Chapter 55: Dong’s Journal

    Together, the four of them headed toward the kitchen. Perhaps excited to be the first to find the ticket, Tang Ye took the lead with Xinxin close behind him, whereas Jin Jiuchi and Nian were a few steps behind.

    Nian might be able to navigate his way in the dark without bumping into things, but it did not mean that he could read. He wanted to know the content of the journal before entering the kitchen, as he had the hunch that Zhi only met his demise because of this little thing. As such, he took the bloody journal out of his pocket, nudged Jin Jiuchi with his elbow and surreptitiously shoved the journal to the man’s hand.

    He walked close to Jin Jiuchi, almost pressed side by side as he whispered, "Help me read what’s written in there. Hurry!"

    Jin Jiuchi snuck a glance at Tang Ye and Xinxin in front of them, then he whispered back, "Nian’er, it’s so dark here..."

    Nian shot him a glare. He could not believe that Jin Jiuchi would still play around at a time like this! What ’so dark here’? He might have believed it had he not known how excellent Jin Jiuchi’s eyesight was!

    "But perhaps..." The man flashed a roguish grin as he gave an annoying suggestion that made Nian want to bash his head to the nearest wall. "If Nian’er tells me where I can find him after this, my eyes will become a whole lot brighter and clearer!"

    This sneaky husky...! Nian gritted his teeth and forcefully curbed the urge to wipe that grin off Jin Jiuchi’s face. He had to remind himself that he could not lose any more time, that Jin Jiuchi was the fastest available option he could rely on right now. Only then could he calm himself down and say, "Okay, I will look for you later. I promise," he added after Jin Jiuchi let out a doubtful hum. "Now read it to me before they enter the kitchen!"

    With a satisfied harrumph, Jin Jiuchi peeled open the bloody journal and started to read from the first page. Fortunately, only less than ten pages were written, with a few drenched in blood and rendered the ink illegible.

    [The apartment seems nice. At first, I was apprehensive due to the overly cheap rent, but I guessed I was thinking too much.]

    [I like it here. It’s quiet and peaceful, and my neighbors are very nice. Especially Old Zhao and his daughter, they like to share their food with me. I heard that Madam Liu’s husband passed away a few years ago. I wonder if she will ever consider somebody else? Someone like me, perhaps?]

    [Madam Liu remained polite during our dinner, but I don’t think she’s interested in me...]

    [I think I saw something I shouldn’t have seen. I swear I didn’t do it on purpose! I was just smoking outside in the corridor when I caught sight of Madam Liu downstairs. I followed her down to the kitchen but then I saw her...]

    [...crazy! They are all crazy! How can they have the heart to... that boy is innocent...]

    [...bring him away... set him free...]

    [...wrong... ...demon...]

    Jin Jiuchi tried to turn to the next page, but the papers had gotten stuck together due to the blood and doing it forcefully would only cause it to tear. He shrugged and returned the journal to Nian, who had a deep frown on his forehead. "That’s all."

    In front of them, Tang Ye pushed open the heavy door with a long eerie creak. A storm of dust blasted his face and he covered his mouth and nose, coughing, before turning around to address them, "It’s open now. Let’s—ah!!"

    Startled, Xinxin reflexively followed Tang Ye’s line of sight and he too, let out a shrill scream, upon seeing a pair of floating silver eyes amidst the boundless darkness. "AH, G–GHOST—!"

    Jin Jiuchi pointed at his own nose, baffled. "...Me?"

    Nian palmed his forehead in exasperation. Oh God, how could he ever forget? He should have warned the two of them about Jin Jiuchi’s glowing eyes beforehand! Alas, there was no remedy for regret, and he hastily shushed the two of them, "Don’t be so loud!"

    Xinxin immediately clamped his mouth with his eyes glistening with tears, whereas Tang Ye clutched onto the door frame as he gasped for air, "B–Brother Yang, is that you...?" For a split second, he almost thought that the dark shadow from last night had chased after him here. However, these eyes were silver, while the ones he had seen before were ruby, so they couldn’t be the same, right?

    But then, nobody answered him. The eyes continued to stare at him as they curved into crescents.

    Tang Ye instantly broke out into cold sweat. "Brother Yang...?!"

    "It’s him, it’s him," Nian shoved Jin Jiuchi’s side with an elbow to stop him from playing around, earning him a little ’oof’ before those glowing eyes moved to narrow at the jade doll beside him. "Sorry to surprise you two. His eyes... um, it’s a natural constitution. He’s born like that."

    "What?" Jin Jiuchi taunted with a teasing grin. "Is it so scary?" It was really fun seeing Tang Ye and Xinxin’s terrified faces. Too bad Nian’s reaction was mild otherwise Jin Jiuchi would have lots of fun playing with him!

    Before Tang Ye or Xinxin could give him an answer, Jin Jiuchi suddenly whipped his head back and blurted out, "Uh-oh..."

    In the next second, something black and huge dropped down from the sky and landed in the middle of the atrium, its huge stature towering over them. The players’ eyes had become quite accustomed in the dark and thus they could make out the shape of a monstrous spider with long spindly legs tapping on the ground.

    It was the spider creature which was attracted here by their voices!

    "AH—!" With a scream, Tang Ye and Xinxin scrambled to enter the kitchen. "What is that?! What the hell is that?!!!"

    Nian kept his wary gaze at the creature while retreating step by step. He still recalled how this nightmare creature should have one ticket on itself. The question was, how could he obtain it?

    "It’s fine," he spoke to no one in particular as though he was reassuring himself. "The hallway we are in is narrow and it will not be able to get close to us..."

    No sooner than he said those words, a sickening crack sounded in the air and the creature’s belly began to split open down in the middle.

    Nian watched in horror as countless tiny spiders, no bigger than a fingernail, poured out of the gaping wound and swarmed toward them like a black tide!

    "Fuck!" Blanched, Nian did the first thing that came to mind – climbing on Jin Jiuchi’s body and clutching onto the man for dear life with his legs wrapped around the man’s torso. He hated these small and disgusting creatures the most! Just thinking about them crawling across his body was enough to break the composure he had painstakingly maintained all this while.

    When he sensed that Jin Jiuchi made no attempt to move whatsoever and instead, staring at the spiders as if spellbound, Nian yanked his hair and roared into his ear, "Move your legs! They’re poisonous spiders, you damned husky!!!"