A moment later, holding a note written by Zhang Yiming, Chen Mo and Dai Minghan left Dayang Software. Looking back, they saw that the middle of the thirty-plus-story building was shrouded in a hazy black mist, and the floors enveloped by the mist were exactly where Dayang Software was located.
However, aside from them, the participants, this black mist seemed invisible to everyone else in the world. The floors surrounded by the thick fog gave off a very ominous feeling.
"Damn, Lin Tianheng and the others are still inside." Watching the thickening black mist, Dai Minghan's expression grew serious. In the story, whenever important clues appeared, the invasion of supernatural forces usually followed. Clearly, by providing crucial clues to them, the participants, Zhang Yiming was now in extreme danger.
Following their earlier promise, among the remaining participants, Lin Tianheng, Li Kai, and Ye Sheng stayed behind to protect Zhang Yiming, while Chen Mo and Dai Minghan went to investigate the more dangerous house. But when they turned back and saw the mist spreading, deep unease surged in both their hearts.
Yet, since the story had progressed this far, there was no turning back. This supernatural invasion was also a test for Lin Tianheng and the others—whether they could survive depended on their abilities.
At that moment, watching the churning mist outside the window, Lin Tianheng, standing by the floor-to-ceiling glass, finally dropped his usual playful grin and focused his attention, as if waiting for something to happen.
Then, behind him, Zhang Yiming's voice suddenly rang out.
"You guys aren't ordinary cops, are you?"
"What do you think?" Lin Tianheng turned around with a faint smirk.
"Ordinary cops wouldn't get involved in investigating supernatural events. And what I just said—most people would first question its authenticity. But you all didn't doubt it at all. That proves you've encountered things like this before, maybe even more than once. You seem pretty seasoned."
"Not bad, you're quite perceptive." Lin Tianheng nodded. "Yeah, we do have experience dealing with this kind of stuff. So no matter what happens next, you'd better follow my lead..."
Before Lin Tianheng could finish, Zhang Yiming's eyes lit up. "So you can actually subdue evil spirits? You know Taoist arts, right?"
"Pfft..." Lin Tianheng laughed. "I'd love to play that role, but we're not as impressive as you think. We're just a bit braver and a bit more experienced than ordinary people."
"Are you saying ghosts dare to show up even in broad daylight?" Though Zhang Yiming couldn't see the churning black mist outside, Lin Tianheng's serious expression and the pale faces of Li Kai and Ye Sheng stirred deep unease in him.
This time, Lin Tianheng didn't answer, because he suddenly noticed that the company, which had been bustling with people moments ago, was now eerily empty. And the black mist was seeping in through the window cracks!
"Go! Get out of here!"
Lin Tianheng made a quick decision, grabbed Zhang Yiming, and dashed toward the door. Though confused, Zhang Yiming saw the urgency and swallowed his questions, silently keeping pace.
The moment they left, the entire room was engulfed in black mist.
Footsteps echoed down the dim corridor. After a few steps, Lin Tianheng suddenly remembered something and turned back.
"Does this building have a surveillance room?"
"Surveillance room? Ah, yes, it's on this floor!"
Hearing Zhang Yiming's reply, Lin Tianheng's eyes brightened. "Where? Take us there!"
Yes, Lin Tianheng wanted to use the surveillance footage to find a safe route downstairs. Li Kai and Ye Sheng also realized this at the same time.
Pushing open the door to the surveillance room, it was like the rest of the building—completely empty, as if the entire structure had been pulled into another dimension in an instant.
Of course, only the supernatural forces in the story could do this!
Though empty, the surveillance screens were still working, displaying footage from cameras throughout the building.
"Look, what's that!"
Just then, Ye Sheng shuddered and pointed at one screen.
On the monitor, the room they had just left was filled with churning black mist. The shifting fog gradually condensed into a blurry humanoid shadow, slowly opening the door. It looked like a disheveled woman, her indistinct face seeming to resemble...
"Is that ghost... Duan Xue?"
Hearing Ye Sheng's exclamation, Li Kai couldn't help but tremble. He hadn't forgotten seeing Feng Wenxuan's ghost in the subway car. That meant the deceased participants in this story did turn into ghosts to attack the living. So Duan Xue appearing as a ghost wasn't surprising.
"We didn't kill her, so why is she coming after us?" Ye Sheng shivered. "What do we do now?"
"Don't panic." Lin Tianheng glanced at him but muttered to himself, "Didn't the other veterans tell you? When facing a ghost attack, the more you panic, the faster you die."
"You...!" Ye Sheng's face changed. This guy was toxic.
"From what I see, this ghost formed from Duan Xue's death moves slowly and doesn't seem to have the ability to split..." Ignoring Ye Sheng's reaction, Lin Tianheng kept his eyes fixed on the screen. "If that's the case, I have a way for you to leave safely."
"What way?" Li Kai and Ye Sheng asked in unison.
"You both have phones, right? I'll stay in the surveillance room, track the ghost's movements, and call you to guide you around it. You... take Zhang Yiming and get out of this supernatural space as fast as you can."
"What about you? What will you do?" Li Kai looked uncertainly at Lin Tianheng.
"I have my own way out. Don't worry about me. Zhang Yiming is a key figure in this story—there might be other clues we haven't found yet. Protect him."
"What story? What figure?" Zhang Yiming was baffled, staring at Lin Tianheng in confusion. But the latter ignored him, focusing entirely on the surveillance screens.
The ghostly shadow had now drifted into the corridor. In an instant, everyone's hearts were in their throats, afraid to make a sound, terrified that the female ghost might sense their presence.
This ghost, formed from a participant, probably lacked perception abilities. Otherwise, it wouldn't need to drift down the corridor—it could just charge in and kill us, Lin Tianheng thought. But then another possibility crossed his mind.
He couldn't rule out that the ghost had already found them but was deliberately stalling, savoring the heavy fear and pressure weighing on their hearts.
As his mind wandered, the shadow in the corridor slowly moved to the elevator. The elevator light lit up, the doors opened, and it... stepped inside.
Had it really not noticed them? This ghost was powerful but lacked direct perception!
"Now's our chance. Go!"
Also, I'd like to ask everyone for monthly tickets and recommendation tickets. Please, if you can, toss me a few. If you don't, I'll just have to dig into my own pockets~