Chapter 4: Diary

Zhou You hesitated for a moment and chose “Do Not Save.”

The reason was simple.

Up to this point, the scenario had not been very long.

By web novel standards, it probably amounted to less than three chapters of content.

He could easily remember everything and retrace the exact same path if necessary.

But if he saved here and later discovered he had overlooked something earlier, there would be no way to fix it.

After opening the door, the old woman said nothing further.

She merely removed the master key from the key ring with trembling hands, stuffed it into Zhou You’s hand, then turned around and left.

However, Zhou You quickly noticed that the old woman did not walk like a normal person.

Instead of taking steps, she first lifted one leg high into the air, slammed it down heavily, then repeated the same action with the other leg.

She moved forward by continuously repeating that motion.

“Both legs are probably prosthetics. Extremely crude wooden prosthetics, at that.”

Staring at the figure as it gradually disappeared into the darkness, Zhou You frowned slightly.

That might be one clue for escaping.

But it was useless for now.

At least, it was useless right now.

In the end, he shook his head and stepped into Room 304.

After turning on the light, the first thing he saw was a ruin.

Or rather, something even more tragic than a ruin.

The floor was littered with all kinds of garbage.

Waste paper, dirt, and rotting food scraps filled every gap.

There was barely a place to stand.

The walls were covered with huge patches of mold.

Red, green, black, and white growths combined into a bizarre surrealist painting.

There was a window at the far end of the room, but...

Zhou You walked over and decisively pulled aside the mold-covered curtain.

As expected, no light entered.

What appeared before him was nothing more than a wall made of red bricks and cement.

The heavy masonry resembled an impassable chasm, blocking every possibility of escape.

Zhou You knocked on it a few times.

Only a dull, heavy echo answered him.

Judging from the thickness, there was absolutely no way to break through it with human strength alone.

At minimum, a demolition drill would be required.

“This is supposed to be beginner difficulty? Isn’t that a bit excessive?”

Zhou You spat to the side.

Yet despite his words, there was no disappointment on his face.

He merely turned his head and surveyed the room once more.

The environment remained filthy beyond belief.

Even the bed and desk were covered in mold.

At first glance, they seemed no different from anything else in the room.

Wait.

A desk?

Frowning, Zhou You shifted his gaze.

In a corner of the room stood a small desk tucked inconspicuously against the wall.

It was obviously very old.

One of its legs had broken off and was currently supported by a stone.

A candle burned at the far end of the desk, though its position made it difficult to notice.

The mold was still present.

Yet unlike the rest of the room, there was very little dust on the desk.

Which meant someone had definitely been using it.

“But the question is, who?”

Zhou You rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Some unknown person?

The previous tenant who had long since died somewhere?

Or...

That monstrous old woman?

He stared at the desk for a long while.

Eventually, he cautiously approached and gently placed a hand on it.

The desk did not transform into some indescribable monster.

It did not suddenly sprout rows of terrifying fangs.

Nor did an enormous swarm of maggots come pouring out.

The first two possibilities would have been tolerable.

At worst, he would die once.

But the last one...

Sorry, everyone has one or two things they simply cannot accept.

After confirming there was no danger, the first thing Zhou You examined was the drawer.

Unfortunately, it contained nothing but a pile of crumpled paper balls.

He unfolded several at random.

Most contained only chaotic fragments of phrases.

A few were stained with blood, vomit, and some murky, foul-smelling suspicious mucus.

There still seemed to be no clues.

An ordinary person would probably have given up on the pile and searched elsewhere.

But Zhou You was different.

He meticulously unfolded every single paper ball and spread them all across the desk.

One by one, he removed the papers that were merely soaked with fluids.

Only the sheets covered in writing remained.

Yet the contents were still utterly chaotic.

“Disconnected” was too mild a description.

Only a madman could have understood what the writer was trying to say.

Yet Zhou You silently memorized every phrase.

Then he broke them all apart in his mind and rearranged them.

After some simple reconstruction, he found a pen and rapidly copied everything onto the blank backs of the pages.

A fragmented diary gradually emerged beneath his hand.

May 8. Weather unknown.

I’ve been living in this room for three months now. My savings ran out long ago. I’ve already borrowed everything I could from relatives. My parents think I’ve joined some pyramid scheme or fraud ring. Honestly, I wish that were true. Unfortunately, they’ll never know that the place I’m trapped in is far more terrifying than any scam organization...

May 8. Weather unknown.

A new tenant downstairs called the police. The sirens sounded outside the building for an entire day, but not a single officer ever entered. That’s normal, though. After all, Garden Community Building 4, Unit 4 simply doesn’t exist. How could the police respond to a place that doesn’t exist?

May 8. Weather unknown.

As expected, the tenant who called the police was exposed. To make an example of him, the Landlady gathered us all together for a tenant social event. The man was hung up in front of us like a pig waiting to be slaughtered in the countryside.

The Landlady held a rusty knife and carefully demonstrated how to perform “live organ extraction.”

What was even more horrifying was that, somehow, the Landlady prevented him from bleeding much.

Even after most of his organs had been removed, he was still alive.

And he continued screaming the entire time he remained alive...

May 8. Weather unknown.

I can’t get another cent.

I’ve already drained my parents’ savings.

They even sold the house.

All my relatives and friends have blocked me.

My body is getting worse and worse.

Even walking has become difficult.

What do I do?

If this continues, I’ll have to...

August 9. Sunny.

Unlike the previous entries, this diary contained only six words.

Six simple words.

I have to escape. I must escape.