182: Chapter 182 If you want meat, come find me.

Chapter 182: Wanting to Eat Meat, Come Find Me

Winter nights fell early and grew even deeper in darkness.

Taiwan Novel Network has a rich collection of books, available to read at any time.

Chill permeated the room, and a faint layer of white frost condensed on the windows.

The closer it got to the Lunar New Year, the more deserted and quiet the entire Tubular Building appeared instead.

Many people who came from other places to work in Dongdu had successively returned home early to celebrate the New Year.

After the noise diminished, it was quite suitable for the remaining residents to fall asleep early.

In the coldly lit living room.

Fang Cheng practiced Tai Chi continuously for several hours, yet the more he practiced, the more spirited he became, with no sign of sleepiness at all.

Ding-a-ling——

Suddenly, a harsh alarm clock sound rang out.

Fang Cheng immediately stopped his movements and looked at the panel information floating before his eyes.

[ Tai Chi Experience + 12 ]

Then he turned his head to glance at the alarm clock.

11:00.

It was already getting late.

Next, he could continue sitting in Meditation and practice the Meditation skill for a little while longer.

Thinking of this, Fang Cheng immediately stopped his stance, got up, washed up briefly, and walked into the bedroom.

He turned off the lights and got into bed.

Soon, the room plunged into pitch darkness and silence.

Neon lights shone through the window onto the cross-legged figure, flickering on and off, creating a slightly mysterious atmosphere.

The city's hustle and bustle gradually subsided, and various noises receded like the tide, becoming quiet and distant.

Unknown information hidden in the darkness began to become active and magnified as a result, drawing more attention than during the day.

Fang Cheng closed his eyes slightly, silently performing Visualization on the lamp flame in his mind.

Before his eyes, however, he could see streaks of radio waves appearing and disappearing, shuttle-flying past rapidly.

At the same time, the light scattered by the lamp flame was also vaguely emitting some kind of invisible fluctuation to the surroundings.

If one looked across the entire city.

There were even more radio waves at higher or lower frequencies passing through towering buildings, sweeping past colorful neon lights, and drifting in the cold night sky.

Some were merely emitted unconsciously, while others were transmitting some information among each other.

Of course, most of them belonged to channel signals from radio stations and communication equipment.

And the bright halo formed by the lamp flame seemed to have an inexplicable attraction to radio waves of certain specific frequencies.

During Meditation, Fang Cheng could always hear faint rustling sounds by his ears.

At times it seemed like someone was calling his name, and at times it felt like cross-frequency noise emitted by a radio station.

It was as if... many pairs of eyes hidden in the darkness were secretly spying on him.

However.

These strange illusions ultimately could not shake a heart capable of entering deep concentration.

Like this, Fang Cheng continued practicing Meditation, comprehending his mental state.

Suddenly, his heart stirred slightly.

He vaguely sensed that a strange foreign consciousness was crawling over along a radio wave, burrowing into his mind like a caterpillar.

Hoo~~

Then, a wind drilled into the room, blowing a chill down his spine.

It was as if something dark and gloomy was lurking behind him.

Fang Cheng furrowed his brows slightly, still calm and composed, choosing to continue focusing and entering deep concentration.

However, this time human figures flashed past again!

Hoo~

Hoo~

Moreover, they seemed to be exhaling chilling breaths, slowly approaching, and their faces were becoming clearer and clearer.

Their facial features were like bleeding hollows, and their complexions were as pale as unburned paper ash.

They looked like He Yao who jumped to his death, or Wu Shihao of the Red Tiger Gang.

Even more so, they resembled the many people he had killed, their faces overlapping together, distorted to the point of unreality.

They wept incessantly, their cries strange and grating, making one's head buzz and ringing, completely unable to meditate in peace.

Fang Cheng's eyelids twitched involuntarily.

Instantly, he raised his brows, glared with wide eyes, and shouted impatiently:

"Get lost!"

At the moment he expelled his breath and voiced out, his internal organs, tendons, bones, and muscles within his body seemed to vibrate in unison along with that breath.

