Secret World: I Became a God Through Lies

Chapter 378 Midnight Appointment
"When you step onto a floor that shouldn't exist, reality is swallowed up."

—Excerpt from "Urban Ghost Stories: The Third and Three-Quarters Level"

The shadows of dawn, like silent whisperers, slowly spread to the abandoned building on the north side of Dunhuang University. Under the cover of night, the building resembled a giant beast lurking on the edge of the city, its black windows like the cold and deep eyes of a whisperer, staring intently at the intruders who came to their deaths.

In the small open space in front of the building, three men and three women formed a loose circle, the air thick with a mixture of excitement and fear. The pale glow of their cell phone screens illuminated seven slightly pale faces; some managed a weak smile, while others frowned deeply, their expressions revealing uneasy hesitation.

"Can we really believe that rumor about 'another dimension'?" Zheng Yu, the tallest man in the crowd, asked casually, though he tried to hide it, his voice still trembled uncontrollably at the end.

The petite Lin Yuxi pursed her lips slightly, her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz: "The internet says that if you take the old elevator here at midnight and press the buttons in a specific order, you can enter that legendary 'other dimension'."

"How can anyone believe such an absurd claim?" Cheng Hai, wearing glasses, pushed up his frames impatiently, his gaze dark and wary. "Once you're in, it'll be too late to regret it."

Several girls let out deliberately suppressed laughter, but their voices betrayed an undisguised fear.

The dilapidated building's entrance resembled a gaping maw slowly opening in the darkness, waiting to devour those who willingly stepped into its abyss. The surrounding streetlights had long since gone out, with only occasional, blurry flickering lights in the distance, like weak and powerless calls from beyond the world, unable to dispel the dense, inky darkness before them.

The moment they stepped into the building, the dilapidated floor beneath their feet groaned shrilly, the echoes reverberating slowly through the lobby like a tidal wave, as if countless eyes hidden in the darkness were silently watching these intruders. Lin Yuxi's shoulders trembled slightly, and she instinctively moved closer to her friend Zhao Xue, murmuring weakly, "Something... really seems off here."

Zhao Xue forced a calm expression and gently patted her back: "Don't scare yourself. It's just a forgotten old building."

Ahead, Zheng Yu and Cheng Hai held up their phone lights, the flickering light casting eerie, distorted shadows like twisting kite strings. Suddenly, a strange chill crept up everyone's spines, as if invisible fingers were gently yet coldly tracing the back of each person's neck.

Finally arriving at the legendary elevator hall, the dilapidated elevator resembled a sleeping metal monster, covered in rust, with its doors half-open and half-closed, and dim yellow light emanating from the gaps, like a dying gasp, struggling and weak.

"This is your last chance. You can still turn back," Cheng Hai suddenly said in a low voice, his eyes sweeping over everyone, a hint of warning and unease subtly revealed. "Are you sure you want to continue?"

Zheng Yu stared at the elevator door, forced a calm smile, but his voice carried a forced confidence: "Since we're already here, it would be too embarrassing to back out now."

Before he finished speaking, he stepped into the elevator. The moment his foot touched the ground, the elevator shook violently, accompanied by a sickening metallic groan, like the disgruntled growl of a giant beast.

The group exchanged hesitant glances, but ultimately, with barely concealed fear, they stepped into the narrow, dilapidated space one by one. The crowded elevator was instantly enveloped by a putrid, damp stench, making it almost impossible for them to breathe.

The mirror inside the elevator was mottled and blurry, with dark stains eroding its surface like spots. In the flickering light, Cheng Hai glanced at the mirror and was horrified to find that his reflection was wearing a strange smile, staring silently at him.

He turned around abruptly. His companions behind him remained tense but showed no sign of anything amiss, seemingly unaware of the strange scene that had just unfolded. A surge of unease welled up within Cheng Hai, but he quickly suppressed his doubts and fear.

"Is everyone ready?" Zheng Yu asked through gritted teeth, his trembling fingers hovering over the elevator button, hesitant to press it.

"Hurry up, don't hesitate any longer!" Zhao Xue urged, feigning composure, but her voice trembled slightly.

Zheng Yu finally took a deep breath of the icy, bone-chilling air and shakily pressed the first button.

The moment the fingertip pressed the button, the elevator doors slammed shut, the violent vibrations like the struggle of an old machine being forcibly awakened, and it began to slowly ascend.

It is exactly midnight.

The elevator slowly ascended, the meshing of gears like the whisper of a long-dormant beast awakening, building in with each step, gradually encroaching on everyone's nerves. The flickering lights struggled like dying breaths, illuminating pale, terrified faces.

Everyone held their breath, unaware that their eerie reflections were quietly appearing in the mirror behind them. The person in the mirror wore a cold and cunning smile, their eyes filled with an ominous and hungry anticipation, as if patiently waiting for their prey to step into a trap.

