C13 Naive People

Wu Yi immediately questioned, "How do you know that?"

The little girl didn't respond directly. Instead, she came over to me and urged, "Brother, we need to hurry. There's not much time left."

Taken aback, I instinctively stepped back from her and asked, "What needs to be done to save Wu Yi?"

After a brief pause, the little girl said, "We must find the Ghoul Altar."

I faced Wu Yi and declared, "I'm going to help you get the Ghoul Altar from Cripple Zhou!"

Before Wu Yi could respond, the little girl seized my arm and whispered urgently, "Brother, are you out of your mind? Going there is like walking straight to your death!"

Wu Yi managed a wry smile and said, "Lee Fan, we've barely met, and you don't owe me anything. Risking your life for me isn't worth it."

I countered, "You saved my life before; I can't just stand by and watch you die." Suddenly, the little girl interjected, "There might be another way. Let's head back first."

Wu Yi remained seated, speaking softly, "Lee Fan, go ahead. I'll call Ms. Liu to pick me up. Don't waste any more time—head back to work!"

I blurted out, "Damn, are you sure you'll be okay alone?"

Wu Yi, clearly annoyed, retorted, "I've been through worse. I can handle it. Stop fussing, a man's got to do what a man's got to do."

I thought to myself, 'You ungrateful jerk, I'm trying to help you.' Aloud, I said, "Fine, if Cripple Zhou catches up and you end up dead, it's not on me. I've done all I can."

Wu Yi tersely replied, "Just go!"

Fuming, I clenched my fists but held my tongue. I hastened down the country road, glancing at my phone—it was half-past ten. Without a taxi in sight, I'd never make it back in time, even at a sprinter's pace.

The little girl trailed behind me, silent the entire way. After over half an hour, we finally came across a van heading down a side road. After some convincing, the driver agreed to take me into town for a flat fee of a hundred bucks. I bit the bullet and agreed. On any other day, it would've cost me less than twenty, but I was desperate. Even if it meant getting ripped off, this ride was my lifeline.

At first, I didn't pay much attention, but something felt off. When I looked back, I realized there was no one in the back seat. I quickly asked the driver if he had seen a young girl get on the bus.

The driver gave me a confused look and said, "It was just you when you hailed the cab. What young girl are you talking about?"

I insisted that something was wrong. The girl looked to be about 16 or 17, and we were heading the same way.

The driver abruptly stopped the car, swearing under his breath, "I'm not taking your 100 yuan. Get out now. I don't want money from the dead."

No matter how much I tried to explain, the driver wouldn't listen. Reluctantly, I got out of the car. The driver sped off, leaving me to wait for another ride. Thankfully, I was in the suburbs, and although sparsely populated, I could still spot taxis now and then, though most were already occupied.

I couldn't help but wonder about the young girl's sudden disappearance. I was sure she had been right behind me when I returned. Had she left because I ignored her? That didn't seem right; she was there when I hailed the cab. Why then did the driver adamantly deny seeing two passengers and act as if I'd seen a ghost? Just then, a taxi honked and approached. I waved it down and got in. After telling the driver my destination, I lapsed into silence. He was chatty, trying to strike up a conversation, but I was too annoyed to engage and responded with curt replies. Sensing my reluctance to talk, he eventually fell silent.

Back at the office, I hurried to the security room to review the camera footage, hoping to find out if anything unusual had happened. Everything seemed normal, with no incidents. Oddly, the records from the previous day had been deleted. I recalled Wu Yi mentioning that Ms. Liu had left looking upset, suspecting I had erased the surveillance footage. But that day, I had been knocked out cold by those two thugs and nearly missed the closing of the spiritual staircase, let alone deleting any records. Something was definitely amiss. Besides me, only the yellow-haired guy, the skinny monkey, and that woman were there that night. Could it have been those thugs who deleted the footage?

To destroy the evidence of the crime?

I considered it a possibility, but there was a snag: I was the only one with the key to the monitoring room. When I woke up, the key was still securely in my inner pocket. If they were behind this, they were playing a very deep game.

