Chapter 48
Rong Jing took a bite of the chicken leg, and it was hard not to suspect that Si Liu died early in his previous life because he spoke too harshly and offended people.
However, he also thought Xu Yue's nephew was stupid.
How could there be something in this world that can be obtained easily without paying a price?
Rong Jing asked, "And then, has anyone really had their wish fulfilled through the spirit summoning game?"
Xu Yue nodded. "Yes, it's a guy who majored in finance, named Zhang Ze. He's also the group leader of my nephew's group. I heard that when he was playing a psychic game with his roommate, he made a wish to become rich overnight. The next day, when he and his girlfriend were out shopping, he bought a lottery ticket like a possessed person and won 500,000 yuan."
These five hundred thousand may not be much for Rong Jing and others, but for a college student who is still studying, it is definitely a huge sum of money.
"This incident caused a huge uproar at school. Everyone thought it was a coincidence, so to verify the coincidence, someone played the psychic game in public, making the same wish for sudden wealth. Then the next day, they bought a different type of scratch-off lottery ticket and won again."
Once is a coincidence, twice is not necessarily a coincidence.
Xu Yue handed over the phone, which contained a video.
He explained: "This was sent to me by my nephew. In order to verify the feasibility of the spirit summoning game, they even took a video record."
Rong Jing lowered his eyes and looked at the screen.
It looked like a dorm room, but the curtains, doors, and windows were all tightly closed. The lights were off, leaving only a single, short, white candle, barely illuminating the figure of the shaman. He was a thin, short-haired boy wearing black-framed glasses. He clutched a piece of drawing paper. The figure on it looked particularly strange, with a slightly sinister and frightening appearance.
It is somewhat similar to the drawing paper Xu Yue picked up at home.
Then, the boy put his hands together and said softly, "It's almost midnight."
Shortly after the words fell, the clock in the corner, which was flashing a faint fluorescent light, suddenly ticked, and the hour hand, minute hand and second hand all pointed to the number 12.
At the same time, the short-haired boy in front of the camera suddenly tensed up and maintained a weird posture for a full two minutes.
Two minutes later, his stiff body relaxed again. He slowly opened his eyes and said in a hoarse voice, "The summoning ceremony is over."
The scene then shifts to a scene of the boy buying a scratch-off lottery ticket at a stall in a shopping mall. The camera zooms in, capturing the entire scene of the boy winning the lottery.
The video ended abruptly with the boy's excited scream.
"After this video came out, it almost took over their school's forum. However, the forum administrators felt that promoting such things was not a good idea, so they banned it. But even so, many people still discussed and circulated it privately."
"Take the group chat my nephew is in, for example. There are a full two thousand people in it, from different schools across the country." Xu Yue had already learned the general course of events from Chi Bai, and because of this, he was very clear about the severity of the current situation. He said, "Deputy Minister Chi and the others have already contacted Zhang Ze, but I don't know if Zhang Ze is still alive..."
Rong Jing thought for a moment and said, "It's a bit uncertain."
According to Xu Yue, Zhang Ze, the first person to play the spirit summoning game, was a college student, and the bodies he and Xie Changshi found near the island belonged to a high school couple... Those who played the spirit summoning game later are already dead, and those who played it earlier are unlikely to survive either.
Of course, if we take a more optimistic view, perhaps the time of death does not depend on the time the game is started.
Si Liu glanced at Rong Jing and could roughly guess what he was thinking.
However, he knew a little more about this matter, so he rested his chin on his hand and lazily reminded her, "It has something to do with time, but the person themselves plays a decisive role in the summoning ritual. Stupid people with weak horoscopes will summon stronger evil spirits, and naturally, they will die faster."
Okay, now Rong Jing can basically conclude that Si Liu died a long time ago because of that mouth.
After telling Rong Jing everything he knew, Xu Yue did not stay in the store for long. Today was a weekday, and he came here during his lunch break.
After watching him leave the studio, Rong Jing packed up the roast chicken and threw it into the trash can outside. Looking up, she saw a sneaky figure crouching behind a nearby pillar, one hand holding onto it while the other lifted up his sunglasses, revealing a sly look in his eyes.
