24 Chapter 24 (Two in One)
◎With such warm hospitality, it would be rude not to go shopping◎
A thin layer of mist was wiped away from the vague memories, and the people who had been gradually forgotten these days came back to my mind.
Dormitory bed number three, Qiao Feng.
She and An Qi both came from a county-level city under Jiang City and were admitted to Jiang University. Their homes were close together, so they often went back together. Xia Zihan tried to recall, but all she could remember was a weekend not long ago when Qiao Feng said he was going home to review and hadn't shown up since.
During the May Day holiday, An Qi said she wanted to go home with Qiao Feng, and no one in the dormitory realized that something was wrong.
Then, she forgot about this roommate and just thought it was normal that there was an empty bed in the dormitory.
No one remembered the silent death, leaving only three people in the dorm group. Qiao Feng's memories and virtual data records seemed to be gradually being devoured, leaving only the dorm bedding mistakenly left behind by another senior.
Xia Zihan used to be able to be convinced by Boss Ye's theories and believe in science, but now his head is hanging in the air.
This science is unbelievable!
——I told you there really are ghosts in this world! If they’re not ghosts, then they’re monsters!!!
I should have known not to let my parents give me such a bad name. Teacher Yan Wang, can our Zihan not participate in this activity? QWQ
Xia Zihan covered her mouth tightly, relying on the courage she had gained from being scared to death in the car last time, so she didn't burst into tears immediately.
She dragged her limp feet, held her breath, and inched her way through the crack of the door, mentally praying to all the gods. She only hoped that those pale heads outside the crack wouldn't see her catch up.
She read Fei Tou Man's horror story and wants revenge from her roommate. Don't come looking for her!
Stay calm, stay calm.
Horror stories say that survival requires calmness and the ability to discern patterns. Boss Ye can confidently ignore all the weirdness, even scolding them into paying!
If Boss Ye were here, what would he do?
It's okay, there's no ghost here, it's just a psychopathic murderer. It's abhorrent. I must call the police and bring him to justice.
——That’s just bullshit! Perverts are scary too!
Xia Zihan desperately tried to brainwash herself, gradually moving closer to the crack in the door. As she pressed against the cold tiled wall of the emergency passage, she felt her back drenched in sweat.
She took out her cell phone and quickly punched in the numbers.
If there are ghosts, and they appear so rampantly and frequently, the authorities can't be unaware of them, right? Should calling the police help?
After pressing the dial button, the phone did not respond. Xia Zihan then realized that the signal bar was empty.
Here it comes, horror movie classic no signal.
But she clearly remembered chatting with her roommates a few days ago!
If dial-up doesn't work, then go online. Can modern communications really keep people trapped here? Even the weakest signal has a chance of getting through.
Xia Zihan clicked on the green bubble and saw a dense network of group chats and public account push notifications. It was definitely her account that had added nearly 5,000 people.
I found a part-time job a few days ago and just put it up for advertising, and someone sent me a private message asking if there's a discount for renting with her. In the dorm group chat, people are either asking what we're having for dinner or posting videos of cats and dogs eating and drinking.
She quickly sent a group message for help, but the group message assistant was still sending messages.
Xia Zihan looked carefully and noticed that many of the messages he had sent out before were still spinning in front of him today, and the network delay circle was not obvious at all.
The conversation in the chat box was intermittent, as if the signal was on and off, and she only received messages from some of her roommates. However, they were too familiar with each other, so they guessed the meaning and didn't pay attention to the inexplicable brevity.
Xia Zihan kept flipping forward.
The signal was down, and it was during the May Day holiday. The last normal message she sent was a rant about being too busy in the apartment, on the second day after she moved in.
Xia Zihan felt like he was falling into an icy cave.
Four days had passed, and given her popularity, no one had realized she was actually missing. If she died here, would she be completely forgotten?
Got to escape!
Xia Zihan tiptoed back to the office, immediately grabbed the remaining two bags of bread and put them in his pocket, staring at the fire evacuation diagram behind the door, thinking about where there was a way out.
The mall is designed to resemble a four-leaf clover, with several glass domes and a small plaza at the bottom. Two apartment buildings stand on either side of the mall, connected by a sky bridge.
The mall is full of bosses, so there is no way to get from the apartment building to the mall entrance.
