Nightmare

Li Mo glanced at his unresponsive legs, then at the slow-moving wheelchair. If he really encountered a ghost, he wouldn't even have a chance to escape. Was he supposed to rely on an ordinary handgun?

The elevator doors opened. Li Mo took a deep breath. This was his first time entering the fourth floor after eight in the evening.

The pictures on the wall were flickering, with many twisted human figures appearing.

Li Mo was silent. He looked at the floor beneath him. A thin human shadow enveloped both him and his wheelchair. That ghost had followed him from the fifth floor to the fourth.

"You persistent thing. If you want to kill me, just kill me."

Weakness gave Li Mo plenty of courage. After all, he really had no ability to resist. Right now, even a human-headed ghost could easily kill him, let alone the countless malevolent ghosts in the haunted house.

Li Mo turned his head and looked in the direction of the shadow behind him. It happened to be right behind the wheelchair. The ghost's position in the inner world was right behind him.

Li Mo chuckled contemptuously. "Or are you saying you have human intelligence and are plotting something? Now is not the time to kill me? Hehe, so..."

"You purebred things are just slaves to rules. You don't understand the good things about being human at all."

"If you don't dare to kill me, then get out of my way. If you stay by my side, you'll just be scolded by me over and over again."

"Are you a masochistic ghost?"

With that, the shadow came to Li Mo's front. Li Mo was unmoved and didn't pay any more attention. He was just trying to scare this ghost, to see if it had any intelligence. If its response changed after hearing his words, it meant that it did have intelligence, which would be more troublesome.

With human intelligence, this ghost could understand what he feared most.

"No wonder the hint told me to come here quickly. I'm afraid that after today, this ghost will no longer target me, but will turn to attack the children below the fourth floor."

Li Mo quickly analyzed.

At this moment, a raw, salty smell came from the air, as if rusty iron nails were piled up beside him. Li Mo glanced around but did not find the source of the smell. At least not in his line of sight.

"What happened on the fourth floor of the inner world?"

Li Mo took a deep breath and operated the wheelchair to move slowly on the fourth floor. When he reached the living room, the pictures on the wall were almost no longer hidden. Dark shadows walked out of the haunted house, coveting something on his body.

When Li Mo looked at them, the dark shadows turned their heads away. This strange behavior made Li Mo very confused. Logically speaking, he was the only living person on the fourth floor. If there were ghosts in the pictures, then the only target would be himself. Only he could trigger the ghost's killing rule.

Li Mo looked back and found that the dark shadow that had been following him on the ground had disappeared. Immediately after, a strong smell of blood filled the living room, very pungent.

"The smell of blood." Li Mo covered his nose and came to the bookshelf. Everything was as usual, but the smell of blood had intensified several times.

He hadn't found any footprints when he came up to the fourth floor. In addition, the fourth floor was a one-way street with not much space to hide. It was impossible for Li Mo not to see anyone on his way. So the source of the bloody smell could only be the bloody newspaper that had not yet revived.

Or rather, the bloody newspaper had already revived, but what was the reason? Li Mo didn't understand, but he was more familiar with the bloody newspaper. This Bizarre item posed zero threat to him, so he could test it.

With the experience from last time, Li Mo held his breath before taking down the bloody newspaper to prevent dust from entering his throat. After taking down the newspaper, sure enough, as he had expected, the newspaper had already transformed into a bloody newspaper.

"..."

"..."

Li Mo thought for a period of time and made a very bold choice. This choice might lead to the destruction of all the peaceful life at present, but at least it would add a... possible chance of survival for him to break the deadlock.

Another choice, another huge gamble.

After a moment of contemplation, Li Mo picked up the bloody newspaper, looked at it with a calm expression, and said coldly, "I know you will lie, will disguise yourself, are not omniscient and omnipotent, and cannot predict my intentions."

"So I don't plan to ask you about the future, nor will I listen to your opinions to accomplish anything."

"I only need you to tell me one thing. If you choose to hide or deceive, I will immediately burn all the pictures on the wall. I don't know which picture is your original body, but I don't care, because they will all be burned."

"If you can't be burned, then you're capable."

"Now tell me, how exactly were you born?"

Li Mo clenched the bloody newspaper, not with the strength of his fingers to show his firm determination, but to do another dangerous thing.

The bloody newspaper slowly showed writing, even though it didn't want to answer. But due to the rules, if it didn't want the user to know the answer, it could only choose to lie.

[Li Mo, I am you from six years later, and I am telling you all the future possibilities through this newspaper...]

"Hmm?"