Rong Jing's eyes met with the other person's, and the other person immediately took a breath of cold air.
Just then, Yan Yingyao came out carrying some trash and was about to talk to Rong Jing. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a figure behind the pillar. The corner of his mouth twitched, and the corner of his eye twitched: "Nie Liu, why are you hiding there like a thief?"
After his identity was exposed, Nie Liu no longer hid.
He walked out from behind the pillars and greeted Rong Jing awkwardly, "Well, hello, Master Rong."
"Hello, what are you doing...?"
Nie Liu touched his nose and said, "I heard that Young Master Yan has changed his ways. I was a little skeptical, so I wanted to come and take a look."
Nie Liu and Yan Yingyao were in the same social circle. The Yan and Nie families often collaborated, and as the only young members of the family, they naturally had a close relationship. Nie Liu had been abroad a while ago and only returned this morning, so he didn't attend the game Yan Yingyao had set up at Chunzui last night and missed a lot of domestic news. All he knew was that Yan Yingyao had suffered a brain injury, abandoning his well-behaved life as a dandy young master to become an assistant to a Taoist priest.
Knowing Yan Yingyao's personality, Nie Liu felt that Rong Jing must have some ability to make Yan Yingyao willingly be his younger brother, so he couldn't wait to run over as soon as he got off the plane.
Yan Yingyao glanced at him without giving him a good look: "I don't have time to greet you, so go home as soon as possible if you have nothing to do."
Nie Liu: "You don't need to worry."
After he finished speaking, he turned around and asked Rong Jing, "Master, you don't mind if I sit in your shop for a while, right?"
Rong Jing could tell that Yan Yingyao and Nie Liu had a good relationship, so there was no reason for him to refuse. He nodded and said with a smile, "Of course I don't mind."
Upon hearing this, Nie Liu immediately said, "Then I'll ask you for a fortune-telling later."
Yan Yingyao: "What fortune are you telling?"
Nie Liu said confidently: "Whether my parents can live to be 90, I will work until they are 90."
Rong Jing: “…”
Sure enough, people who can become friends with Yan Yingyao are different from others.
Rong Jing didn't interrupt the two of them as they were reminiscing about the past, and quickly returned to his own lounge for a nap. As soon as Nie Liu saw Rong Jing was gone, he couldn't wait to drag Yan Yingyao to the coffee shop next door, where they drank coffee while complaining about how unhappy his recent life had been.
"Do you think I've lost some weight? The old man eats bland food every day, and I follow suit and eat vegetables. I feel like I'm turning into a rabbit."
"Originally, the old man wouldn't let me leave..."
"Then what did you do to make the old man give in?" Yan Yingyao interrupted.
Nie Liu's grandfather was a very strong and strict old man. He was deeply dissatisfied with Nie Liu's parents' laissez-faire policy and believed that Nie Liu's current unruly behavior was the result of their indulgence. He disliked both Nie Liu and his parents, and this time, he tricked Nie Liu into going abroad under the pretext of "poor health," somewhat with the intention of forcing Nie Liu back to the right path.
Logically speaking, as long as Nie Liu didn't change, the old man would never let him return to China.
Nie Liu rolled his eyes. "That's ridiculous! How could I possibly get him to give in? I simply stole his ID and passport and ran away while someone was at my house discussing business with him."
Yan Yingyao: “…”
Nie Liu obviously hadn't finished his words yet: "Although I have my ID card and passport, my credit card is frozen. I was originally thinking of singing and performing to earn some money, but I got lucky and ran into someone I know."
"Which acquaintance is so nice and willing to lend you money?" Yan Yingyao was a little surprised.
"Lin Ciyan."
Yan Yingyao paused for two seconds and asked again, "Who?"
Nie Liu snorted and chuckled, "I don't know him. He's the youngest son the Lin family found two years ago. Didn't their family hold a party when they first found him? We went to join in the fun. You said that boy was dark and skinny like a monkey. But when I ran into him this time, he'd changed a lot. He even dyed his hair pink. I think it looked good, so I asked for his barbershop's contact information."
