Chapter 069: The Unassuming Andy Lau.
Hiding amidst the clutter, Security Guard Xiao Wang slightly shivered.
His thoughts were clouded with immense fear, struggling to process the situation. The only clear thought was: Why would a ghost knock? Hadn't the previous ghost just hovered outside asking for his head? Why the politeness now?
Knock, knock, knock.
The knock was so courteous, as if a refined gentleman stood outside, patiently awaiting an answer.
Xiao Wang tried to clear his head. That thing outside could be a ghost! And even if it wasn’t – if it was just a person playing a prank – that giant axe wasn’t promising any good intentions!
He gently tapped the colleague behind him and pointed towards the window, signaling an escape plan.
In the darkness, he couldn't see his colleague's response. They both remained silent, and Xiao Wang, assuming agreement, began moving stealthily towards the window.
Faint starlight filtered through, outlining the figures inside the room.
——
Outside, Chi Shen raised his hand, preparing to knock for the third time.
Suddenly, Li Xu stopped him, looking a bit pale. "If there's really a ghost inside and we keep knocking like this, aren’t we just serving ourselves up as meals?"
Chi Shen retracted his hand, "That's a valid point."
Li Xu's expression relaxed slightly. "Exactly."
Chi Shen made a motion, signaling him to step back, "In that case, move back a bit."
Li Xu asked, "Won't you be in danger too?"
With a smile, Chi Shen responded, "It's fine. I've studied folklore extensively and have even encountered real ghosts. As long as I communicate with them properly, they won't harm me."
Seeing Li Xu's skeptical look, Chi Shen added, "I'm serious."
"Alright, then." Li Xu, slightly uneasy, glanced at the door and took a step back.
Raising his hand again, Chi Shen smiled, "They say third time's the charm. If there's no response this time, I'll have to find another way."
He knocked.
"Ghost—"
Suddenly, a loud shout emanated from inside, and the door flew open. Security Guard Xiao Wang bolted out, and Chi Shen instinctively stepped aside. Xiao Wang crashed straight into Li Xu, who was standing behind Chi Shen, knocking them both to the ground. Xiao Wang scrambled up, ready to flee.
"Hold him," Chi Shen commanded, smiling at a shadowy figure inside the room.
The figure resembled a human, but it lacked the most essential human feature: a head.
The shadowy figure seemed to have noticed him early on, quickly flipping out of the open window. The axe it held briefly caught on the windowsill before being swiftly retrieved. By the time Chi Shen looked out, the surroundings were empty.
Li Xu, clutching his injured stomach, pondered over Chi Shen's order to hold someone. He opted for Xiao Wang; surely, he wasn't expected to restrain the headless specter inside!
Xiao Wang struggled, crying out "Let me go!", his face smeared with tears and blood.
Li Xu firmly held onto Xiao Wang, trying to soothe him, "It's okay now, the ghost is gone. Look at us, we're human, just look!"
It took a while before Xiao Wang finally calmed down. Sitting next to the temporary shed on the concrete ground, he wiped away his tears, sobbing, "I... I thought he was my colleague, hiding with me inside. I even grabbed him to run out together."
Li Xu clearly saw the shadow's figure and remarked, "He had no head. How did you not notice that he wasn't your colleague?"
"It was too dark inside; I couldn't see anything. Only when I opened the window and turned to pull him did I realize... realize he had no head! He actually had no head!" Xiao Wang seemed unable to stop his tears. His hands, covered in blood, smeared it all over his face, which terrified Li Xu. He quickly went to find tissues for him.
Li Xu found tissues in Xiao Wang's pocket and handed one to him. Then, turning to Chi Shen, he asked, "The ghost ran away. Wait, is this place really haunted? Weren't these occurrences man-made?"
Chi Shen leaned against the wall, holding his cell phone. The light from the screen cast a ghastly pallor on his face. He responded calmly, "The previous bloodstains and bloody clothes were man-made. Only the last one was a ghost."
