"There's something else in the elevator besides me. It was the one that pressed the number 3 on the control panel."
A thick stench surged from behind him, like an invisible hand clutching Chen Ge in its grip.
Breathing became difficult. Inside the elevator car that should have held only him, the sound of a cart rolling across the floor suddenly rang out.
Rough wheels scraped against the metal floor, giving the impression that someone inside was pushing a small cart back and forth.
"I've already checked with the Yin Eyes. There's no person and no ghost in this elevator, let alone a cart. Could I have run into something even the Yin Eyes can't see?"
The Yin Eyes had come from the Black Phone and had been strengthened several times since. Zhang Ya had even blown a wisp of Yin energy into his eyes. This ability was already formidable — the chances of it failing were virtually nonexistent.
"What exactly is standing behind me?"
The simplest way to find out would be to turn around and look, but Chen Ge knew full well that curiosity killed the cat. He clenched his teeth and held his body perfectly still.
The stench grew thicker. He couldn't tell where it was seeping from, but it lingered all around him, writhing desperately to burrow into his body.
The elevator car was spacious, yet as it rose, Chen Ge felt the space around him growing cramped. Even breathing was becoming harder and harder.
"In an empty elevator — why does it feel like it's packed with people?"
Chen Ge kept his head down, watching the elevator control panel from the corner of his eye. He didn't dare shift his gaze, terrified he might see something he wasn't supposed to.
"So slow…"
A sealed elevator car with nowhere to run. All Chen Ge could do was wait.
Under his stare, the number on the display finally changed — the red "1" became a "2."
Those few seconds felt to Chen Ge like an endless night.
"The doors are about to open!"
Every muscle in his body tensed. Chen Ge was worried the elevator wouldn't stop on the second floor — that it would rise straight to the third.
The slowly ascending car trembled slightly, then a soft chime sounded from the display area and the elevator came to a halt.
The silver-gray doors began to slide open. At the same moment, a wave of the thick stench surged toward Chen Ge, as though trying to push him deeper into the car.
Before the doors had opened all the way, Chen Ge swung his arms and darted out of the elevator in a single stride.
He went several meters down the corridor before slowing his pace, then turned to look back.
The silver-gray doors were closing smoothly. The elevator car inside was empty — nothing at all. The pungent stench faded away as the doors sealed shut.
"How can there be nothing?" His gaze drifted downward, and he inadvertently swept it across the elevator floor. Faint smudges were visible on the surface, each one resembling a human face.
The doors closed completely. The number on the exterior display changed from "2" to "3."
"They all seem to have gone to the third floor." The little prop Chen Ge had crafted was still clutched in his hand, soaked through with sweat. "Good thing I didn't toss this thing down by the elevator entrance on a whim. If the elevator couldn't go up, the thing inside would've latched onto me for sure."
He stuffed the prop into his backpack and gazed at the elevator with a lingering sense of dread. "When it's time to leave, jumping out a window will be the safer option. The second floor isn't that high."
Until he figured out what that thing actually was, Chen Ge had no intention of setting foot in that elevator again.
"Pull yourself together. Stick to the plan."
His pupils contracted. Chen Ge braced one hand against the wall and began searching for the art activity room.
Having reached the second floor, the unease in his chest only intensified. This building was nothing like any structure he had ever visited before.