"Did you feel anything?" Yu Yao's eyes swept across every corner of the park, trying to find something, but she saw nothing except a vague black.
Liang Yubai frowned delicately, holding his breath and concentrating, "I can feel it as soon as I come in. There's a lot of ghost energy in this place."
"It seems that this park is not simple."
Yu Yao carefully recalled the floor plan of the entire park and found the approximate direction of the Yelai River.
"We should be there if we walk a little further in that direction." Yu Yao pointed in that direction.
Liang Yubai narrowed his eyes and stared at that direction. "Indeed, that place has the heaviest ghost energy in the entire park. I guess there's something quite big hidden there."
Yu Yao thought of the soul mentioned by the objects at home, the soul that had lived in Yelai River for many years, and the various posts in the forum.
The mysterious ghost legend of Yelai River is true.
"Go and take a look, be careful." Liang Yubai warned Yu Yao while paying attention to his surroundings.
Hanoi has been completely blocked at night, and all facilities have stopped, including street lights and surveillance, none of which are in operation.
As long as you avoid the guards at the gate and sneak into the park, you can act a little bolder.
Based on her memory of the floor plan, Yu Yao led Liang Yubai to the direction of Yelai River.
Following a green path, we arrived at the toll station of Yelai River.
Across from this artificial lake is the city street, and a high fence separates the park from the outside.
The lights and noise in the city seemed to be separated by an invisible wall. All the sounds floated over the lake, becoming light and shallow, as if the distance had become far away.
The night wind blew across the sparkling surface of the Yelai River, and the lights of the distant streets became fragmented on the lake.
Yu Yao stood on the shore, squatted down and looked into the lake.
The shaking water surface reflected her appearance. The evening breeze blew open the lake surface, making Yu Yao's reflection a little distorted.
She stretched out a hand and moved the water in the lake.
The lake water was bone-chillingly cold, even somewhat inconsistent with the current season. It was like the frigid water after the ice broke in winter, so cold that it made one's fingertips tremble.
Yu Yao quickly retracted her hand, rubbed her slightly cold fingertips, and seemed to be thinking about something.
She stretched out her hand again, scooped up a palmful of water, and slowly poured it into the Yelai River.
The splashing water broke the surface of the lake, making a clear sound, which was especially clear in the silent night.
Liang Yubai, who was observing the environment nearby, turned and glanced at her. "What are you doing?"
"Let me try this water." Yu Yao dipped her hand into the lake again. "Summer is almost here. Isn't this water a little cold?"
Liang Yubai reacted coldly, "The lake is large, and it's night time, what's so strange about that?"
Yu Yao smiled and shook off the water droplets on her hands. "I'm just curious."
"How are you? Did you see anything?"
When mentioning this, Liang Yubai's expression became slightly serious, and her eyes never left the lake.
"There's definitely something in this lake... and it's a soul that has been here for many, many years."
"He's definitely not someone you can easily mess with."
Yu Yao was puzzled, "Is it very fierce?"
Liang Yubai glanced at her coldly and said, "No matter how fierce it is, we should be careful. You still have time to play in the water here."
"But after I came here, I didn't see anything, nor did I hear any strange noises." Yu Yao put on an innocent face and stood up from the shore.
"If I could hear any sound..."
The moment she said this, Yu Yao suddenly paused.
The quiet lake seemed to be responding to her. Before she could finish her words, she heard some vague sounds beside her ears.
"What's wrong?" Liang Yubai looked confused. He saw her talking and suddenly she became silent in the middle of her words.
"Did you hear that?" Yu Yao lowered her voice and asked her softly.
Liang Yubai also looked around nervously, "I didn't hear anything."
"Shh!" Yu Yao quickly silenced her.
As the two of them fell silent, the vague sound gradually became clearer.
There seemed to be a noisy conversation going on around them, sometimes far away, sometimes near, with no fixed source.
Yu Yao held her breath and tried hard to distinguish the sounds of what seemed to be a noisy conversation.
“The possibility of development turning the river into a dangerous place also increases.”
