It all started on that day a year ago.
Looking back now, it feels like a nightmare.
After graduating from university, Li Yin resolutely became an online novelist despite her parents' opposition. Of course, it is definitely not because of any dream, ideal or other reasons, it is purely because I can make money in this line of work.
It is rare to write online novels as a full-time job, and Li Yin is one of them. In fact, his remuneration income is not too high, so he can barely make ends meet. Moreover, his new works may not be able to continue to be popular in the future. In this day and age, there are many readers who like the new and dislike the old, not to mention the fast-food literature such as online novels, which are just people's spices.
Li Yin was also very confused for a while. I always feel that the future of life is very directionless. I live alone in a rented house in City K. Every day when I wake up, I turn on the computer and upload the code words. I basically do my daily shopping through the Internet, and I have become like an "otaku".
Most of his novels are war-themed novels, although he himself does not know much about war. The popularity of his novels on the Internet is also declining day by day. This month, fewer and fewer people subscribed to novel chapters, and their monthly income was less than 800 yuan. Let alone daily life, even rent is a problem.
I always feel that life has come to a very embarrassing road.
that day...
Li Yin was strolling along a commercial street in City K. Usually at this time, he would update his novels at home, but now...he was thinking about his future life.
After all, I was too naive. Although I had expected this day, I thought that as long as I had a certain amount of savings, I could invest in stocks, and maybe I could start my own business in the future.
However, the truth is not that simple at all.
Looking for a job? He doesn't have any work qualifications, what unit doesn't pay attention to experience now? There are so many college students who have just entered the society that they will not be paid special attention at all.
Holding a weekly job hunting magazine in his hand, Li Yin frowned more and more.
Walking, he has unknowingly entered a community and entered an alley.
"It's better... let's find a job first," Li Yin really couldn't go back home and beg his parents, even if he tried hard, he had to get through the difficulties first.
After all... If this month's rent is in arrears, the landlord will have no choice but to kick him out.
When I moved out from home to live alone, it was also because I didn't agree with my parents' ideals, and I wanted to go back home one day after I had achieved something. But... now it has become like this.
As he was walking, he suddenly felt a chill coming from his back.
He put away the weekly job hunting magazine lying in front of him, and under the sun, his own shadow reflected on the ground...
But he still holds that job hunting magazine in front of him!
Then, I saw his shadow, and a more terrifying change took place.
Li Yin obviously didn't move at all, but the shadow under his feet started to move! The shadow left Li Yin's feet, and moved on the ground towards the corner of the alley in front of him!
Li Yin was stunned on the spot, and it took a few seconds to react!
At this moment, he has no shadow!
Regardless of everything, his mind was blank at the time, and he just ran away, following the direction that the shadow was escaping from! In this alley with seven turns and eight turns, the shadow moved very fast, and it took Li Yin a lot of effort to catch up with it.
Finally, passing through another alley, Li Yin saw the shadow enter a very empty space. In the middle of this lot... there is a very tall apartment building.
Roughly speaking, that apartment should not be lower than twenty floors. The apartment occupies a large area, about two hundred square meters, the walls are white, and the outer floor is lined with neat rows of balconies.
And this apartment has a very strange place.
It's noon, the sun is shining directly down, and this huge apartment... on the ground, there is no shadow!
How can it be
Li Yin rubbed his eyes desperately, he strongly suspected that he was dreaming.
But the scene in front of him is an undeniable fact.
The entrance to the apartment on the first floor is a revolving door. And his own shadow, on the ground, moved to the revolving door, and automatically passed through the ground.
At this moment, the many ghost stories he heard when he was a child were all revived in Li Yin's mind.
He was only 30 meters away from this apartment at this time, but that seemingly ordinary apartment seemed to be a monster that wanted to eat people, and it would devour him at any time.
But, for some reason, he still walked towards the apartment.
It was as if something was calling him.
Walking to the revolving door, Li Yin stretched out his hand, pushed the revolving door, and walked in.
What came into view was a spacious lobby. The floor is smooth marble, the ceiling is hung with crystal chandeliers, the staircase can be seen on the left side of the lobby, and three elevators are on the right side.
I saw his shadow floating on the ground in front of an elevator, and then the elevator door opened, and after the shadow floated in, the elevator door closed.
Li Yin immediately ran to the elevator door and nervously looked at the elevator floor display board.
The elevator stopped at the fourth floor.
Li Yin hurriedly ran to another elevator, pressed the button, the elevator door opened slowly, and he rushed in with a stride, and pressed the button for the fourth floor.
As the number of floors rose, Li Yin's heart was also suspended.
my shadow... my shadow...
Li Yin felt strongly in his heart that if he lost his shadow, it would mean something terrible.
Finally, when he reached the fourth floor, the moment the elevator door opened, he immediately walked out and stood on a long corridor.
