Chapter 2: The Entry
Volume One: Village of Still Waters
It all began one year ago.
Even now, remembering it feels like a nightmare.
After graduating from university, Li Yin went against his parents’ wishes and became a web novelist. It wasn’t out of some dream or lofty ambition—it was simply because it was something he could do to earn money.
Few people took writing web novels as a full-time job, but Li Yin was one of them. Even so, his income barely covered basic living expenses. There was no guarantee his future books would be successful, and in an age where readers craved novelty, web novels—fast food literature—were often just a temporary distraction.
He often felt lost, as though his life had no direction. Renting alone in K City, he spent each day writing and uploading chapters, ordering groceries online, living a shut-in lifestyle.
Most of his works were war-themed, despite him knowing very little about actual warfare. His popularity was waning. This month, his subscription revenue dropped to under 800 yuan—barely enough for rent, let alone food.
He felt like he had reached a dead end in life.
That day...
Li Yin was wandering down a commercial street in K City. Normally, he’d be home writing, but today… he was thinking about his future.
He had been naïve. Though he had anticipated this day, he believed that with time and some savings, he could invest, maybe trade stocks, and eventually start his own business.
But reality was never that simple.
Get a job? He had no experience. These days, experience was everything. Fresh grads were everywhere—no one would pay him special attention.
Holding a job-seeker’s weekly magazine, Li Yin’s frown deepened as he walked. At some point, he found himself in a residential district, turning into an alleyway.
“…Guess I’ll look for a job first,” he muttered. He couldn’t bring himself to beg his parents. Even if he had to suffer, he’d get through this alone.
After all, if he didn’t pay rent this month, the landlord would kick him out.
He had moved out in the first place due to irreconcilable views with his parents, hoping one day to return with pride and success. Now, it all seemed so far away.
As he walked, a sudden chill ran down his spine.
He lowered the job-seeker’s magazine in his hands, and under the sunlight—his shadow still held the paper in front of its face.
Then, the shadow began to change.
Though Li Yin remained motionless, his shadow started moving—separating from his feet and gliding toward the bend in the alley.
He froze in place. Seconds passed before he reacted.
His shadow—was gone.
Without thinking, his mind blank with shock, he sprinted after it. The shadow darted ahead through the winding alleyways, forcing Li Yin to chase it with all his strength.
Finally, he emerged from a narrow lane and found himself in a wide clearing. In the center stood a towering apartment complex.
It was massive—easily over twenty floors tall and spread across more than 200 square meters. The walls were white, with neat rows of balconies.
But what struck him most… was its lack of a shadow.
It was noon. The sun was blazing. But this enormous building cast no shadow at all.
Impossible.
Li Yin rubbed his eyes furiously, suspecting he was dreaming. But the sight remained, undeniably real.
At the building’s front was a revolving door. His shadow floated across the ground and slipped inside.
Suddenly, all the ghost stories he’d heard as a child flooded back.
He was only thirty meters away from the building, yet it seemed to loom like a monster waiting to devour him.
And yet, he walked toward it—drawn by an inexplicable force.
Reaching the door, he placed his hand on the revolving glass and stepped through.
Inside was a grand lobby. The floor gleamed with marble tiles. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. To the left, a staircase; to the right, three elevators.
His shadow glided across the floor toward one elevator. The doors opened. The shadow entered. The doors closed.
Li Yin rushed to the panel, staring at the floor display.
It stopped at the fourth floor.
He sprinted to another elevator, jabbed the button, and leapt inside, pressing the number four.
As the numbers ticked upward, his heart pounded.
My shadow… If I lose it… Something terrible will happen.
The doors opened on the fourth floor. He stepped into a well-lit corridor. Yet the farther he walked, the more suffocating the atmosphere became. Door after door lined the hall—“411,” “410,” “412”...
When he reached “Room 404,” his shadow slid out from beneath the door and returned to his feet.
But it wasn’t finished.
The shadow mimed an action he hadn’t made. In its right hand, it held something—though he couldn’t see what. Then it mimed putting that object into his pants pocket. Only after this did the shadow resume mimicking his actual movements.
It’s back?
He reached into his pocket—his real one—and felt something hard.
A key.
A simple key, engraved with the number 404.
Hands trembling, he inserted it into the door's lock. It turned effortlessly.
Inside was a spacious apartment. It had a sofa, coffee table, wardrobe, television—even karaoke and surround sound. Floor-to-ceiling windows opened onto a balcony. Two bedrooms, a study, a kitchen, and a bathroom—all exquisitely furnished with new, branded items.
It had to be at least 70 to 80 square meters. In K City, even as a second-hand unit, it would’ve been wildly expensive—far beyond anything Li Yin could afford.
What the hell is this place?
“You… are the new resident?”
A soft voice behind him.
He turned sharply to see a charming girl in a green dress.
“Who are you?” Li Yin asked warily.
“Don’t be scared,” she said, waving her hands. “I’m like you. My shadow came here on its own, and then… I became a resident. You got the key too, right?”
Stunned, Li Yin held up the key. He strode toward her. “What’s going on? What is this building?”
“As per custom,” she said, “I’ll take you to meet our floor chief. He was unanimously chosen. He’ll explain things to you and record your arrival.”
“Floor… chief?”
“There are thirty-nine of us living here. With you, that makes forty. Every one of us—was forcibly bound to this apartment. We can’t leave.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Li Yin’s face darkened. “You expect me to live in this haunted place?”
“I was terrified too when I first arrived,” she said with a pained smile. “But once your shadow enters the apartment and gives you the key… you become one of us. From that moment on, escape is impossible.”
Her expression turned grim.
“Impossible to leave?” Li Yin asked, anxiety rising. “Why?”
“There were others who were chosen… but refused to live here. They died. Killed by their own shadows.”
“W-what?!”
Li Yin’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“You’re joking, right?”
“You saw what your shadow did,” she said. “Once your shadow is fully controlled by the apartment, if you violate the rules, it will take over your body and force you to die. I’ve lived here two years… I’ve seen many kill themselves under their shadow’s control.”
People, killed by their own shadows?
Absurd as it sounded, Li Yin had seen his shadow behave unnaturally just moments ago.
This apartment defied all logic.
“Who built this place? Why choose us?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she said, shaking her head. “I’ve thought about it for two years and still don’t understand. This apartment… it’s beyond understanding. But one thing is clear: we’ve never seen the builder. And for people who aren’t residents… this apartment doesn’t even exist.”
“What… do you mean?”
“You came here through an alley, didn’t you?”
“Yes…”
“That alley is a dead end. Only those selected as residents can pass through and reach this place. This land… doesn’t exist on any map.”
“Doesn’t… exist?”
He looked out at the skyline through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Skyscrapers surrounded the building.
“We can see the outside world,” she explained, “but the outside world can’t see us. Once you step out of the alley, the apartment will disappear. To non-residents, it doesn’t exist.”
And yet… it clearly did exist.
And once inside…
You’ve stepped onto a terrifying road with no return.