"How can you be so sure?" asked Li Xu.
Chi Shen nodded slightly, "Because that was my friend."
Li Xu was utterly stunned, "Your friend? Then why did he run when he saw you?"
Chi Shen sighed, "I believe there might have been a misunderstanding between us."
Li Xu felt like his mind was spinning. It took him a moment to decide to put that confusing matter aside and address the immediate problem, "So, what do we do now?"
"Call the police," Chi Shen said succinctly.
Li Xu felt even more puzzled, but he soon accepted this logic and nodded in agreement, "When in trouble, call the police. That's a given!"
Guard Xiao Wang cried out, "It's pointless. The police have been here before and said it was man-made. They even told us there are no ghosts in this world. I believed them. They even brought a Taoist priest to conduct a ritual, but the ghost is still here. I won't be coming back to this cursed place tomorrow. I once said a higher salary just means being spooked out more often, but ah..."
Amid Xiao Wang's crying, Chi Shen inspected the surroundings with a flashlight. Indeed, there were signs of furniture being arranged, which might have been set up as a ritual altar.
Chi Shen pondered for a moment and suddenly inquired, "Where did you find the Taoist priest?"
"The boss hired him; I don’t know," Xiao Wang replied as he took another tissue to wipe his tears, suggesting, "We should leave soon, before it comes back."
Chi Shen looked gently at the guard still seated on the ground and asked, "How much was he paid?"
"A few hundred yuan, maybe?" Xiao Wang said uncertainly.
"Ah, a charlatan," Chi Shen mused. At this point, a slight smile formed at the corners of his mouth. He looked a bit tired, but his smile was warm and understanding. "I see."
Li Xu, standing beside them, was simply puzzled.
"What have you realized?"
"Let's head to the security room. The police will be here shortly."
The trio returned to Xiao Wang's security room. Li Xun poured him a cup of hot water. Xiao Wang, trembling, clutched it. Though he had stopped crying, he was still shaking uncontrollably. Li Xun watched him closely, worried something might happen.
A few ghosts weren’t idle either. A ghostly face emerged over Chi Shen's shoulder, glanced around, and vanished quickly.
Ji Xing Chen stepped out of Chi Shen's shadow, squatting beside Li Xun. He patted the head of Huang Lingling, who was tugging at Li Xun's shirt, exchanged a few words with a girl in a floral dress, and then pulled out another shadow from beneath Li Xun. Holding Huang Lingling's hand, he left the security room, disappearing into the night. The girl in the floral dress and the shadow followed silently.
The cup in Security Guard Xiao Wang's hand was still steaming hot as a police car pulled up at the construction site entrance.
The sight of the police car seemed to calm Xiao Wang's shaking. While he believed the police couldn't truly address supernatural events, their presence still offered a semblance of safety.
The police car came to a halt, and three plainclothes officers disembarked. One officer comforted Xiao Wang and inquired about the situation, while the other two accompanied Chi Shen to inspect the scene.
The officers looked young, and among them was a familiar face to Chi Shen, Xu Jiayuan.
Xu Jiayuan appeared as if he hadn't slept in days, his weary demeanor matching that of Li Xun's. They hadn't walked far from the security room when Xu Jiayuan, ensuring they were out of earshot, asked, "The ghost this time isn't too formidable, right?"
Chi Shen replied, "Not at all, it's pretty ordinary."
With a fatigued rub of his face, Xu Jiayuan said, "That's good. At least no lives were lost. We should be able to handle it."
Observing Xu Jiayuan's state, Chi Shen asked, "Have you been particularly busy recently?"
Xu Jiayuan grimaced, "Extremely. The whole Halloween incident, which is now winding down, was instigated by a powerful ghost. He released many of his underlings to collect yang energy for him. This ghost has been tough to deal with. The team, including Brother Yuan, has been monitoring him. They haven't had proper sleep for days. We might even need to request external assistance, pull in some manpower from other regions."
