Chapter 133: Breakout
Silver-white water splashed out, sprinkling onto the surrounding carpet, only to be absorbed and disappear in an instant.
Ripples spread across the water surface, circles of waves expanding outward, resembling a shattered mirror under the flashlight’s beam.
Who is it?
The sudden sound startled Zhang Qian; something had stepped into this strange puddle, yet he hadn’t noticed any anomaly at all.
Looking around, in the empty corridor, only the man in a suit was closest to the puddle, but his footing was in the center of the corridor, while the puddle was on the right side.
Even if they were on the same horizontal line, there was absolutely no possibility of them meeting.
Was it the puddle that had a problem, or the suit fierce ghost?
With no time for careful thought, facing the fierce ghost about to reach him, Zhang Qian decided to change direction first.
Since there was a problem on the right, walking on the left should be fine, right?
Just as he moved the flashlight away, the water surface, no longer directly hit by the strong light, finally showed a reflection, no longer a sheet of silver light like before.
The dim corridor, the distorted door frame… somewhat distorted images appeared on the puddle’s surface, looking no different from the real environment.
But when Zhang Qian glanced at this image, his expression changed; through the rippling pooled water, he saw an unbelievable scene.
In the reflection of the pooled water, there seemed to be a blurry black figure with one foot stepping on the water surface, trying to advance toward Zhang Qian’s position.
Though the image was somewhat distorted, the feature of the black suit on its body was still obvious; with just one glance, Zhang Qian confirmed that the reflection in the water came from the man in a suit.
“That means the thing that just stepped into the pooled water was this thing too…”
Yet the man in a suit in reality was clearly beside the puddle; how could he step into both the carpet and the pooled water at the same time.
Unless there was more than one of them…
“Pa—”
Another crisp footstep sounded, but this time, no ripples appeared on the water surface.
What changed was the carpet in front of the puddle.
On the dark red carpet, a shallow footprint suddenly appeared.
The thing that left the footprint was somewhat special; even though the carpet was already damp and dirty, the footprint still left a wet mark.
Coincidentally, this footprint was still on the same horizontal line as the man in a suit.
“Are those clone-like things?”
Zhang Qian instantly figured everything out.
“Light can’t destroy them at all; on the contrary, it puts them in an invisible state, letting me only see one man in a suit and not the other figures.”
No wonder the plan couldn’t succeed; what seemed like a loophole on both sides of the corridor was actually blocked by the fierce ghost, and crashing into it was no different from seeking death.
“A fierce ghost really isn’t something easy to deal with. I thought I was pretty smart, but it was just wishful thinking. If not for this puddle, I wouldn’t even know how I died.”
He couldn’t help but feel a trace of frustration; with no gaps left by the fierce ghost, this hastily formulated plan could basically be declared a failure.
The man in a suit in front of him was still approaching; though there was empty space beside him, that empty space wasn’t safe either—it was just a fierce ghost hidden more deeply.
The distance to the water ghost behind was also closing in; that foul, rotting stench had already caught up, as if announcing the fierce ghost’s arrival.
Simply understanding the situation wasn’t enough; without finding a method, he could only die with some clarity.
Thoughts racing, Zhang Qian suddenly snapped off the flashlight in his hand.
The surrounding environment instantly darkened.
Most things became unclear; in the hazy light, he could only see several tall, thin figures advancing side by side.
The distance was closer than before; Zhang Qian could already make out their appearances.
Every person or ghost had the same face, the same attire, very similar to the man in a suit just now.
The only difference was probably the strange smile hanging on their faces.
This smile was somewhat enthusiastic yet somewhat absurd, making anyone who saw it unable to help but get goosebumps.
The figures’ footsteps were scattered, but their bodies were pressed close together; their simultaneously outstretched arms were like ropes binding them as one, forming a moving human wall.
The outermost two’s shoulders were already against the walls, the black suits constantly rubbing against the rust, their bodies occasionally tripped by protruding door handles.
But they showed no complaints, still wearing eerie smiles as they approached Zhang Qian, as if welcoming him to join.
With no gaps to slip through, the suit ghost and water ghost had completely blocked the front and rear aisles, like a constantly pressing hydraulic press, with Zhang Qian as the thing they were about to crush.
As the distance closed in, the footsteps grew more urgent, as if eager to swallow Zhang Qian into their bellies.
That scarlet ghost candle also flickered faster, like an early warning, emitting brighter light.
But after glancing at the water ghost behind him, not only did Zhang Qian not retreat, he paused his steps and stopped in place.
This position was about right.
Three steps was too far; to face the fierce ghost head-on now, the candle wouldn’t last that long.
He had to shorten the time contacting the fierce ghost, rush out at the fastest speed, and not give the suit ghost a chance to counterattack.
“So eager to devour me, I hope your teeth are good enough…”
The candle flame suddenly underwent an anomaly, beginning to alternate in a cycle between states.
One moment it was dim as if erased, the next it suddenly bloomed, bursting with brighter firelight.
The man in a suit’s supernatural power was taking effect, but this attack was blocked by the ghost candle, causing no harm.
Zhang Qian didn’t even notice this change; at this moment, he was holding his breath, staring at those figures, not even able to blink his eyelid slightly.
The time he set for himself was at the limit; missing it meant true death.
Just a few breaths away.
The man in a suit on the right side of the corridor had already opened his embrace, as if to absorb Zhang Qian as one of them.
From behind came an icy cold sensation; if felt carefully, there was even an inexplicable dampness.
The opportunity had arrived.
“Ka-chak.”
The golden Desert Eagle instantly chambered a round, its raised gun muzzle pressing against the man in a suit’s chin.
As the ancient saying goes, capture the thief by capturing the king first, but Zhang Qian didn’t want to capture the thief—he just wanted to escape.
So he naturally chose to break through the relatively weaker spot.
Going straight down the center would mean facing attacks from both sides; on the corridor edge, he only needed to watch the central aisle.
“Bang!”
After a loud bang, the gold bullet spat out with the fire snake, slamming fiercely into the stiff-faced man in a suit.
This shot had great momentum; the massive roar erupted from the gun muzzle and echoed deep into the corridor.
Taking a bullet point-blank, if it were human, the entire head should have exploded by now.
