1424. With two of its digits sounding like the word "death," the number seemed unlucky however he looked at it.
The instant the front door opened, a wave of icy air, carrying some unidentifiable odor, rushed straight into Xue Tingtao's nose and mouth, forcing him half a step back.
"Rustle, rustle, rustle..."
The red silk began rubbing against the coffin boards, producing an unbearable scraping sound.
The longer Xue Tingtao listened, the more it sounded as though something inside the coffin was clawing at the boards. He shuddered and turned his attention back to the open door of 1424.
The dark, unlit apartment seemed like a sealed space that had not been opened for a long time, finally releasing its accumulated odors upon contact with fresh air.
With a trembling hand, Xue Tingtao pulled the key from the lock and gently returned it to his chest. Feigning composure, he stepped through the doorway with his right foot.
The moment his right foot landed inside apartment 1424, a terrifying image accompanied by a shrill scream flashed through his mind without warning.
It was like a single slide abruptly inserted into his mind, sound and scenery striking together for just an instant.
Yet it branded itself deep into his mind like an implanted virus—a "child" steeped in pain and blood.
This was not a hallucination. It was an implantation on another level.
Xue Tingtao even felt as though he had been part of that scene. The immersion was so profound that it seemed like a memory that had always existed within him.
The disconnect lay in the fact that he could see only that single frame.
It was a continuous scene in motion, with the people and their movements blurred by their tremendous speed.
The most significant detail was undoubtedly the child