Yan Yingyao had no interest in what he said about Lin Ciyan. He glanced at him thoughtfully and said, "Why don't you dye your hair green? Green looks good."
Nie Liu: “…”
…
Nie Liu said he wanted to find Rong Jing for fortune-telling, and actually took a number and waited until the afternoon.
Unfortunately, the divination Rong Jing gave wasn't very good; his parents would live to be ninety but wouldn't work until they were ninety. However, the divination also said that as long as his parents actively promoted talented people, his company would definitely ensure his lifelong prosperity and wealth.
Nie Liu was very satisfied after hearing this. He waved his hand and ordered a dessert and coffee for Rong Jing and all the guests waiting for fortune-telling.
Yan Yingyao was a little surprised: "Didn't you borrow money from others for your plane ticket back home?"
Nie Liu: "Yes."
Yan Yingyao: "Then where do you get the money to treat people to coffee?"
Nie Liu: "Aren't you here?"
Yan Yingyao: “……?”
Putting aside the question of money, Yan Yingyao picked up the broom beside the table with an expressionless face and swung it towards Nie Liu. Nie Liu jumped up and down like a monkey, shouting "You're just kidding, my parents gave me money" and kept backing away until he bumped into someone with a bang.
Nie Liu felt something was wrong and quickly turned around to meet Chi Bai's face.
Before he could speak, Chi Bai casually said, "It's okay."
Then he strode past him to the studio and knocked on the door.
Nie Liu rubbed his shoulder, which was hurt by the reaction force, and muttered to Yan Yingyao: "I haven't apologized yet."
Yan Yingyao touched his chin, looking thoughtful: "When did Deputy Chi become so good-tempered?"
It wasn't that he had a good temper, it was just that Chi Bai was a bit anxious and didn't want to waste time arguing with Nie Liu. After getting Rong Jing's approval and pushing open the door, he walked over and got straight to the point: "We might need your help with the spirit summoning game. We've contacted special departments across the country and found that too many people are involved in this game, and they might not have enough staff."
"Headquarters has divided our department into different areas. I'm thinking of going to Fenzhou, and leaving Yancheng to you and Xue Cang. Is that okay with you?"
Since the matter was urgent, Chi Bai didn't bother to be polite with Rong Jing and asked him hypocritically if he was free.
Rong Jing naturally nodded: "No problem."
Chi Bai: "Okay, I'll have Yuan Siyu and the others contact you later. I'll rush to Fenzhou now. I'll treat you to dinner once this matter is resolved."
After he finished speaking, he hurried away.
Rong Jing looked at the dozen or so guests outside the door and quickly quickened his pace.
After finishing their fortune-telling work for the day, Rong Jing took Si Liu out of the studio. Yan Ying looked over eagerly. Rong Jing felt that Young Master Yan was a bit like a big dog that was eager to be walked. Unfortunately, Rong Jing couldn't take him with him. He could only say, "You and your friends go have a drink first. If there's a chance, I'll take you to catch ghosts."
Yan Yingyao: “!”
He immediately put away his pitiful expression, bowed to Rong Jing and Si Liu, and made a 'please' gesture: "Masters, I wish you good luck in your work!"
Rong Jing called the driver, and Xie Changshi's Cullinan stopped at the door. Rong Jing didn't stop and got in the car to go to Yancheng Police Station. Yan Yingyao, who was left behind, maintained a good mood and turned to close the door.
…
When they arrived at the police station, Jin Hong, Yuan Siyu, Xue Cang and others were already on high alert. When they saw Rong Jing coming, they didn't waste time greeting her and handed over the things in their hands.
Jin Hong said in a calm voice, "This case shouldn't be underestimated. Yancheng's nine districts encompass a total of eighty universities and two hundred and thirty high schools. The scope is vast, and the workload is enormous. Furthermore, because we discovered this late, the current situation is dire. Fortunately, every school has been very cooperative, and three-quarters have already submitted their student investigation reports."
