Chapter 027: I Cannot Possibly Drown

Li Tianque had once even tried bungee jumping in a video where he visited an amusement park, and had boasted shamelessly, “What’s there to fear about death? Anyway, you’re not dead until you’re dead, and being afraid afterward is pointless.” That line became a fleeting internet meme among his fans, who played with it, stringing together jokes.

But looking back now, he realized just how ridiculous he’d been.

Normally, Li Tianque was unfazed by horror films or scary games. Even the few times he’d seen dead bodies up close, he hadn’t found them particularly frightening.

Facing death itself, perhaps, wasn’t so terrifying.

But facing his own death? That was a terror too great to bear.

Now, confronted with this corpse that looked exactly like him, Li Tianque truly felt he was on the verge of shattering. This figure before him was enough to drive him mad; it was as if he was watching himself become a corpse, witnessing his own relentless march toward death.

“Damn it! Get out! Get out of here!” he yelled again and again at the ghostly figure, but it offered no response, only drifted closer still.

How could this be happening?

The apparition was clearly in the state of someone who had drowned, yet there was no pool nearby, no way he could have drowned here…

How could I possibly drown for no reason?

The aquarium? Could it be the aquarium?

But there wasn’t any water in the aquarium!

He glanced around, as frantic and vigilant as a mother animal searching for a safe place for her newborn—everything in the room seemed a potential threat, as if anything could suddenly drown him.

A paralyzing paranoia seized his mind, leaving no room for other thoughts.

I must figure out how I’m supposed to die—only by doing so can I save myself.

Yet, try as he might, he found no clues. His room contained only an empty fish tank—no water. The bathroom was far away, and he was certain he wouldn’t go there now.

The ghost before him remained eerily real, water streaming endlessly from its body, as though it had just climbed out of a pool.

But what did it mean? How could he die in such a way, here, in this room?

Could he really die so inexplicably in his own room?

Impossible—absolutely impossible!

Or… was it?

With that thought, Li Tianque felt oddly calm. He curled up in a corner of the room, watching the approaching deathly apparition with a mocking, almost theatrical detachment.

The figure with his own face wore a grotesque expression, features twisted, foam bubbling from one corner of its mouth, swaying unsteadily as it floated toward him—not walking, but drifting, like a massive living kite.

There was no mistake: this ghost was the image of a drowned man.

But how had he drowned? Why would he, here in his own room, die by drowning?

His heart pounded anxiously as he tried to reassure himself—it would be fine, nothing would happen, as long as he stayed put, the prophecy in the ghost’s form would never come true.

He couldn’t drown out of nowhere.

Impossible—absolutely impossible.

Just as he was thinking this, he felt something wet beneath him, as though he’d wet himself.

What was happening? Had he really been so frightened by the ghost?

He swallowed hard, eyes locked on the sodden apparition now perilously close.

His heart hammered faster, like a newborn creature thrashing in his chest. The wetness beneath him grew more distinct. He followed the trail of moisture, discovering that water was seeping in from the balcony, trickling through the floorboards to where he sat, making him horribly uncomfortable.

He swallowed again and looked outside; it was clearly not raining. So where was this water coming from?

Was there a leak upstairs?

But even if there was, it shouldn’t be enough to flood his entire floor—this was absurd.

His apartment was old, but the drainage system still worked; at worst, the water would flow off the balcony, not submerge him. It didn’t make sense—this was all too bizarre.

Yet curiosity got the better of him. He crawled, low and cautious, toward the balcony, as the ghost drifted ever closer behind him.

Death drew nearer with every inch.

They were so close now—soon, he and the ghost would be as one. At that moment, he knew, his time would be up.

Only now did Li Tianque see clearly: besides the signs of drowning, the ghost’s body bore other wounds.

On its shoulders were two deep, bloody gashes, blanched and peeling from prolonged immersion, which he hadn’t noticed before.

What was this now? Had someone decided that drowning wasn’t enough and slashed him afterward for good measure?

No, that couldn’t be—there was only himself here, no one else to inflict those wounds!

The situation was growing stranger and stranger.

He was now afraid to approach the balcony directly, especially as the water pouring down from above grew more torrential—what began as a drip had become a roaring cascade.

Thinking fast, he grabbed a nearby mirror and, crawling forward, extended it upward to search for the source of the leak.

He soon discovered that the water was coming from a large tank the upstairs neighbor used to water their plants. The tank had been leaking for a long time, and the iron shelf supporting it was now badly rusted, swaying precariously, ready to collapse at any moment.

The old building’s floor had already corroded, leaving a gaping hole that exposed the iron frame beneath. That, too, was rusted and would soon give way.

Once the tank fell, the two metal supports beneath it would land squarely on his shoulders, leaving the very same deep marks he’d seen on the ghost. His head might be trapped under the plastic tank, aligning perfectly with the drowned state of the apparition.

Realizing this, Li Tianque felt relieved he hadn’t gone straight out to the balcony—his caution had saved his life.

He let out a long breath and remained motionless. The ghostly figure, too, retreated several steps, continuing to withdraw.

He was safe for now, spared from disaster.

But he knew it was only a matter of time before the ghost changed again. Staying here was not a permanent solution—he had to find a way out.

But…

Would escaping truly rid him of the ghost?

Li Tianque bit his lip in terror.

(End of the chapter)