The World Below Surface
Chapter 111

The crowd swelled in the dimly lit wax museum, but Jiang Yu did not flinch. A surge of relief washed over him. He welcomed the newcomers, who would share his burden and distract the waxen horrors that surrounded them.

He raised his voice, “Follow Jiang Bai’s example and grab a candle from the centre. It’s our only chance to escape. Hurry, before they run out.”

His words drew curious and fearful glances from Lu Yan and the rest.

Lu Yan reached for two candles from a wax figure’s hands. The figure let out a piercing scream and its face began to liquefy, dripping hot wax onto their feet.

They gasped as they felt the heat seep into their skin. The wax refused to harden, creating a slippery and treacherous surface. The air grew thicker and hotter, as if they were trapped in a giant candle, slowly melting away.

They would die here, either by the wax figures’ claws or by becoming one of them.

Jiang Yu fought against the sticky resistance, hoping to reach the centre. He felt a slight give under his feet, and he managed to advance another step.

The others followed him, braving the scorching drops that fell from the ceiling. They struggled to reach the centre, where salvation awaited.

“Toss me a candle!” Xi Men Yuan shouted, as he dodged a swipe from a headless knight in waxen armour. He looked at Qiu Zhi, who held a candle in his hand.

Only Jiang Bai, Lin Chu, Jin Fu Gui, and Qiu Zhi had several candles, with no wax hindering them.

Qiu Zhi had a simple mind, but he was not a fool. He watched his candles as they dwindled to stubs, then quietly lit new ones from the old, paying no attention to Xi Men Yuan's irritated demands.

Lu Yan felt like a wax statue himself, covered in a greasy layer that burned his skin and stiffened his joints. The idea that this was not wax, but corpse oil, something derived from the deceased, made him shudder. He glanced at the dim corners of the wax museum, where the figures loomed like ancient corpses, biding their time.

Suddenly, the window outside went dark.

The wax museum plunged into darkness, except for the faint glimmer of their candles.

The dim light was insufficient to see clearly, but they could all feel it. The wax figures were moving. And they were moving faster and faster!

Lin Chu scavenged about ten more candles and hurried off in a different direction. Silently mouthing "Let's go!" to Lu Yan and the rest of the group, she urged them to move.

"Why?" Qiu Zhi whispered as he followed her.

Suddenly, a monstrous face whipped around to face him, its eyes resembling brass bells and filled with malice. Qiu Zhi gasped and quickly closed his mouth.

Lin Chu shook her head, gesturing that she had no time to explain. She looked worried.

The window outside had turned black.

Everything was happening just as she had told.

What had she said back then?

“As night fell, the world was plunged into a murky gloom, where only indistinct shapes lurked and shifted. They all cowered in their hiding places, holding their breaths, as if… something in the darkness was hunting them.”

“Then, we heard… that noise. When the light returned, we all recoiled in horror. A girl let out a piercing shriek, a corpse was dangling from the ceiling beam, and she had been clinging to him just seconds ago, unaware of when he was replaced…”

It was coming!

The feeble glow of candlelight trembled, as they all guarded the flame fiercely, warding off the darkness that enveloped them. Their eyes darted around nervously, searching for any sign of movement.

Relentlessly, wax dripped from the candles, dissolving the wax figures that stood around them. Shadows flickered and vanished, as if mocking their fear.

At that moment, all sounds ceased, leaving only the burning sensation on their skin. They felt the heat, but not the light.

Those who had candles had some advantage, but not much. They could see a little, but not enough. Those who had none were blind, relying on the dim light that barely pierced the blackness. Some of them glimpsed grey shadows with long tails gliding, resembling spectral apparitions that haunted their nightmares.

Di Ying and a friend edged forward.

The friend was petrified, gripping her arm firmly, they both crawled ahead. They aimed for where the light was strongest.

A whooshing sound came—

Di Ying dodged swiftly, avoiding a decapitated head thrown from above. She narrowed her eyes, trying to pinpoint the source.

A sudden blaze of light pierced the darkness, transforming the display window into a blinding sun.

“Ah—”

The sound escaped Di Ying’s lips before she could stop it. She clamped her mouth shut, cursing herself for her carelessness. But it was too late; the wax figures that surrounded her had already sensed her presence. They began to lumber towards her, their legs making a dull thud on the floor, their waxen skin melting and dripping with each step.