Finally, the elevator slowly came to a stop on the ninth floor, but the doors remained tightly shut, silent as a tombstone. Zheng Yu's hand trembled slightly. After hesitating for a moment, he pressed the second button with difficulty—the number "five".

"Click——"

The elevator suddenly started moving, and the feeling of weightlessness as it plummeted downwards was like a kite string snapping, plunging straight into one's heart. Lin Yuxi instinctively grabbed Zhao Xue's arm tightly, her sharp nails almost digging into her skin.

"Don't hold on so tightly!" Zhao Xue's voice trembled slightly, cold sweat already sliding down her forehead, unable to conceal the ever-increasing fear deep within her heart.

The lights suddenly flickered violently, and Cheng Hai's heart skipped a beat. He subconsciously glanced at the stained mirror in the elevator, and his breath caught in his throat for a moment—his reflection in the mirror had a slow, upturned smile, staring at him with a mysterious and unfamiliar gaze, as if silently mocking the foolish man before him.

He turned around in alarm, but Xiao Jie beside him shook his head blankly: "What's wrong with you?"

“The mirror…I’m laughing in the mirror…” Cheng Hai’s words caught in his throat, and he couldn’t continue. His heart was pounding.

The elevator shook violently, as if it might collapse at any moment. Lin Yuxi burst into uncontrollable sobs: "Let's go, I regret it..."

Zheng Yu, however, seemed to be controlled by an invisible hand, mechanically pressing the number "26" again. The elevator instantly emitted a sharp, mournful screech, like countless dry fingernails frantically scratching at a metal surface, sending chills down one's spine.

Zhao Xue suddenly screamed, her voice almost breaking: "Outside... someone is crying! Can you hear it? Someone is crying!"

Everyone held their breath instantly. A shrill, distorted cry came from the depths of darkness, faint and intermittent, as if piercing through layers of concrete and steel, finally turning into an indescribable whisper: "Stop...please, stop...don't continue..."

Chu Yao completely broke down. She frantically pressed the door open button, screaming and crying, "Let me out! I can't take it anymore!"

But the elevator doors seemed frozen in their fate, remaining completely still.

“I can’t stop,” Zheng Yu murmured, his finger pressing the next button uncontrollably: “Eleven.”

The elevator completely transformed into a maddened beast, its roar and trembling intertwined like a raging storm, and everyone finally succumbed to uncontrollable screams and fear.

Upon reaching the thirteenth floor, the elevator doors suddenly swung open, and a chilling, bone-deep aura rushed in like a tide. The deep darkness outside seemed like an eternal abyss, waiting to devour every soul that approached.

Just as everyone stared in horror at the darkness outside the door, a pale, withered arm suddenly shot out from the abyss into the elevator, its cold fingertips swiftly slicing across Xiao Jie's neck, leaving a trail of blood.

Xiao Jie screamed and fell to the ground, his hand trembling as he pointed towards the elevator door: "What is that thing?!"

The elevator doors slowly closed amidst screams, blocking the eerie arm from view. However, the faint sound of fingernails desperately scraping against metal could still be heard from outside, sending chills down everyone's spine.

Cheng Hai's face was deathly pale. He pointed to the crack in the door, his voice trembling and hoarse: "Look, that hand... it's still struggling!" Chu Yao huddled in the corner of the elevator, her eyes vacant as she murmured to herself, "Outside... that's Xiao Ling's voice... she's crying... she's still alive..."

"Xiaoling?" Zhao Xue whispered, her voice trembling. "Wasn't she... already missing?"

The elevator started moving again, finally slowly leaving the shadows of the thirteenth floor, and the silence returned briefly. However, fear, like the eyes of the Whisperer, continued to watch them in the darkness, never dissipating.

Zheng Yu gritted his teeth, his fingers trembling as if cursed, and pressed the last two buttons: "Three" and "Four".

The elevator began to shake violently out of control. Cheng Hai and Zheng Yu frantically pressed the emergency brake and open door buttons at the same time. The elevator trembled violently like a torn kite. The lights suddenly went out, and darkness completely swallowed their vision.

Terrified screams erupted from the crowd, an atmosphere of madness and despair filling the enclosed space. None of them noticed that, in the endless darkness, the reflection in the mirror was slowly opening the Whisperer's Eye, a sinister and chilling smile spreading across its lips—a狰狞 and malicious grin.

It was as if announcing that the curtain of an inescapable fate was about to be completely drawn.

The elevator started up again, its mechanical hum a low, menacing whisper, like an evil laugh from the depths of an abyss, impatiently devouring the intruders who had strayed into this forbidden land. The stark white emergency lights flickered and swayed, like the strings of fate being pulled by a kite, ready to snap at any moment and plunge everyone into endless darkness.

Zheng Yu and Cheng Hai had long since lost their composure; their pale faces were contorted with madness, their fingers frantically pressing the emergency button again and again. The keyboard emitted a hollow, powerless echo, like a mocking echo of their futile struggle.

