Click.
The handle of the small door was already turning, as if someone was twisting it, trying to come out.
Li Chengyi held his breath, rushed forward a few steps, and with a fierce lunge, he slammed hard into the small door without hesitation.
Bang!
The small door, which was about to open, was shut tightly again by his impact.
'As long as the door remains closed, that ghostly thing can't come out!'
This was the only thought in his mind at the moment.
His body pressed dead against the door panel, the icy red maintenance door was firmly blocked, not budging an inch.
Boom boom boom.
Inside the maintenance room, there was a continuous sound of a heavy object striking the door panel, producing a muffled noise.
It seemed something was trying to push the door open.
But, thanks to Li Chengyi's forceful blow, the door had closed and locked itself and, along with his full strength pressuring it, the door simply wouldn't budge.
Boom boom boom.
Boom boom boom.
The striking sounds were relentless, non-stop, each impact heavier than the last.
The heavy thuds reverberating caused vibrations, buzzing in Li Chengyi's eardrums, and his arms and shoulders, pressed against the metal door, began to grow numb.
He gritted his teeth, positioning his body diagonally and stiffly against the iron door, daring not to relax.
But the impacts were getting stronger and heavier, the increasing force so swift it sent chills through him.
'No good! I must come up with something! If this continues, I'm doomed for sure!'
Previously, the Floral Dress had shielded him once, but now that it was damaged, he only had the Flower Language Ability left, which was no match for a direct confrontation with that human face.
And what if something other than the face showed up the second time?
What if it was some other troublesome creature...
'Absolutely, it cannot be allowed to come out!!'
Li Chengyi pushed firmly against the door, various thoughts swiftly flitting through his mind.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind.
'If the Flower Language Ability works through touch, then... can it also work through an object?'
'I am pressed against the door right now, and the creature on the other side is also pressed against it, does that count as contact??'
As soon as this idea emerged, it began to rapidly take root in his brain.
'Should I try it!?'
He made up his mind, his right hand swiftly flipped, and slapped onto the door with a smack.
The sensation of cool, hard steel traveled through his palm into his mind.
In an instant, his thoughts flowed, and his palm was quickly covered with a layer of invisible, transparent distortion.
As soon as the distortion touched the iron door, it spread evenly, seeping into the door panel and disappearing from sight.
Thud!
At the same time, another heavy blow came from behind the door.
But this time, the impact lasted only for a moment.
Li Chengyi felt as if a line had connected his hand, the door panel, and something behind the door all together.
'It's working!! Next, the second touch to enchant the target.'
The full activation of Drunken Hand consisted of two steps.
First: Select the target.
Second: Decide what to intoxicate the target with.
On Li Chengyi's first use of it, he felt the connection like a thin thread, constantly draining his physical strength.
This draining was rapid, akin to sprinting non-stop on a track, and in just half a minute, his strength could be completely sapped.
'I must be quick!'
His thoughts racing, he swiftly scanned the surroundings with his blood-streaked eyes, not lingering, and pressed his right hand firmly against the iron door once more.
He was right outside. Whatever he designated, it would inevitably result in the creature coming out of the door.
So, why not turn this iron door into the object of enchantment!
Let that creature become fascinated with this small door!
With a crisp snap, his palm struck the surface of the iron door.
And at the same time, the inside of the door fell completely silent.
Hiss… hiss…
Li Chengyi, mouth closed, breathed heavily through his nose, his eyes wide as he stared at the iron door in front of him.
After waiting a while, perhaps ten seconds or maybe a minute,
the door remained still.
Only then did he slowly relax his body, step back, and let go.
'Did it work??'
He didn't know, but judging from the lack of noise, it seemed like a success.
Hiss...
Suddenly, a subtle scratching sound came from behind the iron door.
It sounded as though someone inside was gently caressing the door.
The hissing was not loud, yet persistent.
When Li Chengyi first heard the sound, his heart skipped a beat, but then he realized there were no signs of the door being opened again, and his heart gradually settled.
'It seems to have worked.... As long as I don't open the door myself, there shouldn't be an issue.'
He could feel a faint, fragile connection on the iron door, linking the door and something inside the maintenance room together.
As long as there was no external interference to break it up, this enchanted state could continue indefinitely, until the Flower Language Ability itself expired.
He did not know how long the Flower Language Ability would last—this would require further testing and recording.
But for now, at least for now, he finally had an effective way to avoid danger.
Once he was sure it was safe, he stepped back a few paces, picked up his bag, and ran towards the turning corner.
Even though the situation was temporarily stable, he no longer wanted to stay near this small door.
Feeling danger lurking so close made his hair stand on end and his heart race.
At this rate, there was no way to rest and recover his strength.
After a quick jog, he distanced himself from the small door and walked over a hundred meters before stopping and sitting down behind a stone pillar used for support.
With the pillar as cover, he only needed to tilt his head slightly to keep an eye on the small door to the maintenance room.
The cold and empty garage was deserted, devoid of any vehicles.
Li Chengyi, gasping for breath and holding a white plastic bag, was starting to turn pale.
