...I don't know what that thing is, but it's definitely not human, she thought.

Because no one can move in that way. The old man in a Zhongshan suit seemed to exist in an old, faded photograph, and even the things around him appeared slightly distorted, covered in a hazy gray.

After the streetlights went out, only the dim moonlight barely illuminated the intricate eaves, and every corner seemed to have lurking creatures in the darkness. The ordinary alley, which used to be unremarkable, became so eerie and terrifying at night.

If it were an ordinary person, they might be scared to the ground when they saw the scene just now. Fortunately, both Starry Lin and Sunny Xu had witnessed extraordinary and bizarre phenomena before.

"Do you... know him?" Starry Lin asked in a low voice.

"Yeah." Sunny Xu nodded with a heavy expression. "I actually wanted to discuss this with you. I saw him on the second floor of that building, on the day I encountered Shi Hui and the others."

"And... what happened afterwards?"

"I haven't seen him since then, even when I broke in..." Sunny Xu answered with a furrowed brow. "I even thought I was seeing things."

"I don't think so."

Starry Lin sighed.

"Do you remember when we ran out? At that time, we escaped because we heard strange noises coming from the building."

"But those people stayed there." Sunny Xu rubbed his chin. "They didn't have time to escape."

"So, did they encounter ghosts? Is that old man standing there now a ghost?"

"Who knows, maybe only the people involved can answer that question."

The faces of the boy and girl were pressed against the cold window glass, looking somewhat comical. They were desperately looking towards the entrance of the alley.

However, the old man just stood there without any movement. Sunny Xu naturally didn't dare to let his guard down, but he still secretly breathed a sigh of relief and shifted his attention back to their conversation, continuing:

"So, if you want to find those people, remember to call me next time."

"It would be difficult to get the truth out of them," Starry Lin said. "If I'm not mistaken, the current condition of those three is very abnormal. They might not even understand human language."

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't you see it this afternoon? Little An eating the bugs attached to Yan Mingjun's body?"

"Yeah."

Sunny Xu nodded. It took him a while to recall the name of the yellow-haired thug.

"Not only him, that Wang Nana was also infested by those strange bugs, and... she might be dead now."

Starry Lin recounted the events of dreaming about Wang Nana at night and finding a stray dog that might have eaten her body in the same place.

"Ah! So, the stray dog that chased us that day turned into that ghostly appearance because it ate Wang Nana's body..."

Sunny Xu suddenly realized, feeling a chilling sensation. He then glanced at Starry Lin with some dissatisfaction.

"Why didn't you tell me such an important thing earlier?"

"Cough, didn't you just mention the old man now?"

Starry Lin felt a bit embarrassed.

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She couldn't speak the real reason: the bug monster that attached to people → Little An could eat that kind of monster, indicating that it was a more powerful creature → and she, who could summon and control Little An, was like...

Because of this connection, Starry Lin couldn't speak up in time. Although it was a ridiculous reason, for her current self, the opinion of her only friend was more important than thoughts of revenge or the truth of the incident.

"These people were possessed by the bug monsters when they came out of the building, and there's also the ghost with the appearance of an old man in that place..." Sunny Xu rubbed his chin. "Does this mean that the latter can control the former?"

"We still don't understand the relationship between the two." Starry Lin shook her head. "But that building is really strange. Everything, including the dream I had, and the discovery of Little An, happened after that."

"W-Wait a minute, could it be that both of us..."

Sunny Xu widened his eyes, remembering the tragic scene he saw on the street this afternoon. What if it happened to him...

"It's impossible." Starry Lin immediately shook her head. "Actually, I, or rather, Little An can smell them. Maybe because for Little An, they are food. But there's no smell like that on you or me, so don't worry."

"That's good."

Sunny Xu said. However, he soon discovered a new problem:"By this logic, everyone who entered that house experienced some kind of 'change'. Those three unlucky guys were possessed by insect monsters, and you encountered Little An. Only I didn't have any changes..."

"No, Sunny Xu, have you forgotten about your own special ability?"

"What?"

"You can see Little An, can't you? And scenes of insect monsters possessing people, normal people can't see them."

"I see."

Sunny Xu nodded.

"But, since Shi Hui and the others were possessed, and we weren't, it means that the situations we encountered were different. So, our situations should be the same..."

"Are you talking about superpowers?"

The girl's beautiful eyes narrowed, looking at Sunny Xu's profile as if she had discovered something interesting. She seemed very pleased.

"Oh~ So you're really interested in this kind of thing?"

"I, I just think logically..."

"Mhm, I understand, I understand." Starry Lin patted his shoulder casually. "Don't worry, Sunny Xu, I believe you will awaken cool superpowers soon! What do you want? Fire-breathing or freezing?"

