NHWSG chapter 6

At 7:45 in the evening, only one passenger disembarked from the 628 last bus that had just stopped at the terminal.

She was a very young and beautiful woman, dressed in a plain work uniform, carrying a semi-large transparent backpack. Inside the bag were several blank insurance documents. She looked like an ordinary white-collar worker who had just finished overtime, with a deep tiredness on her face. Earphones were plugged in her ears, and her phone, vibrating occasionally in her pocket, emitted one notification sound after another, indicating new messages.

However, the wind and rain outside were quite strong, and she found it challenging to even use an umbrella. So, she had no choice but to temporarily ignore those constant message notifications.

The accumulated water on the ground was ankle-deep, making Diao Leyu shrink her neck. She gritted her teeth, took off her high heels, and carefully walked to the road, using the umbrella to shield herself from the strong wind.

The departing bus’s lights flashed behind Diao Leyu, quickly disappearing.

On such a rainy day, the already secluded development zone seemed even more desolate. The sporadic storefronts along the road had long closed their rolling shutters. The light from the street lamps blurred in the rain, creating a dim atmosphere. Diao Leyu raised her collar and hurriedly walked back.

Under the streetlamp, Diao Leyu’s shadow stretched long and slender. The notification sounds on her phone momentarily stopped, replaced by an extremely piercing alarm clock.

Diao Leyu paused, then quickly increased her pace.

This relentless alarm clock was her access control bell, indicating that she had only ten minutes left to get home.

Diao Leyu hurriedly walked. The fragile folding umbrella in her hand was deformed by the strong wind, and large raindrops soaked her half-body.

Diao Leyu frowned, extremely annoyed, slapping the rainwater off her body. She continued walking down a side street.

Coincidentally, a song in her earphones ended. Due to the stormy weather causing network issues, the music app momentarily stuttered for three or four seconds before automatically playing the next song.

The chaotic sound of wind and rain flowed into Diao Leyu’s ears during this gap. She suddenly felt uneasy, as if something subtle had been heard amidst the rain.

After the music app finished loading, starting to play a new song, Diao Leyu swallowed and, without daring to look back, carefully removed one earphone.

“Sasha.”

Without the cover of the earphones, the sound became clearer. The rustling noise seemed inexplicably creepy, as if a rough-skinned creature was crawling close to the ground.

Diao Leyu’s body hair stood on end. Her heart pounded, and she bit her teeth, forcing herself to turn her head a little and look behind.

On this stormy night without a moon, Diao Leyu was walking on a secluded path far from the streetlights, making it pitch dark.

But not looking back was better. Diao Leyu just glanced back and felt her whole body chill.

On the wall not far behind her, a twisted and massive distorted shadow crouched. The mass wriggled, and numerous thick and long tentacles extended from it, flowing along the wall and reaching the ground, converging from all directions towards Diao Leyu.

She instinctively took a half step back, then immediately without hesitation began to run.

This was the closest route to her home. As long as she ran through this alley, she would see the apartment gate.

However, the amorphous, slimy creature seemed to have anticipated her thoughts. Several thick tentacles on the wall almost simultaneously tightened and twisted into a bundle, rapidly climbing along the wall, blocking the exit before Diao Leyu could run out of the alley.

Diao Leyu didn’t hesitate for a moment. Without stopping her steps, she immediately turned and ran towards another side road.

The deformed folding umbrella was blown over by the wind, tumbling awkwardly on the ground and getting covered in dirty water.

Diao Leyu’s steps were rapid and chaotic. Suddenly, a lightning bolt streaked across the night sky. In an instant, it cast a white figure leaping over the alley.

Diao Leyu’s phone and bag fell to the ground. The papers inside the bag scattered, quickly soaked and blurred by the rain, making the writing illegible.

The torrential rain intensified, accompanied by deafening thunder and lightning.

Before this thunder could subside, a sudden, extremely sharp and piercing scream echoed from deep within the alley, abruptly stopping after just an instant.

Following that, even the sound of footsteps disappeared.

………………….

At half-past nine in the evening, Sheng Zhao had just finished washing up and was preparing to lie down. Before turning off the lights, he heard someone banging on his door from outside.

Or rather, it was more appropriate to say “smashing.”

The person knocking on the door seemed to have encountered something urgent, banging the door as if their life depended on it. The sound was so loud that Sheng Zhao, inside the bedroom, felt as if the entire house was trembling.

Sheng Zhao was startled. He quickly got up from the bed, didn’t even have time to put on his slippers, and hurriedly went to open the door.

Outside the door stood the burly figure of Xiong Xiangsong, the man who had been chatting with Sheng Zhao over tea this afternoon. In just a few hours, he seemed to have changed completely. His hair was messy, his eyes were bloodshot, and he only had one shoe on.

“Oh my God,” Sheng Zhao said, “Xiong Ge, what’s happened to you?”

