Chapter 11 Red Nose (1) For professional matters, find a professional ghost. ...
Xie Tan scrolled down further and discovered there was more plot to come.
At night, a little boy skipped and hopped across the street, greeting passersby without hesitation. Some passersby were infected by his liveliness and responded to him with smiles.
Although his face wasn't shown clearly, Xie Tan recognized him at a glance as a little devil.
The only difference is that the skin is no longer bluish-purple, but fair like a normal child's, and the star-shaped birthmarks on the arms are gone.
The child who died had the birthmark, but he already had a scapegoat and was reborn.
Passing by a fast food restaurant, he stopped by the window and stood on tiptoe to take a look. It was a new ice cream!
Come back and eat after you find your mother.
As he turned a corner, wisps of smoke rose from the alleyway, where a woman stood deep within, her long hair flowing, and slowly beckoned to him.
"Mother!"
The little boy ran towards the woman and stopped in front of her. A hand passed through the black smoke and landed on the little boy's shoulder, but it was neither the woman's hand nor the female ghost's.
It was the hand of a withered old man.
The black smoke dissipated slightly, revealing its true form. The blind sorceress gave him a smile that looked even more like a ghost than the mother and son, and patted him on the shoulder.
The little boy looked down; an umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck and was tightening.
"Good child, I will remember your contribution, may the gods bless you... in your next life."
The black smoke didn't dissipate; instead, it grew thicker and drifted out of the alley.
But the passersby ignored them and continued on their way.
Xie Tan thought that the sorceress wasn't just trying to help the mother and son; she had a deeper purpose.
After planning for so long to help the child be reborn, the mother and son had no reason to suspect her, and then she was killed by the scheming sorceress with ulterior motives?
Anyway, it was used, and in the end it turned into black smoke.
[My cabinet moved: It's a series of interconnected events. Yuan Luhang invited a little ghost, but it was actually a vessel chosen by the sorceress for the mother and son to be reborn. The mother and son also had other uses.]
The man in black definitely knew the first part. Whether he knew the sorceress's deeper purpose was unclear for the time being, but his attitude... suggested that even if he knew, he didn't care.
He was more like going with the flow, reminding the kid to go back to his mother, returning the dagger to its rightful owner, and incidentally offering the idea that "this can be used."
The fortune teller is related to the main storyline, and some elements have given me some ideas, but it's still the first story, so I'll wait and see.
The drawing of Yuan Luhang's death was so well done, echoing the first picture. My stomach is chapped. Dao Shen is amazing.
I've already fallen in love with the new character and I'm looking forward to seeing more of her. I hope I'll know her name next time we meet!
[OP's analysis is amazing! I'm in love too. This beauty looks like she has a story to tell. Looking forward to it!]
[The Sword God has released two short episodes featuring the beautiful woman and Lu Lu. Go check them out!]
The author added two short skits after the comic, the first of which was related to him.
In the square, girls dressed up carefully held up support banners, carried flowers, and had cotton dolls and other support items hanging on their bags.
In this vibrant and lively world, he, dressed in black, coldly walked across the square, like a killer who had wandered in after get off work.
But the fans who were handing out support items weren't afraid of difficulties! The girl cheered herself up in her heart, ran up to Xie Tan in a flash, stuffed the cute support fan into Xie Tan's hands, and said a string of promotional words.
But she was still intimidated, and in the third second of Xie Tan's silence, she said, "Sorry to bother you, thank you for your support!" and ran away.
The "cold-blooded killer" was left standing still.
[Haha, is my wife confused?]
[Even the mysterious man in black could only passively endure the enthusiastic fangirl, hahaha]
The funniest thing is that the man in black didn't recognize the face on the fan at all...
It would be hilarious if they recognized the kid's owner's face; there was a hint of silent disapproval in that one second of pause, hahaha.
Another short scene is that after Lu Jinzhao entered the unit, he didn't go upstairs but waited for Xiao Gui to open the door, but he never did.
The young dog tilted its head, its black, tousled hair swaying, stared blankly at the building entrance for a few seconds, and then nonchalantly went upstairs.
[LuLu: What's going on? Never mind, if I'm not going to chase after them, I'm going back to sleep.]
[LuLu: Hallucination? Then I'm going back to sleep.]
