The scream of a woman filled with pain reverberated in the air for a long time before it gradually died down. However, what followed was not the peace after the silence. Instead, it was a more violent and oppressive thud. It was as if something was rolling down the stairs. The echoes of the thud even penetrated the soundproof walls of the hotel, making their hearts race uncontrollably.
The two people who had just arrived at the top floor looked at each other and stopped in their tracks.
"Let's go back," Qing Jiuliu thought for a moment and said with a frown. The cigarette dangling from his lips moved up and down as he spoke, giving him the look of a delinquent. "Magus can't be distracted right now. Even if there is something down there, I don't think she will know about it."
The grand prize craned his neck for a moment as if he was trying to see through the wall. However, he soon sighed and turned toward the stairwell.
Even though Lin Sanjiu was clueless and confused when Magus was giving her pointers, the two of them, who had no Higher Consciousness and could only eavesdrop a few times, understood everything. It could be said that the two of them had a better understanding of the current situation than Lin Sanjiu.
"This isn't the first time you've heard it, right?" Ji Shanqing asked again as they walked down the stairs. "The last time was with my sister?"
Qing Jiuliu lazily responded with a muffled sound.
"Regardless of the source of the whistle, since it isn't the first time, it's most likely targeting you or my sister. I hope the target is you," Ji Shanqing said bluntly. "What should we do next?"
"Sleep," Qing Jiuliu said matter-of-factly. "I don't have anything now. Even if someone really wants to kill me, I have to go to sleep."
The grand prize looked at him as if he was looking at a lunatic. He couldn't understand Ji Shanqing's logic.
"You don't understand. Regardless of whether there's danger or not, the most important thing is to be comfortable … Oh, I hope it's a woman who kills me. After all, it sounds better if I die in the hands of a woman in bed."
Ji Shanqing couldn't stand it anymore. "Don't flatter yourself. Alcohol can do that. Who would bother to kill you? I suspect it's after my sister. "
Obviously, Qing Jiuliu did not care about the grand prize's opinion. He yawned and walked to the guest room next door. Ji Shanqing reacted quickly and grabbed Qing Jiuliu's elbow. "No, you have to follow me downstairs to check out the situation."
Although his combat power wasn't that great. Still, it was much better than the grand prize's [Bubbly Visa].
Qing Jiuliu stopped in his tracks. He frowned and looked at Ji Shanqing. "Let go," he said impatiently. However, the next second, he widened his eyes in surprise. He looked at the grand prize carefully and said, "Huh … You really aren't a human? No blood? "
Ji Shanqing held onto him tightly. Unhappily, he admitted, "No, I didn't. You can't use your ability on me. You should go down with me and take a look. "
The expression that appeared on Qing Jiuliu's face could really make a soft-hearted woman cry.
Every time Qing Jiuliu heard that he had to work, he would instinctively put on a pained expression. However, since he couldn't get rid of the grand prize and Ji Shanqing wasn't soft-hearted, he had no choice but to follow Ji Shanqing down the stairs. The two of them first checked the kitchen. After confirming that there was nothing suspicious, under the grand prize's insistence, they went down a few floors. Soon, they arrived at the lobby on the first floor.
Without the electric current, the lobby was dark and gloomy. The lobby looked like a dark and gloomy cave. A few tall floor-to-ceiling windows were covered by wild plants, casting elongated shadows in the dusky sky. As the sky outside grew darker, so did the gloom in the lobby. Most of the facilities and spaces were swallowed by the darkness. They hid in the shadows silently, making it hard for people to see clearly.
"I hope you have a way to escape from danger. I won't care about you when I can't even take care of myself," Ji Shanqing said. Standing in the gloomy lobby, Qing Jiuliu said sincerely, "By the way, did I mention that I'm afraid of the dark?"
"I have a candle." Ji Shanqing glanced at him. Then, she used Qing Jiuliu's unlit lighter to light the candle in her hand with much difficulty. A small ball of flame jumped up, twisting and turning into an orange-red glow in the darkness. However, compared to the darkness in the lobby, the light was too weak.
They walked around the lobby for a few rounds. Finding nothing, the two of them stopped at the entrance.
