The World Below Surface

As Lu Yan's eyes fluttered open, he found himself confronted by a group of four: three men and a woman.

Upon seeing that he had awakened, their collective grins offered no solace to Lu Yan. Instead, they were reminiscent of those possessed by highwaymen.

"What is it you want?" Lu Yan's attempts at resistance proved futile as he was bound fast to a chair. Ultimately, he acquiesced, "If it is money you desire, I can provide..."

"No, no, no, money holds no interest for us." Nie Yun Zhen interjected, "We simply request that you engage with us in a game. Let us, before we play, exchange introductions. Are you Lu Yan, yes? We first saw you at the hotel's reception desk."

After casting his gaze down and up, Lu Yan met his eyes with Chu Xiu, "And what game do you propose?"

Lu Yan's quick recognition of Chu Xiu as the leader did not go unnoticed by the group.

Setting aside his apple and knife, Chu Xiu regarded Lu Yan, "It is simple. Shi Yan, please elucidate the rules."

Without further ado, Shi Yan explained the game's mechanics, yet as expected, Lu Yan was left incredulous.

Lu Yan wouldn't have minded if it were just a game among friends, but to kidnap someone and force them to participate in a game was an obvious red flag.

"I don't mind if you don't want to, but there are plenty of people in this hotel. We're just making things easier for ourselves." Shi Yan's tone was neither soft nor harsh, but she issued a threat. "Besides, this game isn't dangerous at all. Once you've finished playing, we'll take our turn. Don't believe us? See for yourself."

All four were peeling apples with knives, and the garbage can was overflowing with long strips of apple peel, along with a pile of oxidized, peeled apples.

Shi Yan caught a glimpse of Lu Yan's hesitation.

He asked, "You'll let me go once I've played this game, won't you?"

"Absolutely," Shi Yan's smile was sincere.

And so, the five of them sat down together to practice peeling apples.

None of them knew that pale figures were gathering outside the door. Without exception, they were people who had died today in the elevator incident, but no one would know that they were dead. Once discovered, the discoverer would meet the same fate.

The pallid and lifeless figures multiplied, streaming in from various floors and rooms. Their eyes bore into the door, fixated with a ravenous, bestial hunger for their prey.

Despite their growing numbers, the five individuals remained oblivious, with no intention of leaving. Thus, the dead held their positions for what felt like an eternity, their once-human faces now twisted with sinister, resentful anger that defied comprehension.

A chill wind swept through the room as the clock ticked closer to midnight.

"How strange, I could have sworn I shut the window," Ye Sheng Ke remarked, walking over to inspect it. Puzzled, he turned back and sat down.

Had he leaned out the window, he would have glimpsed a girl in a blood-soaked school uniform skirt scaling the hotel's exterior wall, inching closer to their room. But he failed to take notice, missing the opportunity.

Was this inexplicable gust of cold wind a sign?

Every unnatural detail, no matter how small, could be a vital clue. Chu Xiu, recognizing the situation's urgency, rose from his seat and spoke with conviction. "Mr Lu, we must relocate. Let us adjourn to your room."

Lu Yan's lips twisted in mild annoyance, but he relented.

One by one, they filed out of the room. As they opened the door, the hallway beyond fell into a deep hush, punctuated only by the warm, muted glow of the floor lamps.

Lu Yan obediently opened the door under the threat of force from Chu Xiu's gun. The weapon was withdrawn once they were inside the room. Shi Yan and Ye Sheng Ke went into the bathroom, and after a brief moment of commotion, they returned.

"Alright, it's all on you now. We'll be waiting for you next door. There's a surveillance camera in front of the mirror, so don't even think about playing tricks," Nie Yun Zhen handed Lu Yan an apple and a fruit knife with a mysterious smile. "See you later."

Lu Yan felt uneasy, interpreting the statement as if he needed hope for his safe return. Without a word, he calmly took the items and went into the bathroom.

The four left and shut the door.

It was ridiculous that they had to enter and exit together to prevent anyone from being replaced by a ghost. Waiting for Lu Yan on the side was even more absurd.