[LuLu: Nothing at all? Okay, I'm going to sleep.]
[Hahaha, this is hilarious! Both of them are so carefree.]
Xie Tan raised an eyebrow. It seemed the first story had gone well, and there was even a mini-theater.
The cat excitedly raised its paw: "Let's press on! There should be a preview of the next story in a few days, meow."
Xie Tan shook his head, indicating he wasn't going to appear in the next story.
A face that's frequently seen may be more memorable to readers, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's attracted their attention, let alone won their favor.
Quality over quantity.
Ultimately, "Strange Tales" consists of individual stories, and his presence in every single one might actually diminish its mystique.
The series title "Graduation Season" is like a hint that the main plot is being unraveled and brought to the forefront. Based on Xie Tan's understanding of the author's habits, he would first tell several seemingly separate stories.
Ideally, his appearance should be related to the main plot, or he should have his own purpose, which could be integrated into the main plot in the future.
In time, they can also refine their persona and gradually unveil the "mysterious" veil.
But that's a plan for later.
Now, he still needs readers to unravel this mystery for him. As a proper mystery, it's better to maintain an air of mystery and add a bit of suspense from time to time.
Xie Tan continued his normal life, spending most of his time at home, occasionally going downstairs to buy necessities, as if he had completely forgotten about the popularity character development system.
There are advantages to being in the horror comic book world; currently, apart from ghosts, no one can smell his pheromones.
Nobody knew him, and he didn't need to avoid anyone. The long road home stretched out, casting a long shadow of him alone.
He could feel his own calm breathing.
The cat blinked its big, golden eyes and said worriedly, "Baby, you're 19, right? You should be a sophomore in college by now, meow."
"I was supposed to go to register in September, as a freshman."
Back home, Xie Tan went into the kitchen, boiled water to cook noodles, turned on the tap to wash vegetables, and glanced at it: "But now I'm an unregistered resident in another world."
The culprit, feeling guilty, folded up its round ears and changed the subject: "Will you study for a year tonight, meow?"
"My mother passed away when I was in elementary school, and I stayed at home for a year," Xie Tan said calmly.
The cat froze, then snuggled against his waist as he leaned against the sink, rubbing against him apologetically.
Xie Tan didn't care and turned off the tap: "It's okay, I've never seen her."
He learned of his mother's existence on the day she died; his father bluntly told him, when he was seven years old, that the woman who had been lying unconscious in the hospital had died.
He had never met her, and for the first time, he asked his father if he could go see her.
She was carried from the side entrance of the hospital onto the hearse, passing by him as a small child. But she was covered by a cloth, and he stood on tiptoe, unable to see her face clearly.
In that fleeting moment as they brushed past each other, he instinctively grasped her drooping hand, but the touch was brief and the touch was as cold as water.
This is the first and the last time we'll meet.
Since then, his father seemed to have finally broken free from two constraints...
His father abandoned the house to him, the whole family moved abroad, and they hired a nanny to take care of him until he was in the second year of junior high school.
Although he had a nanny, he was still too young and had to stay home for a year before going back to school.
The cat's tail wrapped around his forearm, and its furry head nestled into his palm.
The small animal's warm body absorbed the water and dispelled the coolness.
Xie Tan snapped out of his reverie, patted the cat's head, ate his meal, and looked toward the master bedroom, which was locked up by long hair.
Xie Tan certainly had plans regarding the school.
This is a very important step. The name of the new series is related to school, and the two episodes following "Little Devil" also have school elements.
One story is about a graduation photo studio, which includes orders from Diqiu University; the other is about a working professional whose child happens to be graduating from Diqiu University.
The best university in the area. Lu Jinzhao also studies here.
The variety show that Yuan Luhang participated in, the episode that went viral, was also filmed at Diqiu University.
This university is very likely the location of the main storyline; if he goes to study there, he will definitely have to enter this university.
There's no shortage of elements in the Chekhov's Gun comic; the only remaining issue is his possessions.
Xie Tan: "Number 7, you can walk through walls, right?"
The cat nodded.
"Then can you touch the things in the master bedroom?"
"No, meow." The cat shook its head. "I can only touch what belongs to you, which is blank space, meow."
But the cat is clever: "Baby, what do you want me to look for in the master bedroom, meow?"
"Things like admission notices, proof of enrollment, and leave slips."
