Life Game In Other World
Chapter 354: Knocking and Strange Tales (Please Subscribe, Bookmark, and Vote for Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 354: Chapter 354: Knocking and Strange Tales (Please Subscribe, Bookmark, and Vote for Monthly Tickets)

Passing through the narrow and gloomy streets, He Ao purchased an overcoat at a small shop by an alley, a coat large enough to cover his entire body.

Dressed in the oversized overcoat and a round top hat, he crossed a pitch-black, deserted alley.

He stood in a corner of the alley, gazing from afar at a small window at the end of the street.

That was Nell’s ’home’.

The house was on the first floor, damp and dimly lit, with an unpleasant view and consequently cheaper rent.

The entire place consisted of just a bedroom and a living room, housing two adults and six children.

When Nell was very young, he would romp with his brothers and sisters in the cramped room with two sets of bunk beds.

The third brother would sit at the small cabinet in front of the window, reading a book under the dim streetlight.

The forth brother, leaning against the bed, would grab the upper bunk’s railing and perform aerial flips onto the bed for his siblings.

The second eldest sister would sit on the lower bunk, scowling under the dim lamp while mending clothes for her younger siblings.

The eldest brother would wash clothes in the washroom, sticking his head out now and then to remind his siblings to be careful.

The fifth sister would somehow produce a small biscuit from nowhere and feed it to the youngest, Nell.

Their mother usually came home late, and the house seldom had the lights on, because electricity was expensive.

In such cold and windy weather, their mother would carefully close any open windows.

He Ao watched that window intently.

The third brother, who was reading by the bed, seemed to lift his head, looking towards him.

A figure in a dirty work uniform approached, leaned on the desk by the window, and, tilting slightly, stretched out her rough palm, laboriously closing the open window.

The window frame was rusted, and opening and closing it had become laborious.

A burst of icy wind swept across He Ao’s cheeks.

The child reading by the window, the woman struggling to close the window, the noisy figures in the room—all froze in that moment, dissipating like bubbles.

The old, dim streetlights illuminated the aged window, as the lonely wind crossed the silent, still night.

He Ao’s gaze lingered on that open window.

An inverted ’V’ painted in red varnish was strikingly apparent.

He touched his round top hat and stepped out of the dark alley.

His figure flashed by, swift as a shadow in the night, securing the open window as he passed.

······

In a car across the street from the window.

"Look, was that window originally closed?"

The young man driving the car rubbed his eyes and nudged his dozing companion in the co-driver’s seat.

"It seems... not," the co-driver observed carefully, then jolted awake, "Get out! He must have returned!"

——

The dark of night enveloped the old building, and the aged elevator made creaking noises.

"After investigation, the explosion that occurred this afternoon is very likely linked to the fugitive suspect, Nell.

Surveillance cameras captured a figure resembling him moving nearby; the individual is highly cunning and dangerous," the Federal Bureau of Investigation warns all citizens to be vigilant and to call the FBI helpline immediately upon sight of this person.

Yoen looked at the news bulletin on his wristband, then glanced at the empty room, falling into a brief silence.

He turned off the wristband, didn’t bother with the lights, and reclined on the sofa.

The stove glowed with a faint firelight.

Outside the window was the silent night, with the wind whistling mournfully through the gaps in the buildings.

For some reason, Yoen felt the weather getting colder and colder.

He poked the coal in the stove with a small iron rod to let air in, making the fire burn brighter.

Outside, the quiet footsteps seemed as if someone was pacing back and forth in the hallway.

Thump, thump, thump—

The gentle and slow knocking began to sound.

It wasn’t Yoen’s door but rather at the other end of the hall.

The sound was faint, but the insulation in Yoen’s old building wasn’t great, so even from this distance, he heard it clearly.

For some reason, Yoen recalled a strange story he had heard from a neighbor that morning.

Two households had disappeared from downstairs, their doors wide open, with nothing missing from their homes.

Neighbors below claimed that around midnight they had heard faint knocking, but they hadn’t opened their doors, unlike the two disappeared households that had.