Li Mo was stunned for a moment. He remembered that the bloody newspaper had shown the answer very quickly, but now it was drawing the characters stroke by stroke, as if someone were writing. However, the answer hadn't changed much. Unlike the notebook, the bloody newspaper would use the second person as the narrative perspective.

[You shouldn't have come here. Go back now, and you can still avoid an irreversible tragedy.]

[You just need to enjoy a normal, beautiful life. This is your only chance... to escape forever.]

[Once you choose to stay and are contaminated with the Bizarre again, you will become 「▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️」, and will not have a good end.]

The bloody newspaper stopped showing writing. Only four short lines of text were presented to Li Mo. However, compared to the first sentence, the bloody newspaper seemed to have recovered some kind of rule. The writing appeared quickly, just as Li Mo remembered.

"Interesting. The hint in my mind told me to come to the fourth floor, saying that if I didn't, I would regret it immensely, and the tragedy would happen again."

"And you want me to leave the fourth floor, saying that this is the only way to avoid tragedy."

"In my opinion, the hint in my mind is absolutely objective and true. Every sentence you say is a lie. There's no need to consider who to believe."

"You'd better be burned. I may not be able to change other endings, but it's very possible for me to bury you."

With that, Li Mo reached for the handgun tucked at his waist.

[...]

Li Mo believed so firmly. He believed more in the hint given by the ninth room in his mind. In his experience of the haunted house more than a decade ago, the bloody newspaper was full of lies and not trustworthy.

Just as Li Mo released the safety and was about to go to the pictures to shoot, the bloody newspaper once again showed writing. This time, without Li Mo asking any questions, the bloody newspaper took the initiative to communicate with him.

[If you don't believe the Death Omen and believe the bloody newspaper, you will indeed regret it immensely.]

[But regretting immensely... is not a bad thing. No matter what a person chooses, they will regret it.]

[The bloody newspaper will never lie on the first night it awakens.]

Li Mo pursed his lips and rolled his eyes at the bloody newspaper. "Death Omen? Is that the name of the hint given by the ninth room? You're quite impressive, you even know that."

"I have no way of verifying your answer. I can't verify the truth of your words."

"To be honest with you, I've actually died once before. Before I died last time, you were buried by me personally. At that time, you were full of lies and killed many people."

"It's a pity. I'm not the first person to meet you, so I can't confirm this rule."

Li Mo put away his handgun. The magazine capacity was limited. There was indeed no need to waste bullets on the pictures. Ordinary bullets might not be able to kill the pictures.

"I look forward to your performance later~"

Li Mo smiled and put the bloody newspaper back on his body. Anyway, the possibility of the bloody newspaper killing him was very small, so he might as well make the best use of it. The fact that it wouldn't lie on the first night it awakened was most likely made up by itself. It couldn't be trusted, but what if?

Li Mo held onto a glimmer of hope. He was currently lacking Bizarre items, and even the less practical bloody newspaper could not be let go.

The rolled-up bloody newspaper was silent for a moment.

[Hehe.]

Apart from the first sentence left by a human. It didn't lie. At least not tonight.

Li Mo hummed a little tune to encourage himself. In the silent hall, the bizarre gazes from the pictures, the constantly twisting shadows in the darkness... all were around Li Mo, but separated by a world, they could not harm him.

"I'm on the fourth floor. Am I supposed to stay here for a night? Can't your hint be more thorough?"

Li Mo complained to the Death Omen, resentfully complaining that the Death Omen was not detailed enough.

"I'll just spend the night here. If I go back now and all my efforts are wasted, I'll be so upset."

"It's not a big deal to lose a night's sleep. The children's safety is more important."

Li Mo sighed, pulled his clothes tighter, and returned to the living room, sitting in his wheelchair and regulating his breathing. Now he couldn't control the harsh environment. He just needed to stay here until the next day, and everything would come to light.

The pictures on the wall seemed to no longer change. Li Mo sat in his wheelchair, right next to the bookshelf. Since the living room was surrounded by pictures on all four sides, Li Mo didn't pay too much attention to his position. Compared to being close to the wall, being in the center of all the pictures' gazes was more dangerous.

Li Mo remained calm and looked straight ahead. He was completely unaware that the only normal picture behind him was gradually changing.

In the picture, the lights on the first, second, third, and fifth floors of the haunted house were all on. The lights on the first and second floors went out first, followed by the lights on the third floor. When the lights on the third floor went out, a pretty figure could be vaguely seen through the window walking upstairs.

The lights on the fifth floor were always bright, but the bright white light had a warmer orange tint.

