Late at night, Lu Fei was sleeping soundly when the urgent ringing of his phone startled him awake.
"Who's calling so late?"
As soon as he answered, Pan Linkai's panicked voice came through.
"Lu Fei, help me!"
"What's wrong, Lin Kai?"
"It's Haitao! He's coming for me!"
"What?"
Lu Fei sat up instantly, switching on the light and glancing at the blood-stained phone on his desk.
The phone appeared normal—no trace of the sinister energy that had surrounded it before.
"Are you sure this isn't a nightmare?"
"It's not a dream! Haitao sent me another message. He's almost at my door! First, he sent a photo of my apartment gate, then my building. From the first floor to the fifth… he's almost here…"
Before Pan Linkai could finish, his phone vibrated, displaying a new message.
It was a picture of his front door.
*He's here.*
Pan Linkai felt a chill rush through his body as he huddled under his blanket, trembling as he clutched his phone.
"He's here! What do I do, Lu Fei? He's right outside my door!"
"Don't open the door!" Lu Fei commanded firmly, pulling on his clothes. "Lin Kai, is there anyone else at home with you?"
"My parents aren't here tonight—it's just me," Pan Linkai said, his voice cracking as he struggled not to cry.
The phone began vibrating furiously.
"Open the door!"
"Open the door!"
"Open the door!"
Message after message flashed across the screen like an ominous drumbeat, each one tightening the vice on his chest.
"Lu Fei, please help me!" Pan Linkai shouted in terror.
"Listen to me, Lin Kai. No matter what happens, do not open that door—"
Before Lu Fei could finish, the call abruptly disconnected.
"Lin Kai? Lin Kai!"
Lu Fei quickly tried calling back, but all he got was a busy signal.
A sense of foreboding swept over him.
"Haitao's phone is here with me, and the sinister energy is gone. What's sending these messages?"
"From the way he described it, whatever it is, it's already at his door."
Lu Fei gripped his phone tightly, his expression grim.
He made a decision.
Pushing his door open, Lu Fei found Tiger rubbing his eyes as he stepped out of his room.
"Boss, what's going on? I heard noises from your side."
"Tiger, grab the gear and come with me."
As they hurried out, Lu Fei dialed their class monitor, Wang Feng.
"Lu Fei?"
Wang Feng answered quickly, sounding wide awake.
"Class monitor, do you have Pan Linkai's address? Can you send it to me now?"
"I'll check. I think it's in the old class directory. I happen to be working late and have my computer on. But what do you need his address for at this hour?"
"He might be in danger. I'll explain later. Thanks!"
Ending the call, Lu Fei and Tiger locked up the shop and disappeared into the night.
Back at Pan Linkai's apartment, he stared at his phone in horror as the call with Lu Fei disconnected.
"Lu Fei? Lu Fei!"
His entire body trembled uncontrollably. He hadn't even caught what Lu Fei had been saying before the call cut off.
"What should I do?"
"Stay calm. Stay calm!"
Pan Linkai tried dialing Lu Fei's number again, but his hands were shaking so violently that it took several tries to press the right buttons.
*Beep… beep… beep.*
But all he got was the busy tone.
"What's going on? Why can't I reach him?" He kept redialing, but the result was the same every time.
The phone vibrated again.
"Open the door!"
"Open the door!"
"Open the door!"
The haunting messages continued to flash on the screen, relentless.
"No!"
Pan Linkai screamed, tossing the phone away. It landed on the floor but continued vibrating.
He covered his ears with the blanket, trying to block out the sound, but it was futile.
"Leave me alone! Stop looking for me!"
The vibrating phone filled the room with an eerie, grating noise that drowned out everything else.
Pan Linkai couldn't take it anymore. He snatched up the phone and desperately held down the power button.
The screen went dark, and the phone finally went silent.
Collapsing onto his bed, he was drenched in sweat and gasping for air.
"Please, leave me alone. I'm begging you," he muttered, clasping his hands together in prayer.
To ease his fear, he placed the phone under a heavy book, as if hiding it could make the terror go away.
The dim light of his room did little to dispel the oppressive darkness outside the window.
Pan Linkai wrapped himself in his blanket, staring at the shadows. Time crawled by, every minute an eternity.
There were still hours before dawn.
The silence in his apartment was deafening.
The knowledge that he was alone only made his imagination run wild.
"What if he's still there? What if he's waiting outside the door?"
Unable to bear the thought, he forced himself out of bed.
Switching on the living room light, he crept to the front door, every step a test of his courage.
He quickly double-locked the door before peering through the peephole.
Cold sweat trickled down his forehead, and his heart pounded like a drum.
Summoning all his bravery, he leaned in to look outside.
But all he saw was darkness.
"Maybe he's gone…"
Pan Linkai returned to his room, still uneasy.
The night stretched on, suffocatingly long.
The oppressive silence was maddening, and he couldn't stay still.
He glanced at the silent phone. After a moment of hesitation, he picked it up, turned it back on, and dialed Lu Fei's number.
To his surprise, the call connected immediately.
"Lu Fei!"
"Lin Kai, are you okay?"
"I'm fine for now, but please save me!"
"I'm outside your apartment. Open the door."
"Okay…"
Pan Linkai rushed to the door. His hand was on the handle when he suddenly froze.
"Wait… are you really Lu Fei?" he asked hesitantly.
"Of course it's me. Open the door!" Lu Fei's voice came through the phone clearly.
But when Pan Linkai looked through the peephole, he saw nothing but darkness in the hallway.
"There's… no one out there," he said, his voice trembling.
"Who are you?"
The line went silent for a moment.
Then a sharp, piercing voice erupted from the phone.
"Open the door! Open the door! Open the door!"
"Get away! Leave me alone!"
Pan Linkai screamed, throwing the phone across the room. He scrambled back to his bedroom, barely able to breathe.
*Knock, knock, knock!*
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
"Lin Kai, are you home? It's Lu Fei," a calm voice called from outside.
Pan Linkai covered his ears, shaking his head frantically.
"No! Stop looking for me! It's not my fault you jumped off that building!"
*Knock, knock, knock!*
*Knock, knock, knock!*
The knocking grew more insistent, echoing through the empty hallway as if it would never stop.
Pan Linkai's resolve finally broke. He stumbled back to the window, trembling.
There was one way to escape it all.
He could jump.