"Which is why this matter wasn't addressed earlier," Chi Shen concluded.
"Exactly. It was only when you called that I dragged myself out of bed and rushed over," said Xu Jiayuan.
After a few exchanges, another officer, holding a compass, eventually said, "This way."
The group then deviated from the blood trail and arrived next to a pile of construction debris.
The officer checked the compass once more, then dug through the rubble, pulling out an axe.
The axe closely resembled the one wielded by the headless ghost, albeit smaller. It was the weapon that had caused the ghost's demise. Chi Shen understood that after the ghost's death, it took refuge in the weapon that killed him. Now that the axe was here, so was the ghost.
Chi Shen initially wanted to lead them directly to the headless ghost, which would be easy by following the blood trail. However, the special security bureau officers used a different approach, locating the object the ghost was attached to. While he wasn't sure how they managed it, the method proved effective. Taking the axe was essentially capturing the ghost.
An axe, both blade and handle cloaked in black, seemed to be painted with this darkness. The paint had begun to peel, and the officer reached out to scrape off a chunk of the black substance, taking a sniff, "Undoubtedly, it's blood..."
"Get back!"
A chilling surge of energy swiftly rose from the ground, sharp as a knife's edge, aiming straight for the officer holding the axe.
A formidable figure rapidly formed within this surge, raising a massive axe in his hand, swinging it forcefully towards the officer!
Xu Jiayuan promptly shouted a warning, but the officer with the axe reacted even faster. Without a moment's hesitation, he dropped and rolled away, narrowly dodging the attack.
The colossal axe struck a pile of construction debris, causing rubble to scatter and leaving a half-meter-wide gash in the ground.
"Is this what you meant by 'very ordinary'? Only Yuan-ge can handle something of this caliber..." The biting cold made Xu Jiayuan's face sting. He pushed Chi Shen abruptly, "With your ghostly friend not around, run! Look out for yourself! Leave this to us!"
Chapter 069: The Unassuming Andy Lau.
Hiding amidst the clutter, Security Guard Xiao Wang slightly shivered.
His thoughts were clouded with immense fear, struggling to process the situation. The only clear thought was: Why would a ghost knock? Hadn't the previous ghost just hovered outside asking for his head? Why the politeness now?
Knock, knock, knock.
The knock was so courteous, as if a refined gentleman stood outside, patiently awaiting an answer.
Xiao Wang tried to clear his head. That thing outside could be a ghost! And even if it wasn’t – if it was just a person playing a prank – that giant axe wasn’t promising any good intentions!
He gently tapped the colleague behind him and pointed towards the window, signaling an escape plan.
In the darkness, he couldn't see his colleague's response. They both remained silent, and Xiao Wang, assuming agreement, began moving stealthily towards the window.
Faint starlight filtered through, outlining the figures inside the room.
——
Outside, Chi Shen raised his hand, preparing to knock for the third time.
Suddenly, Li Xu stopped him, looking a bit pale. "If there's really a ghost inside and we keep knocking like this, aren’t we just serving ourselves up as meals?"
Chi Shen retracted his hand, "That's a valid point."
Li Xu's expression relaxed slightly. "Exactly."
Chi Shen made a motion, signaling him to step back, "In that case, move back a bit."
Li Xu asked, "Won't you be in danger too?"
With a smile, Chi Shen responded, "It's fine. I've studied folklore extensively and have even encountered real ghosts. As long as I communicate with them properly, they won't harm me."
Seeing Li Xu's skeptical look, Chi Shen added, "I'm serious."
"Alright, then." Li Xu, slightly uneasy, glanced at the door and took a step back.
Raising his hand again, Chi Shen smiled, "They say third time's the charm. If there's no response this time, I'll have to find another way."
He knocked.
