Forbidden Land – CH 055

Zhang Chao was staying in a hotel alone, so naturally, there was no need to close the bathroom door when he showered.

Just as he was comfortably lying in the bathtub with his eyes closed, he heard a “meow,” and the black cat entered the bathroom.

Zhang Chao opened his eyes and glanced to his side. The black cat was standing at the bathroom doorway, its body arched, all the fur on its head standing on end, its eyes a vibrant green, staring at the top of the bathroom.

“Here comes another troublemaker!” Zhang Chao was about to curse, but before he could utter a sound, he completely shut his mouth.

Because out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of something dark on the water in front of him, very close at hand.

A shadow! A swaying shadow!

Ah! Zhang Chao gasped, his lips twitching slightly. Slowly, bit by bit, he turned his head to look at the shadow.

There was a woman, wearing a white nightgown, her long hair hanging straight down, covering her face. Her shadow floated on the water, gently rippling.

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His mind went blank for a moment, completely clear.

A woman was hanging from the ceiling!

His heart almost stopped for a second, but then it pounded so hard it felt like it would burst out of his chest.

After a few seconds of silence, Zhang Chao could no longer bear the oppressive fear. He screamed, splashing all the water out of his hand, and looked up. There was only a white energy-saving light shining from above; there was no woman.

Then he looked at the surface of the bathtub—nothing there.

A hallucination? Was it really just a hallucination?

He was over twenty years old; why was he only encountering strange things lately?

As he was filled with doubt and confusion, he suddenly noticed that the black cat beside him showed no sign of stopping its attack.

The black cat’s eyes weren’t fixed on the ceiling but on the curtain in front of the bathtub.

The curtain?

He had pulled the curtain aside, leaving just enough space for a person to hide.

Zhang Chao’s gaze returned to the curtain. There were shadowy figures behind it; it seemed something was indeed hidden.

In an instant, the image of the woman’s reflection in the water flashed through his mind again, and a chill ran down his spine.

He scrambled out of the bathtub, grabbed a towel, wrapped it around himself, and slowly backed away from the bathroom door.

The black cat, however, walked in from outside the bathroom and blocked his way.

He didn’t dare breathe, staring blankly at the curtain.

Suddenly, he felt the curtain move slightly. There wasn’t a breath of wind in the room; how could the curtain move?

Was he seeing things?

But what he saw out of the corner of his eye next sent a chill down his spine.

Behind the curtain, a pair of feet were visible—a pair of bare, shoeless woman’s feet.

Weren’t those feet strangely white?

Thump!

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He stumbled back several steps in fright, his back hitting the wall outside. He pressed himself tightly against the wall, too afraid to move.

At the same time, the black cat meowed loudly and pounced on the curtain.

The next second, Zhang Chao felt as if a gust of cold wind had swept in. A chill ran through his body.

Suddenly, he felt dizzy, about to lose his balance, then his eyes closed, and he passed out.

When he woke up, it was the next day. He was startled awake by the cleaning lady knocking on the door.

The cleaning lady asked if anyone was home, and Zhang Chao replied that he was.

The cleaning lady asked if he wanted the room cleaned again. Zhang Chao glanced at himself, wearing only a bath towel and otherwise completely naked, and quickly said to the outside, “No need.”

He stood up, shook his head, and felt even weaker than yesterday. Although he had slept, his energy was even worse, like a patient with a high fever, unable to muster any strength.

Has everything that happened yesterday really happened?

He didn’t know. He looked around the room; the black cat was sleeping on the floor. He checked the curtains; they were intact, without any signs of the cat scratching them.

Was all of that really a dream?

But he was unconscious on the floor; this dream felt too real.

Seeing the black cat’s lazy eyes and that everything was unharmed, he finally felt somewhat relieved.

He hoped it really was just a dream.

However, he dared not stay at this hotel any longer.

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