Inside the hotel room, the computer screen displayed dark surveillance footage.

A man sat in front of the mirror, and the only light came from a thin sliver of illumination sneaking through the gap in the door. It might have been an illusion, but his face appeared exceptionally pale in the mirror.

Following the game's rules, he lit the white candle before the mirror.

A flicker of flame burst forth, casting an eerie glow. Gradually, the image in the mirror became blurred, obscuring his vision.

Lu Yan glanced at the mirror briefly before picking up the apple and small knife. He lowered his head and began peeling the fruit, the blade removing the skin in a thin, deliberately long slice. The peel spiralled down and piled up, forming a small, circular mountain.

Lu Yan appeared fearful, refusing to look at his reflection in the mirror. Instead, he focused on peeling the apple.

As he continued to peel, the apple's skin grew longer, and the image in the mirror grew clearer. However, the reflection remained mundane, showing only a man peeling an apple.

Finally, he finished. The apple peel was unbroken from start to finish, and nothing seemed amiss in the dimly lit room, including the mirror's reflection. There was no blood or flesh, no hint of horror.

Lu Yan visibly breathed a sigh of relief, quickly exited the bathroom, and knocked on the door outside.

The four people inside the room were unsure whether to feel relieved or disappointed. Nevertheless, it was better to avoid inviting any ghosts into the room. If they did, they would not know what to do.

"It appears that today's game may not carry many risks," Nie Yun Zhen said, chuckling at his statement.

They heard knocking, and Ye Sheng Ke answered the door.

Outside, Lu Yan spoke coldly, "I've done what you asked. Can I have my room key back now?"

"Not yet," Chu Xiu said, flipping the key. "There are still four of us here."

Lu Yan remained silent and simply entered the room, watching as Shi Yan departed. Shi Yan became the second person to be selected.

The surveillance footage showed a pitch-black room until Shi Yan's figure emerged. She entered the room and sat before the mirror, lighting a candle like Lu Yan's.

The light of the candle flickered and illuminated the space. As it did, Shi Yan recalled something that made her body freeze and her blood run cold.

Lu Yan had not extinguished the candle after finishing the game. So, who had?

The thought that an unknown presence could lurk in the shadows and stare at her sent chills down Shi Yan's spine.

But the mission had to be completed.

With a trembling hand, she picked up the bright red apple. She only realized her hand was shaking as she tried to steady the knife.

"It's okay...Lu Yan emerged unscathed, didn't he?"

Shi Yan rallied and encouraged herself, pushing her fear aside. After ensuring the candle remained steady, she placed the fruit knife's blade against the apple's skin and began peeling it at an angle.

The apple's peel curled and fell, forming a spiral pile as the person in the mirror became more distinct.

As the peel continued to fall, Shi Yan shuddered unexpectedly.

It wasn't fear that gripped her, but a chilling sensation crept over her skin and seeped into her bones.

Why...why is it so co...?

She couldn't bring herself to think more. All she could do was sit there, her body rigid with tension, her hands shaking as she struggled to peel the apple faster.

Faster...don't let it break...

Even faster...

Who knows what unimaginable horrors awaited her if she stayed in that room a moment longer!

Never before had Shi Yan trusted her instincts with such conviction.

At last, with relief flooding through her, she finished peeling the apple. She took a deep breath and quickly made her way to the door, checking to ensure she was safe before returning to the room.

As she left, the white candle before the mirror extinguished itself.

But as she reentered the room, she noticed an unusual silence had fallen over the group. "What's wrong?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Did something happen?"

Ye Sheng Ke's face was ashen as he pointed to the computer screen. "Sister Shi...while you were peeling the apple, there was a woman in white. She...she kept blowing on your neck."

As he rewound the footage, the group watched in silence.

The screen flickered, revealing a white figure with long, flowing hair standing behind her. The woman stood, her face hidden behind a curtain of hair, her eyes locked onto the reflection of the woman in front of her.

In an instant, Shi Yan's complexion drained of colour.

