Volume One: The Phantom Building Chapter Eleven: A Foreshadowed Future

In the silence of the early morning, the stillness of the high-rise building was shattered by the sound of footsteps.

Inside the stairwell, Cheng Fan led the way upward, with Zhou Cheng and Zhao Linxuan following closely behind. As they moved, the expressions of the three were complex; beneath their tension and anxiety lay a faint, urgent desperation. Their eyes darted about as they traveled, clearly searching for something.

Indeed, given that the building's floor layout had become chaotic and lacked any signage, Cheng Fan had reminded everyone to look for traces of blood before they set out. He knew full well that he had sprayed blood at the female ghost on the edge of the 19th-floor staircase, leaving a residual stain on the ground. That blood now served as their only marker. Finding it on any floor would mean they had located the 19th floor. Reaching the 19th floor meant finding the oil painting, which would allow Cheng Fan to observe it once more and, hopefully, decipher the hidden glimmer of survival it contained.

Time slipped away as the trio ran, and without realizing it, the clock struck 3:00 AM.

"Huff... huff..."
"I'm so tired... I'm so exhausted. Can we take a break?"

After running for over ten minutes—a grueling ascent—Zhao Linxuan, the only woman in the group, was the first to reach her limit. Fatigue caused her pace to slacken, and beyond being physically drained, she was drenched in sweat. With no other choice, she was the first to ask for a halt.

"Uh, Brother Cheng... I... I don't think I can keep going either. Should we just take a rest?" They say fear is contagious, but isn't exhaustion the same? Seeing Zhao Linxuan stop, Zhou Cheng, who was just as spent, hurriedly chimed in with a request to rest.

Faced with their pleas, Cheng Fan’s subconscious urge was to refuse. He knew all too well how dangerous their current situation was; the longer they delayed, the higher the likelihood of a lethal encounter with the ghost.

While that was true, just as he was about to decline, a familiar wave of dizziness surged into his brain, causing him to sway. *Damn it, I lost too much blood earlier!* Realizing his body was too weak to continue, even if he didn't want to rest, he had to compromise with reality.

Leaning against the wall, Cheng Fan nodded to the two of them. "Fine. Let's rest for a moment."

As expected, upon seeing Cheng Fan finally nod, both Zhou Cheng and Zhao Linxuan looked as if they had received a reprieve. They collapsed onto the steps, gasping for air. Of course, even while resting, all three—including Cheng Fan—remained vigilant, their eyes scanning the surroundings like mice being hunted by a cat.

It is worth noting that while the other two were focused on recovering their strength, Cheng Fan’s mind was racing. He was a man who trusted his intuition, and it was precisely that trust that filled him with a growing sense of crisis. Even though the scene remained calm and nothing had occurred, he found himself trembling uncontrollably.

*What is happening to me?*

Why was he feeling such intense panic? As the unease deepened and he could find no cause, Cheng Fan recalled his innate talent.

[Future Deduction], an S-rank talent, allowed him to predict any future event through simulation. Excluding the three times he had already used it, he had two opportunities remaining.

*In that case, fine...*

Finally, taking advantage of the fact that everyone was resting and the situation seemed temporarily safe, Cheng Fan did not hesitate. He closed his eyes and activated the skill.

(Deduction starts!)
(Maintaining high alert, you rest in the stairwell for 5 minutes.)
(After 5 minutes, as your inner unease reaches its peak, you stand up first, even though your strength has not fully returned.)
(Under your urging, Zhou Cheng and Zhao Linxuan are forced to end their rest.)
(The three of you set off again.)
(Nothing happens during this time; there is only the echo of your footsteps and your rapid breathing.)
(10 minutes later, you have not found any bloodstains, meaning the 19th floor has not yet been found.)
(15 minutes later, you encounter a corpse while climbing.)
(It is the body of a man torn in half at the waist. His death is horrific, with viscera and intestines covering the steps. A look of extreme terror remains on his face, identical to the tattooed man who died in the stairwell earlier.)
(Seeing the gruesome state of the body, you are horrified. However, having seen the previous corpse, you conclude that the ghost’s goal is to intimidate, attempting to exert psychological pressure on the explorers.)
(You share your theory with Zhou Cheng, who is the most frightened; under your explanation, his fear subsides slightly.)
(Stepping over the corpse, you continue upward.)
(At the 20-minute mark, you persist in climbing the endless staircase.)
(Then, you encounter another corpse.)
(This time, the state of the body is even worse—if it can even be called a corpse.)
(Smelling the thick stench of blood filling the air, you see a pile of bone shards and flesh that looks like a pool of mud in the corner of the landing. The body is completely pulverized, with only the head left intact, resting atop the pile of remains.)
(Through observing the head, Zhou Cheng is the first to recognize the victim as the middle-aged man who had run out of the elevator shortly after they had boarded it.)
(Such a bloody scene leaves Zhou Cheng and Zhao Linxuan with weak knees. Zhao Linxuan, being a woman, cannot control herself and begins to vomit.)
(Even you are left sweating down your back.)
(This time, you are truly terrified, feeling psychological pressure for the first time.)
(But you are not broken by the pressure. Suppressing the urge to vomit, you bypass the remains and scramble upward.)
(During this time, your nerves are taut, your vigilance extreme; you listen and watch in every direction.)
(At the 30-minute mark, you make a discovery.)
(While passing a certain floor, near the edge of the landing, there is a stain of blood on the ground.)
(You confirm first that it is the blood you sprayed to deal with the female ghost earlier.)
(You have finally found the 19th floor.)
(Filled with excitement and ignoring your exhaustion, you lead the way into the 19th floor.)
(But at that very moment, the female ghost appears.)
(As if she had been lying in ambush, she suddenly bursts from the ground behind you as you step onto the 19th floor.)
(Zhao Linxuan is at the back of the line.)
(Witnessing this, you are horrified, believing Zhao Linxuan is doomed. But for some reason, even though Zhao Linxuan is closest to the ghost, the ghost acts as if it does not see her, ignoring her entirely to lunge at Zhou Cheng in the middle.)
(Because it was a sneak attack from behind, Zhou Cheng cannot react in time. By the time he turns around, his head has already been ripped off by the ghost.)
(In terror, you scramble to reach for your blood bag, but Zhao Linxuan snatches hers first, tearing it open and splashing the blood onto the ghost.)
(The ghost, covered in blood, instantly freezes.)
(Seeing the ghost restrained, you think you are safe for the moment. However, before you and Zhao Linxuan can say a word, the ghost regains its movement.)
(Ten seconds. From the moment the ghost was splashed and immobilized to the moment it broke free without warning, only ten seconds passed.)