Chapter 47: Station 22: Entering the Picture

Chapter 47: Scene 22 - Entering the Painting

Si Shuhao slept alone in the bed, while the other three sprawled on the floor.

Chi Zihe found himself sandwiched between Yan Qiling and Ming Yiyang, experiencing a paradoxical blend of warmth and chill.

Despite the supposed rotation for night watch, all three remained vigilant in their own ways.

In the darkness, Yan Qiling's fiery eyes emitted a faint, barely discernible glow. Simultaneously, Chi Zihe sat up:

"The yellow talisman at the door is burning."

The previous talisman had been completely consumed by the Unseen Master earlier. Before he slept, he had replaced it, and it seemed to have proven effective.

Ming Yiyang pressed a hand on his shoulder, grabbed the down jacket covering the quilt, and whispered:

"Rest, I'll check it out."

He flipped over, dressed as he walked, only to notice that Yan Qiling was following closely behind.

Silent for a moment, he tilted his ear to listen, then said:

"There's someone knocking."

Outside the door, a cheerful yet ecstatic cry rang out sharply:

"Room service! Attention, room service! Guests in room 210, please be prompt in opening your door! We need to ensure your safety! We'll knock ten times, and if the door remains unopened after that, we'll consider it an emergency and enter forcefully!"

"Ten!"

"Nine!"

The countdown grew louder, and Ming Yiyang asked,

"Should we open it?"

Yan Qiling replied,

"Yes, let's open it."

Hearing their conversation, Chi Zihe, who was eavesdropping, didn't understand what they were discussing. Suddenly, he witnessed Ming Yiyang opening the door.

Then, before his very eyes, the two of them vanished!

Amidst the silence of the room, Chi Zihe broke out in a cold sweat.

The duo who had opened the door couldn't hear the hotel staff's panicked cries anymore. The room's entrance stood empty, and a chilly glow from the snow illuminated the end of the short hallway.

The portrait on the left still remained covered by cloth, everything seemed normal.

However, when they turned back, they noticed that the tightly drawn curtains in the bedroom had somehow been opened.

The large window reflected the pristine and orderly room, but Si Shuhao and Chi Zihe were nowhere to be seen.

Only Ming Yiyang, standing beside them, remained warm with steady breathing.

Bending down, Ming Yiyang whispered into Yan Qiling's ear,

"Did you see that?"

Yan Qiling witnessed it all.

As Ming Yiyang drew closer to him, the reflection in the floor-to-ceiling glass also brought the silver-haired youth closer to the black-haired figure.

However, both figures in the reflection were facing away from them.

The glass was right in front of them, yet it depicted their backs.

Neither of them moved from their spots, but they were both aware that time was running out. Something was encircling them from all directions.

Quickly making his decision, Yan Qiling said, "You go backwards, and I'll go forward. If we're lucky, one of us will make it out. Whoever escapes first should immediately find the correct portrait and destroy it."

"Agreed."

Ming Yiyang didn't hesitate; the yellow bamboo strip in his hand had transformed into a blade.

They stood back to back, one heading towards the glass window, the other towards the door.

Yan Qiling stepped through the door without hesitation, walking straight towards the wall as he had intended.

As expected, the narrow corridor's wall did not obstruct him but transformed into soft foam, allowing him to pass through effortlessly.

He entered a darkness akin to gelatine.

Yet, this dark expanse did not absorb any negative emotions.

The man, like a dry sponge absorbing external disturbances, continued with unwavering steps, not deviating from his path by even a fraction.

Finally, he caught sight of a speck of light.

To one wandering in the darkness, it was a hope eagerly awaited.

But this man, immersed in ominous omens, remained untouched by it all.

He approached with an observational demeanor and saw a horizontal corridor.

Yan Qiling confirmed that he was indeed within the painting.

The painting hung on the wall of a corridor, and he could even see the room number.

205.

It was right next to Di Chen's room – an awfully macabre coincidence.

A tangible darkness pursued him, seeking to trap this poor man in a similar despair as the previous victim.

Yan Qiling reached the end, just like Di Chen before him, with his hand stretched out, touching the rough burlap.

Special canvas for oil paintings was usually very sturdy, and even more difficult to tear once taut. Despite being a young man in his prime, Di Chen had failed to break free, which demonstrated the frightening tenacity of the material.

Yan Qiling took out a paper cutter from his pocket. He had found it in the drawer based on the list of items provided by the hotel's housekeeping service.

The canvas was quickly slashed apart, but the glass before him proved resilient, impervious to the paper cutter.

The ravenous darkness howled as it swirled and pressed against him, intent on crushing his body to nourish its colors.

Yan Qiling subtly sensed that instead of "pressing," these shadows seemed to be "squeezing" him.

If it was about "pressing," he should have been pinned against the glass, unable to move long ago.

However, those entities seemed to sense his evasion and swelled even more, encroaching on his living space.

The man held the paper cutter in his hand, his right blue eye almost extinguished, sinking into shadowy darkness, while his left crimson eye burned like a flame!

A terrifying aura was ready to erupt, and the shattering noise of glass suddenly echoed from behind him!

Yan Qiling's expression was dazed as he was pushed out by the force in front of him, turning sideways to fall into a warm embrace scented with lemon.

The young man had likely run, as his breathing and heartbeat were not their usual rhythm.

His head was forcefully pressed into the broad shoulder of the youth, and for the first time, he found himself in a posture of complete protection, idly listening to the sounds behind him.