Rather, it was a good thing that I didn’t take the elevator directly to the first floor of the mall, otherwise the elevator door would have opened without a sound.
The overpass was built for viewing, and its sides weren't sealed off, but instead surrounded by guardrails. When she entered the apartment building, the scaffolding and emergency ladders beneath the overpass hadn't been removed, and a rope net was still being pulled up at the top of the plaza, supposedly for the installation of lights.
The ladder on the overpass must still be there!
Xia Zihan clasped his hands together and prayed devoutly, then walked quietly towards the overpass.
There was still an anti-collision sign on the glass door at the entrance of the overpass, but at some point it was covered with newspapers and woven bags, blocking the glass tightly, and the door lock and ground socket were all locked.
Who is so diligent? Luckily there is a spare key in the office!
Click.
After unlocking the door, Xia Zihan held the door handle and carefully pushed it open a crack.
It was already dark, with many dark clouds looming in the sky. There was no one on the overpass, but there was a faint light.
The shops were brightly lit, and the overpass resembled a beautiful crystal bridge, reflecting a myriad of light. On either side, filaments stretched out like a net, suspended in rows over the square, swaying gently in the breeze. Even without electricity, the towering red balloon arch in the distance created a festive atmosphere of lights and decorations.
The figures busily moving about in the central square were obscured by the filaments and could not be clearly seen, but it was obvious that they had a leader.
The scaffolding was halfway down and the ladder looked shaky, but at least it was still there!
Xia Zihan was delighted, but didn't dare shout loudly for fear of attracting the monsters in the mall. He squeezed out of the glass door little by little, huddled in the shadow at the edge of the bridge, turned on the flashlight, waved down, and called out to the figure closest to him in a low voice.
"Help... Can you hold the ladder for me? Please help me! I will reward you handsomely!"
Xia Zihan could barely see the safety helmet on his head through the filament net. Judging from his clothes, he should be a worker installing the filament.
It's getting dark now. Why are the installation workers hanging around in the square instead of finishing their work and leaving?
Xia Zihan put her doubts behind her. Fortunately, she came out quickly and the workers were slacking off. Otherwise, she would have no place to cry after the scaffolding was dismantled!
The worker walked closer, stopped under the bridge, and looked up at Xia Zihan expressionlessly. A deep shadow appeared on his neck when he looked up, but Xia Zihan couldn't see it clearly. It was probably the strap of his helmet.
His face looked a little pale, his eyes were fixed, and his eyeballs were bulging, as if he was glaring at someone.
But compared to having a bad face and staying alive, just accept the bad face.
"Brother! Brother, come here! Come a little closer and give me a ladder!" Xia Zihan excitedly lay on the bridge railing and waved, waiting for him to hold the ladder and then hurried down.
The worker didn't move, standing with his hands hanging down, his head raised higher and higher, his eyes always fixed on Xia Zihan.
His neck had been twisted ninety degrees, but his body remained rigid and motionless. Xia Zihan finally saw that the shadow on his neck was not a tie.
That is...
A red line.
No, it's not a red line, it's a familiar red crack that goes all the way around the neck.
Click.
In the blink of an eye, the crack grew wider and wider, and with a slight crisp sound, the head that had turned 180 degrees and looked up at the sky fell down.
The cut surface of the neck was smooth, revealing a red and white patch, but not a drop of blood had escaped. The body was still motionless, as if it were just a doll whose head had been stretched to its limit and then plucked out.
The head wearing the safety helmet floated up like a balloon, defying gravity.
His face was pale and gray, and his dark eyes stared at Xia Zihan.
The head was getting closer and closer to Xia Zihan, and a cold chill rose from the soles of his feet.
Xia Zihan's mind went blank. He instinctively stepped back, wanting only to turn around and run.
A faint scent of incense smoke drifted from behind her. A small, cold hand pressed against her back. Two hands reached out from behind, firmly pressing her head, forcing her eyelids open and keeping her gaze straight ahead.
"Don't move."
"!" Xia Zihan felt numb.
Save me, save me, save me! There's a wolf in front and a tiger behind!
"Close your eyes and you will die. Don't look up. Watch it with your peripheral vision and slowly back away. Follow the rules and you will survive."
