Bab 36: Wood Frame
The inside of the chute was wider than he expected, nor was it as dirty as Kang Maixiu was saying. It was clear that he had told Yin Meng that to trick him into going by himself. Not that Yin Meng cared all that much, he would have gone down either way, it didn't matter who came down with him.
The dust stuck to Yin Meng's clothing as he climbed down the chute, but he lasted through it. His hands and feet held himself up as he slowly lowered himself downward. The dust that mixed with his sweaty palms gave him a good grip.
He held the flashlight between his teeth and tilted his head so the light would face downward. The bottom was visible, and yet he still couldn't identify the contents.
When he was far enough, Yin Meng let himself fall. He landed on a pile on something, it was hard and filled with sharp edges. He tucked into himself to minimize the damage. He felt something jap into his side, causing him to gasp in pain. He grasped at his side and reached for the flashlight he dropped.
His hands felt sticky as he pulled them away, red liquid seeped through his fingers. He grimaced at the sight and wiped his hand on the hard floor. A large splinter had stuck itself into his side, he didn't dare pull it out just yet.
With the flashlight in his sticky hand, he ignored the pain in his side and looked back at where he had fallen. It was a large pile of wood, tall enough to where he could climb back up to the chute if he wanted to.
He felt his leg kick at something, he looked down. By his foot, was a wooden picture frame. It was large and had very detailed borders. Using his free hand, he wiped off the dust over the picture.
It was a painting of a woman, with tired eyes and thin lips. She looked miserable, and yet the picture seemed to glow with a strange beauty. Yin Meng thought back to his own room, where a portrait of his own was hung on the wall. With the same dark hair and blue eyes as him, they eyed his form as he investigated the room. It disturbed him greatly.
Upon studying it further, Yin Meng recognized the person. Peng Yan, a mother of three and worked as an attorney. She disappeared 12 years ago, only leaving behind her clothes laying on her bedsheets.
He looked at another frame, it was another person he recognized. Qi Li, a middle-aged man with a gambling addiction. Disappeared 6 years ago. Then the next frame, a stay-at-home father, 2 years ago. And the next, a female student, disappeared 4 years ago.
He continued to look, all of the people were ones he had seen before. He studied their lives searching for similarities, for some kind of clue. And yet there wasn't anything he could pick up on.
He chuckled to himself. 'What was the point of all that hard work...' He lifted up a frame and held it high. It was of a man with sweet brown eyes and a gentle smile. With shaggy light hair sticking all out of place.
Yin Meng stared at the photo with burning eyes. His mouth unconsciously rose and the flashlight he held in between his teeth wavered. He could taste the residue of his blood yet it didn't disgust him. Everything seemed so sweet, and yet and the same time, terrifying. He felt his blood run cold and sweat run down his forehead. And yet, he felt so accomplished.
'...when everything was right here?'
It was extremely satisfying.
-
"And that's why it was so sad. Because he was using him the whole time but by the time that he regretted it, it was already too late! So he ended up dying and leaving his lover behind! "
Xiang Tingfeng and Kang Maixiu stayed next to the garbage chute, Xiang Tingfeng sat on the floor while Kang Maixiu didn't dare place his butt on the dust-filled carpet.
"You were crying over that? That isn't that bad." Kang Maixiu looked down at his childhood friend.
"That's because you have to read it to understand! You wouldn't be able to understand otherwise!" Xiang Tingfeng enthusiastically tried to explain.
"I don't think I would feel it as much as you, even if I did read it."
Xiang Tingfeng looked away out of embarrassment and Kang Maixiu chuckled softly. "Calm down, there's nothing wrong with feeling emotional over something you like."
Xiang Tingfeng awkwardly laughed and stretched his nape. "Yeah, I know. It's just that I liked it, so I wanted you to feel the same about it, you know? But I guess I should have just let you read the actual book"
Kang Maixiu sighed and playfully hit the Xiang Tingfeng's head. "Why would what I think matter? If you like it, then you like it. If you really want to enjoy something together, then next time we ca--" Suddenly, Kang Maixiu's words became muffled as Xiang Tingfeng reached over and covered his mouth with a large hand. His head turned towards the darkness with his wide eyes. He reached over towards the flashlight in Kang Maixiu's hand. "Quick, turn that off."
Kang Maixiu turned serious and didn't hesitate to turn off the light. The darkness blanketed over them, leaving them invisible to the eye.
Out of the darkness emerged a light. Along with it, Gao Shunyuan stood. He held his own light, which was more of a lantern than a flashlight. A small fire burned inside the glass panels, it was a similar style as the one Xiang Tingfeng had ripped out of the wall. And the fire that Kang Maixiu had used to burn himself.
Gao Shunyuan gazed at the ground as he walked. It was a habit of his, to walk with his gaze downwards. Never look him in the eye, never see his face. Never gaze upon his feature, never touch his form, never speak a word. That's what he was always told.
And yet, now he could stare at him all he wanted. He could talk to him, stare and touch.
His fingers clenched onto the wooden frame in his hands, if he was stronger he would have perhaps broken it.
'To be stronger...' That thought had always plagued his mind. But he shook his head, no thoughts filled with such ill should stay in his head for long. Otherwise, he would find out. That wouldn't be good, because then the facade would fall. Although he had never seen it, the mere thought of it kept him from openly wandering from his place.
The fire lit the way for him and his feet followed. The sound of shuffling entered his ears, causing him to look up. He maneuvered the lantern to light up the dead-end of the corridor. And yet, nothing could be seen except for the metal door to the garbage chute.
He frowned and clenched the frame in his hand tighter. Moving closer, he opened the chute and carelessly tossed the frame down the tunnel.
"I'd like to think you have things under your control. And yet I've come to doubt you." A familiar, untroubled voice came from behind him. He didn't need to turn to know who it was.
"I don't believe it was my fault, I've done my job. This problem falls under you."
"They seemed frazzled, you must have run into them before. And yet they're still here, even speaking to Master so blatantly."
"That's because they did not meet him there. He left on his own."
A laugh left Host's throat. "Yeah, that's what I had expected."
Gao Shunyuan paused as he felt his eye widen. He turned around to face the blindfolded man.
"You mean to say that you saw this coming, and did nothing about it?"
"Of course, Master can experience curiosity just the same as anyone else."
Gao Shunyuan clenched his fists tighter, he could feel his nails piercing into his palms. "That's not what you said--"
"So what?" Host interrupted him. "What I said was back then, and what I say now is now. It's not that hard to understand." He smiled. Although his mask covered the malice behind his eyes, Gao Shunyuan could feel it stabbing into his chest.
"But the house! That's endangering the house! And Master! If you had known that they would discover it, then why would you put us in such danger?!"
"Gao Shunyuan." A dangerous aura emerged from Host. He looked at him with a wide smile that sent chills down his spine. "Why would I care? Do you think that all matters to me anymore?" He stepped forward and placed a gloved hand on his shoulder. "And don't act as if you care so much. If you had, then you would have killed them all on sight. So may I ask, why didn't you? What made you stall?" He bent down to his level and stared through his black mask and into Gao Shunyuan's purple eyes.
"That's right. You're no better than me, a slave towards one's desires. I'll warn you as a person in the same boat." As if it was nothing, Zao Xing lifted his hand off and along with it, the pressure he was emitting. "Watch yourself. Do not blind yourself with obsession, it won't carry you very far."
With that, he turned around to travel through the darkness, leaving Gao Shunyuang alone to bask in his fury.
Feeling his rage pour over, Gao Shunyuan bashed his clenched fist into the metal door.
"That fucking hypocrite."
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone