Chapter 2, The Corpse

The man's body was grotesquely trapped in the toilet, with almost nothing left but his head, and the smooth floor was covered with still wet bloodstains

Wow ... ... ! ''

Some of the blood handprints are still dripping blood at this moment, clearly indicating that they were just recently imprinted by someone

Xiatian Qi suddenly felt as if he were being watched, a sensation that made him quite uncomfortable

Holding a flashlight, Xia Tianqi finally left the break room. Outside, it was not only dark but also particularly cold

It is well known that women's restrooms do not have urinals, so Zhang Xiaoshun could only push open one door to enter. However, just as he stepped inside, a sudden flushing sound came from the adjacent stall

With such thoughts in mind, Xia Tianqi walked into the third-floor restroom and even lewdly entered the women's toilet

Brother, you must not run out of battery at this moment!

At this moment, the sound of the toilet flushing has vanished, and the women's restroom, engulfed by darkness, is filled with an eerie silence

There is no information about this company available online; in fact, upon careful reflection, he does not recall having submitted a resume to them. (Since there is no information available online, it is naturally impossible to submit a resume.)

He remembers clearly that the sound of the water pump started after he entered, and the blood on the ground had not yet dried, indicating that the murderer had only just left. In other words—he is still in this building

He did not know how long he had been asleep when Xia Tianqi was abruptly awakened by a strong urge to urinate. He instinctively reached for his phone to check the time, but then he suddenly realized something.

In the summer, Qi searched the entire first-floor hall with a flashlight, but not even a trace of a ghost could be found.

That bastard Zhang Xiaoshun must have deliberately set the air conditioning to an exceptionally low temperature

The accounts with Zhang Xiaoshun can only be settled tomorrow

He got up and locked the door to the break room, curling up into a ball on the bed, and soon fell asleep

Xiatianqi did not pay much attention to it either; after plugging in the phone charger, he simply lay back on the bed

Upon arriving, he immediately found a nearby休息间 and walked in, but he was unsure if it was the one mentioned by Zhang Xiaoshun. In any case, he had brought his phone charger with him and simply wanted to find a power strip to plug it in

The thought of being in the same building as that murderer, and possibly on the same floor, instantly drenched Xia Tianqi in cold sweat

Xiatianqi wore a sly smile on his face, and he was determined to work hard in order to strive for early confirmation of his position

Fortunately, such a terrible situation not only did not occur, but he also found a job that he was very satisfied with

I just do not understand why that feeling of being watched has not yet dissipated

Upon exiting, the external environment was completely dark, just as he had seen through the crack of the door before.

However, it is quite strange; if that man were still inside the small door, there should at least be some sound coming out, but in fact... there is none

The current society is indeed so realistic, where the bold thrive while the timid perish

It is as if Zhang Xiaoshun is not here at all

I tried, but the phone still won't turn on. I don't know if it's because the battery is completely drained or if... it is already broken

Upon hearing the sound of flushing, Xia Tianqi's face immediately turned pale, for this indicated that the women's restroom was occupied

Xia Tianqi spat on the ground with great force, then yanked open the door to the break room and stormed out in a huff

A few days later, when he drives home in his Audi, his parents will surely be astonished and speechless upon seeing him

Could it be that there is some unspeakable conspiracy involved here

He quickly closed the door, then crouched down silently with his mouth covered, wanting to use the light of the flashlight to see whether the person next door was a woman or not, by distinguishing between male and female from the shoes.

After holding his breath for a while, Xia Tianqi discovered that there was no sound coming from outside the door, which relieved him greatly. He got off the bed and planned to go to the bathroom to relieve himself

A gap of approximately seven to eight centimeters is exposed, continuously allowing the darkness from the outside to seep in

Of course, he also has the worst-case scenario in mind; if he truly cannot find a job, he will learn to become a yin-yang master from his grandfather

At this moment, Xia Tianqi gripped the flashlight tightly. Although he could not compare to some prominent figures, he believed that his fighting skills were quite good, having accumulated years of practical experience from elementary school to the present.

Once again on the second floor, Xia Tianqi began to "search" each of the restrooms, yet still found nothing.

Then ... he saw a man lying inside.

Xiatianqi originally intended to call his parents to share the good news of his job acquisition, hoping to put their minds at ease. Since his graduation in his junior year, his parents had been quite worried about his employment situation, which had inadvertently placed a significant amount of pressure on him

While rummaging through the cabinet, Xia Tianqi unexpectedly found a flashlight. He tested it and discovered that it was functional, although not very bright. However, in such an environment, having it was better than nothing; without the flashlight, he would probably struggle to even find the bathroom

As for why the door to the break room was opened, it is likely that Zhang Xiaoshun used a key to open it from the outside, after all, he has been here for many years and it is not surprising that he possesses the keys to various break rooms

Due to the phone being unable to turn on, Xia Tianqi currently has no idea of the time. Seeing how dark it is outside, he hesitated for a moment and returned to the break room, intending to search inside to see if he could find a flashlight

Breathless after climbing to the third floor, Xia Tianqi was somewhat surprised to find that the flashlight he was holding had begun to flicker.

This matter is simply exhilarating to think about; however, I cannot tell them for now, as I must keep it to surprise them later

Searching through two floors in succession was quite exhausting for Xia Tianqi. However, no matter how loudly he called out during the process, there was no response from Zhang Xiaoshun.

