Extreme Vigilance

27: 27th Episode: The Footsteps in the Dark Night 27: 27th Episode: The Footsteps in the Dark Night Hai Mingzhu shuddered inwardly, having observed Manager Song’s behavior all this time, she had been inclined to believe in the idea of ghostly possession.

Yet, not wanting to seem superstitious, she had always reminded herself to believe in science.

But given their current circumstances, and after hearing Xun Jiasheng’s words, she was now almost completely convinced of Manager Song’s ghostly affliction.

“You think that the seeds of his misfortune were sown when he personally verified the non-existence of the 13th floor, and that they are just now coming to fruition?” Shen Yue thought for a moment before asking.

“So you’ve had the same thought!” Xun Jiasheng brightened, as if having found a like-minded person, “I felt it too when we were in the elevator, thinking then just as you are now!”

Desperate to vindicate himself as a prescient, Xun Jiasheng added, “Let me share another detail with you.”

“Please do.” said Shen Yue courteously.

In a low voice, Xun Jiasheng said, “We’ve all been within each other’s sight, haven’t we?”

“Indeed we have.” Shen Yue agreed without hesitation.

“Then who started this gramophone?” Xun Jiasheng asked in an ominous tone, “Other than a ghost, who would do something so pointless?”

Just as Hai Mingzhu was starting to consider that what Xun Jiasheng said might have some merit, the gramophone suddenly stopped!

Everyone had grown accustomed to the melodious yet somewhat eerie songs played by the gramophone.

But with it suddenly going silent, the music disappearing, leaving the room in hushed silence, Xun Jiasheng snapped his mouth shut midway during his sentence out of shock.

Jin Xin abruptly turned off his flashlight.

“You-!” began Xun Jiasheng, just about to question what Jin Xin intended to do, when he was cut off by the “shush” Jin Xin made.

He wasn’t afraid of Jin Xin but feared that a ghost might have appeared.

Meanwhile, Shen Yue moved towards the wall and reached out to switch off the room light.

The room was immediately engulfed in total darkness.

The abrupt switch from glaring brightness to pitch darkness left Xun Jiasheng and Hai Mingzhu breathless with fear.

The room was absolutely dark, but not absolutely silent.

All that was heard was the soft whirr of the spinning record on the gramophone as the last traces of the song died out.

As the sound of the spinning record faded away, Hai Mingzhu suddenly heard footsteps.

The footsteps were coming from outside the living room.

At the sound, Hai Mingzhu’s heart climbed into her throat; she wanted to shout but dared not.

She could not fathom why there would be footsteps outside the room at this time.

Could it be that the red-dressed ghost discovered visitors and was keen on giving them a warm welcome?

She might’ve considered such a scenario amusing if she were watching a horror movie, but being in the situation left her only with a deep sense of dread.

Jin Xin’s heart also tightened.

He had heard the footsteps almost at the same time as Shen Yue.

Upon switching off his flashlight, he had quickly positioned himself near the entrance of the living room, silently crouching like a cheetah ready to pounce on its prey.

He couldn’t be sure who was coming.

But being a risk-taker in the security industry, he understood the importance of having the upper hand.

He was confident he could handle whoever entered the room.

But if it were a ghost?

Could he handle that?

Jin Xin had no idea.

He could feel cold sweat trickling gradually down his back, which rarely happened to him.

What vexed him most was – the footsteps had stopped outside the living room.

The gramophone stopped whirring as well.

After what felt like an eternity, Jin Xin found his heart beats becoming increasingly rapid.

When he could no longer hold patience and felt an urge to rush out, whether it was a human or a ghost, the room light suddenly switched on.

Jin Xin jumped in surprise and looked over at Shen Yue, who was standing by the wall.

He knew it was Shen Yue who had turned the lights on, and was perplexed.

He had been working with Shen Yue for a long time and they were usually in sync, so he didn’t understand why Shen Yue would change their advantageous situation to a less favorable one.

Shen Yue waved at Jin Xin, indicating it was okay, and then loudly said, “Mr.

Tie Zheng from Tie Tai Security, right?”

