Cauchemar

Chapitre 13

"Yes, I swear to you." Su Yang held Zhao Lirui's hand tightly. "I will return to your side safely and will not let you worry anymore."

Part 4 of Apartment 602 (The Man-Eating Apartment)

Apartment 602, the Man-Eating Apartment, Chapter Sixteen (1)

On the way back, Zhao Lirui remained silent, gazing out the window at the distance, her face filled with sorrow. Su Yang's heart was also filled with a bittersweet mix of emotions. In the past, he had disregarded love by indulging in lust, but now that he had truly fallen in love, he found himself having lost the right, or rather, the ability, to love. Nothing in this world could be more tragic. He made a silent vow to walk his path alone from now on, never letting Zhao Lirui be dragged into it again. She deserved a brighter life, not to live in fear with him. He was a fugitive, constantly at risk of being swept away by the tides of fate and plunged into a deadly abyss. He shouldn't have used Zhao Lirui as a lifeline to save him from the shadow of death. Although she was more educated than him, she was ultimately an innocent girl, unable to bear the weight of his despair. Therefore, he had to let go; only then could he give her a way out, instead of dragging her down with him. A profound sense of desolation gripped Su Yang's heart, causing it to stop beating, and every inch of his blood to turn icy cold. "Why be born into this world if you have feelings? Without feelings, you will only be burdened by this life." Life is so bleak and tragic. A tear spilled from the corner of Su Yang's eye, its bitterness sliding down his lips.

Back in Guangzhou, both of them were preoccupied with their own thoughts. They took a taxi back to Buyun Garden, had a quick meal at a restaurant in the community, and then said goodbye and goodnight.

Su Yang returned to the internet cafe where he had gone online the day before yesterday. For him, it was the most ideal place to stay. Although the air was stale and polluted, the most important thing was the dense crowd of people, and the shouts and noises from the gamers made him feel safe and secure.

Su Yang watched Jackie Chan's new film, *The Myth*, on a computer at an internet cafe. He usually hated movies with time-travel contraptions, but now, alone with headphones on, watching Jackie Chan travel back to the Qin Dynasty, he felt a chill. He began to believe that perhaps there really was such a thing as the cycle of memories, or the pull of the soul, guiding you to do inexplicable things. For example, in the movie, Jackie Chan was searching for a princess; in reality, he was investigating Zhu Su's death.

At 7 a.m., Su Yang yawned as he left the internet cafe. He grabbed a bowl of soy milk and two fried dough sticks from a street stall, filled his stomach, and boarded a bus to the train station. At the station, he first stored his luggage on the platform, then headed towards Zhang Chengtin's house, which he had seen on the map yesterday.

Guangzhou Railway Station is probably one of the most filthy places in the country, with even the surrounding streets and residential areas being a melting pot of all sorts of people. As Su Yang walked through a small alley, he saw many people staring at him with ill intent, like wolves waiting to bite off a lamb's throat. Passing a relatively hidden shop, Su Yang was drawn to a sign that read: "Selling Master Keys."

He stopped and asked the shopkeeper, "How much is the master key?"

The boss sized him up and said lazily, "What do you need it for?"

"What's it for? To open the door, of course."

"The room door? The car door? Or the safe?"

"Oh, the door. I'm worried I might forget my keys sometimes, so I'm buying a spare just in case."

The shopkeeper sneered and tossed over a small, pen-like object. "Two hundred."

"So expensive?"

"Expensive? You'll make ten times the price after just one treatment."

Having no other choice, Su Yang took out two hundred yuan to buy the master key, and also checked with the shopkeeper to see if his sense of direction was correct. Following the shopkeeper's directions, he walked to the end of the alley and turned a corner to find Zhang Chengtin's house.

Su Yang never expected Zhang Chengtin's house to be so dilapidated. A three-story building, probably from the 1970s, nestled among a cluster of newly built houses, looked particularly drab and worn. Following the address on his ID card, Su Yang went up to the second floor and found room 204. He looked around. Perhaps because it wasn't the weekend and most people were at work, the entire building was quiet and devoid of any sound.

