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墨書 Inktalez
"No, it can't be like this. Gu Yanxi, where is the courage you had when you were catching ghosts?"
"Have you been relying too much on Mu Xuanche lately? You need to be more independent; Mu Xuanche can't protect you all the time."
The shelves began to move with a creaking sound. If something was blocking my way, could it be that there were 'people' pushing the shelves around me?
I dared not think about it or look. I could only helplessly gaze at Mu Xuanche.
Despite being only a few meters away, I couldn't bring myself to move closer.
An uncontrollable shiver ran through me, and it felt as if faint laughter echoed in the air.
It lingered in my ears—male and female voices. Mu Xuanche, Bai Qiling.
"Help me, help me." The words caught in my throat, unable to escape, as if something around me was suppressing them.
In truth, I was just scaring myself with my own excessive nervousness.
Gu Yanxi, where is your courage? What are you afraid of? They should be afraid of you.
I mustered my courage and stepped directly onto the metal joint of the shelf.
But as I took the last couple of steps, fear suddenly gripped me, and I lunged forward. Mu Xuanche caught me tightly in his arms.
I couldn't find the words to describe the sense of safety and emotion I felt after falling into his embrace. Living alone in this world would probably be exhausting, but fortunately, I had found someone to rely on. This sense of fulfillment came from him, and only he could give it to me.
Bai Qiling approached us, holding a piece of pink fabric he had rummaged out. I remained leaning against Mu Xuanche without getting up, but the fabric in his hand felt oddly familiar.
I knew he must have a reason for bringing this, after all, I had never seen him show an interest in picking up trash.
He walked straight up to me with the fabric in hand. "Do you remember this?" he asked.
I took a closer look, quickly searching my mind for this familiar material.
Pink...
A girl in a pink dress.
Is it her...?
Why would she pull such a harmful prank...?
Everything felt like a mystery.
The Duty Manager also noticed that the situation was most serious here, so he hurried over to apologize. "I'm really sorry, ma'am. I don't know why these things fell down; even the shelves collapsed. We've been running this store for nearly ten years without such an incident. Please forgive us."
I waved my hand at the Duty Manager. "It's fine, it's fine. I understand."
With a smile, the Duty Manager stepped back.
But I started to feel dazed. What did that girl mean by her gesture? She shook her head and pointed here—was she telling me not to come? Or did it mean something else?
Mu Xuanche noticed my confusion and pinched my cheek. "Yan Xi? It's okay now. Let's go eat; it's almost seven o'clock. Aren't you hungry?"
I had been so excited earlier that I didn't even notice my hunger, and now that I was scaring myself, I felt even less hungry. But now that I relaxed, my stomach suddenly began to growl.
Mu Xuanche also heard my stomach growling. He reached out to touch it, then rubbed his nose and said, "Wife, you really know how to make me feel good, haha."
I smiled a bit shyly and playfully punched his chest, my face slightly flushed.
"Hey, you two! Mind being a little more discreet with your affection in public?" Bai Qiling pretended to roll her eyes in disdain.
I covered my mouth, embarrassed but amused.
Mu Xuanche cleared his throat. "Alright, let's go. We're heading to the fourth floor for dinner; Yan Xi is hungry."
Mu Xuanche had already scouted the fourth floor earlier; it was all about delicious food.
As we reached the exit and stepped into the elevator that looked like it had seen better days, I noticed just how shabby it was. Two buttons were missing, and when I reached to press one, Mu Xuanche stopped me. "Let's go out; we'll find another place to eat."
I was puzzled. "What's wrong?"
At that moment, the elevator doors closed automatically; they were designed to do so after a certain time.
With no one pressing any buttons, I asked Mu Xuanche again, "What’s going on?"
He frowned slightly. "Something feels off. It seems like something is targeting us."
I gasped softly and glanced around. The glass was a bit dirty, there was a poster featuring a celebrity endorsement, and an advertisement for real estate.
