Nightmare Apostle

Chapter 1740: Chapter 1000: Room 7023 (Part 2)

On the other side, Yang Xiao and his companions had climbed the stairs to the 7th floor of the hotel. Pushing open the door to the emergency exit, they found themselves in a quiet, dark corridor.

The corridor had lights, but perhaps to conserve energy, not all were illuminated. Instead, they lit up intermittently, one on, one off, creating some relatively dark corners in the corridor.

The hotel was massive, with many rooms. The corridors were laid out in an L-shape, running north-south and east-west, each corridor containing dozens of rooms.

At the intersection of the two corridors was a relatively spacious foyer, and some floors had service desks in the foyer, where one person from the staff would have to man the desk.

The service desk’s location was not fixed; for example, on Yang Xiao’s floor, it was set at the corridor’s end near the emergency exit, opposite a miscellaneous room.

Yang Xiao took Sato Shouta around the entire 7th floor, checking the rooms on both sides, which were all quiet — it seemed probable that no one was staying there.

But besides people, Yang Xiao wasn’t sure if anything else might be residing here.

Throughout the walk, Sato Shouta remained silent, timidly following Yang Xiao. When they returned to the foyer at the intersection of the corridors, Yang Xiao stopped, "Don’t be afraid. I won’t make you stay at the service desk for your first shift. At least... I’ll give you a choice."

"It’s 8 PM now. We divide it into two shifts: the first shift starts now and lasts until 1 AM, and then the second person takes over until 6 AM." Yang Xiao looked at Sato Shouta, speaking softly, "You choose first."

"I... I want to take the second shift, is that okay?" Sato Shouta asked in a low voice.

"Okay, then I’ll take the first shift, you the second. But... you’ll uphold your promise, right, Mr. Sato?" Yang Xiao asked.

Not wanting to betray Yang Xiao’s trust, perhaps fearing punishment from those who brought him here, Sato Shouta nodded heavily, "Mr. Yang, please believe me, I will definitely keep my promise. You’ve helped me, you are my friend, I won’t betray your trust!"

"However..." Sato Shouta’s voice trailed off as he glanced at the deep, silent corridor behind him, timidly asking, "Mr. Yang, could you walk me to my room? I’m feeling a bit... uneasy alone."

Yang Xiao knew he wasn’t feeling unwell, just scared. But knowing fear isn’t necessarily bad, he didn’t expose him, instead leading him down the opposite corridor.

According to their agreement, they were to split up, each residing on opposite sides. As they walked, Yang Xiao explained some life-saving tips to Sato Shouta.

"Don’t stay in the room at the corridor’s end; that’s the dead end room, easy to gather Yin energy. Don’t stay in rooms with lights out at the door, dead flora, or strange odors. Don’t stay in rooms with inexplicable moisture or ceiling dampness either..." Yang Xiao spoke at length until they finally stopped before a room, not far from the foyer, in a relatively good location.

The room number, 7023, was polished bright.

Yang Xiao raised his hand, gently knocked on the door, which frightened Sato Shouta, causing him to instinctively step back two steps, "Is... anyone there?"

After waiting for a full three minutes without any movement inside, Yang Xiao finally pressed down on the doorknob, slowly pushing the door open. As the door opened, he stepped back to make room in front of the door, pulling Sato Shouta over, they stood two meters away.

Yang Xiao didn’t speak, and Sato Shouta didn’t dare speak, hardly even daring to breathe.

Still no movement from inside, after roughly a minute passed, Yang Xiao finally led Sato Shouta inside, found the switch, and turned on the room light.

Leaving the door open, Yang Xiao led Sato Shouta in a quick check around the room. It wasn’t large, but it was tidy enough. Yang Xiao pulled the sheets down to cover the bathroom mirror, advising Sato Shouta not to look in mirrors at night, not to open doors and windows, remember to lock the door, and not to touch the TV, radio, or telephone. Unplug the wires in the back, don’t leave the room unless absolutely necessary, and don’t open the door for anyone.

