Chapter 424 Tales of the Carefree (Part 1)
In the past, when I investigated ghost stories circulating in cities and countryside, I would first interview the people who had experienced the ghost stories.
On the one hand, it's to prepare for the on-site investigation; on the other hand, if it's a fabricated ghost story by the "person involved" to attract attention, I can expose it at this stage, saving me the trouble of making a later trip. Such fabricated ghost stories are quite common, and as the number of times I encounter them increases, interviewing the people involved in the ghost stories has become an increasingly important step before my on-site investigation.
I met my junior classmate Xiao Qiao under these circumstances. A few months ago, she passed by an abandoned construction site and witnessed a blood-covered evil spirit, which somehow managed to transport her inside the unfinished building. Fortunately, the evil spirit seemed to be weak, and after capturing Xiao Qiao, it could not continue, and could only watch helplessly as Xiao Qiao fled in panic.
Afterwards, she posted her experience on the university forum. Not long after, I visited her, and she told me what had happened with lingering fear.
I briefly explained to Zhu Shi how I had met Xiao Qiao last time, and she added, "Later, a policeman surnamed Kong came to my door and asked me similar questions. I wonder if he's related to that official organization that's been circulating lately that specializes in handling strange incidents. I went to the local police station to ask, but they all said they didn't have anyone like that in their area..."
When Detective Kong told me about the strange tales at the abandoned construction site before, he also mentioned things like "the parties involved claimed..." It seems that although Detective Kong is secretly active as a fallen witcher, he is still doing his job as a detective on the surface.
Zhu Shi sat down next to me and gave Xiao Qiao, a junior student, a surprised look: "I've never heard you mention anything like this before..."
"This is terrifying. I don't even dare to recall it, let alone bring it up with anyone else," said Xiao Qiao, a junior student.
I don't really empathize with this mindset. Putting aside my interest in strange events, even as an ordinary person, I believe that one should actively seek help from the outside world after encountering strange events.
She added, "And not long after, that abandoned construction site inexplicably exploded. I guess that was the end of it all, so I wanted to keep it buried in my heart and pretend nothing had happened."
"Actually, I wanted to confirm with my senior, but he rarely appeared at school after that, and later he simply disappeared..."
"Um... senior, just to confirm, could it be that your disappearance a while ago was because of me..."
Towards the end, she revealed her unease.
It seems she thinks I've recently been involved in some trouble, and that trouble was caused by her.
It wasn't entirely a misunderstanding. It was because of the ghost stories about the abandoned construction site she posted on the university forum that I ended up at the site, where I met Asaho. And my subsequent "disappearance" was directly related to Asaho. Thinking about this, I even feel I should thank this quiet-looking junior for the wonderful encounter she brought me.
I have a very good feeling about her now.
"Don't worry, you haven't done anything wrong."
I first offered words of comfort, then said, "Let's get back to the main point. You've encountered another strange event—is that right?"
Xiao Qiao, the junior student, relaxed slightly at first, then seemed to remember the important matter and said worriedly, "Yes."
For someone who has never encountered a strange event before, to unexpectedly experience one at a certain point in time is a breakthrough from zero to one. Unless they die directly in that first strange event, they will only encounter new strange dangers again and again. This can be considered a universally acknowledged curse in the world of the supernatural.
It was a mistake for her not to tell her classmate Zhu Shi about her experience. If she had just spoken up, Zhu Shi would likely have tried to provide her with protection, or perhaps, as Lu Chan had done to Detective Kong in the past, recommended her to Luoshan Academy to receive relevant training so that she could learn how to face strange dangers in her future life.
"So, what exactly happened to you this time?" Zhu Shi asked seriously. "Now that you've met Zhuang Cheng, isn't it time to tell your story?"
"Um……"
Xiao Qiao, the junior student, first glanced at Zhu Shi as if she had discovered something new, and then nodded hesitantly.
She started by talking about a strange story that had recently been circulating online.
Since last year, the culture of ghost stories has become increasingly popular online, and this particular ghost story is mixed in with them, appearing no different from those seemingly plausible but actually fabricated ghost stories. The content is not complicated either; it's a type of ghost story reminiscent of Ouija boards or monkey paws, where the wish of the person being told is granted.
"It is said that this ghost story can only be seen online by people who have a strong pessimistic view of their lives and believe that they cannot change their life circumstances on their own in the rest of their lives," said Xiao Qiao, a junior student. "The content of the ghost story is that as long as you go to a secluded place in your city, such as a park late at night or in the early morning, an abandoned building, or a wilderness in the suburbs, and repeatedly copy the contents of the ghost story onto paper, a mysterious person will appear and come to greet you."