A childish voice came from behind me, but the words were spoken firmly and steadily, as if they had been repeated countless times.
Xia Zihan mechanically followed the instructions and moved forward little by little.
The head rose higher and higher, hanging on the dense filament net under the overpass. It rolled for a while, flew out from the gap again, and soon it was level with Xia Zihan.
The worker, who had been expressionless all the time, suddenly showed a bit of fear on his face, and looked forward eagerly, as if asking for help.
But his mouth was raised in a sinister grin.
“You…saw…”
Xia Zihan felt as if his throat was being strangled, and the air was squeezed out of his chest bit by bit by the coldness.
The head was still floating upwards, and Xia Zihan only felt that his neck was also stretching and deforming along with the floating head, until it was pulled out of the head and flew away together.
In a state of panic, one's eyes would subconsciously follow whatever frightened them. Their already stretched necks were eager to move, to break free.
Hold on! She survived the ghost car, and now with the clues, she will definitely survive too!
Xia Zihan backed away with his neck stiffened, pressing his back against the cold glass door again. The head he was staring at out of the corner of his eye had already flown over the overpass and was still rising.
...Wait. Are those dark clouds in the sky all heads?!
At some point, there was only a hand behind her holding her eyelids. Xia Zihan's thoughts were still in a mess. As soon as she caught a glimpse of the figure beside her, she was pulled back into the glass door.
Is it a human? Uh, it shouldn't be the kind with a flying head, right?
Xia Zihan turned over cautiously and leaned against the door, feeling a little safer. "You guys—"
Before she could finish her words, she was rolled her eyes.
"Why open the door?! You almost killed everyone! Fortunately, Bai Xian warned us and prevented those ghosts outside from coming in."
A dozen people were gathered inside the doorway, men and women, some dressed fashionably, others in delivery rider uniforms, looking like they had gathered together temporarily. They all glared at Xia Zihan angrily, their faces filled with relief at having escaped a disaster.
With a stern look on their faces, they turned to look at the glass door and forced a smile. "Master Xiaobai, come and rest. We'll seal this place. After we seal it, we'll continue to look for the exit. It's inconvenient for you to hold Baixian and get the candle. How about we help you?"
Is there someone behind this?
Xia Zihan was so frightened that she ran out. When she turned around, she saw a girl who looked like an elementary school student standing in front of the door. She was too short and she didn't notice her at all.
The girl lit a gray candle in her left hand, and a white hedgehog head popped out from her right sleeve. It was too tired to do anything but raise its pointed nose to sniff around.
Xia Zihan's mood is hard to describe.
So many adults, relying on just one child?
Meeting her puzzled gaze, Bai Xuan puffed her cheeks unhappily, secretly stood on tiptoe, raised her chin and said seriously, "I am Bai Xuan, a member of the Jiang City Abnormal Investigation Branch's action team."
Someone in the crowd immediately responded, "Yeah, yeah, thanks to the action team coming in, we didn't end up in that state. What's your attitude towards Master Xiaobai?"
Boom! Gululu——
Something hit the glass door, rolling across it, squeezing the crack in the middle and causing newspapers stuck to the door to rustle as they rubbed against each other.
"Ah! It, it, it's coming in!" A low scream rang out, and everyone was like a frightened bird. Some were busy pushing the door, while others froze in place, ready to run away at any time.
The gray candle was emitting wisps of smoke, and the dim flame illuminated the door.
The banging lasted only a few seconds, and the door fell silent again.
The hedgehog retreated into his sleeve. Bai Xuan protected the candlelight in his palm and turned around. "We can go back now."
Xia Zihan followed them up the stairs and went down two floors, turning left and right to avoid the lighted area of the mall.
After turning into a closed room and closing the door, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and sat down around Bai Xuan. Some took off their coats to use as a cushion for her, while others enthusiastically asked her if she wanted to drink some water or rest.
The pot-bellied man didn't squeeze over to Bai Xuan. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and looked at Xia Zihan. "We thought the apartment building was empty. I'm the owner of the store A9 in the mall. Just call me Lao Qi. Little girl, what were you busy with before that you didn't come out? Is that floor quite safe? There are no windows, right?"
Only then did Xia Zihan realize that this was the shopping mall's monitoring room, with only a few screens lit.
