The Coffin’s Voice and a Fateful Choice

Chen Jinquan, having already taken a step, immediately froze.

A look of bewildered surprise crossed his face.

It was rather strange.

This time, the voice wasn’t echoing in his mind as it had before.

Instead, it resonated within the elevator, directly in his ear.

Upon closer distinction, the voice seemed muffled, as if obstructed by something.

After a moment of faint confusion, Chen Jinquan suddenly recalled something, his eyes flickering.

He glanced down at the lunchbox he carried in his left hand.

More precisely, he was holding a pink cloth bag, within which the lunchbox resided.

Chen Jinquan lifted the pink cloth bag to his front.

His right hand reached out, both hands grasping a strap of the bag as he slowly opened its mouth.

The moment he saw the object inside the bag, Chen Jinquan’s face instantly turned ashen.

The bag contained no cute pink lunchbox at all.

Instead, it was undeniably a small… coffin!

“Ugh!”

Chen Jinquan felt his stomach churn, dry heaving repeatedly.

He… he had been eating from a coffin!

What on earth had he been eating?!

His face ghastly, Chen Jinquan frantically tossed the cloth bag away.

The bag landed in the corner of the elevator, and the dark brown coffin tumbled out.

Seeing the tiny coffin and associating it with something repulsive, Chen Jinquan bent over, dry heaving once more.

Yet, it was only dry heaving; nothing emerged from his mouth.

This, however, filled Chen Jinquan with even greater dread and disgust.

He stared, his eyes bloodshot, a fierce resolve flashing within them.

Chen Jinquan shoved two fingers into his mouth, reaching deep inside to prod the base of his tongue where it connected to his throat.

“Ugh! Ugh!”

The forced physical induction of vomiting, coupled with the sudden, agonizing spasms in his stomach, brought tears to Chen Jinquan’s eyes.

Yet, all that he expelled was a viscous puddle of clear saliva.

The absence of any strange, disgusting substances brought him a slight sense of relief.

But then, Chen Jinquan’s expression grew peculiar once more.

The fact that he couldn’t vomit anything meant he hadn’t ingested food in a very long time!

Yet, he felt no hunger whatsoever.

Could it be due to the overwhelming tension and fear?

As if to confirm, he rubbed his stomach.

His belly was concave, allowing Chen Jinquan to confirm he had definitely not eaten anything for a prolonged period.

Despite this, he felt a strange ‘fullness’ in his abdomen.

Moreover, there was something else… a chill?

Chen Jinquan carefully focused his senses, discovering a cool sensation in his abdomen.

It wasn’t unpleasant; rather, it brought a peculiar sense of comfort.

His expression still one of confusion, Chen Jinquan slowly approached the small coffin in the corner of the elevator.

As he drew closer, he began to examine the coffin intently once more.

Eerie yet beautiful patterns coiled around the coffin.

The instant he saw these patterns, Chen Jinquan froze in astonished stupor.

A floodgate in his memory suddenly burst open, and a series of fragmented images began to surface in Chen Jinquan’s mind.

“Are you full? If you’re full, transform for me!”…

He watched catgirl anime, then picked up his own tabby cat, commanding it, “Transform for me!”…

“Which unlucky bastard put this thing outside my door!”…

He had thought his takeout arrived, but upon opening the door, he saw a coffin and cursed vehemently.

Only after that did the actual delivery arrive.

He had even called the deliveryman, the takeout guy, and Old Wang from next door to help him inspect the package.

Inside the elevator, Chen Jinquan rubbed his head, his eyes fixed with terror on the tiny coffin in the corner.

The patterns on that coffin were identical to those on the one that had suddenly appeared at his doorstep in his memories.

Chen Jinquan subconsciously retreated several steps.

These steps brought him perilously close to the elevator door; just two more, and he would be completely out.

“Do not go out.”

The gentle female voice resonated again at that moment.

Having been focused on the coffin in the corner, Chen Jinquan was now certain.

The voice was emanating from that very coffin!

Chen Jinquan covered his face with his hands, which then slowly slid down.

His expression hinted at utter collapse.

The terror he had resolved to confront back home had been by his side all along…

He began to dry heave again.

Chen Jinquan knew that the daily lunchboxes he ate were absolutely not normal food.

Something sinister must have been planted within his body by her. How could he possibly escape her control?

His mental state, much like his expression, was slowly disintegrating.

Chen Jinquan’s leg moved backward.

“Do not go out.”

The voice from the coffin spoke again.

Chen Jinquan’s bloodshot eyes twitched.

On the verge of breaking down, he roared, “Why should I listen to you!?”

He certainly didn’t believe the other party was warning him out of goodwill.

He was a small, helpless white rabbit, with a wicked wolf ahead and a fierce tiger behind.

In his view, the ‘kind’ warning from the wicked wolf was merely an act of ‘guarding its prey’.

This ‘prey-guarding’ behavior also seemed to confirm that the wicked wolf feared the even more powerful tiger lurking behind him.

In his state of utter despair, Chen Jinquan decided to fight to the bitter end.

Chen Jinquan’s features contorted into a crumpled mess.

Biting his lip tightly, his legs trembling, he took another step back.

“You are not allowed to go out!”

