It's the last day.
Half of the A3 building was dead silent. The team's number dropped from double digits to single digits. Everyone was wet, as if they were in the belly of an underwater monster. If they casually grabbed in the air, they could touch something sticky with their fingertips.
Chen Yang didn’t know how other people’s lighting tools were used. His own cell phone had less than 15% battery and his flashlight wasn’t very bright, so he planned not to use them for the time being.
There was only one light on in the corridor.
The source was in the arms of the little mute. She was holding an orange flashlight, with her head hanging in front of her, maintaining that helpless and dejected posture without moving.
Qiao Qiao sat there blankly, not saying a word since Li Zheng's death.
Li Zheng's death crushed the two girls' psychological defenses.
The little mute felt guilty and Qiao Qiao felt sad.
It had been more than ten hours since Li Zheng was eaten. Chen Yang still felt quite shocked when he recalled it. That was the first time in this mission that he saw a monster deal with a tasker who violated a taboo.
The swallowing process only takes one or two seconds, the blink of an eye, and humans are simply unable to resist.
Chen Yang was once again thankful that ghosts have their own world. They are also driven or constrained by rules, and will be eliminated if they violate them.
If they are not controlled, the taskers will have nothing to do but wait for death.
Chen Yang wiped his face from top to bottom. After Li Zheng violated the taboo, Sister Wang became as thin as a membrane, just like Mr. Zhang.
Sister Wang died a long time ago.
"Brother Yu" knew that his identity was exposed and he could no longer get close to the tasker, so he used the little mute to plan that move. He used "Sister Wang" who was inserted into the team at a critical link.
From the time Qiao Qiao was hit to the time Li Zheng stepped on the shadow, the whole process took only a breath and Chen Yang didn't even have time to react.
"Boom!"
The back of Chen Yang's head hit the slippery wall, and he let out a long, complicated sigh: "Sure enough..."
Chao Jian's eyelids moved slightly.
"I'm right. In the mission world, any emotion will be exploited by the rules, especially love." Chen Yang said vaguely, "You can't touch it."
The tragedies happening around him made Chen Yang more and more convinced of this.
Chao Jian suddenly opened his eyes, tilted his head slightly, and stared at him with deep and violent eyes.
"One left first, how sad the one left behind must be." Chen Yang muttered to himself, and suddenly a low laugh sounded in his ears, "Life is worse than death."
Chen Yang was stunned: "I guess it's about the same." He sighed, "So..."
"You can't die." Chao Jian interrupted Chen Yang.
Chen Yang asked without hesitation: "Why can't I die?" After asking, he got the answer. The one who stayed behind had to move forward carrying the hopes of two people.
"No." Chao Jian seemed to know what Chen Yang was thinking.
Chen Yang asked: "What is that?"
Chao Jian closed his eyes, pursed his lips tightly, and said no more.
The light on Chen Yang's side was very dim. He couldn't see Chao Jian's expression, but just moved his gaze along the other person's breathing.
"No matter what, love in the mission world is always tragic." Chen Yang said after a while, "Nine out of ten couples are in tragedy, and the remaining couple is in turmoil, half dead."
He laughed out loud at Jian.
Chen Yang asked Chao Jian what he was laughing at, and he said, you know nothing.
Chen Yang, who had never been in a relationship, did not fight back. He really did not understand, but...
Chao Jian said in the leisure club a few months ago that he wanted to fall in love. His description was gentle and innocent. It seemed that he had never been in a relationship before and his first love was still there. How could he have the right to scold him
Chen Yang sat up straight abruptly: "You don't want to find a tasker to fall in love with, do you?"
Chao Jian said nothing.
Is that true? Chen Yang felt a dull pain in his chest. The inexplicable feeling did not disappear in an instant, but stayed for a few seconds. He caught it and his mind went blank.
"You... be careful." Chen Yang heard his slightly hoarse voice, he groped and pressed Chao Jian's shoulder, like a brother and a father.
A voice suddenly rang out in the darkness: "Are you afraid that I will fall in love with the tasker and no longer want you?"
Chen Yang paused when he was about to take his hand away, and unconsciously put it back on the boy's shoulder. No matter whether you listened to the second half of the sentence in forward or reverse order, there was an indescribable ambiguity in it.
Before Chen Yang could say something to change the subject, the hand on the boy's shoulder was pushed away.
"If I find someone I like, I will change my partner." Chao Jian said grimly.
Chen Yang heard the "crunch" and "crunch" sounds of teeth biting together, and the chill on his back instantly gave him goose bumps. He wanted to scratch it a few times, but found that his fingertips were trembling a little: "You are in a relationship, should I give you a red envelope? After all, you called me brother many times."
Chao Jian: “…”
"Get out." Chao Jian grabbed the crutch and threw it out.
"You've said this many times," Chen Yang said, "If I really leave one day, you won't have a brother anymore."
He didn't notice that his joke caused the boy in the darkness to change his expression instantly and his eyes turned red little by little.
Those eyes looked like they were about to cry, but there were no tears. They were extremely dry and dark.
