Chapter 3 The Locked Room
My head was dizzy and the things in my field of vision seemed to be covered by a thick veil. The sound of traffic coming from the main road in the distance seemed erratic, sometimes far away, sometimes near, and so unreal that it seemed like a dream.
After walking in this uncomfortable drowsy state for an unknown amount of time, his mind finally regained some ability to think. Yu Sheng stopped hesitantly and looked back at the road he had come from.
It was almost completely dark, and the street lights along the way were lit early. He was walking on a narrow street near his home. The low and old residential buildings on both sides of the road were like two rows of beasts crawling in the night, while the "ground floor shops" on the first floor that were privately converted by the residents were emitting warm lights, dispelling the chill lurking in his heart.
cold?
Suddenly, Yu Sheng seemed to feel again the coldness piercing into his lungs and bones, felt the freezing rain like knife blades falling on his skin, and felt those two cold and slippery gazes - the gazes of the frog staring at him.
He suddenly choked, and after more than ten seconds he seemed to suddenly remember how to breathe. He gasped for air and looked down at his chest quickly.
At this moment, he had a momentary illusion that there seemed to be a big hole in his chest and that he had no heart. His chest was as quiet and cold as a burnt stove. But the next second, he felt his heartbeat again and even seemed to hear an especially clear "thump" sound in his ear... Yes, living people have heartbeats.
He was still alive and hadn't had his heart eaten by a weird giant frog.
But those crazy uprush of memories washed over his mind like a tsunami. No matter how hard he tried to ignore them, he couldn't drive them out of his memory. Yu Sheng remembered the rain, the door painted on the wall, and the giant frog... He tried to tell himself that it was just an illusion, but this idea was quickly shaken as the memory repeatedly washed over him and became clearer.
He died once, but for some reason, he is still alive and on his way home - he is almost home, only two more intersections to go.
This is the weirdest thing I have encountered since coming to this weird city.
There were gazes coming from nearby, and Yu Sheng noticed that his unusual behavior at this time seemed to have attracted the attention of passers-by. Someone next to him was hesitating to approach him, perhaps wanting to ask him if he needed help. He hurriedly waved his hand, without much communication with the passer-by, and then quickened his pace to leave the place.
He had no idea what was happening to him, but stopping in the road to think was obviously not going to help solve the confusion.
He hurriedly crossed the alley, left the last street near the old neighborhood, and walked towards his "home" in this city.
Although they had only passed two intersections, the surrounding environment seemed noticeably more desolate and deserted - as if they had walked into a forgotten corner of the city. There were fewer and fewer pedestrians on the road, and in the end, the only thing left to accompany Yu Sheng was the cold street lights. After walking for a while, he saw the old house standing in the night, which seemed to have a slight barrier with the surrounding buildings.
It was a plain, three-story old house with mottled walls, a sloping roof, and old doors and windows. Although old, it was still clean and intact. This house looked like a "self-built small building" that was privately built in the urban village decades ago when management was not strict. As time passed, it became a historical relic that was stuck in the urban construction management bug...
Yu Sheng didn't quite understand the urban construction and management system of this "boundary city" which was very different from what he remembered. After all, he had only been here for two months. Excluding the time he had wasted at the beginning because he stayed indoors out of caution, he had just adapted to the new life here and had gotten to know the surrounding areas - but there was one thing he was very clear about.
This big house was his only relatively safe place to stay in this dangerous and unharmonious city—at least when he was in the house, he had never seen those evil shadows.
Although there were many strange things in this big house itself that seemed strange to him.
Yu Sheng took a deep breath, holding the supermarket shopping bag still in his hand, he walked through the cold light cast by the street lamps, came to the door, took out the key and opened it.
The old door creaked open, and Yu Sheng walked in and turned on the light. Although this house was almost completely different from the "home" he remembered, the moment the light came on, he still felt a certain... sense of security.
He turned and closed the door, shutting out the city night.
Then he threw the things he bought from the supermarket on the shelf at the kitchen door on the right after entering the room, and hurriedly walked through the somewhat empty living room, came to the mirror in the bathroom, and pulled open his clothes.