Ahーー ! ''

Recalling that he had not found Zhang Xiaoshun, Xia Tianqi could not help but begin to indulge in wild thoughts

Dead ... ... someone has died ... ... !

Is that you, Zhang Xiaoshun

After the scream, when Xia Tianqi shone the flashlight again, he found that the face had already disappeared, yet the sound of the water pump still persisted

In the summer, Qi thought that the lights in the main hall outside must have been turned off by Zhang Xiaoshun, otherwise he would not be able to see anything at all

However, there is one thing he must admit, which is that this company is quite mysterious

This bastard must not want to see me lying here comfortably asleep, which is why he is pulling this ghostly trick to scare me!

Then, a series of footsteps gradually receding came from outside the door

One thing that Xia Tianqi is certain of is that the man inside has not left. His attention has been highly focused on the adjacent room, yet he did not hear the sound of anyone pushing the door to leave

After quickly putting on his pants, Xia Tianqi came out from the small door. He originally intended to hurry downstairs and leave, but for some inexplicable reason, his body found itself outside the small door of the adjacent room

Xiatianqi was pleasantly surprised to find a single bed, and the power strip was conveniently located right next to the bed, allowing him to lie down and play on his phone.

With some difficulty, he swallowed his saliva. Xia Tianqi did not care whether there were people inside or who they were; he simply kicked the small door.

Xiatianqi did not pay much attention and continued walking towards the door, but just as he was about to reach the door, he heard the door of the break room slam shut with a "bang"!

He discovered that each small door of the restroom was marked with a large blood handprint

The head abruptly turned towards the door

Xia Tianqi became increasingly angry. He temporarily set aside the matter of using the restroom and directly went down the stairs, returning to the first floor.

Has Zhang Xiaoshun also been killed?

Xiatianqi had often come here to buy books in the past, so he was quite familiar with Xinhua Bookstore and quickly made his way to the second floor

Although Zhang Xiaoshun was not found on the first floor, Xia Tianqi did not give up. This is how he is; he insists on seeing things through from beginning to end

The first floor was equally dark, as Xia Tianqi shouted at Zhang Xiaoshun in an unfriendly tone while shining a flashlight around.

It is evident that Zhang Xiaoshun is not on the first floor

Shaking it vigorously, the flashlight continued to flicker incessantly, causing the surroundings ahead to become increasingly indistinct.

In the summer, Qi ran to the door of one of the compartments, suddenly pushed the door open and glanced inside, only to be greatly startled, for there lay a corpse within.

Before Xia Tianqi found the switch, he had not located it, so once the flashlight became unusable, he would immediately turn into a "blind person". This forced him to compromise, quickly find a restroom to relieve himself, and then immediately return to the lounge on the second floor

It is simply a matter of being on duty at night and opening the door during the day

Zhang Xiaoshun! Are you there!

The middle-aged man who interviewed him also displayed no professionalism whatsoever. Furthermore, no company would be foolish enough to pay someone 20,000 yuan a month just to work as a bookstore clerk

Xiatianqi decided to take a nap first, and then go down to change to a shift with Xiaoshun. After all, it was he who was required to be on duty here at night. Of course, the middle-aged man did not stipulate that he could not sleep.

Then! ... he saw ... ! ... a face that was looking at him in the same way! ! !

Zhang Xiaoshun, this bastard

The sound of the water being pumped continued to echo, as Xia Tianqi squatted anxiously on the ground, peering through the gap below to look into the adjacent room

Xiatianqi was startled and let out a loud scream, not only because that face appeared so suddenly, but more so because...! ... he had never seen that face before!

The break room, as the name suggests, is specifically designated for bookstore employees to rest. Although it is not large, it is fully equipped with everything necessary.

The door to the lounge ... ! ... unexpectedly opened at some point without my knowledge !

Is it upstairs

Who the hell is next door

At this thought, Xia Tianqi shook his head vigorously, reflecting that when soldiers come, one must block them; when water comes, one must dam it. If one lacks even a bit of courage to take risks, it is likely that life will remain just as it is.

Regardless of whether it is deceitful or not, at least from a single funeral, one can earn at least five to six hundred, and others will have to treat you like a master, complying with whatever you say. His grandfather praised him since childhood for having the potential to work in this line of business. If it weren't for his parents' strong opposition, he might have already gained a reputation by now

Zhang Xiaoshun! I know you are down there, stop playing these tricks on me, come out and clarify things quickly!

This is merely a female corpse

Subsequently, Xia Tianqi pushed open the small doors of several other compartments in succession, only to discover...! ... that each compartment contained a bloodied corpse!

It must be said that the sudden closing of the door startled Xia Tianqi, and it also completely ignited his anger. Strictly speaking, he did not have a very good temper.

Xiatian Qi felt that he was not mistaken; just now, someone was indeed peering at him through the crack of the door

That is the face of a man

After all, the employment and unemployment rates of current university students are evident, even those outstanding students from prestigious universities are struggling to find jobs, let alone students from ordinary universities like him

In the entire bookstore building, there were only he and Zhang Xiaoshun present; he was sleeping inside, so the one who had just been hiding behind the door to peek could only be Zhang Xiaoshun

Xia Tianqi instinctively wanted to scream, but reason forcibly kept him silent

Xiatianqi forcefully punched the door panel of the compartment, and there was no doubt that he was genuinely frightened. However, there was no response coming from the adjacent room.

I don't want to think anymore, I want to sleep

During this process, he made an even more shocking discovery