Chapter 1094: Where Is My Cat‽ (2 in 1)
1
Translator: Lonelytree Editor: Millman97
The horrible smell in the building originated from that severed leg. Chen Ge did not quite understand why the rag doll’s body would give off such a pungent smell, and it appeared like he was the only one among them who was able to smell it.
After the leg was discovered, a startling change started to happen inside the building. The faces of the children on the wall came to life; their eyeballs slowly bulged out from the wall as they moved to follow Chen Ge. The scenario was scary to say the least.
“Brother, what have you done? How come it feels like all the painted faces have come alive?” Xiao Sun followed close behind Chen Ge. His eyes were overflowing with fear and terror.
“Now is not the time to explain. We need to leave this building as soon as possible!” Chen Ge blazed a path forward with Doctor Skull Cracker’s Hammer. He had just run out of Room 504 when he heard children’s giggling coming from the room behind him. Turning back to look, Chen Ge’s hair instantly stood on end. That was because he saw the rag doll’s severed leg had stood up on its own on the bed. The bloody handprints on the wall became wet with the sound of dripping echoing through the room as droplets of blood dripped down from the ceiling and dyed the whole room red.
“Hehe…” Cute laughter came from above them. The eyeballs that bulged out from the ceiling kept turning. Blood was now flowing freely. Five fingers that were painted in blood splattered all over the walls. A disfigured child slowly crawled out from the bloody painting!
Blood was still lingering on his body. His face was demented and twisted. His thin lips were torn open on both sides, and his venomous gaze stared fixatedly at Chen Ge’s neck. With cold sweat breaking out on his forehead, Chen Ge soon realized that things were only getting worse. More and more children appeared in the room, and they were all staring at Chen Ge.
“We need to go! Now!” Chen Ge charged ahead. With him leading the way, Xiao Sun and Wen Qing followed close behind him. The floor underneath them was shaking and many strange noises were coming from all sides of the building. The sound of marbles bouncing against each other came from the ceiling, the consistent tapping of footsteps echoed in the corridor, and more and more bloody handprints appeared on the windows that they rushed by.
“Chen Ge, the words on the note were written by Xiang Nuan. That proves that Xiang Nuan was inside that room. Is it okay for us to escape now and leave him alone back there?” Wen Qing was unable to be sure of her own safety, but even at that moment, the person that she cared about the most was Xiang Nuan. Perhaps that was what motherhood was like.
“Do not worry about him. If I am not wrong, the boy probably left this place a long time ago!” Chen Ge was being very rational. “Do you still remember the tug that you experienced earlier? That was him warning you to leave this place! As long as you are not in danger, he will not do anything stupid for the sake of saving you. Do you understand that?”
Wen Qing nodded. In those circumstances, the best and most logical solution was to escape as fast as they could. As long as they were still alive, they always had a second chance.
“Xiang Nuan…” Without stopping, when Wen Qing was about to leave the fifth floor, she could not resist the urge to turn back to look.
Many disfigured children crawled out from Room 504. They were all missing something from their bodies. It looked as if a part of their bodies had been forcibly taken away from them. Some had their skin removed, and others had their facial features taken away. These children crawled on the walls, corridor, and ceiling as well as over each other like they were crazy. However, they seemed to have locked onto Chen Ge and were rapidly closing in on him. Just the sight of this caused Wen Qing’s legs to go weak. But she gritted her teeth, picked up her pace, and continued to run down the stairs.
Chen Ge also saw the children behind them. However, unlike Wen Qing, he did not feel that much fear. If anything, a piece of information from the doctor’s document files floated up in his mind. The rag doll had created a new body for itself; it was a body that matched the doctor’s expectation of beauty.
At the time, Chen Ge did not give the sentence much thought, but now that he saw the group of disfigured children behind him, he understood the depth of cruelty that could exist within that simple sentence. The four files appeared to be very simple and concise, and reading them would give the reader a slight feeling of discomfort. However, upon closer inspection, one would realize that it was no different from the diary of a demon.
Chen Ge tried to focus as he cut his way out of the building. As he ran down the stairs, Chen Ge encountered some strange things, but he did not stop to pay them much attention. If the thing did not actively block Chen Ge’s way, he would continue past them. If they intended on stopping him or made any hostile movement toward him, then they would be given a treat of Doctor Skull Cracker’s Hammer.
Chen Ge had no choice. Once he stopped, all three of them—Wen Qing, Xiao Sun, and himself—would be caught by the group of children. Then they would be turned into sacrificial objects for the groups of vengeful spirits to exact their vengeance. Racing all the way non-stop, the trio finally returned to the first floor.
“Keep up with me! Don’t fall back now!” The location of the several buildings appeared in his mind. Chen Ge had no time for hesitation. He ran out of Jiu Hong Apartments Block One immediately. After leaving the building, he instantly slowed down. “Grab hold of my shoulders! Quick!”
