Xu Fang seemed to hear a "thud" sound.

The dream abruptly ended, followed by the silence of the night.

Rubbing his forehead, Xu Fang recalled the contents of the dream.

Just a dream? Or a hint? What does it imply?

"Dis" refers to "distance"? Or is it "Disobey"?

After pondering for a moment, Xu Fang shook his head and mocked himself for being overly sensitive, caring so much about an insignificant dream.

The night outside the window was pitch black.

Checking the time on his phone, 2:43, still in the middle of the night.

Xu Fang went to the bathroom and poured himself a glass of water.

Perhaps due to being in an unfamiliar environment, he always felt a bit uneasy. Right, when he woke up, he seemed to hear a sound coming from outside the door...

Thinking about it, Xu Fang heard the faint "thud" sound again. Since he was in the living room at this time, he could hear the sound clearly, as if someone had bumped into the front door in the corridor.

Why would there be a sound in the corridor in the middle of the night?

With curiosity and confusion, Xu Fang approached the door and looked outside through the peephole.

It was pitch black.

"Was it just my hypersensitivity?"

Xu Fang thought, the corridor was clearly pitch black, how could there be someone?

Wait... a terrifying thought suddenly arose in Xu Fang's mind.

The corridor had motion sensor lights, and the impact on the door couldn't have caused the motion sensor lights to not turn on, but the peephole was completely dark.

This meant that the peephole was blocked!

Someone was standing outside the door, observing from the peephole!

Who could it be?

Xu Fang clenched his teeth, opened the door directly, but when he saw the person standing outside, Xu Fang widened his eyes.

"Luo..."

Before Xu Fang could finish speaking, a knife stabbed towards him.

"Ah!!" Xu Fang suddenly sat up from the bed.

He touched his abdomen and then turned his head to look outside the window, still in a state of shock.

The sky was bright.

"It was just a dream again..."

A dream within a dream, it's really absurd.

Since it was a dream, it made more sense. According to common sense, Xu Fang wouldn't be so reckless as to open the door in the middle of the night.

However...

A shadow of gloom appeared on Xu Fang's face. Why did Luo Xiaoming want to kill him in the dream?

He usually wouldn't pay attention to such mystical things, but ever since experiencing that strange "sense of disharmony," he had become more and more suspicious of the abnormalities around him.

Xu Fang walked out of his room and pushed open Luo Xiaoming's bedroom door. "Xiao Ming, are you awake?"

"Huh? Ah? You're awake, Xu Fang." Luo Xiaoming seemed surprised by Xu Fang's sudden entrance and hurriedly put something away.

"What were you doing?"

"Nothing, um, let's have breakfast." She changed the topic.

Xu Fang nodded and didn't pursue further.

They ordered takeout for breakfast. After finishing their meal, the clothes they had ordered yesterday were conveniently delivered.

Xu Fang signed for Xiao Ming.

The clothes were ordinary sportswear, designed to make Xiao Ming as inconspicuous as possible. By the way, she also wore a sun hat and a mask.

Staying in the hotel was not a long-term solution, and leaving hastily was not safe either, so Xu Fang and Xiao Ming needed to explore ways to avoid the Grim Reaper.

Xu Fang also changed into a clean set of sportswear and exchanged glances with Xiao Ming.

Xiao Ming was wearing long pants.

—It seems that Xu Fang's previous recommendation was completely useless.

...

Outside the hotel.

Xu Fang was cautious and didn't act rashly.

The two of them didn't dare to walk too fast. After reaching an unfamiliar location, they first heightened their senses to 200%, observed their surroundings, confirmed it was safe, and then continued forward.

In this way, after two hours, Xu Fang and Luo Xiaoming arrived near a restaurant 100 meters away from the hotel.

No one paid attention to Luo Xiaoming.

"Xu Fang, it's really as you said," Luo Xiaoming said excitedly, but then became a bit disappointed, "So I can't communicate with anyone anymore?"

"We'll find a solution to this problem later. For now, we need to ensure our safety," Xu Fang said to Xiao Ming. "When I interact with others, you stay quiet."

"Okay."

It wasn't lunchtime yet, and there were no customers in the restaurant. The waiter sat on a chair by the door, bored and yawning.

Xu Fang walked over and chatted with the waiter for ten minutes, discussing topics from the weather to Brexit in the UK, and even aliens and conspiracy theories.

It wasn't that Xu Fang was a social butterfly, but rather that the waiter, who earned a monthly salary of three thousand, enjoyed talking about these topics.

After the conversation, Xu Fang and Xiao Ming waited in place for twenty minutes without any incidents. They were safe.

Afterwards, Xu Fang and Xiao Ming went their separate ways without any accidents. Xu Fang also had Luo Xiaoming communicate with others through his phone, and there were no surprises.

Xu Fang's hypothesis was confirmed - as long as Luo Xiaoming wasn't directly observed, the Reaper's attack wouldn't be triggered. Xu Fang could have normal conversations with other people without being affected.

As for more detailed experiments, such as determining how much attention would trigger the Reaper, the intensity of observation and attack, and the probability of triggering, Xu Fang didn't attempt them due to the high risks involved. Even if he did try, he couldn't do it here. The environment was too complex, with the risk of falling objects, vehicles, cables, and a nearby gas station... any problem could be fatal.

"Xiao Ming, this afternoon, let's leave this place and go to my hometown for a few days. It should be safer there than in the city. What do you think?" Xu Fang said.

After Xu Fang finished speaking, he noticed Xiao Ming's pupils suddenly contract.

