The Basement of the Fifteenth Floor 4

Page 1/3

Things that defy the laws of nature cannot exist, just as a flame without fuel cannot keep burning. My “firefly,” though an unnatural creation, is by no means rootless driftwood. Its continued existence depends on a spiritual connection with me, my mental energy continuously fueling its being through this link.

Yet the cave before us seems shrouded in an invisible, intangible barrier. When the “firefly” ventured inside, this unseen wall didn’t physically block it, but ruthlessly severed the spiritual connection between us. It was as if saying that the “realm of reality” and the “realm that shouldn’t exist in reality” are as distinct as yin and yang, and those of the living world must not defy natural law by attempting to establish free passage to the netherworld.

“So, what do you plan to do?” Chang’an, oblivious to my predicament, asked.

He first sought my opinion, then wore a worried expression. “I think we should close the lid quickly. What if there’s something nasty hidden beneath the cave...”

“No rush yet,” I replied after some thought. “Do you have a Bluetooth camera at home or something?”

“You want to send a Bluetooth camera down there to replace your own eyes?” He caught on immediately but shook his head regretfully. “No, I don’t have one.”

“That’s okay. Hand me your phone.”

Obediently, he gave me his phone. I took out my own, opened WeChat, and initiated a video call to his device.

Once connected, I fetched a broom from the kitchen, took the rubber bands from a previous barbecue delivery, and secured my phone and flashlight to the broom’s end, turning it into a glowing selfie stick. Crouching on the floor, I extended it toward the cave below.

“Hey, that’s clever!” Chang’an’s eyes lit up as he leaned in to watch the video feed on his phone.

But then a puzzled and disappointed sound escaped his lips. “...Huh?”

Unfortunately, no image came through.

As soon as my phone entered the cave, the network signal was cut off.

I retrieved my phone, switched the connection to share data from Chang’an’s hotspot, and tried again to send my phone below. Still no luck—the network seemed severed by an invisible barrier.

So it’s not just the spiritual connection; electronic signals can’t pass either.

I took back my phone and took a deep breath, preparing myself.

This time, I directly stretched my arm into the cave.

Chang’an tried to stop me but could only exclaim, “What are you doing?!”

I paid no heed to his voice, focusing entirely on sensing my arm.

Human perception and control over the body ultimately rely on electronic signals. If this cave blocks those signals, I shouldn’t be able to move or feel my hand now.

Yet this time, the signals weren’t cut off. I could clearly sense my arm and move my fingers freely.

Both the spiritual and electronic connections are forms of wireless links. Given that the brain’s physiological connection to the arm still works here, does that mean other types of “wired connections” might also work?

Or is the living body imbued with some mysterious property? Like many fantasy tales where life cannot be stored in magical containers, perhaps this cave cannot block connections involving life signals?

If so, my only choice is to enter it myself.

Wait—I realize I was sidetracked by the disappearance of the “firefly” earlier.

If all I want is to understand the cave’s interior, there’s no need to fuss over wired or wireless connections. I can simply switch the phone to video recording mode and repeat the previous method.

I know why I didn’t think of this simple approach at first—because I was too eager to investigate the phenomenon of the cave severing connections. It’s the first time I’ve encountered something so incredible, and I couldn’t help but focus intently on uncovering the exact mechanism.

Seeing me unharmed, Chang’an breathed a sigh of relief and quickly grabbed me, wanting to pull me away from the cave.

“You’re taking too big a risk! Haven’t you thought about what might happen to you?” he said, still shaken.

Page 2/3

“Chang’an, let’s try once more.” I turned to him and explained my plan.

After hearing me out, his immediate reaction was, “You really just want to use the phone to record and see what’s down there, not go down yourself, right? Once you see it, you’ll be satisfied?”

“...”

“Why did you turn your head away?” He stared at me.

Chang’an’s instinct was right—I couldn’t be content with just a quick glance inside. Even if there were some “nasty things” below, I would persist in exploring.

I began thinking how to convince him or send him away.

Though I could simply rush into the cave, he might follow me. What if there’s danger inside? Though he might be caught up because of me, I never intended to involve him.

The best plan might be to pretend to agree for now and investigate alone later. After all, he no longer lives here.

It seemed I couldn’t investigate further for the time being.

“Chang’an, I—”

Before I could finish, an unexpected knock interrupted us.

Knock, knock, knock.

At the entrance came an unwelcome visitor.

I could only fall silent helplessly. Why did it feel like someone kept knocking today? This was already the third time, though this door wasn’t mine.

