Chapter 2 "The Junior Police Officer" System: Put your pants on! ...
Jian Dieda knew nothing about these things. Before going to sleep, he asked the system, "Are there many people who immediately log off on the first night after going to sleep?"
The system spoke in the typical tone of a horror game, "Dear player, you can sleep, but whether you wake up or not depends on the rules."
Jane Dieder would rather go bald than die.
He was just trying to be the champion of staying up all night, and he was going all out. The only problem was that he didn't bring his phone before entering the dungeon.
He waited from nightfall, and during those 12 hours, he barely dared to breathe normally. He even wished at one point that he would be stabbed to death.
Finally, the moment of death arrived, and the suffocating feeling of sardines being crushed to death in a can appeared.
57.58.59——
【00:00:00】
His time was up, but nothing happened on the first night.
Jian Dieda was relieved to have survived, but he was completely clueless about how to pass the test. It seemed that he would have to live in fear every night from now on, trying to figure out if the murderer in the script would make a move.
Perhaps due to lack of sleep, as he thought this, the light shining through the window made him feel that a stain in the corner of the room was expanding.
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Police, please open your eyes!
The next day, the system arrived. Jian Dieda, who had been staying up all night and was feeling weak in the legs, sat up. The system wanted to maintain its high-class image, but the next second after seeing him clearly, it immediately made a mistake.
The system looked in an inappropriate direction, asking, "Why are your pants flying?"
Jian Dieda blocked it, not letting it see. "Oh, I took it off. I'm afraid the murderer really is Chunlan. If she comes in to kill me in the middle of the night and finds that I'm not wearing clothes, she will definitely drop the knife and cover her eyes. Then I can take the opportunity to escape."
system:"……"
Jian Dieda has always been a man of integrity. He pulled up his briefs and covered his buttocks, saying, "I've made a huge sacrifice by doing this. I've never had a boyfriend in my life."
Yes, that's why you've truly reached a new level of audacity—the system scoffed at his novel actions before continuing to tell him.
[Current progress 2%. No new murders occurred in Hawthorn Alley last night, and you are still alive. Today, those who are not eliminated will hear more new testimonies.]
Jian Dieda didn't breathe a sigh of relief. Looking at the old-fashioned door, he asked in a low voice, "So here's the question: Did my number one whistleblower, Cao Chunlan, behave unusually last night?"
No.
Jane Dieda fell into deep thought.
Is the moving stain in the corner of the wall at midnight just an illusion?
No, he wouldn't make a mistake at a life-or-death situation. Sensing something was wrong, Jian Dieda threw off the covers, folded them neatly, got out of bed, and pushed his bicycle away. He didn't dismiss his suspicions about the first informant, but instead rushed to the second investigation location—Honghui Police Station.
A change of location also means a new character activation card.
While waiting for someone to arrive at the door, Jian Dieda was looking through a map. Around 10:30, he heard the household registration office calling someone.
"Comrade Dong, please remember to register this."
The square-faced man outside responded, parked a bicycle without a bell or lock, and dragged someone from the street into the police station.
Jian Dieda pretended to come out to fix the bulletin board, and the other person stopped and said, "Jianzi, I've never seen you so diligent. I heard you live with me?"
[System Prompt]
[Second Whistleblower: Dong Dongdong]
Age: 25
[Occupation: Patrol officer at Honghui Police Station]
[Position: ???]
[Relationship: Another apprentice of Dong Zhijie, the godson of Dong Zhijie's spouse Bai Fengxia, and your childhood sweetheart.]
Jane Dieda lifted his face from under his peaked cap, patted his pink hands, and stood up straight from his squatting position to ask, "Yes, where did you catch someone?"
In the original setting, Janda is useless and gets beaten up by drunken mobsters. So it's understandable that Dongzi's inquiry was just polite and she was a little slow to react when he dared to speak.
"Oh, oh...right, the old market wholesale center, I chased him for three miles." Dong Dongdong pointed at the rascal who had made him run his legs off, and made the criminal squat next to the water pipe. Out of the corner of his eye, he seemed to be looking up and down at his childhood friend who was different from others.
“What did you do wrong?” Jane Dieda asked.
The juvenile delinquent looked down on him and even glanced at his hand.
Dong Dongdong was getting impatient with the questioning, but Jian Dieda could tell that he had good micro-expression control and his tone was righteous and awe-inspiring. "He did something particularly shameful. He stole more than thirty car wheels in a month and used them all to buy porn and pick up girls at dance halls."
