"A location like this, a building like this—left unused? They must have more money than sense."
Behind him came the familiar voice of Lin Tianheng. In that short span of time, he and Dai Minghan had also arrived at the address Ye Sheng had provided. They had expected a desolate spot, but instead, this abandoned building stood right in the midst of a bustling area.
Still, Lin Tianheng was right. In such a prime location, a building like this could never fail to be rented out. Its abandonment here surely hid some significant secret.
Through the dust-laden glass door, they peered inside. The empty lobby held a few plastic chairs lying askew. A black cat, which had somehow slipped into the building, stood up from one of the chairs, glanced at the uninvited guests through the glass, and then darted swiftly into a corridor.
They had assumed the abandoned building would be devoid of people. But as Dai Minghan pushed open a side door, a stern voice rang out from behind them: "Who are you? What are you doing?!"
Turning around, they saw an old man in his fifties, wearing a faded blue shirt washed nearly white. He looked like a janitor or some kind of caretaker. It seemed that although the building was abandoned, it wasn't entirely unmanaged. Someone was stationed here, perhaps because some items—neither valuable enough to bother with nor worthless enough to discard—had yet to be removed, or maybe because the building's owner refused to give up hope, still dreaming of one day renovating and renting it out again.
As the old man approached with a wary expression, Dai Minghan remained unfazed. He casually pulled out a black object resembling an ID card, waved it in front of the old man, and said in a flat tone, "We're from the Land and Housing Department. Official business. This is my work ID."
Though the explanation was riddled with holes, the old man inexplicably took the "work ID," studied it with a pretense of seriousness, then handed it back. His expression softened as he said, "Ah, I see. Take your time, then. But I should warn you—finish up and leave quickly. This place... it's not good."
Chen Mo's heart stirred. He reached out to stop the man. "Sir, what do you mean by that?"
"Nothing special. I started guarding this place the year before last, and I've only heard rumors. This building... it had some trouble in the past. Nothing more. Even we don't go inside unless we have to."
Since the old man had only started guarding it two years ago, he likely knew little about what happened before the building was abandoned. Chen Mo asked no further questions and stepped into the building. A thick wave of dust immediately hit him.
According to online records, the Rinz Corporation had once boasted over 300 employees at its peak. Though sizable, it wasn't enough to occupy the entire building. Chen Mo's eyes swept the area and soon spotted a floor directory on one wall. Made of stainless steel, it featured movable slots for nameplates. Whenever a new company moved in, its nameplate would be inserted; when it left, the plate was removed—simple and convenient.
Now, though dust covered the nameplates, the lettering was still faintly visible. Chen Mo quickly found what he was looking for. On the fourth and fifth floors—two consecutive vacant spaces—the sixth and seventh floors bore nameplates clearly marked with "Rinz Technology Co., Ltd."
That mysterious game company was indeed here!
An abandoned building, of course, had no working elevators. Even if it did, the participants wouldn't dare use them. Walking through a building that had lain deserted for seven years, every step stirred up dust. The swirling particles, caught in the dim light, created an eerie atmosphere.
Second floor, third floor, fourth floor... Chen Mo silently counted to the sixth floor and stopped. He felt for the handle of the fire door and tried turning it. Fortunately, it wasn't locked.
With a creak, the door swung open, the sound echoing faintly in the empty space. Before him stretched a winding corridor, flanked by rooms partitioned with frosted glass that looked like offices.
Passing through these offices, he reached an open area of about twenty or thirty meters, with a curved counter resembling a reception desk. On it sat a dusty empty vase, while shards of glass and scattered debris littered the floor.
Following the broken glass upward, Chen Mo saw a window frame shattered by some unknown force, clearly providing an entry point for wildlife. But none of this was what he sought.
This floor was evidently quite large, and Chen Mo still didn't know exactly what he was looking for or where it might be hidden. Yet he believed that, as if guided by some divine will, the clues meant for him would inevitably appear, arranged by the story itself.
"Let's split up and search. Speed things up. It's best not to stay here too long."
Dai Minghan didn't need to say it for everyone to understand. Though the old man hadn't been explicit, a perfectly good building abandoned in a bustling area practically had "haunted" written all over it.
Ye Sheng and Li Kai nodded in unison, and the five of them dispersed across the floor. Fortunately, though the hall was spacious, it was simply divided into workstations by partitioned desks with railings. Though separated by some distance, they could still see one another.
Though seven years had passed since the abandonment, the scattered notice boards, papers strewn across the floor, and computers left behind suggested the company's closure had been hasty—so hasty that even the computers hadn't been moved.
As if everyone had suddenly vanished into thin air.
Chen Mo looked up at a dust-covered computer in front of him. On a whim, he reached out and pressed the power button.
The computer, long disconnected from power, naturally wouldn't start. But the next second, Chen Mo froze.
Right beside the monitor, a silver USB drive caught his eye, stark and unexpected.
"This is..."
He wasn't sure if this was a hint from the story, but he reached out and picked up the USB drive. Just then, his gaze suddenly locked.
On the dust-covered computer screen, he saw a reflection—a figure standing not far behind him.
This shadow in the screen wasn't one of the other participants. They wouldn't stand silently behind him without moving.
So who was it?
A ghost drifting through this building?!
Hesitating for a moment, Chen Mo made up his mind and spun around.
The shadow was gone.
But in that instant, with a loud crash, the floor beneath him gave way, cracking apart. Chen Mo barely had time to think "Damn it!" before he plunged downward with the collapsing floorboards, swallowed by a cloud of rising dust.