Chapter 25 Elevator (2) Water droplets slowly slid down the boy's cheeks...
The elevator plummeted, but in the reflection of the metal car panels, they appeared to be flying upwards, upside down.
Thump! The elevator suddenly stopped, and all the buttons went out.
The button for the 26th floor lit up faintly; they were still on the top floor.
The elevator returned to normal, the doors slowly opened, and Chang Mingai cautiously looked up.
It was dark outside the elevator.
"Let's go." Xie Tan stepped out of the elevator first.
Chang Mingai couldn't catch him and was a little devastated. Her partner remained calm and unafraid, just like last time and the time before that.
Those ghosts were indeed ridiculously polite to him. If it weren't for Xie Tan's cold personality, Chang Mingai thought he would be chatting and laughing with the ghosts.
She was both afraid and respectful of him, and dared not think too deeply about what it meant to be unfathomable. This was what it meant to be unfathomable.
But she didn't have time to think too much. In horror movies, teaming up means being wiped out, but dying separately is even more exciting.
She immediately followed, only to realize that the corridor outside the elevator was not the corridor of Zhongbin Apartment, but the corridor of her own apartment.
The version where almost all the lights are off.
This was the first time she had ever realized her home could be so eerie.
This can't be her home; her home is on the 5th floor.
The moon and stars were not visible outside the window, but a little light still shone through, adding a hazy, gloomy tone to the darkness.
And the hallway light above her door.
Only this one light was on, as if reminding them that someone was home.
It's even more eerie now.
Is this her home?
Are there really people in this house?
I dare not think about it. Chang Ming clung to Xie Tan's arm, staring at his home as if facing a formidable enemy.
But this stalemate couldn't continue. Chang Mingai paused for a moment, then said, "Will you come in with me?"
Xie Tan calmly replied, "Either is fine."
The art museum wasn't the end of the story; there was a second installment dedicated to her.
The new series will recover plot points from the main storyline. Xie Tan speculates that there will be returning characters as well as new regular characters, forming a "protagonist group" that follows the main storyline.
Although the main characters in a horror story might sound like they're destined to be wiped out, they are still the main characters, with significant screen time.
He felt that Chang Mingai was the unlucky one in the main characters.
Since we're already here, a little more information might be helpful; it could give us a better chance to develop his character.
Chang Mingai made up her mind: "I don't know what's going on inside, but it's still my house. If they're after me, I can still handle it. But you, an outsider caught in the crossfire, might not be so lucky. I'll go check on them first, you..."
Xie Tan nodded: "I'll check outside."
"Okay, if something's not right, I'll bang on the door."
Chang Mingai opened the door with her own key.
Only the floor lamp by the door was on; the rest of the house received little light. It wasn't completely dark, but rather a grayish gray, like it was sandwiched between darkness and light, even more eerie than complete darkness.
She cautiously pressed the switch, but there was no response.
She observed that this "home" was almost identical to her own, except that the cabinets, tables, and chairs were covered with long embroidered fabrics, which her home did not.
Moreover, all the doors were closed; apart from the main gate, the other doors in their house were just for show.
She used a chair to prop the door shut to prevent it from closing, and chatted with Xie Tan, exchanging a few words. Although Xie Tan didn't initiate any conversations, he would respond simply to her words, which put her at ease.
She tentatively pulled on the door of her bedroom door, only to find it locked, even though the lock had been broken for a long time.
But she remembered there was a key in the drawer of the cabinet by the door. She reached in and quickly grabbed it, but as she pulled it out, something soft brushed against the back of her hand.
She slammed the drawer shut, took a step back, and didn't open it again.
Curiosity killed the cat.
But when she got to her bedroom door, she realized that she was just asking for trouble.
There's nothing we can do. Since it's haunted, can we just stay here and expect to escape it?
Even if she does nothing, the ghost won't let her and Xie Tan leave the apartment.
She turned the key to the bedroom door, and with a click, the door behind her opened—it was her parents' bedroom.
She turned around in alarm, and her father was standing in the doorway watching her.
The parents' bedroom was also dark, and the middle-aged man's skin appeared translucent white, like a person in a night vision device, in such a dim environment.
Behind the thick-rimmed glasses, her dark circles were even more pronounced than her own, like two deep, lifeless black holes staring at her.
"You're back? I thought you weren't coming home for dinner today. Didn't you say you were going out with your friends?"
But his actions and words were like those of a living, normal person, and most importantly, he really looked just like her father.
And she did tell her parents that she had made plans to go out with friends today. They originally planned to play a murder mystery game and then play mahjong all night, and wouldn't be going home until tomorrow morning.
"Then you're in luck. Your mom cooked a whole table of dishes and even took out the juicer to study it, watching videos online to learn how to make juice."
Dad pressed the switch, and the light came on normally, restoring the room to its warm brightness. But Chang Ming's heart sank; the front door had closed sometime earlier.
She didn't hear a sound at all.
Even more frighteningly, the chair that had been blocking the door returned to its original position.