"..."

Time passed by, second by second. There was no movement on the fourth floor. Li Mo's mind was in a trance. He leaned back in his wheelchair, his eyes struggling to stay open. A wave of fatigue and drowsiness washed over his sea of consciousness. The lights on the fifth floor in the picture did not go out. The white light was completely replaced by a warm orange light.

Li Mo leaned back in his wheelchair, his head drooping as he fell asleep.

"Ring ring ring—! Ring ring ring—!"

The loud phone ringtone woke the sleeping Li Mo. Li Mo suddenly looked up and opened his eyes. He immediately turned off the phone ringtone.

"Is it morning already... wait... did I just fall asleep?"

Li Mo was stunned. He fell asleep in this environment? He was really bold. Not playing with his phone, having nothing to do, just staring blankly at the darkness did make one tired easily.

"I'm not dead. My luck is not bad."

Li Mo operated the wheelchair to leave the fourth floor. There were two ringtones. One was to send the children to school, and the other was to remind him to pick up the children from school. The first ringtone must be for school.

Li Mo entered the elevator, returned to the fifth floor to briefly tidy himself up, and then went to the first floor. The children were already sitting at the dining table, with breakfast prepared. Even Li Mo's portion was ready.

"Brother Li Mo is a little late today, but it's okay, breakfast is not cold yet." Sin wiped the corner of her mouth with a tissue. "We're leaving first. Brother Li Mo, you can send the younger brothers and sisters to school after you eat."

With that, Sin picked up her schoolbag and prepared to walk out of the house.

"Wait!" Li Mo called out to Sin.

"What's wrong? Does Brother Li Mo have something for me to do? Don't say things like 'be careful' again~" Sin asked in confusion.

Li Mo stared at the junior high school children and paused, "I'll send you."

"Huh? Brother Li Mo, you don't have to go to so much trouble. We're not children. Is Brother Li Mo still worried that we'll be kidnapped?" Sin giggled, showing a confident expression, signaling Li Mo not to worry at all.

"It's okay, I just want to send you off. I'll heat up breakfast and eat it when I get back."

Li Mo operated the wheelchair to leave the dining table and went to the door on the first floor. It was no problem to send them off and then come back to send the elementary school children.

Seeing that Li Mo had already made up his mind to leave, Sin did not object. After all, Brother Li Mo must have his reasons for doing so.

But... what puzzled Sin was why Li Mo was walking at the very front of them? Usually, Brother Li Mo was at the back, in the middle or at the very end. This was the first time he was at the very front of the team.

On the way, Li Mo would occasionally turn back to look at Seele. He didn't know if it was his imagination, but he actually saw Seele was a few centimeters taller than Bronya. Last night, Li Mo had seen Bronya and Seele standing together, with Bronya being a little taller than Seele, like an older sister.

Li Mo didn't find it convenient to ask directly, and besides, the children didn't have any strange reactions. Seeing Seele and Bronya talking and laughing, Li Mo was relieved. He continued to lead the children on the sidewalk.

"..." Li Mo carefully watched the streets and corners. He always had a bad feeling. He couldn't put his finger on it.

Soon, Li Mo sent Seele and the others to the school gate. Sin had a sunny and cheerful look, constantly waving at Li Mo, "Brother Li Mo, be careful on your way back! We're going to school now!"

Her high ponytail swayed like catkins, floating around. Gloves, scarves, hats, every child had them. Wrapped up like a dumpling, it still couldn't hide the youthful and lively atmosphere.

Seeing Sin leading Seele, Bronya, and the others into the campus, Li Mo's anxious heart finally settled down.

"Is it my imagination?" Li Mo couldn't help but ask himself, turning to leave the school gate. He always felt... that something was missing.

"Seele! Be careful!"

A clamor came from behind. Bronya shouted loudly.

Li Mo instantly turned back, his eyes becoming sharp, and operated the wheelchair into the campus. He only saw a sloppily dressed student staring at the fallen Seele with a ferocious expression, as if she were an enemy.

Fortunately, Sin, Bronya, and the other children from the orphanage were holding the other party back, preventing them from pouncing on Seele. The security guard reacted quickly and rushed forward to try and pull the crazed student away.

"Really, are kids these days so brave? They just start fighting when they have a conflict?"

"Damn! So strong?!"

The security guard was stunned for a moment and almost lost his balance and fell to the ground. He was not like the old security guards at other schools. At twenty-something, he had saved himself decades of detours by becoming a security guard right after graduation!

But even with his strong physique, he almost couldn't pull this crazed little girl.