She had done it... summoned something!

The ghost had been blowing on her just a moment ago, explaining the sudden chill that had overtaken her.

"So, what do we do now?" Shi Yan's voice shook with panic as she glanced over her shoulder. "She isn't following me, is she?"

Ye Sheng Ke shook his head. "No, she's retreated into the mirror."

But the ghost had already found them. There was no doubt that the next task would be extremely dangerous.

Who would be next?

There was a real ghost in the mirror!

Chu Xiu made the final decision. "Let's move to a different room and carry on."

They had reserved four rooms in total. Even if the things they summoned didn't follow them, what was the harm to these NPCs if they left the hotel after finishing the game?

No one opposed the idea. Lu Yan opted to remain the invisible man. Given the impact of the last scene, he wasn't in a hurry to reclaim his room key. "Can I leave now?"

His complexion turned ashen as he stood there; the previous image had been too much to bear, dealing a heavy blow to his years of dedication to science.

"I've already told you, you cannot leave until the four of us are done," Chu Xiu stated before turning and exiting the room.

With only a few mini-cut cameras, retrieving one from the previous room was impossible. Thus, they agreed to inform each other if anything unusual occurred.

Chu Xiu walked up to the mirror, following the necessary steps.

To his surprise, nothing happened.

After he emerged, he explained the situation honestly. However, the other three were dubious, and their suspicions turned into scepticism as they recalled that only Yun Xian had been harmed the previous night.

Next was Nie Yun Zhen's turn.

The previous three had completed the task without any trouble, so Nie Yun Zhen regained some confidence. He entered the room that Chu Xiu had left only moments ago and sat in front of the mirror.

The candle remained lit this time, and a fruity aroma filled the air. Nie Yun Zhen surveyed the utensils he needed before beginning his work with practised ease.

Yet, when he was halfway through peeling the apple, the image in the mirror abruptly shifted in a bizarre direction.

The ghastly scene caused his hands to freeze, and a violent tremor coursed through his body.

He couldn't let the peel break!

He steadied himself, determined to continue peeling the apple, but his hands trembled, and his gaze kept darting to the mirror, distracting him from the task.

He witnessed a horrifying scene: a ghostly figure tore off his head and flung it into a nearby basketball hoop, which remained lodged. His eyes widened in terror, his face twisted in a grimace of horror.

Was this an omen of his impending demise?

In the next instant, the image flickered and revealed the hotel lobby. But it was not the tranquil space he had seen earlier. Instead, a relentless torrent of pale, lifeless body parts spilt from the side elevator, flooding the room and swallowing up anyone who remained.

The gruesome body parts then recoiled and surged back towards the elevator with the force of a plunger yanked from a filled tub, disappearing instantly.

He continued peeling the apple, his hand moving painstakingly slowly until only a sliver of skin remained.

Nie Yun Zhen took a deep breath and slowly lowered the knife, the metallic tang of fear still sharp in his mouth.

The mirror image vanished, exposing his ghastly countenance.

Why...how... did this game show him the future?

What day had the mirror image revealed? When would it come to pass?

No matter; he had to flee at once.

The hotel was uninhabitable.

Nie Yun Zhen emerged from the cramped space and reunited with the group. He shook his head, facing Lu Yan, signalling that nothing had occurred.

The last to go was Ye Sheng Ke.

Lu Yan appeared to glance past him, but his vigilance was palpable.

Was the white-clad female ghost still perched on his neck?

Could the white-clad apparition be the one who blew breath behind Shi Yan earlier?

Lu Yan kept his composure, and the others didn't notice. After a brief greeting from the typically reticent Ye Sheng Ke, he departed for another room.

Upon entering, Ye Sheng Ke was again reminded of his dying friend's final cry.

He could never forgive himself. He was a coward, through and through.

He would make amends at his friend's grave if he survived this ordeal.

Ye Sheng Ke retrieved the knife.

The candle flame quivered.

With each twist of the blade, the image in the mirror sharpened. And what he saw was...

The fruit knife clattered onto the floor.

