"Good day, ma'am." Ren greeted, a bit of sweat forming on his forehead.
The old woman tilted her head to get a look inside. "Good day to you, too. I would require you to leave this apartment."
Ren showed a full smile. "I don't think I can do that."
She smiled back. "I don't remember asking if you wanted to."
Ren took a moment to calculate the words that would come out of his mouth; he needed to drive this conversation to his favor somehow.
"Why should I leave, ma'am?" He asked.
"It's not just you; it's everyone on this floor who must relocate to a temporary residence." She said, and Renu's hiss echoed out.
The woman looked at him accusingly. "Not alone with her, we, obviously, since I know your apartment."
He dropped his smile to become more direct. "I can't leave, plus my girlfriend is not someone who likes to leave her apartment."
The old woman also dropped her smile, her eyes narrowed at him. "Yes, this apartment is where Mr. Gao Ming committed suicide. This happens to be the room you and your girlfriend are in."
Ren was intrigued, "Are you investigating the suicide? Did you-
Naturally, the old woman cut it off, "None of your business for now, all I can tell you is there is a reason for weird things happening in Eden."
Ren confirmed his belief that this woman was working with people who were aware like him, but how much did they know?
"I can't move out." He admitted that he wanted to play some cards, but saw it as a waste of time.
"These things are quite dangerous." The old woman said.
Ren flashed a smile, "We don't appreciate our lives."
The old woman also smiled. "I can tell you are lying."
Ren shrugged. "You are lying too."
She walked upstairs. Why? Ren didn't want even to know; he was happy that she was gone.
"But I won't get into trouble when I get caught lying." She said, he very well knew that to be the truth.
He closed the door and locked it. Now there was no one to disturb them.
Renu was beside him, staring at him, her mouth open but not moving.
He was a bit worried. "What?"
She took a deep breath. "I just want to summarize what we are about to do and why. You see, the games that you designed are a bridge between two worlds; you are the key to ensuring the game unlocks early. You need to replicate the lifestyle of Gao Ming when he was alive, show the emotions that he showed, and then part of him left between two worlds would come for you, triggering the game."
Ren wanted to cry from the realization of how deep and dangerous the rabbit hole was that he had fallen into; it wasn't like he had a choice.
Ren needed to confirm, "Are you sure of this?"
She nodded. "Urban horror games are the worst that we can allow to grow fully; they enter the heart of anybody who has heard the story and devour them from within. Like that, there is nothing we can do about that. We trigger it early and strike it down; people will die, but it won't be as much as if we let it grow fully."
He still didn't like this. "You do realize I am part of the people that can die, I don't like how you think this isn't going to affect me."
Renu shook her head and put her right hand on top of his shoulder. "I, too, am also vulnerable to injury. I will be here to help, and you will be here to help if I get in trouble."
He took deep breaths; he had to do this, he could die by doing this.
"Okay, let's do this." He said, and she gave me a light punch to the shoulder. "That's the spirit, now let's trigger some spirits."
A giggle came out of Ren's mouth despite her line not being funny to him.
She smiled. "See, I am cheering you up."
He rolled his eyes. "It wasn't funny."
Her smile increased. "But you laughed."
He shook his head as Renu guided him to the front of the living room mirror. She had one of her blank photos with her.
Every single light in the apartment was switched off, and white candles were arranged and lit at the four corners of the sitting room.
Lightning flashed, and thunder roared outside as raindrops fell in torrents. Ren closed his eyes, controlled his breathing, and remembered everything he knew about Gao Ming.
Gao Ming, full name Gao Sun Ming, was an abandoned baby found by the old man they found mourning in the hallway. He never went to school; his clothes were third-hand, which would invite unnecessary bullying from the old man's second son, which he fought back, leading to a series of unstable issues.
He would win every fight with the second son flawlessly.
As Gao Ming grew up, he became a local boxer in the small district and used the money he earned to support his family.
No matter what, Gao Ming was mainly a cheerful person, greeting those he could see and later on the kids who would taunt him, calling him Brother Gao.
He became the person who was loved the most, no feuds, no rumors, no drama; he minded his own business.
He never married, as he didn't believe anyone would voluntarily want to be with him, but he would always join in to help his family in trouble, even when the old man's second son went to prison, despite all the tension they had endured. Gao Min still helped take care of his wife and son.
The fact that he committed suicide was such a strange and shocking effect on people. Ren noticed the early signs.
Years of punches from opponents had quickly come to affect him: dizziness, confusion, bruised face, and, most impactful, sudden, inconsistent memory loss. He would later retire after one fight, during which he fainted twice; he would later win that match, but he knew he couldn't continue like that.
The old man was always there for him and nurtured him, which made sense why he was emotional in the hallway.
The rest of the family absolutely hated him, making him aware that he was not blood or that he did something as unsophisticated as street boxing.
Ren could feel the pain Gao Ming felt. The temperature began to drop, and he could somehow feel the depression Gao Ming had felt before he jumped off the balcony.
His neck was squeezed by something, and he grabbed his neck to find nothing there; he couldn't breathe comfortably. His vision flashed with bright swirling light as he didn't even know what to say.
He could say nothing, as he couldn't control his own mouth; the atmosphere closed in on him, and he couldn't feel his body anymore.
He opened his eyes. All the candles had been extinguished, and the entire room was shrouded in oppressive darkness.
He stared at the mirror; the reflection wasn't his but rather a distorted and upside-down view of somewhere.
Bang!
A loud noise came from downstairs, and he rushed down to check.
In the courtyard, a mangled and twisted body with a snapped neck was staring up at the balcony where Ren was standing.