Chapter 31: Who Is He?
"Eight?!"
"You've got to be kidding me?"
The moment Old Zhao spoke, everyone's hearts began to race. In the dim light of the Midnight Slaughter scene, they exchanged glances, their bodies frozen as if in place.
"Where's the eighth person?"
"Don't panic!" Brother Feng pulled out his phone at the critical moment, about to turn it on. On the other side of the corridor, the faint, almost imperceptible sound of chains suddenly grew urgent.
"Someone's there!"
Just as Brother Feng unlocked his screen, a monster covered in blood appeared around the corner of the hallway.
The timing was perfect, as if the monster had known their location in advance.
"What is that thing!"
Beneath a bloodstained doctor's uniform, a chain dragged along the floor. The monster hung its head low, carrying a hammer dripping with red liquid in its hand.
Everyone tensed up, except for Brother Feng, who managed to stay relatively calm. Ignoring Chen Ge's earlier advice, he turned on his flashlight directly inside the haunted house.
A beam of white light shot across the corridor, illuminating the monster from a distance.
The light caught the monster's attention. Black hair slid to the sides as it slowly lifted its head.
In that instant, everyone's hair stood on end. The monster's face was a patchwork of countless male faces stitched together, the seams running across its features!
At the same moment the light flickered on, the monster seemed triggered. It went berserk, charging at them with the blood-grooved hammer in hand!
Chains clattered against the walls, heavy, hurried footsteps echoed through the narrow hallway. The sick, frenzied figure grew closer and closer. Among the forensic medicine students, no one knew who took the first step back, but it set off a chain reaction. Forget about finding the extra person—they scrambled in all directions, fleeing for their lives.
Some ducked into nearby rooms, others bolted up the stairs to the second floor, and a few ran straight down to the first floor.
The scene was pitch-black, and everyone was terrified by the monster behind them. The ever-closer sound of chains and footsteps threw them into panic.
Seeking benefit and avoiding harm is a universal trait of living beings, a guarantee of evolution toward higher forms. When the brain senses danger approaching, they instinctively choose to flee.
Xiao Hui had been standing near the stairs when the monster charged. Caught off guard, she hesitated. Just then, the man beside her suddenly ran downstairs.
Overwhelmed by fear, Xiao Hui followed him without a second thought, her only goal to avoid being caught by the monster.
Her phone was lost somewhere. The fake calm and composure the forensic students had put on shattered, and screams echoed through the corridor.
The group scattered in chaos.
Xiao Hui trailed the figure ahead to the first floor. The screams from the third floor above hadn't stopped. The iron chains scraped against the steps—the monster seemed to be entering the stairwell too!
Too afraid to look back, Xiao Hui quickened her pace, clinging to the figure in front of her, desperate not to be left behind.
Eerie background music played in her ears, screams rang out, and unease and terror slowly engulfed Xiao Hui. She finally felt genuine fear.
The more scared she got, the less she wanted to be alone.
She pushed herself to catch up to the figure ahead. In the dark, terrifying haunted house, that figure became her anchor.
"Two people together—whatever happens, we can look out for each other."
Xiao Hui couldn't bear the thought of being left alone in the horror house. To avoid that, she bit her lip, sped up again, and grabbed the person's clothes.
The sound of chains behind her grew closer. The man ahead led her to the first floor and ducked into a random room.
"Dead end?" Xiao Hui paused at the doorway, but the man beside her didn't hesitate—he hid inside the room's only wardrobe.
With no other choice, Xiao Hui had two options: flee alone or join him in the wardrobe.
The dragging sound of chains grew clearer. She slipped into the wardrobe too.
The door clicked shut, and she felt like she'd entered another world—quiet, pitch-black. The only comfort was having a companion beside her.
Her makeup was ruined. Xiao Hui covered her mouth and peered through the crack in the wardrobe door.
The iron chain scraped the floor. The blood-stained doctor stopped at the doorway, hammer tapping against the frame. The stitched-together face leaned into the room.
Xiao Hui's heart pounded. She bit her finger, shrinking into the corner of the wardrobe, silently praying: "Don't come here. Please, don't come here."
Maybe God heard her. The doctor only glanced around briefly before leaving with the hammer.
Her racing heart finally slowed. Xiao Hui let out a sigh of relief and gently nudged the arm beside her. "It seems like the monster didn't find us. Later, let's go meet up with the others."
The narrow wardrobe echoed only her voice. After a long silence with no response, she sensed something was off and turned to look.
The man hiding with her in the wardrobe was of average build—neither fat nor thin.
"It's not Monkey or Old Zhao. Brother Feng is taller, and He Shan is shorter." Xiao Hui tentatively called out, "Old Song?"
Still no response. Xiao Hui's heart skipped a beat. "Old Zhao said there's an extra one among us..."
Blood rushed to her head. She felt short of breath, like she couldn't get enough air. She pulled out her phone from her pocket and, with the faint cold light of the screen, shone it beside her.
In the dark, sealed wardrobe, a pale, paper-white, completely unfamiliar face stared at her without blinking.
The phone slipped from her fingers. After two or three seconds of absolute silence, a scream that could pierce eardrums erupted from the wardrobe!
Xiao Hui scrambled backward, but there was nowhere to go in the cramped space. She jerked back, and the back of her head slammed into the wardrobe wall.
Whether from pain or fear, the stylish, trendy senior girl collapsed to the ground, clutching her head, looking like she was about to pass out.
"I told you not to use your phones in my haunted house." Chen Ge pushed open the wardrobe door, picked up the phone from the floor, and tucked it into the girl's pocket. He then called Xu Wan: "Xiao Wan, don't let anyone come to the first floor for now."
After giving instructions, he carried Xiao Hui into the bathroom, pushed aside the bathtub, and used the staff passage to take her outside the scene.
"Really short on hands." He grabbed a towel to cushion Xiao Hui's head, then re-entered the Midnight Slaughter scene.
"Six people left now."
Chen Ge restored the passage entrance and dialed Xu Wan's number. "Xiao Wan, where are you now?"
"First room on the left at the second-floor corner. I'll flush him out soon. You can circle around from the right and give him a 'surprise.'"
"Xiao Wan, you're learning bad habits."
"Compared to the boss, I still have a lot to learn."