One, Two, Three

In the pitch-black stairwell, the only sounds were Jiang Chen and Zhao Xiaodong's distinct footsteps, along with Zhao Xiaodong's breathing, which trembled despite his best efforts to control it.

When they reached the second floor, they heard pounding footsteps in the corridor.

The footsteps first headed toward the far end of the corridor, then doubled back, approaching them.

Jiang Chen raised a hand to signal Zhao Xiaodong to take two steps back, then leaned out. He could vaguely make out a figure running toward them through the darkness, shouting as he ran, "I've already seen you! Don't run! Stop!"

"That's Yang Zhi's voice," Zhao Xiaodong whispered, a strange feeling rising inside him. "Has he gone crazy? What's he chasing in an empty building with no lights in the middle of the night?"

After watching for a moment, Jiang Chen suddenly said, "Take a deep breath and brace yourself. Don't get too nervous in a minute."

Then he gave one more instruction before quietly slipping into a room beside the stairs.

Soon, a tall young man came running over. Spotting Zhao Xiaodong immediately, he raised a security baton he had found somewhere and was about to bring it down.

"It's me! Zhao Xiaodong! Yang Zhi, have you fucking lost it?!" Zhao Xiaodong hurriedly shouted.

The young man froze, then took two more steps forward and looked him over carefully before lowering the baton. "Damn, it's you. What are you doing here?"

Have you fucking lost your memory? Zhao Xiaodong thought.

I came to use the bathroom and told you to wait outside. Now you're asking what I'm doing here?

"I just happened to be passing by. Anyway, why are you running back and forth? Have you gone crazy?" Zhao Xiaodong asked.

"Oh, I picked this up on the first floor just now. When I looked up, I saw a murderer run right past me, so I chased him up here," Yang Zhi answered as though it were perfectly natural.

The strange feeling inside Zhao Xiaodong only grew stronger.

Wouldn't any normal person fucking run away if they encountered a murderer? And you chased him...

He studied Yang Zhi several times, sensing something unfamiliar about his longtime friend. Something about his condition felt wrong.

Then Yang Zhi scratched his head again and muttered, "Weird. I clearly saw him run up here. I've searched several times and still can't find him. Where the hell did he go?"

As he spoke, he took a couple of steps, turning slightly sideways.

Zhao Xiaodong's eyes suddenly went wide, and he sucked in a sharp breath.

He hadn't noticed while they were facing each other, but now he saw an old man in a security uniform following behind Yang Zhi. The old man was also scratching his head and turning slightly sideways, practically pressed against Yang Zhi's back as he copied his movements.

The difference was that Yang Zhi held a security baton, while the guard held a sharp knife.

No wonder Yang Zhi said he couldn't find the person who'd run upstairs. That person had been behind you the whole time!

Zhao Xiaodong clenched his fists, digging his nails into his palms and using the pain to force himself to calm down. Even so, his lips trembled as he said, "Yang Zhi, I think I just saw someone run toward the bathroom over there. Why don't you go take a look?"

"Really? Great!" Yang Zhi exclaimed excitedly, then ran down the corridor to the left with his security baton, his footsteps pounding.

Zhao Xiaodong's legs felt weak. The old guard's eyes were entirely white, and his cheekbones were deeply sunken, as though all the flesh beneath his skin had rotted away. Before leaving, he had even turned to glance at Zhao Xiaodong, an ambiguous smile on his aged face. Zhao Xiaodong had been marked too!

Then he remembered something. Supporting himself against the wall, he stepped out just in time to see Yang Zhi run past the first room on the left. Another figure quietly emerged from the darkness and actually followed behind the guard, practically pressed against his back, copying his movements.

This person also held a sharp knife!

"Fuck! Jiang Chen is absolutely insane. Sticking himself behind a Back-Sticking Ghost? Nobody without some kind of mental disorder would ever pull a stunt like that!"

Zhao Xiaodong's legs grew even weaker. After their encounter with a ghost, Jiang Chen had initially made him feel incredibly safe. But the more time he spent with him, the more he realized that Jiang Chen was every bit as terrifying as a vicious ghost!

Yang Zhi reached the end of the corridor. Someone had switched off the main breaker for the entire dining hall building, leaving every room he passed pitch-black. Yet the bathroom lights were on, and a large mirror hung above the sinks.

Yang Zhi cautiously scanned the bathroom a few times, then raised his security baton and stood on tiptoe, intending to sneak inside and catch the murderer off guard.

Behind him, the guard and Jiang Chen made the same movements.

The scene instantly became utterly bizarre.

Three figures pressed close together, all tiptoeing forward.

As he passed the mirror, Yang Zhi caught something out of the corner of his eye, and a trace of confusion rose inside him. Weird. Why does it feel like I'm not the only person in the mirror?

He took two more steps.

Behind him, the guard also froze for a moment.

He thought to himself.

Weird. Why does it feel like there are more than two of us in the mirror?

"The Back-Sticking Ghost felt confused. Ghost Qi +10."

Unable to resist, Yang Zhi turned to look at the mirror. When he saw the reflection clearly, he froze on the spot, his pupils abruptly dilating. "So you were..."

Before he could finish, he was interrupted.

The guard's sinister voice rang out. "Heh heh, you found me. Then I'll just have to butcher you..."

He raised his sharp knife high, aiming at Yang Zhi's back, right behind his heart.

But just then, the guard felt a sudden pang of dread. He, too, turned his head to glance at the mirror, and in the next instant, the ghost froze on the spot.

In the mirror, a young man stood behind him, also holding a sharp knife high, a strange grin on his face.

"Someone's following behind me too? What the hell! Ghost Qi +50!"

"Heh, you found me. Then I'll just have to kill you to keep you quiet," Jiang Chen said mockingly. His knife plunged down, piercing the guard's back and driving into his heart.

"Hrk, hrk, hrk..." Strange sounds escaped the guard's mouth, as though bloody foam had clogged his throat. The blow had actually failed to kill him. He suddenly twisted around and swung his knife at Jiang Chen.

"Die!" His face was filled with venomous hatred.

Splat!

A fist punched straight through the guard's body, spraying chunks of flesh all over Yang Zhi's face.

"Aaaah!!!"

The six-foot-three man let out a scream as though he were being raped.