K - The Next One Is You

Chapter 14

Yang Jian felt extremely remorseful, cursing himself for being useless. He found a place to sit on the cliff, panting heavily. The wind on the cliff was strong, howling, and the air was bone-chillingly cold.

After resting for a while, he carefully observed the surroundings. It was a very steep cliff, with the bottom several hundred meters deep, appearing mysterious and profound, covered with dense weeds and tangled vines. On the western side of the cliff top, there were several huge rocks standing tall.

After pondering for a moment, Yang Jian walked towards the large rocks. Upon arriving at the rocks, Yang Jian suddenly discovered that between two of the rocks was the entrance to a cave.

The cave seemed very deep, and it was pitch black inside; I couldn't see anything. Could it be that the woman from earlier went into this cave?

With this in mind, Yang Jian mustered his courage and cautiously entered the cave. The cave was pitch black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Yang Jian took out his flashlight, turned the beam to its lowest setting, and, using the dim light, slowly made his way deeper into the cave.

The cave was extremely damp and chilly, causing Yang Jian to shiver. He continued to grope his way forward, not daring to make a sound.

After walking about ten meters, the cave suddenly turned sharply to the left. Yang Jian followed the left turn, and after taking only a few steps, he suddenly noticed a light ahead, which seemed to be the light of a candle. Yang Jian hurriedly turned off his flashlight and tiptoed forward.

In front of the cave appeared to be a secret chamber, its door ajar. Perhaps the person inside hadn't expected anyone to sneak in at this hour. Candlelight was emanating from that chamber.

Who was in the secret room? Yang Jian's heart jumped into his throat.

He took a deep breath and tiptoed towards the secret room. Voices could be heard coming from inside; it was a woman's voice, very low, and he couldn't make out what she was saying.

Yang Jian approached the door of the secret room and peeked through the crack. He could only see two burning candles, but not the people inside.

After a while, a man's voice suddenly came out:

"Everything is going according to plan."

Upon hearing this voice, Yang Jian was greatly surprised, and his expression changed drastically!

Chapter Seven

Chapter 1: The Road to Hell

Night fell, and it was another cold and lonely night.

Outside the window, that annoying drizzle started again sometime during the winter. This rain seemed to be hinting at something; it had been falling steadily and endlessly since the beginning of winter.

During this time, Lin Qiu has been living in the shadow of death, and the fear of death is constantly eroding his soul.

Although the police had taken meticulous precautions to protect his personal safety, with officers secretly protecting him throughout the night, he still felt, for some reason, that death was drawing ever closer.

Since his conversation with Yang Jian that day, he was convinced that everything was related to the haunting incident in his hometown years ago. What exactly happened? What secrets were hidden within? He couldn't understand it at all. Perhaps his father knew this secret, but what was puzzling was why he hadn't told him a single word before he died?

The police have begun investigating this matter, and results are expected soon.

It was already late at night.

Listening to the pattering rain outside the window, Lin Qiu suddenly felt uneasy. He knew that there were police officers secretly monitoring and protecting him outside his door and downstairs, and that they would be there for him immediately if anything happened. Yet, for some reason, he still felt a vague sense of unease.

He turned off the bedside lamp, and after thinking about random things in the dark for a while, he finally drifted off to sleep.

After an unknown amount of time, Lin Qiu suddenly woke up from his dream. Suddenly, he heard strange noises in the room, like a cat jumping around.

He struggled to open his eyes and found a light in the room. The light was a pale blue, like a string of will-o'-the-wisps in the night, and it was clearly not the light of an electric light.

Lin Qiu's heart skipped a beat, and he was jolted awake from his drowsy state. Suddenly, he realized that the computer in the room had turned on automatically! And on the computer screen was the homepage of that terrifying website—"Gates of Hell"!

The four strange words "Gates of Hell" were flickering with eerie blue flames, and the hideous blue skull looked exceptionally terrifying, its pair of dark, hollow eyes staring intently at him.

Lin Qiuqiang suppressed his fear, got out of bed, and slowly walked to his computer desk. He decided to take a good look at the website and see what secrets it held.

He sat down in front of the computer, staring at the terrifying blue skull. Suddenly, he remembered the horrific scene he had witnessed at the police station, and his hand holding the mouse trembled slightly.

He moved the mouse over the blue skull's left eye, and suddenly an eyeball popped up with the words "Path to Hell" written on it.

After a slight hesitation, Lin Qiu clicked the button. At that moment, the computer screen displayed a series of bizarre changes, and Lin Qiu's mind was made dizzy by the unpredictable images.

About a minute later, the scene finally stopped changing and entered a three-dimensional space. At this moment, a long, dark tunnel appeared in front of Lin Qiu.

As the mouse moved forward, Lin Qiu felt himself entering the dark tunnel. Something seemed to be drawing him in, compelling him to move forward irresistibly. A faint light shone from the front of the tunnel, which was surrounded by black stone walls on all sides. He could clearly hear his own footsteps and breathing.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, a faint groan suddenly came from ahead in the tunnel. The further they went, the louder the groan became, and it seemed to grow increasingly painful and desolate. This groan was very familiar to Lin Qiu; he had heard it on the phone before. The voice sounded very much like Lin Wangchou's.

