In the end, Chen Mo still walked up to the door with light seeping through it. But this time, just as he was about to press his ear against it, he suddenly noticed a peephole right in the center of the door.
Usually, peepholes on doors are installed to let those inside peek out at the situation outside. But this peephole was deliberately reversed, as if meant for someone outside to spy on what was inside.
Chen Mo didn't overthink it. He stepped forward and looked in.
Blood.
A vast pool of blood soaked the entire room!
A shattered corpse lay in the middle of the room, and with his back to the door, a man's silhouette walked over, holding an axe, his whole body trembling violently.
"Don't blame me for being ruthless. Blame yourself for not knowing when to quit and refusing to let go!"
"And that woman Song Qian—this is all her doing, she forced me!"
"At this point, how could I possibly give up? You know I need money, a lot of money. Song Qian can give me that. With that money, I can start my own career, and then we can still be together!"
"I really... didn't mean to kill you!"
By the end, the man suddenly burst into wails, as if he truly felt guilty.
Amid his cries, the light abruptly went out, like a stage play suddenly ending. Everything in the room came to a halt.
When the light flickered back on, all the blood and the figure vanished in an instant, as if nothing had ever happened here.
"This must be the scene the story is showing me of He Yatian's murder. I just don't know if there's deeper meaning."
Just then, Chen Mo noticed blood slowly seeping from the cracks in the wall opposite him, forming words on the white surface.
—Do you think you can abandon me like this? —Do you think your sins are unknown to anyone? —No! —I will never let you go! —If I can't have you, you'll never find her! —I want you all dead!
Each chilling blood-red character seemed to embody endless resentment!
As intense as the love was, so was the hatred!
At that moment, a faint creaking sound came from behind. Chen Mo turned around and saw the eerie female corpse, somehow already crawling up behind him.
"Damn, here it comes..."
Fortunately, Chen Mo was prepared this time. Instead of retreating, he charged forward, darting past the female ghost and rushing into the stairwell!
Behind him, the sound of bones cracking came again, signaling the ghost would soon give chase. Chen Mo had no time to think and could only turn and run downstairs.
Meanwhile, his mind raced.
What new clues did this second triggered scene add?
The most obvious was the introduction of a third person in the story—this Song Qian.
He Yatian's resentment wasn't just aimed at Jiang Yan; she also cursed Song Qian to death!
—If I can't have you, you'll never find her! —I want you all dead!
These two lines were clear enough.
This Song Qian was likely already dead, killed by He Yatian!
Was this scene hinting that he needed to find the story's second victim?
But how was he supposed to do that?
Just as Chen Mo felt lost, he suddenly felt a slight weight in his right pocket.
This was...
A phone?
His own phone was in his hand, but somehow, someone had slipped another phone into his pocket without him noticing.
Though puzzled, Chen Mo immediately pressed the power button.
"This is..."
Several large transfer records showed—this was Jiang Yan's phone!
Was this story telling him to do this?
A guess formed in his mind. Chen Mo quickly pulled up the call log and, sure enough, saw Song Qian's name listed.
To test his theory, he immediately pressed the call button.
Beep... beep... beep...
In this sealed, supernatural world, the call somehow went through. After a few rings, someone picked up, and a woman's voice came through the receiver.
"Hello?"
Chen Mo froze. Had his earlier guess been completely wrong? Was this woman named Song Qian actually still alive?
He hesitated before answering.
"Are you Song Qian? I need to talk to you urgently! You're... in danger!"
"Danger?" The woman on the other end sounded surprised. "What danger? I don't understand."
Chen Mo forced down his anxiety. "Song Qian, I have something very important to tell you. I need to find you right now. Where are you?"
Static crackled. Static crackled.
Like in so many horror stories, at this critical moment, a strange noise came through the receiver.
"Where are you?" Chen Mo repeated, his tone more urgent.
Static crackled. Static crackled.
"You're looking for me?"
"I'm right... behind you."
A bone-chilling cold spread from behind him. Accompanied by another clap of thunder, Chen Mo felt a strong sense of déjà vu!
Behind him, a dark figure slowly rose from the shadows. It was a woman in red, her black hair covering her face, arms hanging limp, with a cold, venomous expression fixed on Chen Mo as he turned around.
This wasn't He Yatian from before. In this story, there was now another female ghost.