“This place…” Luo Yi carefully walked behind Zhen Jianren as they explored the prop centre. They jimmied the lock and got in. They perked up their ears to listen to the surroundings. The interior was larger than he thought. The place looked simple on the outside, but once they were inside and had taken a few turns, they were lost. The intersecting brick walls were more than four meters tall. They looked like they were ready to pierce the sky.
Zhen Jianren had to show Jiang Cheng some respect. The other party managed to infiltrate this place and retreat safely after they encountered a ghost. He had trouble just finding his bearing. The only thing that made him feel better was there was someone with him. The ghost would only kill one person based on his current observation. In other words, if they encountered the ghost, one of them could survive. Naturally, Zhen Jianren would be the survivor. The reason was simple. He was cleverer than Luo Yi. Plus, Luo Yi’s real name had already been exposed: Luo Zhanfei.
The ghost in this mission was very special. Zhen Jianren believed she would not ignore this detail. They looked through the rooms one by one. Most of them were used to store old tables and chairs as well as abandoned sports equipment. Based on the thick layer of dust, they had been there for a long time already.
There was a rustling sound from nearby. The gait was different from a normal gait. The person should be using a rather heavy cane. The bottom of the cane occasionally knocked against the ground, making a loud sound. At that moment, it sounded like calls from hell.
Zhen Jianren’s heart tightened. Since he still didn’t know the old man’s identity, he decided avoidance was the better solution. He turned to find Luo Yi but realised he was alone.
There was no better solution, so Zhen Jianren rushed to find a random room to hide in. He tried a few doors, but they were all locked. Zhen Jianren started to panic as the footsteps neared. He was in a dead-end. The brick walls were too tall for him to climb over them. Plus, he didn’t have time to climb over them. Zhen Jianren cursed Luo Yi internally for wandering off at a moment . Just as the old man was about to turn the corner and see him, Zhen Jianren heard a strange scratching sound.
Zhen Jianren made a decision and rushed to the room at the end of the corridor. He carefully opened the door. Dust particles danced in the air. The floor was covered in grim and dust. The dust layer was even. The place felt frozen in time. The room looked larger than it appeared from the outside. There were red curtains everywhere. It felt like a hall that was abandoned. Since there was nothing out of place, Zhen Jianren slipped in and closed the door.
There was a red wooden box near the door. The box was huge. It was empty. Even though the room was large, there was no cover. Once a person came in, Zhen Jianren would be seen immediately. With no other choice, Zhen Jianren hid inside the box. He held his breath and listened.
The footsteps moved into a nearby room. Then, there was a sound of things being moved. The sound was grating. It sounded like the old man was moving the furniture around. About ten minutes later, the old man was done and left.
After the footsteps disappeared, Zhen Jianren sighed in relief. As he was about to open the box…
There was a strange sound in his ears. It sounded like it was just outside the empty hall. Zhen Jianren’s heart fell. He tried to focus on the sound. He realised the sound had a definite tempo to it. The tempo was strangely alluring. His feet involuntarily tapped along to it.
His pupils shrunk before his body started to shake.
The thudding sound became more intense and lively. Zhen Jianren gritted his teeth. He could imagine the girl dancing gracefully.
The sound… was the ballerina’s pointe shoes hitting the ground.
The ghost… was outside!
The strange sound stopped outside the box he was in. Time froze at that moment.
The door creaked open. The old axle groaned.
The ghost didn’t open the box. The dancing sound faded away.
The feeling Zhen Jianren felt couldn’t be described with words. Energy left Zhen Jianren, and he slumped inside the box.
Suddenly, there was a series of quick, rushing footsteps. This time, Zhen Jianren was not that nervous. He had already opened the box a gap and saw Luo Yi carefully entering the empty hall.
Zhen Jianren lifted up the lid of the box and sighed, “I’m here.”
Luo Yi jumped in fright. He sighed when he saw it was Zhen Jianren, “You scared me. Just now, I…” He shivered as fear crossed his eyes. “Do you know what I saw earlier?”
“You saw the ghost…” Zhen Jianren answered weakly. The incident had drained him. After he jumped out of the box, the two leaned against the door and rested. Zhen Jianren finally had the time to examine this strange room. He pulled back the corner of the red curtain. He discovered there was a large mirror behind the curtain. He lowered his head and used his shoes to wipe away the dust. The dust covered up a sturdy wooden floor.
There were wooden rods on the other end of the room. Zhen Jianren recognised them as barre. Dancers used them in ballet training. This was a dance classroom.
Just as Zhen Jianren was caught in his thought, he caught the mirror from the corner of his eyes. In the mirror, he was standing straight. Luo Yi was beside him, standing on tiptoe. His shoulders slumped unnaturally. And his jaw…
Zhen Jianren’s eyes widened.
He had no jaw. The lower half of his face was bloody. A pair of creepy eyes stared right at him through the reflection in the mirror.