She was talking to Xie Tan outside the bedroom door when she opened it, but the door closed in the short time her father had distracted her.
Who locked it?
Could it be that besides this father, there was another person with her when she was alone in the room investigating before?
No, you're mistaken. Chang Mingai thought numbly, it's most likely not human.
She forced herself to sit down at the dining table.
After the lights came on, the previously empty table was now covered with food, including meat, vegetables, hot and cold dishes, fruit salad, and a glass of watermelon juice next to her.
It's not like that. It's much darker in color than watermelon juice and has a fishy, rusty smell.
It looked like blood. Her face turned pale, and she pretended not to see it.
Dad pulled a large, exquisite gift box from under the tablecloth. Inside was a beautifully crafted toy house.
It's exactly the same as theirs, even the dishes on the table are the same.
There are two little figures inside, a father and a daughter, sitting at the dining table.
The smaller version of her is exactly the same as her current action!
The spoon in her hand clattered into the bowl, drawing her father's slow, deliberate gaze.
"Not to your liking? No way, your mom makes all your favorite dishes."
But you just said you knew I wasn't coming home tonight. Chang Mingai shook her head calmly.
"This is a gift for you. Luckily, my friend reminded me. Didn't you always want a toy house? A complete family of three!"
Those are things she wanted in elementary school. Do you think she's still a child?
Chang Ming liked to get information out of people: "Where's Mom? Why isn't she out eating?"
Her father looked at her strangely: "Silly child, isn't Mommy right here?"
Alice froze, feeling as if the air had become murky and thick, as if an invisible person was right next to her, breathing down her throat.
She remained calm and changed the subject: "Why can't I open my bedroom door? I need to get my books for class next week."
To everyone's surprise, Dad's expression changed. He put his index finger to his lips and his eyes darted nervously from side to side: "There's a monster. Don't wake it, or it will take you away. Shh."
He left behind chilling words and, with impeccable manners, remained silent while eating and sleeping, completely disregarding the fear he instilled in Chang Ming'ai.
Chang Mingai misses her partner.
She wasn't stupid; she knew Xie Tan was extraordinary. She had experienced strange things, and her good friend, the club president, was a Taoist priest. Although he hadn't obtained a Taoist certificate and was more like a charlatan who treated it as a hobby, he still knew a lot of things that Xie Tan didn't understand and could solve many strange problems.
Therefore, she has a high degree of acceptance of the unnatural and also possesses some sensitivity.
Xie Tan must have seen her doppelganger. When she first had this suspicion, she initially thought he was just like everyone else, unable to distinguish between the real and the fake.
But after experiencing it all, she had to say that he definitely recognized her, and perhaps even earlier than she herself realized there was another, no, several other "her"!
When she realized this, she naturally became wary and fearful, speculating that Xie Tan had ulterior motives for not telling her.
But when she thought about how Xie Tan treated the maniac and his bubble clones as if nothing was wrong, and recalled the maniac's strange thoughtfulness, the clones' obsession with giving up becoming real, and his unpleasant expression in the elevator just now, she couldn't help but think about it.
He sensed it before anything happened.
She understood.
A profound realization.
Although he is really good-looking, it's not something that can be achieved just by looking at him... although his looks do make sense.
That's not the point.
The fact that those monsters could abandon their bloodthirsty nature, their interests and arrogance, and willingly sheathe their claws to chase after him with just a glance proves one thing.
He is completely above them.
Moreover, he knows far more than she does.
What do people want from such an unfathomable person?
She only drew a talisman for the club president once, just filling in one stroke, like asking him to tap a card to try his luck, to bless him so he wouldn't fail his exams.
And then the club president failed the course that one time.
She's incredibly talented. The club president approached her again, asking her to fill out a form for her hated professor, cursing him to have diarrhea during their one-on-one offline thesis review and to make him eat earlier.
The president expressed his deep regret that it did not work out.
Her skill level is still inconsistent, why would she worry about being schemed against? Even if someone does scheme against her, how could she possibly escape?
Whatever their origins or conspiracies, who cares? In this crisis, this is the key!
The club president is usually unreliable, but when it comes to crucial moments... well, he's alright in crucial moments, but when it comes to recruiting club members, he's like his brain suddenly has a superpower, he's incredibly sharp.
Someone who can pique his interest just by listening to a story is definitely someone special; they might even be a future member of the community, one of our own.
Or her partner.
This cry for help is perfectly reasonable. The father who popped out of some rock right in front of me isn't family; this is family.
Chang Mingai frantically tapped under the table, sending Xie Tan a long string of "Save me, save me" emojis.
She calmly picked at the food, pretending it was too hot, blowing on it three times with each chopstick, then pretending to eat it, and while her father looked down, she buried the food in her rice.
After finishing his meal, Dad patted his belly contentedly and started chatting about everyday things: "Before you came back, I was chatting with a friend and I was very inspired. It's not just about studying; children also need to be careful when making friends. They need to know how to screen people and not just befriend just anyone. It's dangerous outside, and there are all sorts of people out there. Who knows what they might want from you? You can't befriend shady characters or people whose backgrounds you don't even know."