Xi Men Yuan’s voice was a low hiss in the dark. “What are you doing?” How many missions had she already completed? What had made her scream like a banshee?

Di Ying gestured with her hand an apology.

She couldn’t help it. She had just watched her companion die in front of her eyes, a companion who had been clutching her arm a second ago. Their faces had been inches apart, almost brushing, and Di Ying had seen the light fade from her eyes as they locked with hers.

She was truly terrified. She had never experienced such a raw and primal fear since she started these missions.

Di Ying darted away from the figures that were closing in on her, trying to calm her pounding heart.

No, she shouldn’t be this scared. She had seen her share of corpses, some of them even close to her. Why did this one affect her so much?

Wait! Who was she?

Di Ying strained her memory, trying to recall her name and face, but she came up empty. She had been holding her arm a moment ago, they had seemed to get along well, but now, she couldn’t recall anything about her at all.

Could she have been… a ghost? Or did they erase the memories of the dead from those who knew them?

She felt a chill run down her spine, despite the heat that made her sweat profusely.

**

“Stay quiet,” Lin Chu whispered, barely moving her lips.

They had retreated from the central area. The wax museum was vast, with various counters scattered around. They were hiding behind a row of sturdy wooden cabinets, their doors ajar, hoping to avoid the wax figures that grew more sinister by the minute.

**

Strange. Who could it be?

The corpse was right behind her now. Should she turn around and see who it was?

Yes, she should. She had to know.

Di Ying stood still, paralyzed. Then, slowly, she turned her head.

She met the gaze of the corpse that hung from the ceiling beam, that face… eerily familiar.

Wasn’t that her own face?

She felt a sudden tug on her ankle. In an instant, her body was lifted upside down, her vision flipped, blood rushing to her head, breath becoming scarce.

“Help me! Help! Save me—” Di Ying flailed her arms, pleading for help.

She had faced traps like this before in her missions, she could have bent her torso and cut the rope around her leg, but now, she felt a weight on her waist and abdomen, as if an invisible hand was pressing her down.

“Save me! Please!” The rope that held her grew longer, swinging without a breeze, slowly changing its position.

“Help me! I’ll do anything! I beg of you!”

But no matter how much Di Ying screamed, no one came to her aid.

"Jiang Yu! Xi Men Yuan! How can you let me die like this?" Di Ying's voice was shrill and desperate, but she didn't know the true horror of her situation or the reason why nobody was willing to help her.

Behind her, a corpse as black as night wrapped its arms around her, holding her in a deathly embrace.

She felt powerless to break free, unaware of the rotting flesh that clung to her. She only had a faint impression of something squeezing her, suffocating her.

The rope that hung her from the ceiling swung towards a wooden plank, bristling with rusty nails.

The rope broke.

"Ahhh—"

Blood sprayed everywhere, staining the red wax dripping from the candles, blending the two liquids into a macabre painting.

Lu Yan ignored the screams. He gazed out the window, his eyes drawn to something important.

"As someone dies, the night descends," Lin Chu whispered, her voice barely audible.

No sooner had she uttered the last word than a face smashed into the cabinet door with a thud. It filled the narrow slit with its twisted features. Its eyes burned with a feral gleam, a mix of hunger and insanity.

Jin Fu Gui jerked back, a scream rising in his throat, but Qiu Zhi slapped his hand over his mouth.

The face's eyes roved wildly, scanning the dim interior of the cabinet, then locked onto Lin Chu.

Lin Chu steadied her hand and set down the candle, the tiny flame flickering weakly. She remained still and silent, as if she had ceased to breathe.

A heartbeat.

Another.

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The seconds ticked by, agonisingly slow.

Lin Chu met the face's stare, unblinking. And then the face disappeared.

The darkness reclaimed the museum.

Lu Yan cautiously pried open the cabinet door and peeked outside.

He saw other flickers of light in the gloom, moving closer. Some of the survivors had managed to get candles, and they were creeping towards them, avoiding the ghosts' attention.

What did they want?

Lu Yan didn't trust them. He knew they were up to no good.

The candles were like beacons in the night; they gave away their positions. Lu Yan was ready to exploit that. He had a trap set for them.

