Chapter 27: Playing Hide-and-Seek, Stepping onto the Eighth Floor

The younger sister covered her ears with both hands. The sound emanating from the cistern was like harsh, static noise, piercing her eardrums and making her head feel as if it were about to split.

The older sister also held one side of her head, though she was clearly in less pain.

"Although my sister and I share the same talent, the voices she hears are far more intense than mine."

Ji Yan gazed at the moss-covered cistern and asked, "What exactly is that spirit saying?"

The younger sister, still clutching her head, replied: "It says it’s so cold and stuffy inside, it can't breathe... It's... it's calling for help."

Calling for help? So, the spirit is trapped inside. Who threw it in there?

Ji Yan pondered for a moment. "You two stay here. I’ll go push back the cement slab of the cistern and see if it will come out."

With that, Ji Yan stood up and walked toward the cistern. Perhaps due to the bowl of black meat soup from the ghostly grandmother, which had been infused with "100 points of ghostly energy," the massive cement slab weighing several hundred pounds felt as light as a wooden board, moving aside with just a bit of effort from Ji Yan.

He pushed the slab, creating an opening about the length of a forearm. The next second, a thick, foul stench surged out from the cistern along with a cloud of black mist.

Ji Yan peered into the pitch-black interior. He vaguely caught sight of a pair of ghostly white eyes, staring straight at him. In the next moment, a bloated, pale-black hand covered in blisters reached out and gripped the edge.

"Don't be nervous. I'm here to help you get out." Seeing that the entity didn't attack immediately, Ji Yan attempted to communicate. If he could get this spirit out, the water contamination problem in the cistern should be resolved.

However, as soon as Ji Yan spoke, those ghostly white eyes turned malicious: "Get out!!"

In a flash, the pitch-black hand lunged toward Ji Yan’s throat. Having already braced himself, Ji Yan slammed his nail hammer onto the hand before it could touch him. With a sharp tug, he tore off a piece of rotting flesh. The spirit inside quickly retracted its hand.

"What the hell? It’s calling for help, but it won't let anyone save it!" Ji Yan frowned, looking at the piece of rotting meat.

The older sister, Zhong Yi, spoke from behind: "That spirit will only allow its father to save it. It won't accept help from anyone else."

The younger sister, Zhong Ting, added, "It says this is a game of hide-and-seek. As long as its father hasn't found it, the game isn't over, and it hasn't lost yet."

"Hide-and-seek? Which room does it belong to?"

The two sisters shook their heads. "It's already impressive that we can hear this much; it’s been wailing like a banshee the whole time!"

Ji Yan’s eyes flickered, and suddenly thinking of something, he picked up the chunk of rotting flesh. Instantly, his [Omniscient Insight] triggered, and a hidden piece of information popped up before his eyes.

*[That day, Daddy played hide-and-seek with me. He said that as long as he hadn't found me, the game couldn't end. So I listened to him, ran out of Room 804, and hid in the rooftop cistern. It's so cold, so stuffy... why hasn't Daddy found me yet?]*

Ji Yan’s brows twitched. "Room 804, an 8th-floor resident..."

He felt a headache coming on. The residents of the 8th floor were all tough characters; he really didn't want to deal with them. But if their child had been hiding in the rooftop cistern this whole time without being found, was it simple negligence, or was it intentional?

He didn't dwell on it; at least now he had a target.

"Do you know where its father is?" The older sister, Zhong Yi, had sharp ears and caught Ji Yan’s mutterings.

"Room 804." Ji Yan hopped down from the cistern and discarded the rotting flesh. "Are you coming along?"

"How did you get that information?" the younger sister asked, glancing at the disgusting piece of meat.

"Everyone has their own talents, don't they?"

"What is your talent? It looks so powerful."

"It’s quite useless, nothing to brag about." Ji Yan waved his hand, determined not to reveal it.

The younger sister’s face flushed with anger. "That's not fair! I told you mine."

The older sister pulled the younger one behind her and asked, "You're going to the 8th floor? The residents of the 8th floor are..."

"How about you two go, and I'll stay here to keep watch?" Ji Yan countered.

The older sister smiled slightly. "You go ahead. My sister and I will stay here. If we pick up any more information, we'll let you know when you return."

"No rush. I have connections on the 8th floor." Ji Yan brushed the dust off his clothes.

The older sister looked slightly surprised. "You have a strategy for the residents on the 8th floor too? How good are your connections?"

"Let's just say we're on life-and-death terms," he replied. With a wave of his hand, Ji Yan turned and left the rooftop.

Once Ji Yan was gone, the younger sister tugged on the older one's sleeve. "Sister, he’s dealt with the ghostly residents on the 8th floor—should we try to get on his good side?"

The older sister shook her head. "You believe everything he says? Look at how stiff his smile was; he's just putting on a brave face. His profile says he’s only survived for seven days. Do you really think that's possible?"

***

8th floor.

As soon as his feet touched the corridor, his vision was severely obstructed. It was deathly silent; even the wandering nocturnal spirits seemed afraid to step onto this floor.

Ji Yan took the flashlight he had obtained from the ghostly mother out of his tool kit. Its orange, cold beam cut through the ink-like darkness. The 8th floor was exceptionally tidy—no trash, no blood—and the floor was even carpeted with a red runner.

Following the door numbers on both sides, Ji Yan quickly found Room 804.

Crouched by the doorway was a young boy wearing a traditional bellyband. He was playing with a dead bird. When he looked up and saw Ji Yan approaching with a flashlight, he held up the dead bird and asked with a grin, "Big brother, this one is dead. Do you have anything fun in your hands?"

Ji Yan looked at the half-open door behind the ghost child and asked, "Are your parents home?"

The boy giggled. "Hehehe, give me something fun, and I'll tell you."

Ji Yan was in a bind. The only things he had on him were three coffin nails and an eyeball he’d pried from the phantom spirit on the 7th floor.

Just as he was thinking, the half-open door swung wide. A white-haired woman in pajamas stepped out and picked up the child. She glanced at Ji Yan, her eyes like those of someone looking at a lowly rat eating garbage in a sewer: "Good boy, you forgot what Mommy said. Don't talk to these people from downstairs; they are filthy."

"You are Mommy’s treasure; don't let them contaminate you."

Ji Yan: "..."

The ghost child was unhappy. "Mommy, I have no toys left to play with. This big brother has lots of fun things, I want them!"

The ghostly mother paused, looking somewhat helpless.

Ji Yan seized the opportunity. "Sister, I'm looking for—"

The ghostly mother interrupted him, leaning down slightly to reveal a glimpse of her pale, private skin through her V-neck. "Calling me 'sister'—you've got a sweet mouth."

"Where do you live?"

Ji Yan had no choice but to answer, "The 4th floor."

"Oh, a visitor from the 4th floor." The ghostly mother followed up, "Is this your first time on the 8th floor?"

Ji Yan hesitated for a second, then gave a slight nod.

The ghostly mother let out a long "Oh," and her smile suddenly turned meaningful. "So, you mean you have no backing on the 8th floor?"

Ji Yan’s heart sank; he immediately sensed danger. Just as he was about to react, the mother’s previously smiling eyes turned arrogant and cold, and a hand had already clamped onto his throat.

It felt as if a reaper’s scythe had hooked his windpipe; his entire body went cold and numb.

The ghostly mother licked the corner of her mouth with a crimson tongue. "What a beautiful skin you have. To dare to come to the 8th floor alone in the middle of the night... who gave you the courage?"