Chapter 360. Open the Door |
There’s still no answer. Never mind, I’ll leave school for now.
A weird feeling was crawling out of Gao Ru Xue’s heart. She was very nervous and saw everything as suspicious. “Sir, will you drive faster? I’m in a hurry.”
The enclosed space caused Gao Ru Xue’s breath to come short. She rolled the window down, and the wind tussled her hair. There were crowds outside milling about the street, but she did not feel one bit comforted; she kept feeling like someone was watching her from somewhere.
“You’re a student at Jiujiang’s Medical University, right? Better not go out alone at night, it’s rather chaotic lately.” The driver held the steering wheel and said, “There have been quite a number of murders around the area recently, and the victims were found in poor state. I hear their eyes were all gouged out. I’m not trying to scare you, but before the killer is caught, you’d better stay in your school dormitory at night.”
The driver probably meant well, but it sounded different to Gao Ru Xue’s ears. She could not stop her mind from wandering. Murders? Multiple murders? Why would he ask me to go back to the dormitory? Is he the killer?
In Gao Ru Xue’s eyes, the driver’s normal face turned dark, and his every movement seemed to be hiding some sinister intention. Gao Ru Xue did not reply as she grabbed her phone and turned to look out the window. However, she would surreptitiously glance at the driver once in a while.
Twenty minutes later, the taxi arrived at Xi Xia Hu Residence. Doctor Gao had bought a home here two years ago. After paying the fare, Gao Ru Xue got out of the car quickly. It was about ten pm, and there were not that many people around the area. Xi Xia Hu Residence could be considered a silk-stocking district at Jiujiang. The environment was nice, and Xi Xia Lake was just next to it. However, the place was rather isolated from the city.
After entering the residential area, Gao Ru Xue moved forward with her head lowered. The streetlight released pale light, and she did not dare look into the forest to the side because the green looked rather creepy at night.
Damn, I left my book and water bottle in the taxi.
She glanced at the time on her phone. It was about ten pm, and the residential area was practically abandoned. However, the lights of the building faraway was still on, which gave Gao Ru Xue some semblance of comfort. Xi Xia Hu had its own garden. Crossing through it, Gao Ru Xue came to the third building. Her home was on the 13th floor of the third building.
It sure is quiet tonight.
After entering the corridor, Gao Ru Xue’s exposed arms felt cold. She clapped, and after the voice-activated lights came on, she did not move forward. Compared to before, nothing seemed to have changed, but Gao Ru Xue just felt something was not right.
The words that the driver had told her inside the car kept flashing through her mind. Murder, eye-gouging, they were like a rope slowly tightened around her neck. Is that driver the killer?
His tone was extremely weird. The serial murders happened across town, which means that the killer had to be able to move around town quickly. They have to have access to easy transport, so it’s not impossible for the killer to be a taxi driver. Did I just sit where a dead body once lay? Could the trunk be filled with bloodied murder weapons?
The more she thought about it, the more afraid she became. She would turn back to look every few steps, afraid that people might just appear behind her. She walked to the elevator and pressed the button. When the door opened, the voice-activated lights went out in unison. Darkness fell, and Gao Ru Xue’s body froze. She saw a dark human shape walking out from the elevator!
Gao Ru Xue bumped into the man, and she realized he was wearing a raincoat. He did not apologize and strode quickly down the corridor. “A raincoat? But it’s not raining.”
The hood blocked the man’s face from view. He was not tall, and the large raincoat covered his legs and shoes. The man left in a hurry, but Gao Ru Xue did not notice anything suspicious like blood on the raincoat.
Will it rain later tonight? Gao Ru Xue glanced at the weather forecast on her phone. There was a chance that it would rain later in the night. What a weird man.
Gao Ru Xue waited for the man to disappear around the corner before she got into the elevator. The lights were on in the corridor. She watched as the elevator doors closed, and an indescribable pressure surfaced. She felt like a hooked fish, having trouble even breathing.
Maybe I shouldn’t take the elevator.
She reached out to stop the closing door and stepped out; she had a bad feeling standing inside the elevator. She opted for the stairs. She started to climb, but it felt like the stairs were never-ending. When she reached the sixth floor, she heard the door on the first floor open like someone else had entered the safety entrance.
Someone is following me?
The first thought that came into Gao Ru Xue’s mind was the strange man in the raincoat. At the same time, the words by the driver also resurfaced.
Could the man be the serial killer? He just killed someone in his building‽
Her face paled.
I’ve accidentally become one of the witnesses, so now he wanted to silence me‽
Gao Ru Xue initially walked slowly so that she would not make too much noise, but with the pressure from fear, she started to run. I need to get back home as soon as possible!
Footsteps echoed from underneath her. It sounded like someone else was racing up the stairs as well!
The distance closed. Gao Ru Xue ran as fast as she could. Her home was on the 13th floor, and there was only a five-floor distance between them. She climbed to the 13th floor without catching her breath. Gao Ru Xue shoved the safety door open and staggered into the corridor. She rummaged through her pocket for the key. The echoes of the footsteps became clearer inside the stairwell; the man was just steps behind her!
Her fingers froze, and she had to try twice before she managed to push the key into the keyhole. She twisted the key to open the outer anti-theft door. The sound in the stairwell came closer; the person was probably only one floor away.
Quick!
Finally finding the key to the inner door, Gao Ru Xue pushed the key in, and the footsteps beside her ears turned into a running gait! The person had already reached the 13th floor!
The inner door was pushed open and Gao Ru Xue rushed in without closing the outer door. She turned to slam the door close. She leaned against the door and started gasping for air. “Finally, home.”
She adjusted her breathing. Gao Ru Xue turned around and looked outside through the peephole. There was no one in the darkened corridor. All the room doors were locked, and only Gao Ru Xue’s outer door was left half open.
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