Kaleidoscope of Death

CHAPTER 40: THE FOURTH DOOR

After discussing matters with Tan Zaozao, Ruan Nanzhu immediately began looking into the contents of the note to Tan Zaozao's door.

This was to be Tan Zaozao's third door. With that in mind, it shouldn't be too difficult to solve, but taking precautions never hurt; after all, it was always better to safe than sorry. As of right now, the note before them had five words written on it—The Woman of the Rain1.

Only after he finished investigating more about the hint, did Ruan Nanzhu inform Lin Qiushi on what was to be expected, briefly explaining the background of The Woman of the Rain. The Woman of the Rain was a portrait painted by a Ukrainian artist. This painting depicted a ghostly-pale lady, donning a large black hat; her eyes were lightly closed, and droplets of rain fell from the brim of her hat, trickling down her cheeks. Her appearance made it seem as though she had just attended a funeral, for her garments were blacker than a silhouette, and the expression on her face was ever so solemn, cold and detached, frostier than a wintry night shrouded by dark clouds.

Lin Qiushi had seen this painting before. Granted, what he saw was only a replica; however, he was still quite familiar with this art piece. Although the mysterious woman in the portrait had her eyes closed, the longer one continued to observe her, the wider her eyes seemed to become, opening ever so gradually and staring directly into one's soul.

The tone of the whole piece was dark and ominous, with the cooler colors of the flowing rain blending with the inky shades of the dreary clouds, creating a touch of disharmony and anxiety, a sense of melancholy and dread.

If not all, the history of this painting was quite peculiar. This work of art was bought by three separate individuals, only to be returned by all three in the end. According to the reports, all buyers claimed that after they purchased the painting, odd things began to happen. The feeling of being followed by that lady in black kept plaguing them; she was like a shadow that attached itself to one's body. Even in their dreams, they could never escape her haunting figure.

Every night, the woman appeared to be getting closer and closer to them, nearer and nearer... At long last, the buyers weren't able to bear that tormenting situation anymore, so they anxiously returned the painting to its original owner.

Indeed, this surreal painting gave off nothing but bad vibes. Lin Qiushi then closed the webpage after reading.

Ruan Nanzhu, who was sitting beside him, handed him a silver bracelet and told him to wear it on his wrist for the next few days. In addition, he gave the other a warning, reminding him to remove and hide the bracelet immediately upon entering the door, so that others won't catch sight of it.

Lin Qiushi asked, "Are you worried that other organizations might find out about it?"

"Well," replied Ruan Nanzhu, "While that is one of the reasons, there's actually another reason for doing this."

Lin Qiushi wondered, "What other reason?"

Ruan Nanzhu glanced at the bracelet, "Because the bracelet is cursed."

Lin Qiushi: "..."

Ruan Nanzhu continued, "Oh, by the way, the earring that you're currently wearing is also cursed. Its effects aren't as intense though."

Lin Qiushi reflexively touched the ruby stud on his earlobe. After it had been forcibly pierced into his ear by Ruan Nanzhu, he had completely forgotten about it, as if it never existed in the first place. To say he was a tad surprised at Ruan Nanzhu's statement would be an understatement, "It's cursed?"

Ruan Nanzhu responded, "Yes, but you have nothing to worry about. Aside from the fact that it can be used to find people, it's practically useless."