École des sciences humaines

Chapitre 16

Everyone learns to grow through pain. The only difference is the size of the wound. Don't think you're the most miserable person; everyone has unspeakable pain. Learning to process your own wounds is a necessary part of life. If you can't learn to endure, perhaps you can only choose death or self-isolation.

The 10th floor was completely deserted. It was eerily quiet. Qiaoling and I went down the stairs, and I immediately ran to the elevator. The indicator light on the elevator kept showing it was stuck on the 10th floor, but the doors were tightly closed.

"Nana! Nana! Are you in there?" I shouted, pounding on the elevator door. But all I got in response was silence.

Strange, isn't Nana in the elevator? Why didn't she hear me? Or is the elevator door too thick, blocking my voice?

"Nana..."

"Um... I'm too scared to go get my things by myself..." Qiaoling, who had been following me, tugged at my sleeve and said, "It's so dark there... I'll be scared to go alone! Please come with me!" I looked back at her timid appearance, and then at the elevator, which was still not responding. Although I was anxious, I couldn't help but agree to go with her, so I decided to leave Qiaoling behind.

Where are you going?

“There…” She pointed to the last office on the 10th floor, at the end of a long corridor, where a strange anxiety and unease lingered behind the dim lights.

I couldn't help but swallow, and goosebumps crept up my body with unease. "Going...there..." It felt like I was going to see something.

"Yeah! It's so scary for me to go alone!" Qiaoling grabbed my hand and said, "Come with me!" Her body heat seeped through my clothes and inexplicably calmed my anxious heart.

“Let’s go!” I said, pulling her up. “Maybe Nana isn’t in the elevator; she might be in the office.” I speculated.

The dim light felt cold, or perhaps it was just my body feeling cold that created an illusion; I couldn't tell. Qiaoling followed behind me, humming a song, seemingly less afraid than before. What struck me as odd was that she, who had been so timid just a minute ago, now seemed to be getting better as we approached the office. Was there something eerie about it? If she wasn't human… I stole a glance at her bright yet slightly pale face and began to let my imagination run wild.

But her hands were warm… No matter how a ghost tries to disguise itself, a cold body can't lie. Even a powerful female ghost like Lingdang, who looks no different from an ordinary person and can disguise herself as a human to walk the streets at night, can't change the fact that her body is cold. Someone once told me that ghosts are very good at deceiving people, but no matter what, if you touch their body and find it cold, they must be a ghost. Because ghosts have no temperature, while humans do—that's the difference between Yin and Yang.

I finally reached the office door, took out my key, opened it, and turned on the light. The inside looked normal; there was nothing there. It was a bit messy, just like any other typical office space.

"Qiaoling...where are your things?" I breathed a sigh of relief, but when I turned around, I found that Qiaoling, who had been walking behind me, had somehow entered the office and was heading straight for the lockers.

she

Author: Xinxinjun Reply Date: 2005-01-02 01:23:00

Without hesitation, she pulled open the cabinet door, followed by a piercing scream that sounded particularly shrill in such a setting.

"ah!"

A woman lay in the closet, a rope tightly around her neck. As the closet door opened, she fell out, like a large doll, showing no signs of life. The cold, stiff corpse touched Qiaoling's feet, and her scream grew louder.

"Don't be afraid..." I pulled her close, and she hugged me tightly, crying out, "Someone's dead...someone's dead...this...it really is...someone's dead..."

After the woman's body fell, a note from the cabinet slowly floated to our feet. Perhaps it was because I'd seen so many things like this, or maybe the death wasn't gruesome at all, or maybe I had a premonition, but in any case, I wasn't as afraid as before. I released Qiaoling, squatted down, and picked up the note. It had several large characters written on it in lipstick:

"No one can shine brighter than me! I am the true leading lady!"

When Qiaoling saw the words on the note, she couldn't help but hug me and burst into tears again: "Wah! I knew it... I told the director before... to be careful..."

"What do you mean? Do you know who this person is? Do you know why someone killed her!"

"...She's...she's...one of the girls we selected for this film audition. Even though it's just a supporting role, she was still chosen. Before...someone threatened us...saying they'd kill all four girls selected this time...The director never paid attention...I never imagined...it really...it must be those who weren't chosen...jealous of us...I'm so scared...Zero..."

Nana! That was the first thing that popped into my head. If that happened, wouldn't she be in danger? I rushed to the elevator and pounded on the doors. Suddenly, the elevator, which had been stuck on the 10th floor, started moving again. The indicator light went up rapidly and then stopped at the top floor.