Jin Xin was taken aback, but he straightened his body as he didn’t know that it was Tie Zheng hiding outside.

However, he trusted Shen Yue’s judgement.

There was no sound from outside the room.

Shen Yue wasn’t surprised and continued, “We have Jin Tang Security’s Jin Xin and Hai Mingzhu here.

I’m Shen Yue, an advisor with Jin Tang Security.

Oh yes, and President Xun of Anxin Security along with Manager Song.”

The footsteps finally resumed, and Tie Zheng appeared at the entrance of the room.

He first glanced at Jin Xin, with an expression of surprise on his face.

After closely observing the situation in the room, he greeted Jin Xin with a salute, ” President Jin, impressive reflexes there.”

Jin Xin politely responded, ” Seasoned fighter like you have skills worth admiring.

Truly impressive.”

As their eyes met, they seemed to share an unspoken understanding, rather like characters of the martial world with mutual esteem and respect.

Jin Xin was usually hard to impress, but his respect for Tie Zheng was genuine.

Despite not having physically clashed, the situation earlier had been extremely tense.

A real expert not only needed good physical agility but also an understanding of the situation.

Jin Xin had made the first move by waiting at the door followed by Tie Zheng’s arrival.

However, Tie Zheng’s alertness was clearly high.

Sensing something unusual in the room, he decided not to confront it.

For his patience and deep alertness, he was a rare piece in Jin Xin’s eyes.

With unhurried steps, Tie Zheng entered the room, ” So, you too have arrived at this godforsaken place?”

Reading the unspoken question in Tie Zheng’s words, Shen Yue asked with concern, “Where is Tie Wa?

Did he also end up in this creepy 13th floor?” He seemed puzzled, because back in the 44th floor conference room, he noticed that Tie Zheng cared deeply for Tie Wa and shouldn’t have left him unattended.

“Tie Wa is with President Feng.” Tie Zheng coughed lightly, looking a bit uneasy.

While speaking, he was constantly observing the room, taking note of the dazed Manager Song, and asked with a furrowed brow, “What happened to him?”

Shen Yue paused a moment before saying, “It’s hard to explain in such a short time.”

“Has he been possessed by a ghost?” Tie Zheng asked bluntly.

“Truly, few are as experienced and knowledgeable as you,” Xun Jiasheng chimed in, “You spotted the problem right away.”

Tie Zheng looked a bit uncomfortable, as if he wasn’t fond of Xun Jiasheng either, then turned to Shen Yue and said, “Advisor Shen, right?” When Shen Yue nodded his affirmation, Tie Zheng said gravely, “I hope you don’t mind, but I have a presumptuous question to ask.”

“Please, go ahead.” Shen Yue answered politely.

“I’m an old man now, my hearing and mobility aren’t as good as they used to be.” Tie Zheng confessed, “Earlier when I was outside, I could hear a noise from inside the room but just couldn’t judge whether it was human or a ghost.” Laughing at himself, Tie Zheng muttered, “I’ve gotten old, starting to suspect everything, I hope you all don’t mind.”

From the side Hai Mingzhu added in, “Given the circumstances, being scared is quite normal.”

Regardless of Hai Mingzhu’s comment, Tie Zheng focused solely on Shen Yue, asking, “Yes, being scared is normal but Advisor Shen…

seems a bit not normal.

You didn’t suspect that the one outside the room could be a ghost, why were you so sure it was me?”

Everyone in the room was curious and wanted to ask the same question.

Shen Yue smiled, “It’s quite simple.

If it had been anyone else, I wouldn’t have been able to guess.

You’re quite distinctive and that made it easy for me to figure out.”

“Oh?” Tie Zheng still seemed confused.

“Just like you said, you’re older, clearly strong but suffering from rheumatism is inevitable.” Shen Yue clarified, “Back in the 44th floor conference room, I smelled a strong scent of plaster on you.

Did you apply something like a tiger bone rheumatic cream?”

With understanding dawning on him, Tie Zheng said, “So you guessed it was me after catching the scent of the plaster from my body in the room?”