​​Chapter 11: The Unreachable Other Shore​

​Volume One: Village of Still Waters

"True hell?"

A-Xiu looked at Li Yin with confusion, while he grew increasingly uneasy.

The disappearance of Heng Yan—his deepest fear—had finally come to pass.

Though he had anticipated it, he had still held onto a sliver of hope that they might safely make it through the month. But now, it seemed impossible.

Based on his past experiences and what Xia Yuan had told him, he could roughly deduce the truth.

Disappearing at the location specified in the "Blood Letter" was almost synonymous with meeting a grim fate. Even so, Li Yin found it hard to accept that Luo Heng Yan was truly gone.

He still remembered how terrified Luo Heng Yan had been when his shadow first entered the apartment—on the verge of tears, overwhelmed by despair. It had been Li Yin who comforted him, telling him that completing ten Blood Letter assignments would grant him freedom. Though it might take years, there was still hope.

But now... that man, who had finally regained hope and vowed to survive alongside him...

Within the apartment, while some tenants trusted one another, most remained wary. The only people Li Yin could truly open up to and trust completely were Xia Yuan, Ye Ke Xin, Luo Heng Yan, Hua Liancheng and his wife, and Tang Lan Xuan, the surgeon from Room 106.

The last time Li Yin had narrowly escaped death and returned to the apartment, the six of them had gathered at Hua Liancheng’s place for a hot pot dinner. In a hellish place like this, survival itself was the greatest joy. Luo Heng Yan had also managed to return alive, so they had insisted on celebrating.

That day had been one of the rare happy moments in the apartment. They laughed, shared stories of their pasts, and expressed their hopes of leaving this place together one day.

Everyone longed for that day to come.

But deep down, they all knew that very few would ever leave. No one could break the curse the apartment had placed on their shadows—they could only follow its rules.

Yet Li Yin had still hoped that he, Luo Heng Yan, and the others could survive together. That they could leave the apartment together.

But now... had that hope been shattered?

Meanwhile, Qin Shou Tian had entered the dense forest in search of Luo Heng Yan. Though he hadn’t known Luo Heng Yan for long, he had taken a liking to the honest and straightforward young man.

In the apartment, everyone struggled just to survive. But as people bound by the same fate, whenever a tenant died, it was impossible not to feel a pang of sorrow—as if mourning their own inevitable end.

Qin Shou Tian couldn’t bear to see those around him die like this.

Then suddenly...

A raging river appeared before him, about ten meters wide.

"How...?"

Qin Shou Tian was stunned. There shouldn’t be a river here! What was going on?

He stood just five meters from the riverbank but didn’t dare take another step forward.

In the pitch-black forest, under a sky devoid of light, the sudden appearance of this eerie river sent chills down his spine. And now, Li Yin’s warning echoed in his mind.

"Water"...

He wanted to retreat, but he couldn’t shake his concern for Luo Heng Yan.

Should he turn back... or press forward?

Lost in thought, he lowered his gaze—and the moment he did, he let out a horrified scream.

The river, which had been five meters away, was now just centimeters from his feet!

Had it... moved?

When had that happened?

Just as Xia Yuan had said... the later Blood Letters became increasingly bizarre...

Run!

Without hesitation, Qin Shou Tian spun around and bolted—only to plunge straight into the water! In an instant, he was submerged.

Fortunately, Qin Shou Tian was a decent swimmer. Instinctively, he began swimming toward the shore.

But...

No matter how hard he swam, even after two minutes, he couldn’t reach the bank. Yet... the shore was right there!

This surreal, impossible situation was enough to break Qin Shou Tian completely.

None of the previous Blood Letters had ever presented anything so unimaginable! It was as if he had stepped into a world that defied reality itself!

And then, he noticed something else.

The river... had grown wider.

At a rough estimate, it was now dozens of meters across. As for its depth, he guessed it had to be at least ten meters—possibly even deeper.

Unable to reach the shore, trapped in an endlessly deep river... this was a death sentence. Once his strength gave out, he would drown.

"Li Yin!" Qin Shou Tian screamed at the top of his lungs. "Help! Li Yin! Li Yin!"

His phone was waterlogged and useless now. His only hope was that Li Yin might hear his cries. He shouted with all his might, even if it meant shredding his voice—he had to make Li Yin hear him!

And at that moment... Li Yin faintly heard someone calling his name.

"Who...?" Li Yin turned his gaze toward the dense forest behind the village, straining his ears. The voice calling him seemed to grow clearer.

"Heng Yan? Shou Tian?" His heart pounded as he immediately sprinted toward the woods!

Behind him, A-Xiu watched Li Yin’s retreating figure, a sinister smile curling at her lips.

Li Yin ran as fast as he could, following the sound of the voice while shouting, "Heng Yan! Is that you? Heng Yan! Shou Tian, are you there? Answer me! Where are you?"

He couldn’t bear to see another person die.

He had already... witnessed too many deaths before his eyes.

"Answer me! Shou Tian!"

Li Yin’s voice grew hoarse from shouting. Just as he was on the verge of despair, Qin Shou Tian’s voice finally reached him.

