Chen Yang grabbed the handrail of the stairs and stretched his neck to look down.
Why is it gone
Are you dazzled
Impossible, at that moment his vision was indeed impacted by something underwater.
The thing seemed to flash by... but it didn't cause any ripples on the water.
"What's wrong, Mr. Chen?" Pan Lin's voice suddenly came from the stairs. Chen Yang, who was observing the water, was startled. He didn't stand firmly and staggered. Chao Jian grabbed him and brought him to his side.
Chen Yang rubbed his face: "There seems to be something in the water."
Yu Ge, who was standing on the upper floor, couldn't help but exclaimed: "What is that? A water ghost?"
The atmosphere in the corridor suddenly changed. Pan Lin climbed up several floors using his hands and feet. He was so panicked that he fell to his knees and couldn't stand up. He was paralyzed with fear.
The hall was flooded, and there was something in the water. Could this be the variable that Zheng Zhitan mentioned
Where is Zheng Zhiqin? Pan Lin looked around but couldn't find anyone. His teeth trembled slightly: "Is it really a water ghost?"
"Isn't this mission about the octopus monster? Why is there a ghost?" Pan Lin fearfully asked others for confirmation, hoping that someone would overturn Yu Ge's guess.
Chen Yang shone the flashlight onto the water: "I can't see clearly."
"But it shouldn't be a water ghost." He frowned, "That thing doesn't give me the feeling it's a water ghost."
Pan Lin loosened his bitten lips that were bleeding, and his body stopped shaking. He climbed up with his back against the damp wall, thinking, Chen Yang is still the best, he is not like Brother Yu who scares people randomly.
"Let's not panic. The water is only knee-deep. When Mr. Chen said there was something, we didn't hear any noise. It's definitely not a huge monster under the water," Li Zheng analyzed.
Mr. Zhang on the second floor said, "Mr. Li is right."
Everyone else's eyes were focused downstairs. The thing in the water was not large and seemed much less dangerous.
The mute gently pulled Qiao Qiao's white skirt, motioning her to look at her sticky note pad.
Could it be a fish
Qiao Qiao read out the words on the paper.
Chen Yang's expression was a little strange. The previous mission was related to fish. Those fragments of memory poured out uncontrollably, and he suppressed them forcefully.
"Did you see it?" Chen Yang asked Chao Jian in a low voice.
He shook his head at Jane.
This answer was not what Chen Yang expected. Chao Jian's senses were much sharper than his. He saw it all. How could the other party...
Chen Yang stared at Chao Jian with a suspicious look.
"I was looking at you at that time." Chao Jian's tone was flat, and his words were straightforward and concise.
Chen Yang was stunned for a few moments: "Oh." He and Chao Jian were at the bottom of the stairs, followed by Brother Yu, the little mute, Li Zheng and Qiao Qiao... The whole group of people were scattered in the corridor, and he was the only one who saw that thing
Could it really be that he is suffering from neurasthenia and is hallucinating because he sees enemies everywhere
Chen Yang swept the flashlight under the stairs, making the not-so-clear water surface sparkle, while the water was dark in places where the light could not reach.
Don't question yourself, there is something, he thought calmly.
Only the first floor of building A3 had backup lights. Now that it was flooded, everyone couldn't go into the water rashly, so their resting place had to be moved to the dim third floor.
Use the flashlight sparingly and don't keep it on all the time.
Chen Yang looked at his phone. It was now past two in the morning, and there were still several hours until nine in the morning. He put his backpack on his legs, put his arms on them, and leaned his back against the wall.
"Sleep a little longer." Chen Yang said to Chao Jian, and also to himself.
But although he said this, his eyelashes kept trembling and he couldn't fall asleep at all.
Chao Jian met Chen Yang's solemn gaze without any surprise, and heard him say anxiously: "What clues can we find on the first floor that is soaked with seawater?"
"I think that is not a taboo hint for the third round, but is related to the rules of the entire task." Chen Yang asked and answered himself. He looked at Chao Jian in the dim light.