There is also plenty of light on that long corridor, but the further you walk forward, the more profound it feels. There are doors on both sides of the corridor. The house numbers are marked on the doors, "411", "410", "412"...
And when Li Yin walked to the door of "404", suddenly, he saw his shadow floating out from the crack in the door of that room, and returned to Li Yin's feet.
However, the shadow still did what Li Yin did not do.
Shadow's right hand seemed to be holding something, but he couldn't see clearly. Immediately, Shadow stuffed the thing into Shadow's trouser pocket. After finishing this action, its hands hung down and remained motionless.
Li Yin waved his right arm tentatively, but to his surprise, Shadow also waved his right arm!
The shadow... returned to its place
At this time, he put his right hand into the trouser pocket where the shadow had put the things just now, and found a hard thing.
That is a key.
The key also looks ordinary, except for the number "404" engraved on it. Therefore, Li Yin looked at the door of Room 404 next to him, trembling, inserted the key into the lock hole, turned it lightly, and the door opened.
He walked into Room 404.
In the eye, there is a rather large living room with coffee table, sofa, wardrobe, TV, and even a TV with karaoke and stereo, which seems to be quite expensive on the market. Next to the TV is a row of floor-to-ceiling windows, with a balcony connected to the outside.
After a closer look, there are two bedrooms, study room, bathroom and kitchen attached. And the room decoration is very good, the furniture is very new, and most of them are brand-name goods. The room is about seventy to eighty square meters. In terms of the current housing price, even if this house is a second-hand house, it is definitely not much cheaper. At least... With my current income, I can't even catch up with such a house.
what on earth is it
"You... you are, the new resident?"
Hearing this voice, Li Yin immediately turned his head and saw a pretty girl in a green dress.
"You... who are you?" Li Yin suddenly asked vigilantly.
"You, don't be afraid," the girl quickly waved her hands, and said, "I, I am the same as you... It's also a shadow that suddenly and automatically ran into this apartment, and then became a resident of this apartment. You, too. Have you got the key?"
Li Yin was startled, then took the key, strode towards the girl, and asked, "What's going on? This...this apartment, what on earth..."
"Since you are a new resident, according to the usual practice, let me take you to meet our building manager. He was unanimously recommended by us. After you go to see him, he will tell you the situation and then register your arrival. come down."
"Floor... the chief of the building?"
"There are currently thirty-nine people living in this apartment, and you add up to forty people. All of us... all of us are forcibly bound by this apartment and have to live here all the time."
Li Yin suddenly became furious: "Are... what are you kidding? How could I live in this ghostly place!"
The girl smiled wryly and said: "There is no way... I, I was also very scared when I first entered this apartment, but... there is really no way. Once our shadow enters this apartment, it is endowed with The key means you become a resident of the apartment, so... you can't escape the apartment."
Speaking of this, the girl also had a painful expression on her face.
"No... can't escape?" Li Yin felt that the situation was becoming more and more strange at this moment, and asked, "Why can't I escape?"
"In the past, there were people who were selected as residents, but they didn't live in the apartment. Those people... would be killed by their own shadow."
"What... what?"
Li Yin was dumbfounded.
"Are you... are you kidding me?"
"Didn't you see that? The shadow has been completely manipulated by this apartment. Normally, the shadow can be controlled and dominated by yourself at will, but... if you do something that violates the rules, the shadow will manipulate yourself I have lived in this apartment for two years... I have seen many people who committed suicide because they violated the rules of the apartment and were manipulated by shadows."
People, in turn, are manipulated by shadows
Such absurd words, but Li Yin could not refute them. Because, he just witnessed the abnormal change of his own shadow with his own eyes!
Li Yin began to feel that this apartment completely surpassed his common sense.
"Who built this... this apartment...? Why, after all, did you choose us as residents?"
The girl shook her head and said: "I don't know... I have thought about it many times in the past two years, but I can't understand it. I really can't understand it! This apartment itself is incomprehensible! However, there is only one thing for sure. .We can’t meet the people who built the apartment, and the apartment doesn’t exist in this world for people who aren’t the residents.”
"You... what do you mean by that?"
"Did you come here through an alley?"
"Yes... yes..."
"Actually, that is a dead end at all. Only those who are selected as residents can pass through that alley and enter this apartment. The open space occupied by the apartment does not exist at all. It is a land that does not exist at all!"
"No... doesn't exist?"
Li Yin looked at the balcony outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, and outside, row upon row of high-rise buildings could be seen impressively.
"We can see the outside world, but the outside world can't see us." The girl saw Li Yin's doubts and explained to him: "When you leave the apartment and walk out of that alley, you won't be able to see us at all." Those who came to the apartment. People who are not residents have no idea that this apartment exists in this world.”
However, this apartment does exist.
And once you enter, you will embark on an extremely dangerous and terrifying road of no return!