Minutes later, Ye Sheng Ke returned to the room and shook his head. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

The mission had a seven-day duration. Despite it being already the second day, there hadn't been any casualties.

Unsure who to trust, Chu Xiu calmly said, "It's fortunate that nothing unusual occurred. As it's already late, I suggest everyone return to their rooms and rest. We will continue with our tasks tomorrow."

The third day's mission was stranger and more surreal than the previous one, and they needed to be well-rested.

Gradually, the group dispersed upon his words, except Ye Sheng Ke, who shared his room with Chu Xiu after his previous room was used as a ghost-baiting spot, opting to sleep on the sofa.

"May I have the room card?" Lu Yan asked Chu Xiu succinctly and directly.

Without any hesitation, Chu Xiu handed the card back to him. "Are you certain you want to return and stay there now?" he inquired.

"Changing hotels isn't out of the question, is it?" Lu Yan retorted.

Tsk, changing hotels...

Whether they chose to climb the stairs or take the elevator, being on the thirteenth floor, there were bound to be surprised after midnight.

Chu Xiu did not try to stop Lu Yan and watched as he left the room.

"Ye Sheng Ke, do you believe that tomorrow's task will be as successful as today's?" he asked, suspicion laced in his tone as he observed Lu Yan's departure with unease.

Ye Sheng Ke shook his head, showing a rare hint of concern. "It's difficult to say, but what's most important is that tomorrow's task requires only the four of us without seeking help from others."

This also meant they could no longer rely on NPCs as human shields.

The game they would play on the third day was even more peculiar, known as the "Four Corners Game."

After midnight, four individuals stood in a dimly lit room, each positioned in a corner. One of them began to walk clockwise towards the next corner, and as they reached it, the person who had occupied it followed suit, continuing in the same direction. If someone arrived at an unoccupied corner, they would cough before continuing.

Legend had it that after playing this game for some time, a prolonged silence would follow, signifying that all four corners were taken.

So, who or what was the extra presence?

Chu Xiu suggested, "Let's proceed step by step per the task's arrangement."

The night grew even darker, and the entire hotel was silent. Even the receptionist couldn't help but yawn repeatedly.

To everyone's surprise, the night was eerily calm, too much so for it to be normal. Soon, the sky began to lighten, and the sun gradually rose.

In the dim light, a figure descended from the thirteenth floor.

His steps were fast and unrelenting as if he knew the hotel like the back of his hand. He swiftly made his way to the surveillance room, knocked out the security guard on duty, and began to search for something.

That person was none other than Nie Yun Zhen!

Last night, when he saw his reflection in the mirror, he realized that he might have caught a glimpse of a future event.

In the future, he would have his head removed and be thrown into a basket by a ghost, like a basketball. He would remain there until he rotted away and turned into a pile of bones.

He couldn't die! He mustn't die!

Nie Yun Zhen's eyes widened as he meticulously searched for the information he needed from the surveillance footage.

Yesterday, Nie Yun Zhen overheard that a man with the surname Wen had checked into the hotel and lost a valuable item. The man was seething with anger and had been relentlessly grilling the hotel staff. This was also the pretext Chu Xiu used to dupe Lu Yan into opening the door under the guise of a police search. Since there was indeed a commotion in the hotel about a missing item, so Chu Xiu's ploy worked like a charm.

As fate would have it, the security guard let slip that the man had brought a very peculiar object - a statue from overseas. The statue was tightly wrapped but had disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

Mr Wen had returned to the hotel in the morning to inquire about the lost item and had inadvertently revealed that his daughter was Wen Qing!

They had personally witnessed strange things about Wen Qing. Could they be connected to her father?

Moreover, Wen Qing kept mentioning "grandma". Obviously, there must be some family secret lurking in the shadows.

If only he could locate that statue...

Taking a deep breath, Nie Yun Zhen resumed carefully examining the surveillance footage. Suddenly, his eyes locked on a blurry figure entering a room on the second floor. The person's pockets were bulging, and a corner of a red wooden statue was faintly visible.

