The next second, a deafening CRASH echoed through the shaft as the plummeting elevator jerked to a sudden, violent halt. The immense impact tore through the carriage, tossing everyone around like ragdolls. Their bodies lurched forward uncontrollably, but thankfully, Luna Dawson’s water sphere held firm, shielding them from any physical harm. Still, their hearts hammered wildly against their ribs, taking a long time to settle.

DING. A faint chime sounded, and the elevator doors slowly slid open. Yet, the interior remained pitch-black, so dark they couldn’t see their own fingers in front of their faces. Everyone froze in place, not even daring to breathe. A tidal wave of terror flooded their hearts as they wondered what awaited them outside.

Right then, the eyes of the three little ones—Little Tiger, Rollo, and Pinky—suddenly lit up. Like six blazing searchlights, their glowing eyes pierced straight through the open doors. A formidable pressure from a Fourth Order Superpower instantly permeated the air. It carried the icy, terrifying weight of a High Order creature staring down its prey, suffocating everyone and sending chills down their spines.

Outside the elevator, it was terrifyingly quiet. Aside from the group’s panicked, ragged breaths, not a single sound could be heard. The silence was suffocating, as if the very air had frozen solid. Suddenly, a faint yet distinct RUSTLE arose. It was the noise of loose dirt scattering across the floor—crisp, eerie, and drilling precisely into everyone’s ears. The sound was coming from the direction of the elevator doors, right in front of them!

Rhonda Dawson trembled uncontrollably, clinging tightly to Luna’s hand. Her voice was as thin as a mosquito’s buzz, laced with a sob. “Luna… there’s… there’s a noise…”

Miles Dawson flailed his hands around blindly until his fingertips brushed against the gentle surface of the water sphere, bringing him instant relief. Squeezing his eyes shut, he whispered in a barely audible breath, “Luna, quickly see what’s outside. I… I don’t even dare to open my eyes.”

Luna gave a soft hum of acknowledgment, giving Rhonda’s palm a reassuring squeeze to calm her fears. The next second, a high-powered flashlight materialized in her palm. With a click of the switch, a blinding beam instantly illuminated the elevator as bright as day, making even the floating dust motes visible. The beam of light sliced right past Kevin Keane’s waist, shining directly out the open doors.

Everyone’s gaze immediately followed the light. Their hearts tightened as they gasped in unison. There was no building floor out there. Instead, it was a damp, slimy wall of yellow earth. Clumps of dirt were still trickling down, reeking of rotten, metallic blood.

Kevin looked down at Luna, who was peering out from under his armpit. His eyes flickered slightly as his heart began to race wildly. His voice carried an imperceptible hoarseness. “M-Ms. Dawson…”

Luna’s expression was grim. She lowered her voice, her tone carrying an unquestionable severity. “Shh! Nobody move!”

Just as she spoke, the group watched as a human face slowly pressed its way out of the damp earthen wall. It had a high nose bridge and soft contours, with a gentle look around its eyes and brows. It appeared to be the face of an adult woman. But bizarrely, the face lacked any hint of color. It was as pale as a paper doll, melded into the yellow dirt as if it had “grown” right out of the soil.

Then, a horrific scene unfolded. That previously gentle mouth suddenly began to stretch upward in a grotesque manner, the corners ripping wildly all the way to its earlobes! With a sickening CRACK, thick, black-red liquid oozed from the torn flesh, revealing dense rows of sharp, yellowed teeth. They looked just like a wild beast’s fangs, making everyone’s scalp tingle with dread.

Following the face, her bare chest, arms, and waist emerged. Half of her body remained embedded in the dirt, while the other half stretched into the elevator. Her skin was a bloated, bruised purple, looking as if she had been submerged in water for a long time. She wildly clawed at the group inside the water sphere! Her nails were long and sharp, gleaming with a sickly, dark bluish-black glint. Every frantic swipe carried a bone-chilling, putrid stench.

