Chapter 8 The Mysterious Furniture Store: The Furniture Already Packed Up
Upon hearing Zhou Fangdong's words, Hong Zhong stopped him just before he left, saying, "My colleague can help deliver the furniture you ordered."
He was being so proactive to improve his image with the mysterious landlord, and also to prevent other ordinary people from getting involved in this terrifying apartment.
The colleagues in the Ghost Investigation Department all have experience dealing with ghosts and monsters and are capable of protecting themselves. Moreover, with him in the apartment, he can help move the furniture in, so the colleagues don't need to venture into the apartment to risk their lives.
Hearing Hong Zhong offer to help, Zhou Fangdong's eyes lit up: "Then I'll trouble you. I'll send you my furniture order..."
At this point, Zhou Fangdong suddenly realized that his phone did not have communication functions.
Fortunately, the system thoughtfully popped up a notification at that moment:
[The system detected that the cleaning staff intended to deliver furniture; the furniture delivery order has been merged with the cleaning order.]
Zhou Fangdong breathed a sigh of relief: "You can check your phone; the furniture delivery order has been merged into your cleaning order. Could you please have your colleague pick it up from that store and bring it to me?"
Hong Zhong opened his phone and fell silent after seeing the name of the furniture store where he was to pick up the goods.
[Home Furniture Store]
This furniture store was once famous for its affordable and high-quality products, with branches of all sizes all over the country... before it became haunted.
Since the paranormal events began, a strange curse has appeared at the Guijia Furniture Store, where customers who buy furniture will randomly find ghosts inside the furniture.
Although most of the ghosts that appear are low-level ghosts, even the lowest-level D-rank ghosts are deadly to ordinary people.
After the furniture store was sealed off, because there was too much furniture in the store, and almost every piece of furniture was haunted, it was impossible to destroy them all at once. It would be troublesome and laborious to deal with them, so all the haunted furniture was sealed off inside the store.
God knows how this landlord managed to place an order at a furniture store that was already under lockdown. And what was he going to do with so much ghostly furniture? Did he think the ghosts at Liwan Apartments weren't enough and wanted to stock up on more?
Hong Zhong forced a smile, his voice unusually hoarse: "Landlord, if you're not in a hurry, I'll go there myself after I finish cleaning. There's too much furniture; my colleague might not be able to move it."
We can't let it affect anyone else; let him handle everything related to Liwan Apartments alone.
Zhou Fangdong nodded. It didn't matter who delivered it, as long as the furniture was delivered: "Okay, thank you for your help."
Since leaving the birthplace room would require consuming kerosene lamp oil to ward off ghosts, Zhou Fangdong, seeing that everything was arranged, didn't linger outside any longer and teleported back again.
Cleaning is much easier than high-intensity physical training like moving ammunition boxes or lifting logs. Hong Zhong cleaned Room 109 in just over two hours.
Now, apart from black plastic bags, there is no other trash on the floor of room 109. Even the dust in the corners has been cleaned up.
In addition, Hong Zhong himself has a slight case of obsessive-compulsive disorder; all the cardboard boxes were even disassembled, flattened, sorted by size, and bundled into stacks. The broken furniture was also disassembled, with each part neatly piled up at the doorway.
After inspecting his work, Zhou Fangdong nodded in satisfaction.
He's so meticulous and efficient; I'll definitely order from him again next time.
Escorted by Zhou Fangdong, Hong Zhong made several trips back and forth, carrying all the garbage out of Room 109.
To prevent the trash collected from the haunted building from causing any harm, Hong Zhong loaded all the trash into his truck, intending to take it back to the Department of Extraordinary Investigations for disposal.
The trunk and rear seats of the car were stuffed with cardboard and wooden boards. Looking at his beloved car, which he had wrecked beyond recognition, Hong Zhong sighed softly and decided that next time he would just drive a pickup truck with a bed.
Just as he was about to get into his car and leave, Hong Zhong hesitated for a moment and went back to the apartment entrance.
