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Lao Ran watched Ziya leave the office, letting out a sigh as he spoke to the empty air behind him, "Alright, I've done as you instructed. You have to spare my family now!"
A chilling, mocking voice floated in from nowhere, "How did you treat me back then? Are you regretting it now?" The voice was filled with deep resentment, twisting Lao Ran's face in horror.
"Who are you? Why are you haunting me?" Lao Ran's eyes widened in terror as he tried to see clearly, but all he felt was an indistinct presence. He couldn't tell if it was sweat or oil from his bald head that made his forehead shine even brighter.
"I crave blood; I seek revenge... Hahaha!" A shadow suddenly slipped out from Lao Ran's neck and drifted towards the door and down the corridor. Trembling in fear, Lao Ran fumbled with his phone, unable to press the buttons.
...
Ziya followed the woman upstairs. She was incredibly fast, disappearing in the blink of an eye. A musty odor intensified as Ziya climbed to the fourth floor. Qin Nannan trailed closely beside her, his face tense and suppressed. The dark corridor seemed charred and smoky; the cement walls were peeling and mottled.
The entire building appeared deserted. As Ziya stepped inside, she felt an eerie familiarity wash over her. With each step, she glanced around; the dim yellow lights flickered ominously like ghostly flames. An unsettling atmosphere enveloped her, making her break into a cold sweat. If only Qin Nannan would lighten the mood with his usual humor, but instead, he followed her like a shadow, silent and tense.
As Ziya walked down the corridor, it felt as though dust was falling from above. She constantly sensed something dropping on her head and awkwardly looked around. At the end of the hallway, she finally spotted the woman scolding her daughter—a frail figure standing pitifully at the door amidst a mess of clutter. There was also a liquefied gas stove with... a medicine bottle... that seemed to have cracked open... Just recalling this from her dream sent a shiver down her spine; something felt off, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was.
Continuing through the narrow, dim corridor, a strong wave of liquefied gas mixed with moldy odors suddenly invaded Ziya's nostrils, causing her breath to quicken. She hurriedly said to Qin Nannan, "Quick! There's a gas leak..."
Before Qin Nannan could respond, Ziya saw the woman still berating her daughter while fiddling with a lighter... A sense of urgency surged within her like never before as she shouted, "No! Auntie... don't..." Her voice startled both the woman and the girl; the woman paused in her attempt to ignite the lighter while Ziya let out a sigh of relief.
"What?" The woman looked up at Ziya with confusion.
"Auntie... please don’t use that lighter; right now your..." Ziya was still some distance away when suddenly the woman's phone rang. She quickly pulled it out and pressed a button... A static shock...
A loud explosion echoed through the air, and Ziya felt a powerful force and a wave of heat pushing her towards the stairway she had just come from. A shadow quickly grabbed her and leaped down to the windowsill at the stairway, the blast wave tearing apart the entire floor. Before her eyes was a sea of flames, and her eardrums buzzed with the sound of destruction. The fire spread rapidly after the explosion, fierce and relentless.
Ziya was dazed; she had jumped from such a height and somehow emerged unscathed, but Qin Nannan was nowhere to be found. Remembering that Lao Ran had entrusted her with something, she scrambled to her feet and rushed towards the already collapsed stairway.
"Don't go! Fierce girl..." The woman who had been at the door hurriedly grabbed Ziya as she jumped down from the windowsill. Miraculously, she was unharmed and quickly got back up, trying to re-enter the crumbled staircase.
"No... Ma'am... My senior is still inside... He... they..." The wailing sirens of an approaching ambulance drowned out Ziya's cries. The woman rushed to help the firefighters turn on the water valves to extinguish the flames. Since this was an old building on the verge of being evacuated, there were no fire extinguishers available; they could only use water to fight the fire.
Soon after, an ambulance arrived in a hurry. Doctors and nurses jumped out and saw Ziya covered in dust and ash. They quickly helped her up and asked if she was injured, attempting to place her on a stretcher.
"I'm not hurt... I'm fine; my senior saved me... Please go save them..." Ziya cried out hoarsely, tears of regret streaming down her cheeks.
Stumbling towards the collapsed floor, she shouted desperately, "Qin Nannan... Qin Nannan... Where are you?" Sweat poured down her face as her voice grew hoarse. She looked at the blazing fourth floor where Lao Ran's home was; the fire had already consumed the branches leaning against the windowsill.
"Hey... someone pull this girl away... Don't obstruct our firefighting efforts," a firefighter shouted angrily. However, doctors and nurses held onto her tightly while Ziya continued to scream Qin Nannan's name.
"How many people are upstairs?" the Fire Captain shouted.
"Three people," the busy woman replied hurriedly.
"No, there are four people..." Ziya broke free from the doctors' and nurses' grasp and shouted loudly at the firefighters.
"How many exactly?" The firefighter captain asked while directing his team to set up a ladder.
"Three," the aunt said, biting down hard.
"No, it's four. The one who came with me is my senior, his name is Qin Nannan..." Ziya suddenly noticed Qin Nannan right beside her. She smiled in silence, choosing not to argue with the aunt any further.
With several bursts from the water hoses, the raging flames were extinguished in an instant. Firefighters used a ladder to reach the windowsill and carried out three bodies that were beyond recognition—two adults and one child. The sight was horrifying.
"She must be confused. I clearly saw her come alone; how could it possibly be four people? My Aunt wouldn't lie. Besides, my eyes are still sharp; otherwise, they wouldn't have kept me here at work!" The aunt's voice grew agitated as she continued to argue with the firefighters.
Lao Ran, who had been on the phone when he heard the commotion, rushed over immediately. He stood frozen, staring at the scene before him until his legs gave way, and he collapsed to his knees, tears streaming down his face like a torrential river.
Ziya felt a wave of guilt wash over her as she saw Lao Ran's distress. She didn't want to engage with the aunt any longer; all that mattered was that Qin Nannan was safe. Yet, she couldn't shake off the feeling of letting Lao Ran down. Qin Nannan had been watching her with concern when suddenly, several more people rushed in through the door.
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