Kaguya Shinomiya's voice.
It sounded perfectly normal, a calm voice that betrayed no hint of trouble.
The one voice that shouldn't have appeared so casually at this very moment.
Gao Hai and Maki's eyes widened at the exact same time.
"Is there a problem with this door? Hmm, just as I thought, the lock cylinder is jammed. No wonder you've been staying inside and not coming out."
"Step back a little, I'll figure out a way to get the door open."
The voice outside the door continued.
No matter how he listened, it was unmistakably Kaguya's voice, interspersed with the sounds of Green and Sun Dajun discussing something among themselves.
The four people they had split from earlier now all seemed to be right outside the door.
How could this be...
At that moment, Gao Hai couldn't suppress the shock welling up in his heart.
He already understood what it meant to hear Kaguya's voice from over there.
I absolutely cannot answer!
Without a shred of hesitation, Gao Hai immediately fished the earplugs he had taken from the supply crate out of his pocket.
Under no circumstances could he answer. He could not listen to the voice outside.
As long as he couldn't hear the voice, there was still hope. As long as no interaction was established, there was still a chance to survive!
Therefore—
Thud!
With a heavy crash, the living room door was knocked open on the spot.
Holding a makeshift torch made of wooden strips and scraps of cloth, Kaguya Shinomiya planted her feet after kicking the door and walked into the room.
"Are you okay? The door to 208 opened right after you disappeared. We felt something was very wrong in the room, so we decided to risk coming out to find you. But the hallway at night became completely twisted. I have no idea why such a change occurred."
Kaguya Shinomiya spoke with a worried expression. Sun Dajun, following behind her, also came forward and apologized to Gao Hai and Maki Shijo with a look of remorse.
"I'm so sorry, I... I always thought you were kidnappers or something. It wasn't until I saw what this place has become that I realized you're actually good people. I'm sorry, I'm truly sorry."
As Sun Dajun said this, his face was overflowing with an expression that was on the verge of collapse.
Miwa Maeda also came forward and apologized cautiously, even sobbing a few times.
Standing not far away, Green shook his head and muttered something like, "A little late for that now." He still seemed somewhat disappointed; apparently, looking at Sun Dajun and Miwa Maeda like they were a pair of dogs had brought the man no small amount of satisfaction.
Gao Hai and Maki Shijo remained standing where they were.
Everything before them had once again exceeded their comprehension.
Why did they just come straight in?
Previously, even with that knocking horror story, the entity had never truly appeared before them.
But this time, why did people just walk right in? And no matter how you looked at them, these people seemed perfectly normal, completely fine.
"Are you alright? You didn't run into any danger in here, did you?"
Kaguya gazed at Gao Hai and Maki Shijo, asking her question earnestly.
There was no discernible problem.
No, there shouldn't have been any problem to begin with.
"I thought... you had become one of those knocking horrors."
Gao Hai spoke, his tone a bit stiff, but his voice quickly smoothed out, sounding as if he were speaking normally.
"How could that be? I am the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya family, after all. I won't be defeated so easily. By the way, ever since night fell, all the wall clocks have disappeared. I'm afraid a different set of rules operates here at night. We should return to our room as soon as possible to ensure our safety."
Kaguya Shinomiya spoke with a serious tone, gesturing for Gao Hai and Maki to follow her as she turned and started walking outside.
"Auntie, and you all, are you really okay...?"
Maki asked in a daze, her feet already starting to follow unconsciously.
Had something been forgotten?
They started walking.
Gao Hai and Maki Shijo walked beside Kaguya, out of the living room, and into the shattered hallway outside the door.
Wait, did I forget something?
Gao Hai lowered his head, looking at the black watch on his left wrist.
They had finally reunited safely.
Although this apartment was fraught with peril.
With so many people gathered together, they would surely be able to overcome the difficulties and live on here.
He still had many questions that needed answers.
With Kaguya and everyone else helping from now on, he would definitely be able to figure things out.
Gao Hai raised his head and looked at Kaguya walking ahead.
But still, he felt as though he had forgotten something.
