Chapter 2171 - 1182: Innocent

Although she knew she was likely doomed, even the slimmest chance of survival made Zhang Xiaomin unwilling to give up.

In this extreme environment, Zhang Xiaomin unexpectedly found a rare calmness, displaying a composure that rivaled that of seasoned players.

"I’m not dead yet; the ghost hasn’t killed me immediately. That means there is still a chance, I still have a chance..."

Steadying her mind, Zhang Xiaomin immediately turned around to tighten the curtains. She tried her best not to look outside, but as the next flash of lightning struck, her peripheral vision still involuntarily caught a shadow.

On the open ground outside the window, the night was deep, torrential rain poured down, and the world became a vast blank sheet. A black figure, like a zombie, was jumping straight toward the security office where she was.

Seeing this scene, Zhang Xiaomin quickly drew the curtains shut and ran to the door of the office.

She wasn’t planning to escape—escaping at this moment would be foolish. After all, there was no one around; outside in the dark night, rain poured endlessly. The ghost had already found her, was not far outside the security office door, and she had nowhere to run.

Ensuring the door was locked, she leaned against it and glanced around before finally running under a desk to hide.

This was Chief Zhou’s desk, appearing quite solid and heavy. Crucially, there was a panel underneath, making it easier to stay hidden.

As long as she crouched low enough, pressing her face sideways against the floor, she could observe the direction of the door.

Next came the waiting. Zhang Xiaomin held her breath, quietly awaiting her fate.

She considered herself a good person, always kind to others in life, almost never in conflict, and would proactively offer help if she saw friends in need.

Zhang Xiaomin kept reinforcing her belief in her mind that she should and deserves to survive, a belief taught to her by a senior who helped her survive a previous ordeal.

In any dire situation, one must never lose hope.

"Thud"

"Thud"

"Thud"

...

As the dull footsteps sounded in the hallway outside, Zhang Xiaomin’s heart leapt into her throat. She knew, the ghost was here, the ghost had already entered through the security office’s outer door.

The ghost knew she was here.

"Thud"

"Thud"

"Thud"

The sound of heavy thuds came increasingly closer, until it reached right outside the office door where Zhang Xiaomin hid, and stopped.

"Bang"

"Bang"

"Bang"

From outside came the dull thumping on the door. The ghost was actually knocking, each thump resonating as if pounding directly on Zhang Xiaomin’s heart.

Terrified, she curled up under the desk, covering her ears tightly. With each thump, her body trembled involuntarily.

But covering her ears was useless—the sound of knocking seemed able to penetrate her hands and eardrums, reaching deep into her soul.

Fortunately, the knocking didn’t last long before stopping. Zhang Xiaomin cautiously lowered her face close to the floor without making a sound, peeking outside through a gap.

She saw that the door still stood firmly in place, tightly sealed, like the most loyal guard protecting her.

Seeing this, Zhang Xiaomin’s tightly wound nerves slightly eased, silently grateful she hadn’t chosen to open the door and make a run for it, or she’d likely have fallen victim to the ghost outside by now.

But before she could entertain further thoughts, the light bulb overhead suddenly began to flicker inexplicably, emitting a "sizzling" sound like a faulty connection.

In just a moment, under Zhang Xiaomin’s terrified gaze, the only two light bulbs in the office went out one after another, leaving the entire room plunged into darkness.

"Eeeeek—"

Zhang Xiaomin’s ears caught an extremely faint sound, like a door being pushed open.

"Thud"

"Thud"

Immediately, the heavy footsteps entered the room.

At this moment, an unprecedented terror completely engulfed Zhang Xiaomin; the ghost was inside, the door hadn’t stopped it at all!

Faced with reality, Zhang Xiaomin began to reflect on what went wrong, why the ghost specifically targeted her tonight?

In her mind, whether it was Liu Hongwei, who drank the male team member’s water wearing his clothes, or Yang Xiao, who had entanglements with the medical staff Song Xin, they seemed more dangerous. They should have been the ghost’s targets tonight!

She never imagined that tonight it would be her, but what did she... what mistake did she make tonight to attract the ghost’s attack?

Tonight, she had been very low-key and well-behaved, completely following Yang Xiao’s earlier instructions, interacting with males only with her "husband" Zhao Xuejun.

Yet despite that, she was still chosen. Amid her fear, Zhang Xiaomin only felt wronged; she desperately wanted to ask this ghost to its face: Why?

But these were just thoughts in her mind; she instinctively resisted any interaction with the ghost, although this was no longer under her control.

The ghost was already inside, but even after holding herself tightly for more than ten seconds, Zhang Xiaomin didn’t hear any footsteps. The room was deathly silent, so silent she could hear her own heartbeat.

She held her breath, crouched lower, and peered toward the door from behind the wooden desk’s panel. The room was extremely dark, making it impossible for her to see any sign of the ghost, but she could vaguely see that the door was open.

Could it be... the ghost left?

This thought only flashed in Zhang Xiaomin’s mind before she quickly dismissed it; the ghost knew she was hiding in the room, it wouldn’t leave easily. This was likely a trap.