Chapter 128: He Cut Down the Pale Waves.

Chapter 128: He Slashed Through the Pale Waves.

The Lianxing Complex, composed of seven staggered buildings interconnected by sky bridges, each towering over thirty stories high, earned its name from its resemblance to the Big Dipper when viewed from above.

The density of residents within the complex was exceedingly high, with tens of thousands of people crammed into the seven buildings, each person's living space so cramped that it rivaled the plight of birds confined in cages.

Breaths mingled and coagulated into a suffocating murkiness, much like densely packed fish in a net—here, there was barely enough room to flick a tail.

Yet, amidst this overcrowded complex, the entire first floor of Building Seven lay vacant, its entrance sealed with strips of paper of varying lengths and disordered yellow talismans, a place no one dared to enter.

As Chu Fu looked up at the building, an elderly man leaning on a cane happened to pass by. Chu Fu casually asked, "Excuse me, sir. How do the residents of Building Seven get in and out?"

"You look unfamiliar, quite handsome too. A new tenant?"

The old man stopped, squinting as he sized up Chu Fu, then pointed to the connection between Building Seven and Building Six, "They all have to go through the sky bridge, first to Building Six, then take the elevator down."

"Aren't the residents of the whole building bothered by the inconvenience?"

"The price is slashed by half; what's a little trouble? If you want comfort, don't live here!"

The old man, irritable, pursed his lips and gave Chu Fu another few scrutinizing looks, his expression tinged with suspicion: "You don't seem like someone who would work and live here. Could it be... you've heard some spooky rumors and came looking for thrills?"

Chu Fu remained unperturbed, "Not at all. I generally don't seek thrills; I just give others trouble."

He wasn't lying; those ghost stories weren't thrilling enough for him. Instead, they always seemed reluctant to meet him, as if they knew they'd lose a layer of skin each time.

He was here to give those ghost stories trouble.

"Oh, oh, so you're here to collect debts..."

Chu Fu's candid attitude successfully dispelled the old man’s suspicions. His face relaxed slightly, as if he had let out a sigh of relief, but there was a look of regret and disdain on his face, akin to "a fine person turned rogue." He shook his head and muttered, "So young, why not do something decent?"

Chu Fu opened his mouth, intending to explain, but then thought it unnecessary and silently accepted the misunderstanding.

He followed up, "By the way, you mentioned something about 'I'm here for excitement too.' Does that mean someone came here before with the intention of adventure?"

At this, the old man’s expression darkened instantly, and he angrily tapped his cane several times. "Four reckless young whippersnappers! Their hair dyed in all sorts of colors, looking anything but proper, laughing and joking on their phones, saying they were doing some live stream, exploring the first floor of the haunted Building Seven at night."

"Last night, our neighborhood committee arranged for me to be on duty. I stayed up late into the night, repeatedly trying to drive them away. But the moment I turned my back, they cut the seals and slipped in like eels! How could I stop them?"

Chu Fu looked in the direction the old man pointed, and sure enough, among the disordered seals, a few close to the ground had been cut, with some hastily added new ones.

"That's outrageous," Chu Fu sincerely agreed.

Unlike him, who always respected the elderly and cared for the young.

Encouraged by the agreement, the old man grew more agitated. His eyes, lined with wrinkles, gazed toward the dark, lifeless area beyond the seals, a faint trace of worry appearing in their depths: "It's been a whole day and night, and not a single one has come out!"

"What a sin, what a sin," the old man, twirling a string of sandalwood beads inscribed with scriptures, couldn't help but sigh, "I wonder if they'll ever come out..."

Watching the old man slowly walk away, Chu Fu quickly entered Building Six, climbed the stairs, crossed the corridor, and arrived at the elevator in Building Seven.

After the incident on the first floor, the "1" button in the elevator had been removed, making it impossible for people to reach the first floor by elevator under normal circumstances.

However, machines can make mistakes.

Even though the responsible personnel had tried to remove the first floor from the elevator commands, Chu Fu could manipulate the probability of the elevator making an error during operation, turning the one-in-a-billion chance into reality, allowing the elevator to "mistakenly" stop at the unlisted floor.

Chu Fu stepped into the empty elevator, not pressing any buttons, just idly flipping a coin with his left thumb.

A silvery metallic sheen rose and fell in mid-air, the floor number on the display flickered twice, then the elevator began to descend automatically, coming to a smooth stop at the ground floor.

As soon as he stepped into this floor, Chu Fu frowned at the smoky, dusty air. Before his eyes were figures standing silently in the darkness, and behind them, a long corridor made entirely of mirrors, except for the floor, stretched into the distant darkness.

Chu Fu approached the figures and tapped one with his knuckles, producing a loud clacking sound. He concluded, "Just ordinary wooden mannequins."

