C25 The Elevator's Soul

If the elevator had failed to stop on the first floor just once, I might have chalked it up to a simple malfunction. But when it bypassed the first floor again and continued ascending, that was harder to dismiss.

I had a bad feeling about this. I frantically pressed the elevator buttons, lighting up almost every floor indicator. Yet the elevator refused to stop at any level, just kept clanging upward.

In frustration, I kicked the elevator door and exclaimed, "What kind of lousy elevator is this?"

Liang Yue was visibly shaken, but somehow she managed to stay more composed than I was. She restrained my frenzied actions, urging, "Calm down."

Taking a step forward, Liang Yue suddenly winced, squatting down and clutching her right ankle while drawing in sharp breaths.

I recalled how Liang Yue had kicked away the person outside the elevator with such composure amidst the danger. Had that person gotten into the elevator, in such a confined space, anything could have happened. Even more chilling was my suspicion that the individual outside wasn't even alive.

Seeing Liang Yue in pain, it was clear she was hurt.

I quickly crouched beside her and asked, "How are you? Did you get hurt?"

Liang Yue shook her head, "I'm okay. When I kicked the person outside, it felt like I was striking a stone slab, and my ankle jarred."

"So hard? That just supports my theory; the one outside isn't a living person," I said, helping Liang Yue to her feet.

She flexed her ankle, which seemed to be functioning alright, and voiced her concern, "Not a living person? Why would there be... a dead person here?"

I glanced at the elevator panel; we were now at the 11th floor, but the doors remained shut. After a few more jolts, the elevator began its descent once more.

Leaning against the elevator wall, I remarked, "At this point, getting out of this elevator safely would be quite the feat."

Liang Yue looked disheartened, "Why is the elevator acting like this? It's completely uncontrollable."

I explained, "Areas with a strong presence of Yin Qi often have altered magnetic fields, which can manifest ghosts. To change the magnetic field significantly, you'd need an overwhelming amount of Yin Qi, something that can't be achieved under normal conditions. It would require special methods to summon ghosts, thereby intensifying the local Yin Qi and altering the magnetic field. Once that happens, anything involving electricity and remote controls can be manipulated. Of course, this isn't something just anyone can do; it takes individuals with unique training, like Taoist priests, ghost wranglers, or corpse drivers, to manage it."

Though my time with Third Uncle was brief, he often shared his knowledge of Metaphysics with me during our downtime. He recounted numerous inexplicable events that defied scientific explanation, which I initially took as mere stories. Now, the little I understood seemed profoundly insightful to Liang Yue. With Third Uncle absent, her gaze brimmed with awe and admiration when she looked at me.

She also seemed to pin her hopes of escaping our current predicament on me.

But truth be told, my grasp of these concepts is barely skin-deep. Without Third Uncle, I'm utterly clueless. It's clear now, as Liang Yue and I discussed, that the elevator was being manipulated.

Glancing over, I noticed the elevator had descended from the 11th to the 9th floor. I was about to offer her some words of comfort when a jarring noise erupted from the elevator, which then began to plummet straight down from the 9th floor.

Simultaneously, the elevator's light flickered and crackled before going dark once more.

"Ah..." Liang Yue, still a girl at heart, couldn't contain her terror any longer and lunged into my arms. She clung to my clothes so tightly it was painful.

I had no choice but to firmly grip the elevator's handrail with one hand while embracing Liang Yue with the other.

Despair filled my heart. I knew all too well that the elevator's descent was rapid; if it continued to fall at this velocity, not even a deity could save us.

In that moment, we were at the mercy of fate. Such a fall would surely be fatal, possibly even newsworthy by the next day.

As I braced myself for the inevitable crash, expecting to endure the harsh impact of the elevator's drop, it began to slow and eventually came to a halt.

I glanced at the still-lit elevator indicator and wondered if my random button-pressing had somehow worked. After all, isn't that a recommended survival tactic in many elevator emergency guides?

Regardless, the elevator's stoppage allowed us to dodge disaster.

Liang Yue, realizing what had happened, quickly extricated herself from my arms, wiped the sweat from her brow, and muttered, "You sure held on tight."

"You..." I was torn between laughter and tears, with no desire to engage in a verbal spar with her. Some women just defy all reason.

The elevator came to a halt on the first floor, but the doors remained shut. It lingered briefly before swiftly descending from the first floor to the basement level.

Liang Yue had barely stepped out of my arms when she heard a noise and lunged back, clinging to me tightly.

The elevator came to a stop once more. After several jolts, I was starting to feel numb. This time, however, the doors creaked open.

As before, a chilling breeze swept in. I shuddered, and Liang Yue sneaked a peek before stepping away from me again. This time, she smoothed her hair back and remained silent.

