Their butts lifted from the chairs.
The two prepared to return to their respective homes for rest.
Ke Bei walked ahead while Xiao Q followed behind. Ke Bei pulled open the door.
A vast shadow entered their vision, causing momentary discomfort.
Looking up, they were shocked to see someone standing at the doorway.
The person appeared about 1.8 meters tall - nothing unusual, except his exceptionally broad frame made him seem enormous.
Then they realized this man stood extremely close, almost pressed against Ke Bei face-to-face.
There was no telling how long he'd been standing there.
"Who are you?"
"Dodge!"
Just as Ke Bei prepared to speak again, Xiao Q suddenly yanked him backward.
The man at the door, who had kept both hands behind his back, suddenly swung them upward in a circular motion - a sharp axe came crashing down toward Ke Bei's original position. Had Xiao Q not pulled him away in time, Ke Bei might have died from that single axe blow.
"What the hell? Attacking without warning?"
Ke Bei shouted, his heart still pounding.
Before he finished speaking, the distinct roar of a chainsaw filled the air.
The masked man now wielded a massive chainsaw that had somehow appeared in his hands.
The chainsaw roared to life, its terrifying buzz sending chills down their spines.
"Fuck! Texas Chainsaw Massacre?!"
Xiao Q cursed loudly.
The man's outfit perfectly matched the killer from Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Of course, this couldn't actually be him!
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was just a film series - fictional characters, not real!
Yet this imposter seemed more terrifying than the real thing.
Xiao Q couldn't help recalling that night of chainsaw-induced terror.
"Run!"
He shouted desperately, searching for an escape route.
The activity room was spacious with both front and rear exits. Now the front was blocked, leaving only the back door.
But when Xiao Q reached it, he found it wouldn't budge - as if chained shut from outside.
"Here!"
Ke Bei yelled.
Fortunately they were on the first floor - the windows offered escape.
Had this been the second or third floor, jumping would have meant serious injury if not death.
Ke Bei escaped through the window first.
Xiao Q followed just in time - as he leaped out, the chainsaw's roar reached the window behind them, shattering the glass explosively.
Neither were ordinary civilians - one a former private investigator, the other a criminology student who'd survived a chainsaw manhunt before.
After running a safe distance, they turned to see if their pursuer followed.
The result surprised them.
They expected the man to chase through the window, but when they looked back - nothing.
Gone.
Completely vanished!!!
"Maybe he's coming around through the door?"
Not taking chances, they circled cautiously to the apartment entrance but saw no sign of the chainsaw killer.
"Why isn't he chasing?"
Ke Bei frowned.
As they puzzled over this, a male voice suddenly spoke behind them, startling them into whirling around.
A powerfully built security guard in his thirties stood there in uniform.
"Is everything alright, gentlemen?" the guard asked curiously.
"There's a chainsaw killer in your apartment chasing us!" Xiao Q panted.
The guard blinked, then chuckled. "Don't joke like that. I remember you - you're one of those chased by those foreign tenants before. But that's over now - one dead, one arrested. Where would another chainsaw killer come from? Making a movie?"
"Come see for yourself if you don't believe us," Ke Bei said.
After consideration, the guard nodded, retrieved nunchucks from his booth, and followed them to the first-floor activity room.
Now only the lights remained on - the room stood empty.
"Don't see any chainsaw killer here," the guard smiled.
"He's gone now, but check the window - you'll see where his chainsaw struck."
The guard examined the escape window and paled at the damage - shattered wood frame and glass everywhere.
"Well?" Ke Bei approached.
"Window's definitely damaged," the guard admitted. "But we should check surveillance footage to confirm."
"Perfect - we want to see where that chainsaw man came from and went."
The three headed to security, only to find the monitoring room locked - the key with manager Xiao Zhang.
They tracked down Xiao Zhang, fortunately still awake gaming.
Hearing their story, he remained skeptical.
Two chainsaw maniacs recently dealt with, and now another?
The four reviewed security footage together - and collectively gasped.
The footage showed the hulking chainsaw killer emerging from a blind spot.
He first chained the activity room's back door shut, then pressed himself against the front door.
He maintained this position for a full twenty minutes.
Then came the door opening, the interior footage.
Ke Bei and Xiao Q's window escape.
The killer stood at the window, staring intently before finally leaving... and vanishing again into another blind spot.
Manager Xiao Zhang and the guard exchanged wide-eyed glances.
"Xiao Gao, what do you think?" Xiao Zhang asked the guard.
Security captain Xiao Gao - the same guard Jiang Ran first met upon arriving - answered decisively:
"Call the police! Let them handle this!"
"Agreed!" Xiao Zhang nodded, then addressed Ke Bei and Xiao Q: "Deeply sorry about this incident. We'll resolve it quickly! You gentlemen should return home for now - we'll notify you of any developments."
After exchanging glances, Ke Bei and Xiao Q agreed and left.
"Why didn't he chase us?" Ke Bei wondered in the elevator.
"Not sure," Xiao Q replied. "Maybe he knew he couldn't catch us outside."
"Regardless," Ke Bei said grimly, "this place is more dangerous than we thought. Stay sharp - let's not die here!"