Chapter 123: The Diary

"Why is everyone so obsessed with keeping a diary?" Fang Tang flipped through the security guard's journal, sighing helplessly.

Su Mang looked at him in surprise. "Don't you keep one?"

"What kind of normal person keeps a diary?" Fang Tang waved his hand, continuing to vent, "Just think about it: after you die, someone else has to go through your belongings, and they'll find all those moments that would make you die of embarrassment. Just thinking about it makes me want to crawl out of my coffin, grab the diary, and cremate it along with myself."

"Tell us, what kind of 'social death' moments have you had?" Liu Xu giggled, asking curiously.

Fang Tang paused, then stated solemnly, "As a decent person like me, it's impossible to have such moments in my daily life."

"Doesn't what happened earlier count?" Su Mang chimed in with a timely jab.

Fang Tang's face flushed, and he awkwardly shielded his face with the diary. "That was an unexpected circumstance! It doesn't count!"

As the three chatted and joked, Fang Tang continued browsing the guard's entries. It was clear from the diary that the guard was an old man whose hobbies were kept hidden in a safe—a collection consisting entirely of clothing belonging to the female residents of the building. With his master key, the old man had been sneaking into people's apartments. Seeing this, Fang Tang couldn't help but marvel at the man's "vigorous old age."

The first half of the diary was filled with mundane records: who left at what time and returned when, how many people lived in which unit, who had moved out, and who had moved in. It was meticulously detailed. However, the last seven pages recorded some bizarre occurrences in the apartment building.

September 6, 1901.
Mr. Cao's child in 302 went missing. That night, while patrolling the top floor, I heard a child crying. The voice sounded exactly like little Jingjing (Mr. Cao's missing daughter), sobbing hysterically. I asked the surrounding residents, but no one else heard it. I chose to call the police.

September 7, 1901.
The police arrived and questioned twelve households on the 17th and 18th floors, but found no trace of little Jingjing. They searched the rooftop, water tanks, and elevator shafts, but found nothing. At the same time that night, I heard the crying again.

September 8, 1901.
Another child has gone missing in the building. The police investigation yielded nothing. During my night patrol on the top floor, I heard the crying again—this time, there were two of them. This building is getting more and more eerie.

September 9, 1901.
Tonight, Mr. and Mrs. Wang from 1701 were working late as usual. I entered their apartment. The familiar scent of milk was there, and I felt that same feeling of a withered tree blooming again... Wait, I heard the child's crying in Mr. Wang's apartment again. It was clearer than before. Could it be...

September 10, 1901.
Mr. and Mrs. Wang were taken away. The police turned their place upside down but found no child. The couple returned later that day. Fearing they might come after me, I didn't dare patrol the upper floors. At the same time, I heard the crying in the security office. This time, there were three. But no one's child was reported missing today, right?

September 11, 1901.
A rumor is spreading through the apartments about a demon that eats children. I know the children aren't being eaten; they're trapped somewhere and can't get out. I don't dare speak up. Hearing the children's crying every night is taking a toll on my mental state.

September 12, 1901.
Last night, I dreamed of a fat man dripping with grease. He looked exactly like the child-eating demon rumored to be in the building. He held a scythe and brought me to an ice cave to kill me. Why is my head hurting so much today? I went to the hospital, and the doctor looked at me with such a strange expression. Does he think I'm a monster? Or has my "collection" been discovered? Thankfully, my treasures are safe. I need to take a break; underwear has been going missing too frequently, and I can't be too conspicuous... My head still hurts, and my body feels so cold. I need to sleep for a while.

The diary ended abruptly. After reading it, Fang Tang fell into deep thought.

"Did the guard encounter the killer responsible for the missing children?" Su Mang frowned as she looked at the diary.

Fang Tang shook his head. "I don't know, but one conclusion is certain: the guard is dead, and he was likely killed in his dream."

"Influencing reality through dreams... Why does that sound similar to my sequence talent?" Liu Xu looked perplexed.

Fang Tang smiled. "That's a possibility, but I'm leaning toward a mutation ability—something done by a Corrupted."

"Let's go find the captain. We probably won't find any more useful clues here." Su Mang took the diary and the keys, walking out of the room. Fang Tang looked at the surveillance monitor, lost in thought.

"Do you think this surveillance system is still usable?"

Su Mang shook her head. "I don't think so. Even if this is the original world, it’s been so many years. The wiring is likely paralyzed and beyond repair."

"Perhaps Xu Lin could try to fix it?" Fang Tang asked tentatively.

Su Mang thought for a moment. "We can have him come and try, though whether he succeeds is another matter."

"I'll go get him." Liu Xu nodded and left the security office. Fang Tang fiddled with the monitor but, realizing he lacked the technical expertise, decisively gave up.

Soon, Xu Lin arrived. Looking at the monitor and the computer, he asked, "Do you have any tech with lightning-attribute energy? Let's try charging this thing."

Fang Tang rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a mini power bank. It was one of the six spirit-bound items he had purchased, with the ability to discharge 1,000 volts.

Xu Lin looked at the power bank with delight. "This is a good piece of gear. It could knock out a second or third-tier evolver with one shock."

"I don't know if the voltage will be enough. If I had known, I wouldn't have sold the mechanical claw arm." Fang Tang felt a bit of regret. The mechanical arm could continuously output tens of thousands of volts, which would have been more than enough to power a monitor.

"This should be sufficient," Xu Lin nodded. As a former electrical engineer, he had considerable skill in this area. Before long, the dusty monitor flickered to life.

Because so much time had passed, the hardware and software were aged and decaying. The computer was extremely laggy, taking over a minute just to open a file. However, the group was patient. They managed to find several surveillance files, including footage from the days surrounding the onset of the distortion.

Although it was a serviced apartment, cameras were only installed in the lobby and the elevators. The footage from those days showed no strange changes. However, every night at midnight, the elevator would inexplicably stop between the 17th and 18th floors, with the doors opening just a crack.

"What's between the 17th and 18th floors?" Liu Xu asked, full of doubt. "Could it be the missing children?"

Fang Tang thought about the rule regarding "Hide and Seek." The information provided by the Eye began with a cryptic message, and the Eye wouldn't speak without purpose; it had to be related to the missing children.

"The two might be connected, but not necessarily by direct cause and effect. We'll need to dig deeper to reach a conclusion."

"Let's go find the captain!" Su Mang stretched her limbs, squinting lazily. "The captain should have some ideas. He has more experience, and his deductions tend to be quite bold."