No sooner had he spoken than several wooden mannequins nearby turned their heads with a "clicking" sound, their faces directly facing the unfamiliar intruder.

Chu Fu showed no reaction, as if moving mannequins were a common sight to him. Not only was he not frightened, but he also moved through them like navigating a jungle, heading straight for the mirrored corridor.

—This is the infamous legend of Lianxing Building, the "Mirror Corridor."

According to Chu Fu's understanding, the Mirror Corridor was first conceived by a reclusive fashion designer.

The designer generously leased most of the ground floor space, knocking down many partition walls to create a wide corridor where he could place his fabrics, mannequins, and various items, crafting a secluded world of fantasy all his own.

To better observe the details of the clothing on the mannequins from multiple angles, the designer simply lined both sides and the ceiling of the corridor with mirrors, making every detail of the displayed garments visible and clear to his eyes.

It is said that the workers at the time advised the designer to abandon this eerie corridor design and layout, but they could not sway the employer's determination. The construction was completed in ten days, creating what would later become the notorious "Mirror Corridor."

Due to the designer's limited social interactions, it wasn't until his body was severely decomposed, swarming with flies, and emitting an unbearable stench that spread to other floors in the summer, that anyone discovered his death—

The body was in a bizarre prostrate position, curled up at the end of the Mirror Corridor, with dried blood congealed around the surrounding mirrors, as if... he had died from repeatedly banging his head until his forehead shattered.

But how could a normal person keep banging their head against a mirror until they killed themselves?

The designer's death was already mysterious, causing nearby residents to speak of it with fear;

Even more alarming, after his death, residents reported hearing strange noises at night, as if someone was forcefully banging their head while sobbing and pleading for forgiveness in a muffled voice, occasionally accompanied by the rustling sounds of lightweight objects moving.

Soon, residents discovered that in the hidden corners of their homes—behind curtains, under beds, inside wardrobes—those wooden mannequins that had once kept the designers company day and night could silently appear.

These mannequins would lie stiffly in narrow crevices or crouch with bent knees in cabinets, as if they were consciously hiding in the owners' homes, secretly observing every move people made...

This anomaly quickly caught the attention of the containment facility. After thorough investigation, they categorized this phenomenon as a whole, designated it "A-013 'Mirror Corridor'," and controlled its activities with unknown means.

Chu Fu's initial intention for this visit was merely to take a casual stroll and perform the act of searching for Elysium's traces in front of his live stream audience.

If these somewhat active wooden mannequins hadn't bothered him, he could have just glanced at them and moved on, but...

Chu Fu stopped in his tracks and gently reminded the mannequin behind him: "Could you let go? You're holding onto my coat."

"..."

The mannequin remained silent, not only refusing to release its grip but also awakening more mannequins, which reached out to grab Chu Fu one after another—

Kicking away the nearest wooden mannequin, Chu Fu took advantage of the momentum to kick open a fire extinguisher cabinet in the corner.

Amidst the sharp sound of shattering glass, he gripped the handle of the fire axe tightly and, with sudden force, split the approaching mannequin in half.

With one swing, several mannequins crashed to the ground, wood chips flying through the air like sparks, blurring Chu Fu's indifferent expression.

He lifted the axe, chopped, and retracted with fluid precision, ignoring the brutality of his actions, as if he were simply focused on a mechanical cutting task. Even as these humanoid mannequins broke into pieces before his eyes, his gaze remained unchanged.

"Really, I didn't want to be so rough," Chu Fu sighed in dissatisfaction.

Countless white-painted hands reached for him, forming endless waves that were swiftly cut down by Chu Fu. The severed limbs of the mannequins fell to the ground, paving a path forward for him.

Stepping over these limbs without hesitation, Chu Fu slowly approached the depths of the Mirror Corridor.

Bullet comments:

「Y'all just HAD to poke the bear (tsk tsk)」

「Flashbacks to some... unfortunate incidents...」

「AAAAAH MY SOUL HURTS JUST WATCHING THIS!」

「Seems like after all these years, this Peacock’s still got that legendary temper.」

「Personally, I think his expressionless face is even scarier than outright bloodlust... Slicing through enemies like a hot knife through butter is more terrifying.」

「Dishing out combos is as easy as drinking water or eating a meal for this streamer.」

「Bruh why’s chat simping for trash mobs?」

「As if you wouldn’t get beaten up in front of him either.」

"Though it's sad, we have to admit—perhaps in the face of the streamer's power, we're no different from these dummies (laughs)."

"Seer Bro: A slap for the small horror, a discount for the big one—discounting even the bones."

"Got used to it, he's always been like this. Whether you're human or divine, passing by might get you a few kicks..."

"Strangers keep away, and acquaintances roll away (laughs)."

"Is this our fate realm, brimming with martial virtue?"

"Praise fate, the streamer is mighty—"