The next morning, Ms. Liu called me to say that Wu Yi had been hospitalized. She informed me that I would be in charge for the next few days and to call her if anything came up.

Curious, I inquired about his condition. Ms. Liu reassured me that he was doing quite well and there was nothing serious.

That evening, hunger struck, and I decided to make the instant noodles I had brought with me. As I was eating, a barely audible noise made me pause. I listened intently, but the sound vanished. Seconds later, a plaintive meow reached my ears. I recognized it clearly this time—it was a cat. Hearing a cat at night is quite common, especially at this hour when they are often more vocal.

I shrugged it off and continued with my meal. Suddenly, a 'zzz' sound from the surveillance room's glass made me uneasy, and I grabbed my flashlight to investigate. It was too dark to see anything outside, and though I thought it might be the wind, something felt off.

Shining the flashlight across the glass revealed nothing unusual. But as I turned away, a distinct meow sent shivers down my spine.

I shone the flashlight outside again and spotted a black cat in the corner. The cat was pitch-black with thick fur, almost invisible in the dead of night. Its eyes were odd—one was amber, and the other was either closed or for some other reason, invisible.

I figured the cat was enticed by the smell of my noodles. Smiling, I called out to it and pushed the noodle container toward the window, thinking I'd hand it through if the cat was interested. Unexpectedly, the black cat became aggressive, hissing and scratching at the glass. I froze, thinking how unappreciative the cat was, and feigned a kick to scare it off. To my surprise, the fearless feline leapt onto the window and boldly clambered inside.

I couldn't help but laugh in frustration. I was baffled by the audacity of a cat that I could easily kick away acting so defiantly toward me. As I was about to deal with the little runt, I was taken aback to discover that its other eye wasn't closed but was actually black. In the dim light, I initially thought it was blind!

Angrily, I shouted, "Damn it, get out of here, or I swear I'll skin you alive!"

To my surprise, the cat gave me a sinister grin that made my skin crawl. It wasn't the grimace that was frightening, but rather the eerie sensation that washed over me. It felt as if a child was hiding beneath that cat's skin, throwing a tantrum right before my eyes. There was definitely something off about this cat.

Then, another cat's cry pierced the silence from the window, this one much larger, sounding like a half-grown wolfhound barking twice in succession.

I thought to myself, 'I'll close the window and end your little game, you nuisance! Causing trouble in the dead of night!'

I hurried to the window, slammed it shut, and grabbed the feather duster from the sofa, taunting, "Go ahead, grin again, I dare you!"

The black cat did just that, snarling and swiping at me. In a fit of rage, I swung at it with the duster, but the cat was too quick; I missed both times. As I chased it into the hallway, a sense of foreboding washed over me. The black cat darted up to the second floor, and just as I took a few steps, a faint voice from upstairs sent chills down my spine: "Don't... Brother Long... Stop... Ah..."

I knew instantly something was amiss. I bolted up the stairs two at a time. As I reached the top, I was met with a horrifying sight: two men were stripping and mocking a woman. The one facing away from me had blond hair, and the other was yanking the woman's hair.

Blondie and Skinny Monkey!

Seeing them ignited a fury within me. I bellowed, "Stop it, you bastards!" and prepared to charge at them with my fists ready. But as I took my second step, I froze in terror.

Blondie turned around, his face dripping with blood, his eyes hollow and lifeless. Skinny Monkey was in the same gruesome state. The woman, now facing me, had a face mangled and bloody, her body bare. Her skin was not like that of a normal person; it was smeared with blood. In a desperate, gasping voice, she pleaded, "Save... save me."

The gaunt figure stretched out a hand and pointed directly at me. In doing so, his sleeve slid up, unveiling a chilling sight of stark white bone.

I cried out, "Oh my God!" In that instant, a black cat darted out, settling next to the woman. It licked its tongue over her leg, then turned to me, snarling and grimacing. A wave of dread washed over me, my hands shaking uncontrollably. I couldn't bear to linger a moment longer and bolted down the spiritual staircase.