"I know, unless it’s you, Mr. Yang, I won’t open the door for anyone!" Sato Shouta trusted Yang Xiao tremendously, confirming that this Hua Country native had a kind heart and was a reliable friend. He was fortunate to have met him.

Yang Xiao had helped him greatly, even clashing with Hasegawa Hideji, the violent man, because of him, which he noticed.

Though inexperienced in the world, Sato Shouta wasn’t foolish. He realized only Yang Xiao stood up for him when he was being bullied, while the old man Qingshui Cangjie talked politely, repeatedly asking everyone to trust each other and maintain harmony, yet he stood idly by while he was hit.

"Alright, take care of yourself. I’ll be in the service room. Remember to come replace me at 1 AM. If you don’t... I’ll come find you." Yang Xiao urged him before leaving.

Yang Xiao favored those who understood rules. If Sato Shouta didn’t come at the designated time, he’d let him know Hasegawa Hideji wasn’t the real monster here.

Returning to the service room in the opposite corridor, there was a table at the entrance piled with random discarded items; this was his duty station. Behind the seat was a large frosted glass pane supported by wooden racks.

Behind the frosted glass was a separate space, accessed by pulling open a glass door to reveal an old-style spring bed, double-layered, at its foot already showing rust marks.

The bed had a full set of bedding, appearing relatively clean. Behind the glass door, near the wall, there were coat hangers with two brand new uniforms hanging on them.

Yang Xiao picked up one for a look; the uniform was too small and thin, presumably meant for petite women.

Evidently, this was the rest area. Theoretically, this space allowed for two people, one on duty in the front, the other resting in the back.

Closing the door, Yang Xiao returned to the front service desk, sat on the chair, occasionally glancing back. He didn’t like the frosted glass, finding its view too poor. He kept imagining a terrifying ghost face pressed tightly against the other side of the frosted glass behind him, silently staring at him.

Yang Xiao’s imagination was a talent, something he once relied on for living, though now he was much better. Back in the day, during his scriptwriting frenzy, after turning off the light and laying in bed, he’d close his eyes, convinced there were ghosts everywhere.

Behind the curtains was a ghost with bare blue feet peeking through as the curtain fluttered in the wind. In the wardrobe lurked a ghost preventing the door from fully closing, the gap showing a bloodshot ghost eye.

Clothes draped on the drying rack inexplicably sprouted limbs, in the bathroom mirror there was a forever-back-facing stranger.

Beneath the table, a crouched boy raised his index finger to his lips, raising his head, a creepy smile splitting his mouth. Under the bed, half bodied woman scratched the floor with scarlet nails, trying to crawl out for the 10,001st time.

These, in Yang Xiao’s eyes, were minor characters. He was long used to them; the truly terrifying existence was that thing — without needing to see it, just the notion in his mind made Yang Xiao sleepless. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

A fear in the late night, as Yang Xiao prepared to sleep, the bedroom door gradually pushed open, followed by stiff, numbed footsteps slowly closing in on him.

At such times, Yang Xiao dared not make any big moves, quietly curling up in bed, wrapping tight under the blankets, covering his head, gritting his teeth, doing everything possible to minimize his presence, wishing he could hide in a snail shell.

"Yang Xiao, are you asleep? I... I can’t sleep, why only one Chapter today?"

"I feel so terrible, Yang Xiao, where are you, I’ve come to find you..."

That terrifying voice like a demonic echo pierced through his brain, no use covering his ears, with stiff footsteps endlessly pacing around the bed like it could pounce anytime. Yang Xiao clung tightly, hiding under the covers almost tearful, knowing the urging ghost had appeared, incarnate of all the writers’ urges, its only way to dissipate was to deliver the next Chapter immediately.

"I didn’t, really, no drafts... truly..." In the covers, Yang Xiao begged, cried in fear.