I see.
Stealing car wheels is their main target. The proletariat is glorious and great, and this act of getting something for nothing is quite shameful. There are such shameful pornographic films, which must be handed over to the authorities for them to watch together.
How could a juvenile delinquent not notice that someone nearby was eyeing his pornographic films?
"Officer, you can arrest me, but could you please not confiscate my treasured possessions? They're my spiritual sustenance!"
"You son of a bitch, you're so amazing, why didn't you let your mother throw you away the day you were born so she could raise the placenta!"
Dongzi kicked him to shut him up.
The little devil was kicked all over his face with shoe prints, lay on the ground crying loudly, and was eventually taken away.
Jane Dieda peeked out silently: "Hey, looks like things' been a bit turbulent lately. Can I go on patrol with you?"
Dong Dongdong picked at his ear twice: "Come if you want, I won't stop you." After saying that, he glanced at Jian Dieda's hand, "My master had an accident, and I heard there are ghosts there. It's almost the Ghost Festival again. If you're scared, don't try to be brave with me."
The system beeped.
[You have triggered testimony in the case; you've courted disaster.]
[The time when your master, Dong Zhijie, had his accident also coincided with the Ghost Festival. Strangely enough, every night someone would make a false alarm in the duty room. The caller would only make the call and never speak. The comrades advised your master not to go into the alleys at night, but who knew that Dong Zhijie would still pass away... Tell me, was that a ghost or a human making that phone call?]
Dong Dongdong said fearfully, "We are never allowed to make a fuss about it at work... But after our master died, even a shaman like Chunlan, who knows how to use magic, couldn't find out what was in Shanzha Hutong. I guess it was some powerful immortal that no mortal can afford to offend."
Jian Dieda pestered him, saying, "We're buddies, can you help me this once? Look at how the leaders at the station make me do the blackboard bulletin every day, do I still look like a policeman?"
With a gloomy tone, Jian Dieda found a pack of cigarettes and stuffed it into his childhood friend's hand.
After lighting the fire, the two of them took a couple of puffs, chatted for a few more minutes, and then finalized the matter.
His childhood friend agreed, but threatened him in a harsh tone, "We have to leave the alleyway before dark. If you can't do it, don't drag me down with you."
“Okay.” Jian Dieda readily agreed. He wasn’t that selfish; he wouldn’t drag someone down with him even if he died.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, many dark shadows moved about in the corridor, and the hallway bell rang.
After getting off work, Jian Dieda made an excuse to go to Chunlan's house.
He deliberately said he wanted to go to the scene of the crime.
Chunlan asked him why he wanted to patrol the alleys, and Jian Dieda, known for his 'suicidal' tendencies, uttered a line that would only last one episode: "I didn't want to go at first, but I think Dongzi is just a coward. I don't believe in ghosts, or any kind of immortals..."
Chunlan interrupted him in horror, “Shut up! There are gods watching over you! Are you out of your mind! If an ordinary person offends them, they will be possessed and die. The immortals will appear in your dreams, possess you, and even find your doorstep, making your whole family miserable! You broke the seal there! No amount of talisman water will help!”
Cao Chunlan's scream pierced her gentle and virtuous face.
Jane's gaze was filled with astonishment at the thought that the woman he loved so dearly could have such a chilling side.
Through the reflection in the young policeman's eyes, the woman in front of him realized her own lapse in composure, let out a cry, and hid in the kitchen.
Jian Dieda heard Chunlan smash the bowl.
A few minutes later, she stopped her rambling, served Jian Dieda a rooster bowl, and transformed back into the kind alleyway auntie.
She also piled a lot of food into Jane Dieda's bowl, as if covering it with a blanket.
There was dried tofu, stir-fried sweet potato vines with chili peppers, dry-fried green beans, and two golden and crispy braised tiger-skin eggs.
Jian Dieda pretended to be calm and numbly stuffed rice into his mouth. He felt that every dish had an eerie taste, and this meal was more like a last meal before execution.
But after eating a mouthful of oil and failing to obtain any further clues, he had no choice but to leave.
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As he stepped outside, Jian Dieda was still thinking.
Just a moment ago, he felt the fear that ordinary people experience when facing the unknown, as well as a deep-seated suspicion about whether the woman had committed the murder.
According to the pattern of most homicides, the more people associate the dead with ghosts, the higher the probability of committing the crime is often compared to the frequent mention of spirit mediums in testimonies...