The temperature around seemed to have dropped a lot, and Chen Yang shuddered. He realized that Chao Jian was not in a good condition. Without thinking about the reason, he hurriedly stuffed a handful of milk tablets into his arms.
There was no familiar "crunch" sound.
The milk tablets are useless? Chen Yang's heart immediately sounded an alarm. He licked his lips. He could only find another way to divert the boy's attention.
Chen Yang got up, walked to the boy and squatted down: "Let me tell you something, you were so close to me when you broke the door, did you know what was going on inside?"
No response.
When Chen Yang got closer, a chaotic and heavy breath sprayed on his face. He paused, then continued until the owner of the breath leaned back and growled at him irritably and impatiently: "Stay away from me!"
Chen Yang heaved a sigh of relief. Everything was fine. Whenever his partner showed his childish side, he would feel relieved.
Because a complete madman doesn't have that side, Chen Yang thought.
"You haven't told me yet." Chen Yang asked in a stubborn tone.
"I guessed it." Chao Jian's hands were still shaking, and he didn't open the milk tablets for a long time. "It was a trap."
Chen Yang lowered his eyes. Indeed, it was a trap, but they couldn't bypass it.
"If it's a trap, there will be unexpected events." Chao Jian said.
Chen Yang's half-closed eyelashes trembled. He took away the milk slices that Chao Jian had ravaged and tore them apart easily: "In that situation, if 'Sister Wang' had hit me..." Chen Yang licked his lips and asked a question he didn't know why he asked, "Would you have held me back?"
There was silence at the wall.
"I can't." Chen Yang heard Chao Jian's flat voice, he said "oh", and the torn milk slice stayed between his fingers, forgetting that he had sent it away.
A hand reached out from the darkness, accurately pinched the piece of milk, and gently pulled it away, accompanied by a grunt: "Because your skills and agility are not bad now, you can handle it."
Chen Yang blurted out: "Then why did you come over to be next to me just in case?"
"Don't squat in front of me," Chao Jian tried to hold back something, a chilling gasp escaping from his throat, "Go away!"
"I'm leaving, you calm down." Chen Yang sat aside and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Mentally ill people are moody, and there is nothing he can do except to coax them.
Chen Yang peeled a milk slice and put it in his mouth. There was a faint sweetness in his mouth. He thought that whether in the real world or the mission world, there is the phenomenon of the survival of the fittest and bullying the weak and fearing the strong. Monsters will also choose their targets and take advantage of the fragile and wonderful love of human beings.
At six o'clock yesterday, "Brother Yu" did not punch out from the main gate, but left from the rooftop of the fourth floor.
Chen Yang looked at the rooftop. What was this hint? He turned on his phone and saw that it was one in the morning and the last monster had not yet come to work.
However, there were few people left in the team.
Suppressed sobbing sound came from the left. Chen Yang glanced at the girl in the halo: "You have to get used to it."
Apart from this monotonous and weak comfort, Chen Yang could not give anything else. They were also tasked with the same uncertain fate.
A drop of water fell from Qiao Qiao's eyes, followed by one or two more drops, wetting her cheeks, chin, and collar.
"Woo..." Qiao Qiao hugged the little mute and burst into tears in pain, "Woo—"
The flashlight in the little mute's arms fell to the ground. She hugged Qiao Qiao at a loss and burst into tears, saying "ah" and "I'm sorry" while crying.
Chen Yang turned on the flashlight and found that Pan Lin was infected by the sadness. He kept wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. He was indifferent to Chao Jian and Zheng Zhitan.
Zheng Zhitan has done many missions, and Chao Jian is just like that because of his personality, they will not be moved by separation of life and death.
Chen Yang turned off the flashlight.
After an unknown amount of time, Qiao Qiao and the little mute got tired of crying and curled up together and fell asleep.
Chen Yang felt sad when he saw Qiao Qiao twitching in her sleep. He gently pulled her horoscope book away and just as he was about to open it, he heard a "thump" sound, mixed with a scream of terror.
Pan Lin fell down.
Chen Yang put the book down and stood up: "Zheng Zhitan?"
"Don't call me Mr. Zheng anymore." Zheng Zhiqin said, "My baby was walking by himself and slipped."
Chen Yang took a breath. The guardrails on all 234 floors were damaged in large areas, and the guardrail on the third floor was the least damaged. They deliberately stayed on this floor to rest.
"It's my fault." Zheng Zhiqin blamed himself, "Children always like colorful shoes, regardless of whether the soles are non-slip or not. I should have advised him more."
"You're still in the mood..." Chen Yang's words stopped abruptly. Why didn't Pan Lin call for help? He rushed to the edge of the corridor with a few big strides, and a crutch was placed in front of him, preventing him from moving forward.
Chen Yang did not move over the crutch. He stood there and quickly shone the black flashlight downwards.
The water was very calm, as if not even a small stone had fallen into it.
There was no other sound after Pan Lin fell into the water.