Seeing Li Mo coming over in his wheelchair, the security guard smiled with difficulty, "I'm sorry, Mr. Li Mo, to have made a fool of myself. I will report this matter to the school leaders and will not let your child be wronged at school."

Li Mo placed his hand on the handgun at his waist, his eyes terrifyingly cold.

Li Mo clenched his fists, trembling slightly. The other party was obviously not a living person. Li Mo saw the livor mortis on her neck and her ashen skin, as well as her unfocused pupils. Even if it wasn't obvious, it indicated that the other party's identity was a ghost.

It's just that she hadn't completely transformed yet. After the human emotions dissipated, she would become a real ghost.

"Sin, no school today. Everyone, follow me."

"But..."

"No buts. Go home now."

Li Mo said to the children in a commanding tone.

Seeing Li Mo being so serious, the children had no choice but to leave the school and follow Li Mo home. The security guard at the gate was struggling to hold the child and had no time to apologize to Li Mo.

"..."

On the way back, Li Mo deliberately stayed by Seele's side, very quiet.

Seele seemed to have grown taller. Li Mo, sitting in his wheelchair, actually had to look up to see Seele. Her short, black-blue hair gradually grew longer, already reaching her waist, and exuded a cool, riverside fragrance.

Finally, Li Mo couldn't help but ask, "Seele, you..."

Before he could finish his words, a dark shadow enveloped Li Mo and Seele. Li Mo looked up and saw the crazed student from before jumping out from the wall beside them.

Without any hesitation, Li Mo took out his gun, released the safety, and fired decisively.

"Bang!"

The moment the ghost was about to land on Seele, Li Mo fired and shot it in the neck. Large amounts of black-red blood flowed out from the wound, forming a strange lake on the ground.

There were many pedestrians on the road, and also many surveillance cameras. Li Mo was already prepared to go to the police station and wait for Shigure Kira to bail him out, but when he looked down at the pool of blood, he found... the dead ghost was staring at him with hatred, no, at Seele beside him.

"Don't mind me, run home first!"

Li Mo gave the order, but no one responded.

"..."

"Sin, Bronya..."

Li Mo felt a chill down his spine. His trembling hand holding the gun slowly looked up. All the children were standing there like malevolent ghosts, their eyes wide as they stared at Seele.

"Brother, brother..."

Seele backed away, crying for help. She was surrounded and had retreated to the wall, with nowhere to run. First the students, then the children from the orphanage, all were people close to Seele.

Li Mo didn't have time to think. All he could do was to shoot and kill all the children who were about to become ghosts.

Li Mo did just that. With one gunshot after another, he personally killed the children he had watched grow up. The blood seeping from the wounds had formed a constantly spreading pool of blood. In the reflection of the pool of blood, their faces were facing Seele, their hands raised, their fingers pointing at a certain place.

Pointing at Seele Vollerei. As if accusing the culprit who had turned them into this state.

"Bronya... sister... I, I..."

There was no time for sorrow. Many people came one after another, the butcher who had helped the orphanage, the passers-by who had greeted Seele on the street, and even the teachers from the school came to her side.

Suddenly, all the ghosts stopped, raised their hands, and weakly pointed their index fingers at the瘫软在地 on the ground Seele.

Li Mo wanted to shoot, but found that his handgun was already raised, but it was not aimed at the ghost crowd around him, but at Seele.

"Bang!"

The piercing gunshot pierced every nerve in his brain. Li Mo suddenly opened his eyes.

"Hah... hah..."

Li Mo was panting heavily, sweat soaking the bangs on his forehead. Li Mo looked around and found that he was still in the bedroom on the fifth floor.

"Brother, did you have a nightmare?"

Seele tilted her head and asked curiously, sitting on his lap.

"A dream?" Li Mo was stunned.

He quickly looked towards the wall, but there was no candle there. The hint in his mind, the night on the fourth floor, and the familiar people who had turned into ghosts... were they all a dream?

Li Mo held his head and shook it in some pain.

"Did I fall asleep just now?" Li Mo asked.

"Yes, Brother was telling me a story, and you fell asleep while telling it. Seele was afraid of waking Brother up, so I didn't move," Seele said, telling the whole story.

"How long was I asleep?"

"I'm not sure, probably about half an hour. If Brother wants to sleep, Seele will go back to her room first."

With that, Seele gently got off Li Mo's lap without hurting him.

"Wait!" Li Mo called out to Seele. "Tonight... sleep in my room... uh, my bed is big and soft... pah, what am I saying? Phew... I mean, if you go back now, you might wake Bronya up. Why don't you just sleep here today."