"I'm here... Li, Li Yin, save me!"

At the same time, A-Xiu returned to her home.

She closed the door and leaned against it, murmuring to herself, "Soon... Sister Bing’er, it’s almost over. Everything... will end soon."

She slowly walked back to her room, where Ye Ke Xin still lay asleep on the bed.

"I don’t know why Sister Bing’er wants to target you too... but she must have her reasons. You must have done something to wrong her."

Then, she stepped into the kitchen, moving step by step toward the water vat.

Qin Shou Tian was now... in the center of the river! The current was fierce, and his strength was waning.

By this point, the river had swelled to over a hundred meters wide!

Just as he was losing hope, a flicker of light appeared in the distance. Then... Li Yin came sprinting toward him, flashlight in hand!

When Li Yin saw the vast river and Qin Shou Tian struggling in its center, he immediately tore off his jacket, ready to dive in.

But Qin Shou Tian shouted, "Li Yin! Don’t jump in! If you do, you’ll never make it back to shore! Get a rope—pull me up!"

"Got it! Hang on!"

Li Yin quickly dropped his backpack, unzipped it, and pulled out a long, thick rope!

Knowing they were heading into danger, they had come prepared. They carried emergency medical supplies, weapons, and other necessities. Unfortunately, firearms were hard to come by in China, so they only had melee weapons.

"Shou Tian! Swim a little closer!" Li Yin unraveled the rope, preparing to throw it toward Qin Shou Tian.

The sturdy hemp rope was dozens of meters long—thankfully, his backpack was large enough to hold it. Though he had trained for situations like this, this was the first time he had actually needed to use it.

Qin Shou Tian fought against the current, pushing himself toward the shore with every ounce of strength he had left.

"I’m throwing it now!"

The rope arced through the air. Qin Shou Tian reached out with his right hand, grabbing one end and tightly wrapping it around his arm.

"Got it!"

Li Yin exhaled in relief and began to pull—but then, he felt his feet grow wet. The next moment, he was yanked downward, plunging into the water!

"No!"

The endless water engulfed Li Yin’s body. He desperately clawed toward the shore, but... it was now five or six meters away!

"How... how is this possible?! This damn apartment—it won’t even give us a chance!"

Still, Li Yin clung to the rope, swimming with all his might toward the shore. But no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t reach it. In fact, the distance only grew greater.

"No... no!"

Li Yin’s heart sank.

He was going to die...

Die in You Shui Village!

On just his fourth Blood Letter assignment?

This was only the fourth one!

Li Yin could swim, but... if this kept up, he would eventually exhaust himself. And with the current this strong, they would both drown in this river!

"No! I don’t want to die—I don’t want to die!"

Then, at the center of the river... a massive whirlpool suddenly formed! It swept both Li Yin and Qin Shou Tian into its vortex, dragging them helplessly toward the middle.

The two were tossed violently, swallowing mouthfuls of water as the whirlpool grew more and more turbulent. Soon, they could no longer keep their heads above the surface!

"Grab the rope! Li Yin!"

The sudden voice was like a divine melody to Li Yin’s ears. Forcing his eyes open, he saw another thick rope being thrown down from above. He reached out and seized it!

Meanwhile, Qin Shou Tian had only one hand still above the water. He was now five or six meters away from Li Yin—a distance that might as well have been an insurmountable chasm in the raging whirlpool.

Li Yin clung to the rope with all his strength—it was his only lifeline now.

"Hold on tight! I’ll pull you up!"

That voice...

It was Ke Xin!

Ye Ke Xin had woken up when A-Xiu returned but pretended to stay asleep. After hearing A-Xiu’s strange words, she grabbed her backpack and rushed out of the house, eventually finding her way to the forest.

Li Yin held onto the rope for dear life, while Qin Shou Tian’s body sank completely beneath the water.

"Ke Xin!" Li Yin shouted. "Stay away from the river! It moves closer to you if you’re near it!"

If Ke Xin fell in too, it would all be over!

Though she was a woman, every tenant in the apartment trained rigorously at the gym. Over the past three years, she had built considerable upper-body strength. She also always carried a rope in her backpack.

Following Li Yin’s warning, Ke Xin quickly stepped back, keeping an eye on her feet as she pulled him toward the shore.

The rope had been personally selected by Xia Yuan—its durability was beyond question, and Ke Xin’s strength was more than enough. In no time, Li Yin was just ten meters from the shore.

Soaked from head to toe, Li Yin felt a surge of relief. At the same time, the whirlpool seemed to calm.

But then, something even more terrifying happened.

Ke Xin suddenly felt the ground beneath her tremble. Then... the earth around the river began to rise!

Had someone been watching from above, they would have seen that this was a circular river.

"Li Yin!" Ke Xin gasped, continuing to pull the rope. And now... the river itself was rising!

In that critical moment, Li Yin finally neared the shore—just as the river surged five meters into the air!

Then, Ke Xin’s eyes widened in horror. What she saw next was a nightmare beyond comprehension.

The ground continued to rise, and beneath the river’s muddy waters... a massive white eye appeared!

This river...

Was actually the inside of a gigantic woman’s mouth!