Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan
Some of these "Decay Cats" had lost their eyes, and within the dark hollows where their eyes should be, one could either see maggots writhing or pus oozing out. Yet, at this moment, He Gu could distinctly feel their "gaze"!
Being stared at by several of these "Decay Cats" made He Gu's scalp tingle with numbness.
Seeing that the "Decay Cats" seemed to be on the verge of pouncing, a chill ran down He Gu's spine, and he quickly retreated from the window.
Back at his desk, He Gu picked up the aluminum alloy walking stick leaning against it, watching the window warily, fearing that the "Decay Cats" might leap in to attack him.
From this angle, the window only reflected a pitch-black backdrop and the mirrored image on the glass.
Now, the outside had fallen completely silent.
He Gu waited for a while, but nothing happened.
It seemed that the "Decay Cats" weren't going to burst in after all?
He Gu let out a slight sigh of relief.
"Clang!"
Just then, He Gu suddenly saw a blurry black shadow hit the glass.
The window emitted a crisp sound, and a viscous liquid, resembling a mix of blood and pus, splattered on it, slowly trickling down.
Just now… it seemed like one of the "Decay Cats" had slammed into the glass!
He Gu's heart tightened. Did they really intend to break through the glass to get in?
However, after that, the outside became utterly quiet again.
The "Decay Cats" did not continue to hit the glass, and there was no movement outside.
He Gu waited cautiously for a few minutes, and still, all was silent outside.
Finally, He Gu took a deep breath and, holding his walking stick, took a couple of steps forward.
The reflection on the glass made it impossible to see outside clearly, but he could now see the narrow windowsill.
It was only then that He Gu noticed a bare bird carcass lying on the windowsill.
The bird was completely plucked, its skin a waxy red color, with some parts torn and bloodstained.
Its neck was twisted in a bizarre angle, clearly indicating a broken neck; it was dead beyond doubt.
He Gu kept his distance and took a quick glance, wondering… was it a crow?
Truth be told, He Gu had never examined a normal crow closely, let alone recognize this featherless bird carcass as one.
However, its head did resemble the crow that had been snatched from the mouth of a black cat by the "Decay Cats."
Rule 6, Clause 3: If you see a crow's carcass outside the window, immediately open the window and throw it far away!
With this in mind, He Gu's heart tightened again.
Rules of uncertain authenticity were to be treated as true, and by that principle, He Gu should now immediately open the window and throw the bird carcass far away.
But to open the window now…
He Gu worried that the "Decay Cats" might still be lurking outside, which would make opening the window dangerous.
After hesitating for a few seconds, He Gu decided to first check if the "Decay Cats" were still there.
If the cats were gone, he would open the window and throw the bird carcass far away.
If the "Decay Cats" were still there, he would definitely not open the window. After all, this wasn't an instant-death rule, and when weighing risks, one should choose the lesser danger!
Having made up his mind, He Gu cautiously approached the window.
Getting closer, He Gu first tentatively brought his head near the glass, catching a blurry glimpse of the asbestos tile roof outside.
Only after confirming the absence of "Decay Cats" did He Gu carefully press his forehead against the glass, using his hands to block the light on either side of his eyes, allowing him to clearly see the outside.
At this moment, the asbestos tile roof outside was eerily quiet, with no signs of movement.
The section near the office was clearly visible under the office lights, while areas farther away were shrouded in darkness.
At least within He Gu's line of sight, there were no "Decay Cats."
After getting a clear view of the outside, He Gu took a deep breath and quickly opened the window, grabbed the bird carcass, and flung it into the darkness beyond with all his might.
After completing the action, He Gu immediately slammed the window shut, the entire process taking less than three seconds!
Having done all this, He Gu exhaled a long breath of relief. Outside, all remained silent, with no abnormalities occurring.
He Gu's mind eased slightly, and he turned away from the window.
At that moment, He Gu glanced over at the neighboring office 369.
Through the glass wall, He Gu saw that the neighboring office was empty; 369 had not returned.
Considering that it had been fifteen or sixteen minutes since 369 left, if he had gone to inspect the storeroom, he should have been back by now, right?
Thinking it over, He Gu picked up his walking stick and headed out.
Firstly, to look for 369 and gather more information from him, and secondly, He Gu wanted to take another look at storeroom 44.
However, just as He Gu reached the ground floor, he happened to see a small truck driving in through the main gate.
He Gu paused, surprised. It wasn't even noon yet, and they were already receiving deliveries for storage?
Immediately after, He Gu saw the small truck stop at the entrance of a storeroom, and a group of people dressed in white hazmat suits rushed into the storeroom.
Seeing this, He Gu's heart tightened. Was there a storeroom being cleared out?
He Gu quickly walked in that direction.
Upon approaching, He Gu saw the number on the storeroom: 69.
At that moment, a green-clothed worker, covered in blood and trembling slightly, walked out from the storeroom. Upon seeing He Gu, a flash of crazed malice flickered in his eyes.
He Gu's heart tightened, and he instinctively gripped his walking stick tighter while glancing at the worker's badge: 401.
Just then, He Gu saw a figure in purple emerge from the storeroom.
A58 was here too!
Immediately after, He Gu heard A58 say to 401, "401, your work for tonight is over. Leave the storeroom immediately!"
"Go get some good sleep, and report to the personnel department at 1:30 PM tomorrow!"
***
He Gu had heard this same line the night before.
In that instant, He Gu realized that a supervisor had been taken out by a subordinate.
With this thought, He Gu's heart skipped a beat, and a bad premonition rose within him.
It was at this moment that A58 looked up and caught a glimpse of He Gu standing nearby, a strange look flashing in his eyes.
Then, A58 turned and walked away with his hands behind his back.
At this point, He Gu noticed that A58 was holding something in his hand behind his back.
Upon closer inspection, He Gu realized it was a blood-stained badge.
The supervisor was holding the lanyard, and as he walked, the badge dangled behind him, swaying and occasionally dripping blood.
He Gu looked closely and finally made out the number on the badge: 369.