He clenched the dagger in his pocket, his eyes never leaving the advancing specks of light outside the cabinet.

Lin Chu, however, was lost in her own thoughts.

She had told Chu Xiu how, after the second night of silence, they had woken up in a bizarre location. It resembled the second floor of a wax museum.

"Each of us was crammed into a separate cabinet. We were supposed to break free and escape, but then we heard it: the door of the room slammed open, and a dreadful sound of footsteps filled the air.

The sound came closer and closer, stopping at each cabinet, and then... it yanked the cabinet open." Lin Chu told Chu Xiu. "I heard screams."

"That person had no candle, I'm sure of it. The candle in my hand was almost burnt out, so I reached into my pocket and grabbed the last two candles I had left, ready to light them at any second."

**

Dawn broke.

Lu Yan was hit by a wave of nausea and confusion as he woke up. Opening his eyes, he found himself in a small, dark wardrobe, with no memory of how he got there.

Footsteps echoed in the dark as he pushed the door slightly, sneaking a quick glance.

The room was dark, but he could discern shapes of wax figures standing frozen in place, emitting a scent of burnt and musty dust.

The room was lined with rows of cabinets, standing upright like coffins. Lu Yan had a clear view of them from a corner of the room. The cabinet doors were open, exposing the wooden interiors.

He spotted a few cabinets with small cracks, emitting a faint glow.

He barely had time to take in the scene when the footsteps reached the door.

With a violent kick, the door flew open, crashing into the wall. Plaster and dust showered down, creating a loud noise.

Lu Yan's heart skipped a beat as he quickly shut the cabinet door, holding his breath.

But as soon as he did, he felt a sudden drop in temperature. The wooden cabinet was freezing cold, and he had no clue why. He felt his limbs stiffen, as if he was turning into ice.

The flame wavered faintly, about to die out.

And in that brief moment of darkness, Lu Yan felt a horrifying presence…

Behind him, there was a corpse, cold as death.

It stood still, silent and menacing, radiating a chill that pierced his soul.

As he spun around, Lu Yan caught a glimpse of the corpse’s face. It was barely recognizable as human, except for the unnaturally large and cloudy eyes that gaped at him from the shadows. They seemed to have been cut open at the corners, giving them a macabre expression of curiosity. And they were focused on the candle in his hand, the only source of light in the dark room.

The candle was almost spent. Its flame danced weakly, casting eerie shadows on the walls. Lu Yan and Lin Chu had managed to find a few candles in their scavenging, but they were running low.

Lu Yan reached into his pocket and pulled out a slender red candle, one of the last ones he had. He was about to light it with the dying flame, when he felt a sudden weight on his shoulder.

The ghost… the ghost had leaned its head on him. Lu Yan felt the corpse’s neck stretching and twisting like a snake, its cold and slimy skin brushing against his own, its sickeningly sweet smell filling his nostrils. He froze, unable to move or scream, watching the flame flicker and fade.

But then, a new flame appeared. He successfully lit the second candle.

The sounds outside the door were getting louder. They were not the sounds of normal people… or even of human feet. They were the sounds of something big and hungry, something that was searching for prey in the cabinets.

A violent throb seized Lu Yan’s heart as he hid in the cabinet on the far right of the first row. He could hear the thing that had invaded the room, a monstrous creature whose roar chilled his blood, as it ripped open the cabinets on the opposite side, searching for prey.

The sound of splintering wood and crashing boards echoed in his ears, getting louder and closer with each cabinet. He held his breath, hoping it wouldn’t find him.

He flinched as a loud bang resounded from the same row as his. The thing had opened the first cabinet, and it was empty. A primal roar of rage and frustration filled the air, followed by the sound of crashing metal. The thing had ripped another cabinet apart, and it was moving on to the next one.

The footsteps grew louder, closer, inexorable.

Lin Chu felt the same terror grip her heart in the cabinet across the room. She had barely managed to sneak a peek through the gap in the door and see that she was in the middle of the fourth row, a lucky coincidence that matched the lie she had told Chu Xiu. She didn’t give a damn about the others, only Lu Yan. He was different, special, and she knew it. His peculiarity had made him a target.

Where was he?

He couldn’t die here. He just couldn’t.

Lu Yan felt the vibrations of something outside the door battering two more times.

It was closing in!!