I gritted my teeth, grabbed Qiaoling beside me, and said, "Let's go downstairs and find the security guards for help! The murderer must still be inside the building!"

At that time, I never considered the possibility of anything else happening. Until…

I rushed back to the lobby from the 10th floor, only to find that the glass door in front of the lobby was locked, there was still no one at the front desk, the security guard was not there, and the CCTV showed only our image in the lobby.

My heart was pounding, I was uneasy... it wasn't just uneasy anymore... I picked up my phone, but I couldn't dial a number no matter what I did. Qiaoling slumped down, and her phone slipped from her hand: "It's over... we can't get out... it's over... we're going to die..." She began to sob.

No! It can't be like this! Nana! I rushed to the front desk, grabbed the phone, only to find that the phone line had been cut. At that moment, one of the CCTV cameras, which had been focused on our area, switched to the elevator.

"Ding..." The elevator that had just stopped on the top floor started moving again.

Qiaoling and I both turned our gazes to the elevator. Who was coming down? The murderer? Nana? Or something else...? Qiaoling, who had just been crying, watched the numbers approaching the first floor and suddenly said, "Actually... the murderer wasn't a bad person... knowing that we girls care a lot about our looks... and making that pretty girl die..."

"What nonsense are you talking about! I don't want Nana to die!" I immediately denied her words. I couldn't imagine that outcome, I couldn't accept that outcome!

"Ding..." The elevator arrived, and the doors slowly opened.

Who could it be...who could it be...?

result……

"Ah..." Qiaoling screamed again, but I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Thank goodness it wasn't Nana...it wasn't Nana...so this woman being strangled in the elevator is the fourth one chosen. Including Qiaoling beside me, and Nana, whose whereabouts are unknown, two of the five chosen girls are already dead...

The corpse slowly fell, blocking the elevator doors, which opened and closed, trapping the body between them. A note was pasted on her back, still written in large lipstick print: "No one can shine brighter than me! I am the true leading lady!" I slowly walked to the elevator, tore off the note from the corpse's back, and Qiaoling followed me into the elevator. She said strangely, "Ling...look...the rooftop light has been turned on...did the dead person go to the rooftop, or did Nana go?"

"Or did the killer call us up?" I added. "I always feel like the killer is not far from us, he can see us... he knows what we are doing... Qiaoling, what is the top floor?"

"Top floor...top floor...besides the rooftop...no...you have to go up one flight of stairs to get to the rooftop...the elevator doesn't go there...top floor...top floor...there's an information room on the top floor! It controls all the building's electronic equipment! Including lights...closed-circuit television...monitors and stuff..."

"The killer must be there!" I shouted. As soon as I finished speaking, all the lights in the entire building suddenly went out. Because my eyes could not adapt to the sudden change in light, everything went dark and I could not see anything.

"Qiaoling...where are you..." I said, reaching out to look for Qiaoling, who had been so close to me in the elevator.

"Zero...I...ouch...who pushed me...I hit my head on the elevator wall...it hurts so much..."

"Qiaoling..." I stepped into the elevator to pull Qiaoling along, but then someone grabbed my foot. A strong wrist stopped me from moving forward, even causing my body to tilt backward and fall to the ground.

Someone pulled my foot... no... it's...

Moonlight shone faintly through the glass doors of the lobby, and my eyes, having adjusted to the darkness, gradually began to see things. I saw… the woman who had just been clearly dead… tightly clutching my feet, pushing me away… a chill instantly spread from my ankles to my body… She writhed… little by little… until her body was also out of the elevator doors. The culprit that had killed her—the hemp rope—was still tightly wrapped around her neck, even digging deep into her skin. Her disheveled hair obscured her face, and I couldn't see her expression… then… she slowly raised her head, her slightly deformed neck supporting it appearing somewhat unsteady and unnatural.

I saw her face! A strange smile bloomed on her lips...

"Ding..." The elevator doors closed, and the elevator began to rise rapidly towards the top floor.

"Snap..." Suddenly all the CCTV cameras turned on, and the corpse behind me suddenly let go and stopped moving.

All the CCTV cameras were focused on Qiaoling in the elevator, as if they were intentionally broadcasting something live.

There is no sound, only visuals, which makes it even more chilling.

