Thick ropes were strung along both sides of the narrow corridor, hung with various “clothes.”
From a distance, the clothes were colorful and varied—qipaos, shirts, and trousers. The only thing they had in common was their extremely outdated style, looking like designs from decades ago.
When the wind blew, the clothes swayed back and forth, looking like a row of people standing there.
But upon drawing closer, they realized that what hung there was not cloth.
It was skin.
Every single piece retained its distinct texture.
The pores, fine hairs, and blood vessel patterns beneath the skin were clearly visible and lifelike.
Some had old-school tattoos of dragons, tigers, or leopards on the chest, the colors faded to a slight blue.
Others had a faint indentation around the wrist, looking like the mark left by wearing a watch for years.
Yet others had long scars on their backs, looking like they had been slashed by a blade.
The human skins had been stretched taut, dried, and ultimately tailored into the shape of clothing, hung on the ropes as if to air out.
As the wind blew, the human-skin clothes swayed gently, their edges curling to reveal the blood-streaked inner layers.
The stench of blood mixed with the aroma of preserving spices, hitting their senses with full force.
Zheng Wenxuan finally couldn't hold it in any longer. With a violent retch, he whirled around, rushed to the corner, and threw up.
...
“These are all Sister Fang's new stock. You newly dead ghosts shouldn't touch them randomly.”
Uncle Biao's tone was casual, as if speaking of ordinary fabric. “Sister Fang used to be a tailor. Her craftsmanship is excellent; many celebrities used to seek her out to make clothes.
“Don't touch them carelessly. If you ruin them, Sister Fang will be unhappy. If you anger her, she'll skin you and hang you here like roast meat, and even I won't be able to save you.”
Uncle Biao spoke lightheartedly, but the group's expressions were grim.
Wang Lei was trembling all over, looking as if he might faint at any moment, while Kang Xiaojia's face was deathly pale, tears welling up in her eyes.
Uncle Biao glanced at them and sneered, “Youngsters, you've seen too little of the world. Once you've been dead for a while, you'll get used to it.”
He had clearly mistaken them for fellow ghosts.
Chen Xi remained silent, warily eyeing the subdivided flat at the end of the corridor.
The door was half-open, casting a warm yellow light. Through the gap, she could faintly make out the back of a young woman wearing a red qipao.
She was holding something resembling a rolling pin, massaging someone lying on the bed.
In the exact center of the room hung a red qipao.
It was embroidered with a golden phoenix. The stitching was incredibly fine, and the skin-like surface gleamed softly, looking surprisingly vibrant under the green light.
Ignoring the material it was made of, Sister Fang's craftsmanship was indeed superb.
Hearing the commotion at the door, the figure slowly turned around.
She had no face.
Her entire face was completely smooth—no eyes, no nose, no mouth—save for two shallow depressions where her eyes should have been.
She tilted her head slightly toward the doorway, as if smiling.
Zheng Wenxuan vomited even harder, leaning against the wall, unable to stand straight.
Kang Xiaojia hurriedly patted his back.
“Sister Fang, are you busy?”
Uncle Biao waved inside and called out in Cantonese, “These are the new security guards. Just taking them around to show them the way.”
The faceless woman nodded gently, turned back, and resumed working on the person on the bed.
“Let's go, keep moving up,” Uncle Biao urged, leading the way to the stairwell.
Feeling as though they had just been reprieved, the group quickly followed.
As they passed the row of human-skin clothes, no one dared to look sideways. They kept their heads down and hurried past.
A strange breeze blew from nowhere, causing the human-skin clothes to brush gently against their shoulders, feeling sickeningly soft.
Chen Xi's skin broke out in goosebumps.
...
By the time they climbed to the thirteenth floor, Lin Jianguo was completely out of breath.
Although he usually exercised, there was no elevator here. Climbing floor by floor while trying to hold his breath and avoid breathing too heavily had long since exhausted his stamina.
Wang Lei and Zheng Wenxuan were also deathly pale, their steps unsteady.
“Strange. How can you be so weak even after becoming ghosts, youngsters?”
Uncle Biao looked back at them. “Your health is so poor. Gasping like this after just a few flights of stairs.”
“They only died a few days ago, so they haven't adapted yet,” Chen Xi covered for them. “Uncle Biao, why don't we let the three of them go back and rest first? The two of them and I will continue the patrol with you to memorize the route.”
She could tell that if they kept climbing, these three would definitely have a breakdown.
If the supernatural dangers increased the higher they went, dragging along three people in poor condition would only cause trouble.
“Fine, fine.”
Uncle Biao waved his hand impatiently, slid four keys off his keyring, and tossed them to Lin Jianguo.
“Seventeenth floor, 1702 to 1705. Find your own rooms. Don't wander around, and don't leave your rooms after two-thirty.”
“Thank you, Uncle Biao.” Lin Jianguo cast a grateful glance at Chen Xi and quickly caught the keys. “Thank you, thank you.”
He, Zheng Wenxuan, and Wang Lei slowly shuffled toward the seventeenth floor, leaning against the wall for support.
Meanwhile, Chen Xi, Jiang Chen, and Kang Xiaojia continued climbing with Uncle Biao.
...
The higher they went, the colder the stairwell became.
As Uncle Biao walked, he slowly explained the rules like an old man chatting about daily life, but every word sent shivers down their spines.
“To be a security guard, your eyes can be blind, but your heart must not be.”
“When patrolling at night, if you see light shining in from outside the window, do not look out. If you see something you shouldn't, you will die.”
