Chapter 1: The Strange Friend Request and the Murder Case
In the Elevator
Ding-dong!
[Hot Noodles] has requested to add you as a friend.
Looking at the WeChat notification on her phone, Fang Xiaocao instinctively accepted the request.
She raised an eyebrow and muttered, “Who else but me would use such a weird username?”
Back in middle school, her QQ username had also been [Hot Noodles].
As she stepped out of the elevator, she fished for her keys while walking toward her apartment.
Ding-dong!
[Your friend has sent you a message.]
Just as she unlocked her door, her phone chimed again.
She glanced at the screen—it was a WeChat message.
“Could it be my paycheck coming in?” she murmured before tapping the notification.
[Hot Noodles]: It’s dangerous. Don’t go home tonight.
Seeing the message, Fang Xiaocao rolled her eyes and cursed, “What kind of psycho—?” as she pushed open the door.
Tossing off her high heels, she slipped into her slippers and collapsed onto the couch.
“I’m exhausted… Who even invented high heels? They’re torture devices!” she complained, rubbing her sore feet.
Fang Xiaocao was a freshman at an art university. She often took part-time jobs to earn some extra pocket money.
To make commuting easier, she had rented a small one-bedroom apartment off-campus.
As the National Day holiday had just started, she had taken on a gig as a reception hostess for a hotel’s grand opening and had just gotten off work.
Midnight Warning
Ding-dong!
Her phone screen lit up again.
[Your friend has sent you a message.]
Glancing at it, she saw it was another WeChat notification.
She grabbed her phone and tapped on the message.
[Hot Noodles]: At midnight, if you hear knocking on your door, don’t turn on the lights. Stay silent if you don’t want to die!]
“What kind of lunatic—?”
Furious at this obvious prank, she immediately hit the video call button.
[Contact does not exist.]
The only response she got was this system notification.
Her brows furrowed. Thinking the sender had some kind of privacy setting enabled, she tried sending a voice message instead.
“Do you have a screw loose? Brain damage? Or are you just that desperate for attention that you pull off these low-level pranks?”
[Contact does not exist.]
“Huh?”
She stared at her phone, stunned.
She attempted to block the contact, but found that aside from the chat window, all other functions were disabled—she couldn’t even delete the friend.
“Did my phone get hacked?”
“But I haven’t clicked on any shady links…”
After a moment of internal debate, she gave up.
She was simply too tired. All she wanted now was sleep.
After a quick shower, she climbed into bed and dozed off.
The Knock at Midnight
Knock, knock, knock—
The rhythmic knocking shattered the midnight silence, pulling Fang Xiaocao from her sleep.
The persistent sound gnawed at her nerves.
Annoyed, she sat up groggily and grumbled, “Who the hell…?” as she reached for the bedside lamp.
But then—
Her hand trembled.
That strange WeChat message surfaced in her mind.
She instinctively grabbed her phone and checked the time.
00:00:00
Her heart skipped a beat.
A shiver ran down her spine as fear crept in.
With trembling hands, she opened WeChat.
The messages on the screen…
Exactly mirrored the current scene!
She reflexively pulled her blanket tight around herself, holding her breath and straining her ears to listen.
Her apartment was in an old building with poor soundproofing.
But then—relief.
The knocking was at her neighbor’s door.
Click!
The sound of a lock turning.
Then the soft creak of a door opening.
Her heart clenched. Her hands balled into fists.
That WeChat message flashed in her mind again.
She wanted to warn her neighbor, but fear gripped her throat.
Her wide eyes brimmed with terror as she covered her mouth to stifle a scream.
“Who are you?”
“Do you realize it’s late? You’re disturbing people!”
Her neighbor’s impatient voice rang out in the hallway.
Phew—
Fang Xiaocao let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
“Good, good… No break-in or murder scenario…”
She patted her chest, calming her frayed nerves.
For a brief moment, she had felt like she was suffocating.
“Ahh—!”
“What are you doing—?!”
Suddenly, her neighbor’s scream pierced the air.
All color drained from Fang Xiaocao’s face.
Her body went rigid as cold sweat drenched her.
Panic. Terror. Unease.
Her whole body trembled uncontrollably.
She bit down on her blanket to stop herself from screaming.
“Ahhh—!”
“Mmph—!”
The scream was abruptly cut off.
A thud.
The sound of something heavy falling.
A dragging noise.
A man’s ragged breathing.
The thick scent of blood filled the air.
These sounds overlapped, creating a horrifying symphony that assaulted her eardrums.
She clamped her hands over her ears and buried herself under the blanket.
Tears of pure terror leaked from her eyes, soaking the fabric.
Her rational mind screamed: Call the police!
But fear kept her paralyzed.
She didn’t dare make a sound.
She didn’t dare gamble on whether her flimsy wooden door could withstand an enraged killer’s attack before the police arrived.
Knock, knock, knock—
The knocking returned.
This time, it was on her own door.
Her body stiffened.
She bit down on her blanket, trying desperately not to scream.
“Nobody home?”
A low male voice murmured outside.
Footsteps.
Fading away.
Descending the stairs.
She wanted to check, but fear left her limp and powerless.
She didn’t know how long she stayed like that.
At some point, exhaustion won over fear, and she drifted into uneasy sleep.
The Morning After
Loud noises outside her door startled her awake.
She checked the time—06:35 AM.
It was daylight!
She exhaled shakily, relief washing over her.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A loud pounding on her door.
“Open up! Police!”
Hearing the word “police,” her eyes lit up.
She stumbled out of bed, sprinting barefoot to the door.
Peeking through the peephole, she confirmed their uniforms before fumbling with trembling hands to unlock it.
A man flashed his badge.
“Ma’am, I’m Wang Qiang from the city’s Criminal Investigation Unit.”
“We need to ask you some questions.”
Her voice quivered as she asked, “What… what happened to my neighbor?”
Wang Qiang frowned.
He exchanged a glance with his colleague before asking, “Can you tell us what happened last night?”
(End of Chapter 1)