"Most of our park's users are nearby office workers and children. This amusement facility is completely unnecessary and has a low audience."
"We need to develop water-related projects. Wouldn't it be enough to create an artificial lake?"
"The recent rise of yachting is suitable for customers of all ages. It is safe and convenient, the development area is not large, and it can be under the control of the staff."
The girl spoke slowly, her voice steady and calm, which was particularly unique among the noisy voices.
"You're a newcomer, what do you know?"
"This river ride is called Rapids Rafting. It's thrilling and exciting to ride a boat through the rapids."
"Nowadays, so many office workers live dull and boring lives every day. It's a rare opportunity for them to have a break. This kind of project is the most suitable for them."
"Besides, who says children can't play?"
"Our safety facilities are very complete and nothing unexpected will happen."
Faced with the male voice's defense, the female voice still maintained her own thoughts.
"I still feel these projects are not appropriate for our park or for the people who live in this area."
She slowly outlined the various dangerous possibilities.
The sound was very light and soft, and it sounded in the silent night. It appeared abruptly and strangely, but it did not make people nervous.
After the woman's voice disappeared, Yu Yao raised her hand and rubbed her ears.
The clear passage just now made me feel like I was standing by the lake, listening to the discussion about the transformation of this lake a long time ago.
It sounds a little unreal, but it is very clear.
She thought the sound should end there, but she still caught a short, very light male voice.
"It's all because of that stinky woman. The whole plan has been ruined."
"Our team was responsible for this proposal, and now everything has been changed. The more I think about it, the angrier I get."
Then there was a vague sentence, which slowly disappeared.
Yu Yao stood still, wanting to listen for any other sounds, but suddenly felt some waves on the lake.
The lake, which was originally sparkling and very quiet, suddenly began to ripple.
The water in one area was shaking violently, and bubbles were constantly gurgling up from the bottom of the lake.
It seems like something is coming up.
Yu Yao was stunned, her eyes fixed on the bottom of the lake. After a long pause, she slowly called out to Liang Yubai beside her.
"Lake, what's that on the lake?"
Liang Yubai looked in the direction she pointed, then turned back in confusion, "What's that?"
Yu Yao's eyes widened, and she felt inexplicably anxious. "Can't you see?"
Liang Yubai frowned, shook his head, and tried hard to look at the lake, but it seemed that he really could not see anything.
Yu Yao stood there blankly, staring blankly at the rippling water. From the small whirlpool, a figure slowly emerged.
A woman wearing common white-collar clothes was floating on the water, half of her body was immersed in the water, her head was down, her hair was spread out, and only her blood-stained clothes could be seen. Under the reflection of the city lights in the distance, she looked pale and weird.
Is this... a floating corpse?
This thought had just emerged in my mind when the woman floating on the water, who looked like a corpse, slowly moved in my sight. The head soaked in the water was raised up little by little. Her wet hair was dripping with water, like a ball of black wet hair, sticky and a little disgusting.
For a moment, Yu Yao froze in place, her body icy cold. The chilly night breeze blew through her clothes, and the sweat dripped down her back. It was as if there was a woman, equally wet, clinging to her back. The chill poured from her head to her feet, making her feel like she was sinking into an icy cellar.
She opened her mouth with difficulty, trying to tell Liang Yubai about the situation, but her throat seemed to be strangled and she couldn't make a sound.
The trembling pupils reflected the lake surface as she watched the woman crawling little by little in a twisted posture, breaking the silence of the lake and crawling straight towards her.
Yu Yao was trembling and her face was pale.
Although she had heard many things talk, she had never seen such a scene.
My mind was in a mess, and I couldn't react to anything except the fear that filled my whole body.
Watching the woman climb up the shore little by little in front of her eyes.
His limbs were twisted and he couldn't even stand up completely. In the dim light, he staggered towards Yu Yao step by step. With every step, water dripped onto the ground, and there seemed to be black blood mixed in it.
Yu Yao's body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Liang Yubai, who was standing next to her, was completely unaware and didn't even know what Yu Yao had seen.
