Mysterious Apartment: Unpleasant Discoveries

For work reasons, I moved into an apartment close to the company. The elevator reached the 11th floor, the building was less than three years old, it was clean, only 500 meters from the subway, and the rent was 2,000 yuan per month, with no agent fees. The most important thing was the large windows in this room that fulfilled my inner desires. With my new job, I'd be earning an extra ten thousand per month, so without much hesitation, I signed a year-long lease and moved in with my little cat, Shuaizai.

Every night, while holding Shuaizai and looking at the bustling city lights outside, my desire to settle in this city grew stronger. There was just one problem. In the early hours, I would often hear a "scratch, scratch" sound from the floor above, as if someone were clawing at the walls. At this point, Shuaizai would huddle in my arms, and I had to stay up and comfort it, wearing earplugs to drown out the noise. I tried not to think too much about the supernatural and forced myself to sleep because I had committed all my savings to this year-long lease.

In the beginning, the scratching noises would last about five minutes, and I would endure it with my earplugs. However, in less than a month, things got worse. In addition to the scratching sounds, I started hearing a woman softly humming in the bathroom and even witnessed knives falling from the chopping board by themselves. I had no choice but to contact a real estate agent. He dismissed my concerns, suggesting that many tenants had lived here before, implying I was being overly fearful. It was hard for me to do anything as my monthly salary had not come in, and I didn't want to ask my parents for money. So, I reluctantly got rid of the knives, fearing that I would wake up with one of them next to me. I had wanted to investigate the apartment's history but had been busy with a project.

Now, with a rare day off, I had the chance to find out more. I tried searching the web for information on "Xugou Apartment and Hauntings." Strangely, as soon as I pressed the enter key, the light above me flickered, and Shuaizai let out a low meow before leaping into my lap. I felt a slight tremor in my fingers, but I continued to scroll. I opened one post that read, "This Apartment Is Haunted! Do Not Live Here, No Matter What. Unfortunately, the property is backed by a strong corporation, and negative posts get deleted. My friend originally lived in Xugou Apartment 1106 and heard scratching sounds every night, like someone was clawing at the walls. My friend was brave and initially thought it might be a noise from outside. I also thought he was overthinking it. But soon, he told me that things started moving in his home, and the bathroom would occasionally hum with soft singing in the evenings. Even worse, kitchen knives would fall to the floor spontaneously. My friend was eventually terrified enough to move out. We thought the situation was over. But less than a week later, he came to me, looking gloomy, with dark circles under his eyes. His neck and hands were adorned with various chains and amulets. I asked him what had happened, and he told me that the female ghost had come to him, demanding that he find all her dismembered limbs within a week and burn them. If he failed, she would take his life. On this day, it was already the sixth day, and he had yet to complete the task."

Reading these words, I took a deep breath, feeling the hairs on my neck rise as I looked up at the ceiling directly above my bed. Okay, I needed to calm down. I got up, filled a cup with hot water, took a sip, and let the warmth soothe my emotions. As I sat back at the computer, I noticed that the window was slightly ajar. I couldn't recall opening it, but I wiped my forehead, sweaty from anxiety, and scolded myself for overthinking things. I closed the window, feeling the cool breeze from outside, which gradually dispelled my lingering unease.

Taking a deep breath, I decided to investigate further. I found a clean change of clothes and went to take a shower. However, for some reason, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was constantly watching me. I rinsed off the soap and foam, but everything seemed normal... until Shuaizai suddenly let out a loud scream. In a panic, I rushed out of the bathroom and saw a giant cockroach on the floor. With Shuaizai cowering and terrified, the tables had turned. The cat, on the other hand, just stared at the intruder.