Apartment from Hell Chapter 2 (1/2)

Chapter 2 – Entrance

Everything started on that day last year.

Thinking about it right now feels like a nightmare.

After graduating from college, Li Yin disregarded his parents’ opposition and became a web novelist. He certainly did not do it for his dreams, his ambitions or other such reasons. It was purely because he knew he could earn money by working in this industry.

It is rare that people write web novels for a living, but Li Yin is one of those people. Actually, the pay he receives from his ma.n.u.scripts is not too high, barely enough to sustain himself. Moreover, his works might fall in popularity in the future. In this age, there are too many readers who prefer new novels and forget about the old ones. Especially since most web novels now are simply indulgent “fast-food” reads, the majority of readers merely use them to provide some seasoning to daily life.

Li Yin was once very lost on the road of life. He always felt like there was no direction in his future. He lived alone in a rented house in K city, switched on his computer to write everyday as soon as he woke up and even did his daily shopping online. Slowly but surely, he converged into an “otaku”.

He always had a nagging feeling that his life had entered a very strained path.

Then, that one day…

In the end, he was too naive after all. Although he knew that this day would come sooner or later, he had thought that he could at least acc.u.mulate some money to invest in the stock market and maybe even start a business in the future.

However, reality was not so not simple.

To search for jobs? He had no working experience. Nowadays, which company can overlook the lack of experience? Since freshly graduated college students are as plenty as blackberries, someone like him would simply not receive any attention at all.

Li Yin’s brows furrowed more and more tightly as he clenched a Jobs Weekly magazine between his fingers.

As he plodded on and on, he had already unknowingly entered a certain neighbourhood and walked into a small alley.

“Nevertheless…I should find a job first.” Li Yin could not bear to do such a thing as going back home and begging his parents. Even if he exhausted all his energy, he needed to get over this hards.h.i.+p by himself.

But still…if he continued to owe his rent for this month, then he would be kicked out of his house by the landlord.

He had moved out from his house and lived alone initially because he and his parents possessed contradictory sets of beliefs. He hoped that one day, he could become successful and return home proudly. Yet… now, he had become like this.

As he walked, he suddenly felt an intense chill run down his lower back.

He moved the Jobs Weekly magazine he was holding in front of his face. Under the sun’s rays, he saw the shadow cast on the ground in front of him…

But still, he continued to hold the job magazine in front of him.

Following that, he saw his shadow undergo a horrifying change.

Although Li Yin was clearly standing stock still at the moment, the shadow underneath his feet started to move. The shadow broke free from Li Yin’s feet and s.h.i.+fted on the ground towards the corner of the alley!

Li Yin was instantly flabbergasted! It took a few seconds for him to gather his thoughts.

Right now, he had no shadow!

His mind completely blank with shock, Li Yin recklessly sprinted in the direction that the shadow fled towards. As the shadow moved with lightning speed in this alley with so many twists and turns, Li Yin exhausted his energy to catch up with it.

Finally, after he had crossed another alleyway, Li Yin saw his shadow enter a piece of s.p.a.cious land. In the middle of this vast and empty land, there was a very tall apartment.

That apartment seemed to contain more than 20 storeys. It occupied a large area of land, around 200 meters by 200 meters. The walls were white and along the exterior of the building, there were rows of orderly balconies.

But there was something off about this apartment.

It was already precisely noon and the sun was s.h.i.+ning down directly from above. And yet this huge apartment…did not cast even a trace of shadow on the ground!

How was this possible?

Li Yin rubbed his eyes rigorously, strongly suspicious that he was dreaming.

But the scene in front of him was undoubtedly the truth.

There was a revolving door located at the entrance of the first floor of the apartment. Li Yin’s shadow moved along the earth towards that revolving door, and automatically pa.s.sed through it.

At this moment, Li Yin recalled the many ghost stories that he had heard when he was little.

He was only around thirty meters away from the apartment. But this seemingly ordinary apartment felt as though it was a man-eating monster. As though at any moment, it would swallow him whole.

But, for some reason, he was still walking towards that apartment.

It was like there was something summoning him.

When he arrived in front of the revolving gate, Li Yin extended his hand, pushed the gla.s.s panels of the gate and walked inside.

His eyes were greeted by the sight of a s.p.a.cious lobby. The floor was paved by s.h.i.+ny clean marble. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. On the left side of the lobby, there was a flight of stairs. And on the right side, there were three elevators.

He saw his shadow drift along the ground towards the front of an elevator. Right after that, the elevator doors opened and the shadow floated inside. The elevator doors then shut tightly.

Li Yin rushed to the front of the elevator doors, staring at the elevator’s electronic screen nervously.

The elevator stopped on the 4th floor.

Li Yin hurried to another elevator and pressed the b.u.t.ton twice. The doors opened slowly. He shot inside as fast as an arrow and pushed the b.u.t.ton that indicated the fourth floor.

As the floor numbers increased, Li Yin’s heart rate also increased.

My shadow… My shadow…

Li Yin had a strong feeling inside his heart that if he lost his shadow, then something terrible would happen to him.

Finally, the elevator stopped at the fourth floor. As soon as the elevator doors opened, he walked out immediately and found himself standing in a long hallway.