Chapter 696: Master Hou Madam Went To the Sky Bridge Again To Set Up a Stall
Chapter 696: Devouring in the Darkness – Who is Swallowing Lives?
Xicheng
In an old building, within a narrow corridor, dim and yellow lights were constantly flickering, making the already gloomy atmosphere even more eerie.
Su Wang, Shen Ran, and Li Zilan were accustomed to this. They ascended the stairs with tired bodies.
Walking behind the two of them, Li Zilan complained in a low voice, "Why do I feel like it's unusually cold today? There's a creepy feeling."
As she spoke, she rubbed her arms and even through her clothes, she could feel the goosebumps rising on her skin.
Su Wang also felt that something was off.
He wasn't sure if it was the weather or just his imagination playing tricks on him.
Upon hearing Li Zilan's words, he felt the hair on his body stand on end. "Just shut up!"
Li Zilan protested, "I'm serious, don't you feel it too?"
Su Wang stubbornly replied, "No!"
While the two were talking, Shen Ran remained silent the whole time, creating an even more somber atmosphere.
Li Zilan looked up at Shen Ran, and that single glance caused her face to change drastically.
The dim yellow light above flickered again, and she stood in place, her eyes filled with terror fixed on Shen Ran's shoulder.
"Ran Zi!"
Her voice broke, as if greatly frightened.
"Good heavens! Are you trying to frighten me to death?!"
Su Wang, startled by her shout, felt a shiver down his spine.
Shen Ran remained unaware, continuing to move forward.
As he passed by Su Wang and Li Zilan, Su Wang also noticed something strange.
The light above their heads suddenly went out.
The three of them found themselves in darkness, and their breathing became lighter.
Li Zilan, nervous and afraid, walked over to Su Wang's side, clutching his clothes as her voice trembled, "Did you see that? There's blood on Ran Zi's shoulder."
"Drip... Drip..."
The sound of dripping water filled the air, and the pungent smell of blood permeated the space.
In the darkness, Su Wang's mouth was slightly open, and his body became stiff.
He saw not just bloodstains, but also the charred hand resting on Shen Ran's shoulder.
Shen Ran's footsteps continued as he climbed the stairs.
His steady footsteps echoed clearly in the ears of Su Wang and Li Zilan.
Suddenly, Su Wang shouted, "Shen Ran!"
The footsteps going upstairs didn't stop, continuing as if they hadn't heard the call from behind.
"Tap... Tap..."
The footsteps grew heavier.
Soon, they faded, followed by the sound of a door opening.
Anxious, Su Wang swallowed hard and hurriedly followed.
Li Zilan was tugged along, almost stumbling on the stairs due to his sudden movement.
Steadying herself, she also rushed after him.
Having lived there for some time, they could find their way even in the darkness.
Su Wang and Li Zilan stood outside the door on the fourth floor, gazing at the open door. Both of them had fine sweat on their foreheads.
Li Zilan tentatively asked, "Is Ran Zi injured?"
Even though the likelihood was low, she hoped that Shen Ran was just injured, not involved in something too complicated.
Su Wang saw clearly that Shen Ran had more than just blood on him; there was also a chilling hand.
Realizing that the situation was far from simple, he clenched his lips and mustered the courage to enter the house.
In the cluttered living room, there was no sign of Shen Ran.
Su Wang shouted loudly, "Shen Ran, come out!"
"What's going on?"
Shen Ran emerged from the bathroom, furrowing his brow and looking impatient, as if he hadn't heard the commotion outside.
In the well-lit room, his refined appearance became clearer, hands still wet, and his clothes clean, without any abnormalities.
Su Wang walked up to Shen Ran, his hand reaching to touch his shoulder.
It was clean, without blood, and there was no puppet hand that he had seen earlier.
Relief washed over him, and he embraced Shen Ran's shoulder tightly. "You scared me..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Su Wang's eyes widened in shock, his gaze fixed on the bathroom.
The sight of the bloody mess, nauseating and horrifying, made Su Wang's face pale.
His heartbeat raced, and his whole body trembled, a feeling of dread creeping up his throat.
The overwhelming smell of blood filled the air, causing Su Wang's fingers to tremble as he clung to Shen Ran's hand.
He lowered his voice and exclaimed, "Li Zilan, run!"
Li Zilan, perhaps more sensitive to danger, had been standing far away from them all this time.
Hearing Su Wang's heightened voice, she reacted quickly, turning around to run out.
Su Wang forcefully pulled Shen Ran's arm and turned to run out as well.
"Bang!"
As Li Zilan was about to leave through the door, the door slammed shut on its own.
A cold wind blew through, and the suffocating atmosphere became even more oppressive.
The light on the ceiling flickered, its frequency unusually intense.
"Crack!"
The light bulb, covered in oil stains, shattered with a crack.
Glass shards flew in all directions.
Su Wang felt a shard graze his cheek, and he and Li Zilan were caught off guard, holding their breath.
Shen Ran, whom Su Wang had been pulling along, finally reacted.