"Your hometown, is it your parents' home? The county town on the outskirts of K City?" Xiao Ming asked.

"Yes, how did you know?"

"Don't go!"

"..."

"I mean, the journey might not be safe, ahaha..."

Xu Fang felt puzzled. Luo Xiaoming's reaction was too strange. Even if she really didn't want to go, her tone shouldn't be so strong, as if... she knew it would be very dangerous.

Thinking back to Luo Xiaoming's strange behavior in the morning... what was she hiding?

It was contradictory. Luo Xiaoming and Xu Fang had been through a lot together, and she should have absolute trust in him. However, Xu Fang felt that Xiao Ming was hiding something from him.

There were two possibilities. The first was that something had happened that made Luo Xiaoming no longer trust Xu Fang, or that being around Xu Fang made her feel unsafe. The second possibility was that Luo Xiaoming couldn't tell Xu Fang the truth because it would lead to a huge disaster. These thoughts flashed through Xu Fang's mind.

Xu Fang discreetly scanned the surroundings and said to Luo Xiaoming, "Let's go back to the hotel first."

Luo Xiaoming nodded.

After returning to the hotel room, Xu Fang looked around, searching for any traces of cameras or listening devices.

He didn't see any.

"Xu Fang, what are you looking for?" Luo Xiaoming noticed Xu Fang's actions.

"Luo Xiaoming, have you been threatened by someone?" Xu Fang asked in a low voice.

"Huh? How is that possible? Why are you asking?"

Xu Fang carefully observed her expression and confirmed that she wasn't lying.

"Then, is there something you're hiding from me?"

"Huh? No!"

"Really?" Xu Fang narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Really." Xiao Ming's gaze was somewhat evasive.

"Alright, I believe you." Xu Fang pretended not to care.

The day gradually passed, and night fell.

"Bathing, bathing~" Luo Xiaoming carried the bath basket into the bathroom. Inside were the shower gel and shampoo she had just bought, she still wasn't used to the ones provided by the hotel.

After a while, the sound of water came from the bathroom.

While Luo Xiaoming was showering, Xu Fang quietly approached her bedroom door and turned the doorknob.

It didn't open.

"Is it locked from the inside?" Xu Fang's expression changed.

There must be something hidden inside, otherwise why would Luo Xiaoming lock the door? But why would she be guarding against him?

Xu Fang turned and left.

Wait a minute... he suddenly remembered yesterday's dream for no reason.

In Xu Fang's dream, he couldn't see anything through the peephole. At that time, he thought there was no light in the corridor, but in reality, someone outside the door was peering inside.

Is it possible that the bedroom door of Xiao Ming is not locked, and he couldn't open it because someone behind the door was holding it shut?

Xu Fang walked back and turned the doorknob again, this time with a little more force.

Without any resistance, the door opened.

Xu Fang stood still in astonishment.

He couldn't push the door open just now, so why did it open so easily now?

The window was open, and a gentle breeze brushed Xu Fang's face. He could see the city night view outside the window.

Xu Fang went to the window and looked down, but there was no suspicious person.

Under the bed, in the wardrobe, under the desk... Xu Fang cautiously checked these hiding spaces, but apart from some clothes, he found nothing.

The mystery was getting deeper and deeper. Xu Fang vaguely felt that he was sinking deeper and deeper into it, a feeling of powerlessness that he seemed to have experienced once before.

He took a deep breath, dispelling the negative thoughts, and stopped in front of the desk in the bedroom.

In the morning, he saw Luo Xiaoming hide something in the drawer with his own eyes.

Xu Fang gently pulled open the drawer.

Inside the drawer lay a diary and a pen, nothing else.

Xu Fang was somewhat surprised. He had prepared himself to see dangerous items.

"Luo Xiaoming was so flustered, could it be that she didn't want me to see her diary?"

Everyone has their own privacy, and a diary is a record of self-redemption. For some people, a diary is the last sanctuary of the soul. Xu Fang smiled in his heart, he respected other people's privacy and didn't touch Xiao Ming's diary.

Xu Fang closed the drawer and walked out of Luo Xiaoming's bedroom.

Just then, Luo Xiaoming came out of the bathroom and saw Xu Fang standing at the door of her bedroom. Her expression became flustered.

"Xu Fang, what... what are you doing!"

"I was just checking if there was anything unsafe."

"Is there anything unsafe?"

"No."

"You didn't do anything strange, did you?"

"Of course not."

"Oh."

Seeing that Xu Fang didn't seem to be lying, Luo Xiaoming breathed a sigh of relief.

Xu Fang didn't mention anything and said, "I'm going back to sleep, you should go to bed too."

"Yeah, goodnight."

Back in her own room, Luo Xiaoming took off her towel, changed into her pajamas, and then turned on the desk lamp.

Luo Xiaoming took out her diary and opened to the latest page, recalling the events of the day with a somewhat melancholic expression.

After thinking for a moment, she slowly started writing.

"October 18th

Xu Fang and I figured out the reason behind 'Death Comes', it may be because I am being observed by others.

Everything is fine, but...

Xu Fang suggested going to the county town for refuge, which scares me.

Is it just a coincidence? It must be just a coincidence!!

I thought I already knew Xu Fang well enough, but this time, is Xu Fang real? Or was the last time just a dream?

At least 'Death Comes' is different.

If Xu Fang is not real, then where is the real Xu Fang?"

No, I still want to believe in him because there is no one else I can trust.

I remember Xu Fang telling me that something is wrong with this world, but where exactly?

By the way, the words in this diary will disappear, right? What's the point of recording all this then?

Let's try to avoid those dangerous places and people.