C16 Enigmatic

I shone my flashlight at the door and noticed a slight figure standing there. With a stern expression, I demanded, "What do you want?"

Having learned my lesson from the incident with the yellow-haired man and his crew, I was determined to send anyone packing immediately, to prevent any further mishaps. I convinced myself that driving them away was for their own good; the Ghost Building was no place for the uninitiated.

At the doorstep was an elderly woman, dressed in ragged clothes and holding a snake-skin bag, resembling someone who collected scrap. I paused, taken aback, then quickly told her, "Ma'am, we're closed for the day. Please, you need to leave now!"

The old woman offered me a toothless smile, her red cheekbones unsettling me slightly. Speaking with a thick accent, she asked, "Are you Lee Fan?"

I stopped in my tracks and approached her, asking, "Do you know me?"

She nodded, her voice soft, "Yes, please spare my son. His current state is all for my sake. Don't trouble him anymore."

"Who is your son? Am I familiar with him?" I inquired.

"My son's last name is Zhou," she replied calmly.

Cripple Zhou!? I recoiled, a chill running down my spine. "You're Cripple Zhou's mother?"

The chill from outside was relentless, and despite the closed door, I could feel the low temperature, amplified by the old woman's presence. "We haven't been hard on your son. He's the one who gouged out a chunk of Wu Yi's leg and nearly killed us," I explained.

"My son means you no harm," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Everything he's done was to lay me to rest. Promise me you'll leave him be from now on, will you?"

"As long as he stops hurting people, that's fine by me," I replied.

Her demeanor shifted abruptly, her tone icy as she retorted, "My son doesn't hurt anyone."

I couldn't help but think, like mother, like son. He had caused so much death, nurtured countless lost souls, and yet she still defended him. "You need to leave. If you don't, and something happens, I can't be responsible for the consequences."

The old woman cackled, "Surely you wouldn't raise a hand against an old lady like me?"

I replied with resignation, "Why would I stoop to your level? Just go, this isn't the place for you."

She nodded, clutching her snake skin bag, and turned to leave, but then she added, "Stay away from the second floor later."

A chill ran down my spine as she continued, "You might see something you shouldn't."

Before I could press her for more details, she had vanished. Just then, Wang Tao's voice echoed from upstairs, calling for my help. I paused for a few seconds, then after a brief hesitation, I told him I'd be right up. Heading straight to the security room, my hands were clammy with sweat. I switched on the second-floor surveillance and watched intently as the grainy footage showed Wang Tao guiding a black dog into a cage; everything else seemed normal.

Relieved, I stood up, but then felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Weren't you saying someone was knocking? Who is it?" the familiar voice asked.

I turned slowly to find Wang Tao standing there, which sent a shiver through me. Swallowing hard, I managed to say, "No one, no one at all."

"Oh," Wang Tao responded, "are there any instant noodles left? I'm starving."

"All gone," I lied, "I finished the last of them."

I stealthily moved the mouse to hide the second-floor surveillance feed, minimizing it to the corner of the screen, hoping 'Wang Tao' wouldn't notice.

'Wang Tao' seemed to be searching for something, casually circling the room and making small talk. I sneaked another glance at the monitor; the images sent a cold dread through me. I couldn't take my eyes off 'Wang Tao's' silhouette, unable to discern which one was the real Wang Tao.

Then, two soft knocks at the door. I eyed 'Wang Tao' warily as he shrugged, "Aren't you going to answer it?"

"You go," I suggested.

With a smile, 'Wang Tao' replied, "Why the back and forth? Just open the door."

I chuckled nervously, "I'm just worried you might sneak up on me with a sucker punch, you know?"

Wang Tao paused, then broke into a grin. "Man, you crack me up. I'll go get the door."

As Wang Tao made his way over, a gust of wind flung the surveillance room door wide open. He stopped mid-stride, his face darkening instantly. I quickly gripped the security baton beside me, my mind racing—two Wang Taos in the same place!

I had to stay alert, regardless of which one was the real deal. One thing was certain: one of them had locked me in the storage room earlier.

Suddenly, Wang Tao turned back with a smile. "Looks like you've got company. I'll head out then."

I blinked in confusion. What guest?

I hadn't invited anyone. Could it be...? I shivered at the thought, only regaining my composure when a little girl in a white dress entered. The surveillance room door had been ajar, which explained how Wang Tao had slipped in unnoticed.

Wang Tao gave a sly chuckle. "I'll leave you to it, Lee Fan. We'll catch up later."

I agreed outwardly, but inwardly I was convinced he was the impostor. I needed to alert the real Wang Tao upstairs to come down quickly. As I was about to stand, the little girl came over and clutched my hand. "Brother, you can't go up to the second floor tonight, no matter what."

