Just then, the doorbell rang.
The crisp ding-dong was jarring in the quiet room. I jumped, instinctively taking two steps back.
"Who is it?" I asked, mustering my courage.
"Little Li, it's me, Auntie Wang from across the hall. I saw you just moved in, so I made some scallion pancakes for you. You should eat them while they're hot," a gentle female voice came from outside.
A neighbor? Auntie Wang? My mind immediately flashed to the third rule in the handbook.
[If your neighbor gives you a gift... you must accept it with a smile... never, under any circumstances, consume it...]
My hand rested on the doorknob, unmoving. After last night's events, I no longer dared to treat this handbook as a joke.
"Little Li? Are you home?" Auntie Wang's voice called out again, now tinged with a hint of confusion.
I took a deep breath, forced the most natural smile I could manage onto my face, and opened the door.
Standing at the door was a woman in her fifties, wearing a clean, floral-print dress, her hair neatly combed. A kind smile graced her face, but it was stiff, as if measured with a ruler. The upward curve of her lips was so precise it was unnerving. Her eyes, much like the black cat's from yesterday, lacked the spark of a living person.
"Hello, Auntie Wang," I said, trying my best to sound enthusiastic.
"Oh, hello, hello." Auntie Wang handed me a plate wrapped in plastic film. "Freshly made scallion pancakes. Have a taste of my cooking. We're all neighbors now, so if you need anything, just ask."
"Thank you, Auntie, you're too kind!" I took the plate with both hands. It was warm to the touch. I could smell the fragrance of scallion and oil; it was very tempting.
"Don't mention it. Go on, eat up. They won't be as good when they're cold," Auntie Wang said, smiling at me again. That rigid smile sent a chill down my spine. Then, she turned, went back into her apartment, 403, and closed the door.
I stood at my doorway, holding the plate of pancakes, unable to move. The aroma kept wafting into my nostrils, seducing my stomach, which had been empty all night. But whenever I thought of the handbook's warning, the plate felt as heavy as lead.
I closed the door and immediately walked to the kitchen, peeling back the plastic wrap.
There were no scallion pancakes on the plate.
They were flat, doughy discs shaped into grotesque human faces. Twisted features, agonized expressions, with dark sauce used to paint on eyes and mouths. They looked bizarre and nauseating. A faint, fishy stench replaced the earlier scent of scallions, making my stomach churn.
Suppressing my disgust, I wrapped the "face cakes," plate and all, in several layers of garbage bags. Then, I hurried downstairs to find the red trash bin mentioned in the handbook.
The trash bin stood alone in a corner of the building, its red color so vivid it looked as if it had just been painted with blood, clashing with the surroundings. As I got closer, I noticed it had no lid and was completely empty, almost unnaturally clean.
I didn't overthink it. I quickly tossed the garbage bag in my hand into it. The bag fell into the bin without making a sound, as if swallowed by an invisible black hole.
I didn't dare linger. I turned to head back. Just as I was about to reach the building entrance, I ran into a man in a security guard's uniform.
He was tall and stick-thin, his cap pulled down so low I couldn't see his face.
"Hello," he spoke first, his voice hoarse, like rusty iron scraping together.
Remembering the fourth rule, I quickly squeezed out a smile. "Hello, sir."
"New here?" he asked.
"Yes, just moved in yesterday."
"Are you settling in alright?"
Here it was. The exact question from the handbook.
"Yes, very well!" I summoned the most sincere acting skills of my life. "The environment here is wonderful, and the neighbors are so friendly."
"Is that so?" The guard seemed to smile, but I couldn't see his expression. "Good. Are you happy?"
"Happy! Of course, I'm happy! I'm absolutely ecstatic to be living in such a great community!" I felt the muscles on my face stiffening from the forced smile.
The guard remained silent for a few seconds, which felt like an eternity to me. Then, he nodded and said hoarsely, "Good. Remember, in the Happy Community, you must always be happy."
After saying this, he walked past me with stiff strides, continuing his "patrol."
