Xu Hui was knocked to the floor by a single elbow strike from He Shaoqing, his sword clattering away. Wiping his nose, he found his hand slick with blood. Furious, he sprang up, saw Kuang Feifan grappling with He Shaoqing over an electric baton, and lunged forward, kicking He Shaoqing hard behind the knee.

The kick landed just as Kuang Feifan used his hand to deflect a leg He Shaoqing had swung at him. A sharp agony shot through his fist, as if striking solid steel. Fortunately, he managed to alter the trajectory of He Shaoqing’s kick, which only grazed his waist, though Kuang Feifan still felt a dull ache there.

He Shaoqing’s leg missed its mark, and with the other leg struck from behind by Xu Hui, his footing completely gave way, sending his entire body tumbling sideways. Still clutching Kuang Feifan’s baton, he dragged Kuang Feifan along as he fell. Instinctively, Kuang Feifan grabbed the wall to keep them both from crashing down.

But He Shaoqing wasn't done even on the ground. He gripped the shaft of the baton with one hand, while the other shot out, latching tightly onto Kuang Feifan’s ankle and yanking him close.

Seeing Kuang Feifan about to be pulled down, Xu Hui rushed in and stomped down hard on He Shaoqing’s arm. In the narrow hallway, the three men instantly became a single, tangled mass.

They resembled nothing more than street thugs brawling—no discipline, no semblance of practiced martial arts or grappling. There was hair pulling, ear twisting, and gut jabs; it was a wild catfight among three furious women.

In the entanglement, Kuang Feifan seized He Shaoqing’s wrist and twisted hard, intending to wrench the baton free. He was careful, though, holding back for fear of snapping He Shaoqing’s arm bone. To his surprise, the twist revealed that He Shaoqing’s muscles were coiled impossibly tight, and the strength in his struggle was immense. Not only did Kuang Feifan fail to take the baton, but the unexpected resistance caused He Shaoqing’s wrist to jerk, allowing him to violently slip free from Kuang Feifan’s grip.

Simultaneously, He Shaoqing drove hard with his legs, shoving the already pinned Xu Hui over. He abruptly released the baton he had been holding, sprang up with a strangely fluid motion from the floor, and let out a guttural, beast-like moan from his throat. Kuang Feifan and Xu Hui scrambled back to their feet, watching He Shaoqing warily.

To both their surprise, He Shaoqing spun around without warning and bolted toward the stairwell entrance, vanishing around the corner in the blink of an eye.

Kuang Feifan and Xu Hui froze for a moment before belatedly giving chase, but it was too late. Reaching the stairwell, they could no longer see any trace of He Shaoqing.

Disappointed at failing to catch him, Xu Hui couldn't help but ask, "Should we leave this floor first, or keep looking for He Shaoqing?"

Kuang Feifan paused, let out a soft sigh, and said, "Let's leave for now. We need to contact Bai Ru as soon as possible; I think she might have a solution."

Xu Hui nodded and asked again, "Still no signal on your phone?"

Kuang Feifan shrugged with some exasperation. "Of course. It seems like electronics usually fail around this kind of thing."

Straightening their rumpled clothes, the two prepared to descend. Xu Hui happened to glance toward the stairs and suddenly felt as if wisps of mist were steadily rising from the surface of the steps. In the air, they formed swirls of varying sizes, like currents. Xu Hui even had the strange sensation that these vortexes were twisting together, somehow configuring themselves into a hideous, grimacing face.

Noticing Xu Hui staring blankly, Kuang Feifan clapped him on the shoulder and asked, "What is it?"

Xu Hui flinched and turned to Kuang Feifan. "Look at the stairs..."

He turned back to look, but found absolutely no trace of mist flowing on the steps.

Though he didn't understand Xu Hui's words, Kuang Feifan peered down the stairwell. It felt like gazing into an unknown black hole; an instinct arose that if they descended, they would be swallowed by the stairs themselves.

Kuang Feifan shook his hand, telling Xu Hui, "I'll go first."

With that, he stepped quickly onto the stairs. The wooden treads let out a sharp creak under his foot, a sound that pricked uncomfortably at his nerves. Instantly, an icy draft slid over his entire body, and his chest felt heavily constricted, making breathing uneven.

Just then, he thought he heard a woman’s light, somewhat triumphant chuckle, so close it seemed right beside him. Before he could distinguish it, the sound came again, clearer this time, sounding as if it originated directly behind him.

Startled, Kuang Feifan spun around—behind him was Xu Hui. But before he could clearly see what was happening behind him, his sudden turn unbalanced him, causing his foot to slip. His body tilted backward, and he reacted instantly, snatching the nearby handrail.

In that single moment, however, he felt another, unnaturally cold hand grasp the back of his right hand that held the rail. A chilling cold, deep enough to penetrate the bone, made him jump. Instinctively, he released his grip on the handrail with his right hand and fell backward. The steps of this old Western-style house were barely wide enough for one foot. With the fall, both his feet left the structure. With a loud thud, he slammed hard onto the staircase, and though the steps were wood, the impact was excruciating. His momentum didn't stop, and he tumbled straight down, stopping only when he ended up sprawling prone on the corner landing, in a posture resembling a face-plant on the ground.

Xu Hui had no idea what had happened; he only saw Kuang Feifan take one step down, wobble, turn his head slightly, and then roll straight down.

Everything happened too fast. By the time Xu Hui rushed to the landing, Kuang Feifan had already pushed himself up, shaking his slightly dazed head, and looking at the rushing Xu Hui.

"Are you alright?" Xu Hui asked, looking astonished.

Kuang Feifan shook his head. "I'm fine. Did you feel anything strange coming down?"

Xu Hui thought back and shook his head. "No."

Kuang Feifan stretched his limbs slightly. "Never mind it. Let's get down quickly."

The two descended the final section of the stairs, one after the other.

Kuang Feifan couldn't be sure if it was his imagination, but every time his foot touched a step, he felt a distinct chill seep through his shoe, entering his body and rushing straight to his head.

He wanted to ask Xu Hui if he felt the same way, but before he could speak, they were nearing the bottom of the stairs, just two more steps from the main hall floor.

This proximity brought Kuang Feifan a wave of relief. However, the moment his foot touched the final step, the scene before his eyes blurred violently. Kuang Feifan suddenly found himself standing at the stairwell entrance of the second-floor corridor, his feet planted on the carpeted floor of the hallway.