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11:45 PM.

Zhao Mingyue arrived at the stairwell between the fourth and fifth floor, leaning against the fifth floor, she tightly closed her eyes. She knew that once she climbed these thirteen steps, she would come into contact with another world.

“Don’t be afraid, just walk up, no matter what sound you hear, don’t open your eyes.”

Two lotus-like arms appeared by her side, embracing her gently in a hugging posture, Zhao Mingyue opened her eyes a slit, glancing at Bai Yu’s profile. She thought to herself that she must be crazy, playing this kind of game in the middle of the night, with a fierce ghost hugging her from behind.

Closing her eyes again, she tried her best to ignore the icy sensation on the back of her neck. In fact, this made her feel somewhat more stable. After all, the ghost behind her was one she was familiar with, not some unknown and strange specter.

Hands covered Zhao Mingyue’s eyes, and as she stepped back onto the first step, everything around her changed instantly.

The walls, which were frighteningly pale, began to be slowly replaced by black scorch marks. The air was filled with a choking burnt smell, and her vision seemed to be covered by a red cloth, adding a blood-red filter. Under the influence of this blood-red filter, the walls appeared black, eerie, and twisted.

It was impossible to tell whether these were scorch marks or fresh blood splashed on the walls.

As Zhao Mingyue stepped back to the fifth step, wisps of gray-black fluff began to appear in the air. Countless blood vessels burst from the cracked walls, rushing out like maggots, clinging to the walls and the handrails of the stairs.

Bai Yu heard the sound of flames burning and also the sound of nails scratching a door from a room on the fifth floor. That person seemed very anxious, scratching the door when pounding didn’t work, as if there was something extremely terrifying in the room.

It was as if she was back on the day of the fire, the room ablaze, the door impossible to open. In desperation, she could only keep pounding and scratching at the wooden door, watching helplessly as she was burned to death.

Bai Yu’s eyes held a hint of excitement; it had been a long time since she felt such a thrill.

The two small hands still embraced Zhao Mingyue, covering her eyes. To put it unpleasantly, this was “ghost covering eyes,” but in fact, she was protecting Zhao Mingyue, at least making the girl feel a little better. Otherwise, if she saw this blood-red world, her little heart might not be able to take it. ¹

The fourth and fifth floors were two completely different worlds, especially for someone walking backwards up the thirteenth step.

In this process of walking backwards, one must not stop. It was now midnight, which was very different from daytime.

Bai Yu suspected that something filthy would come to interfere.

The sixth step, the seventh step, and as Zhao Mingyue’s eighth step landed, there was a loud “bang” from one of the rooms on the fourth floor. The door was kicked open from the inside, and footsteps rushed towards the stairs. The most direct sign was a foul stench approaching rapidly.

“Drip.”

Blood dripped onto the floor, belonging to a man whose face couldn’t be seen clearly. He was standing at the corner of the stairs, and if it weren’t for the incessant dripping of fresh blood from the hem of his clothes and the stench on his body, one might think he was just another tenant.

The man was wearing a black thick cotton pajamas, bald, with his entire face severely disfigured by fire.

The man grabbed the handrail and quickly went upstairs. As he reached the stairwell, he looked up to see Zhao Mingyue, who was walking backwards up the stairs, and the white-dressed girl hugging her from behind.

“No one is allowed upstairs!” The man’s voice was extremely hoarse and unpleasant.

He took a few large strides to go upstairs, his pitch-black hand almost reaching Zhao Mingyue’s wrist.

“Get lost!” Bai Yu suddenly opened her eyes, and chains formed from blood threads with spiked ends shot out from her back. With tremendous force, the man was flung down the stairs.

With a fierce shout, the man disappeared into the stairwell, and the stench also quickly receded.

“No one is allowed upstairs!”

Not knowing what was happening outside, but hearing the noise, Zhao Mingyue’s delicate body trembled, and she quickened her pace upstairs.

Each floor had twelve steps, which she had noticed when she had nothing better to do. However, the fifth floor had a thirteenth step.

As the last step landed, Zhao Mingyue felt even colder, as if her body was immersed in ice water. Having had the experience before, she didn’t dare to touch the handrail, afraid of touching something sticky and slimy again.

“Can I open my eyes now?”

“You can.” Bai Yu released her hands, and Zhao Mingyue’s eyelids trembled lightly as she opened her eyes to a world that seemed to be covered with a blood-colored filter.

The layout of the fifth floor was not much different from the fourth, but the oppressive feeling was on a completely different level.

Feeling a bit panicked, Zhao Mingyue took out her phone to check. It felt like less than five minutes had passed, but it was already 12:03 AM.

“Don’t stand here, go find the room, and find that woman’s corpse.”

“Room?”

Reminded by Bai Yu, Zhao Mingyue remembered something. There was a subtask on the black cell phone’s task list called Room No. 6.

Downstairs, one could find out that there was blood under the walls, all of which had soaked a body. This body was likely key to the task. Finding this body would definitely increase the completion rate of the task.

Bai Yu said the corpse was in a room, so Room 506 was probably the room she was looking for.

And just as she took a step forward, lightning flashed outside the corridor, the pale light briefly illuminating the dark corridor. With the help of this light, she saw someone standing on the fourth floor.

Zhao Mingyue bravely leaned over the railing to look down, and suddenly an old hand full of age spots appeared on the cold railing. From the posture, the owner of this hand was clearly going downstairs, with fingers pointing downward, but this person was climbing up at a slow pace!

“The person walking backwards…”

Remembering a post she had seen online, Zhao Mingyue turned and walked away, trying to make her movements lighter.

The way back was blocked, so she could only go find Room No. 6.

Zhao Mingyue moved quickly, noticing something. In the corridor, each room had a small incense burner at the door, with some burnt-out incense sticks inside.

From 501 to 504, they all had one, except for 505 and 506.

“506.”

“It’s inside.” Bai Yu appeared beside Zhao Mingyue. She had already sensed something. There was definitely something in this room.

“But the door is locked. Can you go in, Bai Yu?”

Zhao Mingyue grabbed the outer iron door with both hands and shook it hard a few times, but the iron door didn’t budge.

The cold feeling grew stronger, and the footsteps were getting closer.

“Keys, I need to find the keys. Do I have to go down to find the landlord?”

“No, you just need to go to the fourth floor. The key to this door should be in a room on the fourth floor, and that door is open.”

Hearing Bai Yu’s words, Zhao Mingyue also thought of something.

“The husband’s room!”

The woman was locked here by her husband and then burned to death. The husband did not allow anyone upstairs, and he always delivered food himself.

And the hoarse male voice she heard while going upstairs should be that of the husband who died in the fire.

1. “鬼遮眼” is a Chinese phrase that literally means “ghost covering eyes”. It is used to describe a situation where a person is misled by a malicious spirit into ignoring obvious dangers or losing their sense of direction. It’s similar to the previous chapter concept of “ghost wall”. interesting read