“Who is it?” Chang’an called out.

But the person outside didn’t respond, just kept knocking.

I stood and walked to the entrance. Chang’an grabbed the black plush rug nearby to cover the cave, just in case. Although it wasn’t a secret, such a supernatural phenomenon of unknown danger shouldn’t be exposed to bystanders.

But this time, the person at the door was not some stranger, let alone irrelevant.

When I opened the door, the visitor saw me.

“Huh?” He looked puzzled and surprised, then recognized me. “...Do you live here? That doesn’t seem right.”

The man was the police officer who had recently knocked on my door to investigate eyewitness leads in the serial murder case.

He had come all the way here?

“No, my friend lives here,” I managed to say, masking my surprise as I called Chang’an over.

Chang’an immediately approached and introduced himself to the officer.

The officer looked at me in confusion, then addressed Chang’an, “You’re the one who called a false alarm the night before last.”

“I didn’t,” Chang’an said stiffly.

“We checked later. This house was the scene of a very severe murder case. The perpetrator hasn’t been caught yet,” the officer said seriously. “You said it’s haunted. Is it really just a ghost? Tell me again about the strange things you found.”

So the officer was here investigating the murder from eight months ago.

I’d heard official forces took homicide cases seriously, with a motto like “murder cases must be solved.” But this was from eight months ago. I hadn’t realized they pursued such cases so relentlessly.

Online rumors spoke of fugitives caught unexpectedly at crowded events like Jay Chou concerts. Given that, it wasn’t that strange the authorities kept such a close eye on a still-unsolved murder.

But I remembered this officer was originally investigating a recent serial killer case. Now he was taking time to question leads on another case. Was this busy juggling common for them? Or was there more?

“It really is haunted!” Chang’an blurted out in his eagerness to prove himself.

Page 3/3

At that moment, Chang’an insisted the officer come inside. He went to the black rug and flipped it aside.

“Look!” He pointed at the floor. “See, there really is... there really is...”

But his voice trailed off.

The floor was bare—no cave to be seen. Only the magic circle painted in black remained, with not even the wooden cover in sight.

Not just Chang’an, I was stunned. The cave had vanished?

What was going on? The cave disappeared the moment the police arrived after Chang’an’s call the night before last. Today, the police arrive again, and the cave vanished once more.

Could it be that the police embody righteous yang energy, while the cave is a sinister yin entity? So when the police come, the cave trembles and hides itself? Absurd!

Faced with the facts, I told myself not to rush. The cave appearing and disappearing wasn’t the first time. Perhaps this was part of the strange phenomenon—something worth investigating.

“Where’s the ghost?” The officer asked expressionlessly. “Make it show itself.”

“Ghost... ghost...” Chang’an stammered, unable to reply.

The officer sighed, then seemed to notice something. He crouched by the magic circle and ran his finger along the painted edges.

He pondered, his expression growing serious, then muttered, “...Blood?”

Though we hadn’t seen the strange cave, the officer’s attitude shifted noticeably after touching the magic circle. His already stern face deepened.

He led us downstairs and asked Chang’an, “Do you have somewhere else to stay?”

“What?” Chang’an was caught off guard.

“The house you rented will be sealed off as a crime scene again, starting now. At least for today and tomorrow, you cannot live there,” the officer said with unmistakable authority.

“Ah? But...” Chang’an seemed about to protest.

He suddenly shut his mouth, glanced at me, and then firmly told the officer, “No problem. I wasn’t planning to live in a place like that anyway. Please make sure the scene is well protected. Not even a single mouse should get in!”

Calling me a mouse was a bit harsh.

He said that to prevent me from entering the cave. Worrying needlessly. If I’m determined to enter, no amount of human presence or security will stop me.

“By the way, why protect the house?” Chang’an finally asked. “Is it because of the murder case from eight months ago? That was a long time ago; maybe the killer has fled to another city by now.”

“You can’t say that. It’s a homicide. A very brutal one with serious circumstances. The bureau has always taken this case very seriously. Also...” The officer hesitated, seeming to debate whether to reveal more.

After a long pause, he looked at Chang’an, then glanced at me, before finally saying, “Besides, the killer is still roaming around Xianshui City, and is still causing trouble.”

“What?” Chang’an shuddered.

I caught the implication from the officer’s eyes, piecing it together with my earlier suspicions.

“The serial killer who’s been active in the city these past two months is the same person who murdered the previous tenant of that house eight months ago?”

The image of Mazao’s face flashed through my mind.