At first, Qiaoling pounded on the elevator door, as if she was shouting something. Then, as if she had seen something, she showed an expression of disbelief. Then, as if she had fallen into a state of extreme terror, she pounded on the elevator door even harder.

At this moment, all the images on the closed-circuit television began to zoom in and spread... Then, the television screens, which were originally scattered with individual images, merged into one large image, a close-up of Qiaoling's extremely frightened expression...

Author: Xinxinjun Reply Date: 2005-01-02 01:25:00

"rustle……"

"Smack..."

"bite……"

The building was lit again. Though it was a cold, lifeless light.

All the television screens turned into white spots and made a hissing sound.

The elevator indicator light stopped moving again at the top floor.

Sweat streamed down my forehead.

It's cold to the touch.

The murderer is not human!

Nana! Nana! Nana! Nana! Nana!

I jumped up and ran towards the stairwell.

He's on the top floor! He's calling me to the top floor! I have to go to the top floor!

The fear I felt just now has completely vanished; I need to go save Nana...

At the bottom of the stairs, I met someone.

"Ang... Liu..."

“Why didn’t you listen to what I said?” he said with a smile. His smile, backlit, seemed exceptionally pure, but I couldn’t feel any kindness from him. Instead, I felt…coldness. I can’t think of any more adjectives. It seems that I can only use the word “coldness” to describe many things around me.

Like my life, it's cold and helpless.

"Are you going to the rooftop? It's dangerous!" he said, still smiling.

"I'm sorry..." I couldn't help but apologize. "I know it was dangerous, I know it was stupid... but it's already happened... I can only..."

"Why should I apologize?" He was still smiling. "What you do is none of my business!"

"I'm sorry!" I ran past him and continued up the long staircase. What would I face at the end of the stairs? I didn't know.

“Zero…” he called out to me, “Right now, in this building, including you and me, there are three people still alive: one half-human, half-ghost, one guest, and one hypocrite. The rest are dead… Please remember that!”

I bit my lip: "You mean... Chorin... and Nanari... one of them must be dead..."

"What do you think?" he said with a mysterious smile. "Sometimes, what your eyes see isn't the truth. If you go up, you might learn a terrible truth. Are you sure you want to go?"

"I'm sure. Thank you!"

"For certain reasons, I don't want you to die for now. So, whatever the outcome, please promise me you'll come back alive. Otherwise, no matter how much you hate me, I won't let you go. You know I have that power; don't forget, I'm also a member of the royal family."

“I know… Don’t worry, I’ve made up my mind…” I turned around and gave him a smile that was perhaps genuine, although I later forgot whether there was any emotion called bravado in that smile.

"No matter what the future holds, now that I've made my choice, I will live it to the fullest. I will strive to live until the time comes to die!"

Pretending. Showing off. Being affected. Hypocritical. Some things, no matter what, you just have to endure.

Maintaining a smile is actually very simple; it's just a matter of raising the corners of your mouth at a 45-degree angle—a simple movement of the facial muscles.

Look! I did it so easily! Look! It's so simple!

So don't worry, please rest assured, I will definitely live on strongly.

I won't cry.

I don't know how long I ran down that long stairwell, so long that all I could hear was my own heavy breathing and footsteps.

Sweat dripped down my face. And the staircase seemed to stretch on endlessly. Ang Liu's words made me uneasy. What he meant was… Nana… No! I absolutely don't believe it!

Nana! We've reached the top floor!

I pushed the door open forcefully. The control room window was ajar, and a cold draft blew in, clearing my head. Thinking back, it all seemed premeditated. First, Nana was inexplicably summoned here, then I received a call from Nana that abruptly ended before she could finish speaking. At that moment, I thought Nana was trapped in the elevator, but I was wrong. Nana probably wanted me to find Dao Lian to help her! Because this building is haunted!

The one who killed those two girls wasn't a human, but a ghost!

If it's a ghost... if Nana might have met with misfortune the moment the call ended... if that's really the outcome... I would...

Zero, what would you do?

When I think about this question, my mind goes blank, and I can't answer it at all.

At this moment, the CCTV screens in the control room started flickering, and then began playing Director Zhang's talent show from a while ago, but the camera focused on Nana and another girl.

That girl wasn't exceptionally beautiful, but she was unforgettable at first glance. Her initial confidence, followed by her anxiety the night before the final, was all vividly portrayed on camera.

And the competition and exclusion among the girls. Qiaoling put something in the girl's drink, making her unable to sing during the talent show in the finals, and thus she was eliminated.