Thriller Zone: From the Mental Hospital to the Ghostly World

Chen Ji slowly opened his eyes and glanced at the watch on his wrist.

It's still 8:15.

The fourth cycle begins again.

In the three houses where the murders occurred, the calendar should have been flipped back to June 10th.

Including this time, there are only three more chances left in the cycle.

Without hesitation, Chen Ji immediately got out of bed and woke Zuo Shiming up.

Immediately afterwards, he opened the bedroom door and called out to the four women inside.

"Hurry up, it's almost 8:20!"

Chen Ji shouted, glancing at his watch repeatedly. He had to get to the lobby before the elevator technicians left; they needed to gather some information.

A minute later, accompanied by hurried footsteps, the six people pushed open the door to the first-floor stairwell.

A maintenance worker in a dirty uniform has just come out of the elevator and is setting up warning signs.

Chen Ji glanced at Zuo Shiming, his eyes questioning.

During the discussion last night, Zuo Shiming suggested that since he had more social experience, he would try to get information out of people first thing the next morning.

However, at this moment, Zuo Shiming stood behind Chen Ji, looking dazed and absent-minded, seemingly lost in thought.

Seeing that he didn't react, Chen Ji didn't say anything more, took a few steps forward, and stood in front of the elevator operator.

"Is there something you need...?"

The elevator operator, wearing a yellow helmet, was startled by Chen Ji, straightened up, and looked somewhat strange.

"Brother, you've come so early to fix the elevator, thank you for your hard work."

Chen Ji forced a smile and handed the elevator operator a bottle of water: "Sit down and have some water, take a break."

At the same time, his eyes were fixed on the elevator worker. This was the first time Chen Ji had seen his face so closely during his four trips.

Contrary to Murong Qing's guess, it wasn't Chen Zhiyuan's face.

The elevator operator had a darker complexion, looked to be in his twenties or thirties, had a beauty mark under his eye, and his eyes were downcast with a wary expression.

"No need," he said gruffly, shoving Chen Ji's hand away.

After saying that, the elevator technician picked up his repair kit and walked towards the door.

The people hiding in the stairwell immediately showed signs of anxiety.

Yuanyuan bit her lip lightly, while Murong Qing clenched her fists tightly, feeling somewhat resentful that Chen Ji didn't know how to speak.

"and many more."

Chen Ji grabbed the elevator operator's shoulder, abandoning his previous fake smile, and said directly:

Has anything strange happened in this apartment before?

As he spoke, he stared intently at the elevator operator's face.

Chen Ji was being direct because he didn't care what answer the elevator union gave.

Whether the elevator worker responds or not, any change in his expression proves everything.

Conversely, if the elevator operator remains calm and doesn't answer, it indirectly proves that he knows something.

Because a normal person would only be confused by Chen Ji's question, while someone with strong curiosity might ask follow-up questions.

However, what the other party said completely surprised everyone!

The elevator operator did not react at all, and was not surprised by Chen Ji's question. He remained calm and pushed Chen Ji's hand away.

A complex expression crossed his face, and he said softly:

"This place is cursed."

Immediately afterwards, the elevator operator pushed open the apartment door and slipped out.

Cursed?

What does it mean?

Are you referring to... the ghosts here?

Or is it a family annihilation case in the apartment?

Chen Jishou remained in the same position, his mind filled with various speculations, all pointing to a perplexing problem.

"How would the elevator technician know?"

He murmured to himself, suddenly remembering the apartments that were being emptied one after another.

Could it be that the curse here is so well-known that all the residents know about it, which is why they have been moving away one after another?

"It's haunted, isn't it?"

Murong Qing walked out of the stairwell, lost in thought: "Aside from Wang Lijun's ghost, the old woman should have been dead for a long time."

"Perhaps, other residents, like Wu Zhonghai, have seen the ghost old woman with their own eyes."

Behind her, Hu Li nodded as well; this was the most reasonable explanation.

However, Chen Ji did not respond.