Inside the elevator, two beams of light persisted. Looking down, I realized they were our flashlights, which had tumbled out during the elevator's abrupt descent.

Fortunately, they were intact and still shining.

I quickly scooped up both flashlights and handed one to Liang Yue. "Quick, we need to get out of this elevator."

The circumstances had shifted. Once out of the elevator, we had more space. Even if danger loomed, at least we'd have some room to maneuver. The elevator was beyond our control, and staying inside was likely more perilous.

I patted myself down, relieved to find the peach wood sword Third Uncle had given me. I gripped it firmly in my hand. The mysterious figure outside had vanished, but it was clear he was still somewhere in the basement, and we could encounter him at any moment.

Liang Yue stepped out of the elevator and pulled out a dagger. It gleamed menacingly in the dim light, casting a cold gleam.

I inhaled sharply and asked, "You... Why do you have that? Isn't it considered a restricted weapon?"

Liang Yue gave me a dismissive glance. "At a time like this, you're worried about that?"

I replied, "I'm just trying to lighten the mood a bit, given how tense we are."

Liang Yue gestured impatiently. "Enough talk. Which way now?"

I lifted the flashlight, scanning our surroundings. "Can you find the stairwell? We need to get off this floor as quickly as possible. We'll regroup with Third Uncle and figure out our next move."

Liang Yue nodded and guided me around to the side of the elevator.

She led the way, with me trailing behind, occasionally shining my flashlight around. The ground still bore the lines of parking spaces, but they hadn't been used in so long that no one had bothered to clean them. Dust covered the ground, and our footsteps stirred up clouds of it, which was somewhat choking.

I also noticed that the temperature underground was unusually low, as if we had stepped into an ice cellar. I understood this to be a manifestation of a heavier presence of Yin Qi.

After just a couple of steps, I was covered in goosebumps, feeling as though unseen eyes were watching us from the shadows.

I inwardly groaned; that unsettling feeling was back. I had experienced it earlier when I entered with Third Uncle, and now it was even more intense. It felt like whoever it was could be very close, close enough to touch if they reached out.

Suddenly, Liang Yue announced from up ahead, "I've found it. It's right here."

A wave of relief washed over me. Finding the stairwell was a breakthrough. We could hurry up the stairs, and even if we didn't locate Third Uncle, at least Old Hsiao could turn on the main power switch for the mall's lighting. With the lights on, everything would be much simpler.

We quickened our pace, and Liang Yue tried to push open the stairwell door. But after a couple of pushes and pulls, it was clear the door was locked.

Frustrated, Liang Yue gave the door a forceful kick, which echoed loudly through the empty space.

I quickly grabbed her, urging, "Calm down. Kicking won't help. We need to find another way."

Liang Yue, exasperated, retorted, "We can't use the elevator, and the stairs are locked. What other options do we have?"

I then asked, "Isn't this a parking lot? Where's the vehicle entrance?"

Caught off guard, Liang Yue quickly responded, "Yes, of course! How did I not think of that? Let's search for it."

We turned to look for the entrance for vehicles, though I wasn't very hopeful. If someone was deliberately targeting us or had made preparations, it seemed unlikely they would block the stairwell but leave such a large vehicle entrance unsecured.

Being trapped here, holding onto hope is certainly better than succumbing to despair.

We had barely taken a few steps when the ethereal sound of a flute reached our ears.

Liang Yue and I both shuddered at the sound. It was the same flute sound we had heard on the rooftop.

Back then, the flute's melody was barely perceptible, but now it was strikingly clear. We could pinpoint exactly where it was coming from.

It seemed to be coming from a distance, likely someone playing the flute.

We aimed our flashlights in the direction of the sound, only to be disappointed by the feeble beams. I silently cursed. Third Uncle had really cut corners, providing us with nothing more than standard flashlights. Had I known, I would have insisted Director Wu supply us with some high-powered ones.

The flashlight beams were swallowed up by the darkness, unable to penetrate far.

Yet, the flute's sound grew more distinct.

I warned Liang Yue, "This flute sound is eerily unnatural. We were duped on the rooftop earlier. Stay alert this time. If something feels off, pinch your philtrum."

After instructing her, I pinched my own, wincing at the pain. But it did the trick—my head cleared, and I wasn't going to fall under the flute's spell.

Liang Yue, standing next to me, seemed to have tried my suggestion as well, murmuring, "You really know what you're doing."

I responded, "All thanks to Third Uncle's teachings."

Liang Yue grumbled, "Your Third Uncle is so unreliable, leaving us here while he takes off..."

I chuckled, "The things he's done are beyond unreliable..."

Just then, footsteps echoed out of the darkness...