Chapter 124: Startled Retreat
The cloth doll smeared with fake blood arced through the air and struck the shadow.
Strangely enough, the formless shadow, after being hit by the doll, paused at the doorway. Its arm seemed to be caught by the doll's bite.
"Nice one!"
Chen Ge aimed his flashlight at the dark figure. Under the light, the shadow began to writhe and its color faded. The mirror monster, deprived of its anchor, was more fragile than Chen Ge had imagined. It shed part of its body and fled into Room 302.
The discarded part of the monster quickly vanished, whether dissipating in the room or being secretly devoured by Little Little, Chen Ge couldn't tell.
"Eating this stuff seems to do something for Little Little." Chen Ge stuffed Little Little into his pocket, grabbed his tool hammer, and smashed it against the lock of Room 302's door.
"Come out!"
Dust and rust flaked off the old iron door, and even the doorframe trembled.
The commotion was too loud. Nearby tenants were disturbed, and the door of Room 301 next door cracked open.
"What's all the noise about?" The slovenly middle-aged man, holding a beer bottle, looked furious. Before he could fully step out, the iron door of Room 302 was suddenly pushed open from inside. The young man living there, brandishing a kitchen knife, his face flushed with blood, charged at Chen Ge like a madman.
"Has the mirror monster entered his body?"
The hallway was narrow, with limited space to dodge. Chen Ge stepped back and noticed the slovenly man had opened his door.
He slipped inside and slammed the door shut.
The kitchen knife clanged against the iron door with a chilling sound. The young man from 302 had completely lost his mind, his eyes bloodshot.
His face twisted in fury, he said nothing, just hacked at the door of Room 301 in a frenzy.
From the look of it, he wanted to tear Chen Ge apart limb by limb.
But thinking about it, it was understandable. He had planned for weeks, nearly succeeding in taking over Door Nan's body, only for Chen Ge to barge in and ruin everything. Not only did he gain nothing, but he also had to sacrifice part of his own body to escape.
Blinded by rage, the hallway echoed with the relentless "thud, thud" of the knife striking the door.
"What's going on?" The slovenly middle-aged man inside was terrified, completely forgetting he had come out with a beer bottle to pick a fight. His legs weak, he leaned against the shoe cabinet and backed away.
"Help me out!"
The door wasn't locked and could be yanked open at any moment. Chen Ge shouted over his shoulder.
"I-I'll call the police." The middle-aged man didn't dare approach the door. He fumbled for his phone on the coffee table cluttered with beer bottles, knocking several over in his panic.
"I mean come over and help!" The door wouldn't lock, and the young man from 302 was hacking away wildly. Chen Ge didn't dare go out now.
The noise traveled far. Lights flicked on in the apartment building as tenants opened their doors to look outside.
In Room 304, after carrying Door Nan to the living room sofa, Dr. Gao heard Chen Ge's shouts and grabbed a stool before running out.
By then, the young man from 302 was red-eyed, all his focus on Chen Ge. Dr. Gao took the chance to approach slowly from behind, stool in hand.
When he got within a meter of the young man, he swung the solid wooden stool, aiming for the back of the young man's head. But Dr. Gao was too forceful, and his aim went off.
The young man lost his balance, stumbled forward two steps, and slumped against the door.
Clutching the kitchen knife, he twisted his neck, his bloodshot eyes glaring at Dr. Gao.
With a guttural roar, he was about to turn and attack Dr. Gao when Chen Ge seized the moment and kicked the door open.
The door panel slammed into the young man. Before he could react, Chen Ge grabbed a beer bottle from the floor and smashed it over his head.
"Smack!"
Shards flew, and blood appeared instantly.
Chenge lunged forward, tackled the young man from behind, and pinned him down. Dr. Gao moved in默契ly, wresting the kitchen knife from the young man's hand.
Even pinned, the young man struggled until other tenants in the building came out and headed their way, only then did he give up.
His face pressed against the cement floor, he turned his head and stared intently at Chen Ge, as if memorizing his face.
Two or three minutes later, the young man's eyes rolled back, and he suddenly stopped struggling and passed out.
At that same moment, the young man's shadow on the wall suddenly moved, darting swiftly downstairs.
Several people present saw it, but before they could react, the shadow had already rushed out of the stairwell and disappeared into the night.
"What was that?" Dr. Gao's eyes widened. Everything that had happened tonight was worth deep thought.
"I'm not sure either." The venomous look in the young man's eyes at the end felt very familiar to Chen Ge, similar to the mirror ghost he had encountered in the horror house: "Could these two things both come from that world inside the mirror?"
Chen Ge got up from the ground, wanting to give chase, but stopped as soon as he reached the second floor.
The landlady was blocking the stairwell, her face taut.
"Could this guy be possessed by the mirror monster?" Chen Ge stepped back a few paces, feeling a bit guilty for causing such a ruckus in her apartment building.
"What are you all doing in the middle of the night?" The woman came up to the third floor, followed by several long-time tenants who had also come out of their rooms.
Just as Chen Ge was wondering how to explain, the slovenly middle-aged man from Room 301 ran out with his phone, having hidden inside until now.
"Sis! It seems like brother-in-law is back again." The middle-aged man whispered in the landlady's ear. "Xiao Du from 302 was swinging a kitchen knife at people, kind of like what brother-in-law did back then."
As soon as he said that, the tenants behind him lost interest in the spectacle. Several ran straight back into their rooms and locked the doors.
"Wasn't everything fine before?" The landlady came to the third floor, surveyed the mess, and had the middle-aged man carry the young man from 302 to the hospital. She stopped in front of Chen Ge and Dr. Gao.
"We were just defending ourselves. That kid from 302 nearly slashed me."
"I know." The landlady paused, then said directly, "I still need to rent out this place. Making a big deal out of this won't be good. How about we let it go and not hold anyone responsible? I'll cover the kid's medical bills. Let's not call the police either, to give the kid a way out."
Hearing this, Chen Ge realized she probably knew some secrets about Room 303 and understood why the young man from 302 had gone mad.
After weighing the options, Chen Ge didn't want any trouble either. Since the black phone's task was already complete, there was no need to press further.
Chen Ge and Dr. Gao discussed it, and both agreed.
After seeing the landlady off, Dr. Gao returned to Room 304 to take care of Door Nan, while Chen Ge stayed in the living room, waiting. He still had many questions for the young man from 302.