The thud of approaching footsteps grew louder. Zhou Heng’s chest tightened, and he slowly raised his heel. He’d already made up his mind: if the person behind the door looked even a little off, he’d run at once and call the police as soon as he reached somewhere safe.
There was a thud. The sound of the door handle being pressed was faint but firm, spreading through the quiet.
Zhou Heng held his breath, his fists clenched at his sides.
As the handle was pressed all the way down, a thin sliver of light appeared where the closed door met the frame.
But the gap didn’t widen.
A voice came from somewhere, its distance impossible to judge.
“Come in.”
Zhou Heng couldn’t help glancing at Su Xi, who looked just as tense. Su Xi pointed at the door and silently mimed pushing it open.
Zhou Heng put his palm against the door and gently pushed it open.
As the gap widened, everything inside Room 305 came into view. Zhou Heng wondered who would be waiting behind the door.
Would it be that potbellied, well-dressed fat pig?
Or some unknown person dressed in black from head to toe?
Or, if he let his imagination run wilder, perhaps the most terrifying thing wouldn’t be a person at all, but a hand gripping a pistol, its black muzzle pointed straight at him.
Every door-opening scene from all the thrillers, detective movies, cop-and-robber films, and action movies he’d ever seen came rushing together in his mind. His hand trembled as he pushed the door open.
But things clearly weren’t as straightforward as Zhou Heng had imagined.
When the door was halfway open, Zhou Heng suddenly realized that there wasn’t a single person behind it.
That wasn’t normal at all.
He clearly remembered hearing footsteps before someone pressed down the handle and opened the door. And after that, he hadn’t heard any more footsteps.
So whoever had opened the door should’ve been standing right behind it.
But there was no one there.
A wave of goosebumps suddenly spread across Zhou Heng’s back. The young man realized that what he’d stumbled into probably wasn’t a cop-and-robber or action-movie scene. It was more like something from a supernatural horror movie.
“Don’t panic, don’t panic. This is real life, not a movie. It can’t be that dramatic. Right.”
After muttering a few words under his breath, he moved so slowly that Su Xi kicked him from behind. Zhou Heng stumbled a step forward.
A strange smell flooded Zhou Heng’s nostrils.
Maybe the sight of no one behind the door had rattled him. It wasn’t until he’d somewhat recovered that Zhou Heng noticed the suite was filled with a scent that was both sweet and sharp.
It wasn’t a normal smell.
Zhou Heng hurriedly held his breath. The strong young man had excellent lung capacity and could hold his breath for over four minutes. Even though he hadn’t taken a deep breath beforehand to reach his absolute limit, three minutes would still be no problem.
But he still opened his mouth and said,
“Um, is anyone here? I can offer special services.”
“Come over here.”
The voice came from the bedroom at the far end of the suite’s hallway. Holding his breath, the young man made his way toward it, one step at a time.
At the end of the hallway, Zhou Heng turned toward the bed and called out with a broad smile, his voice muffled.
“We’ve got everything here, from student girls to young wives to mature women. Ages eighteen to fifty—you can take your pick. So, what’ll it be…”
He couldn’t get the words out. Even the fake smile plastered across his face froze in place.
Because Zhou Heng saw a bug.
A bug as big as a person.
Calling it a bug wasn’t quite right. It had human features, human limbs, and a build much like a person’s. But no human had a deep blue-green exoskeleton like that, and no human had two antennae reaching all the way to the ceiling.
When it saw Zhou Heng come in, the bug walked over. Its hand, which had only three fingers, pressed against Zhou Heng’s head. The instant it touched his skin, the bug visibly jumped.
Its antennae, which had been reaching the ceiling, quickly drooped. They brushed against Zhou Heng’s body again and again, as if sensing something.
The utterly unbelievable scene left Zhou Heng stunned. The young man couldn’t help thinking,
If this was a prank show, they must’ve spent an insane amount of money on it.
There was nothing cheap or shoddy about the bug. It looked so vivid and lifelike, like a monster straight out of the effects of a top-tier disaster movie.
“You are… special.”
The antennae drew away from Zhou Heng’s body. The bug’s jet-black eyes gleamed.
“You could be an excellent host.”
Zhou Heng answered blankly,
“But I’m a man.”
“Gender has no meaning to us.”
The bug placed its other hand under Zhou Heng’s chin and lifted it, almost as if flirting with him.
Zhou Heng heard a rush of air. The bug was actually inhaling his scent.
“Such… excellent potential.”
The bug sighed, and Zhou Heng could even hear a trace of barely restrained longing in its voice.
