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墨書 Inktalez
Ziya entered the office but found no one there, only a cashier checking on the replacement of the landscaping staff. With nothing else to do, she hurried to Liu's break room, only to find it empty. As she stepped inside, she noticed a phone lying next to a bench. Picking it up, she saw it was Liu's phone. She had intended to call her, but now the phone was here in the break room, and with such a large building, she had no idea where to find her.
Holding Liu's phone, Ziya stepped out of the break room and headed toward the area where Liu usually worked. Absently, she pressed a button on the phone, and an unread message appeared on the screen. Curiosity got the better of her, and she felt an urge to see what the message was. She assumed it was just another reminder from 10086 about her bill. However, as she read the message, a chill ran down her spine.
The screen displayed several glaring and bizarre characters that Ziya recognized from before. A sudden wave of inexplicable fear washed over her as thoughts of Liu crossed her mind. Her heart raced with an unusual anxiety that gripped her tightly. She hurriedly searched for Liu in her work area—she checked the 12th floor corridor, restrooms, and stairwell but found no trace of her.
The more she searched, the more anxious she became. Ziya kept reassuring herself that it was fine; Liu must have gone somewhere else or perhaps was chatting with Cui Er.
"No, I didn't come to work today; my child has a fever..." Cui Er's words hit Ziya like a bucket of cold water, chilling her to the bone. She hung up in a hurry without saying goodbye and took a deep breath.
"Calm down," Ziya told herself repeatedly as she anxiously checked the time on her phone—it was already 8:50 AM. Half an hour had passed since Cleaner finished their morning cleaning routine. Liu usually took a short nap in her break room after finishing her tasks before occasionally patrolling the area until noon when she would do another round of cleaning.
Ziya looked around in the corridor, searching everywhere. The scene felt oddly reminiscent of a hospital with its long corridors and rows of rooms. At the end of the hallway was a large balcony-like atrium where she had seen office workers taking breaks to smoke or enjoy the breeze.
Suddenly struck by an idea, Ziya rushed toward the balcony. Standing at its edge, she leaned out to look around for any signs of Liu. However, no matter how she adjusted her position, she couldn't see anything above—only a wall covered in mosaics. Without much thought, she decided to check each floor starting from where she had come up.
Cleaners were usually busiest in the corridors and stairwells; every step needed to be wiped down with a damp cloth. Ziya planned to search through the stairwell...
Meanwhile...
Liu groggily followed a shadowy figure up to the 14th floor. Suddenly, that figure vanished. A cold breeze swept in from the balcony; this floor was completely empty, and all its windows were nailed shut, letting in not even a sliver of sunlight. The dim lights flickered ominously in the corridor, sending shivers down her spine as she realized how foolishly she'd wandered into this forbidden area. She quickly tried to retrace her steps but caught sight of an eerie shadow approaching.
Liu's vision was relatively good among her peers; if she were on another floor, she'd be able to see who was getting closer from afar. But now, she stood frozen in place as if time had stopped for her, unable to move or think clearly as fear gripped her tightly.
The blurry figure in front of her drew closer, but an inexplicable chill intensified around her. Liu, confident in her good health, squinted at the shadow flickering under the fluorescent lights. The person had a pale face, obscured by hair that fluttered in the wind, giving them a terrifying appearance. Suddenly, Liu realized something was wrong; as the figure approached, her body felt as if it were freezing…
Liu trembled, her lips quivering as she exhaled warm breaths and managed to utter, "Who are you..." Under the icy gaze, she suddenly broke free from her restraints and dashed deeper into the corridor. As she ran, she glanced back and stumbled over what seemed to be a threshold, propelling herself forward with all her might…
……Ziya……
Ziya was nearing the thirteenth floor when she casually glanced up and saw something fall from the fourteenth floor. She hurried to the balcony of the thirteenth floor and gasped as she saw Liu plummeting like a leaf toward the ground…
"No… Liu…" Ziya cried out in a piercing scream, instinctively reaching out to grab her, but it was too late… She watched as Liu's body hit the ground with a heavy thud, sending up a cloud of fine dust and a pool of blood that spread into the cracks of the pavement.
"Why! Why did this happen?" Ziya screamed frantically into the empty corridor, her sorrowful cries echoing back to her.
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