It was the middle of the night. Unless someone had called for one, taxis were hard to find on the road. Besides, I didn't feel like taking one.
I found a shared bike by the roadside and rode it all the way to Workers and Peasants Sixth Village.
The night wind chilled me. The quiet, deserted surroundings also made me uneasy.
I parked the bike in the lot by the entrance and jogged into the residential complex.
The old man in the guard booth had already dozed off. A phone on the table was playing an old song. As I approached, I could hear a soft, haunting female voice through the screen window. It was pretty creepy in the middle of the night.
When I reached Building Six and unlocked the door, the iron gate clanged loudly, and all the hallway lights in the building came on. My heart leaped into my throat. I was especially careful when closing the door, but whether it was because the gate was shoddily made or deliberately designed that way, the lock made a tremendous noise when it clicked shut.
I was inclined to think it was the former. The big iron gate at my own apartment building didn't have that problem. When I opened and closed it, I barely made a sound.
With all the motion-activated lights on, it was much easier to climb the stairs.
When I reached the third floor, the lights timed out and suddenly went out all at once. I jumped again.
My vision went dark, and I could barely see even the moonlight.
I turned on my phone and used the faint glow of its screen to see.
As I climbed step by step to the sixth floor, I sensed the extra yin energy in the air and