Nightmare

Chapter 25

Du Hongyuan looked down at her condescendingly, walked down step by step until he stood in front of her, then stopped and stared intently at Lin Hong with his terrifying eyes.

Lin Hong took another step back, her back pressed against the wall, with nowhere left to retreat. Du Hongyuan slowly approached, and Lin Hong was both shocked and frightened. She never imagined that this guy would be so brazen. This was her home, her husband was upstairs, and this terrifying man dared to threaten her under these circumstances.

“There’s something you should ask me,” Du Hongyuan said, his voice low and hoarse, with an indescribable dryness: “Why did I let you come back unharmed after I had already gotten my hands on you?”

Lin Hong held her breath in fear, not daring to utter a sound. In fact, she had considered this question before. When Du Hongyuan kidnapped her and imprisoned her in a hotel suite, just as she was about to escape, Du Hongyuan brought He Ming into the room. Why would this guy do this? This puzzled Lin Hong greatly, but after returning home, a series of events unfolded, and in the chaos, she had no time to think about these things anymore. However, although she had forgotten, Du Hongyuan still remembered. Now, he was opening his large mouth, reeking of the stench of a carnivorous beast, and grinning menacingly at Lin Hong.

“No woman I, Du Hongyuan, have set my sights on has ever escaped my grasp.” This monster in human form stared at Lin Hong’s pale face with undisguised evil eyes: “You are no exception.” After saying this, he let out a few strange, sinister laughs: “Hehehe, what I want to tell you is that I came here today for you. The scent of your body is the kind I like the most, so I must get my hands on you.”

After saying this, Du Hongyuan chuckled twice and went to get a wooden board from the sofa. Overwhelmed by terror, Lin Hong couldn't move an inch. She only snapped awake when she heard He Ming calling her name from upstairs. She let out a short, startled cry and desperately fled upstairs.

Upstairs in the room, He Zhenggang was acting like he'd taken the wrong medicine, desperately trying to jump up. He Ming was already sweating profusely and couldn't hold him down any longer. Seeing Lin Hong come up, he hurriedly said, "Quick, come here quickly. Just tell Dad you're a little pig and let him calm down."

Lin Hong felt an urge to burst into tears. Du Hongyuan was threatening her right there in her own home, yet she received no help and felt utterly unsafe. Instead, she was forced to humbly care for this family. Although she resented him, seeing He Zhenggang's beaming face upon seeing her and his constant calling her "little pig," she could only walk over and say to him, "Dad, calm down. We're in our own home. Just lie down and get some sleep."

“Then I’ll lie down,” He Zhenggang said to Lin Hong, still looking worried, “Little Pig, you won’t run away while I’m asleep, will you?”

Helpless, Lin Hong forced herself to reply, "Dad, I won't leave. I'll stay by your side and take care of you."

"I'm still worried," He Zhenggang muttered. "Little Pig, give me your hand. I can only fall asleep if I hold your hand." Lin Hong thought to herself, the old man's condition is clearly more serious, so why did He Ming actually let him leave the hospital? Suppressing her displeasure, she took He Zhenggang's hand, which was covered with blue veins and age spots, and said, "Dad, you're holding my hand now, please go to sleep quickly."

3)

He Zhenggang's hand was withered and shriveled, but it was very strong. After he grabbed Lin Hong's hand, Lin Hong almost cried out in pain. Just as she was about to pull her hand away, He Ming stopped her: "Don't move. Our dad hasn't slept for three days and three nights. Let him sleep for a while."

Lin Hong glared angrily at He Ming, but had no choice but to let He Zhenggang's iron-like hand grab her. This old man had a lifelong obsession with power, and once something fell into his hands, no one could take it back unless he wanted it. Lin Hong hadn't fully grasped this point, but now she was finally experiencing it for herself.

As if Lin Hong's hand had given him absolute security, He Zhenggang squinted his eyes, put his head on the pillow, and finally drifted into a sweet dream. Seeing that he was already asleep, Lin Hong tried to pull her hand away, but she couldn't move it at all. She could only sit by the bed with a bitter face, guarding the old man's sleep.

Downstairs, the loud laughter and chatter of He Ming and Du Hongyuan filled the air. He Ming, grateful for Du Hongyuan's help, insisted that Du Hongyuan stay for dinner and drinks. Du Hongyuan made a token refusal, then heard He Ming banging on the refrigerator, followed by the boisterous sounds of the two toasting each other with cold dishes. This noise lasted for a full two hours. Lin Hong, feeling drowsy, slumped to the side, and her hand slipped from He Zhenggang's grasp.