The cold-toned lighting cast upon his face made him look even paler.
Just as he was about to rest his eyes for a bit,
"Is anyone there?"
Suddenly, he thought he heard a voice.
Someone was shouting.
"Is anyone there?" It was a young woman's voice.
The voice was full of energy, calm in tone, and without a hint of panic.
'Someone?!' Li Chengyi was initially stunned, thinking he had heard wrong and was hallucinating.
Being in an extremely quiet environment for too long can cause this phenomenon.
When it's too quiet, the faint noises around can mix with the imaginary sounds in one's mind, making it hard to differentiate between illusion and reality.
"Is anyone there? Is anybody here?" The woman's voice rang out again.
This time, the voice was closer, clearer.
Li Chengyi opened his eyes wide, finally sure that he hadn't heard wrong. Indeed, a second person, other than himself, was calling out!
He stood up, about to reply.
But immediately, the sound in his throat stopped abruptly, as if slamming on the brakes.
'No, this is wrong! If there could be monsters like before, then it wouldn't be surprising to encounter another one that can mimic human voices! Wait, just wait…'
His expression changed, and he dismissed the idea of responding immediately, instead, he looked in the direction of the voice.
The woman's voice was coming from the right-hand side.
That was the bend leading up to the next level.
Accompanying the shouts were the soft sound of footsteps gradually approaching.
It seemed that the person was moving closer to this level.
The footsteps sounded muffled, as if they were not high-heeled or hard-soled boots, but rather from shoes with soft rubber soles.
Li Chengyi patiently hid himself behind the cylindrical pillar, standing up straight, body wholly concealed behind the half-meter diameter gray-white pillar, waiting for the footsteps to get closer.
His nose was almost touching the rough surface of the pillar, smelling a faint scent of cement.
As the footsteps grew closer and louder,
"Is anyone there?" The woman's voice called out again, this time much clearer than before, along with the sound of subtle panting, indicating that she was getting tired.
Li Chengyi cautiously peeked out with the corner of his eyes, watching the corner, waiting for the person to appear.
Five seconds.
Ten seconds.
Fifteen seconds.
Finally, from afar, a figure slowly emerged around the bend.
A long-haired woman dressed all in black, holding a brown and white checkered coat in her hand.
She looked around calmly, but her increasingly hurried steps betrayed her lack of inner calm.
"Is anyone there?" she called out again, walking towards Li Chengyi's direction.
As she drew nearer, Li Chengyi gradually made out her features.
The woman had slightly pale skin and above-average features with slight traces of cosmetic surgery on her eyes and chin, with too perfect curves and lines.
Her black shoulder-length hair reached down to her waistcoat, and she wore a black lightweight coat that concealed her figure.
She wore black leggings and shoes with soles as thick as half a palm – black platform shoes.
Li Chengyi noticed that the woman was also carrying a large shopping bag with a mall logo on the white bag: "Cainemina," in artistic letters surrounded by a pure white floral wreath.
Cainemina was a high-end mall Li Chengyi remembered seeing, catering to a wealthier clientele and located in the city center.
One word could sum up its feature—expensive.
The woman walked a bit further, then stopped to take out a black-cased phone with a pink cartoon cat charm for decoration from the pocket of her coat.
She checked her phone screen, seemingly to confirm signal reception.
After realizing there was still no signal, she put it away, disappointed, her chest heaving even more.
By now, Li Chengyi was sure that the other party wasn't some monster but a real living person.
He breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at the small door to the maintenance room he had previously closed to ensure there was no movement, then slowly stepped out.
"Were you also suddenly brought here?"
He spoke in a low voice; some of his strength had returned from before, making his voice sound steady and powerful.
In such alien and unsafe environments, it's crucial not to show signs of weakness.
This wasn't any profound life lesson, just an instinctive need to maintain one's sense of security.
"!!?" Upon seeing someone emerge, the black-haired woman seemed startled and took a step back.
Now about ten meters apart, she stood slightly shorter than Li Chengyi, a bit over 1.7 meters, likely due to the exaggerated height of her platform shoes. Her actual height must be much shorter.
Caught off guard by the surprise, she nearly stumbled backward.
But immediately, she steadied herself, demonstrating good balance, then stood firm and looked at Li Chengyi with a look of surprise and delight.
"Finally, someone! What on earth is this place? Are you a staff member here?! Can you take me out of here? I can pay you! Is one thousand yuan enough?"
She blurted out several sentences in quick succession, her composure now completely vanishing.
Li Chengyi sized up the other party and swept a glance at the knees of her black pants and the top of her shoes.
Both spots showed signs of white dust and scuff marks, an apparent result of a fall.
Furthermore, even from this distance of more than ten meters, he could smell a peachy fragrance, indicating how much perfume the woman must have sprayed on herself.
"Sorry, I'm not staff here and I can't take you out. This place, don't you know what it is yet?" Li Chengyi found it hard to believe that after two premonitions, she still didn't know about the Blind Spot.
Such vivid premonitory experiences, even the dullest person would know to look up information.