At this time, the night had gradually darkened. Looking out from the hall, there was only a desolate and dark world in sight. Under the dark blue sky, it was vaguely smeared into a blurry outline.
It was one thing to check the environment in the hotel. After all, this was Magus' stronghold. However, it was a different story when they went out. No one could be sure how far Magus' sphere of influence extended. Ji Shanqing was lazy and Ji Shanqing was cautious. Therefore, they just looked around the entrance. Then, they turned around and planned to go back.
"Another false alarm." Just as Qing Jiuliu said this lazily, a whistle suddenly rang out, causing him to shut his mouth.
The light and melodious whistle pierced through the air, stirring up a faint echo in the dark lobby. Then, the echo faded away as if it was just a pleasant passerby. However, no matter how they looked at it, there was no one else in the lobby.
The darkness behind them quietened down as it stared at the backs of the two of them.
Ji Shanqing turned his head slowly and looked around. Even under the candlelight, his lips looked a little pale.
"Did you hear it?" He whispered to Qing Jiuliu, "That sound... seems to be outside the door."
"I'm not deaf." Qing Jiuliu looked around and couldn't help but frown.
Under his gaze, the entrance of the lobby was still as empty as ever. Apart from the occasional breeze that blew through the grass and fluttered the torn cloth hanging down, there was not even a shadow outside the door. However, the short note of the whistle was still vivid in his mind, as if it could be played again at any time.
"What are you waiting for?" Qing Jiuliu pushed the grand prize, "... Who cares what it is. Let's go to the floor where Magus is. We can use her as a door guardian."
Ji Shanqing agreed with the idea, so the two of them quickly walked toward the staircase. However, the hotel provided elevators for the guests, and the staircase was usually used as a fire escape. Unlike the elevators located in the center of the lobby, the staircase was located at the far end of the lobby and was hidden in a corner. The two of them had to walk through the dark lobby. They walked back the way they came.
There was a lounge area with a sofa and a coffee table in this direction. The shortest way was to walk between the sofa and the coffee table. Under the dim candlelight, it was difficult to see where they were going. Ji Shanqing had to lower his head and squint his eyes. However, before he could take a few steps, he suddenly felt someone coming up to him from behind. The person blew out the candle in his hand with a puff of air, and his vision instantly turned black.
"What are you doing!" the grand prize shouted and stopped in his tracks indignantly.
"What's wrong?" Qing Jiuliu quickly replied. "Where's the fire?"
Ji Shanqing was stunned, and his body froze.
The drunkard's voice clearly came from his right. In other words, it wasn't Qing Jiuliu who blew out the candle from behind.
Then, who was behind him?
"Why did your candle go out?" Amidst the sudden darkness, the blurry figure on the right moved. After identifying the grand prize's position, he crept over cautiously. "... Why are you standing there?"
Ji Shanqing opened his mouth and suddenly realized what was going on. He said in a low voice, "Don't come any closer!"
His voice reverberated in the air, causing the figure not far away to stop in his tracks.
Unknowingly, Ji Shanqing's back was drenched in cold sweat. All of his attention was focused on what was behind him. However, it was quiet behind him. There wasn't even the sound of wind. There was only darkness and deathly stillness. No matter how hard he strained his ears, he couldn't hear a single sound behind him.
Half-tentatively, Ji Shanqing took a careful step forward. There was only the sound of his shallow and rapid breathing in the air. He paused for a moment, then took another step forward.
Still, there was no movement behind him.
Ji Shanqing's heart skipped a beat. Seizing the opportunity, he dashed out of the room. He accidentally bumped his thigh against the back of the sofa. He accidentally knocked his thigh against the back of the sofa a few times before he finally stumbled to Qing Jiuliu. After he caught his breath, he asked in a very soft voice, "Is there someone behind me?"
He waited for a few seconds, but the person in front of him still didn't respond. He couldn't help but raise his head. Just as he was about to say, "I'm asking you a question," he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
There was no light source in the lobby. Everything was shrouded in darkness. When he got closer, he could vaguely see that the figure was slowly turning its head to look at the grand prize.
He remembered Qing Jiuliu's physique. He seemed to be taller and thinner than the figure in front of him.
