An inexplicable chill suddenly surged, instantly rising from the soles of her feet to her scalp and numbing the back of her head.

Manjusaka was hiding in the corner of the staircase entrance. The space behind the large door there was ample, enough to comfortably accommodate one person, perhaps even a few more...

Her neck stiffened as she slowly turned her head.

A pale face was floating right behind her.

"AH!"

Ji Bie Li, still fearfully climbing upward, heard a startling shriek from below; it was a woman's voice.

Because Ji Bie Li had deliberately lightened her steps, her pace was slow; she had only just reached the nineteenth floor.

Yet, the screaming seemed to be nearby.

Upon hearing the sound, Ji Bie Li immediately stopped.

She gripped the railing tightly and peered cautiously down through the gaps in the staircase. The stairwell wasn't as dark as the rooms, so she could make out some details even without lights.

Suddenly, a man's scream echoed as well.

She recognized the voice. The survivors had all met at the beginning of the instance, and this voice belonged to one of them.

Immediately afterward, she saw a hand suddenly grasp the railing on a lower floor. The hand's owner, seemingly panic-stricken, was scrambling wildly downstairs.

A few seconds later, she saw another hand grab the railing.

The person following was also frantically running downwards, as if both had encountered some terrible misfortune.

Ji Bie Li furrowed her brow. The two people fleeing wildly are definitely players, and one of them is likely the Hunter who was following me. They must have encountered a ghost.

Listening to the hurried footsteps from below fade away, Ji Bie Li felt a little strange.

Strange, are there really that many ghosts in this instance?

Just these few floors of the office building are home to two ghosts. Going by this density, there would have to be at least four or five ghosts on a single street.

But I haven't seen that many ghosts.

The sounds of frantic escape from the lower floors gradually faded. Ji Bie Li didn't linger; she decided to continue climbing.

Just then, she suddenly realized that the floors above had been eerily quiet.

Strange. If the ghost is looking for me, it's unlikely to be completely silent. There should at least be the sound of doors opening and closing, right?

But now, the upper floors seemed like a stagnant pool, utterly still.

Not a stir from above, yet players encountered a ghost below...

Connecting these two points, a daring idea suddenly formed in Ji Bie Li's mind.

Could it be... the ghost hunting me has gone downstairs?

Was the ghost that was just chasing those two players the same one that was after me earlier?

But in such a short time, how could that ghost have leaped over so many floors, bypassed me, and gone downstairs?

Thinking of this, Ji Bie Li's heart suddenly clenched. Could it... teleport?

If the ghost in this instance can actually teleport, then it's likely none of the ten players here will leave this instance alive!

Ji Bie Li's mind raced, but not for long. She quickly composed her somewhat horrified expression, lifted her foot, and continued upward.

The Doctor who called me said that a ghost who is also a survivor might not be able to kill. I should go to the rooftop first and check the city's situation... to see whether the ghost can teleport, or if there's more than just one ghost in this instance...

Reassured by this thought, she quickened her pace and hurried up the stairs.

Manjusaka had learned the hard way from the last chase, when they split up, that it was a bad idea. She definitely wasn't going to split up this time.

Upon discovering the ghost hiding right behind her, she immediately leaped out and sprinted towards the stairs.

The survivor named "This Nickname Is Already Taken"—whether scared by her or the ghost—sprinted even faster than she did, disappearing down the stairs in a flash. Manjusaka quickly followed.

The survivor in front, "This Nickname Is Already Taken," saw the danger, abruptly braked at a landing, and then dashed into the corridor.

Manjusaka hadn't expected him to stop so suddenly. With the ghost right behind her, stopping meant getting caught.

Her only option was to keep rushing down.

She clenched her fists and, using all her strength, shot down the stairs like a monkey with its backside on fire.

But Manjusaka was no nimble monkey. As she frantically scrambled down, her foot, unsteady from the excessive speed, suddenly twisted. This "monkey" instantly curled into a ball and tumbled down.

By the time she managed to get up, nothing but her own ragged breathing could be heard.

It... it didn't chase me? Manjusaka rubbed her aching joints, her wide eyes scanning her surroundings in bewilderment. Did it go after the other person?

The ghost had been so close it could have reached out and touched her. Yet, it had abandoned her to chase another survivor who wasn't even close to it.

Then, Manjusaka suddenly remembered something similar happening before.

Not long ago, because her mind wasn't clear, she'd practically thrown herself at the ghost when it was chasing her.

But that ghost hadn't seemed to appreciate the gesture; it too had been dead set on chasing a survivor...

Because I got a good look at the ghost just now, I remember its face. The ghost from moments ago and the one I encountered last time... they seem to be exactly the same!

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