NOVPUB
Chapter 138: Chapter 126: Midnight Specter
Seeing that Fang Cheng, this taciturn guy on the road, was actually attracted by his own words.
The muscular man couldn’t help showing a hint of a smile.
He didn’t immediately reveal the so-called "secret," but started to tease.
Then he raised his finger to his lips to shush, walked to the door, and glanced outside to the left and right.
Next, he shut the door tight and made sure it was locked.
Then he turned around and drew the windows and curtains as well.
Watching his actions, reminiscent of a thief, Fang Cheng’s curiosity was further piqued.
This muscular roommate was named Pan Wendi.
According to his own boasts, he was a fitness instructor and gym owner with an annual income of a million.
However, the identities here were self-assigned.
Fang Cheng’s identity for participating in the meditation retreat was "Ma Donghao," a recent law school graduate and intern lawyer.
After taking precautions, Pan Wendi then turned to Fang Cheng seriously and asked:
"Xiao Ma, did you see at dinner that all the meals they served were vegetarian?"
Fang Cheng nodded.
Pan Wendi asked again:
"Do you know why?"
After pondering for a moment, Fang Cheng explained:
"It must be for the sake of meditation practice, I guess. Being vegetarian can make people more serene and less prone to anxiety and impatience, just like those monks who observe precepts."
"What you said is correct, I asked some of the veteran participants, and they said the same."
Pan Wendi nodded in praise and then added:
"However, they also emphasized something else, that ’Truth and Meditation Joint Practice’ itself explicitly prohibits formal members from consuming any meat, especially seafood."
At this, Pan Wendi grinned.
"But, I was bored just now and strolled around in this building casually, and as I got close to the top floor, I noticed the stairway was blocked by an iron grille gate that I couldn’t go past."
"Just as I was about to turn around and leave, I smelled a waft of meat aroma drifting down from above. The fragrance was so enticing that it made my mouth water. Ah, I ate so little greasy food tonight, my cravings were all coming out..."
Fang Cheng looked at Pan Wendi somewhat speechlessly.
What kind of big secret was this? He had been as cautious as if he was making contact with an underground party before.
Seeing Fang Cheng’s look, Pan Wendi explained further:
"This shows that they are not what they appear to be. Since there is one secret, there naturally would be a second secret."
With that, he gestured with his hand:
"Never mind, just be careful in such an isolated place overseas."
Then, he took out a towel and a toothbrush from his bag and headed to the washroom.
Fang Cheng couldn’t help but take a few more glances at his retreating figure, feeling that there seemed to be more to Pan Wendi’s words that he hadn’t fully expressed.
After a while, Pan Wendi came out of the washroom and lay down on the opposite bed, starting to chat idly again.
"Xiao Ma, what do you do for a living? Are you interested in learning bodybuilding with me?"
"With your looks, if you add a well-toned body, you could definitely become a top-tier instructor, a million in annual income is no dream."
"Of course, if you could build a strong physique like mine, I guarantee you would be popular among the wealthy women in East Capital..."
Click.
The room lights suddenly went off, and it was plunged into darkness.
Fang Cheng ignored him, but Pan Wendi continued to mumble on his own.
It stayed that way until half an hour later when it finally quieted down.
Fang Cheng lay on his side, with sponges stuffed in his ears, and then he closed his eyes.
Perhaps because of the good air quality and the really pleasant environment here.
Fang Cheng felt his mind more stable and easily slipped into sleep.
As he practiced the breathing counting method, his breath gradually became deeper, and he completely fell into a deep sleep.
The night grew deeper.
The fog outside the window became thicker and condensed on the glass, white and dense.
In the wee hours.
A cold breeze seemed to arise out of nowhere.
Fang Cheng suddenly opened his eyes, waking up in shock.
He felt the hair on his body stand on end, as if he was frozen; he pulled his quilt tighter around himself.