There are corridors leading out of apartment buildings and shopping mall gates, but they are almost all filled with snow noise, and only occasionally can the picture be seen.
“The office literally has no windows.”
Xia Zihan was full of questions. "Are you...are you an official rescue organization? Everyone seems to be very familiar with the route to the mall. Can we get out first? Even though it's dark, running away will definitely help us avoid them, right?"
Lao Qi sighed tiredly, "Go out? It's dark? Look carefully at the time."
Xia Zihan shifted his gaze back to his phone.
It’s 8 o’clock, it’s dark at night.
No...it's eight o'clock in the morning?!
I just saw the arch, and everything further away was still dark.
She thought it was because it was dark and there were no lights, but now she thought about it, she could clearly see nothing, just like the shadow outside the ghost car window.
Lao Qi scoffed, "Have you heard of a ghost wall? You can see the exit, but you can't get through. If you go out, you'll bump into that welcoming doll and be sent back in a daze. If you're unlucky on the way back, you'll fly into the sky."
Xia Zihan touched his neck with lingering fear. "So what is that thing? Why have I never heard of it before? Can the Investigation Bureau rescue us?"
Bai Xuan pursed her lips nervously and hugged the hedgehog tightly.
The others noticed that she seemed tired, and those who were trying to please her retreated one after another, and started chatting with Xia Zihan, relaying the news they had heard from Bai Xuan before.
"Other people from the Investigation Bureau will be here soon. We can definitely get out, but we just have to wait."
"Right, right, everyone, calm down. The master said, the second law of the weird: the more fear there is, the stronger the weirdness. It's not that the authorities don't care, nor that they're deliberately concealing the danger. It's that after it was made public, people got scared, and the weirdness became even more rampant. Haven't you seen that all the horror movies are about approaching science? They're just trying to desensitize us. Don't worry, just like in the fight against terrorists, there are always unsung heroes on the secret front protecting us."
"We had intermittent signal a few days ago. Master Xiaobai said it meant the Ghost Cave wasn't completely sealed off yet, and there was still a chance to escape through the gap. She was in the first vanguard yesterday and has already contacted her colleagues behind us. Unfortunately, we ran into some treacherous bastards who defected to the Gui clan and were blocked from returning. Today... Although there's no signal today, we've already searched most areas, and we're almost there, so the only exit from the Ghost Cave must be."
Thinking of the mummy-like woman on the ghost car, Xia Zihan suddenly realized that she had already run into someone from the Investigation Bureau.
The authorities are still protecting everyone's sense of security and returning to the body.
Xia Zihan couldn't help but ask, "What about the other investigators? Why did Master Xiaobai come out alone..."
Isn't this child labor?
"How can you talk like that!" someone interrupted her hastily. "Only Master Xiaobai, at his age, can communicate with Baixian. He's a disciple of the Chuma sect! He may be young, but he's very capable!"
Lao Qi sighed, "There were three other investigators at the beginning, but they seemed to be newcomers led by Master Xiaobai. It was too chaotic at the beginning, some of them ran into that group of evil cultists, and some were trying to find the rules..." He secretly pointed his finger to the sky.
Got it, heads flew off too.
"But don't panic. Dirty things are afraid of pure candles, and we still have Master Bai here. Remember the rules you have explored, and you can save your life. Just find the exit. After you go out, kill the ghost that controls the flying head. Maybe you will have a chance to be as powerful as the master and become a ghost controller... What does the online article say? Transcend the mortal world and become a saint, and reach the pinnacle of life!" Lao Qi deliberately laughed twice, as if to reassure himself.
Bai Xuan secretly glanced at her phone watch, but there was still no message on it.
She was not old enough to have the satellite phone or special mobile phone provided by the investigation bureau, but her watch had been modified and had a much stronger signal than other mobile phones.
There had been frequent appearances of strange things in Tianjiang City these days, but actual encounters with them were rare. Neither she nor Bai Xian had any offensive power, so the captain had assigned extra investigators to follow her when arranging for increased patrols.
The bureau was busy, so Bai Xuan didn't have to go out on field work for the time being, so she simply brought her people to the university town to buy food. Although the boss was a bit of a profiteer, the food was delicious and everyone was in a good mood after eating it.