Su Yang inserted the master key into the door, and with a "click," the door opened easily. Su Yang quickly stepped inside and locked the door from the inside.

After about two or three seconds, Su Yang's eyes gradually adjusted to the dim light in the room. It was a one-bedroom apartment with a simple kitchen and bathroom, and all the windows were completely covered by curtains. Su Yang was standing in the living room.

The living room was a mess of beer bottles, cigarette butts, waste paper, and other household garbage, with a swarm of cockroaches happily crawling around in the trash. These little creatures were probably the only ones who could live comfortably here. Su Yang frowned, carefully navigating the various obstacles, and entered the bedroom.

If the living room resembled a pigsty, then the bedroom could barely be called a human nest. There was no bed, only a filthy mattress in the corner, its original color unrecognizable, with a quilt piled haphazardly on top. On the other side of the bed was a bookshelf, haphazardly filled with books, mostly computer-related, which Su Yang immediately recognized. Next to the bookshelf was a small table, piled high with various CDs and software. "Who knew that guy was such a computer enthusiast?" Su Yang thought to himself, "Maybe he's even an expert."

The most valuable thing to search in the entire room was that pile of books. Su Yang walked to the bookshelf. Because no one had touched it for so long, the bookshelf was covered with a thick layer of dust, almost completely obscuring the titles. He picked up two books at random; sure enough, they were both textbooks on computers, making his head spin. He examined them one by one; over 90% were related to computers, and there was even a copy of Freud's *The Interpretation of Dreams* and a copy of *The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes*, but there were no diaries or notebooks like those that Su Yang was looking for.

Su Yang was greatly disappointed. He leaned wearily against the covers on the bed, but then felt something hard pressing against his back. He threw back the covers, and a black HP laptop appeared before him. At that moment, Su Yang truly experienced the joy of "searching high and low, only to find it effortlessly." He picked up the laptop and found the power cord and network cable were both properly connected. Zhang Chengtin probably always used the computer in bed. Su Yang tried turning on the computer, and the power light actually came on.

Apartment 602, the Man-Eating Apartment, Chapter Sixteen (2)

Su Yang was stunned. So much time had passed without anyone paying the electricity bill. Had the power company forgotten to cut off the electricity to Zhang Chengtin's house, or was someone else paying his bill all along? But Su Yang didn't have the mind to think about these unanswerable questions. His hands trembled as he opened "My Computer."

To Su Yang's surprise, besides a dazzling array of software programs, there was almost nothing else on the computer that reflected his personal information. "Did Zhang Chengting delete all his personal data beforehand?" Su Yang wondered dejectedly.

Left with no other option, Su Yang had to open all the seemingly suspicious documents one by one. Almost all of them were in English, filled with technical jargon, making Su Yang's head spin and his eyes dizzy.

After searching for nearly half an hour without success, Su Yang decided to give up. He wearily put down his computer and stretched. He realized that he was soaked in sweat from being in the enclosed room, and his throat felt like it was on fire.

He left the bedroom and headed towards the kitchen, hoping to find some water to soothe his throat. As soon as he pushed open the kitchen door, he was hit by an extremely putrid stench, so strong it almost made him gasp for breath, and his pores instantly contracted—the familiar smell gave him a very ominous feeling. Before he could even see what was in the kitchen, a gray shadow suddenly slammed into his calf, knocking him to the ground.

"What is that?" In a panic, Su Yang grabbed a beer bottle from the ground and threw it at the rapidly flashing gray shadow. With a squeak, the gray shadow cried out in pain. Su Yang was astonished to find that it was a huge rat, far larger than anyone could imagine; its obese body was almost as big as a cat's. The giant rat was baring its teeth, staring fiercely at Su Yang, ready to pounce and bite him in revenge at any moment.

