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墨書 Inktalez
Ziya gritted her teeth against the pain in her knees and slowly lifted her head. A grotesque face loomed before her, its cold, sinister eyes fixed on her. The sight terrified her to the core. Trembling, she fought against the pain and desperately tried to scramble away, but whether this person was human or ghost, every pore in her body seemed to open up in fear, and one word echoed in her mind: run. To her horror, the figure moved faster than she could react, swiftly grabbing her by the neck. A foul stench emanated from him, making her gag.
He covered her mouth tightly and dragged Ziya toward the elevator. She kicked and struggled, but all that escaped her lips were muffled sounds of distress.
In a frantic attempt to escape, Ziya reached back to grab at his clothes but accidentally knocked Zhou Chen's phone to the ground. Her eyes locked onto the phone as she tried to inch backward to retrieve it. The man noticed and quickly picked up the phone before she could reach it, still keeping his grip around Ziya's neck. Despite her efforts to kick and squirm, he seemed unfazed, breathing heavily as he held onto her.
"Move again, and I'll kill you..." Ziya recognized the voice; it was a familiar man. She wanted to say something, but his grip was too tight for any words to escape.
The man pulled out a knife he had prepared earlier and pressed it against her neck as he dragged Ziya toward the elevator. Not far away, Cleaner Liu had just finished washing a rag and stepped out of the restroom when he heard heavy breathing that sounded like someone struggling for air. Thinking someone might have fallen, he hurried toward the source of the noise.
To his shock, he saw Ziya being dragged toward the elevator. Gathering his courage, he shouted, "Who are you? Let her go!" Then he called out down the hallway, "Someone! Help!"
People from both upstairs and downstairs quickly rushed to the twelfth floor upon hearing Liu's cries. The man holding Ziya looked at them nonchalantly through his disheveled hair that obscured his forehead.
"I want to see Zhang, the Chief Editor! Bring him here!" he shouted suddenly. Upon hearing his voice, some in the crowd recognized him immediately.
"Lao Ran... what do you want? Let the girl go... we can talk this out; don't do anything rash." The crowd erupted into chaos at this recognition, condemning Lao Ran for targeting a defenseless girl.
"Bring me Zhang, the Chief Editor! If anyone dares call the police, I will kill her! My wife and mother died because of her; now I want revenge!" Lao Ran continued to shout angrily, a foul odor escaping from his mouth that hinted at alcohol consumption. His unkempt hair concealed his face enough that no one recognized him as the missing Lao Ran until he spoke.
The atmosphere was tense as everyone exchanged worried glances; where could they find Zhang? He had likely vanished without a trace, leaving behind this mess for others to deal with. Ziya struggled to breathe as Lao Ran's hand tightened around her neck; she felt on the verge of suffocation.
The standoff continued between Lao Ran and the crowd as he backed up further against the wall beside the elevator with Ziya in tow. He only needed one hand free to press the elevator button, but if he relaxed even slightly, they would pounce on him. Lao Ran anticipated this; facing the crowd while keeping a firm grip on Ziya's neck, he scanned their movements warily.
Just then, Zi Anqing and her husband Liu Haoming rushed up from the stairs and froze at the sight before them. Yuan Ye quickly followed suit; upon seeing what was happening, they both pulled out their phones with trembling fingers. Anqing covered her mouth with tears welling in her eyes as she pleaded with Lao Ran, "Please let my daughter go! I’ll give you anything—money… just don’t hurt her… please…" Her sobs tugged at everyone's heartstrings; some even considered slipping away unnoticed.
"Anyone who dares call or move… I’ll stab her right now!" Lao Ran threatened decisively as he pressed the blade against Ziya's neck, a thin line of blood seeping from where it grazed her skin.
"Alright, calm down and don't act impulsively. We're not making any calls." Liu Haoming and Yuan Ye quickly laid the phone flat, intending for the other party to see that it was not dialed.
"I want to see Zhang, the Chief Editor. Bring him to me immediately..." Lao Ran was stubbornly insisting on meeting Zhang, the Chief Editor. Did he not know that Zhang had been in a car accident? Liu Haoming pondered silently.
"Okay, tell me why you must see him. Let's see if I can help you, or we can calmly go to the conference room to discuss this," Liu Haoming maintained an unusually calm demeanor. He stared intently at the other person, his sincere gaze devoid of any hint of insincerity. Lao Ran, peering through his disheveled hair, deliberated for a long time before suddenly erupting into a frenzy of shouting.
"You are all devils! Everyone here will die; no one can escape... She has already come... Zhang, the Chief Editor, is a bastard, and that stinking secretary is just a pair of dogs... Fascists! After working hard my whole life, just one contract and I'm fired... You rich people!"
At that moment, hidden among the crowd, a special police officer took aim at Lao Ran's forehead. A loud bang echoed as a bullet shot through the air towards Lao Ran. Ziya struggled to breathe, hearing the gunshot made her mind freeze momentarily; she wondered if that bullet would find its way into her own forehead.
Ziya was leaning against Lao Ran, her legs half-kicking forward as she fell to the ground. The bullet struck Lao Ran's forehead like a nail with a soft thud, causing the knife in his hand to drop to the floor. He had every opportunity to kill the girl in front of him; however, he had previously been captivated by her large eyes that were untouched by societal filth. As his limp body fell into Ziya's embrace when she was pulled in by Zi Anqing, he couldn't help but steal one last glance at Lao Ran. What deep-seated grudge did he have against Zhang, the Chief Editor? And why was Liu so eager to submit Lao Ran's resignation documents to HR?
…………………………Lao Ran's Situation
Later during the autopsy, a tumor about four centimeters in size was discovered in his skull. Furthermore, in his former office drawer, a medical report was found dated just after Lao Ran had interviewed the story of the missing woman. The report indicated that this patient had mild schizophrenia and exhibited a series of clinical symptoms including delusional fantasies.
It was unfortunate that during his illness he wanted to work longer at the News Agency but did not receive approval from his superiors. They constantly urged him to fill out his resignation report, nearly driving him into a state of madness. That time he secretly broke into Zhang's office unexpectedly caused him to faint from a splitting headache, only to be discovered by Liu. When he suddenly regained consciousness, his disheveled appearance frightened Yuan Ye and others into thinking he was possessed by a ghost...
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