Could it be that my brother is another resident of this building?
Chi Yaoyang had a new idea.
He stood outside the building and looked up at the towering structure.
The sun shone on its surface, reflecting the glittering windows.
The tiles on the building's exterior seem to be quite old, and signs of fading and cracking make the entire building look a bit old.
He took a deep breath and locked onto his target—this building was the only place he could explore.
The hall was dark and solemn, and it seemed that no one was there. There was only a huge staircase leading upwards.
Chi Yaoyang looked up and saw the stairs leading to the second floor.
He did not stop but went straight forward.
When he reached the second floor, he saw brightly colored house numbers hanging in front of two residents' doors.
Chi Yaoyang was secretly delighted because his diary had mentioned that NPC might be the key to his search for clues about his brother.
He knocked on the door of his neighbor on the left and a friendly smile appeared through the crack of the door.
The neighbor quickly opened the door and warmly invited him in for a cup of tea.
"Hello, I'm Chi Yaoyang, your neighbor."
Chi Yaoyang smiled slightly, with a cold light flashing in his eyes.
The neighbor responded just as friendly: "Welcome! Please come in, please come in."
The neighbor's room is warmly decorated.
The decorations beside the fireplace and the books on the bookshelf show that he has unique taste and strong cultural atmosphere.
A faint scent of tea permeates the room, as if bringing people into another world.
Chi Yaoyang sat on the sofa and said modestly, “thank you for your invitation. I came here to find my brother.”
The neighbor shook his head slightly, "I'm sorry, I don't know his exact whereabouts."
Chi Yaoyang frowned slightly and said with a hint of disappointment: "Then please tell me who might know."
The neighbor picked up the teacup and said slowly: "You can go upstairs and take a look."
Chi Yaoyang was standing in the corridor on the third floor when he heard a fierce quarrel.
The voice was sometimes high and sometimes low, full of anger. The corridor was filled with a tense atmosphere that made people feel a little suffocated.
He stared ahead quietly, looking for the source of the sound.
Following the direction of the sound, he found that the quarrel came from a couple's room.
Outside the porch, a hammer was slammed hard against the wall, making a deafening sound.
"If you dare to betray me again, I will kill you!"
A man yelled with hatred.
"You think you can succeed? I can protect myself!"
A woman responded without showing any weakness.
Chi Yaoyang's heart sank. This was an unreconcilable battle, and the two seemed to be deeply trapped in it and unable to extricate themselves.
He listened attentively, searching for clues in this chaotic and complicated conversation.
"We have been married for so many years, and you betrayed me!"
"You're not a good husband either! You treat me roughly every day."
The woman retorted sharply.
Chi Yaoyang could sense the pent-up pain between them. The couple's relationship had long been broken and filled with mutual hatred.
He felt as if he was trapped in a dark vortex, entangled by endless emotions.
At the same time, Chi Yaoyang walked to the door on the right side of the third floor and knocked gently a few times.
However, there was no response.
He knocked several more times, slightly surprised, but still no one came out to open the door.
He frowned and subconsciously tried to push the door handle.
The door was not locked!
After a moment of trepidation, he carefully opened the door and walked in.
It was pitch black inside, with only a faint light coming in through the window.
Chi Yaoyang sensed the presence of someone in the room, looming in the darkness. He walked carefully towards the direction where the sound came from.
"Excuse me, is anyone there?" he asked quietly, hoping to provoke a response.
However, silence answered him.
There was a chilly atmosphere in the room, which made him shiver.
Chi Yaoyang walked into the room cautiously and noticed a large bed in the middle of the room.
He paused to examine what was on the bed and was shocked.
There was a human-shaped rag doll placed on the bed, tied to the bed as if it was imprisoned.
Chi Yaoyang frowned, his heart full of doubts and uneasiness.
He walked over to the bed and looked closely at the puppet.
It looked like the image of a man, with a pale face and hollow eyes.
The puppet was wearing a ragged outfit and its limbs were tightly bound with ropes.
"What's going on?" Chi Yaoyang whispered to himself.
"Why is there a captive puppet here?"
He tried to remember the previous clues and recalled the scene when the couple quarreled.
Chi Yaoyang began to associate the puppet with that sentence. "If you dare to betray me again, I will kill you!"
He thought for a moment and realized a possible answer.
Perhaps this room is where one spouse imprisons the other. But why a doll?
Chi Yaoyang continued to look for clues. He looked around and noticed a shabby photo frame hanging on the wall.
He walked closer to the frame, picked it up and examined it carefully.
The framed photo shows a young couple standing in front of the room.
Both the man and the woman stared at the camera expressionlessly, as if no emotions existed.
Chi Yaoyang felt something was wrong and he began to doubt whether the couple really existed.
He speculated: Maybe the entire room was made up to illustrate some bizarre and twisted relationship.
It’s not known yet, but I have to go back now because my parents will be back soon.
When Chi Yaoyang returned home, he saw his brother sitting alone on the floor with a thin rope in his hand.
He walked into the house and found his brother making some strange little figures.
"Brother, what are you doing?"
Chi Yaoyang walked up to his brother and asked.
"Brother! You are finally back. I am doing little man magic."
My brother replied excitedly.
Chi Yaoyang took a closer look out of curiosity and found that the words "Dad", "Mom" and his own name were written on the figurines.
He looked at these little men in shock, feeling uneasy.
"Why do you want to tie these little people?"
Chi Yaoyang clenched his fists, trying to control his inner anxiety.
The younger brother looked up at his older brother, with a hint of pity and helplessness in his eyes.
"Dad and Mom always quarreled, and they said if I stabbed these little people, it would make them stop quarreling."
However, Chi Yaoyang was thinking of the rag doll imprisoned on the bed.
If these little figures represent dad, mom, and brother, does that mean they are also imprisoned in some form?
Driven by impulse, Chi Yaoyang decided to snatch the doll with his name on it.
Chi Yaoyang hurriedly walked to his brother and stretched out his trembling hands to comfort him.
He patted his brother's back gently, his voice full of apology: "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, I didn't consider your feelings."
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