Looking into the rat's evil little eyes, Su Yang shuddered and couldn't help but want to back away. This was only the second time in his life he had been afraid of rats. The first time was in Zhu Su's room, but that time there were just too many rats, far more than anyone could imagine or resist. This time, while the rats were certainly larger than he had ever seen before, it was even more so the rats' eyes. Su Yang could even see the blood vessels in them—the eyes of a predator.

Strike first, and you'll have the upper hand. Su Yang grabbed another leather shoe from the ground and hurled it at the rat. The shoe missed its target. The rat squeaked angrily and pounced on Su Yang.

Su Yang instinctively dodged and rushed into the kitchen, immediately slamming the door shut. The rat, kept out, gnashed furiously at the wooden door. But Su Yang's attention quickly shifted from the rat to the stench. The smell was so strong and foul that it filled Su Yang's mouth, nose, lungs, and even stomach, causing his stomach to churn and he felt an overwhelming urge to vomit.

Su Yang clutched his neck, desperately suppressing the urge to vomit. He carefully searched the kitchen. The kitchen was simple: a tiled countertop with a gas stove, two pots, and other miscellaneous cooking utensils. Next to the countertop was a cabinet, tightly shut. Su Yang quickly identified the strange smell as coming from the cabinet. But his hand gripped the cold handle, hesitant to open it. He felt every muscle in his arm tighten with each nerve, an unprecedented panic enveloping him, making him both yearn for the truth and dread it. He worried that he wasn't capable enough to face the truth, or rather, that the revelation would bring him an even greater black hole—a black hole of fear—rather than an end to his questions.

Su Yang's palms were drenched in sweat, and every pore on his body was covered in a dense layer of perspiration, making him almost suspect that he was about to die of dehydration. He swallowed hard, gritted his teeth, and pulled open the cupboard.

Four dead heads rolled out of the cupboard with a "gurgling" sound!

One of them landed squarely on Su Yang's foot. Su Yang, whether from fear or pain, let out a scream. His already taut nerves tightened even more, making it almost impossible for him to breathe. His first thought was to run away, but his legs trembled so badly he couldn't move, and he couldn't even close his eyes. He could only watch helplessly as the head rolled across the kitchen floor.

However, Su Yang also realized that what they looked like were four skulls rather than human heads, because all the skin and muscles on them had been eaten away by animals and maggots, leaving only a few dark holes, like dried-up souls, accepting death in a desperate and unwilling posture.

"Could they be the heads of Chen Lijuan, Zhang Chengting, and Zhao Lixu?" Terror, like a startled bird roosting at night, pierced the sky with a "whoosh," stinging Su Yang's nerves. But Su Yang only felt the pain in his soul; his limbs remained numb and stiff.

Su Yang suddenly remembered the large rat from before. "Could it have eaten all four heads?" He shuddered. Perhaps the rat had crawled into the kitchen through the sewer, feasting on the four heads and other garbage for some time, until it became too fat to fit through the sewer and was trapped in the kitchen. Su Yang's opening of the kitchen had given it a way out, but in the hungry rat's mind, Su Yang would never be seen as its savior, but only as another source of delicious food.

The thought of potentially becoming that giant rat's meal sent shivers down Su Yang's spine. With a loud "whoosh," he vomited up all his breakfast, stomach acid, and bile. Instantly, his stomach and mouth were filled with a bitter taste, which continued to spread, permeating every cell of Su Yang's body, making him tremble all over.

After emptying his stomach, Su Yang stopped vomiting, but the nausea in his stomach intensified. The air, thick with the stench of rotting human heads and vomit, became even more unbearable, making him want to cut his nose off. Su Yang felt like he was suffocating. He struggled desperately, dragging his weakened body, exhausted from the violent vomiting, and stumbled open the kitchen door, running back to his bedroom.

