Chapter 27: Manifestation

Once everyone noticed the humanoid shadow, they instinctively took several steps back. Shi Xiaoxue wanted to scream again, but this time, Qi Yan quickly covered her mouth with his hand.

“Shine your lights, everyone—point your phones and illuminate the corridor!”

Three or four beams converged, finally revealing the shape of the shadow. It was neither a suspicious person nor a malicious ghost, yet the sight made their hearts leap into their throats, extinguishing any lingering hope.

It was a human skin—completely intact, mottled with blood, a shell of flesh… The hair was still perfectly preserved, with no excess tears, even the face was unblemished, hollow eyes, nose, lips…

Threads of black-red, viscous blood dripped from the feet onto the floor. The shape had appeared warped when they first saw the shadow, simply because the skin was soft and swayed gently where it hung.

“Ah—!” Shi Xiaoxue finally let out a scream, but this time it was not just from fear. The moment she saw the human skin, she recognized it instantly. After all, she had shared a bed with him for over two years; how could she mistake the features of her former lover?

Her cry was a desperate, kneeling sob—a heartbreak so wrenching it tore through the silence.

Qi Yan no longer tried to restrain her breakdown. Holding his phone, he stared blankly at Yang Han and asked, “Now… do you still think this could have been done by a human?”

“No… I don’t believe it… Not even if you beat me.” Yang Han nearly collapsed to the floor.

He backed away in shock, pressed against the wall, teetering on the edge of a breakdown. Then he shouted at everyone, “Run! Why are you all standing here? Car or no car, just run!”

Qi Yan grabbed his arm, his voice sharp. “Run? If it’s truly the work of a ghost, do you think you can outrun it? Are you faster than a ghost?”

Yang Han was completely at a loss. If the murderer was human, even if hiding in the shadows, there would at least be ways to fight back or escape. But now… Even a child would know what fate awaits someone who encounters a vengeful ghost. All scientific means are useless!

Yet, faced with hopelessness, Yang Han grasped for anything—he grabbed Li Ruoke’s hand, pleading, “Keke, Master Ke! Aren’t you the expert in mystical arts? Don’t you sell protective charms? What do we do now? How do we survive?!”

Li Ruoke, shaken by his frantic grasp, was equally bewildered. “Me? I… I… um… I…”

Qi Yan, still able to make a sarcastic remark, whispered in her ear, “I’d like to see how you handle this…”

He had barely finished speaking when he glanced at the wall behind them. There, a white human face appeared, exactly like the one he had seen in the pool earlier—red lips pursed in a subtle, enigmatic smile, eyes pitch-black, a mask embedded in the wall staring directly at him.

Qi Yan was so startled he nearly bit his tongue. He pushed Li Ruoke and Yang Han aside, clutching the talisman hanging from his neck and pointing it at the face. No matter how frightened he was, he cursed aloud, “Get lost!”

His action was so sudden no one knew what was happening. Yang Han, already terrified, crouched on the floor, covering his head, not caring what had occurred.

Li Ruoke, a little calmer, couldn’t see the face on the wall and quickly asked Qi Yan, “What’s wrong?!”

Qi Yan kept his gaze fixed on the wall. “Can’t you see it? It’s right there—on the wall…”

Li Ruoke glanced over but saw nothing, only the smooth, unblemished surface.

Just then, Yang Han and Shi Xiaoxue—whether they saw something or not—were so frightened by Qi Yan and Li Ruoke’s behavior that they lost all sense of reason. Screaming and shouting, they sprinted away.

Chaos erupted; the long-suppressed terror exploded violently. Phones were dropped without care. Yang Han scrambled and tumbled toward the stairs, his frantic steps sending him rolling down, crashing noisily.

Shi Xiaoxue, on the other hand, fled in the opposite direction—racing up to the third floor.

In their panicked flight, Qi Yan and Li Ruoke were bumped several times, knocking over some furnishings. The place, already dark, was now pitch-black since the phones had been discarded in unknown corners. Luckily, Qi Yan still had his phone. Once steady, he shone it at the wall, but the face with the red lips was already gone without a trace.

“Woof, woof, woof!” Amidst the chaos, the little Bichon locked in the room began barking.

Li Ruoke remembered the dog. They were on the second floor, so she seized the chance to go rescue it. Whether to fight or flee, things had already devolved into utter confusion.

Everyone scattered like frightened birds in the main hall on the second floor, their thoughts unsteady as fear and the sense of mortal danger overwhelmed them.

“I’ll go get Shirley!” Li Ruoke shouted, running toward her room.

Qi Yan had no choice but to follow. “I’ll come with you.” Before joining her, he called out to the two who had already scattered, “Don’t run off—head to the first floor and regroup!”

Li Ruoke opened her door, and the cotton-ball-like Shirley leapt into her arms, trembling and too frightened to bark.

Qi Yan urged, “Hurry, hurry, let’s get downstairs.”

Meanwhile, on the third floor.

Shi Xiaoxue didn’t know why she’d run upstairs—panic drove her wherever she could go. Only now did she realize no one else had followed. She could still hear the commotion below, but she was alone…

Though her tears left her weak and her limbs numb, she still reacted quickly. Just as she was about to run back down, a familiar figure suddenly appeared at the stairwell, blocking her way.

Shi Xiaoxue slipped in fright, but with the moonlight streaming in, she quickly recognized the person.

“Cheng Ziyue? What… what are you doing here? Hurry, run!”

The person blocking her path was indeed Cheng Ziyue, who had gone downstairs alone earlier to turn off the air conditioner. After such a long disappearance, she had finally reappeared.

Shi Xiaoxue didn’t even have time to ask where she’d been, only trembling as she urged her to flee together.

Cheng Ziyue’s sudden appearance was startling, but she showed no signs of strangeness. She even stepped forward to help Shi Xiaoxue up…