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墨書 Inktalez
Ziya couldn't understand why Lao Ran could bring her to his home, yet she couldn't see her own family, especially since they all belonged to that world. She could even check her phone.
Surrounded by the cold and eerie atmosphere, Ziya felt utterly miserable. She couldn't complain or reveal any signs that would let them detect her true purpose for being there. Although the people around her appeared kind-hearted, she knew that if they turned hostile, it would be no laughing matter. They could transform into something unimaginably terrifying, capable of scaring anyone to death. She understood this well, which is why she treaded carefully, afraid to make even the slightest mistake.
The building was shrouded in a layer of gray-brown mist that felt completely unreal. Under Liu's arrangement, Ziya moved between the 16th and 1st floors, helping to transport some inexplicable documents. The documents were monotonous and showed little variation, always packed in a Brown Envelope, leaving her clueless about their contents. This was what people often referred to as ghostly affairs—mysterious and cryptic. They continued to perform the tasks they had done in life, like mindless machines going through the motions without making any progress.
Every time Ziya entered the elevator, she felt a nagging fear that it might suddenly plummet. Sometimes, she had the illusion that Qin Nannan was right beside her, but upon closer inspection, there was no one there. Lao Ran would typically enter the elevator from the 10th floor. Strangely enough, every time she saw him, he would deliberately ignore her inquiries, as if he were afraid of something.
Ziya was acutely aware that there were always greater mountains beyond mountains and more people beyond people; thus, there were also more ghosts beyond ghosts. Lao Ran was clearly avoiding something or guarding against some threat.
Upon reaching the 13th floor, Ziya noticed that the talkative Cleaner Aunt was absent. The corridor was deep and desolate, with a chilling wind blowing aimlessly. Every room seemed occupied by someone, yet they remained invisible.
"This is not your place; get out..." A piercing scream startled Ziya, causing her to freeze momentarily as she caught sight of a rapidly approaching figure. The coldness emanating from this vengeful spirit was more intense than anything else; she thought to herself: this must be it—it has to be her...
Ziya stopped running and tightly clutched her life-saving charm. The elevator was on the 1st floor and not on the 13th, while another elevator seemed to be under maintenance. As she watched the chilling presence draw closer, a blurry figure became clearer before her eyes—a woman in a pitch-black dress with disheveled hair obscuring her entire face. Below her floating skirt was nothing but emptiness; she had no legs...
Ziya straightened her back. Although she had mentally prepared herself for this moment, facing such a terrifying sight still filled her with dread and made her break into a cold sweat. Her body trembled slightly as she nervously swallowed hard; the charm in her hand felt damp with sweat—definitely cold sweat—how could she possibly feel warm at this moment? The woman seemed to hesitate before her and then suddenly spun around, vanishing in an instant down the corridor.
At that moment, Ziya felt her legs turn to jelly as she watched the ghostly figure disappear. She squatted down and gasped for breath. She shouldn't have been so frightened; it was just that something inexplicable clung to the ghost—something more powerful than the ghost itself. With no clear direction in mind upon seeing the ghost for that brief moment, she resolutely decided to start with Lao Ran's interview.
Once Ziya made up her mind about this matter, there would be no turning back. She stood up and headed toward the archive room on the 13th floor. Upon reaching the door of the archive room, as usual, a pair of pale hands slid a stack of documents through the gap under the door—packed in a Brown Envelope—containing client files for newly subscribed newspapers. Three aluminum buttons were attached to the envelope with several strands of twine wrapped around its opening.
Holding this envelope made Ziya ponder; first, she wanted to encounter Lao Ran in the elevator again; second, she wanted to untangle the twine wrapped around the envelope's opening. Looking around and seeing no movement, she walked straight into the elevator, feeling that nothing was amiss here. Stealthily pulling apart the twine on the envelope made her face flush with heat; although it was due to special circumstances that compelled her actions, it still felt like an act of voyeurism—she naturally felt guilty about it.
Ziya pulled out the paper from the envelope, intending to read it, but noticed that the elevator's indicator light was not flashing. She quickly stopped her movements and looked up at the orange indicator light that should have been lit. It was completely static, and everything felt strange; she sensed that something was off. With no time to examine the envelope further, she hurriedly pressed the buttons inside the elevator. The buttons made a series of loud clicks, but the elevator showed no signs of stopping. The light began to dim, and soon she was engulfed in darkness.
Feeling a chill, Ziya quickly took out her phone and turned on the flashlight to survey the situation inside the elevator. Fortunately, there were no other abnormalities. Just then, the elevator doors opened unexpectedly with a whoosh, and a strange cold breeze swept in.
Peering out of the elevator, Ziya saw a corridor but could not discern which floor it belonged to; the elevator's indicator light had failed again. Gripping the Brown Envelope tightly, she slowly stepped into the corridor. Above her, there was some light, but it seemed shrouded in mist, giving off an indistinct and hazy atmosphere.
“Hahaha!” A light laugh suddenly echoed through the air, its clear yet haunting tone startled Ziya. This didn’t feel like a regular floor; it was more like she had descended into an underground level. A wave of cold washed over her as she noticed a woman with long hair suddenly appear ahead of her, grinning menacingly as she floated towards Ziya like a leaf caught in a swift current.
At that moment, Ziya was truly frightened; the scene left her completely unprepared. In the blink of an eye, the woman was right in front of her. Acting quickly, Ziya pushed open a nearby door and rushed inside.
Once inside the room, Ziya immediately regretted her decision. The heaviness enveloping her made it hard to breathe; an icy sensation pressed down on her tighter and tighter as if she could hear her bones cracking under pressure. A wave of suffocating dust mixed with cement rushed in from all sides, making her feel as though she were sinking into an endless dark swamp.
Ziya strained to keep her neck upright to prevent the concrete from pouring into her mouth; her limbs had already stiffened, leaving only her neck and head able to move. Breathing became rapid and painful, and she felt as if her eyes would burst from their sockets. She wanted to reach for the sachet around her neck but found it just out of reach; her hands were frozen and immobile.
Despair washed over Ziya like never before as she silently blamed herself for being careless and underestimating the eerie forces at play here. She feared she might perish in this place against her will. The concrete felt like bubbles rising while bathing in Bathing White, suddenly piling up around her neck. Her head felt heavy and drowsy; deep down, she thought to herself: “I cannot sleep; I must not sleep; this is an illusion…”
Ziya struggled to lift her head; it felt as if she were bound tightly and unable to move. The overwhelming urge to sleep made her eyelids heavy with exhaustion. Desperately, she bit down on her lip—pain jolted her back to some semblance of awareness. Just then, she felt something behind her: a pair of pale, emaciated hands emerging from within the dark concrete.
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