C22 The Sound of the Flute

The backyard of the shopping mall was quite spacious, illuminated by a lone lamp in one corner. The parking lot was littered with a few parked cars and an assortment of discarded paper boxes and other debris. It was clear from the disarray that no one had tidied up in quite some time.

Liang Yue's knocking echoed piercingly through the deserted space, sending shivers down one's spine. After a prolonged period, footsteps and a languid voice finally emerged from within the building: "Who's there at this late hour?"

"It's me, Liang Yue," she responded quickly, addressing Uncle Hsiao.

Following her reply, there was the sound of acknowledgment and the door swung open with a resounding clang. A gaunt old man appeared, his frame skeletal and his face oddly shaped with high cheekbones and sunken cheeks. Sparse whiskers adorned his face, and his shifty eyes gave him the appearance of a mouse.

He was presumably the night watchman, Old Hsiao. We had just arrived and it wasn't our place to comment.

Old Hsiao jumped when he saw three people standing outside. Liang Yue inquired, "Uncle Hsiao, why did it take you so long to open the door?"

"Oh, nothing much. I had already gone to sleep," Old Hsiao answered, then asked with a hint of confusion, "Miss Yue, what brings you here at this hour?"

It was evident that Old Hsiao and Liang Yue knew each other well. Liang Yue gestured dismissively and said, "Don't worry about it, Uncle Hsiao. We're just going to look around. Please don't lock the door; we'll exit this way when we're done."

Old Hsiao glanced at me and Third Uncle, questioning, "Do you need me to stay with you?"

Liang Yue looked at Third Uncle, who subtly shook his head.

"No need, Uncle Hsiao. You go ahead and rest," Liang Yue told him.

Observing the exchange between Liang Yue and Old Hsiao, my impression of her began to shift. Despite being a favored employee of the boss and Old Hsiao being a mere night watchman, Liang Yue treated him with respect and consistently addressed him as Uncle Hsiao. To me, this indicated that her character was likely commendable. However, I couldn't help but wonder why she would take on such a dubious role alongside Wu Tianyou. Was it all for the sake of money?

Lost in thought, Liang Yue led Third Uncle into the main building of the mall, and I hurried to catch up with them.

For some reason, as I walked past Old Hsiao, I distinctly noticed an unpleasant odor emanating from him. His body also felt unnaturally cold.

Glancing back at Old Hsiao, I caught him watching us with shifty eyes.

A chill ran down my spine, and I couldn't help but wonder if something was off with Old Hsiao.

That's just how it was; we had come with a purpose, and suspicion was in the air. After all, Old Hsiao seemed to be the only one left in the building.

Just then, Third Uncle, who was leading the way, paused and turned back to question Old Hsiao, "Master Hsiao, have you always been on duty in this building?"

Old Hsiao nodded, "Yes, for about seven or eight years."

Third Uncle pressed on, "During the nights of the suicide incidents, did you hear any strange noises?"

After a moment's reflection, Old Hsiao shook his head, "As you know, I'm a heavy sleeper. I didn't hear a thing. It wasn't until the next day that I learned of the deaths from others."

Both Third Uncle and I were taken aback. Old Hsiao was clearly not telling the truth. Old Wai had insisted he heard Old Hsiao mention a flute sound that night. It was unlikely that Old Wai would fabricate such a story.

Without showing any reaction, Third Uncle nodded and motioned for Liang Yue to continue leading us toward the mall's first-floor lobby.

At night, the mall's lights were mostly extinguished, leaving only a dim yellow light at the center of each floor, presumably for security rounds. But with Old Hsiao often being the sole occupant, patrols seemed unnecessary.

We relied on our flashlights to navigate the darker areas. Liang Yue asked Third Uncle if we should ask Uncle Hsiao to turn on the main lights.

Third Uncle shook his head, "No need for now."

Entering from the back, we arrived at the spot where we had stood the previous day by the front entrance. A lamp nearby cast a flickering glow. Whether it was malfunctioning or not, the intermittent light was unsettling.

Third Uncle glanced back at Liang Yue and me, gesturing to the ground as he spoke. "This area is vast, so I'll navigate using the compass I have here. It'll help me locate the spot with the heaviest Yin Qi in the building. Just in case... I mean, just in case we get separated, don't panic. Remember this spot. Let's agree on a time to reconvene here on the first floor, regardless of what we find."

I responded, "Third Uncle, we'll stick close to you. How could we possibly get separated?"

He replied, "I'm talking about a 'just in case' scenario. It's always good to have a backup plan. We're not quite sure what we're dealing with inside, and I certainly don't want us to split up, so you'll need to stay close."