The woman walked slowly towards Yu Yao, and a damp breath with a hint of rottenness hit her face. Her wet hair was dripping with water droplets, and her whole body was soaked.
Her face was blocked by her dark, wet hair, and the light was dim. Yu Yao could only feel her sight hidden under her hair, and her entire head was wrapped in wet and messy hair.
Otherwise, at such a close distance, no matter how brave Yu Yao was, she would be scared to death on the spot.
She still couldn't make a sound. Her throat rolled up and down, and she swallowed her saliva to relieve the tension in her nerves. Her whole body was stiff, and her legs were like lead, unable to move a step.
The wet woman was already standing in front of her, swaying as if she would fall down at any moment.
Yu Yao could only stand there, staring at the woman in front of her. Unable to escape, she subconsciously held her breath, not daring to breathe.
At this moment, it seemed as if even the air was frozen. Her entire head and even her ears were filled with the sound of her own violently beating heartbeat. She was so nervous that she felt like she could explode at any moment.
The man and the ghost stood face to face for a few seconds, and then the woman slowly spoke.
The voice reached Yu Yao's ears through the cold night. It was a hoarse and cold voice that made people's scalps tingle.
"You..." She moved her head slightly, moving it upwards a little, as if looking at Yu Yao with eyes hidden behind her hair.
"Are you... an office worker?"
The woman's hoarse voice startled Yu Yao so much that she shuddered all over and trembled subconsciously. Her head was buzzing and blank. She didn't even know what nonsense the other person was talking about.
What...what office worker?
Um?
Yu Yao was suddenly stunned.
She suspected that she had heard it wrong. The strange woman in front of her was asking her if she was an office worker.
Office workers???
Yu Yao was bewildered. She opened her mouth and seemed to be able to speak, but she was speechless and didn't know how to answer.
In such a serious and thrilling scene, she had to answer such a confusing question.
"Are you... an office worker?" the woman asked again. Her hoarse voice was no less than the dubbing in any horror movie, but the words she asked made Yu Yao puzzled.
“Uh…” Yu Yao paused hesitantly and responded softly, “No.”
The woman was silent, and the water in her hair dripped onto the ground.
She turned to the oblivious Liang Yubai standing next to her, "She, is she?"
Yu Yao glanced at Liang Yubai and said, "Hmm... probably not."
The woman was quiet again, her voice sounding a little impatient, but much smoother than her previous frightening voice.
"Then what are you doing here so late at night? Get out of here now."
She moved her body and tried hard to go back.
"Wait, wait a minute." Yu Yao subconsciously called out to the woman. Although her mind was still blank, she felt that she couldn't let her go back like this.
The strange woman paused, slowly twisted her head, and turned it slightly, as if looking at Yu Yao. Normally, it would be invisible from this angle, but she did stop.
Yu Yao tried her best to hold her heart high and mustered up her courage. She took a step forward and wanted to ask her about Ye Laihe's recent events and whether they had anything to do with her.
As a result, just as he stepped forward and got one step closer to the woman, she suddenly froze in place, took a breath of cold air, and every pore in her body was shivering.
The woman turned her head slightly, and her entire face, which was covered by her hair, was already bloody and mangled to a certain extent. Half of her eyeball was squeezed out of her eye socket, and she was peeking at Yu Yao from under her hair.
The moment Yu Yao met those eyes, she felt a chill down her spine and her mind went blank, unable to utter a single word.
"Yu Yao! Yu Yao?!" Liang Yubai stretched out his hand and shook the dazed Yu Yao.
The woman in front of him suddenly turned into a puddle of water, fell to the ground with a splash, and flowed back into the river.
Yu Yao was startled and shuddered. When she came to her senses, the woman was no longer in front of her, and the lake was sparkling and very calm, as if everything that had just happened was just her imagination.
"What's wrong with you? I called you for ages and you didn't respond." Liang Yubai yelled, pushing Yu Yao. She turned and pointed at the black cat squatting nearby. "Just now, Songhua suddenly became unnatural and her fur stood up and hid. And you stood there talking to yourself, not responding even when I called you. I was almost scared by the two of you."