What could he do?

Trapped in the front row position, he had no chance of escape. If he opened the door, he would likely face the horror that lurked outside. And the protection of the candle might be useless against that horror.

Lu Yan couldn’t rely solely on the candle.

The fourth cabinet…

There were about thirteen cabinets in a row. The nearer it came, the more desperate his situation became.

Others also sensed the commotion. They had no idea what was outside the door, but it didn’t deter them from instinctively hiding in the cabinets, holding their breath, hoping that the horror wouldn’t detect them.

If the horror detected them…

Another deafening noise, it seemed that the horror didn’t find anyone, it had gone berserk. The sound of wooden cabinets splintering was more violent than ever.

Lu Yan clutched a metal knife in his personal bag.

He cautiously held the candle, making sure the flame didn’t die, slowly turning in another direction.

In the dark and cramped cabinet, he saw the ghost’s face again.

The evil spirit was mesmerised by the dancing flames, gazing intently at the candle, slowly turning its focus. Its body was motionless, but its head, with its elongated neck, twisted around in a full circle.

The fifth cabinet!

Lu Yan gently dragged the blade along the wooden cabinet’s inside, creating a soft scraping sound.

Outside the door, the loud racket stopped for a moment, and the ghost in front of him seemed to shake off its stupor, its eyes about to glance behind him.

Lu Yan quickly halted his actions, not daring to continue.

The sixth cabinet!

He had no other option, he was surely doomed! Unless, there was someone else hiding in one of the cabinets ahead!

But how could he be sure if there was anyone in the cabinets ahead?

Lin Chu faced the same predicament. Based on the rules she had devised earlier, the horror would leave for a while after it had fed on someone.

But the problem was— which cabinet was Lu Yan in? Were there any people in the cabinets ahead of him?

The sound of scraping wood earlier was too soft for her to hear. Otherwise, she could have instantly pinpointed his location, instead of now where she could only worry.

Lu Yan put away the knife and reached into his pocket.

These horrors were very sensitive to noise; maybe he could use this to his benefit!

**

Pressed against the cabinet door, Xi Men Yuan felt his heart hammering in his chest.

The horror that stalked the rows of lockers was drawing nearer, its monstrous breaths and growls filling the air with dread. It was almost upon him, he knew it. He was not in the first row, but he might as well have been. He had no chance of escape, no weapon to fight back, no hope of survival. He could only pray that the horror would find something more appetising in the cabinet opposite him, for he had no doubt that he and his taskers were its prey.

Nearer and nearer...

Xi Men Yuan held his breath, willing his heart to slow down. Maybe it would not smell him, maybe it would pass him by, maybe it would leave him alone.

Then, his phone vibrated in his pocket. There was no sound, but the vibration was loud enough to shatter his fragile calm.

He felt a surge of panic and rage. Who the hell was calling him now? Did they not know what was happening? Did they want him to die? If he could, he would have choked them with his bare hands.

No sound, he reminded himself. Maybe the thing did not hear it. Maybe it did not care. Maybe it would ignore it.

But he knew it was too late. He knew it was over. No matter how much he begged the gods for mercy, the heavy footsteps did not stop. They came closer and closer, until it will stop right in front of his cabinet!

With each step, the horror drew closer to him. It had given up on the front cabinets, sensing a more tempting prey behind them. It lunged at him with a ferocious speed, shaking the floor with its weight.

Xi Men Yuan could hear its ragged breaths, its savage snarls, its hungry growls. It was right outside his hiding place. It was coming for him.

He had no time to think, to act, to save himself. The cabinet door in front of him flew open with a violent jerk—

Xi Men Yuan's scream tore through the air.

Lu Yan exhaled slowly. He had played his cards right.

His phone was gone, lost in the mayhem, so he had used Lin Chu's phone to copy the numbers from the SIM card.

He had chosen Xi Men Yuan over Jiang Yu for a reason. Tan Xu.

Tan Xu would not let Xi Men Yuan die without a fight.

Behind him, about ten metres away, a man crashed through the wooden door, making the cabinets rattle. The horror turned its attention to him, to Tan Xu. It dragged something behind it, something that used to be a body, leaving a trail of blood and flesh on the floor.

Right at this moment—

Lu Yan swiftly pulled open the door and fled to the left.

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