See the Law of Deception

Chapter 161 The House of Evil Spirits (5)

Lu Jinzhao began to think about where he might have been in a fatal situation since entering the platform.

Room?

Those corpses?

Or is it a "taboo" written on the blackboard?
There were too many possibilities, but most importantly, she didn't sense any "danger."

Three days have passed, and this is the first day on the platform. Not even three hours have passed yet. There are a few things that she feels are not right, but Lu Jinzhao really can't determine what it is that makes Yangpi think she is going to die.

She did not intend to be overwhelmed by fear. She might have fallen into the trap of the devil without realizing it, but she did not think she was really doomed.

Both the pocket watch and the shadow puppet gave her extremely powerful life-saving abilities, and Yangpi couldn't possibly be unaware of this, yet it still made such a deal. Lu Jinzhao believes it was intentional.

Sheepskin saw that she had fallen into the ghost's trap. Even though it wouldn't immediately trigger the ghost's attack, he deliberately gave her a "warning" in advance, trying to make her fall into self-doubt and fear, and hasten her death.

The reason I think this way is quite simple: right now, at this very moment, everything is too peaceful.

Lu Jinzhao knew that her intuition had been quite accurate since childhood, and her perception of danger was particularly acute. This was indeed confirmed after she entered the platform. She was always more likely than ordinary people to sense the approach of danger. The aura of ghosts always made her hair stand on end. In the beginning, she would even experience a blank mind due to excessive stimulation caused by her acute perception.

She felt it was somewhat like spider-sense; sometimes, even before the rational mind sensed the approaching danger, the subconscious had already given a warning.

But now, Lu Jinzhao has no such premonition.

Has she become so complacent that she doesn't even realize death is approaching?

Lu Jinchao absolutely does not think so.

She tended to think of her current situation as more like a butterfly caught in a spider web. The ghost had somehow sensed her, and she had indeed discovered some strange clues, just like those transparent but real spider silks. However, the ghost had not yet launched an attack, and she still had room to struggle and break free of the web.

The sheepskin was trying to make her start struggling prematurely, to exhaust her "strength".

Back in the room, Lu Jinzhao lifted several white sheets and, looking at the corpse that was unchanged from before, began to quickly analyze the known clues in his mind.

What made Lu Jinzhao feel uneasy most were the three corpses in the room.

Secondly, there are the prohibitions on the blackboard in the corridor. Could something so similar to "ghostly taboos" appearing on the platform just be a smokescreen or something insignificant?
Then, we see the current state of the entire apartment building: abandoned floors, the third floor with its doors tightly shut, the room layout the train assigned to them, and the things in the other people's rooms.

Finally, there are her teammates.

There's something clearly hidden; the teammate has some ulterior motive.

What are the key factors that Yangpi believes have led her into a dead end?

Or perhaps both?
"If I have already broken a taboo against demons, what could it be?"

Did the tenant leave their room?

Like in "Out of Control"?

She thought of the "out-of-control" platform back then.

However, the name of that platform alone is a hint, and the waiting information clearly states that "if the ritual goes wrong, the evil forces in the village will get out of control."

In contrast, this platform is named "House of Evil Spirits," and every word in the waiting information is related to "apartment": "A haunted apartment building," "You entered this apartment building, and then strange things began to happen," and the prohibitions state "You cannot leave the apartment building," and the phrase "Leave the apartment building alive" all indicate that the problem lies with the entire apartment building, not just a single room.

But the word "home" made Lu Jinzhao somewhat hesitant. Could an entire apartment building be called "home"?

She felt it couldn't be, because other people would live in the apartment, and "home" should refer to the room that belongs only to oneself, right?

"So, both the home and the apartment have problems, and they are different problems?"

If you can't figure it out, try looking at it from a different angle; it might just give you the answer. The apartment has problems, and the room has problems, and they are different problems.

Will I die if I step into the apartment?

Not necessarily. After all, when they got off the bus, it was in a safe area, but this mission requires them to enter the apartment, so the situation is different.

Will I die if I leave the room?

Not necessarily, because this apartment building has a public restroom, which means that the tenants here will naturally leave their rooms to go to the public areas for physiological reasons, and her identity is "tenant".

After much thought, Lu Jinzhao still felt that there was a lack of clues.

Is there anything she hasn't discovered yet?

Death was already knocking at her door, and she still couldn't figure out where it was coming from.

"No rush, isn't it supposed to be haunted?"

"hold on."

The "strange things" in the waiting information might bring danger, but they might also bring clues. Lu Jinzhao decided to stay calm, not be influenced by Yangpi's words, and be prepared to observe the situation.

The room smelled unpleasant, but fortunately, Lu Jinzhao was already used to the stench and rotting smell of corpses. Even though it was nauseating, she could stay in the same room with these corpses without changing her expression.

Night fell quickly, and as she had expected, even though the sheepskin offered a deal, danger did not immediately follow.

Even though the incandescent bulbs in the room were nearing the end of their lifespan, they still dutifully provided illumination, and the sudden power outage that Lu Jinzhao had predicted did not occur.

But she did not let her guard down because of this.

Time passed slowly, and she simply sat on the edge of the mattress, waiting for something to happen.

As 2 a.m. approached, Lu Jinzhao finally got what she wanted.

In the quiet corridor, faint sounds could be heard, very soft and indistinct, not like the sound of people walking, but more like something sliding on the floor.

Then, the sound stopped at her doorway.

——Knock knock

There was a gentle knock on the door.

It's located very low, at the very bottom.

It was as if someone was crouching outside her door, trying to peek inside through the bottom crack, and gently knocking on her door in a contorted posture.

Lu Jinzhao didn't move, but quietly looked at the three corpses inside the room.

The body remained unchanged.

A voice came from outside the door: "Little Deer, open the door, it's Autumn."

Lu Jinzhao did not respond.

The object outside waited a while, then knocked on the door again, and a voice came softly: "Little Deer, open the door, it's Aunt Duan."

A hint of absurdity flickered in Lu Jinzhao's eyes. This thing didn't even make a sound of "leaving" and then "returning," it just changed its name and continued to knock on the door?
Half a minute later, seeing that she still did not move, another sound came.

"Little Deer, open the door, it's me, Tan Meng."

(End of this chapter)