The woman in red flashed past the corner of the stairs, and I only caught a blurry silhouette.
"Is there a woman daring enough to come to rent a room at this hour?" I exclaimed in surprise, stretching my neck to look. The woman had already gone upstairs, and my gaze only found the corner of the old staircase before being stopped by a hoarse, elderly voice.
"What are you doing?" The voice sounded uncomfortable as if it had been rubbed with sand.
Behind the old cash register, in the dimly lit and unreachable dark corner, sat a hunched figure, seemingly scrutinizing me.
"Hello, uncle. I'm here to rent a room," I forced a smile, walking over to see an ageless face.
Indeed, it was the old man who had held a kitchen knife behind the door that morning.
Feeling a bit uneasy, unsure if the old man would recognize me, I asked, "For how many days can I rent?"
"Forty for a day. Pay in advance."
I breathed a slight sigh of relief, took out forty yuan, and placed it on the counter.
"Can I choose the room myself?"
"Sure."
The old man slowly stood up, took the money, grabbed a bunch of keys from the mottled wall, and then gestured towards the stairs with his dry hand.
I followed him, and the short-term rentals should be on the second floor.
The first floor still retained the appearance of a bun shop, with worn-out dining tables arranged in order, chopsticks and napkins placed on them, as if people were still coming to eat.
Black cement floor, walls with peeling paint, and a sour stench in the air. The whole shop had only one dim light bulb for illumination, making everything look dark.
Heading towards the second floor, we climbed an old wooden staircase that seemed to have been neglected for a long time, with some steps even rotten.
Every step creaked as I cautiously followed the old man to the second floor.
Spread before us was a dim and narrow corridor, with several rooms on both sides.
Glancing at the room numbers, I noticed that Room 4 was at the end of the corridor.
"I'll just take this room." I tried to sound casual.
"Room 4 is occupied. Choose another one," the old man said without any surprise upon hearing my choice.
"Occupied?" I was surprised.
Someone dared to move into Room 4 less than a week after the murder. Was it the woman in red I saw entering?
After a moment of contemplation, I chose Room 3, which was closest to Room 4.
The old man opened the door, left the keys with me, and slowly went downstairs.
I entered, turned on the lights, and examined this small room.
The air had a musty smell, the walls were painted in snowy white, the floor had white tiles emitting a cold light in the dimness, and the room was eerily white. However, the window frame was painted red.
Although it felt strange, the room was relatively clean, equipped with a mini bathroom and the necessary furniture.
Compared to current prices, the forty yuan for one day was indeed very cheap. No wonder people still rented rooms despite the recent murder.
However, I wasn't here to rent a room. After the old man went downstairs, I left the room.
With less than an hour left until the live broadcast started, I needed to quickly convince the woman in Room 4 to switch rooms with me.
At the end of the corridor was Room 4's entrance.
No light seeped out from the door crack, and no sound came from inside.
"Is she already asleep?" I stood at the door, puzzled. Checking the countdown to the live broadcast, I nervously knocked on the door.
Bang, bang, bang.
The muffled knocking echoed softly in the corridor, but there was no response from inside the room.
"It's so late, and a stranger is knocking on the door. I can understand her caution." I stood at the door, looked at the countdown to the live broadcast, and plucked up the courage to knock several more times. Still, Room 4 remained silent, with no light turning on.
"Doesn't want to talk to me, or maybe she's already asleep."
I frowned. Even if she didn't want to talk to me, she should at least respond to me.
A terrifying suspicion arose in my mind.
"Could she already... be dead?"
Thinking of this, I couldn't stay calm. Clutching the doorknob tightly, I knocked on the door with more force. If she didn't open the door, I would have to go find the old man.
"Hey, are you still there..."
Unexpectedly, with a click, the door opened.
I was stunned.
It seemed that a faint smell of blood wafted through the door crack.
My heart tightened instantly.
The room was pitch-black, and the dim light in the corridor couldn't penetrate inside. I could only see a part of the entrance.
The white tiles emitted a cold glow, and there were no traces of blood.
With a pounding heart, I mustered the courage to push the door fully open.
Squeak.
I turned on the flashlight on my phone, shining it inside.
Under the cold white light, I saw an empty room. The beddings were neatly folded, and the bed sheets showed no signs of wrinkles as if nobody had stayed there.
"Is anyone there?"
I took out a Swiss knife I had prepared in advance and put it behind my back, holding the phone in the other hand. Under the flashlight's illumination, I cautiously entered Room 4.
Apart from the cautious and faint sounds of my footsteps, there was no other sound in the room. I shone the phone's light towards the bathroom.
The door made of frosted glass was slightly ajar, making it blurry, and I couldn't see whether anyone was inside.
I didn't rush over; instead, I found the light switch and turned it on.
The dim yellow light dispelled some darkness, but the bathroom's situation was still unclear.
"Is anyone there?"
Holding the Swiss knife tightly, I braved up and walked over, gently pushing the door.
The white tiles reflected my silhouette, and the mini bathroom was empty.
Where did the person go?
I saw the woman in red go upstairs, and the old man also claimed that someone was living in Room 4. Why was there no one in the room?
Did she go out?
But we went upstairs one after another, and I didn't encounter her during that time. Based on my observation, the only way down was the old staircase, indicating that she didn't go downstairs.
Where is she?
I couldn't figure it out. However, I didn't have time to dwell on it. There was less than half an hour left until the live broadcast started, and despite the eerie atmosphere, I decided to stay.
If the woman returned, I would hand her the keys to Room 3. I didn't care about her thoughts.
Closing the door and locking it, I put away the Swiss knife and surveyed the room.
Compared to Room 3, the bedding and sheets had been recently changed, but I could still see faint traces of blood on the white tiles through the seams.
The window couldn't be opened; I didn't know if it was broken or deliberately nailed shut.
If danger occurred, the only escape route would be the door.
Thinking that I would spend the whole night in the room where multiple women had tragically died, I shuddered.
With a bitter sigh, I sat on the bed and took out my large black phone.
"Countdown to the live broadcast: 10 minutes. Start the live broadcast?"
Without hesitation, I pressed "Yes."