Could this be the missing statue?

Nie Yun Zhen carefully captured a screenshot of the surveillance footage, zoomed in for a closer inspection, and the more he looked, the more convinced he became that it was the same statue. The red edge was indelibly etched in his mind, so he decided to investigate further.

Before leaving, he meticulously positioned the security guard on the table to make it appear as if he had fallen asleep. That way, he wouldn't suspect a thing upon waking.

He strolled towards the reception desk, casually conversing with the receptionist before swiftly rendering her unconscious and procuring the room key.

It all went off without a hitch, almost too smoothly to be believed. He found himself on the second floor, outside the same room he had been seeking. With the key in hand, he noiselessly unlocked the door. Inside, the figure lay sleeping, their head obscured by the covers, while on the bedside table sat the crimson statue he had long sought.

Upon first sight, Nie Yun Zhen was entranced.

It resembled a handmaiden, standing silently with a serene countenance, yet the blood-red hue and unnerving texture of the wood brought to mind words like twisted and macabre.

He had no doubts about the guard's warning. This statue... must possess some extraordinary power.

In the meantime, Lu Yan descended the stairs, preparing to depart the hotel.

"Excuse me? Is anyone there?" He rapped insistently upon the reception desk until the attendant, who had been dozing, stirred and rubbed their eyes. "Oh, my apologies, sir. Can I assist you with something?"

"I wish to check out."

"Certainly; please give me a moment." The attendant's demeanour was pleasant and efficient, quickly processed his request.

After completing the checkout formalities, Lu Yan strode out of the hotel, his form illuminated by the revolving glass door.

An idea suddenly struck him.

As he departed the hotel, he deliberately tried to ignore the strikingly vivid skeleton poised at the reception desk, visible through the glass entrance.

The receptionist, still as a statue, maintained a smile with eerie perfection behind the desk.

Abruptly, her eyes rolled towards the ceiling, piercing through it to fixate on a minuscule mouse scurrying across the floorboards above.

In a dilapidated, crowded urban complex, a single room lay drenched in blood, and three bodies were strewn about. The corpses belonged to an older woman, a young girl, and a black cat, all mangled beyond recognition and immersed in a crimson pool. The blood took on a life of its own, forming a ghastly pattern.

Unexpectedly, the young girl's eyelid fluttered.

Despite her corpse-like pallor, unmoving chest, and grisly wounds, believing she was still alive was difficult. But her eyelid twitched as if she struggled to stir from slumber.

In the cramped room, the shattered statue lay scattered across the floor.

On the shrine, a twisted and disfigured idol had replaced the previous one. The new statue, as red as its predecessor, emanated a terrifying aura.

As the girl's eyelids continued to struggle, the crimson hue of the idol grew increasingly vivid until it seemed as though blood might drip from its surface.

"Kill...kill them... Revenge for Yun Qian..." The girl's voice was barely above a whisper as she repeated, "End them all..." Her eyes snapped open wide with an unspoken terror. She sat up and surveyed her surroundings. The familiar room was ordinary in every way, except for the bloodied remains of her beloved feline companion, Little Mimi, lying beside her.

"Little Mimi? What happened to you? Who did this?!" she cried, her heart breaking at the sight of the mangled body. As she mourned the loss of her pet, Wen Qing forgot that she had already died, forgotten that her grandmother had been possessed and had killed both her and Little Mimi. Confused and disoriented, she clung to the tiny creature's lifeless form and wept for a long, long time until she finally stirred her grandmother from her slumber.

"QingQing, what's wrong? It's so early in the morning; why are you so sad?" Grandma walked out of the room.

"Grandma, something terrible has happened. Little Mimi is dead," she sobbed, seeking solace in the old woman's embrace.

"Well," Grandma said, her expression somewhat sheepish. "I accidentally killed her. She was making too much noise at night, so I threw her out the window..."

"What?!" Wen Qing stared at her in disbelief.

Though her grandmother's demeanour remained kind and benevolent, there was something unsettling that sent chills down Wen Qing's spine.

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