"The students in this file all revealed they had performed spirit summoning rituals and are currently contactable." Jin Hong placed the document in front of Rong Jing, then pointed at the one in Yuan Siyu's hand. "The one in the policewoman's hand is uncontactable."
Rong Jing first looked at the missing student's information.
There were not many A4 papers, which recorded the students' personal information, the time and content of the summoning learned from others, and the specific time when contact was lost.
Rong Jing counted them and asked, "Ten?"
Jin Hong nodded: "Yes, this can barely be considered good news. After all, according to our initial guess, the number of missing people was even higher."
Rong Jing scanned the contents above and then turned his attention to another set of student information. There was a thick stack of A4 papers here. Rong Jing roughly counted and there were nearly four hundred sheets.
"There are more college students here. Some high schools have strict regulations and offer boarding, so students aren't exposed to these things as quickly. But it's different for college students. You know how quickly news spreads these days, and they keep up with the latest trends."
"I have asked the school to send all these students to the hotel owned by the Xie family."
Hearing Xie's name, Rong Jing's ears twitched, and then he quickly stood up: "The one nearby?"
"right."
"Then go and take a look."
The police station and Xie's Hotel were not far apart, only a five-minute drive. In the car, Yuan Siyu handed the tablet to Rong Jing and gestured for him to read: "This is the chat history we pulled from those group chats."
Rong Jing lowered his head.
[I just played around with it, but it didn't seem to have any special effects. Is it because I'm using the wrong method?]
[When I was playing, I felt that the dormitory was eerie and I even heard spirits talking!]
[Nonsense, right? Why didn’t I hear that?]
[This is normal. Different people summon spirits of varying strength. Perhaps the one you summon is weaker, making it more difficult to fulfill your wish.]
When Rong Jing saw this, he immediately felt something was wrong. He pointed at the ID above and asked Jin Hong: "Has this person been checked?"
Yuan Siyu came over and said, "ID Mythology Story, I have the record here. His real name is Yu Lei. He is not a student of Yancheng, but from Fenzhou."
Fenzhou.
This is the city Chi Bai is heading to.
Rong Jing frowned and hummed, then said, "This person seems to know a lot."
Yuan Siyu: "But he's just an ordinary sophomore. Deputy Chi saw the chat log and felt something was amiss with him. Later, after asking, he found out that he and Zhang Ze were three-dimensional friends, and that he had told him all these things. He also introduced this game to me, and even provided the drawing paper needed for the ceremony."
"According to him, the person who knows the spirit summoning game best is Zhang Ze. Unfortunately, Zhang Ze is missing."
Rong Jing didn't say anything. Five minutes passed quickly, and the car soon stopped in front of the hotel. According to Yuan Siyu, when the police contacted the Xie family and asked for cooperation, the Xie family agreed without hesitation and even gave the building north of the hotel to the group of students, so the students were now all in the north.
At this moment, the North Building's door was closed. Jin Hong walked in front, while Rong Jing, Xue Cang, and Yuan Siyu walked in the back. When Jin Hong pushed the door open, Rong Jing and Xue Cang paused. Yuan Siyu noticed this and quickly turned around to ask, "What's wrong?"
Jin Hong also turned his head to look.
Rong Jing and Xue Cang exchanged a glance, and the latter said, "The ghostly aura is strong. If nothing unexpected happens, there should be quite a few evil spirits in this building."
As soon as these words were spoken, Jin Hong and Yuan Siyu's expressions changed suddenly.
Although the two were not professional ghost hunters, the Yancheng Police Department's special unit had been established for a long time, and they had worked together many times. Naturally, they knew the terrible consequences of evil spirits. Thinking of the many students here, Jin Hong immediately said, "I'm leaving this to you, both of you."
Rong Jing said "Don't worry" and took out two pieces of talisman paper from his backpack and handed them to Jin Hong and Yuan Siyu respectively: "These are amulets. I may not be able to take care of you when I deal with the evil spirits later. Keep them with you."
Then he turned to look at Xue Cang and said, "Brother Xue, you and Senior Si go check the situation first. I'll go outside to set up the talisman formation to prevent any evil spirits from taking the opportunity to escape from the North Tower."