In his sleep, He Zhenggang mumbled a couple of times, his hands flailing aimlessly as he kept talking in his sleep: "Little pig, little pig, where did you go?" Seeing He Zhenggang's hand reaching out, Lin Hong had a sudden idea. She grabbed the chair cushion and stuffed it into the old man's hand, sweetly calling out, "Dad, I'm here. You can sleep peacefully." He Zhenggang gripped the chair cushion tightly, smacked his lips a few times, and then fell fast asleep again.

Seeing that He Zhenggang was really asleep, Lin Hong slowly stood up, tiptoed out of the room, quietly closed the door, and turned her head. She was startled to see Du Hongyuan standing at the top of the stairs, his eyes red.

Why did this guy come up here? Where's He Ming? The thought had barely crossed Lin Hong's mind when Du Hongyuan, as if reading her mind, leered, "He Ming's had too much to drink, hahaha. Now, you, the beautiful hostess, should entertain the guests in place of your husband." As he spoke, he strode towards Lin Hong.

Lin Hong took a step back in shock: "What are you going to do?"

Du Hongyuan snorted, "What are you doing? Do you even need to ask?" With that, he lunged at Lin Hong. Lin Hong screamed and turned to run. Du Hongyuan chuckled twice and then gave chase.

At this moment, in this riverside building, He Ming was completely drunk, his legs on the sofa and his upper body on the carpet, with vomit still on his lips. He was fast asleep, completely unaware that his wife was in danger.

In the rooms on the second floor, three bedridden patients were sleeping: He's mother and He Jing. These two seemed to disappear whenever something happened. Apart from adding trouble and burden to He Minglin and Hong, they had not been of any other use so far.

As for He Zhenggang, he hadn't slept for three days and three nights. The reason he couldn't sleep was that the little pig had suddenly disappeared. This mysterious little nanny had suddenly vanished, and He Zhenggang was in a state of panic for some reason, which eventually led to his mental breakdown. He couldn't even recognize people anymore.

At this moment, Du Hongyuan, seemingly oblivious to the presence of others in the house, chuckled lewdly and strode leisurely toward Lin Hong, who was frantically searching for a place to hide. Lin Hong was terrified, her legs went weak, and she clutched the wall, running frantically. She wanted to rush downstairs to hide with He Ming, but Du Hongyuan had already blocked her path. Left with no other choice, she was forced to run up the stairs to the third floor.

Third floor!!

That was the place she feared most in her nightmares.

Third floor!!

Fu Xiuying, who was the bravest and had the boundless power of Guanyin to protect her, mysteriously disappeared above.

Third floor!!

Lin Hong stepped onto the first step of the stairs, and instantly, a wave of intense fear washed over her. Compared to being in the hands of Du Hongyuan, this beast, it was like heaven. Her whole body trembled violently as she stepped onto the next step. Finally, the fear broke through her limits, and she screamed wildly, rushing like a madwoman to the third floor.

Lin Hong was so fast that Du Hongyuan only heard a scream, and in a flash, Lin Hong disappeared from his sight. He stuck out his tongue in surprise, licked his blood-red lips, and muttered, "That girl, she runs so fast." He shook his head and walked up to the third floor with a displeased look on his face.

Upon reaching the third floor, Du Hongyuan looked around, unsure which way to go. If he went to the left, Lin Hong might rush out from the room on the right and take the opportunity to run downstairs or even escape. If he went to the right, the same thing might happen. He didn't like this situation, so he stood at the middle of the stairwell, took out a cigarette, lit it, and began to smoke slowly.

After taking a few puffs, a slight noise suddenly came from one of the two rooms on the right. Du Hongyuan's fat face broke into a smug smile: "All done?" He deliberately used a nonchalant tone, implying that the situation was entirely under his control: "Have you made enough trouble? Let me tell you, no matter what you do, it's useless. I put sleeping pills in He Ming's drink. He won't wake up until tomorrow noon. Just accept your fate. There's nothing I can do about it. Who told me to like you?"

A slight noise came from the right, but Lin Hong didn't appear. Du Hongyuan was genuinely annoyed: "Miss Lin, you'd better be smart. From the day I saw you at the swimming pool, you were destined to be mine. Don't listen to Zhao Zhuo's nonsense. He's a madman. He's psychologically unbalanced because his wife has a crush on me, and he's developed persecution mania. Do you really think I'd suck your brains out? That's not true. I promise I'll love you very much, at least more than He Ming. I believe you understand that."