Bai Xuan fell asleep in the car. When the hedgehog Snow Velvet woke her up abruptly, she realized that the route was wrong and the car drove straight into the shopping mall in front that had not yet opened.
If the time displayed on the phone hadn't been tampered with by the ghost, it would have been 47 hours since she disappeared. Without Bai Xian's assistance, pinpointing the mall would be a bit slower, but the captain had definitely noticed the problem.
I hope the captain can come earlier, so that maybe one or two more people can survive.
Bai Xuan didn't dare tell anyone.
This strange and haunted creature that had just begun to revive was at least a special C-level, more likely a B-level.
Most of the heads hadn't started attacking yet, and Jingzhu could still repel one or two of them, but the most dangerous moment hadn't arrived yet. Once the ghost den expanded, millions of people in the city would die.
The ghost cave actually had an exit, but when she found it, this strange exit had already been blocked by the crazy people of the True Spirit Society, and someone else came in to intercept them. Bai Xuan could only think of a way from the inside, to find the strange body and try to freeze it.
Bai Xuan was extremely upset. Hearing the discussions around her, she encouraged everyone, "The flying head has a physical body. It's not the most terrifying kind. Have you heard the story of sleep paralysis? It can pass through walls and directly eat people in their dreams. But it appeared in Jiang City last month and ran away when it saw our captain!"
"Last month? Sleep paralysis?" Xia Zihan repeated dully and took a breath.
When she and Aunt Qin's family were so sleepy that they couldn't open their eyes, they met Boss Ye, and they felt better for no apparent reason!
Xia Zihan had thought it was some expert passing by, or that she was really suffering from mental breakdown as Boss Ye had said. Now it seemed that maybe Boss Ye was from the Investigation Bureau and had discovered her problem?
Why would she worship a god? Aren't the real gods right beside her?
Xia Zihan immediately felt more at ease and followed the little girl's instructions obediently.
Everyone rested for a while. Bai Xuan circled a few suspicious spots on the map and forced a serious expression on her face. "Let's go. Let's continue looking for the 'exit'."
-
When it was bright outside, Ye Ping'an took the dishes sent by Aunt Qin, closed the shop and started the van.
It was already very late when the students were sent away last night. The car dealership owner that Ye Ping'an had arranged to send drinks failed to deliver it because he heard that there was an inspection there.
She was about to drive out when she saw police cars searching the nearby intersections.
Jiang City is good in every way, except that the people are a little too "simple and honest." After just a few days of peace, it looks like something's up again.
This is her new car! Who knows if there will be some psychopath trying to scam her in the middle of the night?
Since there was no rush to open the store early, Ye Ping'an decisively postponed the time and went out in the morning to pick up the goods.
I left home a little later on purpose, but the main road in the university town still showed red congestion.
Ye Ping'an changed directions and let the navigation map plan, and finally found a road without traffic, but the road was a bit roundabout.
Passing by an intersection in an alley, the red opening arch outside is quite eye-catching.
The tear marks on the floor of the van were faintly visible. As soon as Ye Ping'an stepped on the brakes, the speed of the car slowed to a crawl.
Ye Ping'an's eyes lit up. "Is this the newly opened shopping mall in University Town? It's quite big. Let me see, wow, Jiang City's first Lanma Fresh is also here. Let's go and take a look."
Now that her business is just getting on track, she doesn't have time to travel to various places of origin to select raw materials, but it always helps to look around more.
A fresh food supermarket should have some special selections, right?
As the steering wheel was turned, the wheels slowly turned, and a dark shadow appeared faintly on both sides of the car window. The building submerged in the shadow quickly receded, and the archway of the front window of the car was getting closer and closer.
A hooded man stood under the archway, smiling and waving at her.
Come on, come in.
The exaggerated smile almost reached below the ears.
Ye Pingan was completely unaware, his smile as bright as his own, "The people welcoming guests at the door are so warm and hospitable, it would be rude not to go shopping."
The van drove into the wide and empty road in front of the mall, and the faces of the investigators standing guard on both sides of the road suddenly changed.
They subconsciously glanced behind the car. The narrow gaps between the tall buildings could theoretically accommodate a van, but—
"All the nearby roads are closed. Where did this car come from?! Stop! It's dangerous!"
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