Chapter 11 Beginning_2

Like an abyss, the darkness seemed bottomless.

Cen Dongsheng had already warned her that for those inside the Ghost House, its boundaries were nearly impossible to surpass, equivalent to the intersection of two phased spaces, like a deep vortex.

Ordinary people stepping into it could face unpredictable dangers...

But specifically, what kind of danger?

While pondering this question, An Zhizhen walked towards the people, casually picking up a pebble from the lawn beside her, and then threw it outside the iron gate.

"..."

There was no reaction or sound; the stone that fell into the darkness simply disappeared.

"See? We are trapped here, and besides, people from outside can't possibly come to rescue us... at least not ordinary people."

Someone swallowed quietly, only able to hear An Zhizhen's voice quietly resounding in their ears.

"What should we do then..."

Before An Zhizhen could continue, a gust of wind suddenly arose from the darkness.

Mournful, like the sound of weeping, white shadows drifted out from the third floor nearby, and groups of Floating Spirits formed a semi-transparent bridge in the air.

"What, what is that?"

Only a few people had seen Ghosts before, and they had doubted their own eyes, but now, after everyone looked up, they all witnessed this eerie scene.

There were children and pregnant women among the crowd, and the successive screams immediately arose one after another; the already pervasive panic exploded, with some wanting to run away and some looking for places to hide—

"Everyone, calm down first!"

An Zhizhen was the first to step forward, moving towards the white shadows that were drifting down nearby. Under the watchful eyes of the terrified crowd, she walked right through the Ghosts.

"Don't be afraid, see? As long as you don't get too close, these ghosts won't harm people."

She turned her head and explained to the crowd with an unchanged expression.

...She's getting used to it really quickly, Cen Dongsheng thought to himself as he stood with his arms crossed not far away.

"No danger...?"

"Yes, these white shadows are indeed harmless. However, there are more dangerous things hidden in this building."

She raised her voice once again.

"It's no use hiding alone; it would be terrible if you were found! We should unite and take action together, avoiding being alone. Then, we wait for the professionals to handle it."

"Handle it...? Didn't you just say..."

"Yes, no one from outside will come to save us. But we are in luck! Right here in Xiaokang Building, there happens to be someone who can resolve this supernatural incident."

Sister Zhi Zhen waved her hand, pointing towards Cen Dongsheng not far away.

Facing everyone's gaze, the young man casually nodded his head.

...

An Zhizhen's timely actions and speech temporarily controlled the situation; even though the Floating Spirits were drifting close by, nobody left, all subconsciously gathering around her to listen.

"Yes, the longest we might have to wait is about a week to a week and a half."

"But, but you said... there are ghosts in this house..."

The one who asked was visibly nervous.

"So, the first thing we need to do is calm down and take care of the problems one by one."

Although she was also a victim of the Ghost House incident for the first time, in front of everyone, Sister Zhi Zhen appeared to be experienced and reliable; she raised a finger and methodically explained the next plan.

"First, those of us gathered here need to bring over necessary items from nearby rooms and set up a temporary camp. For this week, we will have to act collectively from this camp."

"Secondly, we organize search teams, patrols, and watch posts. If there are still people left in the building, we should get them to join us here. It's too dangerous to hide alone."

"The third thing is, fortunately, we have a convenience store in our building, so we need to centralize and manage our supplies. However, everyone needn't worry about going hungry this week, as not everyone has been drawn into this place, and we have more than enough supplies."

Then, she clenched her hand into a fist as if cheering on everyone present.

"What's left is just to wait patiently. As long as we all work together, we can get through this tough time."

...

Cen Dongsheng watched silently from the side.

He had been ready to show a 'trick' and intimidate people if anyone had objections to Sister Zhi Zhen or became troublesome…

But Sister Zhi Zhen's ability to reassure everyone with her words proved very effective, and combined with the good impression she had left in the past, she quickly calmed the group of unfortunate residents and had already become their pillar of strength.

It should be said that even without the Cursing Prohibition, she still possessed a certain quality, the quality of a leader.

It is said that a life prohibition, born from the elevation of one's Birth Horoscope, can reflect one's personality traits and the deepest desires of one's heart—

"The Heavenly Leader" huh...

Cen Dongsheng was lost in thought when he suddenly saw a pale arm wave in front of him.

He looked up to see Sister Zhi Zhen staring at him.

"Is this alright?"

"Of course. You did very well."

Sister Zhi Zhen, after being praised, immediately showed a happy smile and looked very content.

"I'm glad, I was finally able to help you."

"Mm. Also, if we get separated and you encounter any danger..."

Choosing to establish a temporary camp in the courtyard area was a good choice for An Zhizhen. Considering the central structure of Xiaokang Building, if something were to happen, he wouldn't even need the stairs; he could just jump down and be anywhere within ten seconds.

However, one could never be too careful. If there was more than one ghost hidden in the building and they split up to attack, he might get entangled and be unable to get away.

"You use this to contact me."

Cen Dongsheng handed her a walkie-talkie.

"This is…"

"A walkie-talkie. The signal network doesn't reach inside the Ghost House, making it impossible to contact the outside world. This gadget is for emergencies."

"Thank you."

Seeing An Zhizhen carefully put away the walkie-talkie, Cen Dongsheng hesitated for a moment before finally speaking up.

"And one more thing," he sighed, "Your life is the most important thing to me, so if you really run into an emergency, please consider your own safety first."

He never thought that one day he would be saying such words to that famously cold and rational major figure...

But when ordinary people face sudden danger, it's hard enough just to think about saving themselves, let alone come up with a precise plan to save others in a short time, right?

Just like his previous confusion, the real An Zhizhen from history wasn't quite what he expected, a bit... too kind-hearted.

"Most important... Mm! I understand."

Sister Zhi Zhen smiled even more brightly, her eyes like crescent moons.

Most of the time she seemed very mature, yet occasionally she would show her naive side in front of him.

...So endearing that it was a bit unsettling for him.

Cen Dongsheng shook his head and turned to leave.

"Alright, as long as you understand. I'm starting the search now, beginning with the first floor here. I'll let you know when I have anything."

"Eh, you're starting now? Don't you want to rest first?"

Cen Dongsheng waved his hand without turning back and headed towards the staircase, his steps unhesitant.