Owen Grant heard the familiar footsteps and greeted them with delight. That slightly headstrong Ethan Clark immediately restrained his smile, becoming serious and reliable: "Let's go in and check the stairwell."

The locksmith arrived before Ethan Clark. By the time Ethan Clark and Owen Grant got there, the lock was already open.

The stairwell door hadn't been opened in ages, so the hinges were a bit rusty. When the wind blew through, it creaked, sounding like a ghost wailing.

Inside the stairwell, it was pitch black.

Ethan Clark took out a lighter and struck it, his gentle features appearing somewhat eerie in the orange flame.

He said to Owen Grant, "I'll go down and take a look. You wait here for me."

Owen Grant grabbed him a bit fearfully: "Mr. Clark, maybe you shouldn't go. Even though there's probably nothing, better safe than sorry..."

Ethan Clark suddenly smiled, secretly thinking he had his brother to protect him.

"Let's go."

Owen Grant waited anxiously outside. About ten minutes later, Ethan Clark came back up, sounding relaxed: "There's nothing at all. Come on, let's go to the fifth floor."

Ethan Clark and Owen Grant were assigned to work on the fifth floor.

As they walked, Owen Grant asked curiously, "Mr. Clark, what did you buy?"

Ethan Clark said nothing, pulling a pair of white gloves from the bag and putting them on.

Just then, the app chimed—

[Plot progress updated. The actors have started their first day at work.]

Ethan Clark said, "Grant, you go start working first."

"Okay." Owen Grant was very obedient.

Ethan Clark took out a UV lamp he bought at the hardware store and began carefully scanning the white walls inch by inch.

[What is he doing?]

[Bro, you haven't watched enough horror movies. Blood appears brownish under UV light. He's using this to check if anyone died on this floor. Even if blood is cleaned up, there will still be some residue since it's a liquid and seeps in.]

[Damn! Looks like he's watched a lot of movies!! Impressive!!]

[What kind of nerves does this newbie have, damn, the one on the eleventh floor is about to pee himself, but he's here searching the walls.]

The fifth floor was spacious, no different from a typical office, except there was a billiards room for entertainment on the side.

The floor-to-ceiling windows were clear. Since it was in the suburbs, there were only a few streetlights on the road, making it dark and hazy outside. Fortunately, the bright fluorescent lights on the fifth floor made it feel safe.

Of course, whether the lights would stay on later was another question.

Thinking this, Ethan Clark sped up his actions.

[What is he sprinkling on the floor? I don't get it.]

[Fluorescent powder. If the power "suddenly" goes out later, the UV light will make the powder glow, revealing ghostly handprints or footprints on the floor. That way, you can tell if a ghost is near and escape more easily.]

[Wow, high-tech! Awesome!]

[What's that? Can someone explain?]

[A famous prop from American horror movies—a thermal camera. When ghosts appear, it suddenly gets cold. This thing is temperature-controlled; as soon as the temperature drops, it takes a picture automatically, so he can capture what the ghost looks like.]

[Why do I feel like he's setting a trap for the ghost?? This must be a hallucination.]

[Stay tuned, everyone.]

...

Ethan Clark scanned the entire fifth floor with the UV lamp but found nothing. His gaze drifted to the elevator, and he paused slightly.

Maybe the elevator...?

He walked over and, just for show, raised the lamp to scan it. His pupils suddenly contracted.

The viewers outside the horror movie exploded:

[Holy crap!! So many bloodstains and handprints!!]

[How many people have died here, damn!!]

[No wonder that lady boss set up her office on the first floor—she's got a guilty conscience!! She knows someone died in the elevator, that's why she refuses to use it!!]

[Get out of there, man! If the elevator doors lock, it's over!]

[Do you think their work hours are exactly when the ghosts come out to hunt?]

...

The imagined plot didn't happen. Ethan Clark walked back safe and sound.

There was definitely something wrong with the elevator; that much was certain now.

The clock on the wall showed that two hours had passed.

Ethan Clark was getting a bit hot from all the work, so he went to the water dispenser for a drink, then rummaged through the pile of stuff he bought during the day.

[What other high-tech gadgets does he have? My heart can't take it.]

[...Hahahahahaha, he pulled out a multifunctional mini rice cooker for the dorm.]

[LMAO hahahahaha xswl]

[He plugged it in and started boiling water.]

[...He's making noodles now.]

[He really knows how to live, I want to marry him.]

[Late-night food temptation, damn, I'm so hungry.]

[What was his real job before filming? How does he know how to do everything?]

[I suspect I'm watching a comedy.]

Meanwhile, on the seventh floor.

Caleb Turner looked confused: "What's that smell?"

...

Owen Grant slurped his noodles, then suddenly said, "Mr. Clark, with the way you've treated me, it wouldn't be right for me to keep hiding things."

"Don't," Ethan Clark was washing his hands, "How I treat people depends entirely on my mood. How others treat me has nothing to do with me—I'm not that interested."

Owen Grant had thought Ethan Clark was being nice to him because he was waiting for a full confession, but he hadn't expected this. He froze for a moment, then became even more certain of his previous thoughts, and said seriously, "Bro, do you... want to see a ghost?"

Ethan Clark's hand paused on the faucet.