Lock the door

Chapter 15

"Waaah..."

"Did you—did you have a strange dream?"

Upon hearing this question, Zhi Mei immediately stopped crying. "Jian Xiang, how...how did you know?"

"Because Zhong Sizao and Xia Yongyu both had strange dreams before they were killed."

"What?"

"If you agree to the wizard's request and are willing to learn the magic to see ghosts, the ghosts will appear in the real world... Meimei, why did you agree to the wizard's request?"

"I...I don't know either..." Zhi Mei started crying again.

Jian Xiang could no longer blame Zhi Mei. He opened her right hand and saw that her palm was covered with scabs and faintly etched pentagrams.

Tell me about your encounter with the ghost last night.

Zhi Mei's expression was filled with fear.

---hqszs

Reply [80]: "Yesterday, I woke up at 11 p.m.... I was woken up by that nightmare. The lights in the room were off, and I suddenly felt very scared. At that moment, I heard the sound of a baby crying outside the door."

"I don't remember which apartment in this building has a baby, and the baby seemed to be crying directly at me, as if it knew I was in the room. I felt very uncomfortable because I had just had a nightmare about doors, but I still gently opened the door. I opened it just a crack, just enough for me to see what was happening in the hallway. But I couldn't see anything."

"However, after I closed the door, I heard the baby crying again. I became more and more frightened, but finally mustered up the courage to open the door. This time, to make sure no one was in the hallway, I opened the door completely."

"Then...then...just as I peeked out, a deformed baby covered in mucus suddenly grabbed my ankle! His head was like a gourd, with only the whites of his eyes on top. And he had no nose...his nostrils were split open and connected to his mouth, and he kept calling out to me: 'Mommy! Mommy!' His umbilical cord dragged on the floor, and blood kept gushing out."

“I was terrified… I wanted to kick him off, but he was so strong, he kept trying to climb on me. Finally, I managed to kick the deformed baby away, and just before he lunged at me again, I slammed the door shut. The baby started banging on the door, and his cries became even more piercing…” Zhi Mei spoke faster and faster, as if she was trying to drive the horrific events out of her mind.

“I was completely lost, and the only person I could think of was you. So, I immediately called you…” Jian Xiang was immediately surprised—Zhi Mei had called?

"The call connected quickly. But... but then I heard a cold laugh, and then... the person speaking wasn't you! The voice on the other end was incredibly sinister. He said, 'You think you can find someone to save you by making this call? That's impossible. You can't escape, you'll never escape, you'll never escape!' I really didn't expect... I didn't expect there would be a ghost on the phone... I really cried... I was so scared..." Zhi Mei cried even more helplessly, shrinking tightly into Jian Xiang's arms.

"I'm so afraid the deformed baby will rush in, and his voice is so disgusting, so I hid in the closet and didn't dare to come out. I didn't dare to fall asleep either, so I could only hold the gun you gave me... Waaah..." "Meimei, you know how to use a handgun?"

“Yes,” Zhi Mei said, choking back tears, “I took off the safety and loaded the bullet.”

Jian Xiang broke out in a cold sweat. He had lent her his pistol only to gain her trust, so he hadn't told her how to use it. If Zhi Mei had been too nervous just now, she might have smashed his head in.

At the same time, a strong question arose in his mind: why did Zhimei also have such a strange dream?

Judging from Zhong Sizao and Xia Yongyu's experiences, they fell in love with Zhi Mei and had dreams for unknown reasons, but Zhi Mei herself never dreamed. However, after regaining Zhi Mei's memories, Zhi Mei had a dream that very night.

—Could it be related to Xia Yongyu's hypnosis? Jian Xiang really didn't understand why. The only clue should be Zhi Mei's memories, but the current situation wasn't suitable for questioning her immediately; he had to wait for her emotions to calm down.

Where did you learn it?

"Warsaw."

---hqszs

Reply [81]: The two stopped talking. The intimate physical contact brought them a sense of security, and the gloomy atmosphere gradually dissipated. Zhi Mei slowly stopped crying and wiped her tears on Jian Xiang's shirt.

"Are you feeling any better?" he asked gently. "Want me to tell you a joke?"

Zhi Mei mischievously made a face. "...You're so silly!"

No, I'm very smart.

Jian lowered his head and kissed Zhi Mei's lips and teeth; her mouth and tongue were warm and moist. Although Zhi Mei did not resist, her response was full of stubbornness and reluctance, making her difficult to understand.

“That’s not smart enough…” After the long kiss, Zhi Mei’s tone was cold: “I hate weak men the most!”

