Outside the Old District
The man who had just activated the Forbidden Ruins sat by the warning sign, glancing back at the still, almost painted-like half of the old district. Shaking his head with a sigh, he pulled out his phone and began playing a match-three game.
"Hey man, sitting here playing on your phone in the middle of the night? Aren't you afraid you'll catch a cold?"
A passerby walking across the street chuckled at the sight.
The man looked up at him briefly before going back to his game. "Nothing better to do," he shrugged.
The passerby laughed and pulled out a cigarette, offering it to him.
The man waved it away. "I'm on duty—no smoking."
"Heh, playing on your phone while on duty? Really?" The passerby chuckled.
"Yep."
"Alright then." The passerby shrugged, got up, and started toward the street behind the man.
"Where are you going?" the man asked abruptly.
"Home."
"You can't go there—not right now."
The passerby raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"This road's closed off. You'll have to wait until it's open again." The man pointed at the sign behind him.
The passerby followed his gaze, noticing the oddly placed sign in the middle of the road. Just as he was about to ask something, the words "ROAD CLOSED AHEAD" flashed faintly.
His eyes went blank. After a few seconds, he turned stiffly and walked back the way he had come, his gaze clouded with confusion.
The man didn't seem surprised. Just as he was about to go back to his game, another man's voice came through his earpiece.
"Zhao Kongcheng!"
At the sound of his name, he snapped up from his relaxed posture, his face turning serious.
"Here, Captain. What happened?"
"We've got a problem. A Ghostface King has emerged among the Ghostfaces. It attacked Red Tassel while we were dealing with the other Ghostfaces and escaped the Forbidden Ruins through the sewers."
"A Ghostface King?" Zhao Kongcheng's face darkened. "Which direction did it run? I'll intercept!"
"No, Kongcheng. You're not suited for combat. You can't beat a Ghostface King—I'll handle it."
Zhao Kongcheng hesitated. "Then… what should I do?"
"After the Ghostface King escaped, two more Ghostfaces slipped into the sewers. Everyone else is busy clearing out the remaining Ghostfaces."
"Which way did they go?"
"Southeast."
"Got it."
Zhao Kongcheng's eyes sparkled with resolve. He sprinted to the other side of the street, climbed into a black van, and floored the gas pedal, speeding off with a roar.
On the passenger seat lay a neatly folded black and red cloak—and a sheathed straight blade.
…
"I'll be turning here. See you all later."
Wang Shao stopped, glancing back at the group behind him.
At that moment, as if remembering something, Li Yifei spoke up. "Wang Shao, if I remember correctly, don't you live near the old district?"
"Yeah, why?"
"… Nothing. Just be careful on your way home."
Wang Shao rolled his eyes. "If you've got something to say, just say it. Leaving it half-said is annoying."
Li Yifei hesitated. "I heard the old district hasn't been very safe lately. They say there's a serial killer on the loose."
"A serial killer? Really?" Jiang Qian looked skeptical.
"Of course!" Li Yifei glanced around, lowering his voice. "You all probably haven't heard, but in recent days, more than a dozen people have been killed in the old district."
"More than a dozen? That can't be true. If it were, it would've made the news," Wang Shao shook his head.
"Why not? I'm telling you, it's a cover-up. Someone's keeping it quiet from the top. I only know because my dad works at the police station."
"A cover-up? What's so strange about it?"
"Apparently..." Li Yifei paused, dropping his voice even lower.
"They say all the victims… had their entire faces skinned off. Just bloodied flesh and bulging eyes left behind. It's gruesome."
A cool breeze swept by, and the group felt chills running up their spines.
"Li Yifei! What is wrong with you? Telling horror stories at night!" Jiang Qian's face turned pale as she looked around the empty street, visibly upset.
The area was close to the old district, an outlying part of Cangnan City. Their evening classes had finished near ten, and the street was deserted. Combined with Li Yifei's story, the whole atmosphere felt unsettling.
Even Wang Shao and Liu Yuan, usually more composed, felt a little unnerved. Wang Shao glanced down the narrow alley he was about to take, feeling a pang of doubt.
If Li Yifei's words had only made them a little uneasy, Lin Qiye's next remark sent shivers down their spines.
Lin Qiye thought for a moment, then spoke quietly, "Are you sure… that what did this was human?"
"Qiye, you…" Jiang Qian's whole body trembled.
Wang Shao and Liu Yuan both stared at Lin Qiye with a mix of shock and bewilderment.
Who would have thought that Lin Qiye, of all people, would be the most skeptical?
Li Yifei looked at Lin Qiye in surprise. "You think so too?"
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Jiang Qian couldn't take it anymore. She twisted Li Yifei's arm hard, and he yelped in pain.
"Don't go telling ghost stories in the middle of the night! I still have to get home!"
Li Yifei rubbed his arm, muttering under his breath, "It's not just a ghost story..."
Wang Shao shrugged. "Enough of this nonsense. I don't believe in any of that supernatural stuff. I'm out."
His figure gradually disappeared into the narrow alley.
Jiang Qian shot Li Yifei another glare and took a few steps forward before stopping abruptly.
She sniffed the air, frowning in confusion.
"Do you guys smell something rotten?"
"Rotten?"
"Like something decomposing."
"I don't smell anything. Liu Yuan, do you?"
"I don't… Ugh!"