Oh my god Old Mo

Ding!

The elevator doors opened.

A rotten stench rushed straight into their skulls, laced with a thick, bloody reek. It was like burying your face in a rusted iron barrel.

Fang Jun’s stomach churned, and he nearly threw up the snacks he had just eaten.

Luo Ruiyu gagged twice and hurriedly clamped her sleeve over her nose.

“Where are we?!”

Fang Jun covered his nose with one hand and pulled out his phone with the other. The screen lit up, but the signal icon in the upper-left corner showed not a single bar.

The two of them could only stare at each other through the overwhelming stench, their stomachs churning like a storm-tossed sea.

“No signal.”

Luo Ruiyu took out her phone as well and shook her head.

They exchanged a glance. In Luo Ruiyu’s eyes, Fang Jun saw his own reflection—his face was deathly pale.

The elevator doors stood wide open and showed no sign of closing, allowing that foul odor to pour in without end.

Beyond the doors was nothing but a stretch of dim red light. They could barely see a thing. Even the darkest underground parking garage in a shopping mall couldn’t possibly be this dark.

Besides, where in the world would a mall have a parking level negative eighteen?

“What do we do?”

The moment Luo Ruiyu asked the question, Lin Mo’s face suddenly flashed through her mind.

He had told them not to take this elevator.

And they really hadn’t. They had only been pushed inside by some unknown force.

Luo Ruiyu tried to stand and walk out, but Fang Jun grabbed her by the wrist.

“Don’t go out! Stay here!”

“Why?” Luo Ruiyu asked, looking anxiously at their surroundings.

“Have you ever seen a horror movie? People always wander around after entering some mysterious place, and then they get themselves killed for nothing. Stay here. Maybe Old Mo can find a way to save us. He told us not to take this elevator, so he must have some way to come rescue us.”

He pointed at the fluorescent tube overhead. It was still lit, though it flickered faintly. At least it illuminated the small patch of floor beneath them.

Luo Ruiyu wanted to argue, but after thinking it over, she realized they had no better option.

She leaned her back against the elevator wall. The icy touch of the glass sent a shiver through her.

“If that’s true, then that would be great.” Luo Ruiyu didn’t hold out much hope, but she still listened to Fang Jun and ultimately chose not to leave the elevator.

They remained silent for a little over ten seconds.

Then, all of a sudden, footsteps sounded from the depths of the darkness outside the elevator, drawing nearer from far away.

Every hair on Fang Jun’s body stood on end.

Without hesitation, he seized Luo Ruiyu by the arm and shoved her into the blind spot to the left of the elevator doors. He himself slipped to the right and pressed his back tightly against the wall.

Unless whatever was outside leaned its head into the elevator, it wouldn’t be able to see them from there.

Click. Clack.

The footsteps were accompanied by the clanging of metal. They were slow and heavy, each step landing with a dull thud.

Fang Jun clenched his fists. He didn’t dare peek outside.

He suppressed his curiosity and held his breath.

The footsteps drew closer.

Five meters.

Three meters.

Fang Jun adjusted his stance, left foot forward and center of gravity lowered. If that thing came inside, he would charge out and knock it away at the first opportunity, buying Luo Ruiyu time to escape.

Though he had no idea where they could run to.

Clang!

A blade was drawn from its sheath. From the length of the sound, the weapon was clearly no short sword.

As it was drawn, armor plates collided with one another, rattling loudly.

Every muscle in Fang Jun’s body had gone taut. Whatever it was, he had to protect Luo Ruiyu first.

Luo Ruiyu, likewise, stared at Fang Jun nervously.

The footsteps continued to approach, and Fang Jun had already drawn in a breath, ready to act.

Just then, the elevator suddenly began to move.

The two doors slammed shut without warning, closing at more than twice the speed of a normal elevator.

Immediately afterward, the mechanical hum of the elevator rang out, followed by a sensation of weightlessness rising from the soles of Fang Jun’s feet.

Fang Jun froze for a second before dropping hard onto his rear.

“Fuck.”

That was all he managed to say. Cold sweat had already soaked through his back.

Luo Ruiyu slumped into the corner and gasped for breath.

The dilapidated elevator gradually returned to its original appearance, while the number on the display began climbing from -18.

“See? I told you staying in the elevator would be fine. This should be okay now, right?”

Ding.

First floor.

The doors opened.

Fang Jun didn’t move right away. He first got to his feet and craned his neck to look outside.

A corridor. Tiled flooring. The mall’s advertising lightboxes. Even the fake money tree in the corner.

Everything looked normal—completely normal.

The smell of blood was gone, and so was that suffocating darkness.

Fang Jun let out a long breath. “I’ll go check first.”

He stepped out of the elevator and looked both ways. The layout of the mall’s first floor was exactly the same as when they had entered.

The lights were bright, the floor was spotless, and he could even smell the lemon scent of air freshener.

“It’s fine now.” He waved over his shoulder. “Come out.”

Luo Ruiyu stood up, brushed the dust from her pants, and quickly stepped out of the elevator.

The instant her foot touched the floor outside, the elevator doors behind them abruptly slammed shut.

The white paint on the walls began to crack, blacken, and peel away, revealing gray-green patches of mold underneath.

Rust rapidly spread across the iron railings. One advertising light after another went dark.

The leaves of the fake money tree withered and curled at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The lemon scent in the air vanished, replaced by the damp smell of mold.

And that damned stench of blood returned as well.

Luo Ruiyu spun around and stared at the elevator.

The doors were closed.

Fang Jun turned too and pressed the call button several times. Nothing happened.

“A trap.” Luo Ruiyu’s voice tightened. “They tricked us into coming out from the very beginning.”

Fang Jun didn’t answer, because he had seen the thing standing at the end of the corridor.

It was wearing a complete suit of armor, covering it from head to toe.

Fang Jun recognized the design of the helmet: wide in front and narrow in back, with a crescent-shaped ornament on top.

It was Japanese armor.

Fang Jun had seen outfits like that on generals and samurai in video games.

The armor was covered in dark brown stains, and liquid still dripped from some places, landing on the tiled floor with soft, wet plops.

“A Japanese samurai? What the hell is this thing doing here?!”

Fang Jun instinctively took a step back and moved in front of Luo Ruiyu.

The samurai did not answer. Perhaps it couldn’t speak.

It merely drew the sword from its waist, slowly and deliberately. The blade was long, its curve elegant, its edge reflecting the little light left in the corridor.

Then it raised its head.

Through the gaps in the helmet’s faceplate, a pair of eyes lit up—crimson, like two lumps of burning coal.

Those eyes locked onto them.

The samurai raised both hands and charged straight at Fang Jun.

It wasn’t moving particularly fast, but Fang Jun didn’t hesitate. He grabbed Luo Ruiyu by the wrist and ran in the opposite direction.

“Somebody save us! Old Mo! Come save us!”

His voice echoed through the entire mall.

Behind them, the footsteps continued in pursuit.