Everyone had come up the stairs, so if anyone had been there, they would surely have noticed. Besides, Players had sharp senses; there was no way they wouldn't notice a security guard getting close... Had the guard not shown up, or had he already appeared without their knowing?
While their thoughts were in turmoil, footsteps suddenly sounded from upstairs.
Everyone tensed at once and immediately moved aside.
As the footsteps drew closer, a beam of light slowly descended from upstairs. Under its glow, the Players tucked into the corner between the fire door and the stairwell couldn't make out the security guard's face. They could only see him holding up a light and turning in a set pattern. After a quick look around, he continued downstairs.
That was only one guard. What about the other two?
The Players who had been avoiding the guards didn't hurry back upstairs. Sure enough, it wasn't long before a second guard came down, keeping the same pace and checking things the same way. He turned his light in a circle, then left.
The first two sets of footsteps faded away. Everyone waited for the third guard, as if waiting for the other shoe to drop. But unlike the first two, the third guard suddenly appeared on the floor where Zong Lanzhi and the others were hiding, his light instantly shining down the stairwell.
But wherever the beam passed, there was nothing except drifting dust.
Zong Lanzhi and the others had moved in advance and managed to avoid him, but the sudden appearance still gave them a fright. They feared the guard might flash into existence right in front of them next.
Fortunately, it only happened once. The third guard left soon afterward.
Once they confirmed that all three guards had gone to other buildings,