The voice underwent a shift, growing somewhat urgent.

Its previously gentle tone had transformed into a command.

“Hahahaha!”

Chen Jinquan began to laugh maniacally.

“Hahahahahaha!”

His laughter grew louder and louder, gradually becoming hoarse.

Tears streamed from his eyes as he laughed.

Finally! It seemed he had gained the upper hand in his struggle against her for the very first time.

This came at the cost of offering himself to something far more powerful than her.

Chen Jinquan knew that stepping out of the elevator would lead him to something even more bizarre and terrifying than her.

Yet, at this moment, he laughed with a triumphant air.

“You’re desperate! Haha! You’re desperate!”

He let out a sorrowful yet defiant roar:

“Get lost! I won’t listen to you!”

After this roar, Chen Jinquan felt a sudden relaxation wash over his body.

There was nothing left to fear…

His expression placid, he calmly retreated.

The moment he stepped out of the elevator, he saw the small coffin suddenly erupt with dense black mist.

Within the black mist, the coffin rapidly expanded.

Chen Jinquan offered a faint smile.

Thud!

The elevator doors slammed shut.

Outside the elevator, the smile on Chen Jinquan’s face instantly froze the moment the doors closed.

Moments later, he turned with stiff movements.

A brief moment after that, Chen Jinquan abruptly turned his head in confusion.

He then reached up to touch his head, pulled out his phone to check the time, and mumbled to himself:

“I’m home quite early today…”

He took two steps forward before realizing, “Oh, right.”

“My performance was good last month, so Manager Zhang specifically let our department off early today. He said he wanted to treat us to dinner…”

He quickened his pace toward his front door.

“I need to take a quick shower and change into something suitable.”

He swiftly reached the door marked “1204,” pulled out his keys, and unlocked it.

“Mimi! I’m home!”

He called out, but in truth, the alert tabby cat had already heard the sound when he opened the door.

Thus, just as his words faded, an adorable tabby cat had already bounded cheerfully to his feet.

“Meow~ Meow~!”

The tabby cat mewled affectionately, its fluffy head continually rubbing against Chen Jinquan’s calf.

“Haha! You must be starving!”

Chen Jinquan chuckled as he crouched down, scooping the tabby cat into his arms and stroking its soft fur.

The tabby cat, seemingly soothed by his practiced touch, began to purr contentedly.

Chen Jinquan offered a heartwarming smile, then quickly entered the house to prepare cat food for the tabby.

Crouching beside the tabby cat as it ate, Chen Jinquan stroked its back a few more times.

Each time, the cat would turn its head to glance at him, then let out a “Meow~,” as if telling him not to disturb its meal.

“Haha, Mimi, be good! You eat first. I’m going to shower, then I’ll be out for an engagement. I might be back late tonight, so don’t go rummaging around the house, okay?”

Chen Jinquan spoke to the tabby cat as if it were family.

However, the cat simply buried its head, devouring its food, so Chen Jinquan stopped talking and went to attend to his own matters.

He finished his shower quickly and was blow-drying his hair when his phone rang.

He rushed out of the bathroom and saw it was Manager Zhang!

He hastily answered the call.

“Hello! Manager Zhang!”

“Jinquan, why are you still calling me ‘Manager’ and ‘Manager’ outside of work? I’m a few years older than you; calling me ‘Brother’ wouldn’t be too much, would it?”

“How could it be?! Hehe, Brother Zhang!”

“That’s much better to hear. Jinquan, my car is parked right at the entrance of your estate. How long until you’re ready?”

“Oh! Manager Zhang, why trouble yourself…”

“Hey, hey, hey! What did you say!?”

“Uh… Brother Zhang, Brother Zhang, for you to come personally, how can I…”

“If you’re feeling embarrassed, then stop with the formalities and hurry up! Everyone’s waiting for you!”

“Alright! I’ll be there in five minutes!”

“Hurry up! If the traffic police give me a ticket, it’s on you, you know.”

“Coming right away! Right away!”

“Haha! Just kidding! Take your time, dress smartly. Tonight, you, Supervisor Chen, are the main character!”

“Hehe, Brother Zhang, you’re just joking now…”

“I won’t keep you. You get ready.”

“Okay.”

The call ended, and Chen Jinquan felt a surge of delight.

Humming a tune, he styled his hair handsomely and donned a mature yet stylish suit.

Then, he cheerfully stepped out the door.

In the hallway, Chen Jinquan encountered Old Wang, who was on his way home.

“Yo! Old Chen, going out on a date?”

“What kind of date could I have… It’s just a department gathering.”

“That cheerful spirit of yours means you either got a bonus or a promotion, right?”

“Hehe, I got a promotion last month.”

“Whoa! Promoted last month? You kept that from me! No way, you absolutely have to treat us! Let’s you and I, brothers, have a good drink!”

“Alright! How about this weekend?”

“No problem!”

“Then I’ll head downstairs now.”

“Mhm, let’s drink until we drop this weekend!”

“Until we drop!”…

Chen Jinquan bid farewell to Old Wang and walked to the elevator doors.

He didn’t press the button to go down.

He simply stood before the elevator doors, his face shifting through various expressions from time to time.