Kaleidoscope of Death

CHAPTER 29: THE THIRD DOOR

After sleeping in the hospital for a whole day, Ruan Nanzhu finally regained consciousness the next day.

Concerned for Ruan Nanzhu's well-being, Lin Qiushi stayed by his side this entire time and kept watch, out of fear that another accident might befall the other. Several members from the villa visited the ward where Ruan Nanzhu was resting, but they soon left after receiving news that nothing serious happened and that Ruan Nanzhu wasn't gravely injured.

When Ruan Nanzhu woke up, Lin Qiushi was still browsing the news on his mobile phone. He didn't know whether he was imagining things, or perhaps even overthinking, but he felt as though quite a lot of people had been met with morbidly tragic accidents within these past two days; in fact, these people had died oddly peculiar, abnormal deaths. In one of the news articles, three individuals, who had been trapped in an elevator that had suddenly malfunctioned, had died almost simultaneously; apparently, a fire broke out in the elevator as it was stuck midair, and the three, who were unable to escape, were burned alive in the end.

After reading the article, Lin Qiushi glanced up at Ruan Nanzhu, only to see that the other's eyes were open. But although he was awake, he did not say a word or move a muscle; he merely gazed at the ceiling above his head, silent and unresponsive.

Lin Qiushi was very worried about Ruan Nanzhu's current state. He softly exclaimed, "Nanzhu!"

Yet, Ruan Nanzhu didn't utter a sound. His gaze slowly drifted towards Lin Qiushi. The depths of his inky eyes swirled with a deep, mysterious emotion, a look so enigmatic that Lin Qiushi simply couldn't fathom it, no matter how long he stared into the other's abyss-like eyes.

"Are you thirsty?" Seeing that the other's lips were slightly dry and cracked, Lin Qiushi went over to his side and carefully supported his body so that he was sitting upright. He then reached for the glass of warm water and brought it up to the other's mouth. "The doctor said that there aren't any major problems with your body. You're just extremely exhausted, and if you continue to tire yourself out, it will result in burnout. Just rest for a few days, and it should be fine."

Ruan Nanzhu steadily gulped the water down. He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply, before saying, "I know."

Lin Qiushi asked, "Are you hungry? I'll bring you some congee."

"It's fine. I'm not hungry." Ruan Nanzhu hoarsely responded. "You've been sitting by my side this entire time, which means you also know where my cell phone is, yes?"

Immediately after Lin Qiushi handed him his phone, Ruan Nanzhu dialed a number. Lin Qiushi didn't know what the person on the other end of the line was saying, or what the two were even discussing, but after a few grunts and hums of understanding, Ruan Nanzhu hung up the phone.

"The theme for Cheng Qianli's fifth door has appeared." Ruan Nanzhu declared. "You will enter with him in a couple of days."

"Alright." Without an ounce of hesitation or reluctance, Lin Qiushi dutifully accepted Ruan Nanzhu's arrangements.

"I'll check out what's going on here first, but I'll try to join you two if I can." Ruan Nanzhu slightly narrowed his eyes. "Though, I am not entirely certain if I will be able to join; it all depends on the situation. However, I will try my best."

"Don't push yourself too hard." Lin Qiushi insisted, "I can go alone. It'll be fine."

Ruan Nanzhu simply shook his head without answering.

Soon after, Lin Qiushi learned that this was actually Ruan Nanzhu's tenth door. The man who had entered with him was from another organization, and he was also on his tenth door. The relationship between the two was fairly good; in fact, they were somewhat close to one another. Unfortunately, the only one who managed to survive and escape from their shared tenth door was Ruan Nanzhu.