Is he dead? Chen Yang's palms were sweaty as he held the flashlight. No, he's not dead!
Yes, it’s gone.
No one left...
Will I disappear if I fall down? Chen Yang looked back at his teammates.
Qiao Qiao lost her ability to think. The little mute was better than her, but they couldn't figure out what happened to Pan Lin for a while. They both stared at Chen Yang in a daze.
Chao Jian stared at Chen Yang's feet, showing no sign of speaking.
Chen Yang shifted his gaze to the last person present, who was also the person who had the most contact with Pan Lin.
Zheng Zhiqin stood against the wall, turning the lighter between his fingers flexibly. He did not raise his eyelids from beginning to end, and obviously had no intention of discussing with Chen Yang.
Chen Yang's chest rose and fell faster and faster, then slowed down. It was not yet time to go to work, and a living person was gone.
Despite this sudden strange phenomenon, the atmosphere in the team was not tense.
Numb.
Chen Yang felt something unusual above his head, so he looked up subconsciously, and all he saw was the sea. Just as he was about to lower his head, a figure fell rapidly from his pupils and landed on the corridor not far from him.
The figure was none other than Pan Lin who had just fallen into the water!
Chen Yang was stunned. What was going on? The person who fell into the lobby on the first floor actually came down from the rooftop...
Pan Lin lost part of his memory.
That part happened to be the most crucial content. He only remembered that his feet slipped and he lost his balance and fell down the corridor. He knew nothing after that.
The mute who had participated in two train station death traps was the first to offer an idea.
Water circulates, so the outlet is not the first floor door, but the roof
Chen Yang didn't say anything.
"Do you want to go up?" Pan Lin felt that the little mute was right.
"Maybe it's just misleading." Chen Yang held the mineral water bottle.
"Misleading?" Pan Lin's IQ couldn't keep up. He squeezed his wet clothes and said, "But it's not just me who has encountered this kind of thing. Yesterday, the monster 'Brother Yu' also left from the rooftop after get off work."
Chen Yang didn't say anything. The rules liked to mislead the taskers, which was very despicable. He looked up at the sea above his head, thinking.
"No matter what, we should still give it a try, right?" Pan Lin shivered in his wet clothes. He was fed up with this place and wished he could get out right now.
The dumb man couldn't get up and write on the paper.
"Is it possible to stack people?" Someone responded to Pan Lin, and he immediately became excited and said anxiously, "Mr. Chen is at the bottom..." As soon as he finished speaking, Pan Lin became depressed, "It seems impossible."
There are only four men in the team. He is not strong enough to be at the bottom and cannot bear it. Zheng Zhitan will not let others step on his back, and Chao Jian will not let others step on Chen Yang.
So no.
Pan Lin's eyes lit up: "Then let's stack the tables and chairs, this will work!"
"But who's going to try?" Pan Lin was discouraged again. He muttered to himself, "The girl who committed suicide before was sucked into the sea water as soon as she touched it..."
"Baby, have you ever thought about why you are still alive? Huh?" Zheng Zhitan said in a soft voice.
Pan Lin's expression froze and his hands twisted together. If it weren't for this man, he would have died in the second round and been eaten by Wang Hao.
The meaning behind what the other person just said is - shut up, idiot.
Pan Lin huddled in the corner like a quail.
"At present, the clue given by the rules is that water circulates and the way out is the roof. Do you think we should do this experiment?" Zheng Zhitan leaned close to Chen Yang's left ear and whispered like a lover, "Xiao Yangyang."
Chen Yang's expression was very strange. This name...
"Someone else calls you that?" Zheng Zhitan stepped back before he could attack Jian. "It's someone your brother hates."
Chen Yangxin said that Chao Jian really hated Sun Wenjun.
Zheng Zhiqin flicked the lighter and flashed the flame across Chen Yang's beautiful almond-shaped eyes: "Do I know too much? Will I be silenced?"
Chen Yang: “…” He was just about to ask Zheng Zhitan if he knew Sun Wenjun when a series of footsteps suddenly sounded in the corridor.
It's that crazy female white-collar worker.
Chen Yang raised his eyebrows in surprise. He wanted to find an opportunity to communicate with her, but he didn't expect her to come out on her own.
The woman held the steel pipe that she never let go of and stopped at a safe distance. She twisted her neck to look at Pan Lin and said in a hoarse voice, "He fell to the lobby on the first floor, but was able to get down from the roof."
Chen Yang inquired calmly.
"You want to do an experiment, right? Let me try it," said the woman.
Before anyone could react or ask why, the woman gave an immediate explanation: "I've reached my limit."
"I don't want to wait anymore. I want to go back. Let me try. You help me get to the top of the building, as long as I can touch the sea water." The woman looked like a water ghost who had just come out of the water. Her face was pale and her eyes were bulging red.
"Didn't you say that half of us are monsters?" Pan Lin couldn't hide his thoughts, his face full of suspicion and doubt, "Now there are only seven of us left. According to what you said, three and a half of us are monsters. How dare you come to us for help?"
The female office worker lowered her head.