Chapter 1435: Chapter 891: They’re Here (Part 3)
But the other party gave them no face at all, directly scolding them, and even brandished the flashlight in his hand as if he were about to hit someone. The four of them, led by Yang Xiao, had to leave dejectedly.
To avoid being chased and scolded again, Yang Xiao and his group didn’t go directly back to their company on the 17th floor but instead took a detour to shake off the old security guard.
Fortunately, the old guard pursued them only for a short distance before giving up, probably because he needed to go back and lock the safety door on the 18th floor or something.
They ran to the 12th floor. Two companies were still open on this floor, so there was some human presence. The four of them gathered together, panting heavily, feeling as if they had just escaped a deadly trap.
Earlier, Liu Yang felt that the old security guard might suddenly open his mouth wide and swallow them whole.
"That was terrifying..." Liu Yang shuddered at the thought of the chase.
Especially when the old security guard, flashlight in hand, emerged from the corridor behind them. No one knew whether he was a person or a ghost, and he precisely dragged them out of the room; at that moment, Liu Yang’s heart turned cold.
But in the end, it seemed to be a false alarm. If it had been a ghost, they wouldn’t have been able to escape.
"What?" Suddenly, Munan let out a muffled groan, eyes glued to the phone.
"What’s wrong?" Yang Xiao immediately moved closer.
Munan’s phone displayed more than a dozen missed calls, all from not long ago, with the most recent one being five minutes prior.
"It’s Zhou Mingxiao calling!" To avoid accidents, they had agreed to remember only phone numbers without saving names. This number ended in 6705, which was Jiang Qingluan’s.
But Munan had been vigilant the whole time; she didn’t hear her phone vibrate, indicating there was a bad signal on the 18th floor.
These several calls clearly signified trouble. With no time for rest, Yang Xiao and the others hurriedly ran upstairs back to the 17th floor, found their company, where the office’s glass door was open, with several people pacing anxiously behind it.
Rushing in, Yang Xiao barely had the time to catch his breath as he urgently asked, "What happened?"
Looking around, only Zhou Mingxiao, Zhou Hai, and Yang Yan were in the office.
Chen Moting was missing.
"Chen Moting is missing!" Newcomer Zhou Hai’s face was contorted in distress, almost driven to tears.
"She was just here earlier, and I... I stayed with her the whole time." Yang Yan was in the worst condition, trembling uncontrollably and clearly terrified.
"What happened exactly?" Yang Xiao looked at Zhou Mingxiao among the three, who was usually a composed person.
Yet now even Zhou Mingxiao seemed baffled, as he too didn’t know what had happened; it was as if the living person vanished in an instant.
...
Ten minutes earlier, Rongjin Building, 17th-floor office.
Chen Moting sat in a spot bathed in sunlight, allowing the sun to pour over her, hoping to dispel the chill in her heart.
Yang Yan stayed close to Chen Moting, talking to her and offering comfort.
Meanwhile, Zhou Mingxiao was busy in a room inside, working alongside newcomer Zhou Hai.
Their jobs were at a fashion design company, and they had actual work to do. Not long ago, they had received a call from a partnering company instructing them to send a batch of samples as agreed.
It wasn’t a scam call. They found records of the company on their computer, confirming everything was legitimate.
There were a dozen samples, and Zhou Mingxiao was packing them with Zhou Hai, as a task like this didn’t require all four of them. Considering what had happened to Chen Moting the night before, Zhou Mingxiao arranged for her to rest, insisting Yang Yan stay with her at all times.
After all, it was daytime, and the two groups of people were only about ten meters apart; no one expected any problems.
"Moting, would you like some water?" Yang Yan, caring and attentive, offered, "Your lips look dry."
"Thank you, Sister Yang." Chen Moting nodded gently, replying softly, then looked out the window.
Yang Yan went to get her some water, preferring it warm, and fortunately had brought a pot of boiled water from home the night before. It was stored in an old-fashioned thermos, not exactly attractive but highly practical, which she liked very much.
The kettle was in that office, just behind the glass door, only about 5 or 6 meters away in a direct line, yet she never would have imagined that by the time she went over, unscrewed the cap, and poured a cup of water, Chen Moting would be gone upon her return.
While Yang Yan stepped away to get water, Chen Moting seemed to be drawn by something, instinctively turning her head to look out the window.
All of a sudden, she noticed something was off with the sky outside; it had become murkier without her noticing. Though the sun still shone on her, it had lost its warmth.
It wasn’t just that the sky had changed; there was something floating in the air outside.
Instinctively, Chen Moting leaned closer to peer out of the glass window, only to see the air filled with some black and gray fragments, reminiscent of paper ash left after burning joss paper.
Looking up, she saw these ashes cascading from the sky, endlessly, like a heavy snowfall; it was an immensely stunning sight.
In that moment, Chen Moting realized something was wrong. She quickly backed away from the window, simultaneously looking around for someone, but in the next instant, she froze. Yang Yan, who had been not far from her, fetching water just moments before, had disappeared, though the kettle and cup were still there.
Even more chilling was seeing the glass door inexplicably left ajar.
"Sister Yang Yan?!" Chen Moting called out, and after receiving no response, she’d rather not move closer to the door. Instead, she turned to run toward the inside corridors, shouting as she went, "Zhou Mingxiao! Zhou Hai! Where are you?!"
