"Time passes so quickly…"
In the first-floor lobby, Yu Guo sat slumped on the stone steps, his hand resting on his chin, silently watching the last ten workers take their own lives.
No one knew what had happened to Ji Li. Tongguan and Chang Nian had vanished into unknown upper floors. On the first floor, only Yu Guo and Fang Shenyan remained, keeping watch.
During this final hour, Yu Guo had wished countless times that the ten workers would die quickly, believing that would give them some leeway for action. But nothing went according to his hopes. He prayed for time to slow, that the six-hour mark would arrive more gradually…
Yet, events ultimately reached the extreme.
At four o'clock past midnight, the possessed workers, who had been resisting death, simultaneously broke their necks.
Fang Shenyan's expression hardened, coldness flashing sharply in his eyes.
He slowly rose, glanced at his watch, and fixed his gaze on the corpse-strewn hall.
"Ji Li went missing half an hour ago. Tongguan hasn't been reachable since their last call. Now it's just the two of us left."
Yu Guo gave a bitter nod, turning toward the man beside him with an awkward smile:
"The six hours are up, yet we're still in the mission. That proves the previous tasks were completely fake."
Confirming the mission's falsity, Yu Guo continued:
"Mr. Fang, the key is why Ji Li and Tongguan lost contact.
All staff use the hotel phones, which never malfunction like this.
Perhaps Ji Li, Tongguan, Chang Nian, and even Li Xing are already dead in the upper floors.
We need to act…"
Both had been stationed on the first floor all along. With communications disrupted, they knew very little. But if Yu Guo's analysis was correct, the failure or death of Ji Li and Tongguan might reveal the existence of a path to survival.
Fang Shenyan understood immediately. He pulled a cigarette pack from his pocket, offered two to Yu Guo.
With cigarettes between their lips, they headed upstairs.
"Whether they're alive or dead, finding the bodies may give us a chance to survive."
...
"Tongguan, Miss Chang? Why haven't you come?"
The fourth floor was a straight corridor. Three people occupied its ends: one under the lights, another blending into the shadows, only their shape visible.
A quiet call echoed through the silent corridor, but the two under the light remained unmoved.
Tongguan had been blocked by someone here for over ten minutes, hesitating for unknown reasons.
Chang Nian's delicate face showed doubt. She tilted her head slightly, trying to spot the person's hiding place, but it remained unclear.
"Li Xing… why are you here?"
The figure at the corridor's end was of course Li Xing; his voice and vague form were unmistakable.
But familiarity did not mean Tongguan could trust him.
Especially after his first words: *A path to survival has been found!*
Tongguan did not dare believe a single word.
First, he doubted Li Xing's ability to find a path under so many uncertainties. Second, even with Ji Li's help, enough time had passed with no sign of Ji Li; given Ji Li's personality, he would never allow Li Xing to come down to relay information.
Most importantly, the cold, unfamiliar tone of Li Xing's voice sent a shiver down Tongguan's spine.
Normally, finding a path to survival would provoke joy or tears—not this icy detachment.
"Where is Ji Li?"
After a long pause, Tongguan shouted across the corridor.
"I don't know where he is…"
Li Xing's voice sounded distant, fading mid-sentence. Tongguan heard the disappearance, then suddenly a crisp voice called out:
"Uncle… can you take me to find my father?"
"A little girl?"
Chang Nian's ears perked up. She stepped forward two paces, looking toward Li Xing.
Tongguan frowned. He had never known a girl existed in this building.
Judging by the voice, she had just come down from upstairs and approached Li Xing.
Tongguan was troubled. He had never seen a girl while searching the building, and her sudden appearance made him pause.
"Uncle…" The girl's voice trembled with fear toward Li Xing.
Now the waters on the fourth floor were growing increasingly murky.
At that moment, two figures emerged near the staircase by Li Xing and the girl.
It was Fang Shenyan and Yu Guo, who had just come upstairs. They had arrived around the same time as the girl and immediately observed the tense standoff.
The current situation: Tongguan and Chang Nian guarded the corridor's western staircase, Li Xing and the little girl were at the rear eastern side of the corridor, while Fang Shenyan and Yu Guo were completely hidden in the eastern staircase.
From Tongguan's distant vantage point, the details were unclear, but Fang and Yu could see everything clearly.
Seeing the scene, Yu Guo immediately took out his live-stream phone and snapped pictures.
The sight was bizarre: a small girl clutching a pink teddy bear stood timidly before a man, her posture strange.
The man's stance was far more terrifying. Li Xing's head was rotated ninety degrees, facing toward Tongguan, while his body faced the girl. His head and body seemed split, simultaneously observing both sides.
"Li Xing… possessed by a ghost…"
Fang Shenyan shrank into the corner, silently watching, too cautious to act.
Yu Guo focused his camera on the girl, then lowered the phone and whispered:
"Why is there a little girl here that we've never seen before?"
"I suspect she isn't human either. We've never seen her until now. Her sudden appearance doesn't feel right."
Fang Shenyan couldn't understand why the situation had become so complicated. It seemed the staff were now operating on different rhythms.
At that moment, the girl's soft words drew their attention.
"The long-haired uncle upstairs told me to find you… but you…"
"Long-haired… could it be Ji Li?"
The girl's words were faint to others, but close enough for Fang Shenyan and Yu Guo to hear clearly.
"Li Xing is half human, half ghost. This girl may be connected to the long-missing Ji Li.
Do we save her, or not?"
Yu Guo's expression tensed. He nudged the silent Fang Shenyan, urging him to make a decision.
Fang Shenyan hesitated. Li Xing was doomed, and every move was likely a trap to draw Tongguan and Chang Nian closer.
But the girl seemed sent by Ji Li and might carry vital clues.
Fang Shenyan instinctively pushed up his glasses. The gesture reflected light from the overhead lamp, briefly exposing their hidden position.
Li Xing's body remained still, but his head snapped sharply toward the staircase.
Fang Shenyan closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them, exhaling deeply. He knew there was no longer a choice between saving or not saving.
Stepping out from the shadows, he advanced.
You can read Eerie Overseer ahead by 60+ chapters ad-free and for free at htt ps://ravenarchives. com/book/eerie-overseer]. Bulk uploads are a bit tricky, so updates here might be irregular, but they'll keep coming.