Todesanzeige 2 Schicksal

Kapitel 5

As soon as he finished speaking, Meng Ping suddenly picked up the half cigarette in his hand and took a few deep drags. The embers burned rapidly and intensely in his hand, and soon a long piece of grayish-white ash fell off the cigarette.

Sister Zheng and Chen Qing remained silent, their faces, which had been flushed with alcohol, gradually turning pale. It seemed that neither of them wanted to mention Luo Min, and their hearts were now firmly occupied by fear and dread.

Meng Ping stopped talking, picked up the cigarette butt in his hand, stubbed it out forcefully on the edge of the plate, then picked up the wine glass in front of him and drank the wine in one gulp. He then put it down abruptly, fumbled in his pocket for another cigarette, and Zheng Qi lit it for him again.

Meng Ping stopped speaking and looking at everyone. He lowered his head and started smoking fiercely, instantly filling the surrounding area with billowing smoke.

For a moment, everyone sat quietly, each lost in their own thoughts. Zheng Qi, meanwhile, was slowly pondering the words Meng Ping had just uttered:

"Roses are beautiful, but they have thorns and prick you. Poisonous roses are not only beautiful and have thorns and prick you, but more importantly, they are also poisonous."

The atmosphere was a bit somber and awkward. A short while later, Sister Zheng stood up, saying that her children were waiting for her to check their homework, so she had to leave early. Seeing this, Chen Qing quickly added that she was exhausted after a long day at work and wanted to go home to rest. Then, Meng Ping, slurring his words, said he was drunk, very dizzy, and wanted to go home and lie down.

Seeing that Sister Zheng and the others were preoccupied and eager to leave, Zheng Qi figured he wouldn't get any more information from them, so he didn't press them. He got up and paid the bill. Afterward, the four of them said their goodbyes at the hotel entrance and went home.

The night wind was chilly and biting, and a few stars shone faintly through the thick clouds. Patches of white fog slowly spread and churned in the quiet darkness.

The stairwell was narrow and dilapidated, with cardboard boxes and other waste scattered haphazardly throughout. A musty, slightly rotten smell, carried on the night breeze, wafted faintly through the dark and chilly stairwell. A few pale, bright rays of moonlight shone intermittently through the tall, broken windows at the corner of the stairwell.

Two dark figures moved slowly and silently in the corridor.

"Damn, why is it so cold in this dilapidated building?"

One of the slender, dark figures shook its body, hugged its thin shoulders, and whispered.

The sudden words sounded particularly chilling in the quiet corridor.

"Shh, can't you keep your voice down? Why are you complaining so much!"

Another short, stout black figure turned slightly and growled in a low voice at the tall, thin black figure behind him.

The thin, dark figure muttered a curse under his breath, then lowered his head and remained silent.

The two dark figures continued to move forward silently.

"This is so weird, what kind of weather is this? It's already June, how can it still be this cold?"

The short, stout shadowy figure suddenly felt a strange, chilling coldness piercing his skin, and involuntarily, goosebumps rose all over his body.

"Boss, shall we go back? I feel something's off about this place, and I'm a little scared!"

When the tall, thin figure heard his boss say the same thing, his heart began to pound with fear. He felt a chill creep down his spine.

"You son of a bitch, are you even a man?"

The short, stout figure stopped and turned to yell at the tall, thin figure:

"Coward, what's there to be afraid of? Everyone's like this the first time they steal. Hurry up and go!"

As the short, stout figure spoke, he pulled the tall, thin figure along and quickly led them to a door.

The slender, dark figure cautiously looked around.

"Boss, do you think you can make money in this run-down place where you write?"

"Idiot, you forgot we're just stealing a few coins for the trip home. Don't make a big deal out of it, or if we end up in jail, who will take care of our parents in their old age?"

The lanky, dark figure fell silent, letting the short, stout figure fiddle with the door. A moment later, the door creaked open.

The two quickly looked around, then slipped in one after the other through the slightly ajar door.

"Quick, check the drawers and the table for any money or other valuables. Just grab something and get out of here. Don't dawdle, hurry up!"

The short, stout black figure gave orders to the tall, thin black figure.

Instantly, the two of them split up and began frantically searching through drawers and on the table.

A dozen minutes later, the two dark figures gathered together, dejected.

"Boss, did you find anything?"

"Damn it, they have nothing. These damn intellectuals are even stingier and poorer than us. How about you?"

"We found nothing except a few stinky bastards. Boss, what do we do?"

"Damn it!" The short, stout figure didn't answer, but instead cursed under his breath, breathing heavily.

The two remained silent in the darkness for several minutes.

After a while, the short, stout figure reluctantly picked up the flashlight and shone it haphazardly around. Suddenly, his eyes widened, a smile appeared on his lips, and the light from the flashlight focused on a door by the wall.

The sign in the middle of the door reads prominently: Director's Office.

At the same time, the slender, dark figure also saw the door. The two exchanged a knowing smile, nodded in unison, and quickly ran towards the door.

Standing in front of the director's office, the two men, breathing heavily, felt a surge of excitement and anticipation from each other.

"Quick, boss, open the door!"

The slender, dark figure urged him on urgently.

Without his instructions, the short, stout figure had already begun deftly rummaging through the bag for tools.

A moment later, the short, stout figure took out a drill and, using the spotlight from the flashlight in the hand of the slender figure, tried to open the door lock. Before he could exert any force, the door suddenly opened by itself.

The short, stout figure couldn't contain his excitement and slammed the door open, stepping inside.

The short, stout figure froze the moment he stepped into the director's office, while the long, thin figure behind him grew increasingly impatient.

"Boss, stop blocking the door and let's go inside and talk!"

A tall, thin figure nudged him from behind, but the short, stout figure didn't move.

The slender, dark figure grew even more anxious, forcefully pushing the door to its maximum extent and squeezing through the side.

"What's wrong, boss?!"

The tall, thin figure squeezed next to the short, stout figure and asked anxiously.

The short, stout figure did not answer.

By the light of the moon slowly streaming in through the window, the slender, dark shadow saw:

The short, stout companion's face was even paler than the moonlight outside the window. His blank stare held a hint of fear, his mouth was stiffly open in a large "O" shape, and a faint, hoarse sound of struggling to breathe could be heard coming from the bottom of his throat.

A tall, thin figure curiously followed his gaze and looked ahead. Suddenly, the flashlight slipped from his hand with a "thud" and fell to the ground. He saw:

Under the moonlight, a transparent, incredibly ugly and hideous monster was floating up and down in the room.

Slowly, the monster floated up to them.

"How's it going? Any progress?"

Zheng Qi returned to his residence, took off his shoes, and had just lay down on the bed when the phone rang.