Fan Li didn’t like to use his brain, but he was often forced by the anomalies to do so. Fan Li rubbed his head and asked cautiously, “Gao Ming… Do you still remember me?”
The door didn’t fully open. Gao Ming, in his high school uniform, looked at Fan Li with caution. He didn’t say anything, but he looked at Fan Li as if he were a stranger.
“I know you have forgotten many things, but you’re in a lot of danger now. The unknown horror might come at any moment,” Fan Li tried to make himself approachable, but Gao Ming looked at him like he was crazy. “Can I come in? I feel the horror approaching. It’s too dangerous out here.” Fan Li smiled bitterly. He had imagined many scenarios, but this was not one of his predictions.
Gao Ming was about to close the door, and Fan Li became anxious. He squeezed his fingers through the gap despite the fact that it might hurt him.
“I’m not lying to you! You’ve forgotten many things! You’ve saved my life, and I’m here to save yours!” Fan Li was unwilling to give up. “My name is Fan Li. Think about it. You said that I was a trustworthy person and I had potential that I didn’t even know about.”
Gao Ming stared at Fan Li’s face. Seeing how tightly Fan Li was holding the door, he couldn’t help but say, “Tell me what I’ve forgotten.”
“The anomalies are exploding, and horror stories are everywhere in Han Hai. You created Dead Water Forum and led the horror game players to fight the ghosts!” Fan Li said with excitement. Confusion and suspicion slowly faded from Gao Ming’s eyes.
“I’ve confirmed that you are indeed crazy.”
Fan Li let the door crush his fingers, but he didn’t let go. “I can prove it!”
“Sorry for this!” Fan Li’s expression became twisted. Ghost faces appeared under his skin. He knocked the door open. Before the thing appeared, he ran into the room. “One minute. If I stay outside for longer than one minute, those things will appear.” Fan Li leaned against the door, and his face slowly returned to normal. He saw Gao Ming climb up from the ground. He didn’t call out in pain but rushed to grab the fruit knife from the table. The phone was blinking. Before Fan Li came, Gao Ming had already called the police, but there was no answer.
“I’m really here to help you.” Fan Li leaned on the door and looked through the peephole. After ensuring the thing was gone, he raised his hands slowly, “I don’t know what happened to you, but if you really are the Gao Ming I know, you should be able to understand me. All the rooms in this corridor have room number 0714. I found your dead body in the room opposite this one…” Seeing Gao Ming’s eyes narrow, Fan Li quickly shook his hands. “I didn’t kill him. He killed himself. I have his diary here.” Fan Li placed the tattered diary on the ground. After he pushed it towards Gao Ming, he knelt on the ground.
“Diary?” When he saw the diary, Gao Ming’s gaze changed. He picked up the diary and flipped through it. His expression changed from confusion to surprise. “This handwriting and writing habits are mine. But…”
“But what?” Fan Li stayed where he was. He didn’t dare to move randomly.
“I also have the habit of keeping a diary.” Gao Ming hesitated before getting up and entering his bedroom. He took out a diary from his schoolbag. The two diaries looked identical. Gao Ming placed them before Fan Li and flipped through the pages. The first seven entries were similar down to the smallest details. However, everything changed after the eighth entry.
“In the diary that you brought, I became the new target for the school bullies because I defended someone from the bullies. They blocked me outside the toilet to give me a beating. I was so defeated that I killed myself.” Gao Ming lifted up his uniform to reveal a scar on his arm. “However, in my diary, when they blocked me inside the toilet, I knew I couldn’t take on all of them, so my sole target was the leader. I broke the toilet window, grabbed a glass shard, and tried to scare him by targeting his neck. However, I was too nervous and accidentally cut his neck. It was just a small scratch.” The two diaries had two different entries on the same date.
“I seem to have chosen a different life path.” Gao Ming continued to turn the pages. “The bully’s family is quite powerful. None of the bullies were implicated, but I was punished. They kept finding trouble with me. I had no choice but to keep aiming for the leader. I kept beating him up until I was kicked out of school.”
“In that case, why are you still wearing your school uniform?” Fan Li broke out in a cold sweat. This Gao Ming was completely different from the Gao Ming in the other room. Even if he fell, he had to bring another down with him.
“That bully has a driver sending him to and from school. I can’t find the chance to approach him. However, our class is going to an event outside of school tomorrow. I plan to tail them.” Gao Ming said casually, “I’m not going to take this lying down.”
“An out-of-school event tomorrow?” Fan Li picked up the diary and checked the date, “Is today July 14th?”
“Why does time stop on this day for all of you? What is so special about this day?” Fan Li questioned. “Do the different rooms house different versions of yourself that have elected different choices in life?”
Some of the Gao Ming committed suicide, while others were evicted from school for fighting back against the bullies.
A flash crossed Fan Li’s eyes. He remembered the room at the end of the corridor. The door was covered in talismans. The talismans warded against the monsters.
“What choice has that Gao Ming made? Why is that door covered in talismans?”
Different choices lead to different paths in life. Fan Li had no idea why this was happening, but he was getting closer to the truth.