Volume One: The Phantom Building Chapter 29: The Moment of Death

After leaving the restroom, Cheng Fan continued to run without pause, taking the lead toward the stairs. The scene was essentially the same as the one he had envisioned in his simulation.

Strictly speaking, however, there was a slight difference—namely, in the simulation, to avoid the female ghost, Cheng Fan had chosen the nearest staircase on the left. This time, he completely ignored the left staircase, ran a bit further ahead, and plunged directly into the central stairwell.

Cheng Fan’s actions were not lost on Zhao Linxuan. As mentioned before, based on her trust in Cheng Fan’s intellect, no matter how strange or illogical the young man’s behavior seemed, Zhao Linxuan never questioned him from start to finish. After all, she only needed to follow him; whether it was dealing with crises or finding a way to survive, those were all Cheng Fan’s responsibilities.

Soon, led by Cheng Fan, the two began to dash down the stairs. They passed through numerous floors, and time continued to slip away as they ran, yet Cheng Fan kept sprinting without the slightest intention of stopping. No one knew why Cheng Fan would continue to flee when there was no immediate danger; the only one who knew the answer was Cheng Fan himself.

Regrettably, however, even if he ran with a purpose, trying to shake off some impending danger, what was meant to come would come, and some things were simply beyond human power to change. Even if one had caught a glimpse of the future.

"Ah! W-what is that?"

As they ran, just as the two passed a corner in the corridor, Zhao Linxuan’s beautiful eyes widened, and she let out a panicked cry.

"Hmm?"

Hearing her, Cheng Fan instinctively looked back, only to see that Zhao Linxuan’s face had turned pale, her wide eyes staring straight at the wall beside them. Seeing Zhao Linxuan staring at the wall with terror, Cheng Fan turned his gaze without hesitation. However, the moment he looked, what met his eyes was... an eye.

An eye, eerily similar to a human’s, had appeared on the wall as if the wall itself had grown it. It clung to the surface, looking down at them, staring fixedly at Cheng Fan and Zhao Linxuan.

The moment he spotted the eye, Cheng Fan’s expression shifted drastically—his reaction was even more intense than Zhao Linxuan’s. Beyond the sudden change in his expression, his body began to tremble uncontrollably, as if struck by an electric shock. Clearly, he had a deep impression of this eye; or rather, he had seen it before. It was the very same bizarre eye he had witnessed in his simulation.

He remembered that back then, he and Zhao Linxuan had been staying on a certain floor, and the female ghost had been unable to find them. But the moment this eye appeared, the once-safe floor instantly became dangerous. In fact, no sooner had the eye manifested than the ghost appeared.

What did this mean? It meant the eye was dangerous, likely a reconnaissance tool for the ghost.

Simply put, because the ghost could not find the last two survivors, she had unleashed a new supernatural ability: expanding her field of vision. The bizarre eye was an extension of her sight. This meant that even if Cheng Fan and Zhao Linxuan were skilled at hiding, the moment they were spotted by the eye, it was as if they had been spotted by the ghost herself. And once spotted, the ghost would arrive immediately.

The reason Cheng Fan had been running non-stop, heading down floor after floor, was to avoid the eye. He had hoped to get far enough away to escape the ghost’s range of detection.

Alas, hope is beautiful, but reality is always cruel. In the face of this omnipotent, red-clad female ghost, humans are too weak, possessing no power to resist, not even the ability to escape.

*Damn it, we were seen after all!*

Staring at the strange eye on the wall, Cheng Fan felt his composure collapse. He had not expected the red-clad ghost to be this formidable; despite leaving the restroom early and bolting into the corridor, they had still been seen. Since they had been seen, what would follow was...

*Whoosh!*

At that same moment, just as Cheng Fan sensed the danger and prepared to bolt again, a sinister wind rose. A bone-chilling, icy gust swept through the corridor without warning. Amidst the howling wind, a string of laughter—a woman’s laughter that signaled the end—echoed through the space.

"Heh, hehe, hehehehe!"

As the eerie laughter pierced their eardrums, a flash of red appeared, plummeting from above. It was the red-clad female ghost!

What was even more terrifying was that perhaps she had grown bored of this cat-and-mouse game. The moment her form materialized, she spoke, and without moving her lips, she delivered the final verdict of death to them both:

"You... can... now... die..."

"Ah!" As expected, seeing the ghost suddenly appear in the corridor and hearing the death sentence, both Cheng Fan and Zhao Linxuan screamed, turned in panic, and scrambled to run. They looked like two pathetic mice encountering a wild cat, with no options left but to flee.

At the same time...

*Whoosh!*

Watching the two flee frantically, the ghost hovered behind them, pursuing with the speed of a gale. And just as expected, she locked onto Cheng Fan first!

Hearing the whistling sound behind him, even though he was scared half to death, Cheng Fan took action. Seeing that the ghost was indeed targeting him, he didn't hesitate to pull out a small knife and slash his own left arm.

After all, he did not want to die. Even if the hope of survival was near zero, he had to struggle to the end. Thus, a scene eerily similar to his simulation unfolded:

"Argh!"

*Splash!*

In the corridor, Cheng Fan began to self-harm. While roaring in pain, he spun around and flung his blood toward the ghost behind him. The ghost froze in mid-air upon contact with the blood. Seizing the opportunity, Cheng Fan suggested to Zhao Linxuan, "Quick, let's split up! That’s the only way we have a chance to survive!"

However...

No sooner had the words left his lips than he realized Zhao Linxuan was not responding. Not only did she refuse to split up, but the woman grabbed Cheng Fan, restricting his freedom and trapping him firmly at her side!

"Zhao Linxuan, what the hell are you doing? Are you trying to get me killed!?"

"Let go!"

Seeing the woman clinging to him, Cheng Fan was horrified. He never dreamed that Zhao Linxuan would refuse to split up, and not only refuse, but deliberately trap him by her side.

The reason? There was only one: self-preservation. In truth, for Zhao Linxuan, as long as Cheng Fan remained by her side, she was destined not to be the target of the attack. If they were to separate, the "calamity mark" on Cheng Fan would lose its effect, and heaven knows whom the ghost would choose to pursue then. Rather than gamble that the ghost wouldn't chase her, it was better to let Cheng Fan bear the danger for her.

That was Zhao Linxuan—a deeply selfish woman. Even if someone had to die, it would be Cheng Fan first. She would never allow him to get away from her.

Returning to reality, seeing Zhao Linxuan refuse to let go, Cheng Fan was terrified, but he soon had no time to dwell on it. The ghost was coming. After only three seconds, the ghost, who had been frozen in mid-air, was back in pursuit, wrapped in her sinister wind!