Before Xue Cang could ask who Senior Si was, he saw a tall figure in white suddenly appear behind Rong Jing.
Suddenly spotting this figure, both Xue Cang and the other two were startled. But Xue Cang was clearly the more surprised. As the next successor carefully nurtured by Liuyun Temple, he hadn't noticed Si Liu's presence until he appeared... This clearly showed that his abilities far surpassed his own.
This... where did Rong Jing find help?
Si Liu was too lazy to observe the expressions of the three people and just said to Rong Jing: "Leave it to me."
Then the figure disappeared in a flash.
Seeing this, Xue Cang hurriedly followed.
Rong Jing quickly placed the talisman papers in the four corners of the north building, then bit his finger, and blood left a mark on the last piece of talisman paper. Four golden lights shot up into the sky and merged into the air in the blink of an eye, as if nothing had happened.
Rong Jing stretched out his tongue to lick the blood off his fingertips and returned to the north building.
There are a total of thirty-six floors in the North Building. Xue Cang is responsible for floors 1-12, Si Liu is responsible for floors 13-24, and the rest are all handed over to Rong Jing.
Rong Jing took the elevator directly to the 25th floor.
Standing at the elevator entrance, I saw that the entire corridor was unusually empty and silent. A cold air gradually drifted over from afar and stuck to the exposed skin of Rong Jing.
He narrowed his eyes and smiled.
What is this? A provocation?
He thought that the evil ghosts would try to hide as much as possible if they discovered a Taoist priest entering the north building.
Unexpectedly, the other party did the opposite.
That's quite courageous.
A bright yellow talisman paper was held between her beautiful white fingers and floated silently in the air. Rong Jing's thin lips moved, and the talisman paper actually burned without fire, and then turned into a wisp of smoke and floated along the corridor to the fourth room.
Rong Jing's expression remained unchanged. He walked forward and knocked on the door.
The beep, beep, beep sound continued for nearly a minute before someone shouted "Wait a minute" and hurried over, clicking the door open.
A young girl appeared in front of the mirror. She was wearing a T-shirt and denim shorts. She held her fallen hair with both hands, and there were still large pieces of foam on the ends of her hair.
Meeting Rong Jing's eyes, she felt a little embarrassed: "I was just washing my hair and didn't hear you. Is there anything I can help you with?"
Rong Jing looked at her and revealed his identity: "I am a staff member of Yancheng Police Station. I came here to check the situation."
As he spoke, he handed the talisman paper he had prepared long ago to the other party. Seeing the other party's curious look, Rong Jing explained: "This is prepared for you by the police station. One for each person. It can save your life when necessary."
The girl said "oh", took the talisman paper, raised a bright smile, and said to the mirror: "Thank you."
Rong Jing's gaze fell on her palm. The bright yellow talisman paper was sticking to her skin, and there was no burning sensation, which proved that the girl was just a normal person.
But... the tracking symbol is indeed pointing to this room.
Considering the personal safety of the students, the police require that each of them have a room.
This means that there is no one else in the room except this girl.
Rong Jing's eyes flickered, and without saying anything more, he said "You're welcome" and turned to leave. But the moment he turned around, an extremely cold aura surged up from behind him.
A strong wind blew past, and sharp fingertips pierced Rong Jing's back unexpectedly.
Rong Jing suddenly turned around and met a hideous face.
The girl who was smiling just now now had dark circles under her eyes, her mouth opened wide like a crack in the abyss, her scarlet eyes stared at the mirror, and a dark aura flowed around her body, almost surrounding her.
The talisman paper that Rong Jing gave her was now lying alone on the ground.
Seeing her appearance at this moment, Rong Jing pursed his lips. The guess he had when entering the north building gate was completely confirmed.
He thought that they might have been too optimistic when analyzing this incident earlier.
At first glance, it seemed that only ten people were missing, but no one had considered a possibility - the evil spirits that were summoned did not completely kill the students, but chose to possess them, or replace them.
So, this building now has thirty-six floors.
How many students have suffered?
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