"That's too ordinary. It would be better if it's teleportation, flying, or invisibility..."

Sunny Xu unconsciously spoke his mind, but when he saw the girl's expression as if she was mocking him, he realized he had been fooled.

"Hehe, Sunny Xu, having dreams is a good thing, but I think it's better not to have invisibility powers, right?"

"...I didn't have any bad intentions."

Sunny Xu couldn't help but mutter.

"It's really strange. I didn't say you had bad intentions, or is it that you already have such thoughts?" Before Sunny Xu could continue to refute, Starry Lin turned her head and stopped looking at him. She continued, "If you suddenly turn invisible without saying anything, what if I can't find you one day?"

Sunny Xu was stunned.

"Don't misunderstand, I mean, I finally saw an opportunity to become a good student... If it weren't for your help, I don't know if I could continue."

"Of course you can." Sunny Xu answered seriously, "Your brain is smart, as long as you study hard, you will definitely succeed. I am a witness, you have to trust my judgment. I think the teachers will soon notice your changes."

"Mhm~ I don't care about other people." The girl blinked her eyes, her ink-like pupils still shining brightly in the darkness. "I feel more motivated with you around."

"Is that so?"

"Of course. I think you can be a teacher now, explaining homework patiently and in a way that's easy to understand. And you're good at encouraging people. I don't think anyone else would be more suitable for me."

"If I have the power of invisibility, I will definitely tell you first, and I won't leave easily. Is that okay?" Sunny Xu shrugged. "We're friends, after all. I will definitely help you to the end."

"Not leave easily... Does that mean you'll be sneaking around me all the time if you're invisible?" Starry Lin's expression was strange. "Then forget it, it feels a bit disgusting."

What do you want then! Sunny Xu barely managed to suppress the urge to shout out this sentence.

...

The two chatted for a while about unrelated nonsense, and the atmosphere became lively, almost forgetting about the old man still standing at the entrance of the alley.

However, at this moment, a faint "crackling" sound came from the room.

The light bulb above them flickered rhythmically, illuminating their faces intermittently. A sudden and shrill scream came from behind them, causing the boy and girl to tremble in fear. Then Sunny Xu realized that the DVD player was still on, playing a horror movie.

Sunny Xu was about to get up and turn it off when the sound of a short circuit rang out again. The lights and the TV screen went dark again, and the living room returned to darkness.

Along with this sound, the scene around the old man standing at the entrance of the alley, like a broken tape, twisted and flickered on the screen. The distorted light and shadow, combined with the old man's expression of kindness, still seemed to be smiling at the person in front of him, appearing even more eerie and creepy.

"...He should know we're here." Starry Lin whispered, "I heard Wang Nana say that everyone who entered that house died. I think, whether the people who entered were possessed by insects or not, the haunted house won't let them go. So, this time, a real ghost has come to find the two survivors and take their lives."

"That makes sense."

Sunny Xu murmured.

"Speaking of which, since there are such rumors, it means that people have entered before, right? So where are these people? Were they possessed by bugs, survived by awakening some kind of power like you, or were they eventually... by the ghost..."

"Who knows." Starry Lin answered indifferently, "The most important thing right now is, he is approaching. This old man is coming for us."

"Indeed."

"Hey, should we run?" she asked, "Or... should we give it a try?"

"What do you think?"

Sunny Xu turned his head and looked at his friend's face, which under the moonlight, appeared even more translucent and fair.

On that young and beautiful face, there was not a trace of fear or hesitation. Just like Sunny Xu subconsciously looked at her, she was also looking at him, her bright eyes like a deep pool, quiet and so deep that the bottom was invisible.

"I'll listen to you." The black-haired girl's answer was decisive, "Whether it's me or Little An, we'll listen to you."

"...Then I'll count on you."

Sunny Xu took a deep breath and replied softly.

He knew time was pressing, there was no time for him to hesitate, he needed to make a decision quickly. Since Starry Lin had said so, he would give the order.

But what he didn't expect was that his friend was even braver and more decisive than he had imagined.

Almost the second after hearing Sunny Xu's decision, the black-haired girl got up without a word and walked out. She pushed the door open, walked down the steps, her movements were swift and decisive, as if she had been prepared.

Sunny Xu was taken aback for a moment and hurried to the door.

Under his astonished gaze, Starry Lin, draped in a hazy moonlight, her long hair fluttering in the chilly night wind, stood in the middle of the pitch-black alley with her hands in her pockets, facing the approaching ghost without changing her color.

This scene was like something out of a painting.

"Starry..."

He subconsciously wanted to call her name, but saw the girl stretch out a hand towards the sky and silently mouth something.

In an instant, a murky flow, darker and more obscure than the night, surged from another world into reality, rushing forward with a tumultuous momentum.