He shook off his friend's grip and turned mechanically, heading towards the bathroom.
"Shen Ran, where are you going?"
No one paid attention to Su Wang's question. In the silent house, Shen Ran's footsteps were all that could be heard.
Li Zilan's scalp tingled, and her body was consumed by a chilling fear.
She stood rooted in place, unable to move, feeling as if there were monsters and demons lurking all around.
"S-Su Wang, Shen Ran, I'm so scared!" A quivering voice echoed in the quiet space.
Su Wang didn't dare to move either, fixating on the direction where he knew Li Zilan was. He spoke in a low, steady voice, "Zi Lan, come over here."
"I... I can't move." Li Zilan was on the verge of tears, her legs numb, rendering her immobile.
Gritting his teeth, Su Wang fought to suppress his trembling body, fumbling his way to Li Zilan.
He took hold of her hand, both of their palms sweaty. It was hard to distinguish whose sweat it was.
"Crunch... Crunch..."
Eerie chewing sounds reached their ears, and Su Wang and Li Zilan looked in the direction of the sound.
They knew it was coming from the bathroom.
The crunching eating sounds made their scalps tingle, and they couldn't even dare to breathe.
Shen Ran wasn't acting normal, and Su Wang's instincts told him that it was dangerous to go over right now.
He quivered as he said, "Zi Lan, let's retreat for now."
Leaving was the best option.
As for Shen Ran, he'd deal with him after leaving this place.
Li Zilan protested, "But what about Ran Zi?"
"We can't worry about him right now, let's go!"
Su Wang's survival instinct took over, and he pulled Li Zilan towards the door.
The door was just a few steps away from them.
Su Wang's hand on the doorknob felt sticky.
The sensation and the lingering smell of blood on his hand gave him a bad feeling.
With a strong grip, Su Wang tried to pull open the door.
He expected it to take some effort, but to his surprise, a little force was all it took to swing the door open.
Su Wang's face lit up, thinking about Shen Ran who was still inside. He turned to look at Li Zilan.
In the dim light outside the door, he could see her blurry features.
He didn't need to see clearly to know that she was probably pale with fear.
His thoughts flashed in an instant.
Su Wang suddenly pushed Li Zilan out the door.
Biting his teeth, he shouted, "Go get help, I'll find Ran Zi!"
Li Zilan, pushed outside the door, stood stunned.
She watched the door being forcefully closed in front of her, the eyes of Su Wang fixed on her as he did so.
Li Zilan stood frozen for a moment, but in just a few seconds, she turned around and rushed downstairs.
As she ran downstairs, she could clearly hear a piercing scream from above.
Her body trembling, she almost stumbled as she rushed downstairs. Her panicked footsteps echoed in the corridor.
...
At the entrance of West City, several luxurious cars drove in.
On the way, Qin Ruan learned from Lan An about Su Wang and the others being entangled by evil spirits.
Because of this, she had been anxious the entire way.
Qin Ruan had brought both Hou Qiang and Lin Hao along this time. Behind them, in the car, sat Hou Zhi, along with more than ten hidden guards from the Hou family.
Lan An, who had been in front, pointed the way for Hou Qiang. "Turn left here."
Upon hearing that, Hou Qiang adjusted the steering wheel and turned left as directed.
Lan An could follow the scent coming from Su Wang, Li Zilan, and Shen Ran to find out where they were.
In fact, he hadn't expected those three to be valued by Qin Ruan.
Their connection to Qin Ruan was faint, leading him to believe they weren't close.
That was also the reason why they hadn't been helped when they were entangled by evil spirits.
Seeing that Qin Ruan was worried, Lan An regretted not intervening sooner.
He continued to guide Hou Qiang.
After driving for about ten minutes, they finally reached their destination.
The luxurious car parked under a dilapidated building.
Under the dim yellow streetlights, Qin Ruan and the others in the car saw a figure rushing out from the entrance of the building.
Having known Li Zilan for years, Qin Ruan wouldn't mistake her figure.
She pushed open the car door and got out. However, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her abdomen.
Cradling her belly, she instinctively bent over.
"My lady!"
Seeing Qin Ruan in pain, Hou Qiang quickly got out of the car and rushed to her side.
He held onto her arm for support, his face showing shock and worry.
Qin Ruan held onto his strong arm, her nails digging into his skin as she endured the pain, her exquisite face contorted in agony.
"I... sudden... cramp."
Lin Hao and Lan An, seeing something was off with Qin Ruan, rushed down from the car as well.
The three men surrounded Qin Ruan, all of them tense and alarmed.
Ling Feng, standing next to the car, kept her calm gaze fixed on Qin Ruan.
Her icy face revealed no emotions, only a detached calmness.
Li Zilan, running down the stairs like a madwoman, didn't know who to find for help.
From a distance, she saw Qin Ruan standing by the car. "Qin Ruan!"
She rushed over in a hurry. "Why did you come?!"
Her voice was anxious, terrified, and trembling with a mix of emotions.
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