Jian Xiang didn't refute her words; his response was shown in his actions—his fingers silently explored her knee-length skirt, his thumb and forefinger pinching the zipper at her waist, tearing off the first layer of restraint from her hips like tearing a loaf of toast. The straps of her mesh vest then slid gently down to her elbows, revealing a strapless bra in the same light blue color.

The half-cup bra, with its intricate and delicate lace texture, gently touched the snow-white skin of the woman wearing it.

"Jian Xiang, you big idiot..." Her voice trailed off as a groan.

When Jian Xiang came to his senses, he found himself standing in a dark, dense forest.

Why am I here?

He was conscious, yet completely unaware of his predicament. The forest was utterly dark; the only sounds were the night wind rustling through the treetops and the faint chirping of insects. After walking for a while, Jian Xiang suddenly realized what was going on.

"I'm dreaming!" he exclaimed involuntarily.

Indeed, this place must be exactly the same as the dream Xia Yongyu described. Here, he met the magician Cornelias Agrippa and volunteered to learn the magic that allows him to see ghosts.

—So, does that mean I'll meet Agrippa here, just like him?

Although he knew perfectly well that he was in a dream, Jian Xiang couldn't wake himself up. This dream felt like another reality. He pinched his cheek, but it didn't help.

There was only one path beneath his feet, and the dense foliage offered no other way out. He began to realize that this dream was like a pre-programmed computer program; once it started, there was no possibility of interruption.

—The only option left for Agrippa was to ask. If we compare the dream to a computer game, then this question is the turning point that determines the ending. However, the branching line of choosing "yes" in this game is far too cruel.

So, with a determined look in his eyes, he strode forward along the one-way street.

The path became increasingly winding, and the woods grew darker. The pale moonlight only allowed Jian Xiang to see a blurry ray of light just three steps ahead.

---hqszs

Reply [82]: Above, where the branches intertwined, came the sound of birds flapping their wings, and at his feet, the grass rustled as he walked, sounding like reptiles following him. Jian Xiang was not afraid. This dream was designed by a mastermind, and the dense forest and these sounds were purely to create panic and tension.

What a vicious fellow!

Soon, an abandoned cemetery appeared, and the bright moonlight indeed shone on the earth, illuminating the scattered boulders around it. The entire cemetery resembled a deserted night city destroyed by war.

On either side of the cemetery gate stood a towering stone statue with eagle wings and serpent tails, its enormous wings seemingly poised to take flight, frozen in place by the eye of Medusa. Xia Yongyu had mentioned that this monster was called Machusias.

Without time to examine it closely, Jian Xiang went straight to the end of the cemetery, where a huge, ornate tombstone came into view. At that moment, he felt extremely uncomfortable—he could smell the strong stench of rotting corpses, and the air was filled with incessant mournful groans.

Then, as expected, the stone tablet inscribed with unidentified characters began to tremble and deep cracks appeared. A withered, grotesque hand emerged from the base of the tablet, and Agrippa finally appeared before Jian Xiang.

Jian Xiang didn't know the wizard's background, but just by looking at his appearance, he could easily tell that he was a symbol of evil. Agrippa's clothing was almost identical to that of the Grim Reaper in his memory.

The old man's steps were unsteady. As he approached Jian Xiang, what he said was not much different from what Xia Yongyu had relayed. Even though Jian Xiang was faced with such a realistic scene, he still felt a chill. Agrippa's appearance was extremely ugly, like a genetically abnormal chameleon, and his gaze seemed to be able to see through human fear.

His voice was like the whirring of rusty gears, extremely shrill, sending a chill down one's spine, and lurking behind this shrill sound was an irresistible threat. Receiving such a sound would make it difficult for anyone to give a negative answer.

Jian Xiang kept telling himself that he must sternly refuse his offer. In fact, the scene was becoming increasingly unbearable for him; even though everything was going as expected, he still felt himself being swallowed by darkness.

“Now I’ll tell you,” he said, “that there exists a supreme form of magic in the world that can allow you to see ghosts. Would you like to learn it?” Jian Xiang had already rehearsed this question dozens of times in his mind before he even asked it.

However, he heard himself answer clearly, "Of course I would."

Jian Xiang then realized that the game had no branching points at all; it was all pre-programmed from beginning to end.

Chapter Seven: The Net of Death

Jian Xiang opened his right palm and stared blankly at the fresh, dried bloodstains clinging to it.