Apartment 602, the Man-Eating Apartment, Chapter Sixteen (3)

Su Yang collapsed onto the bed, gasping for breath, but the foul, pungent smell continued to churn in his chest and mind. "Get out of this place of trouble," Su Yang told himself. He reached for the computer's power cord. Just then, heavy footsteps approached from the living room. Instantly, his entire body stiffened as if struck by lightning. He turned his head with difficulty, his pupils dilated, staring intently at the bedroom door.

Footsteps approached the bedroom door, stopping at the entrance. Sweat poured out again, as if evaporated by fire, soaking Su Yang's forehead, eyes, and mouth, down to his lower abdomen. Su Yang wiped his eyes; there was nothing there. Only the heavy footsteps seemed to still echo in the room, reverberating in his heart.

Su Yang felt all his sweat turn to ice, the chill piercing his bones—often, seeing nothing is more terrifying than seeing something! Because when the eyes lose their visual function, the brain is completely controlled by imagination, and fear spreads to every cell in the body, making it impossible to control one's muscles and emotions.

Excessive sweating left Su Yang feeling weak and dizzy. He rubbed his head and clenched his fists. "No matter what, escaping here is the top priority." With that thought, Su Yang frantically continued to unplug the network cables and power cords.

Suddenly, the computer behind him made a loud "snap." Startled, Su Yang turned around abruptly, and the scene before him made every muscle in his body tremble: he clearly saw a pair of eyes appear on the screen, just like the eyes he had seen on the television at Zhu Su's house two years ago when he was incubating his dreams. These eyes were coldly staring at him, moving across the screen. Moreover, that gaze was like that of the Mona Lisa in Leonardo da Vinci's painting; no matter how Su Yang changed his angle, it remained fixed on him, never wavering an inch.

"I don't want to be the next one killed." Snapping out of his shock and horror, Su Yang lunged at the computer, frantically pressing the Esc key, but nothing happened; he tried Ctrl+Alt+Del, still nothing. The eye seemed branded onto the computer screen, staring intently at him, as if disdainful of his actions. Gradually, Su Yang felt all his strength and consciousness being drained by those eyes, slowly dissipating until they completely detached from his body.

In a daze, a voice grinned maliciously and said to him, "You'll feel much better if I cut off your head." As if sleepwalking, Su Yang's eyes were glazed over, his limbs stiff, and he dragged his legs woodenly back to the kitchen step by step, opened the cupboard, and took out a kitchen knife.

Just as he was about to bring the knife to his own neck, a cat's meow, like a clap of thunder, exploded from the depths of Su Yang's brain, rumbling and crushing everything, shattering all his hallucinations. Su Yang shuddered, opened his eyes, and saw the kitchen knife in his hand. His heart skipped a beat, as if a dark room had suddenly been plunged into a flood of light—could it be that Chen Lijuan, Zhang Chengting, and the Zhao Lixu couple had all committed suicide unconsciously, guided by some mysterious voice?

His next thought was, "Where's that meow? Is it coming from deep within my brain, or was there really a cat meowing outside the window? Could it be that black cat?" But before his brain could process the thought, two words pressed firmly against it: "Run!"

Su Yang suddenly realized what was happening, threw down the kitchen knife, and ran out of the kitchen without looking back, ignoring the mess of bottles, jars, and trash on the floor, just fleeing for his life. But just as his hand was about to lock the door, Su Yang stopped. He remembered the purpose of his trip; he shouldn't go back empty-handed. He should at least take Zhang Chengtin's computer with him; it must contain some secrets!

"Go back? To be hypnotized like before again?" Su Yang was torn between two conflicting emotions.

"Give me liberty or give me death!" Su Yang suddenly felt a surge of heroic spirit. "So what if I die? What's the big deal?"

He turned around, strode towards the bedroom. The laptop remained lying quietly on the bed, like a silent, or rather, a cold-blooded, bystander. This time, Su Yang had learned his lesson. He walked behind the laptop, snapped the screen shut, unplugged the power cord, then the network cable, and finally tucked it into his coat and walked out.

