When the bearded man and the others returned from checking around, my nerves had finally calmed a little under Xu Shu and Shen Feng's comforting words.
Still shaken, I clutched Suo Tian's sleeve and stammered incoherently, pointing toward the stairs above us.
"T-There's a ghost… a ghost…"
Hearing that, both Xu Shu and Shen Feng froze for a moment, exchanging a quick glance before looking toward the dark stairway above.
Xu Shu frowned slightly and asked in confusion,
"Chen Yang, what are you talking about?"
"The ghost… it was right there—just there!" Seeing the disbelief on their faces, I grew anxious.
Letting go of Suo Tian, I pointed frantically at the staircase leading to the seventh floor.
"You had just gone inside, and I was napping here. Then I heard footsteps and thought you were coming out—but when I looked up, it was standing there! Dressed in black from head to toe, with a face paler than paper! When it saw me, it turned and ran—vanished completely! I swear, I saw it clearly!"
Perhaps my animated gestures made an impression, because as Xu Shu followed my finger and glanced upward, I caught a faint flicker of fear in her eyes.
Seeing that, I froze for a moment—then couldn't help but feel a strange sense of satisfaction.
So Xu Shu was afraid of ghosts too!
Realizing I'd let my thoughts wander, I shook my head sharply and grabbed Suo Tian's sleeve again, saying earnestly, "I really saw it."
Suo Tian patted my back gently, then tilted his head to look up the stairs.
After a few seconds of thought, his gaze fixed on a specific spot above.
He released me, stood up, and walked toward that section of the staircase—right where the white-faced ghost had appeared.
He crouched down as if picking something up, then lifted his head again to peer toward the eighth floor…
"Boss?" the middle-aged man beside him called softly, but Suo Tian raised a hand to silence him.
He gave the bearded man a quick look, gestured a few silent hand signs, then straightened and began climbing toward the eighth floor.
Seeing that, I panicked and jumped up, wanting to stop him—we should leave this place tonight!
But the bearded man caught my arm and pressed me down, shaking his head.
In a rare, quiet tone, he said, "The boss can handle it. We wait here."
I became even more anxious. "How could he possibly handle it? He's good at fighting the walkers, sure—but this isn't something science can explain! That thing was a ghost! How could Suo Tian deal with that? We have to go get him back!"
I tried to stand again, but the bearded man's grip tightened like a vice.
He frowned and said, "Relax. It might not even be a ghost. But even if it is, the boss can handle it."
"He's not a monk! How's he supposed to exorcise a ghost?"
The bearded man's patience snapped.
His eyebrows shot up and he growled, "Say one more damn word and I'll snap your neck myself!"
The middle-aged man patted his shoulder, signaling him to lower his voice.
Shen Feng and Xu Shu quickly spoke up too, "We're all here. Let's just wait and see. If something really happens, we can rush up there in seconds. Don't worry."
I glanced at Shen Feng, then at the bearded man glaring beside me.
Reluctantly, I pursed my lips and fell silent, though I couldn't stop myself from craning my neck toward the upper stairs—but no matter how I strained my eyes, I couldn't see a thing.
With our conversation over, the hallway fell completely silent.
Everyone stood still, their attention fixed on the upper floor.
Time ticked by.
Through the stairwell window, I could see that the sky outside had already turned almost entirely dark.
We'd been inside this building for quite a while, yet there was still no sign of movement above.
Anxiety began to gnaw at me—images from horror films flashing through my mind: ghosts silently creeping up behind people, dragging them away, devouring them without a sound…
The more I imagined, the more uneasy I felt.
Finally, unable to stand it any longer, I decided that no matter what, I had to go up and check on Suo Tian myself.
But just as I was about to move, a sudden burst of heavy, rapid footsteps thundered from the eighth floor above.
The moment the sound appeared, everyone froze.
Those armed immediately clicked their rifles into readiness, and the rest of us instinctively drew our daggers, lifting our heads to stare at the upper floor.
The footsteps were fast—very fast.
Then came a heavy bang—the sound of the eighth-floor door being pushed open and slammed shut.
A second later, the footsteps echoed down the stairwell.
Within moments, that black-clad figure—the one with the deathly pale face and eyeless sockets—appeared before me once again.
Thanks to the earlier shock, my heart still clenched tight, but this time I managed to stay composed.
Xu Shu, however, was utterly terrified.
She gasped, "Ah—!" but before she could scream, Shen Feng clapped a hand over her mouth, muffling the sound into a trembling whimper.
When the white-faced figure turned the corner of the stairs and saw us, its steps faltered for a brief instant.
At that exact moment, Suo Tian suddenly leapt from the staircase above, landing right in front of the pale figure.