Something he shouldn't have forgotten, a question he should have raised the moment he saw Kaguya.
What was it?
"Miss... Miss Shinomiya..."
Gao Hai slowly opened his mouth, speaking with some difficulty.
What was it?
"Yes, Mr. Gao? What is it?"
Kaguya Shinomiya turned her head back and looked at Gao Hai, asking calmly.
What was I going to say?
Gao Hai stared intently at the girl holding the torch in front of him.
His mouth opened, but he couldn't make a sound, as if something was stuck in his throat, as if his thoughts had turned into a lump of congealed grease, completely losing the strength to function.
I was supposed to ask a question.
Gao Hai thought to himself.
I was supposed to ask a question.
What question was it?
The more he thought, the more confused he became.
The words were right on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't get them out.
"Mr. Gao?"
Seeing Gao Hai remain silent, Kaguya asked, a little puzzled.
What on earth was it?
He lowered his head again.
Gao Hai's gaze fixed once more on the battered watch on his left wrist.
That question, yes, that question isn't just about me.
It has something to do with Maki too.
This question is extremely important. I must know the answer immediately.
"That..."
Finally remembering something, Gao Hai began to speak slowly.
"That... Miss... Miss Shijo, yes, Miss Shijo's backpack is missing. Did you... happen to find it?"
Although he couldn't remember what specific item the question was related to, Gao Hai still remembered what was used to hold that item.
"Ah, that's right, the bag I picked up from 208..."
Maki paused at this, looking up at Kaguya.
"Oh, so it was this. It's right here. Let me give it back to you now."
A worn-out backpack was unslung from Kaguya's back and handed to Maki.
She had been carrying this bag ever since she kicked the door in, but for some reason, neither Gao Hai nor Maki had realized it.
Maki took the bag and subconsciously unzipped it.
The backpack was flat, looking as if it contained nothing. After Maki Shijo unzipped it, she only saw a single dirty piece of letter paper inside.
Upon seeing the letter, Maki's face showed no particular expression. She just calmly zipped the bag shut and slung it onto her back.
"Need me to hold that for you?"
Green stepped forward at that moment, asking with a smile.
Kaguya stood in front of Maki, simply watching her calmly. Sun Dajun and Miwa Maeda had come up from behind, looking curiously at Maki, who was wearing the backpack and had stopped walking.
"Yes, I need it. Give me a hand."
Maki said in a low voice.
"Alright, then I'll just—Ugh!"
The smile on Green's face froze abruptly.
He did not receive the tattered backpack from Maki's hands.
What greeted him was a swift, heavy kick from Maki between his legs, causing the man to almost instantly double over.
Bam!
Stepping forward, bending down, turning sideways, she struck out viciously with her elbow.
Maki Shijo's merciless blow slammed into the side of the bent-over Green's head, instantly knocking the tall man to the ground. The contrast in their heights created an exaggerated visual effect, no less than Pan Changjiang taking down Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson with a combo.
And immediately after, while delivering that strike, Maki had already bent low and shot out a kick, striking Sun Dajun directly on the shin as he tried to approach. She knocked him to the ground on the spot, causing him to crash into Miwa Maeda, and followed up with another kick that sent both of them tumbling over.
In less than two seconds, having taken down three people, Maki spun around to face Kaguya head-on. She yanked off the backpack, gripped a strap with one hand, and swung it forward, but Kaguya sidestepped to evade it. Kaguya parried a follow-up punch with her palm, and in the next moment, they were in close quarters. As Maki tried to grapple with her, Kaguya pushed her with one hand. Maki staggered back, but not towards Green and Sun Dajun. Instead, by using a subtle shift in foot placement as they closed in, she made Kaguya's shove push her in Gao Hai's direction.
Thump—
Maki slammed into Gao Hai, making him stumble. She then seized his hand and started running.
"Run, don't stop!"
The girl shouted as she charged forward. Gao Hai, who had only just processed what was happening, followed without hesitation. The two of them, one after the other, began to sprint down the hallway.
"What are you doing? The hallway is dangerous at night, don't run around!"