Lin Yuxi trembled and curled up in the corner, tears streaming down her face, helplessly repeating in a low voice, "I was wrong...we shouldn't have come here at all..."

In an instant, the elevator shook violently, like a lone boat torn apart by a storm. The lights went out instantly, plunging everything into complete darkness, and a suffocating chill quickly seized their reason.

Then, accompanied by a piercing sound of twisting steel, the elevator plummeted wildly without warning.

"Ahhh—!" Zhao Xue screamed shrilly, instantly losing her balance. Her body floated in the weightless chaos, her stomach churning, and intense fear almost tore her apart.

Chu Yao gripped the wall railing tightly, her knuckles turning as white as a dead person's due to the intense force. Her screams were accompanied by frantic sobs, tears and snot blurring her face, the fear in her heart completely engulfing her.

Xiao Jie was thrown against the cold metal wall amidst the violent jolts, his neck wound reopening, and crimson blood gushed out. With his last ounce of strength, he roared hoarsely, "Stop! Please, stop!"

The floor display screens flickered wildly with distorted gibberish, like unrecognizable symbols from a broken star map, jumping at a speed beyond human comprehension. The shrill and piercing alerts echoed in the cramped space, constantly stimulating the nerves on the verge of collapse.

"We will die here!" Cheng Hai was completely insane, his voice hoarse and unrecognizable, his eyes filled with despair and madness.

Just as they were about to give up hope, the elevator made a terrifying impact, suddenly stopped falling, and everyone was thrown up by the huge inertia before crashing heavily onto the cold floor.

The sound of bones clashing and tearing pain filled the space in an instant, accompanied by chaotic groans and screams. After a brief silence, Zhao Xue, enduring the pain, asked in a trembling voice, "Are we... still alive?"

Xiao Jie struggled to sit up and answered in a trembling voice, "I'm...I'm still alive..."

But as soon as the words were spoken, everyone's gaze froze on the elevator display screen, where a bizarre number suddenly appeared, chilling everyone to the bone:

3 floors.

Lin Yuxi screamed and collapsed to the ground, despair consuming all her courage: "We're here..."

As if by fate, the elevator doors slowly opened, accompanied by a strange, sharp ringing sound that pierced everyone's eardrums, like a signal that a ritual had begun, leading them into an endless abyss.

Outside the elevator, dim yellow light spread out, illuminating an endless, morbid corridor. The walls, floors, and ceiling were all the same color, as if smeared with rotting yellow slime. The air was thick with a pungent stench of decay and acrid chemicals, like an inescapable nightmare from a morbid world.

"Where...is this place?" Lin Yuxi whispered desperately, her voice trembling.

But before her questions could be answered, the elevator behind her emitted a strange, piercing metallic creaking sound, as if it had awakened into a living being, slowly compressing the space inward. Countless pale and distorted human faces gradually appeared on the elevator walls, their expressions pained and desperate, their mouths agape as if silently howling.

"Run!" Zheng Yu shouted hoarsely, but the wall suddenly cracked open, and countless pale, thin arms, like tentacles of an abyss, frantically grabbed and tore at the crowd.

Zhao Xue screamed as a cold hand gripped her ankle tightly. She struggled and cried out, "Help me!"

Cheng Hai rushed forward with all his might, grabbing Zhao Xue's arm and pulling her back from the brink of death. Her ankle was deeply torn, and blood gushed from the wound, spilling onto the ground.

Without further hesitation, the group stumbled and rushed into the yellow corridor. Looking back, the elevator doors were already completely closed, as if they had never been opened. A blood-red inscription appeared on the door, slowly and clearly written:

"Run! It's coming!"

The crowd froze in terror, like statues, their hearts pounding. From the depths of the dark corridor, a heavy, low breathing slowly approached, carrying an indescribable malice.

Zheng Yu urged frantically, "Don't stop, run!"

Everyone turned and ran, but the corridor seemed endless, footsteps echoing in the morbid space, and the nameless presence relentlessly pursued them.

"Thump...thump...thump..." The heavy footsteps drew closer and closer, like the whisper of death, pounding on everyone's heart in a low and oppressive way.

Desperate, the group rushed into an unusually spacious room, only to find themselves trapped in a dead end. In the center of the room, a pitch-black door slowly opened, and thick darkness poured out like ink, radiating a suffocating and eerie power.

The whispers behind them grew increasingly chilling, like countless undead murmuring in their ears: "You can't escape..."

The college students completely lost their minds and frantically rushed into the dark door, where darkness instantly swallowed them up.

They did not realize that this was only the beginning of a longer and more cruel fate.

From the darkness behind them, a sinister laugh slowly rose, carrying the gaze and mockery of the Whisperer's eyes:
"Welcome to the real... alternate dimension."

"When the elevator stops at an impossible floor, the boundary between reality and the unknown no longer matters. All you can do is keep running."

—Excerpt from "Mysterious Notes: The Gate to Another Dimension"

(End of this chapter)