The black fog was more dangerous than the building, one could not afford to be too careful. After making sure that Wen Qing and Xiao Sun had grabbed his shoulders, Chen Ge made a beeline in a specific direction.
“Chen Ge, why would those ghost children congregate inside Room 504? The note that Xiang Nuan gave me was also tossed out from Room 504. Why is that? Do you think he was also trapped alongside those ghost children?” Wen Qing was bothered by many worrying questions. At the end of the day, she was just a normal mother. Being able to catch up to Chen Ge’s rhythm was already quite impressive.
“The situation is very complicated. After we reach a safe place, I will slowly explain it to you. For now, you can just treat this place as Xiang Nuan’s nightmare, and the boy has lost himself in it. We need to try our best to help him find himself.” Chen Ge was speaking at a very fast pace. That was not his fault. Once he entered the black fog, his body would shake involuntarily, as if he would be taken out at any moment. His body was alert with the sense of danger that was so close to them.
Just as Chen Ge finished, before Wen Qing could say anything, the three of them heard a giant boom at the same time. One of the buildings in the black fog was trembling, and the giant sound came from inside that building.
Someone else has found the part of the rag doll’s body! Chen Ge narrowed his eyes. That should be the doing of the monsters from the cursed hospital! Are they also searching for the rag doll’s body?
Other than himself, there were other people searching for the remainder of the rag doll’s body. In a way, this told Chen Ge that his general direction was not wrong.
For now, I already know the location of the rag doll’s left arm and left leg. Once my employees wake up, I will come back to these places immediately to snatch these things!
The building shook for a very long time and did not stop. After the rag doll’s body part was discovered, the whole residential area started to change. More activity started to appear inside the black fog, and more unknown shadows appeared in the darkness. They stuck to the building like they were trying to enter them.
Every building should have a part of the rag doll’s body inside. It’s using its former body to ensure that this residential area is not swallowed up by the black fog.
At this point, confusion appeared in his mind.
I have been inside so many doors before, but how come this door is so distinct from everyone else’s? It is not only isolated from the red city, but it is also swallowed amid a sea of black fog.
A possibility crossed his mind, and it caused Chen Ge to frown.
Could this be the real world behind the door? The worlds that I have visited before were all very close and thus in reliance of the red city. In other words, the door pushers pushed open their blood door at the fringe of the blood city, and their scenarios were extremely close to the red city, like the School of the After Life. And some of them were enveloped right inside the red city, like Doctor Gao’s underground morgue. He assimilated the whole scenario and carried all the sin on his back. But after the scenario crumbled, one would realize that the red city was literally right outside the scenario.
A speculation arose in Chen Ge’s heart.
If this endless black fog can be seen as a horizonless sea of despair, then this residential area is a lonely island of humanity within the black sea. Then is it possible that the red city is also another island among the black sea? But because too many people opened their doors there, it caused multiple scenarios and nightmares to join together, making the island continuously expand until it reached such a size that even the black sea could not do anything to affect it anymore?
Following this train of thought further, Chen Ge slowly narrowed his eyes.
The ghost fetus once entered the door at my haunted house. It has always wanted to become a human being, and it has always desired bliss, so it was mimicking and chasing the things that it wanted… Then, is it possible that the ghost fetus is trying to build its own version of the red city?
Whether or not the ghost fetus wanted to create another red city was not that important; the key was that the individual whom the ghost fetus was the most envious of was Chen Ge himself. But after entering the door at the haunted house, the ghost fetus saw something, and it was those things that caused it to leave and abandon Chen Ge. The whole sentence just sounded impossible and absurd. After his own shadow saw the other side of his persona, it escaped in the middle of the night. That in itself was something worth considering and contemplating.
2
If I manage to survive this ghost fetus’ mission and if Zhang Ya has woken up from her hibernation, I will have to go and take a look behind the door at the haunted house.
Chen Ge still had quite an impression of the hint given to him by the black phone about the ghost fetus’ mission. The most important clue had always been beside him.
The trio continued a few meters ahead. Chen Ge felt the grip on his shoulders tightened so much that it had start to cut into his thought. “Wen Qing?”
Looking back from the corner of his eyes, Chen Ge’s eyes widened in shock!
Wen Qing and Xiao Sun had disappeared. The hands that grabbed his shoulders were two pale arms that were covered in livor mortis.
Sucking in a cold breath, Chen Ge did not do anything too brash. He continued to lead the two dead arms forward as if he did not notice anything out of place. Things had already happened; being afraid was not going to make things better after all.
