The Disappearance of Section Chief Wang? I was completely stunned. How was that possible? The entire second floor of this building was small, maybe a hundred square meters at most. How could a living person simply vanish?

Yet, Section Chief Wang was truly gone. After confirming those strange insects couldn't climb walls, I took the lead, flashlight in hand, sweeping the entire floor for him. But aside from those few locked rooms, the rest were completely empty—there was absolutely nowhere to hide a person. As for the locked rooms, they were sealed with old-fashioned, heavy padlocks; he couldn't have opened one and then locked it again from the inside.

But how could a whole man just disappear like that?

After searching everywhere, my confusion deepened. The way we got up was through a window on the second floor, and the stairwell leading to the third was blocked off by debris, showing no sign of recent passage. All the other windows were still tightly shut, clearly untouched.

Just as we reached the hallway on the opposite side, Officer Liu finally couldn't hold back. "Technician Luo, what on earth is going on here?"

What was going on? How could I possibly know? Should I tell them we offended the Mountain God and now it was coming for us?

Squatting on the steps, I lit a cigarette and finally decided on an explanation. Once the others finished theirs, I put on a serious face and began, "Here is what happened…"

Before I could finish my sentence, I suddenly caught sight of what looked like a human face flashing past the window on the far side.

The Disappearance of Section Chief Wang? I was completely stunned. How was that possible? The entire second floor of this building was small, maybe a hundred square meters at most. How could a living person simply vanish?

Yet, Section Chief Wang was truly gone. After confirming those strange insects couldn't climb walls, I took the lead, flashlight in hand, sweeping the entire floor for him. But aside from those few locked rooms, the rest were completely empty—there was absolutely nowhere to hide a person. As for the locked rooms, they were sealed with old-fashioned, heavy padlocks; he couldn't have opened one and then locked it again from the inside.

But how could a whole man just disappear like that?

After searching everywhere, my confusion deepened. The way we got up was through a window on the second floor, and the stairwell leading to the third was blocked off by debris, showing no sign of recent passage. All the other windows were still tightly shut, clearly untouched.

Just as we reached the hallway on the opposite side, Officer Liu finally couldn't hold back. "Technician Luo, what on earth is going on here?"

What was going on? How could I possibly know? Should I tell them we offended the Mountain God and now it was coming for us?

Squatting on the steps, I lit a cigarette and finally decided on an explanation. Once the others finished theirs, I put on a serious face and began, "Here is what happened…"

Before I could finish my sentence, I suddenly caught sight of what looked like a human face flashing past the window on the far side.

A chill went down my spine immediately. For some reason, I felt that face was smiling at us. Forcing down the rising anxiety, I signaled the others to be quiet and cautiously walked toward it, light beam leading the way.

Before I got close, I suddenly caught a scent. A faint smell of sulfur had permeated the air since we arrived, though I hadn't noticed it until now. But this new odor finally managed to push through the sulfur and into my nostrils.

It was a faint smell, something akin to rancid grease!

While I was still puzzled, Officer Liu behind me let out a sudden gasp of surprise. I turned to see him reaching out and taking down a padlock. It appeared that the lock hadn't actually been secured. Could Section Chief Wang be inside that room?

Before I could react, Officer Liu had already pushed the door open.

The moment the door swung inward, a much heavier odor rushed out. I grabbed Officer Liu, shoving myself in front of him, and snapped, "Be careful!"

After a moment where nothing lunged out, I took a deep breath, steeled myself, and cautiously stepped inside with my flashlight. To my surprise, this room, unlike the others, hadn't been stripped bare. It retained the look of decades past. Simple furniture, books scattered across the floor, and a disheveled bed—if it weren't for the thick layer of dust, it looked like someone had just lived here yesterday.

But then I noticed a problem. That window—why was it open?

Did Section Chief Wang... jump from here?