“Room 512 is occupied by an old woman, whom A-Zhe had never met. She looked to be about 80 years old.”

“The old woman just stood behind the door, with no intention of coming out. After a long while, A-Zhe saw her sigh, as if she wanted to close the door and go back inside.”

“But for some reason, the door closed halfway and then opened again. She stood there for a while, and finally, as if having made up her mind, she beckoned A-Zhe to come over.”

“The old woman looked very kind and gave people a sense of peace. A-Zhe trusted her immediately.”

“She let A-Zhe into the living room and told him not to blame the neighbors for being cold; they were just scared.”

“She also told A-Zhe that many people had seen what he saw last night.”

“But when A-Zhe pressed her to ask what it was, the old woman hesitated. She shook her head and said she didn’t know either.”

“However, the old woman reminded him that the thing rarely appeared. The last time it showed itself was 10 years ago, but whenever it appeared, it would bring misfortune.”

“If it set its sights on a family, terrible things would happen to that family.”

“Hearing this, A-Zhe, who had originally held onto a glimmer of hope, thinking the thing was just passing by and didn’t intend to do anything to him or his son...”

“But as soon as the old woman heard about A-Zhe's son, her face changed drastically, and she insisted on seeing him.”

“A-Zhe didn't dare to delay and took her to his front door. But before he could take out the key, the old woman sighed and said there was no need to see him; the thing had already set its sights on his son.”

“A-Zhe was terrified and hurriedly asked if she might be mistaken, but the old woman smiled bitterly and didn't explain anything, only pointing to a spot on the door for him to see for himself.”

“Right next to the peephole, there was a clear handprint, as if someone had been peering into his house.”

“It was a right hand, a very large hand, bigger than that of an average adult, and the fingers were also very long.”

“Almost one and a half times the length of a normal person’s.”

“A-Zhe's face turned pale at the sight. He immediately opened the door, pulled his child out, and, in front of the old woman, made him tell the whole story in detail.”

“But he didn’t expect that there was something even more terrifying waiting for him.”

“That thing had actually spoken to his son!”

“It said it liked A-Zhe's son's eyes very much and wanted him to dig them out and give them to it.”

“A-Zhe was stunned. The old woman stepped from behind A-Zhe to his son’s front in one stride and began to examine the child’s head without saying a word.”

“Suddenly, the old woman's expression changed. Then, she took a deep breath, had the child turn around, and signaled A-Zhe to look.”

“Parting the hair, there was a handprint on the child’s scalp, identical to the one outside the door!”

“Five dark black finger marks were imprinted into the skin, as if someone wanted to tear the child's scalp off.”

“Even if A-Zhe was slow-witted, he knew the old woman must know something, so he knelt down and begged the old woman to show his child a way out.”

“He only had this one child, and he would do anything for him!”

“The old woman helped him up, a trace of pity appearing in her eyes as she looked at the child. She told A-Zhe to take his child to a place called Luoxia Slope and find a man named Liu Genfu there. If he was willing to help, perhaps the child could be saved.”

“After getting the address, A-Zhe didn't dare to delay for a moment and drove off with his child.”

“On the way, he called a well-connected friend and asked him to help check if anything had happened in his building before.”

“After all, the place was remote and he wasn’t familiar with the road. Despite rushing, they didn’t arrive until dusk.”

“But when A-Zhe approached with his child, he realized that this was actually a cemetery, and it was very dilapidated, as if no one had visited for a long time.”

“The further in he went, the more panicked A-Zhe became. It didn’t look like anyone lived here at all.”

“Along the way, he saw many tombstones overturned, and many more were covered by waist-high weeds, revealing only a cold corner.”

“Just when he was wondering if he had come to the wrong place, suddenly, a voice sounded behind him, asking who he was and what he was doing here so late.”

“A-Zhe was scared half to death by the sudden sound. He turned around and saw a burly man. The man was dressed very strangely, wearing a straw hat with black sunglasses underneath.”

“A-Zhe quickly explained that he was there to find a man named Liu Genfu for help, and asked if the man knew where Liu Genfu lived.”

“Hearing this, the man turned around and signaled A-Zhe to follow him.”

“The man led them around in circles until the sun had completely set before they arrived at an inconspicuous mound.”

“In the empty cemetery, there were only three living people, which was terrifying to think about.”

“The man pointed to a black tombstone, half-hidden in the weeds, and said, 'This is Liu Genfu's grave. What do you need him for?'”

“Liu Genfu is dead? Hearing this news, A-Zhe couldn't help but feel despair. Wouldn't his child be beyond saving then?”

“Just then, A-Zhe's phone suddenly rang. It was his friend, who said he had found out that something had indeed happened in his building, but not recently, 10 years ago.”

“10 years ago, a man died in that building. He was a caregiver, hired by the community to take care of an elderly person.”

“The old woman had poor eyesight and was almost blind. At first, everything was normal, but no one expected that this old woman had psychological problems, believing that eating something would supplement that same part in your own body. So she frantically bought animal eyes to eat.”

“At first, it was common things like fish and chicken, but later it developed into large livestock such as cattle, sheep, and pigs. Finally, she set her sights on the caregiver who was taking care of her.”

“One night, she pretended to be unwell and called the caregiver to her house, then persuaded him to drink water mixed with sleeping pills.”

“Oh, right, that old woman lived in room 512 on the same floor as you, but she died not long after.

“She died strangely, starving to death at home. When she was found, she was curled up in the innermost corner of the bedroom, with a very strange expression, as if she was afraid of something.”

“I also found the name of that male caregiver. He was called Liu Genfu. After his death, he was buried in the cemetery on the mountain north of the city.”

“Before A-Zhe could recover from the shock, he felt someone tugging at his sleeve, a small movement, as if worried about being discovered. He lowered his head and saw it was his son.”

“But at this moment, his son's face had become strange, his eyes staring straight at the gravedigger not far away, asking in a puzzled tone, 'Dad, why is the uncle from last night here too?'”