"This mysterious person will take the person to a mysterious place where all their troubles related to their life can be resolved."
"Past regrets, present troubles, and future anxieties will all vanish there."
The person who shared this ghost story online claims to be the one who returned to the source of the ghost story and that he did indeed resolve all his troubles in life there.
He also said that as long as you follow the contents of this ghost story, you might even have the opportunity to obtain enough power to fight against demons and monsters in that mysterious place.
That concludes the ghost story. For the sake of convenience, I've decided to call this ghost story "The Worry-Free Ghost Story."
Zhu Shi asked, "So... you did as I said?"
Xiao Qiao, the junior student, nodded regretfully and continued, "If it were just about resolving regrets or worries, I wouldn't take the bait, but I do have concerns about the future. Lately, isn't everyone talking about supernatural things? Things we thought didn't exist in the past are now being discussed as if they were commonplace..."
"After experiencing the ghost stories of abandoned construction sites, I thought those evil spirits and ghosts would continue to linger in the unknown corners of society. As long as I wasn't too unlucky and lived an honest and law-abiding life, I wouldn't encounter those things again in the future. But now they've actually started to appear openly in the sunlight, moving from the realm of the supernatural into the realm of everyday life."
"The thought that even if I live cautiously, I might still encounter monsters again makes me very uneasy. After reading that ghost story, I thought that since I'll encounter them again in the future anyway, I might as well take the initiative and try to see if I can really obtain the power to fight against demons and monsters..."
"I admit that I was blinded by greed. By the time I wanted to turn back, it was too late."
She then recounted her own experience.
A few days ago, in the early hours of the morning, Xiao Qiao, a junior student, took out her phone in the bushes on campus, squatted down with her legs together, placed her notebook on her lap, took out a pen, and repeatedly copied the content of the "Worry-Free Ghost Stories" page. At this moment, she actually regretted it, feeling that she was doing something foolish, but still decided to see it through to the end with the mentality of "since I'm already here."
When she looked up again, a black figure had appeared in front of her without her noticing.
Her legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground in fright, screaming uncontrollably. It wasn't just because the black figure had appeared so suddenly, but also because it didn't look human at all. Its body seemed to be formed purely of shadow, remaining completely black even when illuminated by a cell phone.
Shadow remained unmoved by Xiao Qiao's intense reaction. Xiao Qiao tried to run away, but her legs were so weak she couldn't even stand up. After shouting for a while, she realized the other party didn't seem to mean any harm, and her shouts gradually subsided.
Seeing that she had finally calmed down a bit, Shadow said, "Come with me." Then he turned around, took a few steps, and slowly began to move.
She then realized that the other party might be the "mysterious person who would take the person to a mysterious place" mentioned in the Tales of Worry-Free.
After realizing that the Tales of Worry-Free was real, she reflexively felt fear and a desire to escape, wondering if she should stop exploring further.
However, many ghost stories circulating in cities and countryside contain the premise that "failure to complete the prescribed tasks in the normal order will bring unpredictable and terrifying disasters." After experiencing the ghost story at the abandoned construction site, she had gained some understanding of ghost story culture. If she gave up halfway and left the mysterious shadow figure behind, the shadow figure might transform into a vengeful ghost, causing her to die a gruesome death on the spot.
She had no choice but to follow the mysterious figure. Before long, she left the campus and arrived at a populated area. Even in the dead of night, there were still a few food stalls and customers on the street. What was chilling was that these people seemed to completely ignore the monster, whose entire body was made of shadows, as if the monster existed on a different "layer" from them.
In this eerie and terrifying atmosphere, Xiao Qiao felt her hands and feet grow cold. She wanted to shout for help to those around her, but she was also afraid that doing so would only drag everyone around her into danger.
After all, she was Zhu Shi's friend. Although she had a timid and cowardly side, she was at least a kind-hearted person. The monster formed from shadows before her seemed to possess demonic power beyond human imagination. Even if everyone on this street were united in their hatred and launched a desperate attack on this monster, she couldn't conjure up the image of this monster being killed by the power of mere mortals.
After walking for a while, she was taken to another secluded place not far from the university campus.
That was the abandoned construction site that had once haunted her nightmares. The unfinished building, split in two by the fiery waterfall, stood like a bizarre tombstone in the night.
(End of this chapter)
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