Chapter 14 The Abandoned

The elevator descended smoothly, and everyone's hearts eased slightly the moment the doors opened. At least Xia Qiang and Li Mengyao weren't standing outside as they had imagined, nor was it some incomprehensible space.

It was the first floor, alright. In Jiang Cheng's memory, as long as they walked out of the elevator and turned the corner, they would see the first floor lobby and the door that represented their escape.

The lamp in his hand emitted a faint glow, providing them with some comfort in this environment.

But strangely, the elevator was eerily quiet, with only faint and rapid breaths audible.

Jiang Cheng stood at the front, not moving, and no one behind him dared to move either.

What was holding Jiang Cheng back was Fatty.

He held the lamp in one hand and reached out with the other to gently pinch Jiang Cheng's shoulder. Jiang Cheng's body trembled obediently, and he nodded without turning his head.

Clearly, Wang Fugui had noticed something, and it was very close to them, so close that he was using actions rather than words to warn them.

Zhou Tong and Yuan Xiaotian held their breath, their eyes fixed on the outside of the elevator. Not far away, gray mist filled the air, and the shadows within looked unsettling.

"Is there something in the mist?" Yuan Xiaotian swallowed hard, thinking to himself, "Is it Brother Qiang, or Li Mengyao, or is it… is the killer back?"

But none of those possibilities seemed to explain the current situation. What were they doing, stuck in the elevator like this?

The space was cramped here, and if something really happened, they wouldn't be able to move freely. They needed to get out first.

"Drip."

A crisp sound of water droplets came from nearby, and Feng Jie frowned.

He saw a drop of liquid sliding down the wall above the elevator door and shattering on the ground.

It was blood!

He immediately realized what it was, looked up, and stared nervously at the area above the elevator door frame.

Then, a chilling scene unfolded before everyone's eyes. A hand slowly reached out from above the elevator door, its five bloody fingers spreading open one by one and gripping the edge of the door frame. Then, another hand followed.

Moments later, under Lin Muwan's almost frozen gaze, half a blood-stained face peeked out from above the door frame.

It was Xia Qiang's face!

His face was contorted, and blood was constantly flowing from the corners of his eyes.

At that moment, everyone imagined a terrifying scene: Xia Qiang, with only half his body remaining, was hanging upside down on the wall outside the elevator, clinging tightly to it, waiting to attack them.

Fatty raised the lamp and waved it violently towards Xia Qiang. The moment the green light touched him, it was as if he had been burned, and Xia Qiang immediately retracted half his face and hands. A rapid scratching sound echoed from outside, moving away from them.

Xia Qiang was crawling away along the wall.

Without delay, everyone huddled together and began moving as quickly as possible towards the location of the door they remembered.

Feng Jie had Yuan Xiaotian carry Huai Yi on his back, while he covered them from the side. Fresh blood flowed continuously from the broken wound, leaving a mottled trail on the ground.

Unseen by them, a figure was taking strange steps, following the dripping blood, chasing after them.

"Thump."

"Thump."

…

The heavy and dragging footsteps created a suffocating sense of oppression.

"Found it!" Yuan Xiaotian almost cried out when he saw the glass door in front of him. The emotions that had been building up for so long were finally released. Fortunately, it had all been worth it.

Their choice… had been successful.

They had completed their mission. The target individuals, Lin Muyun and Lin Muwan, were safe, and they had also rescued Brother Qiang and Mengyao. This time, everyone had escaped unscathed.

In a mission of this difficulty, to escape unscathed was almost unimaginable.

It was all thanks to Jiang Cheng and the other two.

Otherwise, not to mention escaping unscathed, they would all have died here, under the killer's giant axe.

There was no time to thank them. This time, the glass door only had a gap wide enough for one person to pass through, which wasn't a good sign. They didn't dare to delay.

Originally, they had planned to let Huai Yi, who was on the verge of death, go out first, but he suddenly reached out, as if he had a sudden burst of energy, and grabbed Jiang Cheng's clothes, refusing to let go.

They had no choice but to send Lin Muwan, who needed support, out first, followed by Lin Muyun.

Hearing the footsteps behind them, Yuan Xiaotian couldn't help but urge, "Hurry up, Mr. Jiang, or you won't be able to get out!" Judging by his position, he clearly wanted Jiang Cheng and the other two to leave first.

Jiang Cheng turned his gaze away from Huai Yi and calmly said to Yuan Xiaotian and the others, "You go first, and remember to take their ID cards."

Zhou Tong couldn't understand what Jiang Cheng and Huai Yi were fussing about. What couldn't wait until they were outside? She was getting anxious, but before she could speak, Feng Jie pulled her back and gave her a look that said, "Don't talk and don't ask questions."

Feng Jie held Zhou Tong back and quickly nodded to Jiang Cheng, "Mr. Jiang, we'll see you outside."

After saying that, he pushed Yuan Xiaotian and Zhou Tong away. He was the last of the three to leave.

Huai Yi was currently on Fatty's back, while the lamp was in Jiang Cheng's hand, although the light was already very weak and would probably go out soon.

Huai Yi clearly had something to say, but he was badly injured. Holding his breath, he opened his mouth and coughed up several mouthfuls of blood. It seemed that he had suffered some serious internal injuries while being dragged away by Xia Qiang.

Fortunately, after coughing up the blood, he was finally able to say a few coherent words. "Jiang… Brother Jiang." He seized the opportunity, forced down a mouthful of blood, and quickly said, "It was the guy hidden in your shadow who lured the killer away, right?"

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If it… if the guy in your shadow really dies in this mission, killed by the killer, and you escape, what… what will happen?" He spoke more and more fluently, and an unusual red color even appeared on his pale cheeks. "According to the rules of this mission, Brother Jiang, you won't die. You might really be able to get rid of it!"

"I've seen the guy in your shadow. It's not something you can control. You'll be devoured by it sooner or later, and you'll die even more miserably and faster than ordinary disciples!"

"The Door is ultimately a curse." Grabbing Jiang Cheng's clothes, Huai Yi said with envy, even jealousy, "Such an opportunity is what so many people dream of…"

Before he could finish speaking, Huai Yi started coughing again. Before he could recover, he felt his grasping fingers being pried open one by one.

"Fatty." After prying open the last finger, Jiang Cheng turned to look at Fatty. "Take him away."

Huai Yi stared at him with wide eyes, his eyes filled with incomprehension. He realized that Jiang Cheng had changed, become strange, at least very different from the man he had just met.

"I can't go back on my promises." Jiang Cheng raised the lamp in his hand and retreated into the mist, not giving the two of them time to react. "It's already been abandoned once, but it's still waiting for me."