"Ghost—"
Suddenly, a loud shout emanated from inside, and the door flew open. Security Guard Xiao Wang bolted out, and Chi Shen instinctively stepped aside. Xiao Wang crashed straight into Li Xu, who was standing behind Chi Shen, knocking them both to the ground. Xiao Wang scrambled up, ready to flee.
"Hold him," Chi Shen commanded, smiling at a shadowy figure inside the room.
The figure resembled a human, but it lacked the most essential human feature: a head.
The shadowy figure seemed to have noticed him early on, quickly flipping out of the open window. The axe it held briefly caught on the windowsill before being swiftly retrieved. By the time Chi Shen looked out, the surroundings were empty.
Li Xu, clutching his injured stomach, pondered over Chi Shen's order to hold someone. He opted for Xiao Wang; surely, he wasn't expected to restrain the headless specter inside!
Xiao Wang struggled, crying out "Let me go!", his face smeared with tears and blood.
Li Xu firmly held onto Xiao Wang, trying to soothe him, "It's okay now, the ghost is gone. Look at us, we're human, just look!"
It took a while before Xiao Wang finally calmed down. Sitting next to the temporary shed on the concrete ground, he wiped away his tears, sobbing, "I... I thought he was my colleague, hiding with me inside. I even grabbed him to run out together."
Li Xu clearly saw the shadow's figure and remarked, "He had no head. How did you not notice that he wasn't your colleague?"
"It was too dark inside; I couldn't see anything. Only when I opened the window and turned to pull him did I realize... realize he had no head! He actually had no head!" Xiao Wang seemed unable to stop his tears. His hands, covered in blood, smeared it all over his face, which terrified Li Xu. He quickly went to find tissues for him.
Li Xu found tissues in Xiao Wang's pocket and handed one to him. Then, turning to Chi Shen, he asked, "The ghost ran away. Wait, is this place really haunted? Weren't these occurrences man-made?"
Chi Shen leaned against the wall, holding his cell phone. The light from the screen cast a ghastly pallor on his face. He responded calmly, "The previous bloodstains and bloody clothes were man-made. Only the last one was a ghost."
"How can you be so sure?" asked Li Xu.
Chi Shen nodded slightly, "Because that was my friend."
Li Xu was utterly stunned, "Your friend? Then why did he run when he saw you?"
Chi Shen sighed, "I believe there might have been a misunderstanding between us."
Li Xu felt like his mind was spinning. It took him a moment to decide to put that confusing matter aside and address the immediate problem, "So, what do we do now?"
"Call the police," Chi Shen said succinctly.
Li Xu felt even more puzzled, but he soon accepted this logic and nodded in agreement, "When in trouble, call the police. That's a given!"
Guard Xiao Wang cried out, "It's pointless. The police have been here before and said it was man-made. They even told us there are no ghosts in this world. I believed them. They even brought a Taoist priest to conduct a ritual, but the ghost is still here. I won't be coming back to this cursed place tomorrow. I once said a higher salary just means being spooked out more often, but ah..."
Amid Xiao Wang's crying, Chi Shen inspected the surroundings with a flashlight. Indeed, there were signs of furniture being arranged, which might have been set up as a ritual altar.
Chi Shen pondered for a moment and suddenly inquired, "Where did you find the Taoist priest?"
"The boss hired him; I don’t know," Xiao Wang replied as he took another tissue to wipe his tears, suggesting, "We should leave soon, before it comes back."
Chi Shen looked gently at the guard still seated on the ground and asked, "How much was he paid?"
"A few hundred yuan, maybe?" Xiao Wang said uncertainly.
"Ah, a charlatan," Chi Shen mused. At this point, a slight smile formed at the corners of his mouth. He looked a bit tired, but his smile was warm and understanding. "I see."
Li Xu, standing beside them, was simply puzzled.
"What have you realized?"
"Let's head to the security room. The police will be here shortly."
The trio returned to Xiao Wang's security room. Li Xun poured him a cup of hot water. Xiao Wang, trembling, clutched it. Though he had stopped crying, he was still shaking uncontrollably. Li Xun watched him closely, worried something might happen.
