The Imprint

The corridor was too deep, too quiet.

It was as if it stretched on endlessly.

When they first arrived, a woman had led the way, so they hadn't noticed. Now, it looked like the standard opening to a horror movie.

After turning the last corner, the group finally reached the end of the corridor.

On the left was the women's restroom, and on the right...

Jiang Cheng turned his head to look at the mottled, half-open iron door on the right. A strange emotion flickered across his features.

"Here," Yu Wen tilted her chin, pointing at the men's restroom door on the right. "Let's go in and take a look."

No one questioned her decision, as almost everyone could smell the blood.

The closer they got to the men's restroom door, the stronger the scent of blood became.

Finally, Luo Yi reached out and pushed the door open.

The moment he opened it, he quickly stepped back. The light inside was very dim, and none of them immediately entered. They waited for their eyes to adjust to the darkness.

Gradually, the scene inside became clearer.

Zhou Taifu, who was at the front, felt his legs go weak and collapsed onto the floor.

Zhang Yinyin was so terrified her face lost all color, her lips turning pale.

Her teeth chattered uncontrollably, and she couldn't utter a single word.

Long Tao was standing in front of everyone, his head slightly raised, his body stiff. He looked as if he had just been pulled out of a pool of blood.

Just like the Qipao Woman, his jaw was gone.

His exposed gums were ghastly and ugly, with broken teeth embedded in the mangled flesh, like maggots writhing in rotting meat.

Fatty, like Jiang Cheng, had eaten a lot for breakfast. His stomach churned violently, and he vomited blood in a spray that splattered everywhere.

On the mirror, by the sink, even on the moldy ceiling. It was clear the murder had happened in an instant, perhaps in a fraction of a second, Long Tao's jaw had been torn off by an immense force.

The flesh was twisted, and the tearing marks were clearly visible.

One could even see pale trachea and other shattered tissues.

Yu Wen was the first to step forward, with Jiang Cheng closely behind her.

The two moved cautiously, carefully choosing where to place their feet.

The sound and slippery sensation of their shoes stepping into the blood made them feel extremely uncomfortable.

The corpse's hands hung straight down at its sides. Jiang Cheng touched the deceased's forearm and found the muscles extremely taut.

There were no signs of struggle, and the scene was remarkably well-preserved.

Fatty said tremblingly, "Look. Look at his eyes."

The corpse's eyes were wide open, its eyebrows dramatically raised. Before death, he must have seen something extremely terrifying.

Even in death, his face held an indescribable terror.

Blood even stained the corners of his eyes.

"His tongue is gone too," Yu Wen retracted her hand.

This made some people wonder if she was accustomed to dealing with corpses, otherwise, she wouldn't be so calm.

Especially with a dead body right in front of them.

It was normal for people to die in nightmares. What they needed to do was figure out the cause of death.

At this point, Zhou Taifu, whose complexion had slightly improved, said frantically, "Long Tao. Why did Long Tao enter the men's restroom? According to our previous agreement, he should have gone to the women's restroom."

"That's right," Zhang Yinyin quietly agreed. "I remember that woman told him to go to the women's restroom."

Luo Yi touched his chin and said after a pause, "Could it be that Long Tao entered the women's restroom first, discovered the danger there, and then switched to the men's restroom?"

"No," Jiang Cheng said while looking around. "Long Tao never entered the women's restroom. He came straight here."

"What evidence do you have?"

Unexpectedly, Jiang Cheng merely glanced at the questioner and said, "If he had truly discovered something unusual in the women's restroom, do you think he would have had the chance to escape from the women's restroom and enter the men's restroom?"

"Perhaps the ghost deliberately drove him into the men's restroom?" Zhen Jianren sneered. "You can't rule that out."

Jiang Cheng's attitude made him extremely displeased.

Jiang Cheng spread his hands, appearing very innocent. "If you insist on thinking that way, then I won't argue with you."

"Yes, I also think Mr. Hao's point is valid," Yu Wen said after thinking for a moment. "What we need to do next is determine the identity of this ghost and uncover its story."

Hearing Yu Wen's words, Zhou Taifu's expression became agitated. "You... you still want to find the ghost? Wouldn't it be better for us to hide? The mission will be over in 7 days anyway!"

Luo Yi stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, then suddenly laughed. "Nightmares are never short of naive people. It's quite troublesome because you can't describe foolishness with the word 'naive'."

Zhou Taifu's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"Mr. Zhou Taifu, the jeweler," Luo Yi tilted the brim of the Hat Man's hat to the right, revealing a scar on his forehead. This changed his entire demeanor. "Are you sure you can leave here safely in seven days?"

Grand Tutor Zhou looked at the young man who had shed his disguise. No, no, he wasn't very young; he looked at least thirty-five.

Just then...

"Huh?" Jiang Cheng crouched down, staring intently at a corner of the bathroom.

Hearing the sound, the others walked over.

Following Jiang Cheng's gaze, they saw irregular marks on the messy floor.

They were hard to notice if you didn't look closely.

"What is this?" Fatty asked, confused.

At the same time, Yu Wen and the others also noticed the anomaly on the ground.

Most of the marks were concentrated near Long Tao's corpse, like something an animal had left.

Yu Wen reached out and touched them. The marks were still fresh, easily distinguishable from the old stains on the floor. "They look like hoofprints."

Yu Wen seemed very experienced. After observing for only a few seconds, she drew a conclusion and looked up, "Similar to a goat, or an antelope."

Fatty's eyes widened. He stared at Yu Wen, stammering, "You-you don't mean to say a goat tore off his chin, do you?"

This was too preposterous. It wasn't like they were telling an ancient Greek myth.

Yu Wen ignored him and continued to lower her head, following the direction of the marks. She discovered that whatever left them had walked in a large circle within the bathroom.

After pushing open the stall doors one by one, they found a pile of excrement in the fourth stall.

It was still fresh.

It should have been left by Long Tao.

"He was killed by a ghost right after he finished using the toilet and was about to leave the bathroom," Fatty took a deep breath. This was an obvious conclusion.

Although they had prepared themselves, the atmosphere in the team became heavy with the appearance of the second victim.

Part of it was the bizarre deaths of Qipao Woman and Long Tao.

An even larger part was due to the mysterious goat.

Tomorrow is the 30th. Gentle Sleep-Inducer and Southern Noble Prince wish you all a Happy New Year!!

Wishing everyone a year full of vigor and success in all endeavors!

And wishing my new book great success!

Your support has been indispensable on this journey. Thank you for being there. I'm grateful for you.

It's good to have you all.