed in one go, silencing him with a single gulp.

Unfamiliar with such an occurrence, Fortune's twisted little face momentarily froze in bewilderment.

Cen Sheng saw his chance to jab Fortune a few times, compelling it to release his right hand. Just as he was about to let go of the doorknob, the ghostly man firmly held his wrist, soothingly caressing his cheek.

Although Cen Sheng didn't understand why his ghostly ally couldn't speak, he instantly grasped his intentions.

The Fortune monster was massive, likely possessing more than one head and hand. If he let down his guard, Fortune would instantly pull open the security door.

The ghostly man had finally accumulated some strength, now able to assist Cen Sheng against Fortune. On the baby's blurred, fleshy hand, several fierce scratches

Cen Sheng seized the right moment to forcefully withdraw his right hand.

Fortune let out a frustrated roar, its sharp nails deeply embedding into Cen Sheng's skin, brutally tearing off a piece of flesh from his hand.

Cen Sheng grunted in pain, but he couldn't afford to inspect the wound, focusing instead on pulling the door with all his strength.

His ghostly companion clearly wasn't a match for Fortune, merely helping to pull the door quietly, with no intention of engaging in a direct confrontation.

Just as Cen Sheng had anticipated, seeing that the door was about to be closed by the combined efforts of a man and a ghost, Fortune became more vicious.

One after another, bloody hands squeezed in from outside, grasping fiercely at the security door. From a distance, they resembled a giant crimson centipede clinging to the door's edge.

Cen Sheng took a quick glance, counting over thirty hands nearly covering the entire edge of the security door.

What kind of monster was outside the door!

With his scalp tingling, Cen Sheng steeled himself and shouted into the room, "I can't hold this door any longer, if you don't come out now, Fortune will get in!"

The only response was the exaggerated laughter from the TV in the living room.

"Fortune devoured Wang Wenlong and is still after me. Its appetite is never satisfied. How can you be so sure it won't turn on you after eating me!"

"Anyway, I can't outrun it. Once the door opens, I'll stop resisting and let Fortune eat me right at the doorway! Then, my body will block the door, making it impossible for you to close it, and we'll both be Fortune's midnight snack!"

"Don't you want to leave Yinhe Community? I can go places ghosts can't, do things ghosts can't do! You're a ghost, I'm alive; together, we can surely find a way out of Yinhe Community!"

Cen Sheng lacked confidence, but he shouted with conviction

Fortunately, Wang Wenlong's half head had already been fed to Fortune by Rong Ye. Otherwise, hearing these familiar lines, he would have surely condemned him as a scoundrel.

During the negotiation with Cen Sheng, his ghostly man was continuously dealing with Zhuanyun. The crimson tongue shot by Zhuanyun was firmly grasped by the ghost, hovering in mid-air, looking both terrifying and ludicrous.

"Creak—"

A small crack opened in the tightly shut bedroom door, brightening Cen Sheng's eyes.

"A living person like me, who's not afraid of ghosts and even dates one, is rare in Yinhe District. If I die, who knows how long you'll have to wait to find another!"

"Let's cooperate to survive this night's crisis and escape from Yinhe District together. We won't be bound by rules anymore, nor fear being killed by monsters! I swear, I'll take you away from here!"

Before he could finish, a familiar voiceover suddenly echoed in his mind.

[You painted a big pie for the ghost Bai Qiao, who finds you annoying but useful.]

[Bai Qiao took your pie, increasing her fondness for you by +10.]

[Current fondness level of Bai Qiao: -20 (she might kill you at any moment).]

The bedroom door opened, and the long-necked female ghost, like a giant spider, quickly crawled to the door and stretched her neck to bite Zhuanyun.

With the help of Resident 403, Cen Sheng felt much less pressure.

After a standoff of over three minutes, having one of its hands bitten off by the female ghost, the Zhuanyun monster finally gave up on Cen Sheng.

Its grip loosened, and the door slammed shut.

Quickly locking the security door, Cen Sheng's body weakened, leaning into a cold embrace.

The ghostly man was very weak, only managing to tenderly touch his hand before disappearing like before.

Cen Sheng felt a sense of loss; he was in pain and scared, longing for Rong Ye's embrace a bit longer. A kiss and some comforting words would have been ideal.

Knowing his boyfriend was not in a good state, it wasn't the time for being playful. Cen Sheng bit his lower lip to compose himself and began examining his wounds.

His right hand had a piece of skin torn off by Zhuan Yun, and some flesh was missing too. The wound wasn't deep, but it was as big as half a palm and needed prompt attention.

There was a small piece of his flesh on the ground. Cen Sheng bent over to pick it up and handed it to the long-necked female ghost opposite him.

He smiled apologetically, "Sorry for troubling you so much tonight. I don’t have much to offer, but please take this piece of flesh. It's small, but freshly fallen and very fresh."