In an instant, it was like a fierce tiger dominating a mountain forest roaring, with thunder splitting the horizon rolling over, shaking the entire room as if it were trembling.

Boom——

Along with a faintly ringing scream, the figures before his eyes instantly dissipated, and his ears suddenly became peaceful.

The illusions that disturbed his mind did not appear again since then.

In the darkness, Fang Cheng's gaze shone brightly as he carefully scanned his surroundings.

He did not find any abnormal figures or traces in the room.

He only felt his glabella getting somewhat warm, the lamp flame in his mind shaking violently, and the Flame of Spirituality seemed to burn even more vigorously.

Fang Cheng furrowed his brows slightly and pondered for a moment.

Then he got up, got out of bed, walked to the window, and yanked open the curtains.

Through the mist-blurred glass window, the scene downstairs could be seen.

Scattered incense candles were stuck along the streets, and completely cold leftover dishes and rice were laid out.

A gust of wind blew past, and the paper ash burned in the brazier fluttered all over the sky.

The atmosphere truly had a somewhat eerie feeling.

Fang Cheng's gaze flickered uncertainly, and his expression was somewhat odd.

To be honest, he would rather it be a wronged ghost demanding his life, or running into a malevolent ghost looking for a substitute.

But judging from his Meditation perception, the possibility of suffering some kind of mental ability attack was clearly much greater.

Gazing at the silent midnight sky and feeling the oncoming waves of chill.

Every suspicious target flashed through Fang Cheng's mind.

Especially that fellow...

Just at this moment, a cell phone ringtone suddenly rang out, breaking the nearly congealed atmosphere.

Fang Cheng's gaze narrowed slightly, and he quickly picked up the phone from the bedside table and pressed the answer button.

"Hello..."

A very faint and weak voice drifted from the phone, like the cold wind outside the window sobbing softly.

Listening closely, however, it was the sound of heavy breathing.

"Xiumei?"

Recognizing that the owner of the voice was Zhou Xiumei, Fang Cheng was extremely surprised.

In the middle of the night, and living so close, why was this girl calling him?

"Brother Cheng..."

Zhou Xiumei panted a few times, and then said with a bit of trembling in her voice: "I think I heard someone walking around in the living room."

She kept her voice very low, and her throat seemed to be trembling slightly out of fear.

Hearing this, Fang Cheng's gaze suddenly tightened, and he immediately asked:

"Did you see a figure?"

"No, I didn't dare to go out. I was just hiding under the covers, secretly calling you..."

"Could it be your grandmother getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom?"

"No, Grandma went to Gufeng Temple to chant scriptures and pray for blessings. Tonight I'm the only one home..."

"Brother Cheng, could it be that kind of thing..."

Saying this, Zhou Xiumei's breathing became even more rapid, not daring to continue speaking.

"Don't hang up yet."

Fang Cheng instructed her in a calm tone while quickly pulling a pistol out of the drawer, then strode towards the outside.

"Later when I walk to your door, you rush out and open the door for me."

"Don't be afraid, even if there are filthy things, I can take on ten by yourself..."

While speaking, Fang Cheng had already walked out of his home and arrived at the Zhou family's doorstep, which was only two households away.

Finding that the iron lattice gate was indeed unlocked.

Fang Cheng's gaze instantly became extremely sharp, and he said in a deep voice:

"Alright, you can come out and open the door now."

As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately hung up the phone, his whole body's muscles tensed, ready to strike at any moment.

Clatter——

The iron lattice gate was pulled open instantly.

Bang!

Raising a foot, he kicked the inner door heavily open again.

Fang Cheng stepped in abruptly, his gaze sweeping across like lightning.

He only saw a slender and graceful figure running out barefoot from the bedroom.

"Brother Cheng!"

Along with a refreshing fragrant breeze, the delicate body threw itself safely into his arms.

Then, her arms tightly wrapped around his waist and back.

"Don't be afraid."

Although no trace of an enemy was found for the time being, Fang Cheng still maintained his vigilance, holding the gun in one hand and protecting Zhou Xiumei with the other.

However.