A crash came from the room on the right, as if something had been overturned. Du Hongyuan's patience finally ran out. He threw down his cigarette butt, said nothing, and strode towards the room on the right. He reached the door of the first room, grabbed the doorknob, and pushed the door open. Instantly, a strong smell of dust filled his nostrils. He took a step back and sneezed violently. He looked more closely at the room. It was filled with old newspapers, folded cardboard boxes, expired magazines, and dusty books, but no one was inside.

Du Hongyuan shook his head unhappily. Since Lin Hong wasn't in this room, it would definitely be the next one.

He walked to another room, pushed open the door, and suddenly froze.

There is one person in the room.

A man.

The man was dressed in tattered overalls and wore a hard hat. The overalls were riddled with holes and covered in filthy dust, and the hard hat was askew, as if it had been hit by something. His face was also filthy, as if he hadn't washed it for days; the grime had scabbed over, and his cheeks were covered with numerous scars, making his original features unrecognizable. His body was also strangely contorted, like a deflated balloon, with each joint twisted in a bizarre way. Upon seeing Du Hongyuan, he shrank back in fear, lowering his head, as if afraid that Du Hongyuan would see the scars on his face.

Having assumed everyone in the He family except Lin Hong was already asleep, Du Hongyuan blinked a few times upon seeing this strange person and blurted out, "Who are you?"

The man in overalls looked at Du Hongyuan with fear in his eyes and stammered in reply:

“I am He Dazhuang, a relative of Secretary He, and I am here to help him build a house.”

Du Hongyuan said "Oh," then suddenly his whole body trembled, his eyes widening: "You...you...you weren't already dead?"

4)

Lin Hong ran up to the third floor in one breath. As she ran, stars flashed before her eyes, her mind went blank, and her ears were filled with a deafening roar. The third floor held unpredictable dangers; with each step forward, she drew closer to the most terrifying peril, yet she had nowhere to go, nowhere to escape. She had never imagined such a thing could happen—this was in her home, beside her husband, in the safest place in the world! Yet she was like a fledgling caught in a storm, utterly defenseless. The solid walls surrounding her had become a natural barrier protecting evil from its rampage.

She ran up to the third floor, but in her panic she fell to the ground. She was sobbing uncontrollably. She used both hands to push herself up and sat up. She looked back, but Du Hongyuan was not following her. She then hurriedly stood up, but her legs were weak and she almost fell again. Luckily, she grabbed the stair railing and managed to keep her balance.

Standing in the third-floor corridor, she looked around in terror. She had lived in this house for many days, but had always refused to go up to the third floor; she even subconsciously denied that the house had a third floor. But tonight, under Du Hongyuan's pursuit, she finally had nowhere to run.

Almost instinctively, the moment she identified the direction, she immediately ran towards the room to the east. Remember that painting she'd been working on for so many years? In that painting, she was imprisoned in a room to the east, which was why she was afraid of that place. And it was precisely because of this fear that she inexplicably ran towards the place she feared most.

This is a desperate surrender; she has no way to escape and has accepted her fate!

Her hand grasped the doorknob, and the door opened effortlessly, as if the room had been waiting for her for a long time. The boundless darkness immediately engulfed her.

Behind him, Du Hongyuan chuckled coldly, his footsteps already reaching the third floor.

Lin Hong squatted on the ground, hugging her knees with both hands, sobbing desperately. This posture was an instinct for self-protection, but it was also a hint. In her subconscious, she had an ancient memory of being bound in this room. So, when this predetermined moment arrived, her unconscious immediately chose the posture from her memory in order to make her memory fully reproduced.

She had no doubt that Du Hongyuan would calmly walk over, twist her delicate arms, and tie her hands and feet behind her back with rope, just as she often saw in her nightmares, without the slightest deviation. All of this had been destined long before she was born.

Heavy footsteps sounded, approaching from afar, carrying a terrifying force.

Du Hongyuan's footsteps grew closer, and a terrifying figure was projected onto the dimly lit wall. Lin Hong struggled in terror, trying to escape the oppressive shadow, but no matter how hard she struggled, she could not break free from this horrifying dream.

What she was seeing was far more terrifying than any nightmare, yet she was unable to wake herself up.