Yu Yao pointed blankly at Yelai River and said, "Just now, a woman floated up from the bottom of the lake and crawled in front of me. Didn't you see it?"
Liang Yubai frowned, looked at Ye Laihe, and then glanced at Yu Yao, "I really didn't see anything. I guess the legendary spirit of Ye Laihe is only communicating with you."
"It only appears in front of you." Liang Yubai rested his folding fan against his chin, lost in thought. "I heard that only souls that have not dissipated for decades have this ability. Is there really a big ghost at the bottom of this lake?"
Yu Yao nodded blankly. "Right? Rumors about Yelai River have been around since it was first established. It's been almost thirty or forty years now. I only heard about it after I came here. I used to think it was just an urban legend, but I didn't expect it to be true."
When she thinks back on it now, she still feels a little scared. It was the first time she was face to face with a soul at such a close distance. Fear and chill permeated every pore of her body. She couldn't move a step and couldn't even make a sound. This was no joke.
"So, what happened between you and her?" Liang Yubai scanned Yu Yao's body. "Are you okay?"
Yu Yao shook her head, but she still felt a little nervous when she thought about it again.
The cool night breeze blew past, chilling her back, which was soaked with sweat.
"It seems that there is indeed something ghostly at work in this Yelai River." Liang Yubai lowered his eyes and stared at the deep lake water, which was rippling with waves and was bottomless. He didn't know what secrets were hidden underneath.
"But she didn't hurt me just now. If this is really the ghost haunting me, are there any special conditions?" Yu Yao gradually calmed down and recalled the scene just now, which was a bit unbelievable. "The female ghost just asked me if I was an office worker?"
"After confirming that it wasn't either of us, he left. Doesn't seem like the ghost that caused so many disappearances?"
Liang Yubai was also confused about this. "Office workers? Ghosts usually stay in the same place because they have an obsession. Is the female ghost's obsession related to office workers? Is that why she keeps searching?"
Liang Yubai was confused for a few seconds, then immediately came to his senses, turned around, and quickly pulled Yu Yao up to leave.
"Anyway, it's enough to confirm that there are extraordinary souls here. Let's get out of here first."
"The other party was able to contact you in front of me without me noticing. I'm afraid I can't subdue her. If she suddenly has murderous intentions, we will all be in trouble. We must not stay in a dangerous place with uncertainties for long." Liang Yubai turned around, picked up the little black cat on the ground, pulled Yu Yao and started walking back.
"Indeed..." Yu Yao still felt a lingering fear when she recalled her encounter with the female ghost.
Back near the park entrance, Yu Yao recalled the whispers she heard before she saw the female ghost. Perhaps this clue would be useful, so she roughly recounted the contents to Liang Yubai.
Now that she thought about it, she probably heard that voice from the female ghost, the discussion about what seemed to be built by Ye Laihe.
"If we want to know the strange events happening in Yelai River, we must find out what the ghost living here is all about." Liang Yubai pondered for a moment, "We have to go back and investigate thoroughly. That female ghost doesn't want to talk to you, so you won't get anything from her. If we understand the situation first, she might be willing to talk more."
"Any soul that has stayed in the world for more than ten years usually has a strange temper and is likely to become an evil spirit. I'm lucky I didn't hurt you just now."
Liang Yubai sighed softly, a look of annoyance on his face. "This is an old ghost. She's been alive longer than I have. I can't expel her by force, and I can't take her away. I can only find a way to solve her problem."
"If it really is a soul that has lost its self-awareness and is killing people indiscriminately, I will find a way to let someone who is better than me deal with it."
She frowned tightly. "But... if that female ghost doesn't want to interact with me, I probably won't be able to get anything out of her. It's up to you to investigate this."
Yu Yao paused, "Hmm?"
"Aren't you going to come with me tomorrow?"
Liang Yubai had a serious expression on his handsome face. "I plan to investigate the Yelai River incident. The presence of resentful spirits over several decades old suggests some unspeakable death must have occurred there. I'll carefully review the conversation you just shared."