Four concentric circles, and Lucifer, Belzebut, and Astarot between the rings... these seem to be the titles of demons? The pentagram in the center of the inner circle is crooked and distorted due to the palm lines, and fine blood scabs are stuck to the sweaty skin, with slightly red and swollen edges at the broken skin.

—I did knock on the door twenty times and turn the doorknob.

—That's the door to this room.

—It wasn't a dream. I really did it.

---hqszs

Reply [83]: All I could hear was Zhi Mei's even breathing, mixed with the faint sound of traffic on the street not far away. No, that's not right... The wailing and howling that burst out from behind that iron gate still lingered on my eardrums.

Jian sat up, the pink quilt slipping off his bare chest. He picked up his watch from the floor; it was 4:09 PM.

—I slept for more than three hours. Was it because I had insomnia last night that I fell asleep without realizing it?

Zhi Mei was fast asleep, the beautiful curves of her breasts rising and falling gently under the quilt. She hadn't slept a wink all night either, only relaxing and drifting off to sleep after making love with Jian Xiang.

Jian Xiang pulled up his trousers and tiptoed toward the dilapidated wooden door. He stared intently at the horn-shaped lock handle and noticed thin, film-like bloodstains on it.

Like Zhong Sizao and Xia Yongyu, Jian Xiang had the same nightmare after falling in love with Zhi Mei.

The same magician, the same gift, the same answer... In other words, starting tonight, or tomorrow night, or some night after, Jianxiang will be able to see ghosts, and then these evil spirits will begin to attack him, trying to take his life.

—I must stay calm. I must stay calm.

Even though there was no sound, Jian Xiang felt a low breathing sound coming from behind the door.

"Jian Xiang, you're awake?"

Upon waking, Zhi Mei, without needing to look directly at his face, seemed to sense his unease and asked him with a worried tone. Turning around, he saw Zhi Mei already sitting up, slowly putting on her bra.

“Meimei,” Jian Xiang approached her, embracing her before she could even fasten her bra. His hands gently stroked her smooth back, hoping to bolster his courage by holding his lover. “I had that dream too.”

"Really?" Zhi Mei's body trembled.

“Look, I have the ‘Key to Breaking the Seal’ in my hand, and I have opened my own ‘Gate of Hell’.”

Zhi Mei looked helplessly at his palm. "You promised the magician?"

“I didn’t. Whatever our wishes may be,” Jian Xiang said, trying to remain calm. “The script has already been written. The lines in the dream will always be ‘I do,’ there will be no other answer.”

"So, this dream was a trap?"

His tone was flat. "Yes. A trap like quicksand."

“Jian Xiang…” Zhi Mei burst into tears, “It’s all my fault! I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…” “It’s not your fault.” Jian Xiang sighed heavily, “Alright, your crying makes my heart ache again. Mei Mei, can you tell me now? Who—who exactly—set up this trap?”

Zhi Mei closed her eyes in anguish, burying her head in the sword and into her chest.

Tang Shijing.

"Is this the name you dared not tell me yesterday?" Jian Xiang asked. "Just how dangerous is he?"

“He’s from Poland,” Zhi Mei paused, “and he’s a black magician.”

"Like Xia Yongyu?"

“No,” Zhi Mei said in a trembling voice, “Tang Shijing has lived for more than five hundred years.”

In an instant, the temperature in the room seemed to drop to freezing. If all of this were just a scene from a comedy movie, Jian Xiang might have laughed out loud. However, after witnessing Zhong Sizao's rotting corpse and Xia Yongyu's tragic death, Zhi Mei's words made his hair stand on end.

"You mean... Tang Shijing was a person from the 15th century?"

"Tang Shijing is his Chinese name."

Jian Xiang suddenly remembered that Xia Yongyu had mentioned the magician who appeared in his dream—Cornelias Agrippa, the famous European wizard of the 15th century… Could it be that Tang Shijing was this hideous Agrippa?

"Before last December, I was working as a receptionist at a trading company. I also had a boyfriend I was about to get engaged to, who was my classmate and colleague from my five-year vocational college days. We had wanted to travel to Italy together for a long time. We saved money and planned for a long time, and finally managed to take a long vacation at the end of last year. We flew to Venice to start our self-guided trip. My first encounter with Tang Shijing was in St. Mark's Square in Venice."

"My boyfriend and I planned to spend three days in Venice, and St. Mark's Square was our destination for the second day. That afternoon, we walked through the central arch, saw the Winged Lions, the statue of St. Mark and the Angel statues, and then stopped at an open-air café next to the Doge's Palace to have afternoon tea and look through the guidebook we had just received."

---hqszs