Chapter 1422: Chapter 888: _2
Without a word, Yang Xiao took off his coat, walked to the bed, and collapsed onto it.
As soon as his head touched the pillow, a slight drunkenness rose to the surface, and Yang Xiao closed his eyes, quickly drifting into slumber.
But what Yang Xiao didn’t know was that Jiang Qingluan, leaning on the sofa, was silently watching him from behind, her eyes complex and her rims reddening, as if filled with guilt and struggle. A moment later, her lips moved slightly, but no sound emerged.
If Yu Shu, who was skilled in lip-reading, had been there, they would have understood that the words Jiang Qingluan couldn’t bring herself to say were "I’m sorry..."
One hour ago, in Rongjin Building.
Su Xiaomin was tightly huddled with Chen Moting, the two of them curled up in the innermost corner of the office, surrounded by two walls. The feeling of having something to lean on did little to alleviate their fear and anxiety.
At this moment, the two maintained almost the same posture, both looking up and staring at the ceiling intently. Out of fear, Su Xiaomin’s limbs trembled as she continually swallowed.
Beside her, Chen Moting was slightly better, but her furrowed brows couldn’t hide the terror in her heart.
"Thud."
"Thud."
"Thud."
A series of distinct footsteps echoed from the ceiling above, resembling high heels striking the floor.
This scene turned Su Xiaomin’s face pale. "It’s coming, it’s coming again..."
Shortly after Yang Xiao and the others left, they encountered strange happenings. From the once-silent floor above, the sound of movement suddenly began.
There were heavy sounds of leather shoes and crisp clicks of high heels, from both men and women, but each time they disappeared quickly, as if in haste.
It felt less like walking and more like climbing on the floor with hands and feet.
Su Xiaomin wasn’t lying; this was really only her second time in such a haunted place, meaning she had only completed a nightmare task once before.
Moreover, even that time was largely due to luck; she encountered a woman claiming to be a police officer.
That sister was formidable, seemingly aware of many things in advance. Under her leadership, the group of nine only lost one person at the task’s initial stage, with the remaining eight clearing it almost unscathed.
She didn’t contribute much throughout but didn’t cause chaos either. She knew to stick with the strong and follow instructions.
This time, she chose to cling to Chen Moting’s leg beside her; Chen Moting was much calmer than her.
Upon hearing the footsteps above, Chen Moting promptly ordered Su Xiaomin to keep quiet and instructed them to take off their high heels and move barefoot.
After confirming the office door was securely locked, they hid in the innermost corner of the office.
Upon being selected to keep vigil, Chen Moting was already prepared. She knew it would be hard to get through the night without incident; those ghostly entities wouldn’t easily let them off.
But despite the fear, Chen Moting wasn’t entirely panicked to the point of losing her composure; after all, she wasn’t alone. Even if danger were to arise, she could rely on her teammates.
Ghosts rarely massacre multiple players at once, especially at the beginning of the task.
Of course, that’s assuming they don’t make grave mistakes, and in this regard, Chen Moting had confidence. She wasn’t a newbie; this was already her fifth task.
During the task introduction phase, she also withheld information, remaining cautious of her so-called teammates.
"Ms. Moting, I... I’m scared." Su Xiaomin pressed against Chen Moting, shaking like a sieve.
To prevent this fellow from doing something extreme and causing unnecessary trouble, Chen Moting had to patiently comfort her.
If not for the already emerging abnormalities, Chen Moting wouldn’t have been so gentle; she would have raised her hand long ago.
"Don’t be afraid, I’m here. We won’t come to harm tonight; hold on a bit longer, and we’ll be safe by dawn," Chen Moting softly reassured Su Xiaomin.
Sure enough, under Chen Moting’s comfort, Su Xiaomin’s tense emotions were greatly relieved. At this moment, in Su Xiaomin’s eyes, Chen Moting was as reliable as the good sister who protected them in the previous task.
But in the next second, a scene caught them off guard; they suddenly heard the sound of water."
The rushing water sound was very clear, coming from behind and not far from them.
Su Xiaomin immediately realized it was from the faucet in the pantry, given she had also been in the group exploring that area before.
The faucet was inexplicably turned on, and this wasn’t the worst part; as soon as it was activated, the footsteps above abruptly stopped, as if something noticed.
Simultaneously, both Su Xiaomin and Chen Moting instinctively held their breath.
However, what was to come couldn’t be avoided; in less than ten seconds, the series of high heel sounds began again, and this time, the pace quickened.
"Thud."
"Thud."
"Thud."
"Thud!"
...
In the almost suffocatingly tense atmosphere surrounding Su Xiaomin, the last sound of the high heels suddenly changed in tone, becoming more distinct and dull, originating from their very floor!
That thing had come down...
Just outside the hallway!
At this moment, not only Su Xiaomin but even Chen Moting broke into a cold sweat. Technically, they hadn’t done anything tonight; without actions, there couldn’t be mistakes, no reason for a ghost to cling to them, especially since it was just the first night.
But it had already happened, and it was too late to ponder the reasons. Even more terrifying was that those high-heeled footsteps were drawing closer.
There was no use in self-deception; it was clearly coming for them.
At this point, Su Xiaomin couldn’t hold it any longer, clutching Chen Moting’s hand tightly, pleading that they couldn’t stay here—they had to escape.