The scene in his memory was so clear and profound that he couldn't help but want to confirm it again and again.
There were no scars or blood on the chest, as if "death" had never happened.
Yu Sheng frowned, checked the integrity of his clothes again, and pressed the place where he remembered being ripped out by the frog. Only then did he truly confirm that he was not an open-minded person now.
"This is weird..."
He muttered softly, left the bathroom, and walked back to the living room.
Behind him, cracks appeared silently on the mirror above the sink, and then quickly and silently closed up...
Sitting on the sofa in the living room, Yu Sheng sorted out his messy thoughts. He didn't know how long it had passed before his extremely tired mind finally calmed down.
Sleep enveloped him.
The feeling of drowsiness lasted for a long time until a sudden "bang" sound exploded in his mind. The sound sounded like someone hitting a stone on his head with a shovel, and Yu Sheng was instantly awakened from his coma.
He opened his eyes in the darkness and was stunned for a moment before he realized that the lights in the living room had been turned off at some point.
He clearly remembered that he turned on the light before going to bed!
With a sudden sense of alarm in his heart, Yu Sheng almost subconsciously reached for the baton beside him - after arriving in this strange and bizarre city, the first thing he did was to prepare this self-defense tool for himself. Although it seemed to be of no use at the moment, as a terrifying upright ape, holding a stick in his hand could at least bring some psychological comfort - and then he slowly and cautiously stood up, while paying attention to all movements in the dark.
In such a desolate and remote place, it doesn't seem unimaginable that there is a thief in the house. Instead, Yu Sheng hopes that there is a thief in the house. At least the thief can be beaten to death with a baton, not a frog over one meter tall.
But the living room was completely silent. There was no sign of anyone breaking in, nor any sound of a thief.
The good news is that no frogs can be heard either.
With the dim light from the street lamp coming in through the window, Yu Sheng crouched down and moved while identifying his surroundings. He slowly found the switch on the wall and raised his hand to turn on the light.
His eyes suddenly glowed brightly, scanning the living room in the darkness.
Yu Sheng blinked his eyes. He always felt that there was something strange in his vision, but he couldn't tell what was abnormal. But no matter what, at least the surroundings were brighter and he could now see the situation in the living room clearly.
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He bent his waist slightly, holding a baton and began to check every corner of the house.
There is only a living room, kitchen and dining room on the first floor, as well as an empty room that is not in use temporarily. Everything is normal.
He stood at the stairs leading to the second floor, hesitated for a moment, and then walked upstairs.
There are three rooms on the second floor, one of which is his current bedroom, one is where miscellaneous items are stored, and the last room at the end is locked.
When Yu Sheng arrived here, the room was locked. He searched the entire big house but couldn't find the key.
He first checked his bedroom and the utility room opposite, then came to the locked room.
As usual, the door was closed.
In fact, Yu Sheng had tried to use some technical means to solve the lock, including but not limited to impact drills and handheld electric saws, but all attempts failed. The impact drill and electric saw sparked in front of the seemingly fragile wooden door, and the drill bit and saw teeth were worn out without cutting any marks.
Of course, he also tried to seek more advanced technical means, such as looking for a locksmith. He looked for three people in succession. The first two got lost in the old city and wandered around for a long time but couldn't find No. 66 Wutong Road. The third one was hit by a motorcycle just after crossing the intersection and was just discharged from the hospital last week...
It was as if there was some mysterious force preventing Yu Sheng from opening the locked room in his home.
Yes, even though this big house was his only relatively safe place to stay in the city, there were actually many things… “wrong” with the house itself.
Yu Sheng reached out and grasped the door handle in front of him and tried to turn it, but it didn't move at all.
No expected "accident" happened, it was still locked.
But he didn't know if it was an illusion, but when he was turning the handle in vain... he seemed to hear a faint chuckle.
The laughter came from the other side of the door and sounded like a young female voice, as if laughing at his inability to do anything about a door.
Yu Sheng's hair stood on end instantly!
The only safe place he had in the city, the house he had lived in for two months, in his home, in this room that was always locked... there was a person hiding inside!
...Why didn't she starve to death? (End of this chapter)
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