Just as he reached the door, a gust of air appeared out of nowhere, swirling rapidly around the entrance, seemingly blocking Su Yang's path. Su Yang felt as if an invisible wall was blocking his way, like encountering a Tai Chi master; no matter how hard he tried to lean forward, that force always pushed him back.

"Fuck your mother!" Su Yang finally couldn't hold back anymore. "If you've got the guts, come out and fight me one-on-one. What kind of scumbag are you, sneaking around like this?"

The air current seemed to understand Su Yang's words. It paused for a moment, then its speed noticeably slowed down, and finally disappeared without a trace. "Damn it, all reactionaries are paper tigers, bullying the weak and fearing the strong." Su Yang spat fiercely, then cursed himself, "Then why do I always have to be a coward?" He spat fiercely again, then, carrying his laptop, finally managed to leave the house.

Stepping out of his room, the hallway remained eerily quiet, not a soul in sight. Su Yang clutched his laptop tightly, nervously glancing around. He was afraid of bumping into someone, suspecting them of being a thief—a situation he couldn't easily explain away—but the absolute silence made his heart pound. "Could this be another haunted building?" The more Su Yang tried to suppress these wild thoughts, the more the idea of ghosts crept into his mind. Looking at the entire building, it increasingly seemed like it was inhabited by ghosts, not a benevolent place suitable for humans. Su Yang's heart sank lower and lower until finally, he couldn't bear it any longer and began to run. The "thump-thump-thump" of his footsteps echoed through the empty hallway, as if countless people were running behind him; Su Yang could only desperately try to run faster.

When Su Yang ran out of the building, he was completely out of breath and felt weak all over. He plopped down on the ground with a thud, breathing in the warm air under the sunlight, feeling a sense of relief as if he had returned from hell to the human world.

Apartment 602, the Man-Eating Apartment, Chapter Sixteen (4)

After resting for about five minutes, Su Yang finally felt his body warm up a little. He used his hands to support himself, shakily stood up, and walked towards the train station. Along the way, almost every passerby gave him strange looks. From their eyes, Su Yang could guess how pale his face was and how disheveled he looked. He remembered that if it hadn't been for that cat's meow, he would probably already be a corpse, a month's worth of delicious food for that big rat. Thinking of this, his heart still pounded.

As they passed the shop selling master keys, the owner saw the laptop in Su Yang's hand and gave him a meaningful smile. Su Yang knew the owner genuinely thought he was a thief, but he had no intention of arguing. But then again, taking Zhang Chengtin's laptop without asking—what else could he be but a thief?

Apartment 602, the Man-Eating Apartment, Chapter Seventeen (1)

Standing on the overpass in front of Guangzhou Railway Station, gazing at the endless stream of cars and people below, sorrow filled Su Yang's heart. The world was vast, yet there was not a single place for him, not even a temporary resting place. Was this the benevolence of Heaven?

Just as Su Yang was filled with sorrow over his past experiences, his phone vibrated in his travel bag. He knew it was Zhao Lirui calling. "Should I answer or not?" After hesitating for a moment, Su Yang finally took out his phone and answered.

"Where have you been all day, you damn thing? Why didn't you answer my calls?" Zhao Lirui started yelling, but her voice choked with emotion at the end, "Do you know how worried I was? I was afraid something might have happened to you."

Su Yang felt a warmth in his heart, and all the sadness in his heart was dispelled by Zhao Lirui's concern. He was silent for two seconds, then decided to tell Zhao Lirui the truth, "I went to Zhang Chengting's house."

"Are you alright? Have you found any clues?" Zhao Lirui asked anxiously on the other end of the phone.

"There weren't any leads. But I found his laptop and brought it out." Su Yang ultimately couldn't bear to tell Zhao Lirui that he had found her brother and sister-in-law's heads, fearing she wouldn't be able to handle the shock. He also decided to keep the series of harrowing events at Zhang Chengtin's house a secret from her for the time being. He didn't want her to have too many worries.

Where are you now?

I'm at the train station.

"Come over here, I've made lunch."

