Chapter 35: Three "Living People"

"W-what... what is it? What’s wrong with me?!"

Li Xing scrambled to his feet after lying on the floor for a moment. He was asking a question to which he already knew the answer. In fact, he remembered everything that had just happened with perfect clarity; his back was already drenched in cold sweat.

The middle-aged man watched Li Xing approach, shrinking back in terror. "What kind of monsters are you people..."

Ji Li ignored their bickering and began to examine the corpse of the bloated man. There was no doubt about it; the cause of death matched the pattern of being possessed and forced into suicide by a ghost. Moreover, judging by his condition, he had been dead for quite some time, meaning the knocking on the door earlier had definitely not come from him.

So, who was knocking?

A possibility suddenly crossed Ji Li’s mind: Could it be a ghost?

It was not impossible. A collision sound without footsteps might actually be more consistent with the rules governing the entity. Ji Li looked toward the door not far away. Perhaps the ghost was no longer there. They had arrived a step too late; this man no longer served any purpose for testing the "lone survivor" theory.

Just as he was about to leave, the phone screen resting near the corpse’s head suddenly lit up with a blinding light. A WeChat message appeared on the screen: "Old Xue, how are things on your end?"

It was a brief message, but Ji Li noticed there were seven other unread messages above it. Things were becoming increasingly chaotic. Ji Li picked up the phone and tried to check the unread messages, but it prompted for a passcode. His head began to ache; the owner of this phone must be one of the remaining employees. He desperately needed the other isolated staff members to test the killing rule. Of the three he had been tracking, one was already dead, leaving only two.

Ji Li tried to unlock the phone several times without success. Just as he was at a loss, another message lit up the screen: "Old Xue, if you can still see this, bring Xiao Qi and meet me on the eighteenth-floor rooftop!"

Ji Li exhaled in relief. It appeared the corpse was indeed Old Xue. The remaining three employees knew each other: Old Xue, Xiao Qi, and the person who sent the text.

It seemed the person who sent the text had learned of the situation inside the building and might have even seen the ghost. Ji Li waved to the others to follow him to the eighteenth floor. As for Xiao Qi, who was supposed to be with Old Xue, there was no need to look for her now. After all, in Ji Li’s plan, one isolated person was enough for the experiment. However, he remained uncertain about what exactly that thing was—the one that had knocked on the door without making a sound of footsteps.

The employees' footsteps faded as they headed toward the eighteenth floor, leaving the office completely empty.

The perspective shifted to a medium-sized cardboard box in the corner of the room, tucked away and unremarkable. Suddenly, a shaking sound began to emanate from within. "Bang!" A hand burst out from the box!

But this scene was missed entirely by Ji Li and his group.

...

"This can be counted as our second operation. If we can save the person who sent the text, we might be able to figure out how to avoid the ghost's attacks by deciphering the rules." The Third Personality analyzed in Ji Li’s mind.

The situation was not complicated; the ghost’s killing pattern could be roughly inferred: it hunted staff members who were isolated near other employees. Ji Li’s goal in going there was twofold: to determine exactly how many people constituted being "isolated," and to find a way to save them.

The method, however, was not particularly difficult. Possession-induced suicide seemed cruel and inescapable, but its flaw was quite obvious. If he could ensure the victim lost the use of their hands, he might be able to circumvent this method of death entirely.

As they drew closer to the eighteenth floor, Ji Li’s expression grew serious. Guided by the dim light in the stairwell, he watched the steps pass by, one by one. He felt that something was not quite right, yet he could not pinpoint the source. Accompanied by this strange sensation, he and the remaining six people arrived on the eighteenth floor.

Just as they reached the corridor, Ji Li abruptly raised a hand to stop those behind him. He placed a finger to his lips and whispered, "I will go ahead alone. Li Xing, you and the others guard the stairwell. Don’t let that person escape."

If Li Xing hadn’t known their mission was to protect the staff, he would have assumed Ji Li’s words were a sign of his intent to eliminate them all. Ji Li paid him no mind, adjusted his clothes, and walked straight into the silent hallway.

He scanned the chaotic layout of the rooms, listening for any abnormalities in every corner, with the sharpest of his Third Personality assisting him in the search.

"The building’s power is out, yet he hasn’t appeared in our line of sight. This suggests he hasn’t just seen the ghost; he has also seen us holding the staff members captive," the Third Personality noted while they searched.

Ji Li nodded and whispered, "He is a cautious man. He must be hiding in some corner right now, waiting for Old Xue to meet him."

"But he doesn't know Old Xue is dead, and that we have his phone. Perhaps when he hears footsteps, he is guessing whether it is Old Xue!"

Ji Li realized the situation was likely exactly as the Third Personality had analyzed. He pulled out Old Xue’s phone; there were still no new messages. This confirmed that the person already knew someone was coming.

Ji Li frowned. How could he convince that person that he was Old Xue and get them to reveal themselves? Suddenly, his brow smoothed. Beyond his footsteps, he began to whistle! The tune was the same melodious and sorrowful opera he had heard in the office earlier.

This person knew Old Xue, and the fact that Old Xue had been playing that music on a power bank during the blackout showed that he was a devotee of opera. The person who sent the text could not possibly be unaware of that; it was the only way to verify his identity in the vast expanse of the eighteenth floor!

"On the right!"

The Third Personality responded instantly. Almost the moment Ji Li’s whistle began, a flurry of heavy, frantic footsteps erupted from the corridor to the right of the corner ahead.

Ji Li’s eyes flashed. Without hesitation, he pulled his gun from his waistband and sprinted toward the corner at full speed.

"Old Xue! There’s a ghost in the building!"

As Ji Li raised his arm, he slammed into the person’s chest, cutting their words short. In the dim light, he saw a face—pale, drenched in sweat, and filled with the utmost terror.

"You... you’re that murderer!"

The man let out a wail and turned to flee. Ji Li’s reaction was lightning fast; he grabbed the man’s shoulder.

But...

Something was several times faster than both of them.

As the man turned, his two hands suddenly lifted—it was the exact precursor to the death of everyone before him. Before the horror on his face could even fade, his head began to twist to the left, completely beyond his control!

Ji Li’s expression changed drastically!