"Hey, miss, how’d you even meet this guy…?"

One officer asked curiously as we climbed the stairs.

The stairwell was pitch black, so we all switched on our phone flashlights.

"An online friend… from a game…"

I answered truthfully…

"Let me tell you, miss—scammers are everywhere online these days…"

"Some folks use a sweet, girly voice online, but offline? Could be some creepy old man for all you know!"

"Be careful meeting internet friends!"

"You were smart to call the police after getting such a vague message."

"If you’d been some naive girl tricked into a place like this… yikes. Real trouble."

He lectured earnestly while climbing.

"Th-thank you, Officer…"

I decided to play the well-behaved girl.

Just then, the other officer’s expression shifted. We’d reached the second floor—and I caught a familiar, nauseating odor…

My little white rabbit had smelled exactly like this after it died.

But I didn’t connect the dots yet. Maybe someone had relieved themselves here, or it was just rotting trash.

The hallway was dead silent. If someone had really been banging on the door like Liu Xiaozhen claimed, we’d have heard it…

Had he already broken in?

The quiet made my skin crawl.

I noticed the laid-back officer had drawn his gun.

First time seeing a real firearm. Honestly? Terrifying. Their tension, the eerie silence—it felt like stepping straight into a crime scene.

We stopped at the door number from the message. I glanced back down the corridor…

Pitch black. A faint rustling from the shadows sent a chill down my spine.

"Miss, step back…"

An officer whispered.

I froze, then shuffled backward.

*THUD!* One officer kicked open the battered iron door, dust exploding into the air.

While I waved the grit from my face, they’d already charged inside.

"POLICE! HANDS UP!"

Their voices boomed—probably as nervous as I was. Why else shout that loud?

A foul stench rolled out, making my stomach lurch.

I covered my nose and hurried after them.

Tiny apartment: one main room, a bathroom, a bedroom.

Flashlights swept over dusty, abandoned furniture—clearly uninhabited.

The rotting smell seeped from the bedroom.

After confirming the space was empty, we focused on the room.

The bedroom door lay inward on the floor, as if kicked open. Toppled wardrobe, broken desk—covered in thick dust. This mess was old.

I aimed my light deeper… and went pale.

On the far bed lay a human-shaped… thing. *Human-shaped?* Because I couldn’t be sure it was a person.

Curiosity overriding fear, I clenched my teeth and peeked again.

A corpse. Swollen, decomposed beyond recognition. Flies and maggots swarmed it. The stench was overwhelming.

"Don’t look. This’ll haunt you."

An officer gently pushed me back while the other radioed for backup.

Suddenly—a sound behind me. Instinctively, I grabbed the officer’s sleeve, spun around, and flashed my light.

Something flickered in the beam…

A rat?

I gasped, throat tight.

"Don’t worry. I’ve got you."

He was trying to comfort me.

But I’m just a regular high school girl. Thrown into this nightmare: rotting corpse, unseen things startling me from the dark…

How was I supposed to handle this?

Now I jumped at every whisper. Sweating palms. Holding my breath at the slightest rustle.

Staring at my dark phone screen, I’d almost forgotten why I was even here…

Soon, more officers arrived. Spotlights flooded the hallway.

I sat in a patrol car outside, sipping tea from a kind policewoman, scrolling through my chat with Liu Xiaozhen.

Preliminary report: young female corpse, severely bloated from decomposition. Winter conditions suggested 10–15 days dead. Skin stripped from her upper body—method unidentifiable due to decay. Identity confirmation pending forensic analysis.

The officer gave me a strange look and left.

Why tell *me* this? I didn’t want to hear another detail.

Watching forensic staff move in and out… I still felt no safety.

If that corpse *is* Liu Xiaozhen…

Then who’s been chatting with me all this time?

A cold dread crept in.

The person who played games with me nightly. Who shared secrets, laughed with me…

Was already dead?

This wasn’t a prank. A life was lost.

She’d even sent me 1,000 yuan. Now it felt like spirit money.

I transferred it back instantly and deleted her contact.

Police took her QQ account, promised investigation, told me not to stress.

I don’t believe in ghosts. But I believe in cruel people.

Her death might have many causes—but none should involve me.

Unless someone’s been watching me. Targeting me.

…So who is it?