Startled, the figure instinctively tried to retreat, but Suo Tian's voice cut sharply through the silence:
"Don't move—if you don't want to die."
He twisted his wrist, and a silver throwing knife gleamed in his grip.
The white-faced person lowered their head slightly, and upon seeing the weapon, trembled and froze in place.
Several of the black-clad gunmen quickly advanced, surrounding the figure in a tight circle.
With several gun barrels aimed directly at their body, the pale figure hesitated for a moment, then slowly raised both hands in surrender.
I glanced at Xu Shu, whose terrified expression hadn't yet faded.
It was now obvious—the "white-faced ghost" wasn't a ghost at all, but a real, living person.
And judging by the fact that they surrendered so sensibly, they still had some measure of sanity left.
Taking a few cautious steps upward, I peered between the black-clad men to get a closer look.
The moment I did, anger almost made me choke.
The terrifying "white face" wasn't a face at all, but an unfinished clown mask!
Xu Shu noticed too, and after a moment of stunned silence, she gave a helpless laugh.
"We were both scared out of our minds… by a mask."
"No kidding," I muttered, half-laughing, half-fuming.
The middle-aged man beside Suo Tian took a step forward, his tone cold.
"Take that thing off your face."
At that, the masked figure hesitated and took a step back—only to have the barrel of a gun jab against their side.
Feeling the threat, they hesitated a while longer before slowly reaching up and removing the mask.
When the face beneath was revealed, both Shen Feng and I froze completely.
Xu Shu and Zhou Wen, puzzled by our reaction, turned to glance at us.
Shen Feng and I locked eyes—both of us filled with disbelief.
Because the person behind that mask was… Zhao Qiuting!
Suo Tian, who clearly didn't know her, remained calm.
Even after she removed the mask, his tone was level as he asked, "Who are you?"
Zhao Qiuting looked at him briefly but didn't answer.
Her gaze shifted to me and Shen Feng instead—her eyes fixed on us, unblinking, emotionless.
Her face was blank, her expression stiff and lifeless, like a puppet's.
Noticing her stare, Suo Tian turned back to glance between Shen Feng and me.
Standing beside me, Shen Feng finally spoke, "How are you here?"
"You know her?" the bearded man asked curiously.
"Yeah," Shen Feng nodded, then turned toward Suo Tian, pointing at Zhao Qiuting.
"She's one of those students from the county school—the ones whose mental state was… off. That's her."
Upon hearing that, Suo Tian raised an eyebrow and turned his gaze back toward Zhao Qiuting.
I hesitated for a moment, subconsciously reaching up to rub my left arm before looking up at Zhao Qiuting, who was still staring blankly at Shen Feng and me.
I asked, "Why are you here? Did Li Jianguo and the others let you out?"
At my question, Zhao Qiuting's vacant expression finally shifted slightly.
Her lips moved a little before she replied in a faint, soft voice, "Dr. Shu Guang took me out with him."
Her words made me jolt.
The moment I heard the name Shu Guang, my heart leapt with hope.
I quickly asked, "Shu Guang? He came out with you? Where is he now?"
"Dead."
She said it instantly—flatly, without the slightest trace of emotion.
Those two calm syllables hit me like a sledgehammer.
I froze completely, staring at her for several long seconds before finally finding my voice again, my tone shaking with disbelief.
"Shu Guang… is dead?"
"Mm."
"How… how could that happen?" I stammered, still refusing to believe her.
"He was bitten. I saw it. Bitten to death."
For the first time, a flicker of terror crossed Zhao Qiuting's otherwise expressionless face.
Maybe my expression was too stricken, because Shen Feng stepped forward and gave my shoulder a firm pat before turning to Zhao Qiuting and asking, "Was there anyone else with you?"
After thinking for a moment, Zhao Qiuting nodded lightly. "Yes."
"Who?"
Zhao Qiuting lifted her head, glancing toward the floor above us.
Then she motioned for Shen Feng and me to follow before turning to head upstairs.
The black-clad men instinctively moved to block her, but Suo Tian signaled for them to stand down.
I still hadn't fully processed the news of Shu Guang's death.
My mind kept replaying his face—his calm voice when he helped me escape from the school.
Moving as if in a trance, I followed the others up the stairs.
Xu Shu, walking beside me, looked as though she wanted to say something, but in the end, she just pressed her lips together and stayed silent.
When we reached the tenth floor, we found several hospital gurneys stacked in front of the door, blocking the way.
Zhao Qiuting stopped in front of them, and a few of the black-clad men stepped forward to push the carts aside.
Once the door was opened, the scene inside looked almost identical to the lower floors—dim, lifeless, and cold.
Zhao Qiuting walked in with that same stiff, hollow expression, her long black coat enveloping her body in such a way that for a moment, it almost looked as if she were floating.
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