Upon hearing the sound, Lin Qiu's breathing became rapid. He quickened his pace and ran forward in the direction of the sound. The speaker emitted very realistic "thump-thump" footsteps and "whoosh-whoosh" breathing sounds.

The tunnel had many forks, and Lin Qiu was guided forward by the faint light ahead. After winding through countless bends, the tunnel suddenly opened up, the light grew brighter, and the groaning sound became louder and more mournful.

They walked on for a while longer, seemingly nearing the end. Just then, the faint light suddenly vanished, the groans ceased, and darkness enveloped them.

A few seconds later, a mournful voice suddenly rang out:

"I'll be waiting for you downstairs—"

Lin Qiu was shocked! This... wasn't this Lin Wangchou's voice?

As soon as I finished speaking, the screen went black and the computer shut down automatically!

Lin Qiu stared at the dark computer screen, still shaken, her face pale.

What lies ahead of the tunnel?

Who is he in the second section?

Today is Saturday.

Lin Qiu woke up feeling sore all over and with a splitting headache. He remembered the website from last night, and although he restarted his computer, the website was no longer accessible.

The long tunnel on the website, built of black stones, looks like an underground palace. What secrets are hidden deep within it? Why is Lin Wangchou's voice coming from inside?

Suddenly, Lin Qiu remembered that mysterious statement:

"I'll be waiting for you downstairs—"

Below? What exactly does "below" refer to?

Suddenly, Lin Qiu remembered the name of that terrifying website, and his heart skipped a beat. Could "below" refer to hell? Was he waiting for him below hell?

Thinking of this, Lin Qiu's heart sank suddenly, as if he had fallen into an abyss. He knew that this was a hint, an indication that he was about to die.

A while later, the phone in the living room suddenly rang. It was Bai Yue calling, asking him to go to his aunt's house to see her. He hadn't visited Bai Yue for a week.

Aunt Baiyue's house is in the west of the city, about an hour's drive from Lin Qiu's house.

Around nine o'clock, Lin Qiu ran into Yang Jian as he went out.

"Officer Yang, you came to see me?"

"Yes." Yang Jian smiled. "Are you going out?"

"I'm going to visit Bai Yue. I haven't seen her for a week, and I'm a little worried about her condition."

Yang Jian pondered for a moment, then suddenly an idea struck him:

"I'll go with you."

“Okay, we can chat on the way.”

Lin Qiu originally planned to take the bus, but Yang Jian happened to be driving by, so she took Yang Jian's car.

"Lin Qiu, did you not sleep well last night?"

Yang Jian glanced at Lin Qiu in the rearview mirror and asked.

"Yes, I had insomnia last night." Lin Qiu looked at the street scene outside the car window, seemingly a little dazed. "Oh, by the way, what did you want to see me about today?"

"Firstly, I'm under orders to protect you, and secondly, I want to talk to you about what we discussed last time."

...

Because it was a private car, it only took a little over half an hour to get to Aunt Baiyue's house.

Aunt Baiyue's house was an old-fashioned courtyard house. After Lin Qiu and Yang Jian entered the courtyard, they could vaguely hear people talking inside the house.

As they approached the house, a man's voice suddenly rang out. Hearing this, Yang Jian was startled and quietly asked Lin Qiu:

Who is that man inside the house?

"It seems to be Professor Chen."

They then went inside. In the living room, Bai Yue, her aunt, and psychologist Chen Guofu were chatting.

Lin Qiu introduced himself to the other party.

After exchanging pleasantries, Chen Guofu got up to take his leave.

Yang Jian stared at Chen Guofu's back, recalling the voice he had just heard, and fell into deep thought. Could it be that the man in the secret room of the cave that night was him?

Section Three: Secret Investigation

The town is called Qianling Town, located in a remote mountainous area, with a population of about 8,000. The town is nestled in a mountain valley, surrounded by mountains on all sides, with a rather complex geographical situation and extremely inconvenient transportation.

As evening fell, after a long day's journey, Yang Jian finally arrived at Qianling Town. By then, the town was already shrouded in a hazy night, and the streets were deserted, with hardly anyone around.

Yang Jian found a small restaurant that was about to close, ordered a few dishes, ate a quick dinner, and then found a small hotel to stay in.

The owner of the small inn was an honest and kind-hearted middle-aged man in his forties. After putting down his luggage, Yang Jian chatted with him.

"Boss, do you know where the small Western-style building at No. 37 Yixing Road is?"

"The villa?" Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's expression suddenly changed, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes, and his voice became somewhat tense, "You mean that haunted building?"

"A haunted building? Is it often haunted?"

After a long silence, the boss finally nodded and slowly said:

"That building has been haunted for over a decade, and several people have died there. The families who lived there all moved away one after another. For over a decade, the building has always been filled with a sinister atmosphere. At night, we often hear desolate coughs and pitiful cries of women coming from the building, which is very terrifying. Therefore, the people in the town call that building the 'Ghost Building,' and no one dares to go inside."

After listening to the boss's explanation, Yang Jian pondered for a moment and asked: