9 Basement 3 of the 15th building

Seeing the wooden cover at the center of the Magic Array, the most shocked person wasn't me, but Changan.

Before I could even express any thoughts on it, he couldn't help but let out a cry, eyes fixated on that wooden cover.

A moment later, he excitedly shouted, "It appeared... It appeared! I knew it wasn't just my imagination... Ah Cheng, did you see it too? You saw it, right?"

"I saw it." I responded simply.

"...You don't seem very excited?" Seeing this, he calmed down slightly and then asked with curiosity, "Aren't you most interested in this sort of thing?"

"I am indeed very interested, but all I see right now is just a wooden board."

Before witnessing the secret basement Changan had mentioned, I wasn't going to "pop the champagne." That said, I was outwardly very calm. Based on basic trust in my friend, I was indeed itching to get started, feeling my blood flow quicken with excitement.

I didn't rashly uncover the wooden cover but instead crouched down to observe the Magic Array on the floor.

This Magic Array was composed of numerous twisted lines and symbols, yet it contained an obvious order, preventing it from being mistaken for random scribbles. As for Western Mysticism, my knowledge was only a chaotic, unsystematic collection, and I was clueless about analyzing this Magic Array. However, there was one thing I did notice.

I reached out a hand, lightly touching the edge of the Magic Array, picking up a little of the black paint used for the lines. After rubbing my fingertips slightly, I was completely certain. This paint was blood after oxidizing and drying up.

Considering the "bizarre murder case that once occurred in this house," could it be that the murderer responsible for the Magic Array used the victim's blood as the paint?

If the case was such, what was the murderer's intent, and why leave a Magic Array in the house?

Was the murderer still keeping an eye on this house?

"Want to open the cover to take a look?" Changan asked tentatively next to me, not daring to uncover the wooden cover himself.

"Mm." I nodded, stood up, and took the initiative to step directly into the center of the Magic Array.

The wooden cover lacked a handle or groove; I bent down and pried my fingers into the gap between the cover and the floor.

Immediately, I lifted the wooden cover high, and what lay beneath entered my sight.

At that moment, I reflexively held my breath.

Below the wooden cover, just as Changan had said, was a pitch-black entrance, and beneath the cave was a staircase leading to the basement, plunging deep into darkness!

But this was on the fifteenth floor!

Changan seemed to hold his breath as well then said in a tone as if afraid to disturb something, "Do you see it? I didn't lie to you..."

I stared intently at the staircase before me.

The stairs were made of gray-white concrete, with no decorative exterior. Parts of it were bare before me while others sank deep into darkness, leading to an unknown and terrifying netherworld that sent chills down one's spine at a mere glance.

For a time, my mind was flooded with a myriad of chaotic shadows.

This eerie sight was like a meteor smashing into the lake of my heart, stirring up thousands of waves. All my past efforts to explore anomalies came to mind, one after another.

Even the words previously spoken by Mazao came to the forefront of my thoughts.

—Compared to the current world and Doomsday World, the biggest difference is time and space—Doomsday World's time and space are distorted, and survivors can encounter weird and bizarre phenomena at any time.

—Doomsday doesn't just come suddenly; it has its signs and prelude, only that people nowadays haven't paid enough attention.

—Incomprehensible phenomena, or monsters of strange shapes and forms… such things must already be appearing in this era, blatantly.

Could this be what Mazao referred to as signs and prelude of Doomsday?

However, given the Magic Array on the scene, it seemed to be an anomaly with human intervention, rather than a natural disaster... No, wait, am I jumping to conclusions? Who says that disasters compelling Doomsday to arrive must be natural and not man-made?

Could this strange phenomenon have any connection to the signs of Doomsday mentioned by Mazao?

Hold on, I'm getting ahead of myself. I shouldn't speculate about things that are far-fetched and lack evidence. What's most important for me to do right now?

"Changan, wait here for me; I'm going downstairs to verify something."

With that, I went out to the corridor, leaving a "Firefly" inside the house.

At this critical moment, I found myself still conflicted, afraid that this bizarre anomaly would still turn out to be a meticulously planned deception. So, I didn't immediately control the "Firefly" to explore the space below the cave but instead had it watch Changan.

I, meanwhile, leaned against the corridor railing to take in the scenery, cooling down my overheated mind, then went downstairs, pretending to be a visitor who knocked on the wrong door, sounding the door of the tenants below.

As the residents opened their door, I secretly slipped a "Firefly" inside to scout around.

Sure enough, just as Changan had described, there was no descending staircase to be seen from there, nor was there any cave in the ceiling.

At the same time, I also confirmed something critically important through the surveillance of Changan's "Firefly"—during this period, Changan had not closed the wooden cover, and I could still continuously observe the existence of that cave.

This finally allowed me to be one hundred percent certain.

That cave truly leads to a "space that does not exist in reality."

-

The strange object I had longed for and sought after, previously only glimpsed in fantasy stories, was real!

In the past, I had imagined countless times the scenario of finally proving this fact. Now, having confirmed the existence of the strange object with my own eyes, I did not experience the wild jubilation I had imagined.

It was not because I was frightened, nor had my enthusiasm for the incredible waned at this crucial moment. I think the emotion I'm feeling now must be fairly common.

It is said that many people do not react as dramatically as they do in movies when suddenly faced with radical changes. For example, someone who suddenly learns they have won the lottery jackpot or someone informed of a family member's death in an accident... They won't be instantly overjoyed or overwhelmed with grief; instead, they need a significant amount of time to come to terms with the enormity of the fact.

As if in a dream—perhaps this phrase best describes my current state of mind.

I couldn't even tell if my feet were firmly planted on the ground.

Today is an exceptionally important day in my life; even this sensation of hovering off the ground is precious. If possible, I really want to immerse myself more in this dreamlike experience.

However, I must regain my normal cognitive abilities as quickly as possible. The more bizarre and mysterious the event, the clearer the head required. Many characters in horror stories die precisely because they lose themselves in the moment; I certainly don't want to end up so inferior.

Moreover, I have to seriously confront an important issue.

Since what Changan said is true, the credibility of Mazao's claim that he is a "jinx" also rises accordingly. And if Mazao really brings disaster to those around him, could this adverse effect spread to "the people around those people"?

That is to say, could the reason Changan encountered strange events be because he is my friend?

I met Mazao last night, and Changan encountered the strange event the night before. Looking at the order of events, Changan's experience does not constitute a normal cause and effect relationship with Mazao's calamity-prone nature. But when dealing with the strange, one cannot treat it with common sense, and one must also consider the possibility of turning the effect into the cause.

That is: because I met Mazao last night, Changan encountered the strange event the night before. And the purpose is that he will respond to Mazao's jinx nature today, involving me in the strange events—a bizarre cause and effect relationship like this might well be valid in the world of the strange.

If that's the case, how should I handle my relationship with Mazao?

-

I returned to the house where the cave was located. Changan was standing outside the entrance, holding a flashlight and carefully shining it inside, as though he feared some monster would suddenly emerge. Seeing me return, he finally relaxed. By this time, I had more or less sorted out my own state.

"I'm sorry, Changan," I sighed, "Perhaps it's because of me that you were implicated."

"What's this about, saying something so suddenly?" he asked, astonished.

"I'll explain to you later." I already had some ideas about how to deal with the matter, "Let's focus on the problem at hand for now."

Upon hearing this, he no longer asked further and also redirected his attention back to the cave.

With the light of the flashlight, I saw the scene beneath the stairs. The space below was just over three meters deep, with a gray concrete floor that indeed resembled a basement.

Silently, I observed this cave.

After realizing the supernatural attributes of this cave, it held an irresistible attraction for me. It was as if I was watching a bathtub full of water being drained, silently staring as the water spiraled down into the dark abyss, feeling as though my heart might be drawn into the cave along with it.

While savoring this demonic sensation inwardly, I took two steps forward, wanting to get an even closer look.

Suddenly, my arm was grabbed from the side. Turning my head, it was Changan; he had grabbed hold of me and showed an unusually serious expression.

"You want to go down there?"

"Isn't that obvious?"

It was absolutely impossible for me to not want to go down for a look.

He stared at me, lost for words, and said, "What kind of nonsense is that? I didn't call you here to go down."

"You called me here; how could I not go down and conduct a thorough investigation?" I retorted, and then it dawned on me.

Of course, from my point of view, coming face to face with a strange event and not personally turning everything upside down was unimaginable; I assumed others would see me the same way. Undoubtedly, as my friend, Changan would be fully aware of my habits.

But this time it was different. Changan probably developed a first impression of "this cave should not be entered" because he experienced the event himself and then unconsciously transplanted his judgment to me when he told me about it—he never considered that someone would think of going down to take a look.

"Don't worry, I'm not as reckless as you think. Even if I want to go down, I won't do it right this moment."

As I said this, I shielded his view with my body and manipulated the "Firefly" to fly below the cave.

But, at that moment, something unbelievable happened.

As the "Firefly" entered the space beneath the cave—into that "space that doesn't exist in reality"—the spiritual connection between the "Firefly" and me was severed. The "Firefly" itself disappeared into thin air, like a flame extinguished by the wind.