Chapter 1Snake skin in the community building

In the hallway, a gigantic snake skin was discovered. I quickly alerted my neighbors in the group chat to be cautious.

"Make sure to close your doors and windows! Snakes can swallow things much larger than themselves. This one is enormous, and after shedding, it will soon be on the hunt for food!"

However, my neighbors brushed off my warnings, laughing at me for being overly cautious. The property management promptly replied, "There's no snake in this building. Some residents need to stop spreading panic."

"Hiss, hiss."

So, what's out there in the hallway now?

While cleaning, the neighborhood janitor found a large snake skin in the building. Initially, everyone thought it was just a prank and that the snake skin must be fake. How could a snake possibly find its way into a high-end apartment?

Having grown up in the mountains with my grandfather, I recognized it immediately. It was a freshly shed snake skin, which meant the snake had grown even larger. I quickly warned everyone in the chat, "Close your doors and windows! Snakes can swallow things much larger than themselves. This one is huge, and after shedding, it will immediately look for food!"

My caution was met with ridicule, as many believed that being in the city center, far from the suburbs, meant there was no chance of a snake being around. If there were a snake, surely someone would have seen it by now.

The mom from Apartment 606 said, "908, stop trying to scare everyone! We're not in the countryside, so where would a snake come from?"

She had a point, but what if someone was keeping it as a pet? After all, it's not unusual for people to keep snakes as pets. I couldn't help but continue in the chat, "Maybe someone is keeping it at home. Everyone should still be cautious."

The chat filled with snake emojis, as no one took it seriously. Only the resident from 707 seemed concerned: "If someone really is keeping such a large snake, maybe its owner has already been eaten?"

The chat fell silent after that. The property management tried to reassure everyone, sarcastically adding, "There's no snake in this building. Some residents need to stop spreading panic."

Just then, my takeout arrived, and I was about to open the door when a scream erupted from outside. I couldn't reach the delivery person by phone. Instinctively, I hesitated to open the door. After a while, I peeked through the peephole and saw a foot slowly vanish from view. Pressing my ear to the door, I heard a distinct sound.

"Hiss, hiss."

There's said to be no snake, so what's in the hallway now?