Chapter 66: Ascending into Fear

“The stairwell was quiet. Nothing looked out of place. It just smelled a bit… like dog poop…”

“Ptui! Not dog poop!”

Lu Xin murmured softly as he climbed the stairs.

Now that he was officially handling an incident on his own, his authority had increased, and his equipment had been upgraded significantly. Not only had he changed into a protective suit specially delivered from the Main City—made from some unidentifiable black fabric that was lightweight yet remarkably tough—but the suit was also equipped with a tiny camera.

This camera could transmit the images he saw in real-time to the display screen in Han Bing’s office.

However, due to lighting or blind spots, there were still things he needed to describe softly.

And over the channel, Han Bing promptly answered all his questions.

When he mentioned the dog poop, she said, “Be careful not to step in it…”

When he followed up with his next sentence, she also let out a ‘ptui’ and added, “So inconsiderate.”

Speaking cautiously like this, Lu Xin gradually ascended the stairs and began to feel an increasingly hair-raising presence. It felt prickly, like someone blowing cold air on the back of his neck, yet it wasn’t simply cold—it was a sense of panic.

This feeling intensified with each heartbeat, threatening to overwhelm him at any moment.

“I can definitely feel a sense of fear, but I can’t see anything specific around me. It’s like a pure feeling of dread… Kind of like when you’re home alone sometimes, and that sudden fear just creeps up on you for no reason. You just can’t bear to be alone anymore, needing to hear some noise or just desperately wanting to run downstairs…”

“I’ve reached the fourth floor now, and the feeling is incredibly strong. I instinctively don’t want to go up!”

“It’s not because I know what’s up there, I just purely want to leave.”

“…

Over the channel, Han Bing listened intently to Lu Xin’s words, the faint sound of keyboard clicks accompanying her note-taking. Then, in her soft voice, she helped him analyze: “The closer you get to the Pollution Source, the stronger the mental influence will be, and this feeling will intensify. Mr. Lone Soldier, if even you feel unable to resist this fear, you can retreat.”

“It’s okay!”

Lu Xin said, turning past another flight of stairs, “I’m already on the sixth floor.”

A hint of confusion suddenly entered Han Bing’s voice. “Why are your movements completely unaffected?”

“I’ve gotten used to this feeling before.”

Lu Xin answered softly, stopping in his tracks.

On the channel, Han Bing seemed surprised, her voice falling silent for a moment.

By now, Lu Xin stood at the entrance to the sixth-floor stairwell. Turning his head, he could see the long corridor to his right, shrouded in darkness. The long, dilapidated hallway was covered in various dirty, greasy graffiti, giving it a desolate and cold feeling. Night had fallen, preventing outside light from entering, and there were no lights in the corridor. The darkness was thick enough to swallow a person whole.

And within this profound darkness, a small, pale dot could be seen twisting and moving along the upper part of the corridor.

There was no sound, just a faint, flickering presence, distorted and bizarre.

If one focused intently, they might hear a creaking sound, like old wooden planks being stepped on, emanating from that faint white dot’s body. It was the sound of bones and sinews twisting unnaturally, a contortion beyond human capability.

Lu Xin quietly watched the faint white dot rapidly crawl along the corridor wall towards him.

It was Sister!

She held the stitched-up Teddy Bear in her mouth, her black hair and pale dress hanging down.

…

…

“Brother, you’ve changed. Too busy chatting with that woman to wait for me…”

Sister scurried left and right on the hallway walls and ceiling, appearing quite mischievous, her voice tinged with resentment.

Lu Xin pointed to his headset and made a ‘shh’ gesture at his lips.

“Hmph, still pretending you can’t see me? I’m ignoring you now…”

Sister got even angrier. With the Teddy Bear in her mouth, her voice was muffled, but her anger was clear.

She turned around, about to crawl off in the other direction down the hallway.

Lu Xin quickly reached out, plucked her off the wall, held her in his arms, and continued walking upstairs.

“Why did you stop for so long? Is there a problem?”

Han Bing’s concerned inquiry came through the channel.

“No, I was just making some preparations!”

Lu Xin replied, holding Sister with one arm while using the other hand to pull out a handful of candies from his pocket. Each piece was the kind Sister loved—those black, slightly bitter-sweet candies. Only then did Sister seem a bit happier, accepting them with both hands.

He continued upwards. Seventh floor, eighth floor, ninth floor.

Just as Cheng Hui’s Investigation Team had reported, the feeling of fear here had intensified to an unimaginable degree. It felt like his heart had stopped beating from shock, all the blood frantically rushing to his brain, packing every vessel. This easily caused a sensation of being unable to think, the entire mind going blank…

But even now, Lu Xin remained composed, his steps steady.

Compared to the terror he felt when he first encountered his Family, this felt… just a tad weaker.

…

…

“I’ve reached the tenth floor. The sense of fear here is extremely strong. I’ll check the eleventh floor first.”

“It’s confirmed. The fearful atmosphere on the eleventh floor is weaker than the tenth. Therefore, it can be determined that the Pollution Source Body is hidden on the tenth floor. I will now move forward, sensing bit by bit, to confirm which specific room contains the Pollution Source…”

“I’ve found it!”

“…

As Lu Xin spoke, he walked down the hallway, soon stopping before a particular door.

It was a door fitted with iron bars. The inner door was tightly shut, with no light seeping through the cracks.

Standing before this door, one could clearly feel that the overwhelming sense of dread emanated from within. Though it looked like an ordinary door, it felt like standing at the gates of hell. No one knew what terrifying thing might leap out upon opening it, or if the intense fear would simply swallow one whole.

At this point, Han Bing could offer no further advice, only whispering, “You must be careful!”

“Okay!”

Lu Xin agreed, slowly approaching the door, seemingly pondering how to open the lock.

Sister struggled out of his arms and slid down. While munching on candy, she tilted her head and looked at the iron door.

Then, she suddenly reached out and grabbed. With a loud ‘Clang!’ the lock was torn apart.

Lu Xin glanced at Sister. She looked back at him nonchalantly, or perhaps defiantly.

So Lu Xin gave a silent smile and gave Sister a thumbs-up.