"Come to the river at night... I suggest you wait a little longer and don't come at night. If you really need to investigate something, you should do it during the day." Liang Yubai stared at Yu Yao seriously, "Don't assume she's harmless just because she didn't hurt you once."
"Unless their nature was pure before death, the longer the vengeful spirits remain in the world, the more dangerous they become. They will gradually lose their humanity."
Yu Yao nodded. After Liang Yubai’s serious reminder, she didn’t dare to come here alone at night.
But if there are things that she cares about, there are definitely some, but it is impossible for her to go back and investigate now.
The two people hurried back to the park entrance with the cat.
Following the previous method, another person was found to perform a segment, but the content was slightly changed. It was enough for someone to divert the guards' attention.
Taking advantage of the guards' inattention, the two men slipped out again and returned to the noisy street.
Returning from the extremely quiet Yelai River to the noisy street, Yu Yao listened to the sounds from the shops on both sides and the people passing by. She still felt a little unreal. Perhaps it was because she had some psychological trauma after seeing the female ghost.
"Let's separate here. Be careful when you go back and go to bed early." Liang Yubai stood at the intersection, holding the black cat and said goodbye to Yu Yao.
"Okay, I'll go back and investigate the matter of Yelai River. If you have any new information, remember to tell me." Yu Yao nodded.
"Yeah." Liang Yubai nodded and turned to leave, but suddenly thought of something and looked back at Yu Yao, asking with a little concern, "Are you okay?"
Yu Yao shook her head. "It's okay. I'm not injured."
Liang Yubai stared at Yu Yao's face with a puzzled look for a long time. "Although... I know you are gifted, but for someone who has lived a normal life for more than ten years, seeing a ghost for the first time will definitely leave a big psychological trauma."
Speaking of this, Yu Yao was indeed a little scared. She might have a nightmare when she went home at night.
"The ghost you met today is several decades old. It's quite powerful. No matter what, you have ghost energy on you, which makes it easy to attract unclean things." Liang Yubai stretched out his hand and stuffed the folding fan he always carried with him to Yu Yao, and snorted with his slightly arrogant temperament.
"The reason you encountered that ghost is also because I'm too weak. Anyway, I've carried this fan for many years. Ordinary wandering spirits can't get close to you. Use it for self-defense, and it'll also give you some psychological comfort."
Yu Yao took the fan and touched the ribs. Unlike the fans she usually saw, the ribs were white, with a soft color, and a delicate and slightly cool feel, like jade but a little different. There were patterns carved on it, and scriptures that Yu Yao could not understand were written on the fan, and floral patterns were dotted around it. It was elegant but not tacky. Holding it in her hand, she felt a different kind of security.
"This fan is so beautiful." Yu Yao held up the fan and looked at it carefully.
"The ivory fan bone and the scripture fan cover were given to me by my family. I have carried them since I was a child and I am used to them. You have to return them to me after a while. Don't break them." Liang Yubai reminded.
"Okay." Yu Yao nodded with a smile and held the fan tightly in her hand.
Liang Yubai must have been worried about her, so he gave her his personal belongings for self-defense.
Although she seems to have a bit of a spoiled brat personality, she is actually a very nice and friendly person.
It was the first time she received something from a friend she had just met.
Yu Yao stared at Liang Yubai with eyes full of emotion, which made her stunned for some reason.
"Anyway, I'm leaving first. You should go back to sleep early." Liang Yubai hugged the black cat with its fur standing on end in his arms, ignored its displeasure, and turned to walk across the street.
Yu Yao also held a fan and started walking towards home.
But he was completely unaware that in the alley behind the intersection where he had just stood, a few hooligans were squatting in the alley smoking with confused looks on their faces.
"Why is our sister-in-law on the street with another woman so late at night?"
"And the relationship seems pretty good? What's going on?"
Several thugs looked at each other, somewhat at a loss. Gossips in their minds had automatically generated one after another, and the green on the boss's head became deeper and deeper.
The gangster next to him was also puzzled and scratched his head thoughtfully.
"Should I...go report this to the boss?"
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