Excessive ferocity due to caution

I went to the supermarket and bought candles.

12 pieces per bundle, sold in bundles only.

A lighter is included.

A total of 120 yuan.

This is really expensive.

Zhao Yi thought that if they weren't actors or a script, but a group of real people working in the 2188 Building, their lives would be miserable.

I work myself to the bone for a month to earn 6000 yuan, but I have to spend at least 1500 yuan on food. It seems like everything else in the building costs money, so in the end, I probably won't have much left.

Zhao Yi returned to the third-floor corridor. There weren't many people outside; they were either eating in the cafeteria or reading in their offices.

He lit a candle.

The red candle was burning, but it emitted a bluish-purple light, which was rather eerie.

Zhao Yi reached out and approached the candle.

The hand shrouded in black mist couldn't feel the heat emanating from the candle at all.

Zhao Yi tried his other hand.

It's very hot.

He placed his left hand, which was shrouded in black mist, on the candle.

Under the scorching heat of the flame, the black energy on his palm shrank back into the depths of his hand like a small snake.

But it did not disappear.

When Zhao Yi could feel the heat in his left hand, he blew out the candle.

These candles cost 120 each time, so we need to use them sparingly.

Back in his office, he continued his work for the day.

From 1 PM to 6 PM.

No further incidents occurred.

Five hours later, the black mist in Zhao Yi's palm began to thicken again.

A chill spread through his heart, making him feel uncomfortable, so he lit the candle again and began to clear away the black fog.

"It only lasts for 6 hours at a time... or...?"

Zhao Yi calmly cleaned the black mist off his hands, but a faint mark remained on his palm.

It's very strange.

It is a flower.

It feels very familiar.

After a moment's thought, Zhao Yi immediately remembered that the flower was the same one he had seen on Xiao Qi's body in the toilet.

After Xiao Qi died, his body was made into a strange flower!

The appearance of this flower in my palm means that I will also be turned into such a flower.

Zhao glanced at his palm, then casually withdrew his hand and continued working.

He started work at seven o'clock in the morning, and was delayed for a while, so he finished get off work at around 11:30 pm.

Most people in the office arrived later than him.

Just three hours later, Zhao Yi noticed that his hands had become unusually cold again...

The black aura reappeared.

From the initial 6 hours, it has now been reduced to 3 hours.

The time was halved.

Zhao Yi thought carefully for a moment, then relit the remaining candle.

However, this time, the light emitted by the remaining candle was very close to the light emitted by a normal burning candle.

"It seems a candle can only be used three times, and its effectiveness decreases significantly each time it's lit..."

"2188 Company really knows how to do business."

Zhao Yi had previously thought that 12 candles would be enough for him for a long time, but now it seems that one candle can only provide him with less than 12 hours of time, which is really frustrating.

Zhao Yi held his hand over the candle to heat it until the black mist reluctantly seeped into his palm once more!

Zhao Yi's thoughts were not far off.

This time, it lasted for an hour.

One candle is just enough to keep him afloat for 10 hours to resist the black energy.

Zhao Yi had no choice but to light the second candle.

After the black aura on his hand was dispelled by the candle flame, the candle itself went out shortly afterward.

Clearly, this is to prevent employees from exploiting bugs.

Time passed by, and Zhao got off work.

On the desk, the countdown clock has been reset to zero.

He stretched and left the office.

Around 12 o'clock, everyone left the office, exhausted, preparing to return to their staff dormitory to relieve the fatigue of the day.

But six people didn't leave.

They continued working.

until……

A trembling voice came from someone in the office.

"Have you...have you used up all your chances to leave the office?"

As soon as he finished speaking, someone nearby responded:

"Yes...yes."

"I didn't expect... the number of times I leave the office after get off work in the evening counts..."

After finishing their work, just as they were about to leave the office, a message suddenly appeared on their computer reminding them that they had used up all their chances to leave the office that day.

They cannot leave the office before 6 a.m. tomorrow.

However, 7 a.m. is the start of the workday...

"Should we... go out and give it a try?"

"After all, it's already past get off work hours. What if... we can get out?"

A female office worker said this to other male office workers.

The group exchanged glances and agreed that the female office worker made sense, so they cautiously approached the office door.

A bold male office worker stretched out a finger.

what--

It seems...no problem?

The group's faces lit up with joy.

They then urged the male office worker to go outside.

That male office worker was quite bold; amidst the shouts of "Big Brother!" from the men, he lost himself and walked out of the office...

There were no lights in the hallway outside the office.

The sun of the day disappeared, and the heat and light vanished together.

All that remained was a chilling silence and darkness.

The moment this male office worker stepped out of the office, he couldn't help but shudder.

He walked toward the stairs at the end of the corridor.

In the darkness, he staggered, afraid to walk too fast, always feeling that something was watching him...

As he walked, he suddenly heard a terrified scream beside him:

"Sun Wei!"

Sun Wei was instantly startled!

He came to his senses and realized that he had somehow ended up in office C301!

He...is back?!

"How did I get here?"

Sun Wei looked at her other colleagues, her eyes seemingly veiled by a thin layer of mist.

The other colleagues looked at him with extreme terror, backing away until they finally huddled against the corner of the wall, trembling and calling out in panic:

"Don't come any closer... don't come any closer!"

Sun Wei looked back at their horrified expressions.

There’s nothing…

"What are you afraid of?"

Sun Wei walked towards the group of people huddled in the corner, and they immediately screamed:

"Sun Wei...it wasn't us who caused this..."

"You, you mustn't come looking for us!"

Sun Wei was even more bewildered when he heard their words.

His gaze shifted to the side and landed on the mirror on a female employee's desk, and he froze on the spot...

Sun Wei was shocked to see that the person in the mirror... was missing half a head!

Red and white fluids kept flowing from the shattered parts of the brain, dripping onto the ground...

Sun Wei glanced at the group of people in the corner, his gaze gradually becoming vacant. He muttered to himself:

"I remember now..."

"I……"

"He's already dead..."

P.S.: 6000 points tonight is no problem! I'll be recovering my knee this afternoon!