It was just an ordinary, somewhat rundown elevator lobby—nothing particularly strange about it.
Mu Xuanche was a bit irritated. "Let's leave it at that for now. None of us should touch those buttons. We'll wait for someone outside to press them."
I realized what Mu Xuanche meant; he was suggesting that there was something wrong with those buttons.
Curious, I asked, "What’s strange about those buttons?"
Mu Xuanche patiently explained, "There might be something undesirable about those buttons, and they specifically target those with spiritual energy. I'm not sure what exactly is going on, so I don't want to cause any trouble. Let's just wait for someone else to open the door for us."
I nodded obediently.
There were quite a few people coming in for a meal now. The elevator soon descended to the first floor, and several young people poured into it. We had originally planned to go to the basement level, but seeing the crowd made the cramped elevator feel even more congested, so we decided against continuing our ride and walked out instead.
Just as the elevator began to rise again, a loud crash echoed through the air. I quickly turned my head to look; the ascending elevator had plummeted to the bottom. I wondered how those young people were faring.
Mu Xuanche frowned. Who was it that kept trying to eliminate them? If this elevator hadn't stopped at the first floor and had paused midway instead, it should have been them who fell to the bottom. And if we had taken the elevator down to the basement, it would have dropped again.
We were fortunate to have exited the elevator early.
Well, whatever happens, happens. There are only so many things in this world; nothing is truly terrifying.
Bai Qiling casually made a call to report the incident and also called for an ambulance.
Mu Xuanche waited quietly for Bai Qiling to finish everything before saying, "Let's go; we need to head to the underground garage."
As we walked along, Mu Xuanche leaned closer and whispered in my ear, "Something else is likely to happen in the parking lot. Stay alert and stick close to us. If you encounter anything unusual, try to remain calm and tap into that feeling you had when you were catching ghosts with Shangguan Mingyue."
I responded with a soft "mm" as an answer.
Soon, we reached the exit, which also had a security booth, but the guard inside was absent.
When we entered, we paid twenty yuan and received a magnetic card that allowed us to enter and exit by swiping it. The guard would collect the card when we left.
Anyone who has been to the underground parking lot knows that there is no sunlight down there; only the cold, eerie glow of incandescent lights casts a dim and somber atmosphere.
We walked slowly down, and the once bright ground gradually turned dark. Although there were lights, the feeling of being in a different area was palpable; the lower level clearly felt cold and gloomy.
The sound of footsteps echoed in the underground parking lot, amplifying every noise with a hollow resonance.
I tightly held Mu Xuanche's hand. I wasn't sure if it was because Mu Xuanche had warned me to be cautious here, but I felt a bit tense as soon as I entered, my heart racing.
Mu Xuanche patted my hand reassuringly: "It's okay, Yan Xi, you have nothing to fear with me around."
His words seemed to have a magical effect; after hearing his comfort, I gradually calmed down. I recalled the times when I had dealt with ghosts alongside Shangguan Mingyue. In the end, weren't those spirits all subdued?
Thinking of this made my fear dissipate instantly.
Mu Xuanche walked on the side closer to the wall while I stayed beside him, and Bai Qiling walked on the outermost side.
"Ha ha ha ha..."
I tightened my grip on Mu Xuanche's hand as laughter from a girl echoed from afar.
Could it be that girl in the pink dress?
“Caw, caw, caw, caw…”
The sound grew closer and closer…
Mu Xuanche suddenly pulled me back, and I stumbled, unable to steady myself. Mu Xuanche caught me with one arm.
At that moment, Bai Qiling took a large step to my right front, positioning herself to shield me and Mu Xuanche.
Once I regained my balance and looked forward, I saw it was indeed the girl in the pink dress. She was holding a Winnie the Pooh stuffed toy in her arms. The toy, originally yellow, was now somewhat dirty, with dark red stains on it. I couldn't tell if those were dried bloodstains.
(End of Chapter)
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