I froze. "You don't understand. That guy just locked me in the second-floor storage room. If it weren't for Wang Tao's timely arrival, I might have been done for by those two cats!"

She gazed at me solemnly. "Why do you need to get rid of them?"

I asked, "What are you getting at?"

"Cat spirit," she replied.

I let out a wry laugh. "Because they're dangerous. They've skinned and eaten people—worse than wild beasts. If we don't stop them, who knows who else might fall victim?"

She nodded gravely. "Alright, but if you're set on this path, I must warn you, big brother. The Ghost Building is more complex than you imagine. You and that odd man interfered with the cat spirit on the second floor, and some of the old timers are displeased. The man from before is the cat spirit's master. He's cared for those cats for over ninety years. Now that they're dead, do you really think he'll let you off the hook?"

I exclaimed, "How could anyone keep such a monstrous creature? I've seen them devouring human flesh with my own eyes!"

The little girl let out a sigh and said, "In this building, there's no shortage of oddities. Brother, I suggest you just stay put. After next year's Ghost Festival, you'll be free to leave."

I questioned, "Will Ms. Liu really release me? She's gone to great lengths to obtain my birthday, surely aiming to trap me in a hell wedding. I have no desire to marry a ghost. I want to live a full life, not be tormented to the brink of death!"

After a brief silence, the little girl spoke with a touch of sorrow, "She may not be benevolent, but at most she's just a minor player behind the scenes. Besides, she's learned her lesson and won't harm you again."

I challenged her, "How can you be so certain? I don't even know who to trust anymore. Every day, I wake up wondering how to survive, how to escape their grasp. But in the end, I have no choice but to steel myself and head back into the Ghost Building!"

We both lapsed into a heavy silence.

The surveillance room fell eerily quiet. I shifted my attention to the monitor screens, and that's when I noticed the second-floor display flickering into a 'snow' pattern. Curious, I moved the mouse over, only to find there was no signal. My heart sank—Wang Tao was still up there; could he be in danger?

Just then, the little girl asked, "Do you recall anything that person took from you?"

I was taken aback, remembering how 'Wang Tao' had slipped in silently and began wandering around, apparently searching for something. Could it be... I hurried to check the power supply and found the surveillance system's power cord firmly plugged in, untouched. Puzzled, I confronted the girl about why she wouldn't let me go upstairs. She replied that she didn't want me getting entangled in this mess.

Sitting in front of the screen, I felt a wave of confusion wash over me. I reminded myself that Wang Tao was no saint; he had taken advantage of me, so why shouldn't I use him to my benefit? Even if he were to be killed by that 'Wang Tao,' what concern was it of mine? He had already cleared the second floor of the cat spirit, ensuring that no one else would meet a grisly fate upon entering.

I despised myself for not being ruthless enough. Faced with matters of life and death, I was always so fragile!

Wang Tao was inhuman. His time to enter the cycle of reincarnation had long passed. This was the fate of life and death... I reassured myself.

I inquired, "Who was that person who bore a striking resemblance to Wang Tao earlier? You can't say you don't know."

The little girl paused briefly before responding, "The owner of the fourth floor."

I steadied myself and asked, "Does that mean every floor has an owner?"

She nodded. "It's more accurate to call them a host. They are intricately linked to the destiny of their respective floors, thriving in unison."

"So, the second floor has the cat spirits, the third floor is your family, the fourth floor is the man we just saw, and the seventh floor is Wang Tao. Are you saying each floor has its own host? And is it these hosts that are the reason the Ghost Building in East City is so troubled?"

"Yes," she nodded, "but I don't belong to the third floor. That floor is hers alone."

Curious, I pressed, "But didn't you say—"

She cut me off, "My father has been dead for a long time."

"That can't be right," I countered. "I've seen the reports; there were even photos of you. I immediately recalled the article my roommate, Old Zhang, showed me, along with the information I found online."

The little girl laughed lightly, "That wasn't me. Newspapers are full of lies."

Glancing at the sparse stars in the sky, I was reminded of Wang Tao's words: "If you want to see what ghosts look like, just look up. Those lights that have traveled billions of years to reach Earth, they are the ghosts." He had added, "I don't want to die. Waking up to find yourself still alive is such a joyous thing."

"Please, let me leave. I can't just stand by and watch Wang Tao die."

She shook her head, "I can't. I have a lifelong pact with them."

Bitterly, I asked, "What kind of pact?"

The little girl spoke in a hushed tone, "No one is allowed to touch you, or else they will face death."