Seeing Kuang Feifan’s expression, Xu Hui let out several exclamations of “Holy hell!” before managing to ask, “What’s wrong? Did you see something terrifying in the mirror? Are you okay?”

Kuang Feifan gasped, took a moment to steady himself, and then forced out a strained smile, his tone uncertain. “I… I don’t know if it was a hallucination or if I actually saw something… Where did you go? Did you not see anything just now?”

Xu Hui glanced at him with a peculiar expression. “I’m only two floors above you, right? I intended to find Shen Jun quickly, but when I got to the fifth floor and realized you were gone, and then heard some noise downstairs, I had to come back down to check. That’s when I saw you standing in front of a mirror, looking more terrified than if you’d seen a ghost. I called your name several times, and you didn't react. I figured the mirror might be problematic, so I grabbed a brick and smashed it.”

As he spoke, he tilted his head toward the empty room upstairs, indicating that the brick had come from there.

Kuang Feifan nodded, his voice raspy as he asked, “Nothing’s wrong now. Did you find Shen Jun?”

He hadn't fully registered what Xu Hui had said, so Xu Hui had to repeat, “I only went up to the fifth floor; I haven’t reached the sixth yet.”

Kuang Feifan murmured an “Oh,” and said, “Let’s go up.”

As he followed Xu Hui upstairs, Kuang Feifan couldn't help but look back at the shattered mirror fragments on the floor. Suddenly, he thought he saw a wisp of gray smoke rising from one of the pieces—the same vapor he had mistaken for condensation earlier.

This building also felt unclean. Kuang Feifan sighed inwardly. If he weren't obligated to find Shen Jun, he would suggest leaving this empty building immediately. He had assumed finding a person wouldn't be dangerous, and he hadn't brought anything with him, save for the string of prayer beads on his wrist.

The fourth and fifth floors revealed no more eerie mirrors. Perhaps having a person nearby, radiating more Yang energy, prevented any further strange sensations for Kuang Feifan.

They continued to the sixth floor. There were also three rooms: left, middle, and right. The middle and left rooms had no doors, and looking in, they appeared completely empty. Only the room on the right had a closed door.

Standing outside the door, Xu Hui raised his foot to kick it open, but Kuang Feifan stopped him, shaking his head. “If Shen Jun really is inside, we should maintain some courtesy. After all, we’re dealing with a living person now.”

Xu Hui let out a small chuckle and whispered, “I’ve been seeing ghosts these past few days; I almost forgot you’re supposed to knock before entering a room.”

Kuang Feifan shot him a look, musing that if this habit of Xu Hui’s stuck, he and Bai Ru would need to be extra careful when he was around.

Xu Hui moved closer to the door and knocked.

“Knock, knock, knock…” The rhythm was steady.

After a long pause, no sound came from inside, as if no one had answered.

Xu Hui glanced at Kuang Feifan, then raised his hand and slammed it against the door.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!” The force was noticeably stronger this time.

After waiting a while longer, there was still no sound from within.

Puzzled, Kuang Feifan squeezed past Xu Hui, gently pressing his ear to the door, listening intently. After a long moment, he couldn't detect any sound indicating activity inside.

Could Shen Jun not be in this room? Yet, the room where the light had appeared was definitely this one.

Just as Kuang Feifan was about to straighten up, there was a sharp “Smack!”—a knocking sound suddenly originating from inside the door.

The unexpected noise startled Kuang Feifan, causing him to recoil sharply. Simultaneously, Xu Hui took a step back, drew his pistol, held the flashlight in one hand and the gun in the other, aiming directly at the door.

Kuang Feifan stared at the door; Xu Hui’s reaction confirmed that he hadn't been hearing things.

“Thump… Thump… Thump…” The knocking sounds began, one after the other, each one seemingly heavier than the last. It sounded like someone was desperately trying to batter the door down, either trying to get out or acting out of desperation. They couldn’t tell, but the sound was clearly coming from inside, which meant someone was in the room.

“You keep watch; I’ll kick the door in,” Kuang Feifan told Xu Hui.

As he said this, he couldn't help but sigh again. For the sake of this clue, it seemed he was stirring up trouble again.

Unexpectedly, at that moment, the door swung inward silently. Both men instantly became wary and simultaneously retreated a step.

When the door was fully open, they saw a figure standing inside, not far from the threshold. A candle was lit within, casting a dim, flickering glow that barely allowed them to make out a man. His posture was extremely strange; he wasn't looking toward the door but instead kept his head bowed, seemingly staring at the floor. They couldn't clearly discern his features.

“Are you Shen Jun?” Xu Hui asked instinctively, aiming his gun at the figure.

The man showed no reaction. By instinct, he did not feel like a living person.

Kuang Feifan cautiously took a step forward. Just then, the man’s entire body emitted a series of creaking and grinding sounds, like an un-oiled wooden door being pushed open. A groaning sound came from his skeletal joints. Although his head remained bowed, he lifted a leg as if he were a marionette, taking a stiff, slow step. Then, moving like that, one step at a time, he began to walk toward Kuang Feifan and Xu Hui.

“Holy crap, he’s definitely not human,” Xu Hui muttered, preparing to fire.

Kuang Feifan shouted, “Don’t!”

Saying that, he launched himself forward and kicked the man squarely in the torso.

To his surprise, although the man was walking forward, his body felt as if it were forged from steel. When Kuang Feifan’s kick connected with the man’s chest, he was thrown back instead. Fortunately, Kuang Feifan had braced himself before kicking, so he didn't fall, managing to stumble back into a precarious balance. The foot he had kicked with felt almost numb from the impact, yet the man didn't falter.

He merely stopped moving, standing at the doorway with one foot forward and one back.

Just as the two thought he wouldn't move again, the man’s body suddenly swayed, seemingly preparing to advance further. Xu Hui wasn't sure if his gun would be effective, but it looked like he had to try.

Kuang Feifan still called out, “No need; it’s probably useless.”

He took a deep breath, pulled off the string of prayer beads from his wrist, weighed them briefly, and clenched them in his palm. Ignoring the throbbing pain in his foot, he limped forward and pressed the beads firmly onto the crown of the man’s bowed head.

As Kuang Feifan approached, the man’s hands began to rise slowly, appearing as if he intended to grab Kuang Feifan. But he was a step too late. When the beads made contact with the top of his head, the man began to tremble violently, as if electrocuted. Although no sound was emitted, both Kuang Feifan and Xu Hui felt an inaudible, agonizing scream radiating from him. Instantly, the hairs on the backs of their necks stood up.

Kuang Feifan fought to suppress the mounting terror, striving to keep the beads pressed against the top of the man’s head. The shaking intensified. In a short while, the man began to disassemble like a plastic mannequin being dismantled in a mall. First, his two arms detached, then his feet, and finally his thighs, all separating from the body in quick succession. He collapsed rapidly, his head even severing from his neck.

Right before Kuang Feifan’s eyes, the man fell apart, utterly dismembered.