Xiong Xiangsong, as if encountering a savior, grabbed Sheng Zhao’s arm and said, “Sheng Zhao, my younger sister hasn’t come back, and I can’t reach her.”

“What?” Sheng Zhao was taken aback and subconsciously looked outside.

Xiong Xiangsong’s younger sister was Diao Leyu, who lived on the fifth floor with him. Although Sheng Zhao had never figured out why the three siblings had different surnames, he often saw them coming in and out, and their relationship seemed good.

There was an unwritten rule in this building that everyone had to return before 8:00 in the evening. During the time Sheng Zhao had been working here, he often saw them coming in and out for card verification.

Now it was already half-past nine, and if Diao Leyu hadn’t returned yet, it was indeed a bit unusual.

“Don’t worry, Xiong Ge.” Sheng Zhao hurriedly put on his coat to please him and comforted, “Look at the heavy rain today. Maybe she’s working overtime or stuck in traffic. I heard on the news that many cars are flooded today, and the roads are not easy to navigate.”

“Impossible.” Xiong Xiangsong irrationally insisted, firmly believing that Diao Leyu couldn’t be late for the access control time. She must have encountered an accident outside, causing her to be unable to return.

Sheng Zhao understood his concerns. After all, Diao Leyu was a young girl in her twenties, and with such heavy rain outside, it was normal for Xiong Xiangsong to worry if she didn’t return on time.

“What should we do?” Sheng Zhao asked, “Did you report to the police, Xiong Ge?”

“No,” Xiong Xiangsong said, “It’s useless to report.”

Sheng Zhao thought about it and agreed. In this special situation, a late return couldn’t be considered as missing.

Since Xiong Xiangsong was usually friendly and had taken care of him in the past two months, Sheng Zhao suggested, “If you’re worried, how about we go out and look for her? Do you know where she works?”

Xiong Xiangsong seemed to have been waiting for him to say that. He nodded eagerly and said urgently, “Bro, it’s already past eight. I can’t go out. I can only rely on you.”

Sheng Zhao was still putting on his shoes when Xiong Xiangsong pulled him out of the room. He was about to ask for more details, but Xiong Xiangsong had already pushed the elevator button. Turning towards Sheng Zhao, he clasped his hands together in a pleading gesture.

“Alright,” Sheng Zhao thought, “losing a family member is a big deal. I’ll help.”

Sheng Zhao had never visited Xing Yingzhu outside of meal times, and now he was a bit nervous. He wondered what if Xing Yingzhu was already asleep.

But the net was cast, and he couldn’t go back in the elevator. Moreover, Xiong Xiangsong was following closely behind him. This burly man looked quite pitiful, making it difficult for Sheng Zhao to turn him away.

Boosting his confidence, he glanced at Xiong Xiangsong, hesitated, and extended his hand to lightly knock on Xing Yingzhu’s door.

To his surprise, the door opened from the inside as he knocked. Xing Yingzhu was neatly dressed, wearing the high-necked windbreaker Sheng Zhao had seen before, and he looked at them with a serious expression.

“Boss, are you going out?” Sheng Zhao asked.

“No,” Xing Yingzhu’s gaze moved between the two of them, and he asked, “What’s the matter?”

“Uh, well, sorry to bother you, Boss,” Sheng Zhao forced a smile, “It’s like this, Xiong ge’s sister—”

As Sheng Zhao turned to signal Xiong Xiangsong to explain the situation to Xing Yingzhu, he found that Xiong Xiangsong had inexplicably taken three steps back, bowing his head and shrinking his shoulders, resembling a giant quail.

Sheng Zhao: “…”

What’s wrong? Is Xing Yingzhu going to eat people?

“Hmm…” Sheng Zhao had no choice but to take over the conversation, “Boss, Xiong ge’s sister hasn’t returned yet.”

Sheng Zhao recounted what Xiong Xiangsong had told him on the first floor, thinking that he was just helping Xiong Xiangsong go through the motions. However, to his surprise, Xing Yingzhu refused.

“Access control is access control. If she hasn’t come back, it’s her own business,” Xing Yingzhu said to Xiong Xiangsong.

Xiong Xiangsong shivered all over, his face showing a desperate expression.

“You can’t say it like that, Boss,” Sheng Zhao became anxious, “Xiao Diao is a girl, and it’s thunderstorming outside. What’s more important, access control or letting Xiong ge go out to find her?”

Xing Yingzhu frowned. He seemed a bit impatient, but for the sake of Sheng Zhao’s face, he reluctantly suppressed his anger.

“Do you want to go find her?” Xing Yingzhu asked.

“Uh?” Sheng Zhao looked back at Xiong Xiangsong and said, “Yes, I’ll go with him.”

“Fine, you go come me—just don’t regret it,” Xing Yingzhu said. He took out two long-handled umbrellas from somewhere and handed one to Sheng Zhao, saying, “As for him, leave him here and wait.”