My House of Horrors

The hint given by the black phone for the Tape Ghost’s affection mission was: Honey, black, white, and red, which color do you prefer?

Because of this, Chen Ge was very sensitive to these three colors. Wang Xin’s adopted mother loved black and white clothes, and the woman he met in the elevator was wearing red high heels. They both were worth suspecting in Chen Ge’s eyes.

Chen Ge studied Wang Xin’s mother closer, and Chen Ge realized that the woman—be it from physical appearance, presence, or looks—was younger than her actual age. She could still be considered a beauty, much less when she was younger.

Patient No. 2 is very afraid of getting old… Chen Ge became more cautious around the woman. He glanced at the cup of tea the woman was holding, and he was thankful that he did not drink it earlier.

“Doctor Chen.” The woman took one step forward. She seemed to have noticed the change in Chen Ge. “Did I scare you with the story?”

“A little bit.” Chen Ge went along with it. “Do you mind telling me which room was haunted?”

“Room 3133 on the 13th floor. The police said the white shadow ran into this room, but at the time, the owner wasn’t even home. I heard that she moved away not long after that, and the incident was thus forgotten. After all, there was no injury or economic loss; there wasn’t anything we tenants could do about it.”

“Perhaps she hasn’t moved away,” Chen Ge muttered to himself.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing. I’m just curious as to why there are so many threes in her room number.” Ever since leaving Third Sick Hall, Chen Ge had realized that the number three appeared very often in his life. In fact, when he summoned the mirror ghost, the countdown started with three.

“3133 represents the Third Building, 13th floor, Room 3,” the woman explained to Chen Ge.

“I heard from your security that most of the tenants on the 13th floor have moved away already, is it because something else happened within these one or two years?”

“I don’t think so. Then again, most of us don’t go out at night.” The woman thought about it before adding, “But I have to remind you one thing. When you leave, don’t take the elevator. Several months ago, a drunkard took the elevator, and it stopped at the 13th floor. A white shadow entered the elevator from that floor.”

“Normally, an elevator is fitted with surveillance; it should have recorded the whole process. Didn’t the landowner give the tenants an explanation?” Chen Ge memorized the woman’s words closely.

“The drunkard was so scared that he went to find the landowner the next day. I remember the issue got quite big at the time.” Wang Xin’s mother thought back to the incident. “The landowner pulled out the video, but there was no white shadow on screen. It only showed the drunkard pressing all the buttons aimlessly. He took the elevator from the first floor to the top floor and then back down again. The elevator stopped several times in the middle, but no one was captured entering the elevator.”

“The doors opened several times?”

“But it was very quick each time. Only when it opened on the 13th floor did it stop longer than normal. The explanation given by the landowner was probably someone wanted to use the elevator, but they decided against it when they saw the drunkard inside.”

“That reason sounds quite forced.”

“You’re right, but ever since then, we rarely use the elevator at night.”

As he nodded, Chen Ge asked with some hope, “Do you think I can get my hands on the surveillance?”

“The owner probably has a copy. I can ask for you in the morning.”

“Okay, thank you.” Chen Ge was not a police officer, so he had no right to go through a building’s surveillance footage. He left after talking to the woman. After the door closed, Chen Ge turned back after walking for a few meters. He took out a piece of paper from his backpack. He folded it multiple times before slipping it into the edge of the door.

The woman had told him personally that she rarely went out at night. If her door was opened at night, then she would be a worthy suspect. After doing everything, Chen Ge used the stairs to walk to the 13th floor.

Of the entire building, only the 13th floor did not have a voice-operated light. The sole light source in the dark corridor was the green sign above the safety exit. The faded green light only made the place look creepier. Chen Ge held the ballpoint pen in his hand as he entered the corridor. The place looked very abandoned. The doors on both sides were thick with dust.

“Room 3133.” Chen Ge found the room that the mad woman once stayed in. Weirdly enough, the door of the room was very clean, as if someone was staying here. He aimed his flashlight at the door, and Chen Ge found something new. There was a piece of white paper taped to the door with cellophane tape. It said that the owner wanted to sell or rent the room at a low price, and it came with a phone number.

Someone bought this place after the mad woman left?

The paper looked new like it had been put up recently. Chen Ge stopped outside the door for a while, and after realizing there was no sound from inside the room, he left. Then he used his phone to call the number. The call rang for almost half a minute. Just as Chen Ge wanted to give up, the call was picked up.

“Hello, I saw the advertisement at Fang Hwa Apartments. The price is very reasonable, and I’m interested.” Chen Ge was rather nervous. Calling at a time like this might tip the person off to his intention.

There was silence on the other end of the phone. After a long time, a female voice said, “I’m suffering from a serious illness, and I need the money for my medical bills, that’s why the price is so low. If you are serious about buying the place, give me a time. We’ll meet at Xin Kang Apartments in the old part of town.”

“Xin Kang Apartments?”

“My illness might deteriorate any time soon, so I moved to a place closer to the hospital. I’m staying on the third floor.”

“Okay, I’ll go now.”

“Now?” The voice on the phone rose slightly, and the tone got shriller. “Okay, come now then.”

After hanging up, Chen Ge’s suspicion deepened. There were not any big hospitals in the old part of town, so why was the woman lying on the phone?

After leaving the third building, Chen Ge felt lighter in person. He called a taxi to get to Xin Kang Apartment. Chen Ge ran to the third floor and called the person again. “I’m here. There are three rooms on the third floor, which one are you in?”

“Wait a minute.” After the phone hung up, the door on his left-hand side opened. “Come in, the room is a bit messy, but I’m not in the mood to clean up.”

When Chen Ge pushed the door open and saw the woman, his heart squeezed. The woman had no hair or brows. Her face was a swathe of white, and that looked quite scary.