She felt her hands and feet were bound behind her back. The walls of the dark room were splattered with gruesome blood, some of which had dried, while others were still slowly flowing. A sinister, chilling atmosphere permeated the surroundings, an atmosphere that instilled despair.

Footsteps were already close at hand, and a huge black shadow loomed over them.

A terrifying face drew near to her. She wept, a silent, desperate wail. She couldn't make out whether the face was human or a glans; she only vaguely sensed that the figure held a white candle, slowly bending down towards her. Wax dripped onto her bare skin, the burning sensation sending shivers down her spine. The indistinct face let out a strange laugh, a sinister and chilling laugh, like an evil hand reaching into her body, as if to rip out her internal organs.

She was filled with fear at Du Hongyuan's face, but she was powerless to resist. All she could do was wail in despair. Her pitiful wails were so horrifying that they caused her great physical discomfort.

She clearly heard the sound of her teeth chattering in fear, the rapid, clattering sound instantly amplified and filling the entire world. In her trembling panic, she lost control of her bladder and was drenched in sweat. Suddenly, she heard Du Hongyuan's cold laugh from outside. She looked up and heard Du Hongyuan's voice echoing in the corridor outside. She let out a weak groan and collapsed to the ground, terrified by her own fantasy.

Du Hongyuan was searching for her in a room on the third floor.

Lin Hong was panting heavily, like a mother beast driven to the brink of despair. She leaned against the wall, slowly stood up, and looked around the room while thinking of a way to hide.

The room was pitch black; the furniture and bed were only vaguely visible in the darkness. Lin Hong listened intently; she was alone in the room, and there was no other sound. Her anxiety and fear lessened somewhat. Slowly, she groped her way to the wardrobe and hid herself.

Du Hongyuan had already begun searching the west room. Lin Hong suddenly felt uneasy. Hiding by the wardrobe was not safe; if Du Hongyuan came in and turned on the light, he would see her. So she hurriedly left that spot, first hiding behind the bed and crouching down, but then felt the posture was unsightly—she was very annoyed with herself for this thought, preferring to fall into Du Hongyuan's hands rather than choose a posture that looked indecent—finally she went to hide behind the curtains, holding a plastic spray bottle that she had somehow gotten into her hand.

She hid behind the curtains because the window behind her reflected the lights from outside, giving her a false sense of security.

She heard Du Hongyuan's voice from afar; he seemed to be talking to someone. Lin Hong was immediately puzzled. There was clearly no one on the third floor. What was that guy talking to? A ghost? Just as she was wondering, she suddenly heard Du Hongyuan let out a strange cry, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps. A loud scream suddenly rang out from Du Hongyuan on the stairs, followed by a thud, like a huge piece of fat rolling down the stairs. It was clearly the fat man who had rolled down the stairs.

Du Hongyuan's sudden scream and running startled Lin Hong. Her first thought was that the lewd fat man was deliberately teasing her, pretending to run away to scare her when she came out of her hiding place. It was a bit childish, but it wasn't surprising that such a thing happened to him.

However, to Lin Hong's surprise, after Du Hongyuan ran downstairs, he heard the sound of a door opening. Then, she could see clearly from the window that the fat man hurriedly ran to his car and quickly jumped in. Before getting in, he was so flustered that his clothes got caught on a tree branch. He was so scared that he covered his head and screamed. Although Lin Hong couldn't hear his screams from upstairs through the glass, she could tell from his panicked movements that he was really terrified.

Lin Hong was quite surprised. This Du Hongyuan was able to unleash the monster in his heart, transforming it into a huge red-scaled beast that chased and devoured the employees in his company. What in this world could possibly frighten such an evil guy like him?

Just as she was wondering what was going on, a soft sigh suddenly echoed in the corridor. This sigh sent a chill down Lin Hong's spine.

After that faint sigh, a soft sound rang out—footsteps, the sound of something tiptoeing along.

Lin Hong's heart jumped again: there really was something hiding upstairs. This thing had swallowed Fu Xiuying and scared Du Hongyuan into fleeing in terror. Now, this thing had come out, emerging from its unknown hiding place, and was slowly walking down the stairs.

5)

He Zhenggang was fast asleep in his room on the second floor.

The old man hadn't slept for three days and three nights. Three days ago, his ever-present maid, Little Pig, suddenly disappeared. From that moment on, he had a bad feeling that some terrible danger was approaching. This political veteran had weathered countless storms in his life, and his intuition was extremely sharp; it had protected him countless times in the cutthroat competition of officialdom. But now, he had finally lost the ability to protect himself.

