Corner Space

"Corner Space"

1. Has been disguised for a certain number of years.

2. Can perfectly manifest "Phobia-concretization".

3. Has largely fulfilled the requirements given by the corner whispers.

Upon meeting these three conditions, such an anomaly becomes essentially complete, or rather, "mature."

The "Mind Corner" existing between their Pituitary Glands will also manifest physically.

The surface of the Pituitary Gland will develop a 'Corner Crevice,' which can not only affect their own bodies but also influence a small area of reality, constructing their own unique Corner Space.

This space has the following characteristics:

1. "Difficult to Form": To independently form a Corner Space is not something that can be accomplished overnight.

It requires the individual to be very familiar with the area, having left traces of their life there for a certain period, in order to project their Mind Corner into the environment and gradually influence and alter the space's form.

2. "Not a True Corner": The anomaly itself still falls within the category of Imposters, not true residents of the Corners, nor do they have the qualification to travel to the Corners.

They still fear the true Corners; in their current state, they would not survive if they were to fall into one.

Therefore, within the Corner Space, reality's "Corner Law" still applies, and generally, there will be no "Physical Corner."

3. "Extensibility": To some extent, it influences "reality," and the space is stretched to a certain degree, exceeding its original spatial area.

However, it might not be a true spatial extension but rather an influence on the intruder's mind.

4. "Lair": Within this environment created by themselves, the Imposter becomes like a fish in water, more difficult to deal with, and capable of displaying more complete Phobia-concretizations.

5. "Disguise": Like the Imposter, the Corner Space possesses the ability to disguise itself and can be turned [on or off].

When closed, it is almost indistinguishable from normal.

Once activated, the internal actions of the Corner Space are "silenced," with minimal noise transmitted to the outside, falling below human perception. Unless one possesses professional detection equipment, it would be difficult to detect the subtle fluctuations within the house at close range.

6. "Complete Lockdown":

Once trapped within, escape is difficult unless the Imposter who created the space actively allows it.

To escape, one must heavily damage the Imposter's main body, attacking their "Mind Corner," causing the entire Corner Space to become unstable.

Of course, killing the Imposter will also cause the space to naturally dissipate.

The class monitor rapidly analyzed the situation before him.

"From the very beginning, this woman had a backup plan. If the ambush and capture operation failed, she would use a pursuit to force us into the Corner Space located on the [Third Floor].

It would be impossible to climb down the stairs; we would inevitably be caught by the woman who excels at climbing walls.

Therefore, our only escape route is the stairs, which will inevitably lead us here, inevitably falling into the trap she set.

This way, [entering the room] is the only option. Luo Di, hurry over."

The class monitor was as cheerful as ever, maintaining a normal demeanor even while clearly understanding their current predicament. Standing at the turn of the stairs, he quickly waved his hand.

When Luo Di caught up, the class monitor pointed to the ceiling lamp in the hallway.

"We need to take this down and use it as a light source. Unlike Anna, I doubt I can carry you~ How about I stand on your shoulders?"

"Okay."

The class monitor hadn't even put on shoes when he went downstairs. He patted the dust off his feet and stepped directly onto Luo Di's shoulders.

He was very light.

Luo Di easily supported the class monitor, successfully retrieving the 'light bulb' from inside the lampshade.

Due to the importance of light sources, all public areas were equipped with rechargeable lighting. Once the handheld light source was destroyed, in dangerous situations like this, public lighting fixtures could be readily accessed.

The small incandescent lamp, with its handheld structure, was grasped by the class monitor. The stored electrical energy was sufficient to support twenty-four hours of illumination. Furthermore, the lamp tube had undergone hardening treatment, making it resistant to normal collisions.

With the light source secured, The class monitor leaped and landed steadily on the stairs.

Luo Di looked at the class monitor, who was wearing his clothes but no shoes, and said, "Shoes and weapons, aren't these two essential for exploration? If your foot steps on something and gets injured, your movement will be greatly restricted."

The class monitor also looked helpless. "What can I do? Who knew an Imposter would break into your house in the middle of the night, especially in a sealed-off community?

We can only see if there are suitable shoes when we enter the room later, and then go to the kitchen to find a cleaver.

By the way, if we just stay here on the stairs and don't go into the room, is there any chance we could wait until tomorrow morning?"

"No chance."

Luo Di pointed to the upper staircase within his line of sight. A thin layer of black hair had already spread across it and was currently slowly creeping downwards.

The class monitor's expression immediately fell. "It's my fault, my fault~ If I hadn't come to find you today, perhaps none of this would have happened."

"As long as we survive."

"Okay."

The two turned their gaze towards the Third Floor, the only place where a potential escape route might exist.

The mottled yellow wooden door exuded an aura of age. A character for "Fu" was pasted on it, neither right-side up nor upside down. The couplets that should have adorned its sides had been torn off, leaving behind faint traces of an unsettling red.

As the two approached, Creak~

The wooden door swung outward on its own. The gap it revealed was exactly the same width as when the class monitor had knocked that morning, giving the impression that an eye might peer out at any moment.

Luo Di had already unfastened his "Corner-transforming item."

A shroud used for storage was wrapped around the hilt and his palm, preventing the knife from slipping during combat.

Furthermore, this shroud had been wrapped around the knife for the past six months, and had absorbed some of the yin energy from the jiangshi. This wrapping would further enhance Luo Di's connection to the blade.

Luo Di held the knife close to the wooden door, peering inside through the gap.

He could only vaguely make out red lighting and old furnishings within; no eyes peered out as he had expected.

Creeeak~

Using the blade as leverage, he pushed the wooden door fully open.

A large red lantern hung at the entrance, bathing the interior in a red glow that illuminated the general layout. The style of decoration was distinctly old-fashioned Chinese.

At the entrance stood a shoe cabinet with large patches of peeling paint, reinforced with numerous iron nails.

Red and white checkered square tiles covered the floor, dusted with a light layer of grime. Some tiles were cracked, with small spiders even crawling out from them.

The white wall paint had peeled extensively, and thick cobwebs draped the ceiling.

The class monitor followed closely into the eerie room and cautiously opened the long-sealed shoe cabinet. Despite its ample space, it contained only two pairs of shoes.

One pair was women's embroidered shoes, the other men's cloth shoes, and their sizes perfectly matched the two of them.

The slippers Luo Di was wearing were casual outdoor shoes that fit his feet snugly; there was no need to change them.

However, the class monitor was in dire need of new shoes.

"Wait~"

Luo Di picked up the embroidered shoes. He gently sliced the cleaver, its blade covered in jiangshi skin, against the surface of the shoes. The shoe's exterior was not corroded by the corpse poison, and the pituitary gland within the blade showed no reaction, indicating that the shoes were perfectly normal.

"No problem."

"Thanks."

As the class monitor slipped on the well-fitting embroidered shoes, a chilling laugh echoed from the depths of the room, as if the woman was waiting within.