After carefully scanning the living room several times, he still didn't find any traces of other people in the Zhou family, nor any abnormal circumstances.

At this moment, feeling the curvaceous and delicate body in his arms and sniffing a wisp of faint body fragrance unique to a virgin.

Fang Cheng's heart could not help but ripple, and the expression on his face instantly became somewhat unnatural.

After taking a deep breath, he raised his hand and patted the slender shoulders of the woman in his arms:

"Xiumei, go back to the bedroom first and put on a coat, don't catch a cold."

"Ah!"

Zhou Xiumei also came back to her senses from the fright, realizing her embarrassing state of wearing only thermal underwear, and hurriedly broke away from Fang Cheng's arms.

She ran quickly back to the bedroom, closing the door with a "bang".

Taking advantage of the time she was changing clothes, Fang Cheng leisurely turned on the lights in the living room and gently pulled closed the iron door that had been kicked open.

Then he conducted an even more thorough search from the bathroom and kitchen to the other two bedrooms.

Before long, Zhou Xiumei also finished dressing and walked out with a blushing face.

Seeing that Fang Cheng's expression looked very puzzled, she asked somewhat nervously:

"Brother Cheng, did you find anything?"

Fang Cheng shook his head:

"I suspect what you heard just now might be the sound of mice crawling around."

"Is it mice?!"

Hearing this, Zhou Xiumei's voice trembled slightly, and she hurriedly looked around at the corners.

For a girl, the level of evilness of a creature like a mouse was perhaps no less than that of ghosts and spirits.

Error-free, first-release content, check it out one by one!

But right at this moment, a burst of unusual movement suddenly sounded.

Thump, thump, thump.

The sound seemed very muffled, just like someone hiding inside a box, continuously knocking.

Fang Cheng turned his head to listen intently.

Then he lowered his head and looked down at the floor beneath his feet.

The source of the sound should be the floor directly below.

Seeing this, Zhou Xiumei instantly realized something, her complexion turning snow-white in a flash, all the rosy glow fading away.

"Downstairs... is... is... He Yao's home!"

She seemed to have her breathing restricted, opened her mouth with difficulty, and spoke the words with great effort.

And just as she was speaking, two more knocks rang out.

Thump, thump.

These two knocks obviously became a bit slower, and the sound was dragged out very long.

Fang Cheng gave a soft hush, signaling Zhou Xiumei to keep quiet.

Sure enough, after waiting two seconds.

Then came three consecutive knocks, thump, thump, thump.

Much faster than the previous two, and about the same as the first time.

That was, three short, two long, three short rhythm.

Fang Cheng keenly realized the problem within it.

This was very likely some kind of distress signal!

Furrowing his brows in thought for a few seconds, he then raised his head to look at Zhou Xiumei and instructed:

"Stay at home and don't run around blindly, I'm going out to take a look, got it?"

"Brother Cheng!"

Hearing this, Zhou Xiumei anxiously grabbed his sleeve.

Fang Cheng patted her hand soothingly, then handed over the gun in his hand:

"Do you know how to use a gun?"

"My dad taught me."

Zhou Xiumei nodded, then hurriedly shook her head: "I don't need it, you keep it for self-defense."

She didn't ask Fang Cheng why he had hidden a gun, worrying even more about the safety of the man in front of her.

Fang Cheng smiled slightly at her:

"Rest assured, I know kung fu, and I'm very strong."

Saying this, he flexed his arm and showed off his immensely strong biceps.

Then his expression turned serious, and he instructed in a deep voice:

"Guard the house. If you see any dangerous situation, call me or call the police immediately."

Seeing that Fang Cheng's attitude was very resolute, Zhou Xiumei bit her lip lightly and could only obediently comply.

After giving a few brief instructions, Fang Cheng first returned home, took out the white mask, and put it on his face.

Looking in the mirror, he nodded with satisfaction.

Then, on tiptoe, he silently swept past the pitch-black corridor and felt his way downstairs.

...

Eighth floor, the He family.

In the middle of the night, the house was pitch black, filled with a gloomy and eerie Yin Qi.

The neon light filtering in from outside the window vaguely illuminated a memorial offering table.