A turbulent wave of black water, tinged with every color, surged forward, transforming into a stone-like creature that let out a hoarse scream. Its sticky, bizarre wings, still trapped within the picture frame, were pierced by wooden daggers, silencing it instantly.

The white flames illuminated the purple eyes with a radiant brilliance, akin to a glowing nebula.

The ghost dwelling within the portrait started burning from the wound. The white flames rapidly devoured its entire body, engulfing even the linen canvas drenched in raindrops and hemp in a raging inferno!

A rainbow of paint trickled down from behind the frame like the blood of a monstrous creature, reeking of pungent acrylic fumes.

Without waiting for Yan Qiling to speak, Ming Yiyang released him and pulled him by the arm, pushing open the door to room 206.

"The patrol is coming."

The beam of a flashlight bent as it swayed around the corner of the hallway.

Ming Yiyang silently closed the door, and the two of them vanished from the entrance of room 206.

The communal lounge was deserted, and the patrol's footsteps echoed loudly in the silence outside.

Oddly, as the footsteps drew closer, they grew softer until they were completely absorbed by the creaking of the wooden floor, vanishing at the entrance of the lounge.

This, however, didn't signify that the patroller had moved away.

Click.

The attendant, flashlight in hand, turned the doorknob. The dim light illuminated their chins but cast more shadows, transforming their faces into a grim spectacle vastly different from their daytime appearance.

Despite the practiced standard smiles still lingering on their lips.

"Customers, is there anything we can assist you with?"

Their inquiries were polite, but their eager search and rough rummaging through drawers exposed the facade of their amiability.

The attendants scoured every possible spot to hide someone, yet their efforts proved fruitless.

Those two "customers" had vanished into thin air, without even disturbing the lock on a window.

The door to Room 206 clicked shut once more.

Amidst the howling wind, water stains around the window frame shimmered in the darkness.

They were the remnants of snowflakes that had drifted in unintentionally and melted away.

-

After dragging Yan Qiling into the living room of 206, Ming Yiyang led him straight to the window, undoing the latches:

"There's a balcony up there. I'll send you up first, then you can pull me up."

Room 206 didn't have a balcony, but Room 306 above it did.

This was originally a design to deter climbers, but for Ming Yiyang, it was an ideal escape route.

The Spirit Binding Rope shot around the balcony railing, and the other end deftly secured itself around Yan Qiling's waist.

The silver rope tightened, quickly pulling Yan Qiling to the edge of the balcony.

He grabbed the railing and, defying logic, climbed over the balcony into the snowstorm without a second thought.

The young man, focused on winding the thin wire around the latch, didn't witness this until Yan Qiling's voice pierced through the biting wind, clearly reaching his ears:

"Come up."

Ming Yiyang followed suit, allowing the Spirit Binding Rope to wrap around him. He then flipped out the window, carefully closing it from the outside before extracting an inconspicuous thin wire from the narrow gap between the windows.

With a "click," the latch dropped, and the window sealed shut.

He watched, wide-eyed, as the flashlight's beam snaked in from the crack beneath the door.

Then, he was pulled to the edge of the balcony by the Spirit Binding Rope.

The snowstorm was fierce, and he dangled there like a kite, unable to find any leverage!

Before he could touch the icy iron railing, the man leaned down and grasped his right arm, whispering,

"Relax."

After that, with a surprising yet not entirely unexpected strength, the man slowly lifted him up.

Ming Yiyang leaned over the railing, using the leverage in his hand to vault himself over it with a single push.

Scaling the balcony in a blizzard was an exhausting endeavor for anyone, but Ming Yiyang didn't feel too drained.

Instead, he was more surprised by Yan Qiling's unwavering composure, as if he hadn't exerted himself at all – an eerie calmness.

Despite his delicate appearance, the artificial vase, Qiling, had remarkable physical resilience.

The balcony of Room 306 was securely sealed, and Ming Yiyang didn't bother being meticulous. He transformed his wooden sword into a hammer, wrapped it in his down jacket, and began pounding on the lower part of the balcony.

The shattering of glass was barely audible over the howling of the snowstorm.

After creating an opening, he stretched his hand in to widen it, eventually creating a large enough hole for them to pass through.

Throughout the entire process, the tapping was so quiet that only the gentle tinkling of glass shards falling to the ground could be heard, easily drowned out by the wind.

Yan Qiling, who had witnessed the entire scene, found himself curious about Ming Yiyang's past for the first time.

...What kind of upbringing could have led him to instinctively employ such a bold yet meticulous method?

It was as if it were common knowledge ingrained in his mind.

The entire window-breaking took less than a minute. Ming Yiyang went in first, making sure there was no one inside. Rubbing his hands warm from the cold wind, he said,

"Come in quickly, the heat is escaping."

After Yan Qiling joined him, Ming Yiyang drew the balcony curtains and nailed them to the wall with a few large thumbtacks to prevent any unwelcome noise from the wind that might draw unnecessary attention.

Breaking the silence, Yan Qiling asked,

"Did you take these from the garage?"

"Yes, why not? They might come in handy someday."

The young man, having dealt with everything, was clearly pleased with his foresight:

"See, I told you they'd be useful."

Yan Qiling couldn't fathom who would carry wire and thumbtacks around 'just in case.' If he had to guess, it would only be Ming Yiyang.

It was only at this moment that they finally had the chance to examine their surroundings.