...
On the other side.
As multiple viewing channels in parallel universes open, the story of the young police officer slowly unfolds in their worlds.
From the perspective of those who tell strange tales, it is evening over there.
On the road in the urban-rural fringe, two policemen walked toward the audience. One of them walked with a proud and imposing air, but his name was Dong Dongdong.
As for the other person, he completely overturned the traditional male protagonist's image in ghost stories.
His actions were nothing short of bluffing.
Perhaps because it was July or August, pink talismans and piles of burning paper money were everywhere in front of factories, restaurants, and schools. Dongzi would accidentally step on them twice every time she walked by, but Jian Dieda never did.
But without any warning, the bicycle chain got stuck.
After several attempts, Jian Dieda found that he couldn't push the car. His childhood friend's hands were covered in oil, and he was cursing under his breath. He stood up and said he would go and borrow a wrench to fix it.
Jian Dieda chose to stay and wait. A few seconds later, there was thunder overhead. He instinctively dodged the telephone pole and subconsciously pushed his cart to the left, turning into a small shop.
In my memory, these kinds of small shops are called hutong shops. The wooden sign in front of me is handwritten with four big red characters: Friendship Store.
The system alerted: "'Friendship Store' is only 50 meters away from the crime scene where the deceased was found."
Jian Dieda instantly realized he had made a mistake in his positioning. He looked at the small shop, neither looking up nor down, and wiped the sweat from his face.
After wiping, he stopped to select cigarettes and lighters from the glass display case.
When the old shopkeeper heard that the police were going to the area near his home, he said, "There's a legend that there are immortals in that place, and it's been said for thirty years."
Jane Dieda thought to herself, "This is just nonsense."
The old man squinted and said, "It's better to believe it exists than to believe it doesn't."
"I still don't believe it."
"You can't do that. Immortals have ears and they hear things better than humans. Those who don't believe in these things will die if they come here."
The old man added, "By the way, officer, if you need your bicycle repaired, you can check out that courtyard over there. I remember a kind family lives there; they're very good-hearted and helpful. Just be careful not to get lost, haha..."
Like the opening scene of a classic Chinese ghost story, this obviously problematic old man stood under a light bulb covered in soot, making his face sallow, his eyes narrowed, and his tiptoeing posture resemble a paper effigy.
A few seconds later, Jian Dieda agreed to take a look. He took the green, transparent lighter from the cabinet, but didn't dare to look back even once...
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The plot of the protagonist, a lowly police officer, venturing alone into the alley to his death has begun.
From the higher vantage point, one could see that the sky above his head was officially transitioning between light and dark, and the crooked power lines in the old alleyway transformed into a series of smirking faces.
That short old man was clearly not human either; he had vanished from the spot at some point.
The young policeman kept his head down, so he couldn't see the stone bridge at the entrance of the alley that surrounded the moat, with a military jacket hanging on it.
In the higher plane, ghosts recognized the year of the clothes. It was probably left behind by a comrade who jumped into the river in the 1960s. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that the man was indeed there today, enjoying a smoke and playing the violin. At the same time, bicycles were piled up around him, and ghosts of soldiers in military coats were standing around watching this mortal. The blood-red sunset had already stretched the unfortunate shadow of the policeman who was about to fall into the ghost's den and die tragically.
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"Little Bald Head".
Jian Dieda called out the system.
"I'm going to go deep into the alley now. From now on, I'm going to see all the group messages from the ghost stories."
The system asked, "Didn't you say you didn't want to watch?"
Jian Dieda said, "I have a feeling that something interesting will happen at the crime scene. I don't want to enjoy the good news alone, so I'll share it with everyone, especially those two group members I met yesterday, 'Cat-faced Old Lady' and 'Chengdu Zombie'. This might be the beginning of a friendship between us."
The system said, "You little brat, you're just trying to scare the old lady and the zombie brother."
Jian Dieda shamelessly admitted, "You have a good eye for people. I just think the old lady and the zombie brother are easier to seduce."
System, "Put your pants on!"
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In the other two dimensions, the cat-faced old lady and the Chengdu zombie had a cold war.
Haven't they already become the protagonists of real ghost stories?
Strange, why do I suddenly have this creepy feeling that someone is watching me from behind?
A note from the author:
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Spoilers for the next chapter:
Jianzi: My grandma tells me ghost stories, and I use those ghost stories to scare her (not really).
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