Meanwhile, back in the club's private room, Li Bao stared at the disconnected call and spat. The respectful mask slid off his face, replaced by his usual cold ruthlessness.
“Shit, these rich girls, every one of them thinks they can order people around,” he cursed. However, he didn't waste any time, immediately shouting at his two subordinates who were busy drinking with women nearby.
“A Biao! Punk Chen! Stop fucking drinking!”
The two men, dressed in loud floral shirts and reeking of booze, looked up in a daze. “Brother Leopard, what’s up?”
Li Bao showed them the address on his phone and pulled up Su Wan’s photo. “See this? This girl, Su Wan, is hiding here. Miss Bai herself gave me the info.”
“You two, right now, get in the car and go find her!”
“Now?” A Biao looked at the pitch-black night outside and the remote address with a face full of reluctance. “Brother Leopard, look at the time. That dump is so far away...”
“Cut the crap!” Brother Leopard’s eyes widened. “This is Miss Bai’s instruction. You dare delay? Get moving!”
“When you find her, give her some special attention. Make sure Miss Bai’s message is delivered loud and clear! Make her understand what fear is!”
“But mind your limits. Don't actually cripple her; we still need her to pay back the money!”
Seeing that Brother Leopard was genuinely furious, the two didn't dare complain further. They sullenly let go of the women in their arms and stood up unsteadily.
“Fucking bad luck...” Punk Chen muttered under his breath.
“Tell me about it. When we find that bitch, I'm going to take all our frustration out on her!” A Biao’s eyes flashed with a cruel light.
The two left the private room grumbling, started their battered old van, and drove toward the unfinished building at the foot of the mountain in the western suburbs, now shrouded in darkness.
The cool midnight breeze rushed through the car window, slightly clearing their drunken haze, but it only served to fan the flames of the frustration burning inside them after being disturbed.
A Biao and Punk Chen drove the beat-up van, cursing the whole way.
When they passed the night market in the urban village, the aroma and smoke from the barbecue stalls sparked the alcohol cravings in their bellies once more.
“Shit, the more I think about it, the more pissed I get. I'm hungry,” Punk Chen spat.
“Me too. Brother Leopard is really something... Pull over for a second. Let's get some skewers and a few cans of beer. That godforsaken place isn't far now anyway. We’ll go deal with that girl after we’ve had our fill!” A Biao swerved the van haphazardly to the side of the road.
The two got out, bought a pile of grilled skewers and several cans of ice-cold beer from the smoky night market, and got back in the van. They continued toward the “Jinxiu Garden” unfinished building indicated by the navigation, eating and drinking greedily.
The cold beer and spicy skewers temporarily dispelled their resentment over being forced to work overtime, and the van was once again filled with their arrogant laughter and curses.
However, this arrogance came to a screeching halt as they approached the construction site of the unfinished building.
Just as their van was about to turn onto the crude dirt road leading to the building, the vehicle gave a violent shudder. The engine let out a series of weak, sputtering sounds before dying completely.
“Fuck! What happened?” A Biao twisted the key forcefully. The starter motor made a harsh clicking sound, but the engine didn't respond at all.
After several consecutive attempts, the car remained as still as a hunk of dead iron.
The headlights flickered erratically before finally going out completely.
“Goddamn it! It was fine just a second ago!” Punk Chen panicked as well, sticking his head out to look around.
It was clearly just an ordinary dirt road. The dark silhouette of the unfinished building was only dozens of meters ahead. Just across a relatively narrow street was the brightly lit and bustling night market of the urban village.
The noise and light were within arm's reach, yet their car had chosen this exact moment, at the entrance of this dim dirt road, to go on strike without any warning.
“This is fucking creepy!” A Biao slammed the steering wheel, feeling inexplicably uneasy.
But he quickly pumped himself up. “Forget it, it’s only a few steps. We’ll walk! When I find that woman, I’m making her pay for my car repairs!”
The two got out of the van, cursing. The thud of the car doors closing sounded exceptionally loud in the silence.
After just a few steps, both men shuddered almost simultaneously.
Even though they were only separated by a single road, the moment they stepped into the construction site of the unfinished building, the air changed instantly.
The clamor from the urban village, the aroma of food, and the warmth of human presence all felt as if they had been walled off by an invisible membrane, suddenly becoming distant and blurred.
In its place was a bone-chilling cold that seeped into their marrow.
The surroundings were terrifyingly silent.
Rusted construction materials and torn woven bags piled around the site cast twisted, grotesque shadows under the hazy night sky.
The twelve-story unfinished building was like a crouching behemoth; its pitch-black windows were like countless eyes, staring down coldly at the intruders.
The wind whistled through the exposed rebar and tattered plastic sheets, letting out low, mournful moans that sounded like a woman weeping.
The slight buzz from the alcohol and the warmth from the food were instantly wiped away by the frigid, deathly environment. Cold sweat broke out across their skin.
“B-Biao... why is it... why is it so cold here?” Punk Chen’s voice trembled as he instinctively huddled closer to A Biao.
A Biao’s heart was also drumming wildly, but he refused to admit defeat. “No shit! All unfinished buildings are like this. No people, so of course it’s cold! What are you afraid of? Let’s just find her, get it over with, and leave!”
He tried to sound calm, but the panic in his eyes betrayed him.
“But... why did the car stall right here? Isn't that too much of a coincidence?” Punk Chen whispered, looking around uneasily.
Those twisted shadows looked as if they might come to life at any moment.
A Biao didn't respond; he also felt it was uncanny.
To bolster his courage, he pulled out his phone to check the time. The faint light from the screen seemed pitifully weak in the heavy darkness.
“Holy shit! It’s twelve-thirty!” A Biao cried out.
Midnight had passed!
This realization was like a bucket of ice water being poured over their heads.
All sorts of folk horror legends about the midnight hour flooded their minds. Combined with the grim and eerie environment before them, their legs began to feel weak.
“Biao... how about... we come back tomorrow? We can just tell Brother Leopard we couldn't find her?” Punk Chen’s voice sounded like he was on the verge of tears.
A Biao also wanted to retreat, but thinking of Brother Leopard’s temper, he steeled himself.
“We’re already here! Let’s just do a quick loop. If no one’s there, we can report back! Hurry up!”
The two didn't dare actually enter the pitch-black stairwell. They could only muster their courage to walk along the edge of the construction site, circling the massive unfinished building.
Every step they took landed on gravel and trash, creating a crunching sound that was infinitely magnified in the silence, making their hearts jump with every stride.
They looked up, but every window in the entire building was a black hole. There wasn't a single glimmer of light; the silence was suffocating.
Finally, they rounded to the side of the first floor that had windows.
Sure enough, one window was actually fitted with glass, standing out starkly against the row of empty, gaping holes.
But the interior was just as pitch black, devoid of any movement.
Rate on N.U.