It was said that in the past few days, more residents from the floors below had vanished.

Yoen didn’t believe these tales; although he enjoyed ghost stories, that didn’t mean he took them seriously.

Such twisted, insane ghosts only existed in storybooks.

He lifted his hand to check the time on his wristband, 11:50 PM.

The knocking from outside continued to sound, gradually becoming clearer and more distinct.

The knocking seemed to be getting closer to Yoen’s house.

That "visitor" seemed to be knocking on each door, house by house.

Suddenly, the knocking stopped for a moment, followed by the creaking sound of an old security door opening, "Who is it?"

The voice belonged to the neighbor who told Yoen about this knocking horror story today; although he enjoyed spreading ghost stories, he himself did not believe in them—he merely reveled in the feeling of instilling fear.

But after the neighbor’s voice sounded once, it quieted down, for about a minute or two.

Dong dong dong—

A new set of knocking sounds abruptly started.

One knock after another, drawing closer and closer.

Finally, the knocking reached the outside of Yoen’s house.

Dong dong dong—

Yoen slowly stood up; he didn’t say a word, just leaned against the wall and turned on the electronic peephole.

Actually, compared to encountering the monster from the rumors, Yoen was more afraid of meeting another person at the moment.

He wasn’t ready to face that person just yet.

The electronic peephole turned on, and a thin, middle-aged man appeared on the screen.

This was the neighbor who had told Yoen the ’horror story.’

Somehow, Yoen let out a sigh of relief.

This neighbor took pleasure in scaring others and was capable of such acts as impersonating the horror story to frighten someone.

However, Yoen did not expose the neighbor but quietly watched him through the peephole.

Dong dong dong—

The neighbor slowly raised his head and knocked on the door again.

Yoen remained unmoved.

The neighbor seemed somewhat disappointed; he did not knock again and turned to leave,

But for some reason, Yoen felt that the neighbor’s movements were stiff, and his walking seemed awkward.

It was as if he were a not-so-fluid puppet.

Dong dong dong—

A new set of knocking sounds slowly started up at the house next to Yoen’s.

Yoen relieved, turned off the electronic peephole and returned to the couch in front of the fireplace with a sigh.

He was still somewhat perplexed.

The knocking outside gradually ceased as the person seeming gave up after knocking on all the doors without receiving a response and decided to leave the corridor.

As the minutes ticked by, and as Yoen was just about to fall asleep, a gentle knocking began to sound slowly.

Dong... Dong... Dong

Yoen awoke from his dreams.

Staggering to his feet, he walked to the door and turned on the electronic peephole, but this time, the peephole did not show the sight of the corridor, instead, it revealed pitch-black darkness.

Dong dong dong—

The knocking sounded again, with the electronic peephole remaining pitch-black.

"Stop playing these tricks, everyone is resting, we have to work tomorrow."

Yoen sighed and knocked on the door, signaling to the neighbor outside to stop causing trouble.

After these words, the knocking quieted down.

Yoen turned around, ready to return to the couch.

Dong dong dong—

A new set of knocking sounds emerged.

Yoen, filled with anger, swung the door open, "What’s it going to take for you to stop?"

However, what he saw was a man wearing a bowler hat and long overcoat.

"Nell..." Yoen was taken aback, "What are you doing here?"

"I received your signal."

The upside-down V symbol was a secret sign between Yoen and Nell; they had devised it when they were apprentices at a restaurant—sometimes they would sneak some food, and the symbol meant, ’Help! Help me, quick!’

Upon hearing He Ao’s explanation of the reason, Yoen fell silent for a moment before speaking softly, "You’d better go quickly; the area is surrounded by gang members and Federation Bureau of Investigation spies, you could be discovered very easily."

"They might not have time to deal with you, for the moment."

He Ao tilted his head, and a thick mucus landed on his face.

One by one, the distorted, frenzied heads pressed against the wall above Yoen’s house’s door, just above the doorframe.

Packed closely together, they hung down their heads, their eyes flickering with red light, watching He Ao.