At this moment, the candles had long since extinguished, and stacked fruit plates and cold rice were scattered messily.

Only a black and white portrait of the deceased remained, still placed in the center of the offering table.

Yet on the glass photo frame, a few droplets of red blood were shockingly adhered.

Munch, munch.

A black figure lay prone on the ground, seemingly enjoying the offerings and swallowing food.

And the object of its feeding was shockingly two mangled, bloody corpses.

The chill in the air seemed to constantly congeal, making the stench of blood so thick it was nauseating.

Inside the bedroom.

He Jin held a clothes-drying pole in his hand, looking nervously at the tightly closed door.

It was as if he could see through this door the terrifying scene happening in the living room outside.

Hearing that his eldest brother had an accident, he specially took a train from his hometown to rush to Dongdu.

Usually, he helped take care of his severely injured sister-in-law at the hospital, as well as his niece who was not yet ten years old.

Tonight was the seventh day after death, the soul-returning night.

Although he couldn't find his eldest brother's remains, he still brought his niece home, preparing to properly memorialize his eldest brother and send him off on his final journey.

For this reason, he specially invited two monks to chant the Rebirth Mantra all night to deliver the departed soul.

Never did he expect to encounter such a terrifying thing.

Older brother had come back.

But what he brought was a massacre akin to a nightmare.

No.

The one who came back was simply not his brother, but a monster that looked somewhat similar to his brother.

He couldn't believe that his traditionally gentle and kind brother would turn into such a terrifying appearance.

At this moment, He Jin didn't dare to go out, nor did he dare to make a sound.

Afraid of attracting the monster's attention and having it break in to kill both him and his niece.

"Uncle..."

A timid voice sounded.

He Jin lowered his head to glance at his niece, who was clutching tightly onto his sleeve and looked equally terrified, and immediately gave a soft hush.

Then he continued to hold up the clothes-drying pole and knocked continuously on the ceiling.

This was a rescue method he had learned when he was a coal miner in his hometown.

The lights in the neighboring and downstairs rooms had never been on; it seemed they had already returned to their hometowns for the New Year.

Therefore, he could only pin his hopes on residents still staying behind upstairs.

Hopefully someone really noticed and could help call the police.

Just as he was cautiously trying to send out a distress signal.

Suddenly, only a "bang" sound was heard, shattering the dead silent cold night.

It seemed... like a sound coming from upstairs.

Even the monster outside was attracted by this commotion, and the chewing sound stopped.

He Jin held his breath, not knowing what the situation outside really was like or whether the monster had left.

After waiting for a moment, he tried knocking on the ceiling a few more times with the clothes-drying pole.

However, just as he finished sending a distress signal once.

A soft murmur and whisper vaguely sounded in the living room.

Listening closely, it seemed to be repeating a single sentence:

"Hungry... Hungry..."

Accompanied by the whispering voice, a string of muffled footsteps sounded one after another.

That monster!

It seemed to have stood up and was walking towards the bedroom side.

He Jin's heart palpitated, and he hurriedly took his niece to hide inside the wardrobe.

The bedroom door lock quickly emitted a series of "click", "click" sounds.

The monster tried to open the door, but did not succeed.

Before He Jin could breathe a sigh of relief.

Clatter!

Another loud crash came, and the monster actually chose to break through the door directly.

To it, that door was as fragile as paper, completely unable to play a blocking role.

Then.

Accompanied by heavy breathing, the footsteps approached step by step, gradually drawing closer.

Finally, it stopped in front of the wardrobe.

He Jin didn't dare to exhale a big breath, while firmly covering his niece's mouth with his hand.

The sound of his heartbeat intensified thump-thump, like the urging drumbeats of fate, the omen of death.

"Hungry, hungry... I want to eat meat..."

Through the crack of the wardrobe door, a distorted black figure could be vaguely seen.

An overwhelmingly rich stench of blood washed over them.

Just as He Jin felt his heart could barely withstand it and his niece was about to suffocate from holding her breath.

A man's voice suddenly rang out:

"Want to eat meat? Come find me."