"Maybe." Chao Jian spoke after a while.
Chen Yang knew Chao Jian very well in some aspects. His synonyms such as "maybe", "perhaps" and "probably" all mean "definitely".
The task progress bar is halfway through, and it’s time for the rules behind the rules to appear, just like at a train station.
In addition to the small rules in each round, there is also a big rule that runs through the entire task.
Chen Yang asked Chao Jian in a low voice: "When we were looking for information in the company before, I said something swam past the glass window, and you said it was an octopus. Is it possible that the thing in the water downstairs is also that thing?"
Chao Jian rubbed his forehead: "Brother..."
Chen Yang responded without thinking: "Hey!"
Chao Jian: “…” His face was dark, he wanted to be angry but couldn’t, “Wait until I see it, I will answer your question, okay?” He said in a very helpless tone.
Chen Yang knew he was in the wrong, so he said nothing and just patted Chao Jian on the back silently.
There was only a beam of light in the corridor. It was Qiao Qiao who made the call. She was using a colleague's cell phone, which didn't have a password lock, so she used it as a flashlight.
Li Zheng also found two mobile phones.
When someone was running away yesterday, he didn't have time to take his cell phone and left it in the company.
Everyone huddled in the corridor on the second floor. The air was extremely humid and stuffy. Qiao Qiao wrapped himself in a small blanket, stared at the guardrail in front of him, and said quietly, "I'm afraid a head will suddenly pop out from there."
Li Zheng said: "…Go to sleep, fairy."
Qiao Qiao couldn't sleep.
Li Zheng blurted out: "How about you hold me?" As soon as the last word fell, he explained, "Arm, I mean arm!"
"That won't work either." Qiao Qiao thought about it and shook his head, "No."
"Do we need to be so formal with each other?" Li Zhengyi patted her thin shoulders twice in anger and held her down through the blanket. "Besides, this is a special period, so we need to treat her specially, comrade."
The discomfort that Qiao Qiao felt was dispelled and disappeared. She stretched out her pale hand, passed her fingertips through Li Zheng's arm, and circled it loosely.
The deer in Li Zheng's heart instantly started breakdancing. At the same time, he seemed to hear someone say in his ear, "Congratulations on getting what you wished for and having a fulfilling life."
Rest in peace.
… … …
But it was of no use, people are greedy, and after being hugged like this, the thoughts in his heart seemed to be fertilized with the best fertilizer and grew.
Li Zheng gathered Qiao Qiao's scattered skirt and found that Chen Yang was looking at them. He didn't know how long he had been looking at them, and after he noticed it, he gave him a sympathetic look.
"..." Li Zheng thought, who do you sympathize with? Compared to me, the person next to you is much more pitiful.
It's the same thing where he wants but can't get, but Chao Jian's obsession and possessiveness have reached a crazy level, he is still far from it.
Li Zheng couldn't help wanting to remind Chen Yang, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the boy next to him looked over.
That look gave Li Zheng a chill, and he immediately closed his mouth.
Well, they have their own pace and plans, don’t let bystanders assist them.
The corridor fell silent.
Everyone in the group sat against the wall, facing the broken guardrail and the row of companies opposite.
Some people fell asleep, some were staring around vigilantly, and some were holding steel pipes and praying to Buddha to protect them.
The incident with Xiao Sun made Liu Liu fall to the edge of the cliff. He was no longer sharp-tongued, but nervous, with his bulging eyes moving around constantly.
Sister Wang first experienced the death of her colleague Xiaoqin, and then witnessed Xiaosun being eaten. Her condition is the worst in the team, and she would go crazy if just one more straw is thrown at her.
Before coming here, Sister Wang was a very rational person. She was a top student in school and a strong woman after working. Her mind has always been clear and has never been so confused.
Brother Yu and Mr. Zhang, who also witnessed their teammates turning into monsters and eating another teammate, were in much better mental states. They had recovered after smoking a few cigarettes.
Brother Yu had an idea in his mind, and he planned to talk to Chen Yang, but found that the other party had fallen into a deep sleep.
