“Run! Run for it! Get out of here!”

A man’s voice crackled through the radio, sounding both urgent and panicked.

He Gu was startled by the message.

He had just stepped into the elevator!

And now, the elevator doors were locked, the car ascending. Where was he supposed to run?

“Shhh…”

“They’re coming up! This floor is no longer safe! Run!”

…

“It’s over… it’s all over!”

…

“I knew it would come to this… I just knew…”

…

The elevator continued its slow ascent, with the radio intermittently picking up the voices of several people.

Their voices were fraught with fear and tension, as if they had encountered something terrifying.

He Gu realized that the voice wasn’t addressing him directly; it was playing a recording.

Or, to put it in Shadow’s terms, the radio was resonating with certain special frequencies, audibly replaying scenes that had once unfolded here.

Even so, the panicked voices from the radio were affecting He Gu, stirring a sense of restlessness within him.

“Ding—Dong—”

At that moment, a chime indicated the elevator had stopped.

He Gu glanced at the floor indicator: the 13th floor.

The doors slowly opened.

Beyond lay a deep corridor, with the faint sound of dripping water.

He Gu pressed himself against the inner wall of the elevator, not rushing out but instead waiting for the radio to provide guidance.

The radio crackled to life once more.

“Szzz—Shhh—”

“Damn it! This floor is contaminated too!”

“Quick! Close the doors!”

…

The elevator doors began to close slowly.

At the same time, a desperate cry echoed:

“No! Don’t! Wait for me—”

…

The doors sealed shut, cutting off the voice abruptly.

The elevator resumed its climb.

From start to finish, He Gu stood inside, his back pressed against the mirrored wall, enveloped by unease and worry.

After a while, the elevator halted again.

This time at the 29th floor.

Again, the doors opened slowly.

He Gu remained motionless, leaning against the wall, waiting for the radio’s cue.

Shadow had said the radio would guide He Gu, and he wouldn’t venture out until he had clear instructions.

So, He Gu watched as the doors inched open.

As soon as they did, He Gu saw a face.

“Shit!”

Despite being on edge and mentally prepared, He Gu still jumped at the sight.

It was a ghastly face, half-covered in pus and rotting flesh, with the left eyeball dangling from its socket, swaying against the cheek.

The figure wore a tattered purple uniform and stood frozen at the elevator entrance, hands outstretched as if trying to pry the doors open.

Was this… a worker like He Gu who had sneaked in and died here after choosing the wrong floor?

As He Gu pondered, the radio in his pocket crackled on cue.

“Shhh…”

“Do you hear that? Sounds like someone singing!”

“Stop talking nonsense. Who would be singing in this building now?”

“No… I hear it too, there really is someone singing!”

“Look! What is that?”

“A red dress… It’s here! The situation is worse than we thought!”

“Run! Close the doors!”

“Damn it, the door’s stuck… Ah—”

“Help me… help me… don’t leave me…”

…

The elevator doors closed once more.

He Gu’s scalp tingled, a heavy weight pressing on his heart.

Though only audible, his mind conjured up terrifying scenes.

Clearly, something horrific had happened here, perhaps even the eerie origin of this instance!

The elevator continued its ascent.

He Gu took deep breaths, trying to calm himself.

Soon, the elevator stopped again.

He looked up to see they were now at the 44th floor.

But this time, the doors didn’t open immediately.

He Gu leaned against the wall, eyeing the doors with unease.

Then, the radio in his pocket sounded.

“We’ve reached the top floor… Hopefully, it’s not contaminated here…”

“It shouldn’t be. The core is on this level; they wouldn’t dare come up.”

“Before entering the core area, we must go through a decontamination process. Everyone, cover your nose and mouth.”

…

“Hiss—”

Simultaneously, a hissing noise came from the elevator’s ceiling as sprinkler heads began to spray.

He Gu instinctively looked up to see a showerhead-like device above, spraying a blue liquid downward.

Remembering the radio’s words, he quickly covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve.

The blue liquid showered down like a bath, leaving no corner of the elevator untouched.

He Gu, pressed against the wall, was drenched everywhere except for a small patch on his back.

Moreover, some of the blue liquid seeped through his clothes onto his back, causing the shadow clinging there to tremble slightly.

He Gu paused, realizing that the liquid seemed harmful to the shadow.

No wonder it had repeatedly warned him not to expose his back!

In theory, the shadow and He Gu were interdependent within this realm and shouldn’t pose a threat to him.

But in a world of strange tales, where even people can’t be fully trusted, let alone something neither human nor ghost, it’s always good to be cautious!

With that thought, He Gu took out an empty bottle he had picked up earlier in the sorting workshop, unscrewed the cap, and began collecting the blue liquid from above.

The “decontamination process” lasted quite a while, with the blue liquid spraying for over a minute.

By the time it stopped, He Gu had filled half the bottle.

He then pocketed the bottle.

Next, a warm air blower started above, continuing for another couple of minutes until He Gu’s clothes were mostly dry.

Finally, the elevator doors opened.

At the same time, 424’s voice came through the radio:

“Let’s go, my friend. We’ve arrived. It’s time to face the truth.”

Hearing this, He Gu finally relaxed a bit and cautiously stepped out of the elevator.

Exiting the elevator, he found himself in a buffer room less than ten square meters in size.

The cramped buffer room had no extra exits; one end was the elevator, and the other, a heavy iron door.

He Gu stepped forward and pushed open the heavy door with effort.

Beyond lay a bizarre room.

It was bizarre because half of the room, about the size of half a basketball court, was filled with what appeared to be medical experimental equipment and instruments.

The other half contained several machine tools with unknown purposes, all splattered with blood, resembling the operation area of a slaughterhouse.

In the corner of the room stood a figure.

Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t a real person but a puppet with proportions similar to a human’s, though its features were somewhat comical with an elongated nose.

Strangest of all, the puppet was dressed in an orange work uniform.

“Humming…”

As He Gu examined the puppet, his phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated…