All Realms and Worlds: The Lost Home

The survivors ahead, oblivious to anything amiss, continued their hushed conversation and hurried toward the building.

"Hurry up, everyone! Don't dawdle! The sooner we get inside, the safer we'll be!"

"That battle just now was so loud; it definitely alerted the entire area within a hundred meters!"

"Luckily, those two big shots fought back with all their might, otherwise we would all be dead here today!"

"It was terrifying! I watched someone's spine being pulled out alive, and my legs are still shaking!"

The sounds of conversation, footsteps, and panting from the crowd perfectly masked the eerie noise coming from the corner.

No one turned around, no one noticed, but a deadly and bizarre change was quietly brewing behind the ranks.

The little girl holding the balloon, her originally innocent and naive eyes, instantly changed!

The innocence, curiosity, and timidity in her eyes faded rapidly at a visible speed.

Instead, there was a void of darkness, and a strange upward arc, just like the balloon.

A wisp of cold, dark energy rapidly seeped into her skin, blood vessels, and meridians, following her fingertips and palms.

The little girl's facial muscles stiffened and twitched uncontrollably, and the corners of her mouth slowly and gradually turned upwards.

It wasn't a child's happy smile, but a mechanical, stiff, eerie, and sinister grin!

The curvature is getting larger and more exaggerated, far exceeding the normal limits of human facial muscles!

It looks bizarre and deformed, making your scalp tingle and your back go cold!

Jie Jie...

A faint, eerie laugh escaped from deep within the little girl's throat, low and chilling.

She stood still, holding the balloon, motionless, her eyes vacant, her smile twisted.

The air temperature around me dropped quietly, and a chill spread silently, enveloping me.

In less than three seconds, an innocent and naive little girl was completely corrupted by the eerie energy of the balloon!

The transformation was completed silently and stealthily!

A moment later, the little girl slowly withdrew her gaze, stiffly turned around, a strange, sinister smile on her face, and silently followed the group ahead.

Their steps were light and unsteady, completely lacking the agility a child should have, like a marionette, mechanical and stiff.

She deliberately slowed down by half a step, always lagging behind the group, her head down, making it impossible to see the strange smile on her face.

The pink balloon in her hand floated silently beside her, and her gaping, ferocious mouth remained in a state of maniacal laughter.

Silently and stealthily, they followed up.

The people in front remained completely unaware.

A group of people quickly arrived at the foot of the dilapidated residential building, and hurried footsteps rang out in a chaotic manner.

"Quick! Get inside! First, into the stairwell!"

The middle-aged man kicked open the half-closed, dilapidated apartment door, the wooden door creaking and groaning with a harsh, rusty sound.

The voice was hoarse and shrill, piercing the deathly silence of the street and making one's teeth ache.

As people poured into the dimly lit stairwell, the light instantly dimmed, and a chilly, damp atmosphere swept over them.

The stairwell was covered in dust and cobwebs, the walls were peeling and mottled, and the air was filled with a mixture of musty, earthy, and faint smells of blood.

"Close the door immediately! Block the entrance! Prevent the strange creature from rushing in!"

Someone immediately reacted, quickly stepped forward, moved the discarded bricks from the side of the corridor, and used them to firmly block the wooden door.

The heavy bricks slammed against the door frame with a dull thud, temporarily blocking the entrance.

After doing all this, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief, slumped against the cold wall, and gasped for breath.

"That scared me to death... I'm finally safe for now..."

"For a moment just now, I truly thought I was going to die. That eggplant ghost was terrifying!"

"We really owe it all to these two big shots. If it weren't for their desperate counterattack, none of us would have survived!"

All eyes were once again focused on Ning Ye, who was completely exhausted, and the girl in the yoga outfit, filled with gratitude and admiration.

At this moment, Ning Ye leaned against the wall, breathing slightly, his strength slightly restored.

He managed to speak, his voice weak and hoarse: "Everyone, don't relax... this place is only safe for now..."

"There is no absolutely safe place in the Ghost City, and the threat of the balloons from Rule Three is always there."

The girl with glasses nodded quickly and said solemnly, "I remember it clearly! Rule three clearly states, 'Watch out for the laughing balloons!'"

"We were so focused on escaping our pursuers that we almost forgot this fatal rule!"

"Everyone, quickly check each other! Don't touch any balloons on your person or around you!"

Everyone immediately became alert, raising their hands to check themselves and then glancing at the people around them.

"I don't have any here!"

"I didn't see any balloons either!"

"The hallway was spotless; there wasn't a trace of balloons!"

After a thorough inspection, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, confirming that there were no balloons threatening the stairwell.

Someone immediately relaxed and said with a smile, "It seems we were overthinking it. The balloon was just drifting in the distance and didn't follow us."

"The clown puppet must have been intimidated by our earlier fight and didn't dare to approach easily."

The girl in yoga clothes leaned against the wall, and after a long while, she finally regained a bit of strength and slowly spoke to remind him:

"Everyone must not take chances."

"The strange rules of the Ghost City are best known for their disguise and ambush tactics. The safer the place seems, the more likely something bad will happen."

"Moreover, the rule of sensory deception remains in effect; our eyes and ears cannot be trusted!"

"No one knows whether the peace we see is an illusion created by the ghost city!"

Her words instantly made everyone tense up again, even though they had just relaxed.

"The young lady is right! We can't be careless!"

"That man in the suit was too arrogant; he didn't believe in the rules or the dangers, and in the end, he met a tragic end!"

"We must be cautious, stick to our bottom line, and absolutely not touch any strange items!"

Everyone echoed this sentiment, remaining vigilant and constantly scanning the dark corners of the corridor.

No one noticed that in the shadows at the very back of the line, the little girl in the floral dress was still keeping her head down.

She stood quietly at the end of the crowd, the shadows around her seemingly particularly thick, half-concealing her small face.

No one saw that the exaggerated, stiff, eerie smile on her lips never disappeared for even a moment.

Unseen by anyone, the pink balloon floating beside her, with its gaping, menacing mouth, swayed slowly, facing the unsuspecting crowd.

Wisps of black gas kept escaping from the balloon's opening, silently dissipating into the air of the corridor.

Hehe... Hehehe...

The faint, eerie laughter still lingered, perfectly masked by the chatter of the crowd, continuing to permeate the entire building.

Ning Ye, slightly out of breath, forced himself to review the situation and said in a deep voice to everyone:

"Next, we'll divide up the duties and take turns on duty."

"This lady and I are temporarily exhausted and unable to stand guard. We'll have to trouble everyone to take turns guarding the entrance to the building and the stairwell."

"If you notice anything unusual—whether it's a sound, a shadow, or a balloon—immediately notify everyone!"

The middle-aged man immediately replied, "No problem! Leave it to us! You two get some rest and recover your strength!"

"You are our trump card. Once you recover, our chances of survival will be much higher!"

Another male survivor volunteered: "I'll guard the entrance on the first floor!"

"I'll guard the stairwell to prevent anything strange from hiding upstairs!"

Everyone performed their duties and quickly arranged their shifts, bringing a brief period of peace to the entire building.

But this tranquility is merely a false calm before the storm.

Everyone thought the danger had temporarily passed, but little did they know that the most deadly crisis was already lurking among the crowd.

The most terrifying and eerie thing is never the monster chasing you from afar, but the companion that is quietly changing beside you!

That seemingly innocent and harmless little girl had long been completely corrupted by the eerie energy and turned into a bizarre puppet!

She kept her head down, maintaining that eerie, sinister smile, standing quietly at the back of the crowd, silently waiting for her chance to reap the rewards.

The pink balloon beside him swayed gently, and the gaping maw opened and closed silently, constantly emanating a cold and eerie aura.

The entire enclosed residential building has been completely transformed into a new and eerie prison!

The unsuspecting crowd, completely unaware of this, remained grateful for their narrow escape.

An even more terrifying and unsolvable massacre is about to unfold quietly in the enclosed corridor!