Late at night, the alley in the old district was long and winding. Gu Qiqi, a student from the medical school, finished her evening self-study and walked alone, clutching a large bundle. She looked up at the pitch-black sky—the stars were dim, clouds were thick, truly a night for murder under the cover of darkness.
Pfft! Startled by her own thought, she instinctively glanced back.
The alley was pitch-black, not a single streetlight working.
Damn! It seemed the demolition crew had resorted to their old tricks of cutting off power and water again!
Luckily, she had lived here for over a decade and knew the way like the back of her hand; she could find her way home even with her eyes closed. She quickened her pace—just two more turns and she'd be home.
But then, she suddenly sensed someone following her!
Gu Qiqi's heart jolted. She swiftly turned the corner and pressed her ear against the wall.
Listening intently, she heard the footsteps speed up too, sneaky and shadowing her every move!
Not good! A bad guy!
After a brief thought, Gu Qiqi quickly opened the bundle in her arms. Instantly, a pale human skeleton came into view.
"Woo woo woo..." A ghostly wail echoed through the alley, and then a stark white skeleton began to dance in the darkness.
The stalker abruptly halted, seeing a skull grinning eerily at him from the shadows.
"Ghost!" He was terrified out of his wits, let out a scream, and bolted away, vanishing into the night.
The girl peeked out from behind the skeleton, letting out a sly chuckle.
Thugs aren't scary; what's scary is ignorance!
There are no ghosts in this world—just a skeletal specimen borrowed from school.
Packing the specimen back into her bag, Gu Qiqi sprinted and found her courtyard gate.
Unlocking, entering, and locking up again—she did it all in one fluid motion.
But when she stepped into the living room, she was stunned—the ceiling had a massive hole, at least three meters square, letting her admire the starry sky from inside her home!
Inside, the furniture and appliances had been shifted by the ceiling's collapse, rubble everywhere, a complete mess, as if an 8.0 earthquake had just struck!
My mom's fridge, AC, TV!
Thinking about the cost of replacing all those appliances, Gu Qiqi trembled with rage, a violent fury exploding in her mind.
Damn! Damn demolition crew! Damn gangsters! It must be them causing trouble again! Her courtyard had recently been marked for demolition, and the authorities had issued a notice for the entire block to relocate by a deadline. But Gu Qiqi didn't want to rent a place, so she'd been stalling.
But! The compensation hadn't been settled yet, so why were they cutting off power and water and demolishing by force?! And they'd wrecked the precious legacy her parents had left her!
Staring at the living room, once filled with warm memories, now reduced to rubble, Gu Qiqi looked up at the sky, her eyes turning red—Who did this? Who tore down my house?!
Just then, a rustling sound suddenly came from the dark room, perfectly echoing her frantic mind.
"Who's in there?" the girl barked, grabbing a thick wooden stick.
The sound eerily vanished.
But! The next second, two faint green lights flickered in the corner of the room!
Whoosh!
Her heart skipped a beat, and her fury instantly turned to cold sweat, trickling down her back!
What the hell is that?!