9: Chapter 9 Holy crap! There really is someone here?

"What floor is he on? What floor is he on?!"

Shen Qingzhu asked with a sob in her voice.

Su Yun glanced at the system panel.

That red dot had already stopped moving.

"The fourteenth floor."

Su Yun reported a number.

That was the floor Shen Qingzhu lived on.

*Ding.*

Su Yun mimicked the sound of an elevator arriving with his mouth.

The sound wasn't loud, but to Shen Qingzhu, it sounded like a death knell.

"The elevator doors are opening. He's walking out. The motion sensor lights in the hallway are on."

"He's walking toward your front door."

Looking at the terrified Shen Qingzhu on the screen, Su Yun suddenly shouted sternly,

"Don't just stand there dazed!"

"Go lock the door!"

"Turn the deadbolt on your front door! Don't open it no matter who knocks!"

"Immediately! Now!"

This sharp shout jolted Shen Qingzhu out of her extreme terror.

She didn't even have time to think about whether what Su Yun said was true or false.

Survival instinct made her spring up from her chair. Not even bothering to put on shoes, she rushed toward the door barefoot.

In the livestream's camera, only her panicked back could be seen.

Along with her stumbling steps caused by extreme tension.

*Click.*

A crisp sound of a lock engaging came through.

With trembling hands, Shen Qingzhu turned the security door's deadbolt knob all the way.

After doing all this, she seemed completely drained, sliding down the door to sit on the floor.

She gasped for air in large gulps.

Her heart beat frantically in her chest, as if it were about to break through her ribs.

The livestream was deathly quiet.

Everyone held their breath, staring at the empty livestream frame and that tightly closed door in the background.

Is it a script?

Or is it real?

If it's a script, isn't this acting a bit too realistic?

Just as everyone was filled with doubt and uncertainty,

less than five seconds after Shen Qingzhu had locked the door,

a sound shattered all speculation.

It wasn't a doorbell.

It was a dull, suppressed sound, like a fist thumping against the door panel.

*Thud.*

*Thud.*

*Thud.*

These three dull thuds were clearly transmitted to everyone's ears in the livestream through the microphone Shen Qingzhu was still wearing.

Shen Qingzhu's body jerked violently.

She covered her mouth tightly, not allowing herself to make a single sound.

Tears streamed from her eyes.

In those large eyes, extreme terror was written plainly.

There really was someone!

Someone really was knocking on the door!

Moreover, the rhythm of the knocking was neither fast nor slow, revealing a weird sense of patience.

It was as if he was certain the person inside couldn't escape.

...

The viewers in the livestream went crazy.

"Holy crap! There really is someone?"

"This isn't a freaking script? These sound effects are way too real!"

"Call the police! Sister Zhuzi, call the police quickly!"

Right then, the voice outside the door finally rang out.

It was a man's voice.

He sounded very young, even somewhat gentle, but there was a greasy, unsettling quality to that gentleness that made one's scalp crawl.

"Qingzhu, baby, open the door."

"I'm your Guardian Knight. I've come to see you."

"I know you're home. I bought the strawberry cake you love. Open the door and try it; it's still warm."

*Boom!*

The livestream completely exploded.

Guardian Knight!

Strawberry cake!

Every single detail matched!

Every word Su Yun had just said had now become reality, slamming hard into the faces of every doubter.

"Oh my god... everything was right!"

"This isn't fortune-telling; he's opened his Third Eye, hasn't he?"

"Who was calling the Master a fraud just now? Come out and say something!"

"This is too terrifying. That man's voice makes me feel nauseous."

When Shen Qingzhu heard that voice, her stomach churned.

Is this the fan who sent her hundreds of private messages every day saying he would love her for a lifetime?

Is this the 'Third-Ranked Big Brother' on the leaderboard who seemed so honest and introverted?

With trembling hands, she fished her phone out of her pocket.

Her finger slipped several times before she managed to unlock the screen.

Because she was so nervous, she almost dropped the phone on the floor.

Trembling, she dialed 110.

"Don't hang up the livestream."

Su Yun's voice suddenly came from the phone.

"Put the phone on speaker and let the police hear what's happening here."

"Also, don't talk. Don't provoke him."

Shen Qingzhu nodded subconsciously, even though Su Yun couldn't see her.

She was now completely obedient to Su Yun's words.

The call connected.

Shen Qingzhu lowered her voice and said into the receiver with a sob, "Hello, I want to report an emergency. Someone wants to kill me. I'm at..."

The man outside the door seemed to hear the movement inside.

The knocking stopped for a moment.

Immediately after, that gentle voice changed.

It became irritable, hysterical.

"Qingzhu? Who are you talking to?"

"You're talking to that pretty boy, aren't you?"

"Why won't you open the door? Why are you ignoring me? I've been so good to you, I gave you my whole heart, why are you betraying me!"

*Bang!*

A loud crash sounded.

This time it was no longer knocking, but ramming the door.

The heavy security door shuddered violently from the impact, and dust from the doorframe kept falling down.

Shen Qingzhu screamed in terror, and her phone fell directly onto the floor.

"Open the door! Shen Qingzhu, open the door for me!"

"You're mine! No one can take you away!"

"I want to become one with you, that way we'll never be apart!"

The sounds of impact from outside grew louder, accompanied by the man's beast-like roars.

That 'become one' made everyone's skin crawl.

This guy freaking wants to commit murder and dismemberment!

The livestream's popularity soared frantically.

The number of people online instantly broke ten thousand.

This wasn't some scripted drama; this was a life-and-death moment happening right now!

"Master! Quickly, think of something!"

"This door won't hold for long!"

"It'll take a while for the police to arrive, right?"

Su Yun looked at the screen, his brow furrowing slightly.

This villain's Sin Value was skyrocketing; it seemed he had completely lost control.

"Shen Qingzhu."

Su Yun called out.

Shen Qingzhu was slumped on the floor, paralyzed with fear, not reacting at all.

"Stand up!"

Su Yun suddenly raised his volume and shouted.

This shout brought Shen Qingzhu's soul back.

She grabbed the phone from the floor and looked at Su Yun on the screen with a face full of tears.

"Go to the kitchen."

Su Yun spoke very fast, leaving no room for doubt.

"Now, immediately, go to the kitchen!"

"Get the largest kitchen knife, the kind for chopping bones is best."

Shen Qingzhu was stunned for a moment.

"Go, now!" Su Yun urged again.

Shen Qingzhu didn't dare delay. She scrambled up on all fours and stumbled into the open kitchen.

Trembling, she pulled a thick-backed cleaver from the knife rack.

The cold handle in her hand finally brought her a tiny sliver of security.