【Taboo Three: When patrolling at night, if there is light outside the window, do not look out.】
“If a tenant blocks your way, light an incense stick and hand it over. Ordinary tenants will yield once they accept the incense.”
“What if we encounter a very fierce tenant?” Chen Xi pressed.
Uncle Biao paused in his tracks and turned his head. The eerie green light illuminated his paper-like face, which wore a half-smile.
“A very fierce one?” he said meaningfully. “Then you fight. If you can't beat them, run. If you can't run...”
He didn't finish the sentence, only chuckling sinisterly twice.
Chen Xi knitted her brows tightly.
When they reached the corner of the sixteenth floor, Uncle Biao suddenly stopped, his brows furrowing in disgust.
“What on earth? Granny Lai is really getting more and more out of hand, dumping her trash in the stairwell. It stinks to high heaven.”
The group followed his gaze.
On the landing of the stairwell lay two corpses, one stacked slightly above the other.
One was tall and thin with dyed yellow hair. His neck was bent at an unnatural angle, clearly broken, and his wide-open eyes were filled with sheer terror.
The other was slightly plumper and covered in blood. His clothes were soaked through, and his face was covered in large patches of dried blood scabs.
Blood pooled on the floor, dripping down through the cracks of the stairs.
Uncle Biao's gaze was no different from looking at two bags of rotten vegetables. He kicked the plumper corpse, his tone growing even harsher:
“Granny Lai beat them to death while performing villain hitting. She dumps them in the stairwell every single time and never listens.”
He turned around and waved at Chen Xi and the other two.
“You three, carry them down to Sister Fang's place. Sister Fang has been short on materials lately. Although these two piles are a bit low-grade, they'll have to do.”
【Triggered Side Quest:】
【Clear the stairwell trash and deliver the two corpses to Sister Fang's Tailor Shop on the seventh floor.】
【Completion Reward: 50 points, Raw Glutinous Rice Lime Pack × 3, gold ingot × 3】
The moment the quest notification popped up, Chen Xi and the other two understood:
Quests like this would likely be very common in the future.
“What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and move them.”
Uncle Biao urged them before leaning against the wall and lighting an incense stick to smoke.
“I'll take this one. You two carry the other.”
Jiang Chen glanced at Chen Xi, stepped forward, and hoisted the thinner corpse onto his shoulder.
The corpse was extremely heavy—carrying a hundred-pound corpse felt completely different from carrying a living hundred-pound person.
A corpse could not distribute its weight; all of its mass pressed dead-weight downward, which was why people referred to it as “dead weight.”
Chen Xi grabbed the arms of the plumper corpse, lifting it together with Kang Xiaojia.
The three of them carried the corpses down toward the seventh floor.
The stairwell was very narrow. Whenever the corpses brushed against the wall, they made a rustling sound like paper rubbing against plaster.
Chen Xi casually glanced up at the wall.
Two black, human-shaped outlines were printed on the wall, matching the silhouettes of the two corpses perfectly.
As if she was hallucinating, the shadows inside the wall seemed to twitch twice, struggling and begging for mercy, while faint screams and pleas echoed in her ears.
Do not listen to what shouldn't be heard, and do not look at what shouldn't be seen.
Chen Xi forced herself to turn her head away, adjusting her breathing as she carried the corpse.
If she had looked closer, she would have noticed the wall rising and falling very slowly and gently, as if it were breathing.
And with each breath, the human-shaped outlines on the wall darkened slightly.
This building... was alive.
...
By the time they delivered the corpses to Sister Fang's door on the seventh floor, the faceless woman had already closed her door.
Uncle Biao called out from behind, “Sister Fang, Granny Lai's trash has been left here.”
There was no sound from inside. Looking at those human-skin clothes, Chen Xi and the others felt their hair stand on end. They dropped the corpses and quickly walked away.
【System Notification: Side quest completed.】
【Rewards have been distributed. Please check your inventory.】
Several items immediately appeared at their feet. In the dim light, they couldn't examine them closely and hurriedly stuffed them into their pockets.
Further up, there were fewer residents. Only two households lived on the twenty-second floor.
One was “Granny Lai,” whom Uncle Biao had mentioned. She wore her hair in a round bun and was dressed in a blue cloth shirt. As soon as the door opened, she began shouting at Uncle Biao:
“The previous security guards were so irresponsible! They let outsiders in and terrified my grandson!”
“It's a good thing my grandson is fine, or else I'd nail your villain doll!”
After cursing out Uncle Biao, Granny Lai turned her gaze to Chen Xi. Her eyes lit up:
“What a pretty girl. Are you a newly dead girl? You look like you're well-educated. Come over often to play with Sai Mui in the future. I'll make sweet soup for you.”
Behind the open door, a delicate-looking student sat at the dining table. Chen Xi glanced inside but did not respond.
The other household on the twenty-second floor belonged to a single woman.
The woman wore an old-fashioned white dress with a piece of white cloth covering her face, making it impossible to see her features clearly. However, her every movement possessed an indescribable elegance.
“New here? We'll be neighbors from now on. Please take care of me.”
No sooner had she spoken than a loud crash erupted from the room behind her, as if something locked in a cage was thrashing about:
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
The slamming sounds were accompanied by fits of whimpering and wailing.
“That's my dog, Ah Kun. He's so naughty and never listens.”
Chen Shulan smiled, her canine teeth faintly visible beneath the white cloth. “You can just call me Sister Lan.”
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