Bait and Trap

Glancing at the door leading to the stairways on the first floor, Jack paused and motioned for the team to get ready.

Beatrice silently checked her gun. Gu Hao cleaned his glasses and kept a couple of talismans in his hands as he held the crowbar that glinted with a trace of runes. Lena took out a bottle of silvery powder from her backpack along with a wooden ball with a button. She also took out what seemed to be a barcode scanner with a small flashlight attached at top, but it had no cord attached and seemed to work using unknown energy.

"Ready kids? Remember to watch each other's back. And Hao, remember what your father taught you and put it to good use. Your father entrusted you to me before he disappeared, so don't disappoint him and don't disappoint me. Be steady, stay safe, and maybe one day you can have enough power to go find your father," Jack sternly reminded.

Gu Hao nodded solemnly as he gripped his fists, "Yes, Sir!"

"Lena, I know you are the most careful one here although a little brash sometimes, but I know you can stay steady during critical moments. We'll be relying on your medical treatment and gadgets in our fight," Jack nodded to Lena, who tensely nodded back, before he turned to Beatrice, "As for you little brat, reign in your carefree attitude. Danger can be around at any corner, you have to be cautious-"

"In everything I do ... yea, yea, I gotcha," Beatrice muttered, "Jack, you've been telling me this since I was a little kid. I'm not a kid anymore."

Smack! Jack smacked Beatrice lightly on the back of her head as he seriously said, "I'm being serious here. Even I might be in danger, and I may not have the time to take care of you. Don't waste my 14 years of raising you. I don't want my sister to come climbing out of her grave to haunt me. And ... call me Sir, or Captain when out on duty!"

Beatrice rubbed her head as she muttered, "Gotcha Cap ... don't have to hit me on the head every time ... sheesh."

Jack sighed before he solemnly reminded, "I will do my best as a guardian to keep us alive. If ... I'm saying if. If anything happens to me, I'll rely on you brats to bring out the news."

"Jack, you're planting a death flag ..." Beatrice muttered, but got another smack on her head as a response.

"It's Sir, or Captain! And don't curse me, I'm still alive and kicking. I only said if! If, you understand?" Jack growled back.

"Gotcha, Cap!" Beatrice muttered with a roll of her eyes.

Glancing at the trio, Jack nodded as his eyes began to glow. He put on a serious face, "Turn on your yin yang eyes. Let's go."

Pushing open the door, the group, with four glowing eyes, walked into the stairway. The door slowly creaked closed behind them, causing a slam to echo in the stairway. Turning the flashlight on, Lena shone the light onto the concrete stairs. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw no foot prints.

Jack signaled with his hand for the group to follow him. He then cautiously walked up the stairs. The group silently climbed the stairs. Although there doesn't seem to be anything there, the silence seemed to build the tension.

Gu Hao gripped his crowbar tightly as he recalled his previous adventure here. He glanced around the walls in vigilance, but saw no bloody foot prints. He also paid attention to their footsteps and heard no echo. He frowned in confusion as he thought about the trigger for that evil spirit.

Lena walked beside Gu Hao and stared at him with a worried face. She tightened her grip on her scanner as he pointed it around, but the scanner had no response. Lena stared at the light coming from the flashlight, but she couldn't help but feel that the light got slightly dimmer? Was it her imagination?

Tightening her grip on the scanner, Lena took out the wooden ball from her other hand and pressed the button. Then she held it in her hand and felt it heat up slowly before it cracked in half. Her face paled as she whispered, "Captain, I think it's here."

Hearing this, Beatrice walking at the back stiffened as she turned around and aimed her gun down the stairs in vigilance. Jack also stopped in place as he closed his eyes, sending out a spiritual wave to explore the nearby area. He frowned as he didn't manage to discover anything. He glanced back at Lena with a raised eyebrow.

Lena pointed to the wooden ball that cracked in half, "The disposable detector detected abnormal energy nearby."

Jack's face became grim as he waved his hand and pulled out a hand bell from thin air. He then solemnly shook the bell lightly. Ding~ Ding~ Ding~

An invisible shock wave spread out and echoed in the stairway. As if it was a trigger, a ghastly moan echoed in the stairway.

Owoooooo!

The trio tensed in fright as Jack put away his bell with a solemn frown. He then commanded, "Lena, scatter some detection powder on our trail."

Lena opened the glass bottle and poured out some powder. Then, she scattered it into the air down the stairs. The dust gradually calmly settled. Lena frowned before she poured out another batch of powder and scattered it in the air above them. Seeing no reaction, Lena shook her head in disappointment.

Jack frowned as he muttered, "It's a troublesome one that can hide even its own yin energy trail."

Jack then motioned for the team to follow him as he continued to head upwards. Tap. Tap. Tap. It wasn't long before the group came upon a dead end with a door.

"Huh? Why is the way up blocked?" Beatrice asked as she tilted her head in confusion.

Jack frowned as he pointed to the floor sign by the door, "Look, it seems that it wants us to leave."

Glancing over, the trio saw floor one on the sign.

"Haha, a ghost knows how to be scared?" Beatrice chuckled as she licked her lips in excitement, "I betcha it's a weak one."

However, Jack did not share her thoughts. He frowned solemnly as he muttered to himself, "Could it be that most evil spirits in this building have intelligence?!"

Jack's face blanched a bit before he calmed down while glancing at the floor one door. He then commanded, "It seems that we won't be getting anywhere tonight. Let's go. Although it might not be as rewarding, we have enough content to turn in for our investigative report."

"Whatcha mean? We aren't hunting the blood spirit anymore Jack?" Beatrice asked in confusion as Gu Hao and Lena glanced at her with dull faces.