He always felt that it wasn't that simple.

The history of Liting Apartments is too complicated, with a fateful connection to the Wang family. The haunting is just the surface; there must be a deeper reason behind it.

Chen Ji turned his head, wanting to ask Zuo Shiming for his opinion. The other party was meticulous and might be able to offer a different perspective.

His gaze had just fallen on Zuo Shiming when he was taken aback.

The other person was clearly not engaged; they kept their head down and their hands were in their pockets.

Chen Ji's eyes flashed, but he didn't say anything and changed the subject.

3pm.

Inside room 201, six people began searching another storage room.

No one went back to the 4th floor for lunch because Zuo Shiming claimed he wasn't feeling well, so they just had instant noodles on the 2nd floor and ate a few bites.

"I'm going to use the bathroom."

Zuo Shiming hadn't said much all morning, but suddenly stood up, his voice weak.

As he walked past Chen Ji, he seemed to bump into Chen Ji's shoulder unintentionally.

"Let me help you go."

Chen Ji immediately understood, and with one hand supporting Zuo Shiming, they went out of the room.

When he reached the bathroom door, Zuo Shiming did not go in. Instead, he turned around and went into the storage room opposite, then closed the door behind him.

He didn't look up until he was sitting on a pile of cardboard boxes, his face very serious!

"Mr. Zuo, what exactly happened?"

Chen Ji felt a pang of anxiety and sat down next to Zuo Shiming in the old baby stroller.

"Xiao Chen."

After a long pause, Zuo Shiming finally spoke, his voice very serious.

"I was attacked after the loop ended last night."

"what?!"

Chen Ji was startled and immediately stood up. The movement was so great that it shook the baby stroller next to him, which was at least 30 years old, to pieces.

He paused for a moment before pressing for an answer: "Who is it?"

Is it a person... or a ghost?

"I do not know."

Zuo Shiming said, rubbing his pocket for a while, "I lost consciousness at that time."

After saying that, he took out a pendant necklace from his pocket, with a small cat doll hanging from the silver chain.

Zuo Shiming placed the kitten necklace in Chen Ji's hand. The chubby calico cat on it was licking its fur with its eyes closed. Although it was a doll, it was lifelike and extremely realistic.

Even the soft fur on the cat's body is very well imitated.

"This is....."

Chen Ji was taken aback. After taking the calico cat necklace, he instantly felt a sense of peace and tranquility from the bottom of his heart.

"Her name is Tuanzi."

"It's a three-year-old female cat."

Zuo Shiming said, his eyes filled with endless tenderness as he looked at the cat doll.

Chen Ji was silent for two seconds before saying softly, "It's a strange creature, isn't it?"

Zuo Shiming shook his head and said:

"It is, and it isn't."

His words confused Chen Ji, but Chen Ji did not feel any strange sensation on Tuanzi, like a pen or a chip.

On the contrary, a gentle warmth, like the comfort he felt in his mother's arms as a child, flowed through Chen Ji's heart.

"Tuanzi has only one ability."

"When it senses that I am under a fatal attack, it generates a protective shield that lasts for ten minutes."

"She... has no side effects."

Upon hearing Zuo Shiming's words, Chen Ji's eyes widened suddenly!

"This is impossible!"

He exclaimed, "Du Tingfeng had already explained to Chen Ji that all strange creatures must have side effects!"

The greater the ability, the greater the negative impact!

Even with fountain pens, the effects are only temporarily suppressed; it doesn't mean there are no side effects!

The negative effect of a fountain pen is that it intermittently lies, leading its owner... step by step to death.

Because, in their essence....

It's still a ghost!

Tuanzi's abilities, and the natural change in her mindset that it brings, clearly indicate that she is no ordinary monster!

"Yes, that's impossible."

“Any strange creature brought out of the domain will have side effects.”

"But... Tuanzi isn't."

Zuo Shiming said softly, a faint sadness showing in his eyes.

"She is my cat in real life."