A few ghosts weren’t idle either. A ghostly face emerged over Chi Shen's shoulder, glanced around, and vanished quickly.
Ji Xing Chen stepped out of Chi Shen's shadow, squatting beside Li Xun. He patted the head of Huang Lingling, who was tugging at Li Xun's shirt, exchanged a few words with a girl in a floral dress, and then pulled out another shadow from beneath Li Xun. Holding Huang Lingling's hand, he left the security room, disappearing into the night. The girl in the floral dress and the shadow followed silently.
The cup in Security Guard Xiao Wang's hand was still steaming hot as a police car pulled up at the construction site entrance.
The sight of the police car seemed to calm Xiao Wang's shaking. While he believed the police couldn't truly address supernatural events, their presence still offered a semblance of safety.
The police car came to a halt, and three plainclothes officers disembarked. One officer comforted Xiao Wang and inquired about the situation, while the other two accompanied Chi Shen to inspect the scene.
The officers looked young, and among them was a familiar face to Chi Shen, Xu Jiayuan.
Xu Jiayuan appeared as if he hadn't slept in days, his weary demeanor matching that of Li Xun's. They hadn't walked far from the security room when Xu Jiayuan, ensuring they were out of earshot, asked, "The ghost this time isn't too formidable, right?"
Chi Shen replied, "Not at all, it's pretty ordinary."
With a fatigued rub of his face, Xu Jiayuan said, "That's good. At least no lives were lost. We should be able to handle it."
Observing Xu Jiayuan's state, Chi Shen asked, "Have you been particularly busy recently?"
Xu Jiayuan grimaced, "Extremely. The whole Halloween incident, which is now winding down, was instigated by a powerful ghost. He released many of his underlings to collect yang energy for him. This ghost has been tough to deal with. The team, including Brother Yuan, has been monitoring him. They haven't had proper sleep for days. We might even need to request external assistance, pull in some manpower from other regions."
"Which is why this matter wasn't addressed earlier," Chi Shen concluded.
"Exactly. It was only when you called that I dragged myself out of bed and rushed over," said Xu Jiayuan.
After a few exchanges, another officer, holding a compass, eventually said, "This way."
The group then deviated from the blood trail and arrived next to a pile of construction debris.
The officer checked the compass once more, then dug through the rubble, pulling out an axe.
The axe closely resembled the one wielded by the headless ghost, albeit smaller. It was the weapon that had caused the ghost's demise. Chi Shen understood that after the ghost's death, it took refuge in the weapon that killed him. Now that the axe was here, so was the ghost.
Chi Shen initially wanted to lead them directly to the headless ghost, which would be easy by following the blood trail. However, the special security bureau officers used a different approach, locating the object the ghost was attached to. While he wasn't sure how they managed it, the method proved effective. Taking the axe was essentially capturing the ghost.
An axe, both blade and handle cloaked in black, seemed to be painted with this darkness. The paint had begun to peel, and the officer reached out to scrape off a chunk of the black substance, taking a sniff, "Undoubtedly, it's blood..."
"Get back!"
A chilling surge of energy swiftly rose from the ground, sharp as a knife's edge, aiming straight for the officer holding the axe.
A formidable figure rapidly formed within this surge, raising a massive axe in his hand, swinging it forcefully towards the officer!
Xu Jiayuan promptly shouted a warning, but the officer with the axe reacted even faster. Without a moment's hesitation, he dropped and rolled away, narrowly dodging the attack.
The colossal axe struck a pile of construction debris, causing rubble to scatter and leaving a half-meter-wide gash in the ground.
"Is this what you meant by 'very ordinary'? Only Yuan-ge can handle something of this caliber..." The biting cold made Xu Jiayuan's face sting. He pushed Chi Shen abruptly, "With your ghostly friend not around, run! Look out for yourself! Leave this to us!"
