The Apartment.

　　Li suddenly opened his eyes.

　　His heart was burning with pain.

　　It's…coming again?

　　This time, it's my turn?

　　Li propped himself up and turned on the bedside lamp. 

　　The excruciating pain in his heart finally subsided slightly.

　　He got out of bed, put on his slippers, and then walked out of the bedroom to the living room, turning on the lights.

　　He saw it.

　　On the white wall of the living room, a line of blood-red words appeared! 

　　This extremely eerie scene would have terrified anyone into losing their soul if they saw it at midnight.

　　But Li didn't react.

　　"It's my turn again…"

　　He looked at the words carefully.

　　"June 7th – July 7th, 2024. Go to Youshui Village on the outskirts of Shi city and live there for a month."

　　After Li finished reading the eerie blood words, they suddenly began to blur. 

　　The blood seemed to be absorbed by the wall, gradually…disappearing.

　　Youshui Village…

　　Li remembered the name.

　　He wanted to go back to sleep, but it was impossible. 

　　He simply left the living room light on, brewed a cup of tea, and drank it. 

　　He didn't smoke, so he could only have tea.

　　Although coffee might be more effective, Li always felt that his mood was easier to calm down while savoring the aroma of tea.

　　Looking at his reflection in the tea, Li clenched his teacup.

　　He had moved into this apartment…almost a year ago.

　　Although a year didn't seem long, Li felt as if he had lived countless years.

　　The next day, as the sun rose, Li woke up at the living room dining table.

　　He was only wearing a thin nightgown and a blanket.

　　He didn't know if he would catch a cold sleeping like that.

　　The teacup on the table, the remaining tea was completely cold.

　　He looked at the wall clock in the living room. It was already…6 am.

　　Li rubbed his eyes, went to wash up, got dressed, and then made himself breakfast. 

　　He fried an egg, put it in the sliced bread he bought yesterday, and spread some mayonnaise. 

　　That was his breakfast for today.

　　Li was actually very skilled in cooking. 

　　It was mainly because he lived alone for a long time, so he had to learn to cook.

　　Over time, he could actually cook a great meal.

　　Biting into his homemade sandwich, taking out the milk from the microwave, Li flipped open his calendar to calculate his arrangements for the next month, June.

　　He was an online novelist, and he was quite famous online.

　　He had already signed a contract with a novel website, so he only needed to stay at home and concentrate on writing, receiving royalties.

　　"No major issues," he said, biting into his sandwich, "In June, I just need to take my laptop and update my novel on time. Hmm…I just don't know what will happen then."

　　Then he put down his calendar, chewed the bread and fried egg in his mouth, and clenched his fists.

　　I must live…live to come back here!

　　After getting dressed, he walked out of the door, but didn't lock it.

　　He lived in room 404 on the fourth floor. 

　　It was quite an unlucky room number, but it wasn't Li's choice.

　　He came to the first floor of the apartment.

　　There were no residents on the first floor, but there was a huge hall similar to a hotel. 

　　There were sofas and chairs everywhere in the hall for people to rest.

　　And on one of the sofas, three people were sitting.

　　The three people all stood up when they saw Li walking towards them.

　　They were a tall, bespectacled young man in a suit, a young man wearing a hat with a delicate face, and a girl in a green dress with a very cute and pretty face.

　　"You…you all have those blood words on your walls, right?" Li pondered for a moment and asked.

　　The three nodded in unison.

　　They were also residents of this apartment.

　　"So that's the case. At least we have four companions this time." Li breathed a sigh of relief and sat down with them.

　　The expressions of the four were all solemn.

　　"Li…" the pretty girl in the green dress said with a very worried expression, "Is it really…okay? This time, they want us to stay for a month? And it's in a remote village on the outskirts of the city?"

　　"Yeah," the bespectacled young man in the suit said, "I checked the map. The outskirts of Shi city are backed by mountains and very desolate and remote. It's completely a backward mountain village."

　　"There are many rural areas in China." Li was very calm, "It's not unusual to have poor and backward villages that are completely disconnected from the city. Don't think too much about it. It's not the first time, after all."

　　"But…I'm still…" The bespectacled young man in the suit was about to say something else, but the young man wearing the hat stopped him.

　　The atmosphere fell silent again.

　　After a long time, no one else appeared.

　　It seemed that they four were the only ones whose walls had the blood words this time.

　　"It's almost seven o'clock." Li looked at his watch and said, "You three go to work first. I'll continue to wait here. If there are new members, I'll call you."

　　Li's composure and intelligence always made them feel relieved. 

　　So the three of them got up and left the apartment.

　　Just now, Li had searched online with his phone, but he couldn't find Youshui Village. 

　　But since it was said to be on the outskirts of Shi city, he would be able to find it.

　　If they couldn't find it based on these clues, the blood words would indicate a more precise address.

　　And on June 7th, they had to enter Youshui Village and absolutely couldn't leave before July 7th.

　　Absolutely couldn't…

　　Time flew by, and soon it was June 6th.