"Xiao Yu, can we talk?" said Mr. Zhang next to him.
Yu Ge gave him a cigarette: "Mr. Zhang, have you ever played games?"
"My company makes mobile games." Mr. Zhang didn't take Yu Ge's cigarettes because he thought they were of poor quality. He took out his own cigarette box and gave him one.
Brother Yu didn't feel embarrassed. He took the cigarette from the big boss, put it in front of his nose and sniffed it. It's good to be rich. The cigarette smells like money.
"The water seepage on the first floor is equivalent to triggering a new task in the game." Brother Yu said, "The thing in the water is a monster." He swallowed his saliva, "It could also be a boss."
Mr. Zhang is in his forties, but his face and body are not sagging or swollen at all, and he is still strong. He nodded: "I tend to think it is a small monster."
Yu Ge murmured, "I hope so."
"Boom—"
There was a sudden sound of water downstairs.
Brother Yu and Mr. Zhang looked at each other, and neither of them moved, their hands and feet were frozen.
Everyone else held their breath. Qiao Qiao shivered as he grabbed the flashlight and turned it off. The corridor was immediately engulfed in darkness.
"Wow" "Snap"
There was quite a bit of movement in the water, and the thing looked quite large, as if it was flapping its wings.
The second floor was dead silent.
In the darkness, Chen Yang walked a few steps toward the guardrail and looked downstairs. The water surface within his sight was calm, without any abnormality.
"What on earth is this?" Li Zheng helped Qiao Qiao stand up, terrified.
Chen Yang shook his head. He turned on the flashlight, shone it on his teammates, then shone it on other parts of the corridor, and then pointed the flashlight towards the hall downstairs.
"The water level seems to have risen." Chen Yang's breathing became a little tighter.
Chao Jian: “Yeah.”
Everyone panicked when they heard this.
"The water level is still rising?"
"What should we do? Will half the building be flooded?"
"The mission prompts us to survive here for four days. Half of the time has passed. We only need to hold on for two more days. Only two days left..."
"Sister Wang, please don't cry first... Mr. Zhang, please give me a hand..."
"This mission cannot be accomplished. There is no way out. There is absolutely no way out. We are finished! It's over, it's over..."
"… "
"Ding-ling-ling—"
The noise in the corridor disappeared instantly.
The phone at the service desk rang again!
But the first floor was flooded, so I had to go into the water to answer the phone.
There are unknown dangers in the water.
The disordered breathing sounds merged into one, and the taut string was trembling and about to break.
The person who goes down to answer the phone might die. This requires not only courage, but also the determination to use oneself as an experiment.
"Draw lots." Brother Yu panted heavily.
"Too late!" Qiao Qiao's short scream was filled with tears.
"Wait for me here." Chen Yang said hurriedly to Chao Jian and kicked open his backpack, pretending to rush downstairs.
Chen Yang was hugged by the neck and coughed due to the force. A weight pressed on his back and he subconsciously lifted himself up and ran.
As Chen Yang ran downstairs, he thought a lot. What was in the water? Would he die if he went into the water? What would he do if he died
The moment his feet stepped into the water, he thought of nothing else.
The ringing of the phone was like a death sentence.
The last time Chen Yang ran so fast with Chao Jian on his back was when they were hiding from dandelions in the mountains of Xiaoyin Island. It had been several months since then, and he had no time to recall the changes before and after. His eyes were fixed on the service desk that was getting closer and closer.
“Hoo—Hoo—”
Chen Yang could not hear the sound of the water rushing against his legs at a high speed. He could only hear his and Chao Jian's breathing and heartbeats, which were connected together.
As he ran, Chen Yang's tense mind suddenly became empty, filled with his inappropriate doubts. He was running at full speed, while Chao Jian lay on his back without moving. How could their heartbeats be connected? It didn't make sense.
Chen Yang ran to the service desk with a delicate mood. The phone was still ringing. He did not put Chao Jian down, but just carried him on his back, freeing up one hand to press the speakerphone.