Jack gave Beatrice a glare before he stated, "If it was a normal blood spirit with limited intelligence, the first thing it would do is to pounce on little brats that aren't afraid of death like you."

"Whatcha mean little brat? I'm not a kid anymore! And if ya know it would pounce on us, then why did ya bring us here?" Beatrice snapped back.

Gu Hao glanced over at Beatrice as he replied dully as if he had already figured it out, "To be bait."

"Eh? Ehhhhh?" Beatrice exclaimed in shock as she glanced back and forth between Jack and Gu Hao.

Seeing the two men staring at her like an idiot, Beatrice glanced at her only lady friend in the group, only to see her also staring back at her dully like an idiot, "Yall knew and no one told me?!"

Jack smacked her on the head as he reprimanded, "If I told you, I don't know what crazy thing you would do to attract the evil spirit's attention. Knowing you, you would have recklessly charged forward instead of being a silent bait that you are supposed to be."

"Whatcha mean? I swear I'm not reckless like that! I would only do that for the greater good!" Beatrice muttered while rubbing her head.

Jack shook his head as he then told the trio, "Well, now we know it's not a normal blood spirit as it can hold back its urge. I'm afraid it has developed a rational intelligence. We will report this to the department so that they can decide on what to do with this building. Alright, less talk, let's go. The spirit even conveniently sent us to the door. So, let's not bother to stay any longer."

With that, Jack gestured with his hands and went to open the door. The trio followed him as Beatrice muttered while twirling her gun, "Sheesh, and I thought we will have an adventure ... boring~"

Passing through the door, Gu Hao can't help but glance back at the door with a frown as he watched it creak shut. He had a weird, unsettling feeling. However, they were already leaving so he shoved the thought out of his mind.

Jack strolled calmly in front while the trio followed behind. Lena aimed her flashlight around in the gloomy hallway, and unsurprisingly, her scanner flashed with red light which signified that there were spirits nearby. Seeing this, Gu Hao glanced around the hallway with a frown as his instincts were tingling for some reason. He suddenly stopped in place as he said, "Wait a minute."

Jack, Beatrice, and Lena stopped in place as they glanced back at Gu Hao. Jack closed his eyes and sent a spiritual sense. A grim frown then appeared on his face as his face scrunched in confusion, "Didn't we clear the rooms earlier? Why are there more lingering spirits? Wait, this density ... are they baleful spirits?!"

Gu Hao felt a tingling on his spine when he heard this. He swiftly stepped up to the door to a room. Glancing at the number 116 on it, Gu Hao frowned as he noticed that the numbers were weirdly aligned to the right side of the sign. Raising his hands, he gave the area in front of the number 116 a rub and surprisingly rubbed away a layer of disguise to reveal an extra 1! The first floor's room were labeled with 11X, but door was labeled with 111X!

Gu Hao felt a chill down his spine as he said in a trembling tone, "This isn't the first floor."

Jack's eyes snapped open and commanded with a grim tone, "F*ck. It's a blood spirit with spatial distortion! Gather on me, now! We are going back to the stairway. Beatrice, cover our rear. Lena, scatter the detection powder. Gu Hao, take point! Go!"

Swish!

"Sir! Why not take the elevator?! There should be an elevator on the other end," Gu Hao questioned as he glanced at the other end of the hallway where he saw the corner of an intersection.

"Because in my spiritual sense, there isn't an elevator entrance at all," Jack replied grimly.

Gu Hao frowned in confusion. He felt it didn't make sense, unless the elevator was alive and can choose which floor it wants to have an entrance on. That can't be possible right?

Still, Gu Hao pushed that thought out of his mind as the situation requires his full attention. Seeing some of the doors on the floor slowly creak open, Gu Hao hollered, "They are coming out!"

Jack opened the door to the stairway and kept it open with his feet.

"Go! Go! Go!" Jack yelled as he pulled out a gun from thin air and fired it at the door to cover their retreat.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

With gunshots serving as background music, Gu Hao stepped through the door and glanced at the sign that read 'floor 11'. He gritted his teeth as he vigilantly surveyed the stairway with his eyes, but wasn't able to see anything.

Lena and Beatrice ran through the doorway, followed by Jack who slammed the door close. Jack then put away his gun and pulled out a talisman from thin air. He pasted it on the door and activated it, "Holy Shield."

A glowing wall appeared, covered the door and a portion of the nearby wall. Turning around and seeing the trio standing still, Jack waved his hands, "What are you all waiting for?! Go! Go down!"

"No! Sir! We have to go up!" Gu Hao gritted his teeth and replied, "It distorted the stairway last time so it might confuse our senses this time as well!"

Jack frowned as he activated his spiritual sense. His senses showed an intense blood red light above them. He opened his eyes and grimly stated, "I can sense it above us! We go down!"

Gu Hao opened his mouth wanting to argue but in the end he decided against it. When in danger, everyone should have a unified opinion. Also, the man was his guardian and captain who was more powerful than him. Although his instincts screamed otherwise, he still decided to trust Jack.

The group dashed down the stairs and they heard something slam on the door to floor 11. Thud! Fortunately, the barrier kept them on the other side. The group continued to race down the stairs. Suddenly, loud and rapid echoes of footsteps echoed in the stairway.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Jack and Gu Hao running at the front became vigilant; however, they didn't expect what happened next. The stair steps right below the two suddenly distorted and transformed into a wall of bloody flesh made of legs! A ghastly growl echoed in the stairway as the wall of flesh opened up like a mouth, revealing a set of spiky, bloody teeth!

Suddenly having the ground beneath him turning into a hole, Gu Hao lost his balance and fell towards the open mouth. The bloody jaw of flesh snapped upwards like a shark ready to gobble its prey!

"NOOOOOO!"