Demon Apartment - Chapter 19 - Venturing Downward

“Earlier…before that happened, did Feng Yu experience anything unusual?”

The remaining four residents had returned to the room. Several candles were now placed on the table, providing more light than the solitary lighter had before. It was clear to everyone what true terror was.

“No… I don’t think there was anything particularly unusual…”

“Did Feng Yu do anything that he alone had done, something we hadn’t?” Zhao Long was still not ready to give up; he was always hoping to find a clue that could trigger the path of death, rather than the current situation where residents were randomly chosen and possessed by the Evil Spirit, suffering the same fate as Feng Yu.

They had no idea that just beneath their feet, on the fourth floor, Feng Yu might have been facing the Grim Reaper without any self-awareness.

“I’ve thought about that too, but I can’t think of any action that would definitively lead to the path of death.”

Dong Ning pushed back the bangs from her forehead with her right hand, which trembled uncontrollably, causing her bangs to fall back into place multiple times. This meant that she was straining her brain cells to think of a strategy. The death of Feng Yu shattered all their hopes and confirmed one thing for certain: the fourth floor was indeed the path of death.

Ge Qi looked around and said, “Let’s do this, find a rope and tie me up! That way, I can’t go to the fourth floor.”

However, Dong Ning shook her head, “Earlier, Feng Yu went outside without making a sound. I doubt tying you up would be effective.”

Dong Xie nodded and then suggested, “What if we guard the elevator entrance? As long as we do that, no one can go down to check it out.”

But as he spoke, his voice grew quieter.

He felt… it was probably not that simple.

“That sounds like a good idea!” Despite the chilling silence, Ge Qi, who was usually quiet, spoke up unusually to Dong Xie, “Let’s do that!”

He turned to Zhao Long and added, “This way, all four of us will gather at the elevator entrance… Building 3 has only one elevator. We’ll stand guard there, and if anyone is possessed, we’ll stop them from using the elevator…”

“I hate to be a wet blanket at a time like this,” Dong Ning lowered her hand from her forehead, “but if that’s the case, why didn’t you stop Feng Yu earlier?”

The room fell dead silent at her words.

Ge Qi was stunned, and just as he was about to say something, Dong Ning added, “Do you think, once you show signs of possession, any of us would risk our lives to stop you from taking the elevator? Me? My elder brother? Or Zhao Long?”

As Dong Ning spoke, she thought to herself that she would never risk her life to save Ge Qi; she wasn’t a saintly character from a drama. Only her elder brother was someone she would risk her life to save.

“If you stop me…” Ge Qi struggled to find words, unable to offer anything in return. Money was plentiful in the Apartment, but that wasn’t what they lacked!

On the other hand, Dong Xie and Dong Ning were willing to risk their lives for each other. So, should a situation like Feng Yu’s arise, they would be prepared to stop each other from taking the elevator. This was their greatest strength as siblings.

Seeing Ge Qi’s helpless expression, Dong Xie sighed, “I think… trying to stop someone by force is probably not something we can easily do. Obviously, whether or not we go to the fourth floor is not something we can easily decide.”

“What do you mean by that?” Ge Qi scanned Dong Xie and his sister, “Are we just supposed to wait for death?”

Dong Xie could see that Ge Qi was becoming increasingly agitated. Ah Ning had warned Dong Xie to be wary of the residents’ unstable emotions, but his teammates’ behavior had been too disdainful, and the fear had overwhelmed Ah Ning, causing her to provoke Ge Qi as she had. As stated in “The Wandering Earth¹,” it’s impossible for humans to always remain rational, especially since Ah Ning, though more mature than her peers, was still just a young female college student.

Dong Xie felt that it was now crucial to reassure Ge Qi. If Ge Qi felt he had no hope of survival, no one knew what irrational actions he might take. Compared to his sister who was still sheltered in the ivory tower, Dong Xie, who had lost his mother in childhood and his father at sixteen, knew all too well… sometimes humans can be more terrifying than Evil Spirits. Therefore, he needed to give hope to prevent any irrational actions.

“Listen to me… I suggest we go downstairs to investigate. We might find clues for the Path to Survival there. Feng Yu has just died… well, I think he’s probably dead by now… Anyway, this time gap could be a relatively safe period. We could use this time to look for clues to survival. I don’t believe that just standing guard at the elevator entrance will help us survive this Blood Letter Task.”

In principle, everyone agreed with Dong Xie’s logic. But as mentioned earlier, it’s difficult for humans to maintain rationality all the time. People tend to believe what benefits them and reject unfavorable conjectures. Absolute rationality is a harsh reality, a fact Dong Xie, who had experienced great loss from a young age, understood only too well.

Zhao Long finally stopped hesitating. He couldn’t deny that Dong Xie’s suggestion made sense. Whether there was hope below, he didn’t know, but staying here, they would eventually face the same fate as Feng Yu. Could guarding the elevator really solve anything? Frankly, it was possible that when the candles went out, they might find themselves directly in the elevator.

“Alright… let’s go!”

Zhao Long stood up decisively, without any more hesitation.

“Ah Ning, you…” Dong Xie turned to his sister, but before he could continue, Dong Ning responded, “Wherever you go, I’ll follow!”

Three against one, Ge Qi had no choice but to agree. He couldn’t possibly stay on this floor alone, could he?

Thus, they decided to venture downstairs. Of course, they didn’t dare use the elevator and had to take the stairs instead.

Footnote:

1. The Wandering Earth(流浪地球): A Chinese sci-fi film based on Liu Cixin’s novella. It depicts humanity’s efforts to save Earth by turning the planet into a spaceship to escape the dying sun. The movie showcases themes of unity, sacrifice, and global collaboration.