For some reason his hand paused, Chen Yang did not press the speakerphone button, but picked up the microphone.
There was a rustling sound on the phone.
Chen Yang's heart stopped suddenly, and his face changed drastically the next second.
"Bulu Bulu..."
Something was making bubbles in the water.
The ordinary yet strange voice passed through the microphone and penetrated into Chen Yang's eardrums, bringing with it a creepy chill that froze him from head to toe.
Chen Yang counted the seconds silently in his mind, this time it was still five seconds. He put down the microphone, and a drop of cold sweat slid down his forehead, passed by his temples, and was wiped away by Chao Jian who stretched his head forward.
"It's the sound of bubbles." Chen Yang's voice was hoarse and his eyes were dull. He hadn't recovered yet and his muscles were tense like a fully drawn bow.
Chao Jian said, "Go up first."
Chen Yang didn't react. He patted Jian's cold face gently. It took several pats to bring Jian back his soul.
Everyone on the second floor was looking at the two people in the hall. They used their actions to verify two pieces of information: one: the creature in the water did not eat them, and two: they would be fine if they went into the water.
Yu Ge's lips turned pale due to nervousness: "What's on the phone?"
"It won't be the same five-second panting sound." said Mr. Zhang.
"Judging from Mr. Chen's expression, this should be another clue." Pan Lin tried to join the discussion, but neither Brother Yu nor Mr. Zhang responded to him.
Zheng Zhitan came over and said, "If you want to know what it is, go down and answer the phone yourself."
"It's over." Pan Lin muttered.
Zheng Zhiqin pinched Pan Lin's waist, his eyes fell on the service desk, the cigarette gradually burned his fingers, he threw it to the ground and crushed it with his leather shoes.
"Wait for Mr. Chen and the others to come up, then we..."
Pan Lin's next words were interrupted by the ringing of a bell, and he looked towards the service desk blankly.
"Ding-ling-ling"
The phone rang again.
Everyone looked at each other, wondering why it rang again
Chen Yang in the corridor had the same question. Without thinking too much, he carried Chao Jian back to the service desk.
"You answer it." Chen Yang tilted his head, his hot and rapid breath brushed past Chao Jian. He wanted to know if there might be a different voice on the other end if someone else answered the phone.
Chao Jian picked up the microphone and put it down after five seconds: "Same."
Chen Yang learned this from Chao Jian. He was distracted and dispersed some of the strength that was holding Chao Jian.
By the time Chen Yang reacted, Chao Jian had already slid down along his back, with both legs in the water.
"… Why didn't you call me?" Chen Yang lifted Chao Jian up, "Now your shoes and trouser legs are wet too."
Chao Jian: "It's okay." He closed his eyes, "Let's go upstairs."
Chen Yang went back to the second floor, put Chao Jian down, and took off his wet shoes while talking on the phone.
"Blowing bubbles?" Qiao Qiao's big watery eyes lit up. "It's a fish, right? It's a fish."
Yu Ge shook his head in disagreement: "The flapping sound earlier was not something a fish could make."
Qiao Qiao leaned back against the wall.
"It's either a water ghost or a water monster..." Brother Yu touched the little mole, his tone was heavy, but his eyes were confused.
"Why does it become a choice between two? There is no third possibility?" Li Zheng didn't want to choose either one. He looked at the listless Qiao Qiao and became listless himself. "That night it was the sound of breathlessness, and this time it was the sound of bubbles coming out of the water. Are the two related?"
No one answered. Li Zheng squatted beside Qiao Qiao like a big dog, with his arms hanging down, drawing circles from time to time.
"This time there were two calls, and the voice was the same in both calls." Pan Lin reminded weakly.
Everyone fell into deep thought. The two calls were answered by two different people, with the same voice. What did this mean
The mute squatted in front of Chen Yang and asked him if he was okay with his eyes.
"It's okay." Chen Yang threw his wet shoes aside. He twisted his wet trouser legs, and the sound of the splashing water was suddenly mixed with the sound of a bell.
It rang again!
The phone is ringing again!
An eerie silence spread.