The long-necked female ghost stared blankly at Cen Sheng.

Is this how people outside the community think? Their way of thinking is so different from the residents here.

Indeed very hungry, the long-necked female ghost hesitated for a moment before stretching her neck to snatch the piece of flesh.

Watching the female ghost chew on his flesh, Cen Sheng felt immense psychological pressure, with cold sweat breaking out on his back.

He managed to maintain a calm expression and offered a gentle, faint smile, "You’ve helped me a lot and even saved my life. I will do my utmost to get you out of Yinhe Community."

"Living alone in apartment 403, unable to contact the outside world, with no one to talk to, don’t you feel lonely? How about we become friends? I’ll come to chat with you every day and watch comedy shows together."

Observing the female ghost's expression, Cen Sheng extended his hand towards her, smiling warmly.

"Thank you for saving me. My name is Cen Sheng, what's yours?"

————

Bai Qiao was a young female ghost, appearing to be around eleven or twelve years old. In life, she wasn’t much exposed to the world and was easier to deceive than Wang Wenlong.

Having agreed on a partnership, Cen Sheng seized the opportunity to treat his wounds at Bai Qiao's place.

Bai Qiao was a ghost, and ghosts should have their own ways of healing.

Cen Sheng thought her place might have at most a couple of band-aids, but to his surprise, Bai Qiao produced a small medical kit. It contained various sprays for treating bruises and tools for stopping bleeding and bandaging.

Cen Sheng sat on the floor tending to his wounds, keeping an eye on Bai Qiao while examining the medical kit.

Most of the medicines showed signs of use, and the iodine cotton balls had been recently opened.

Strange, why would there be so many used medical supplies in a room inhabited by a fierce ghost?

Could it be that room 403 doesn’t just house Bai Qiao, but also a living person in hiding?

Bai Qiao's liking for him was too low; she refused to shake his hand or tell him her name, and her gaze towards him was unfriendly. She seemed ready to change her mind at any moment and turn him into a doll.

Cen Sheng didn’t dare stay long; after bandaging his wounds, he found an excuse to slip away.

This time, he deliberately waited a while to make sure Zhuan Yun had really left before daring to open the security door of room

The corridor was pitch black, and the Zhuan Yun monster had rolled off to who knows where.

Cen Sheng tiptoed back to the door of room 404 and whispered to the door, "Open up, I'm a detective."

He used a breathy voice, inaudible to Zhuan Yun, but sufficient to trigger the 'Detective's Privilege.'

Pressing his body against the security door, Cen Sheng quickly slipped inside as soon as the door cracked open.

Compared to room 403 and the hallway, room 404 felt much safer. He locked the door behind him and was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when his body suddenly stiffened.

Wait, he thought he saw something when he entered.

Cen Sheng whirled around, facing a large wardrobe.

The familiar, old-fashioned wardrobe was wrapped with layers of iron chains and an old padlock.

They hadn't waited for him to return and had moved the wardrobe from Xiao Jiejie's bedroom to the front of the door.

At first, Cen Sheng thought Xiao Jiejie had misunderstood his note, misinterpreting his plan.

But a closer look at the distance between the wardrobe and the security door sent a chill down his spine.

There was just enough space left between the wardrobe and the door to open the cabinet doors.

To his left was a wall, and to his right, a tall entryway cabinet, laden with shoes and potted plants. There was a gap in the middle of the entryway cabinet, but it wasn’t big enough for an adult man to squeeze through.

Behind him was the tightly shut security door, with the Zhuan Yun monster roaming in the corridor outside.

In front of him was a locked, old-fashioned wardrobe, inside which a female ghost was frantically scratching at the door.

He was trapped in this small space.

A stream of information flashed through Cen Sheng's mind, the warmth in his eyes faded, his expression turning increasingly cold.

Oh, he now understood what really happened in the 404 murder case.

Author's note:

I'm here.

Been having a bad stomach lately, it's so uncomfortable, sigh.

I previously wrote 'a cabinet taller than a person on the right side' but some friends found it hard to visualize, inconvenient for imagining.

I changed it to 'an entryway cabinet', which you can find pictures of online, easier to understand.

Thanks to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated me with nutrient solutions from 2023-08-18 21:22:40 to 2023-08-19 21:26:28~

Thanks to the little angels who threw landmines: Bing An Yu Ze 1;

Thanks to the little angels who irrigated with nutrient solutions: Serein, Beautiful He 50 bottles; Jiang 30 bottles; Big Doggie 20 bottles; Purple Potato Bun 15 bottles; Jing Xi 10 bottles; Chaotic Running Wild in the Melon Field 8 bottles; Hate Working Hate Overtime 4 bottles; Nan Fa Bei Sheng 2 bottles; Rong Rong Rong, Shan Chui Xi Mu 1 bottle;

Thank you all so much for your support, I will keep trying hard!