Whisperings kept drifting into his ears. The black fog was roiling. Giant shadows sluiced through the fog. These monsters were beyond Chen Ge’s comprehension. Just the sight of them caused his heart to wrench with fear. A giant shadow that had the shape of a spider was crawling on the outside wall of the building. Not far away from him were several headless sticks that were several meters tall that walked past. Occasionally, big holes appeared around him. Through the fog, Chen Ge was unable to tell how deep the holes were. Perhaps, with a careless trip, he would fall straight into another dimension.
The many different monsters in the black fog have come alive compared to before. The ghost fetus probably used the remains of its past body to guard these few buildings. The monsters in the fog sensed that someone had touched the rag doll’s body and realized that this was their chance.
It was impossible to stop moving in the black fog. Chen Ge looked at the shadows around him, and he lowered in his head again and continued to pick up his speed.
Behind this door, he not only had to be careful of the door pusher and the outsider, he also had to be cautious of the monsters in the black fog. In a way, enemies were everywhere. He would not know how he had died if he did not pay attention to his surroundings.
The outline of the building before him became clearer and clearer. Based on his memory, Chen Ge had successfully arrived at the next building.
The layout of the two residential areas behind the door were different from the layout outside the door. The two tallest buildings from Jin Hwa Apartments stood in the middle of the fog, like two hands that reached up high into the air. The smaller buildings from Jiu Hong Apartments were scattered around these two buildings; they formed the foundation to strengthen the base.
Even with the arms of two dead people hanging on his shoulders, Chen Ge did not turn around. He led them toward the building like that was the plan all along.
The monsters from the black fog should not be able to get inside the building. Once I run into the entrance, I should be able to shake them loose.
That was a very good plan, but the closer Chen Ge got to the building, the tighter the grip on his shoulders. Just as he was about to enter the building, he even felt the two arms actively trying to pull him back. They were trying to drag him into the black fog. Chen Ge, who had never resisted, who had allowed the two hands to hang on him obediently, chose to show his other side at that moment. He took aim behind him and swung the hammer as hard as he could!
Chen Ge had been preparing for this moment for a long time, but when Doctor Skull Cracker’s Hammer fell on the arms, he did not hear the sound of bones breaking. Nonetheless, he did feel the grip on his shoulders lightened.
Using this opportunity, Chen Ge darted right into the building. Running out of the black fog, Chen Ge gasped greedily for air. He felt faint and tired. Fatigue overwhelmed him like a wave, and his physical energy was heavily drained. With his back against the wall, Chen Ge used his Yin Yang Vision to study his own body. The black fog stuck to his body. Some of it dissipated immediately once he stepped through the entrance, but a part of it appeared to have crawled right into his body.
“Chen Ge!” A familiar voice rang out. Chen Ge lifted his head in shock. He noticed two human figures running toward him through the black fog outside the building. Holding the hammer, Chen Ge stared at the black fog before he eventually sighed in relief. Wen Qing dragged Xiao Sun as they ran into the building. They appeared to have been following Chen Ge all along.
“What happened to you? You suddenly picked up you speed and did not tell us about it. We almost lost you in the fog.” Xiao Sun looked very much worse for wear. His whole body was covered in scratches made from nails. He looked like a doll that had been cut.
“Chen Ge, did you encounter something bad?” Wen Qing, in comparison, looked much better. Her body was unscathed. The only difference was that she looked rather pale in the face. With the two of them standing together, it gave off an impression that there was a mysterious force protecting Wen Qing.
“I saw two hands of the dead hanging on my shoulders, and they wanted to drag me into the black fog.” Chen Ge made use of this down time to recover as much energy as he could. If possible, he did not want to speak to conserve energy.
“This black fog appears to have the ability to twist one’s memory and then use a very scary method to show them back to the person…” Wen Qing hesitated for a moment. “The invisible hand returned. Originally, I was heading your way, but as the distance between us grew, it was that invisible hand that patted me at the crucial moment to point me in the right direction. That’s the only reason Xiao Sun and I did not get lost in the black fog.”
“When we were at Jin Hwa Apartments Block A, the hands never appeared. Does he only appear when Wen Qing is in danger? Is he really Xiang Nuan?” Chen Ge looked around and asked in a whisper, “Wen Qing, can you feel his presence now?”
“Yes. If I am not mistaken, I’ve felt his presence since the first time you entered the black fog.”
“Since the first time I entered the black fog?”
“Yes, it was on the rooftop of Jin Hwa Apartments. After you came back from the black fog, I felt like he was accompanying me,” Wen Qing explained.
“Could it be because of this thing?” Chen Ge took out the headless statuette that had Xiang Nuan’s name on it from his pocket. “This was something that I picked up from the rooftop. It should be related to Xiang Nuan.”
“Perhaps.” Wen Qing could not tell for sure.
“Other than this mud statuette, I also found this in the black fog… Wait a minute!” Chen Ge looked around and then pulled his backpack open. “What the f*ck! Where is my cat‽”