Su Yang's heart warmed again. Having someone prepare a meal and wait for him at home—this was once his dream life. But Zhu Su's appearance had pushed him further and further away from that dream. Now, unintentionally seduced by Zhao Lirui, his heart was filled with a bittersweet feeling.

"Alright then. Wait for me for half an hour." Su Yang sighed softly. In the end, he couldn't resist the allure of warmth.

Half an hour later, Su Yang appeared at Zhao Lirui's door right on time. He knocked on the door, and Zhao Lirui, dressed in her pajamas, came out to open it. Upon seeing him, her eyes welled up with tears before she could even speak.

Seeing this, Su Yang felt a pang of guilt. "I'm sorry, did I make you worry?"

"Hmph, what do you say? You heartless bastard." Zhao Lirui angrily pushed the door open. "Look at how many times I've called you! And you haven't answered a single one."

Su Yang took out his phone and saw eight missed calls. His apology deepened. "I'm so sorry, I left my phone in my bag, and then I left the bag at the train station. I'm really sorry, I apologize to you." With that, Su Yang bowed deeply to Zhao Lirui.

Zhao Lirui chuckled, "Alright, alright, look at you, you're about to break your back. Hurry up and eat, you must be hungry."

Smelling the aroma of food inside, Su Yang's stomach rumbled loudly. He then realized he was exhausted, thirsty, and hungry. "Ugh, I'm starving. But could I have some water first? I feel like I'm about to dehydrate and turn into a mummy."

Zhao Lirui poured a glass of water and handed it to Su Yang, her eyes full of tenderness.

Su Yang didn't stand on ceremony, took it, and drank it all in one gulp.

Zhao Lirui took the cup with concern. "Drink slowly. Why are you so thirsty? Would you like another cup?"

"No need." Su Yang wiped his mouth, the warm water flowing smoothly from his throat to his stomach, making him feel every cell in his body relax and feel indescribably comfortable. He sat down at the table with satisfaction, and seeing the dishes in front of him, he couldn't help but exclaim, "So sumptuous!"

It turned out that Zhao Lirui had made a braised fish, a braised duck with mushrooms, a stir-fried bok choy, and a pork bone soup. Seeing this, Su Yang's appetite was whetted. He chuckled at Zhao Lirui and said, "I won't be polite." Then he wolfed down his food.

Su Yang devoured most of the food in a flash, wiped his mouth, let out a satisfied burp, patted his belly, and said contentedly, "It's been so long since I've eaten this much." Looking up, he saw Zhao Lirui smiling at him, and blushed. "Did I look terrible while eating? Like I was a starving ghost reincarnated?"

"Not just reincarnated from a starving ghost, but reincarnated as the same kind of starving ghost." Zhao Lirui covered her mouth and laughed. "Are you really full?"

"I'm full, any more and my lungs will be full." Su Yang suddenly remembered that Zhao Lirui had been watching him eat without touching her chopsticks, so he quickly asked, "What about you? Why aren't you eating?"

"I've already eaten," Zhao Lirui said while clearing away the dishes. "Don't you even know what time it is? If I were really waiting for you, I would have turned into another hungry ghost by now."

Su Yang glanced at the clock above his head; it was almost three in the afternoon. "I didn't expect to stay at Zhang Chengtin's house for so long." Thinking of the four severed heads in Zhang's kitchen, his heart sank again.

"You still haven't told me what you've accomplished today," Zhao Lirui asked Su Yang as she finished clearing away the dishes.

Su Yang suddenly woke up, took out Zhang Chengting's laptop, put it on the table, and asked Zhao Lirui, "Can you access the internet here?"

"Sure." Zhao Lirui led Su Yang to the bedroom, unplugged the network cable from her computer, and handed it to Su Yang. "What do you want to look up?"

"I want to try to see if it's possible to access Zhang Chengting's QQ and email accounts to see if I can find any clues."

"You mean there's no useful information on his computer's hard drive?"

"It's not that it doesn't exist, it's just that it hasn't been found yet."