This premonition terrified He Zhenggang. He dared not even close his eyes, as if closing them would cause him to lose control of the situation. Three days and three nights of perseverance had clouded his mind, causing him to mistake Lin Hong for a little pig. Finally, he held Lin Hong's hand and fell asleep peacefully.

Suddenly, his ears twitched. An extremely unsettling omen from his nightmare jolted him awake. His hands frantically and urgently grasped at his surroundings: "Little Pig, Little Pig?" There was no answer, nor did he grasp Little Pig's hand. He Zhenggang suddenly opened his eyes from his sleep.

The first thing he saw was the tightly closed door. There seemed to be a breeze outside, and the door was swaying slightly. The incandescent light on the ceiling was bright, but the light was indescribably eerie and evil, like the sinful light shining from an extremely cold hell, permeating with a chilling cold.

"Little Pig?" Finding no one in the room, He Zhenggang panicked and hurriedly called out, but received no response. However, his keen ears heard a strange sound outside the door.

Something was wriggling outside the door.

The thing moved very slowly, yet resolutely, each movement accompanied by a chilling, terrifying sound. He Zhenggang's body trembled violently; he curled up in the blankets like an infant, his dim, old eyes staring at the door with despair.

The strange noise stopped outside the door, and there was a brief silence.

In the silence, He Zhenggang's heart pounded wildly. His fearful and anxious blood surged like a small beast caught in a trap in the forest, desperately trying to escape, causing a series of loud roars in his veins. The sound made his whole body tremble, and his teeth chattered.

The door swayed slightly, and just as He Zhenggang was about to scream, the door suddenly opened, and He Dazhuang's ghost stood in front of it.

He was still wearing his work clothes, which were riddled with holes and covered in filthy dust. His safety helmet was twisted and warped, as if something had hit it. His face was also filthy, as if he hadn't washed it for days; the grime had scabbed over, and his cheeks, unrecognizable, were covered with numerous scars. His body was also strangely deformed, like a deflated balloon, with each joint twisted in a bizarre way in different directions. Standing at the door, upon seeing He Zhenggang, he shrank back in fear, lowering his head, as if afraid that He Zhenggang would see the scars on his face.

He Zhenggang let out a sob, his eyes rolled back, and his body convulsed violently.

He thought he had fainted, but he hadn't. His consciousness had never been so clear, his mind so calm, and even his presbyopia had never been so sharp. He could even see the mangled ribs and internal organs of He Dazhuang, smashed to pieces by the collapsed concrete slabs. Fear gripped the hardened old man, his eyes filled with murky tears, and he choked back sobs, speechless.

He Dazhuang stood silently in front of the door, his demeanor somewhat awkward, which was understandable. His humility and fear of He Zhenggang's power had not disappeared with his death. In front of his older cousin, He Dazhuang never had the courage to say a word.

However, He Zhenggang's prominence and power vanished along with him, and He Dazhuang finally approached him, step by step, extremely slowly but getting closer and closer.

With stiff steps only the dead would take, He Dazhuang slowly walked in: "Big cousin, I died unjustly." His mournful cry was like a filthy bird in the dark night, taking flight and circling in the dimly lit room.

He Zhenggang let out a short sigh, gripping the edge of the bed tightly, his heart pounding with fear, his words incoherent: "Big Brother Zhuang, life and death are predestined, you can't blame your older cousin!"

Upon hearing this, He Dazhuang's face revealed endless grief and indignation: "But I'm cold! The cold wind on the road to the underworld is biting, I can't stand it!"

“Big Brother Zhuang, you go back first,” He Zhenggang sobbed. “I’m too old to stand the chill you bring. Tomorrow, I’ll burn a few more rolls of paper for you. Don’t come looking for me again.”

He Dazhuang still wouldn't give up: "Big cousin, I'm hungry, I'm so hungry I can't stand it anymore."

He Zhenggang was sobbing so hard he could barely breathe: "Big, big ...

He Dazhuang complained, "Big cousin, what's the use of burning the banquet? Can't you see that my stomach has been smashed so badly that my intestines and lungs are spilling out? Even if I eat it, it will just fall out again. No matter how much I eat, it won't help and won't satisfy my hunger."

"What should we do?" He Zhenggang's face was covered in tears, at his wit's end.