“HEE-HEE!”

A shrill, eerie laugh suddenly rang out. It was piercing and macabre—not the laugh of a human, but the sinister snicker of a monster. Her soil-encrusted head suddenly jerked upward, finally allowing the group to see clearly. Each of her eyes possessed two pupils. The four pupils spun frantically in every direction, carrying a cold, greedy gaze that locked onto every person inside the water sphere as if sizing up her prey.

From slamming so hard against the water sphere, her fingers were bent backward and broken. The skin had sloughed off, exposing blackened bones underneath, churning the onlookers’ stomachs. She pounded madly against Luna’s water sphere with astonishing force. The barrier trembled violently, emitting muffled THUDS. She struck with such ferocity that one of her hands snapped off with a sharp CRACK and dropped onto the floor with a wet SPLAT, landing right by William Walsh’s feet. Rotten flesh splattered, and a nauseating stench instantly filled the air.

“Ahhh!”

“Help!”

“It’s a ghost! An evil spirit!”

A cacophony of shrieks erupted inside the elevator. Several members of the Omni Squad trembled in sheer terror, tears streaming down their faces. This sight was far more horrifying and gruesome than any zombie they had ever encountered anywhere before.

Miles’s face went deathly pale. He gripped Rhonda’s arm tightly, barely daring to breathe. Kevin instinctively pulled Luna closer against his chest, keeping his back to the elevator doors. Just as he was about to turn his head to look at the monster outside, he heard Aaron Palmer hiccuping in fright beside him. “K-Kevin… HIC… you better… HIC… not look… It’s t-too scary…” Blake Blue also felt his heart racing wildly, as if his chest were about to explode. It took him three full seconds to barely regain his composure.

Luna cursed under her breath, a flash of disgust and cold ruthlessness passing through her eyes. She absolutely despised those who resorted to playing ghosts and demons. If it had any real skill, it would fight face-to-face in the open, not resort to such insidious tricks. Without a moment of hesitation, she grabbed a handful of glutinous rice and hurled it viciously. At the same time, she conjured a blob of highly corrosive acid and smashed it precisely onto the dirt woman’s face.

SIZZLE!

As the acid hit the dirt woman’s face, a harsh sizzling sound immediately erupted. Thick white smoke billowed into the air, accompanied by a pungent, burning smell. The woman’s rotting flesh instantly melted and dissolved away, revealing the blackened bone beneath.

“Aghhh!”

She let out a heart-wrenching shriek, so shrill it could pierce eardrums. Her purplish face was instantly mangled beyond recognition. With only one mangled claw left, she clawed frantically at her own face, scraping off a massive chunk of rotten flesh. Black-red viscous liquid poured down her cheeks in a thoroughly nauseating display.

A cold glint flashed in Luna’s eyes. Several conjured acidic Water Blades readied themselves instantly, pointing straight at the dirt woman. Seeing this, a flicker of fear crossed the female zombie’s eyes. Not daring to linger a second longer, she snapped her head back and retracted her body into the earthen wall. She dissipated like a receding tide, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye, leaving behind only the damp yellow dirt wall and the stench of blood and scorched flesh hanging in the air.

“I-It ran…?”

Even though Dylan DuPont had served in the military for years and seen his fair share of life-and-death scenarios during his missions with the Special Operations Department, this was his first time encountering something so horrifyingly bizarre. His heart was still pounding with residual fear, and his back was entirely drenched in cold sweat.

The elevator fell into a deathly silence once more. Only the group’s rapid, heavy breaths and the thumping of their racing hearts remained. No one had fully recovered from the sheer terror, and they were all still trembling slightly.

Lucas Scott swallowed hard and licked his dry lips. With a trembling voice, he looked at William Walsh. “Captain Sharon, what… what exactly is your family researching in this lab? What in the world was that thing? A ghost?”

The only response he received was William’s silence.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.