"Weiba?" Hu Ya called out from the front of the group, shouting toward the half-open iron door. No one answered.
"Go take a look."
The wall lamps gave off a dim, yellowish glow. Hu Ya moved forward alone, pressing herself against the wall as she crept closer to the iron door.
The door was covered in mottled rust, and a liquid resembling blood was seeping through the cracks.
"What is this room used for?"
Hu Ya shifted her foot and took another step forward, leaning her body ahead without touching the door, adjusting her angle to try and see what was inside.
But before she could make anything out, a drop of liquid fell from the ceiling onto the back of her hand.
It was viscous — somewhat like blood, but mixed with something else, giving off an indescribable foul smell.
"Leaking?" She slowly tilted her head upward. The light around her dimmed slightly, and the iron door trembled.
"Watch out!" Yang Chen shouted. Behind them, the wall lamps in the corridor began going out again!
One after another, at terrifying speed — like a ravenous beast lunging at them!
There was no time to prepare. Darkness swallowed all of them in an instant.
"Everyone get down! Stay where you are!" Yang Chen's mind raced, but there was nothing he could do. "Last time the lights went out, three people disappeared. No telling who'll vanish this time."
The corridor plunged into total darkness, deathly quiet. All you could hear were the breathing and heartbeats of your companions nearby.
Everyone crouched to the ground. Nobody moved.
A cold wind blew through the dark. At the far end of the corridor, a shadowy figure flickered for a brief moment, then vanished. It seemed the creature had slipped into their midst.
Time stretched on endlessly. The thumping of hearts beat in their ears, accompanied by eerie background music that amplified the fear without limit.
"Creeeak..."
A piercing sound came from Hu Ya's position — the door in front of her had been pushed open.
"Who opened the door now?!"
The iron door swung outward. The smell of formaldehyde drifted through the air, and another sound joined the corridor.
Drip, drip...
Liquid fell from above, splattering onto the floor. The sound drew closer and closer to Hu Ya, and finally stopped right in front of her.
Pitch black — nothing could be seen. Only the relentless dripping continued.
"That thing is standing right next to me." Hu Ya's palms were slick with sweat. An invisible pressure bore down on her. Summoning her courage, she raised her hand and reached forward, but her fingers touched nothing.
"It should be right here. The sound is coming from this spot."
Hu Ya was certain. Her hand kept reaching out.
Drip...