I nodded in agreement. Third Uncle checked the time on his phone and said, "It's 11:30 now. If we do get separated, let's meet back here at 1 o'clock."

With the compass cradled in his hands and the flashlight shining on it, Third Uncle watched the needle spin wildly before it finally began to slow down.

That's when I was hit with a familiar sensation—the same one I had when I first entered the main building. Initially, I had chalked it up to an overly strong air conditioning system. But now, with the building shut down, air conditioning was out of the question. Despite the stuffiness inside, a chilling cold rose from the floor, making me feel as though I were standing on ice.

Shining my flashlight at the ground, I saw nothing out of the ordinary. I was about to ask Third Uncle if he felt it too when he, still fixated on the compass, muttered, "Odd, my compass isn't functioning properly today. Could it be broken? Never mind, let's head up to the rooftop and see if we can uncover anything tonight."

Third Uncle was our pillar of strength; when he gave an order, we followed without question.

We made our way to the elevator, which was waiting on the first floor. Pressing the button to ascend, the doors swiftly opened. I stepped into the elevator last, and as the doors began to close, I caught a glimpse of something in the shadows—what appeared to be a pair of eyes watching us.

I felt a sudden chill as the elevator doors sealed shut, and we began our ascent to the top floor. I turned to Liang Yue and inquired, "Does this building have any cats?"

"Ah?" Liang Yue was visibly perplexed by my odd question.

I pressed on, "I mean, are there any pets here, like cats or dogs?"

"Of course not. If there are any cats, they're strays. Our company is very professional. Who has time to keep cats for fun? They'd risk getting fired, wouldn't they?" Liang Yue probably thought I had lost my mind to ask such a senseless question.

In reality, I was wondering if the eyes I had just noticed belonged to an animal in the building, similar to the black cat we saw in the desolate tower.

Third Uncle chimed in, "What's the matter? Did you notice something?"

I was honest with him, "I think I saw someone watching us from outside the elevator."

Liang Yue scoffed, "What are you talking about? There's no one in this building except Old Hsiao. Stop trying to spook me. You're always so paranoid."

Third Uncle shook his head, "My nephew has always been particularly perceptive in these matters. It's best to be cautious."

He was aware of my deficiency in Yang energy, which allowed me to sense things they couldn't, hence his concern. Liang Yue, however, only grew more scornful, "It feels like you two are just talking amongst yourselves. Unless you uncover something tangible, don't even think about deceiving me."

I let out a cold laugh, "Is that why you insisted on coming along? To keep an eye on us?"

Standing her ground, Liang Yue retorted, "You got that right. Just so you know, two hundred thousand isn't so easy to come by. If you even think about pulling one over on me and Director Wu, you'll regret it. Whatever you swallow, you'll have to regurgitate."

With that, she clenched her fists and fixed me with an icy stare.

I was about to respond when suddenly, a voice came from outside. At first, it was so soft I could barely make it out. But it didn't take long for the voice to grow louder and more distinct, cutting through the silence in broken waves as it reached us in the elevator.

Upon hearing that sound, both Third Uncle and I froze – the sound of a flute! It was a haunting, mournful melody, reminiscent of a bamboo flute, yet there was something slightly different about it.

"This isn't good," Third Uncle and I exclaimed in unison.

Old Wai had mentioned that on nights when someone committed suicide, this kind of flute sound was heard. It was as if the flute were sounding a death knell.

The elevator seemed to be moving exceptionally slowly today. Glancing at the indicator light, I noticed we were only on the tenth floor.

The sorrowful flute music continued to drift through the air. As I listened, my own emotions became entwined with the sound, and I found myself completely absorbed.

But then, the elevator came to a halt on the tenth floor and didn't resume its ascent.

"This is bad, something might happen. Let's get out quickly and make our way to the rooftop as fast as we can," Third Uncle said, pressing the elevator's open button. As soon as the doors parted, he dashed out, flashlight in hand, searching for the stairs.

I hurried after him. Liang Yue, still confused, called out from behind, "Hey, what's happening? Where is that flute sound coming from?"

Without time to explain, I followed Third Uncle up the stairs to the eleventh floor, then retraced our steps from the day before, pushing open the iron door to the rooftop and rushing out.

The moonlight bathed the rooftop in a serene white glow.

There, in the corner Third Uncle had pinpointed, stood a silhouette.

Third Uncle let out a shout and charged forward.

I couldn't afford to hesitate and sprinted toward the corner.

The situation was clear: the flute had sounded again tonight, and with it, the presence of someone about to take their own life.

If we were quick enough, perhaps we could still save a life.

Oblivious to our approach, the figure on the rooftop's edge wavered and then toppled over the side of the building.