In the apartment's entryway, Zhou Fangdong still carried that old kerosene lamp, standing quietly in the shadows. He was like a pale, ghostly figure conjured from this haunted building, keeping company with ghosts and monsters, waiting for many years in the unseen darkness.
Seeing that Hong Zhong wasn't getting into the car and was walking towards the apartment again, Zhou Fangdong tilted his head in confusion.
Why is the cleaner back again? Did he leave something in the apartment? Oh well... I have to go with him again.
In Hong Zhong's eyes, Zhou Fangdong's head tilting motion resembled the premonition of a bloodthirsty beast before it hunted. His black eyes, with their upturned corners, always carried an incomprehensible pity, as if mocking his weakness.
Hong Zhong paused, stopping at the apartment entrance, not daring to approach any closer.
He realized he really couldn't understand his landlord.
This mysterious landlord may seem easygoing and like a nice guy, but beneath this gentle exterior, a dangerous aura inadvertently emanates, constantly revealing his terrifying nature...
He was like a ghost trying to disguise himself as a living person, wearing a human skin and a gentle human smile, saying that we were companions, but then serving his companions to his own table.
Hong Zhong took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
Although his next move was somewhat risky, even under such pressure, he had to muster the courage to ask the question that had always been on his mind.
After carefully considering his words, Hong Zhong asked, "Landlord, may I ask what you need me to do by cleaning room 109?"
Hearing Hong Zhong's question, Zhou Fangdong became even more confused.
What's the point of cleaning a room? Of course, it's for renting it out.
He replied matter-of-factly, "It's to rent out the room."
Hong Zhong couldn't help but take a step back.
After hearing this answer, he could no longer hide his emotions.
Hong Zhong had noticed this while he was cleaning before. The young man who claimed to be the landlord of Liwan Apartment could not leave the apartment gate, which indicated that the abnormality of Liwan Apartment was currently under control.
But now, he says he wants to rent out room 109... Is he going to spread the uncontrollable supernatural power of Liwan Apartment to the outside world through his tenants?!
The thought that the ghosts of Liwan Apartment would invade the world of the living through this means sent chills down Hong Zhong’s spine.
He must stop this behavior.
Hong Zhong tried to suppress his trembling voice and said calmly, "Landlord, I'm actually looking for a place right now. If you don't mind, how about I rent room 109?"
“No.” Zhou Fangdong refused decisively. “I only rent room 109 to women.”
After reading about the haunted house in room 109, Zhou Fangdong decided not to hire male tenants anymore.
The vengeful ghost in room 109 was dismembered and disposed of by her husband before her death. If she sees a male tenant, she may associate it with her past experiences, which could threaten the tenant's life.
Seeing that Hong Zhong still wanted to say something, Zhou Fangdong simply ignored him and teleported back to his room.
He still wants to hire Hong Zhong for cleaning in the future, and it wouldn't be good if he became resentful and neglected his work because of too many rejections.
Watching Zhou Fangdong's figure disappear into the gate, Hong Zhong's mouth moved silently like a fish out of water, and finally he swallowed the words he hadn't had time to say, leaning against the car with a dejected expression.
Is it already beyond stopping...?
Just then, Hong Zhong suddenly heard heavy footsteps coming from inside the apartment. He subconsciously looked up and met the gaze of a short, stout middle-aged man carrying a backpack.
Zhao Dawei was startled when he saw someone standing outside the Liwan Apartment.
This middle-aged man had spent several hours mentally preparing himself in room 101 before finally mustering the courage to step out of the room.
There was no food in the Liwan Apartment, so he needed to prepare something to eat before dark.
Having been attacked by a ghost in the corridor before, Zhao Dawei was terrified this time, walking alone in the dark corridor without Zhou Fangdong by his side.
So he hung the key to room 101 around his neck, as if holding a cross, and walked out cautiously.
Perhaps it was his status as a tenant in apartment 101 that gave him protection. Although he encountered many ghosts along the way, none of them attacked him, and Zhao Dawei made it to the apartment entrance smoothly.