Kaguya immediately gave chase, yelling loudly from behind while holding the torch.
"Shut up! Don't you dare speak with my aunt's voice!"
Maki shouted fiercely, but her voice grew increasingly shaky.
The letter slipped out of the tattered backpack, fluttered in mid-air, and fell to the ground.
There was only one sentence on that letter, written in a trembling, messy script, yet one could still discern the delicate touch of a girl's handwriting. It was a very short sentence.
"Don't trust me."
Upon seeing that sentence, the sluggishness in Gao Hai's thoughts completely vanished.
He ran forward with all his might, fleeing from the thing behind him.
With this burst of speed, he surprisingly wasn't caught by Kaguya immediately, and they managed to put a good distance between them in the hallway.
The distorted hallway was tilted, its structure a chaotic mix of living rooms, kitchens, and bathrooms. Piles of trash bags and rubble were heaped everywhere, walls spread out haphazardly, and shattered doorways opened in various locations.
Where on earth was this place?
Gao Hai had no time to think. He could only keep running, staying by Maki's side, running with every ounce of his strength.
"Stop running! Stop now!"
Kaguya's anxious voice rang out from behind.
"Don't be like this. Don't make things difficult for everyone. This is wrong."
A persuasive voice he couldn't shake off, constantly sounding from behind.
"Only bad children stay out at night. If you keep this up, you'll become bad children."
The voice grew closer and closer, as if it would catch up at any moment.
They passed through one disordered corridor after another.
Suppressed whispers constantly sounded, as if many people were gossiping about something behind their backs.
He could almost see many eyes watching him.
Hiding in the darkness, watching all of this unfold, but doing nothing.
Just watching.
Every single time, every single time things happened, they just watched like this.
No, this isn't my thought.
What is this...
Gao Hai's eyes widened, his running pace slowing for a moment.
A figure was walking towards them from up ahead.
A figure just as disheveled, with bloodstains on his clothes.
Lao Guo.
"Here we go again. Switched to a different face this time, huh?"
He didn't even have time to utter a single word.
The moment he saw Maki and Gao Hai running towards him, Lao Guo, who was clearly badly injured, gritted his teeth and raised his right hand, revealing a black pistol clutched tightly in his fingers.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three consecutive gunshots instantly illuminated the dim hallway.
Unable to dodge due to his forward momentum, Gao Hai was tackled by Maki, and the two of them fell into a pile of trash by the side of the hallway.
And Kaguya, chasing behind them, stopped in her tracks, staggered, and took a step back.
"See, I told you. Children who don't stay home obediently at night are naughty, bad children. Why don't you understand?"
With an indifferent voice, the girl slowly raised her head.
"Whoa, whoa, this is way beyond the rules..."
Lying face-up after being tackled to the ground, Gao Hai couldn't help but mutter under his breath after seeing Kaguya's face.
A crimson color was spreading.
Liquid trickled from the eye socket pierced by a bullet.
From the hole in her cheek, a turbid substance had begun to seep out.
"Damn it, again with this..."
Muttering angrily, Lao Guo staggered and was about to turn and run.
"How unlovable."
And Kaguya, despite having been shot through the head by two bullets, simply started walking, chasing after Lao Guo. Her speed far exceeded what it was when she was chasing Gao Hai and Maki, as if some kind of restriction had been lifted. She caught up to the fleeing Lao Guo almost instantly.
Gao Hai didn't look back to see what was happening, nor did he listen to the heart-wrenching screams and wails.
He just struggled to his feet, supported the girl beside him, and fled in another direction without a moment's hesitation.
At that moment, he finally understood what the rule "do not cause fatal or incapacitating injuries" was actually describing.
He thought he heard the laughter of children from far away, but it was quickly drowned out and gone.
A painful groan emanated from the ground beneath his feet, and cracks spiderwebbed across it.
With no idea where he had run to, Gao Hai plummeted downwards amidst the sound of a collapsing crash. He and Maki, whom he was supporting, fell together, rolling into piles of trash bags, and were buried by the falling dust and rubble.
________________________________________
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