Chapter 025: Who Is Watching from the Shadows

As soon as these words were spoken, Li Tianque felt a surge of dread in his heart.

Lü Mou’s question struck a chord, and Li Tianque realized this situation did indeed feel strangely familiar. Thinking back carefully, he recalled being gravely ill as a child. At that time, he’d seen some unsettling things spoken about by his elders, and he’d cried for several days straight. But so many years had passed, and the memory was blurred, indistinct.

Even so, Li Tianque was reluctant to share too much with this seemingly unreliable police officer.

“No, nothing like this has happened before,” he replied.

Lü Mou arched his brow and shot Li Tianque a cold glance. With apparent disinterest, he continued with a few casual questions, never bothering to take notes.

“Alright, we’ll end it here for today. But I must warn you: this ability to foresee death is no blessing,” Lü Mou said with indifference.

“Of course. If it were possible, I’d never want to witness such things again,” Li Tianque replied bitterly.

“Let’s hope so,” Lü Mou drawled, lazily rising to his feet. He stretched, then strode off without another word.

Watching Lü Mou’s retreating figure, Li Tianque couldn’t shake the feeling that this man was terribly odd.

This middle-aged man hardly resembled a police officer. He was more like a shut-in, lifeless and inert, as if he spent his days holed up at home.

Li Tianque returned to his apartment, now eerily empty, just himself remaining.

After such an incident in a rental property, most tenants would choose to leave. The landlord was reasonable, refunding all the rent to Li Tianque and Hu Jiangsheng, and gave them ten days to find a new place.

Lying in bed, Li Tianque felt utterly exhausted, his mind shrouded in confusion.

After what he’d been through, he dared not resume his shop-reviewing activities for now.

Worse still, rumors about his experience had grown increasingly sensational. Gossip streamers, somehow privy to the details, embellished the story, labeling him as a cursed man who hadn’t yet succumbed to suicide.

Had he not been shadow-banned, perhaps he’d have become a viral sensation.

But at this moment, he had no inclination to think about managing his video channel. Otherwise, he’d surely seize the opportunity to record and dramatize his ordeal.

Forget it, nothing he did would go viral anyway...

In such a vast city, with so many eye-catching events each day, stories about him amounted to nothing more than a handful of fleeting videos.

It wouldn’t be long before everyone forgot. Even those news pieces that once ignited nationwide outrage among keyboard warriors faded to nothing in just a few days.

And who was he, a mere nobody?

Li Tianque’s thoughts began to wander. He felt Lü Mou must know something.

Yet, strangely, that languid policeman hadn’t provided any useful advice, nor explained what was really happening.

Could it be that what he was experiencing had little to do with his shop visits, that it wouldn’t lead to anything worse?

Or maybe the officer knew he was in danger and simply didn’t intend to help?

Li Tianque sighed, a cigarette dangling from his lips, his mind a jumbled mess.

Just then, his phone rang. Glancing at the screen, he saw it was his mother calling.

When faced with troubles, boys and girls often react differently. Girls may confide in their families, seek comfort. Boys, on the other hand, prefer not to worry their parents, keeping their troubles to themselves.

“Mom,” Li Tianque answered, feeling the phone grow heavier in his hand.

“Hey, Tianque, how are you doing? You never call home! I noticed you haven’t posted any videos lately,” his mother’s gentle voice came through the line.

“Oh, I’ve got a new collaboration in the works, negotiations aren’t finished, so I paused updates for a few days. I’m fine. How are you and Dad? Is his back still hurting?” Li Tianque tried to sound as normal as possible.

“He’s doing alright, not playing mahjong as much, started exercising. Sometimes he practices tai chi with Uncle Xing. At his age, he needs to pay attention to his health. How’s work? Still going well?” his mother asked.

“Yeah, it’s fine, everything’s good. Don’t worry, Mom,” Li Tianque said.

There was a moment of silence. His mother seemed to sense something was amiss.

“Son, is something bothering you?”

“No, really, don’t worry,” Li Tianque forced a smile.

“Tianque, if you run into any trouble there, tell us. Your father and I will figure something out. If you need money, I’ll transfer it to you,” she said, knowing her child well.

“Mom… I’m… alright…” Li Tianque’s voice suddenly trailed off, his eyes widening in shock as he stared off into the distance. “Mom, I have to go. I’ll call you later when I have time.”

“Alright…”

Li Tianque hung up, staring fearfully toward the living room.

What was happening? What was that?

The room was pitch dark, save for a dim glow from the bedside lamp.

He could vaguely make out the corner of the living room, where someone appeared to be lurking, watching him in secret. Only half the figure was visible, concealed behind the wall.

The darkness obscured his vision, making it harder to discern any details.

From afar, the person’s features were blurred, but a palpable sense of resentment emanated from them.

The figure stood motionless, like a solid statue.

Who was hiding there? Was he experiencing another eerie hallucination?

A chill ran through Li Tianque. His sense of foreboding grew stronger.

Suddenly, he sprang from the bed, sitting upright.

At that moment, the figure behind the wall seemed to notice his movement and retreated further out of sight.

Li Tianque had never felt the room so engulfed in darkness, as if light had never touched it.

The faint bedside lamp was like a fragile boat adrift in the vast midnight sea.

Without even putting on slippers, Li Tianque crept toward the living room. The person hiding behind the wall withdrew as well, always maintaining the same distance.

He padded barefoot into the living room, fear propelling him to leap forward and flick on the lights.

Instantly, the room flooded with brightness, and the terror in his heart eased slightly.

Now, that sinister, uncanny figure had slipped into the kitchen. Throughout the process, not a single footstep was heard—it was as if it had simply slid across the floor.

“Who are you? Why are you hiding there?” Li Tianque shouted toward the kitchen.

The strange figure gave no response, vanishing into the depths of the kitchen’s darkness…