Then, as soon as he opened the door, he saw a tall, muscular man, who looked like a bodybuilder, leaning against the door of an SUV as if he were shooting a magazine cover.
...Is this bodybuilder alright? Why is he posing in front of the haunted building?
Upon recognizing the person, Hong Zhong was shocked: "Zhao Dawei?!"
Hearing the bodybuilder call out his name, Zhao Dawei was even more shocked than him: "You are...?! Do we...do we know each other?"
Hong Zhong quickly walked up to Zhao Dawei and pulled him out of the Liwan Apartment.
Before Zhao Dawei could even struggle, he pulled out his identification: "Hong Zhong, Special Investigation Department, the person who led the team that handled your family's murder case this morning."
Zhao Dawei's heart skipped a beat, and the image of his wife and children's deaths instantly flashed before his eyes.
Although he felt very uncomfortable, Zhao Dawei's smooth-talking skills honed over years of working in the workplace made him subconsciously put on a smile and bow, saying, "Sir, may I ask why you've come here to see me? Is there some new development in my family's case?"
“No, I didn’t come to Liwan Apartment to look for you. I didn’t know you were here before…” Hong Zhong looked Zhao Dawei up and down and realized that the person in front of him was the owner of the footprints at the apartment entrance. “What are you doing here? Do you live here?”
Zhao Dawei nodded: "Yes, sir, I live here. My building was sealed off, and when I was looking for a place to live, I happened to see the rental posting for Liwan Apartments, so I rented a place here."
Hong Zhong perked up: "Where did you see the rental post?" He had barely asked the question when he glanced into the apartment as if he remembered something.
“How about this, are you going out? It’s hard to get a taxi around here, I’ll take you out, and we can talk in the car.” Hong Zhong opened the passenger door and gestured for Zhao Dawei to get in.
Hong Zhong drove Zhao Dawei away from Liwan Apartment.
On the way to the city, Hong Zhong learned from Zhao Dawei that he had seen the rental post for Liwan Apartment on a rental exchange forum APP.
After dropping Zhao Dawei off at his destination, Hong Zhong immediately returned to the Bureau of Abnormal Supervision.
He first dealt with the garbage he had brought back from Liwan Apartment, and then found his colleagues in the anomaly monitoring department to monitor the rental app 24 hours a day.
Hong Zhong planned to arrange for someone to move in as soon as he discovered that Liwan Apartment had posted a new rental ad.
He absolutely must keep the Liwan Apartments issue under control.
After arranging everything, Hong Zhong replenished his depleted equipment, found a pickup truck at the bureau, and drove alone to the location of the furniture store.
Like other haunted houses and buildings that were sealed off, the road leading to the furniture store was also blocked.
Moreover, because the number of ghosts in the furniture store is incalculable, there are also patrol cars that monitor the area around the furniture store 24 hours a day.
Most of these furniture stores are located in city centers, unlike haunted houses in the suburbs that can be left unattended. If the ghosts inside the furniture store leak out, it will cause terrible disasters, so their status needs to be monitored in real time.
Hong Zhong had already reported the abnormality at Liwan Apartment, and with special approval, he was able to drive into the sealed-off area and arrive at the door of Guijia Furniture Store.
After parking the car in front of the furniture store, Hong Zhong put on his gear and got out.
The modern building in front of me has not been maintained for a long time. The floor-to-ceiling windows are all broken and the window frames are rusty. Only the densely packed flyers on the ground, almost blending into the ground, still tell the story of its former bustling prosperity.
In stark contrast to this dilapidated scene were the few pieces of furniture already packed up at the entrance of the building.
A single bed, a wardrobe, and a set of table and chairs.
The outer packaging was very new, and to prevent damage during transportation, the furniture was even carefully framed with wooden frames.
Hong Zhong walked around the furniture but found nothing unusual about it.
However, just as he was examining the furniture, the previously sealed door of the furniture store silently opened. Several pale, livid, ghostly hands, like new shoots emerging from the earth, slowly stretched out from the darkness.
The target of these ghostly hands was none other than Hong Zhong, who had his back to them.
A note from the author:
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