Ji Shanqing quickly retreated and turned around to run. However, he couldn't see clearly in the darkness. After running for a few steps, he knocked into a coffee table. He gasped in pain, but he didn't dare to slow down. He dashed toward the entrance of the lobby with all his might. When he was some distance away, he looked back and saw that the figure was still standing in the same spot. It was shrouded in thick darkness and didn't move an inch.
As long as he rushed out and shouted a few times upstairs, Magus and Lin Sanjiu would definitely hear him.
However, just as he was about to reach the gate, Ji Shanqing suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"Where are you going?" Qing Jiuliu stood on the stairs outside the entrance. As the sky was dark, his figure was blurred by the shadows. He spread his arms and walked toward Ji Shanqing as he asked, "Didn't you say you were going back upstairs?"
Ji Shanqing spun around. The place he came from was now so dark that he couldn't see anything.
Puzzled, Qing Jiuliu looked at the motionless figure in front of him. He reached into his trouser pocket and took out a lighter.
This lighter was the one he used when he and Lin Sanjiu were searching for the office building. Since it had been a long time, it was hard for him to light it up. This time was no exception. He struck it five to six times, but not a single spark came out.
Just as Qing Jiuliu was cursing under his breath, the lighter suddenly lit up. The flame swayed in the air, and the orange-red light illuminated the space around him. He looked up and realized that the figure standing not far from him was actually a hotel trolley that had been tossed in the middle of the lobby. The reason why it looked like a person was because a coat of an unknown guest was hanging on top of the trolley, and there was a small suitcase underneath it.
"Did I see this thing when I came here?" A question surfaced in Qing Jiuliu's mind. Before he could take a closer look, the flame suddenly went out.
Qing Jiuliu stood in the same spot for a while, feeling uncomfortable all over his body.
He pressed the valve of the lighter for a long time and succeeded in lighting it up twice. However, the time the flame lasted was shorter than before. The moment it lit up, it went out again. After the last flame was extinguished, Qing Jiuliu calmly put the lighter back into his trouser pocket. Then, in the darkness, he slowly and quietly moved one of his feet backward.
"No wonder I feel uncomfortable all over."
In the flicker of the flame, he saw a face that appeared out of nowhere. It was right next to Qing Jiuliu's right shoulder. When the light flickered, a smile appeared on the face. As the flame went out, the face disappeared and melted into the darkness once again.
Even though it was just a flash, Qing Jiuliu knew that the face belonged to Ji Shanqing.
"Come on, let's go back." Qing Jiuliu didn't turn around, nor did he look back. He just walked backward step by step. His voice sounded steady as if he didn't notice anything, "... If Magus gets impatient and comes down personally, we'll be in trouble."
His words drifted in the dark lobby and eventually dissipated into the air. There was no response, and he didn't feel anything different from before.
"If I didn't throw that mermaid on the bed because I thought it was a hindrance, perhaps I wouldn't be in such a predicament now..." Qing Jiuliu thought to himself expressionlessly.
The face next to his shoulder was getting closer and closer. As long as he turned his eyes, he could see a ghastly pale face from the corner of his eye. Perhaps, only an actor with the level of Best Actor could maintain such a dull and lifeless expression...
When he walked past a pillar, Qing Jiuliu abruptly rammed his right shoulder into the pillar. At the same time, his left hand reached out to grab the face. (To be continued.)
PS:
Braised pork buns, ahaha, look, this is a reader with a pair of sharp eyes! I'm quite diligent, I agree too... Thank you for your braised pork buns, I'll accept it. I'm hungry just by looking at this ID...
Thank you book friends 160430085408961, Muzi Mu Zi, Lizard, Plain Ribbon Shadow Condensation, Inkstone, Lost in the Middle, Men One Bridge, Haitang Fainting, Soft Smoke Beautiful Silk (The money to buy your life has arrived again! I wish you all the best in your college entrance examination!) I'm waiting for everyone's rewards, as well as the monthly tickets for Fantasy Xia Xiaoxiao, Silly Child, Tang Chu Chu Xue, Manjingtou, Gongzi Shuxiang, I'm a Little Little Bird, Jujube Girl LLL, Mystery Li Miao, Wistarialan, Mengdibang, and others
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