Seele must not be allowed to leave. No matter if the nightmare was real or not, Li Mo could not use the children's lives as a gamble.

"Can I? Can Seele really sleep with Brother?" Seele looked at Li Mo cautiously, her big, clear blue eyes staring at him timidly, with a hint of expectation and a pitiful look of fear of being rejected.

"Uh..."

Li Mo just wanted to keep Seele here, and didn't think too much. After thinking for a while, Li Mo coughed twice, "I'll sleep in the wheelchair, you sleep in the bed alone."

"Ngh..." Seele was a little disappointed, her head drooping.

"You go to bed. I'll turn off the lights."

With that, Li Mo took out his phone, preparing to turn off the lights in the bedroom. He didn't expect Seele to react so strongly. Her voice trembled as she shouted to stop him, "Wait, wait! Brother... I'm afraid of the dark, can you not turn off the lights..."

Li Mo hesitated for a moment and nodded, "Alright, then I won't turn off the lights. You go to sleep."

"Okay, then... can Brother turn around..."

"Why?"

"Seele is used to sleeping without clothes."

"..."

Li Mo silently turned his back. He didn't expect Seele to sleep without pajamas. What a strange habit.

Seele slowly took off her thick and warm pajamas, then her lower body.

"Ngh, ngh, ngh..."

Seele used a lot of strength, and couldn't help but let out a light moan.

Li Mo closed his eyes and looked up, taking a deep breath. A person shouldn't, at least shouldn't.

Just kidding. Li Mo didn't have the leisure to think about the alluring scene of Seele taking off her clothes behind him. He was more concerned about that "nightmare."

No wonder he hadn't noticed many details. Many things happened very compactly and without any logic. The reality in the dream lacked too many transitional events.

Not to mention that he could fall asleep soundly on the fourth floor, and Seele inexplicably grew up. By the time he pointed the gun at her, Seele had already grown into a graceful young lady.

She was beautiful, with fair skin, a beautiful face, and long legs. It was hard to imagine that this little girl now would become so big... No, no, what am I thinking?

Wait?

Li Mo was a little confused. It seemed that he could directly use the description of the princess in the fairy tale to describe the older Seele? No, no, no, how did it get back to women again? Li Mo, oh Li Mo, why is your mind full of garbage paint?

After calming down and composing himself, Li Mo began to think about whether everything that had happened in the dream corresponded to the source of the Bizarre.

Those ghosts... Li Mo's heart felt a little heavy. In the dream, he had killed the children around him, although it was out of necessity. That feeling was so real, it didn't feel like a dream.

The first ghost he saw was Seele's classmate. Li Mo recognized the girl. She was Seele's second deskmate. The second wave of ghosts were the junior high school children from the orphanage. The third wave of ghosts were all the acquaintances on the way to school. And then, the fourth ghost... was himself.

Li Mo casually reached into his pocket. His fingers felt something sticky and wrinkled. The bloody newspaper was in his pocket.

"..."

Seele... how can you not make me suspect you?

Li Mo was in a very difficult position. All the signs indicated that Seele would grow up to kill everyone. Li Mo couldn't deceive himself. Countless facts were laid out before him, all pointing to Seele.

"Brother, it's done..."

Seele looked at Li Mo coquettishly, her exposed shoulders pink and white, with a faint luster under the light.

"Seele, before you go to sleep, can Brother ask you a question?"

"Yes, Seele will answer every question Brother has seriously."

"Do you... hate me?"

"..."

"I don't want to hear lies. Just tell me straight."

"...Brother, why would you think that?"

Seele's speech was a bit urgent. It seemed she was very anxious to know why Li Mo was asking this question.

Li Mo very calmly blamed it on the nightmare, "I had a nightmare. Many people appeared in the dream. Your deskmate, Sin, Bronya, and your teacher and the people you talked to on the way to school."

"They became very strange and all wanted to kill you."

As Li Mo spoke, he observed Seele's reaction. After hearing Li Mo talk about the contents of the dream, Seele's eyes clearly froze for a moment. She shrank her shoulders back into the quilt to cover her body.

"Brother... how did you treat Seele in the dream?" Seele didn't dare to look at Li Mo, her voice low.

Li Mo's mouth curved into a smile. He came to the bedside and reached out to pinch Seele's obedient and cute little face. It was cool and soft.

"I knocked them all down, then punished everyone with a hundred moral test papers, and finally went home with you, just like the ending of the fairy tale I told you tonight, living a happy and beautiful life."