I let out a sigh of relief, feeling like I had just walked back from the gates of hell. Everyone and everything in this community exuded an indescribable eeriness. I had to figure out what was going on here, or find a way to leave.
Back in my apartment, I began to meticulously search every corner, hoping to find some clue left by a previous tenant. I rummaged through all the drawers and cabinets. Finally, on the top shelf of the bedroom closet, in a very inconspicuous corner, my fingers touched something small, taped to the back of the wooden panel.
I painstakingly pried it off and found a small USB drive.
My heart instantly accelerated. I immediately took out my laptop and plugged the drive in.
There was only one text document on it, titled—"Survive."
I clicked it open. The contents made me feel as if I had been plunged into an icy cavern.
"If you're reading this, it means that, like me, you are trapped in this hell called the 'Happy Community.' Don't believe a word the real estate agent told you. This isn't some affordable paradise; it's a monster that devours everything."
"My name is Zhang Wei, the tenant before your predecessor. I lived here for 27 days. On the 28th day, I didn't wake up. I don't know how you got that handbook, but please, I beg you, treat it as your life!"
"Most of the rules in the handbook are real. You do not want to know the consequences of breaking them. But I am using my life to add a few things the handbook doesn't tell you. I hope it helps you live a little longer."
"Supplementary Rule 1: Regarding the Black Cat. The handbook is right about not looking at it. But if you're cornered and can't escape, feed it. With your own blood. What it truly wants isn't cat food."
"Supplementary Rule 2: Regarding the Midnight 'Visitors'. They imitate your loved ones to break you down emotionally and make you open the door. Remember, they have no physical form. As long as you don't open the door or draw the curtains, they can't harm you. But if you run out of salt, you must buy more before dark. Sprinkling salt on your doorstep and windowsills will keep them at a greater distance."
"Supplementary Rule 3: Regarding the Neighbors' 'Gifts'. The handbook tells you to throw them in the red trash bin. This is a trap! The red trash bin is 'its' dinner plate. By throwing the food in, you are feeding 'it'. The correct way is to flush the food down the toilet. It might clog it, but that's better than getting 'its' attention."
"Supplementary Rule 4: Regarding the Security Guard. The handbook tells you to be honest with him because he can detect lies. Once he finds out you're lying, he will mark you as an 'unhappy person.' I dare not imagine the consequences of being marked. But he has a weakness: he is an extreme neat freak. You can use this. Also, he carries a set of keys on his belt. Those keys are extremely important. They are the only hope of leaving this place. But don't try to steal them. You will die horribly."
"Supplementary Rule 5: Regarding the Little Girl in the Red Dress. She is the most terrifying entity in this community. The handbook tells you to close your eyes and count to 10 to save you, because she loves looking into fearful eyes. But the handbook doesn't tell you what to do if she's still there after 10 seconds. I'll tell you: give her a piece of candy. Any candy will do. Then, run as fast as you can and don't look back. She will stop to eat the candy and temporarily forget about you."
"Supplementary Rule 6: Regarding the Handbook Itself. Rule 8, 'Please do not entirely trust this handbook,' is the most crucial rule of all. The handbook is filled with lies and traps, just like Rule 3. You need to figure them out, to test them. It's difficult, but it's the only way to survive."
"Finally, about leaving. The guard's key opens a hidden hatch under the central flower bed in the community. That is the real exit. The main gate is fake. Do not attempt to leave through the main gate. You will see horrors that will haunt you for the rest of your life."
"My time is up. I've hidden this USB drive here, hoping someone after me finds it. Good luck, my unknown friend. Survive."
After reading the document, I was freezing, my hands and feet trembling. The information Zhang Wei had exchanged his life for was like a beacon, illuminating the dark, bizarre world before me, but it also revealed a deeper despair.
I had been doing it wrong from the very beginning. I had thrown the "face cakes" into the red trash bin, which was tantamount to formally introducing myself to the unknown "it."
I didn't dare to think any further. I committed the contents of the document to memory, then formatted the USB drive, snapped it in half, and flushed it down the toilet.
Now, my objectives were clear: first, survive; second, find a way to get the key to freedom from that neat-freak security guard.