At the same time, he felt a bit annoyed in his heart; this sleep was arguably the best quality he had had in a long while.
He even had a faintly sweet dream, finding himself in a vast expanse of blue space.
As if the whole world turned into light blue hues, as though he was swimming freely in the ocean.
Enjoying unparalleled tranquility, serenity, one could sleep forever in quiet repose.
"Didn’t expect everything to be the same..."
Fang Cheng let out a soft sigh.
On reflection, maybe he was just not used to sleeping in the same room with a stranger, overly sensitive.
So he changed his sleeping position, prepared to continue using the breathing counting method, to aid his sleep.
Just then, he suddenly heard a strange sound.
Pitter-patter—
Pitter-patter—
The sound originated from outside the door.
It stood out with more impact compared to the intricate background noise, pounding against his heart.
As if someone was walking in water-filled galoshes, moving at an extremely slow pace, passing by through the hallway.
Fang Cheng’s pupils contracted slightly.
The door to the room was not completely sealed; there were gaps at the bottom.
Even though the lights in the hallway were off, a faint glow still seeped in through the gap beneath the door.
As the sound emerged, Fang Cheng caught sight of what seemed to be a shadow standing in front of the door.
Simultaneously, a whiff of a rotten, fishy, strange odor instantly wafted into his nostrils.
Fang Cheng couldn’t help but frown tightly.
In the dead of night, who in the world was outside the door?
He glanced at Pan Wendi, who lay on the opposite bed.
The guy was a sound sleeper, his breaths emitting slight snoring sounds, completely unaware of the anomaly.
Fang Cheng slowly sat up, clenched his fists, his muscles tensed and ready to spring into action.
Ready to deliver a harsh blow to any intruder who might attempt to force their way in.
It seemed like several minutes had passed, yet it could have been just an instant.
The shadow outside the door suddenly moved again, heading deeper down the hallway.
The pace of the walking remained agonizingly slow, so much that it seemed it might just be an illusion.
Fang Cheng did not get out of bed to pursue and investigate.
"Maybe it’s some lunatic wandering around in the middle of the night..."
"I’m in unfamiliar territory; I endure!"
Yet that sound continued to come from the hallway, and with each step landing only after every dozen seconds or so, one couldn’t help but anxiously await the next sound it produced.
Fang Cheng sighed helplessly, decisively used Concentration Skill to completely block out the footsteps of that bastard outside the door.
About half an hour later, as he came out of the state, that weird sound had also disappeared.
Fang Cheng felt his head slightly swollen, his heart a lot more relaxed, and slowly fell back into sleep.
This time it seemed... he finally wasn’t disturbed.
"Huff—"
"Huff—"
The sound of slightly rapid breathing entered his ears, and Fang Cheng opened his eyes once more.
He found a muscular man with his shirt off, lying on the floor practicing push-ups.
"Ma Donghao, you’re awake. I just started exercising, didn’t I disturb you?"
Pan Wendi grinned with a bit of apology.
Speaking of which, this guy was full of energy, cheerful—entirely different from other members who all seemed a little troubled.
"Did you hear any strange sounds last night?"
Fang Cheng steadied himself and then asked.
"Nope."
Pan Wendi seemed surprised, stopped his exercise, and said:
"The living conditions here aren’t that great, but the environment is genuinely nice, I slept better here than at my own home."
Hearing this, Fang Cheng did not continue to lie down.
He got up, pulled open the curtains, and looked outside.
Dawn was breaking, the horizon showing faint fish-belly white, with light mist floating amid the mountain woods.
Like waves from a distant sea, rapidly ebbing away and dissipating.
Fang Cheng took deep breaths of the fresh air, feeling considerably rejuvenated.
Then he went to the washroom to freshen up, ready to go outside to find a quiet, secluded spot for a light morning exercise.
But when he opened the door, his gaze immediately became intent—
He saw a pair of wet footprints, startlingly present just outside the door.