The sense of déjà vu was so strong. Chang Mingai had just analyzed her partner in her mind when she felt like she'd been struck by a revelation.
She gave a forced smile and replied, "Don't you all know my friends?"
Her hand pressed down twice more under the table. While her father was wiping the glass, she glanced down at her phone and heard him say, "Who are you texting... Alice?"
Chang Mingai felt a chill run down her spine and quickly looked up; the lights in the room snapped off.
Across the table, Dad's figure kept growing taller, expanding, and twisting into an uneven mass of flesh and blood, all disgusting tumors, bulging and swelling until only a trace of human shape remained, just enough to make out two arms and two legs.
The monster revealed its true form, stopped acting, and began to loom over Chang Ming'ai.
Chang Mingai didn't have time to think about how he discovered it; her mind was racing.
By the way, it wasn't just that I discovered she was chatting, but also that nickname. Why was she called "Alice"?
She has a nickname; her parents usually call her "Baby" or "Xiao Ai".
Isn't "Alice" her online name?
Chang Mingai instantly connected all the strange places she had encountered after entering the apartment.
A red-eyed white rabbit running incredibly fast, followed closely by her, and then the falling elevator...
That's not an elevator, that's a rabbit hole!
This is what is called paradise.
She suppressed the urge to curse and tried hard to recall the plot of Alice in Wonderland.
The first experience in Wonderland is an impassable door, a shrinking drink, and a giant cookie.
The drink. Chang Mingai decisively threw her phone, smashing it against the door, then picked up the blood-red drink and drank it all in one gulp.
Ugh, it really tastes like blood.
But it worked! She really shrank! Her field of vision kept lowering, and in an instant, she was only as tall as her original hand.
She couldn't run far; the monster's swollen head had already crossed the entire table and was peering down at her. She could only lift the tablecloth and hide inside, retreating quickly.
It was quiet outside the tablecloth. The shadow of the monster's head lingered for a moment before retreating. For some reason, it didn't crawl in.
Chang Mingai took two more steps back, bumped into the soft curtain, and turned around in surprise. She had only taken a few steps to reach the other side—her eyes widened. It wasn't the curtain, but the hair hanging down!
She looked up abruptly, and there was her mother's head on the back of the table, her eyes closed, seemingly asleep.
He was awakened by the noise and looked at her with a smile.
"Is the food good, Alice?"
In the corridor.
Xie Tan returned to the door of Chang Mingai's house from the end of the road. The door was already closed, and the corridor light above the door was off.
Once the protagonist is lured into another dimension, there's no need for pretense anymore.
He looked around and found that the other doors were just for show; there was no light, no sound, and probably no one was there either.
Only two places on this floor are important: Chang Mingai's home and the elevator.
He pressed the elevator button, but the elevator did not respond.
And the overhead surveillance cameras, like living beings, indifferently turned their heads.
Perhaps someone is watching them, the instigator?
Xie Tan did not rush into Chang Mingai's house. He did not hear any cries for help or the sound of doors slamming. If Chang Mingai could handle it, he, an outsider who had stumbled in, might only cause her trouble.
But it's more likely that their connection was broken, or that she was in such a bad state that she couldn't make a sound to alert him.
Xie Tan checked his phone, and sure enough, there was no signal. He scrolled through the screen with some frustration, glancing at the monitoring system that was working normally.
The surveillance cameras continued to turn their heads relentlessly.
Plop, a drop of water fell from above. Xie Tan looked up and saw a drop of water landing on his cheek.
Water is seeping through the cracks in the roof; is it leaking? Isn't this the top floor?
He followed the water stains and noticed out of the corner of his eye that the surveillance camera in the corner was motionless, as if frozen, so he turned his head to the side.
A drop of water slowly slid down the boy's cheek, like a tear.
The camera captured the entire scene, and it was clearly reflected on the elevator door.
After a few seconds of silence, a red electronic emoticon suddenly appeared on the elevator's small display screen, and an electronic voice came from the emergency call port in the door crack.
"Child, is there anything I can do to help you?"
Xie Tan turned his head, his tear stains still wet: "Can you open the door?"
"..." The elevator remained silent for a long time before finally saying with difficulty, "It's not time to open the doors yet."
The electronic expression disappeared hastily, afraid that staying even a second longer would not only reveal more information, but the worst thing was that it would actually let him go, so it tried its best to remain silent.
Having obtained the clue, Xie Tan didn't ask any further questions. He simply leaned against the wall, head down, scrolling through his phone: "There's no internet either."
It seems quite boring.
The electronic expression on the elevator display screen behind Xie Tan reappeared, taking advantage of Xie Tan's angle of inability to see it, and stared intently at the surveillance camera.
monitor:……
Xie Tan's phone suddenly started vibrating incessantly. The network was restored, and all the messages were Chang Mingai's SOS emojis.
He looked up at the monitor, which had resumed its normal operation as if nothing had happened.
"Alright." Xie Tan thanked him in his heart, but knocked on Chang Mingai's door with no outward expression.
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