According to other residents, the previous owner of the house lived here for a long time and may have kept his student ID and materials.
"I remember, meow!" The cat's eyes lit up, and it immediately floated into the master bedroom, then ran back. "Yes, the acceptance letter is on the bookshelf, it has the logo of Diqiu University, meow!"
The previous owner also graduated from Diqiu University? That's convenient.
Xie Tan asked, "Is this house considered my property?"
Number 7 put on a serious cat face: "This house absolutely belongs to you, meow."
Xie Tan raised an eyebrow: "There are still things belonging to the previous owner here."
“But the key is the ‘blank’ that came with you from another world, meow. You’ve decided it’s the key to this house, so this house belongs to you, meow.” The cat repeated, “Other things may not be the same, but this house is yours, meow.”
Xie Tan sensed something unusual; the logic behind this house belonging to him went beyond that.
But he couldn't get any more information out of her. Anyway, Maomao was very firm, and Xie Tan was too lazy to investigate further. As long as it was in his best interest, that was fine.
"The next step is to successfully become a member of Diqiu University. First, we need to open the door to the master bedroom."
"It can't be opened by physical means; it's locked by mystical means, meow."
"So for professional matters, you should find professionals." Xie Tan changed his tune, "Professional ghosts."
The night he was followed by the female ghost, he clearly entered Building 9, but ended up on the rooftop of an abandoned community service building.
Prior to this, his delivery riders had gotten lost in the neighborhood, and similar incidents had been occurring intermittently in the neighborhood over this period.
Sometimes residents go to the wrong buildings, usually Building 9 and the buildings next to the community service building.
It's as if an invisible hand silently swapped the locations of Building 9 and the community service building.
With hands like those, she should be able to switch between the master bedroom and the secondary bedroom, thus freeing herself from the confinement of her long hair.
He decided to give it a try.
Just three days ago, the strange thing about not being able to find my way around the neighborhood disappeared.
This doesn't mean the matter is over; it just proves that the instigator has achieved their initial goal, and the real action is about to begin.
The story is about to begin.
The comic has been updated with a preview image for the next story.
The background image shows the entrance to a kindergarten, with the gates opening at dismissal time and adults picking up their children.
A small blue hat, one of the kindergarten's standard-issue items, fell to the ground, while a brightly colored strawberry balloon floated into the air.
It's like a child has gone missing at the door because the child's hat is on the ground.
What do strawberry balloons represent? Balloons aren't for children, otherwise they would convey the same message as hats.
A teaser image, the two most prominent elements should point to different information.
Strawberry balloons may belong to the person or ghost who caused the child's disappearance.
Xie Tan remembers that when he left the community service building that night, he looked back and saw a shadow moving in the dark window on the second floor.
It also appears to be a balloon.
As darkness fell, Xie Tan returned to the service building.
The first floor is a community canteen, with the dining area consisting of rows of connected plastic tables and chairs, and the open kitchen has been emptied.
Next to it was a small medical station, with two dilapidated folding beds piled up against the wall, and the medicine cabinet covered in dust.
Xie Tan saw half a handprint on the half-open cabinet door on the upper middle shelf.
Someone came by recently, and like him, they opened the cabinet door in a curious manner.
The second floor is the same as the first floor, with slogans for a civilized community pasted on the peeling walls.
The bookshelves were placed against the wall. Xie Tan took down a book, which looked like a book that was being transported by truck and sold by weight in the market.
He bought it when he was in junior high school, and the translation was like a book written in heaven.
The social worker's office filing cabinets and drawers were empty. The last room was the children's activity room, which faced the sun during the day.
The three-colored cushions were curled at the edges, the stickers on the wall were drooping, the small stools were leaning to one side, there were many crayon doodles on the table, and a few old picture books.
Xie Tan opened the album; many covers didn't have names written on them, and those with names were blurry.
These are all children's drawings, whimsical and imaginative, which Xie Tan, with his adult mindset, can no longer understand.
Outside the window, someone was running and calling out someone's name in the neighborhood; something seemed to have happened.
Xie Tan didn't pay any attention. He casually opened a drawer without any precautions, and a flock of pigeons flew out, carrying scraps of old paper and crayon shavings. They flew around Xie Tan and out the door.
He stared silently at the pigeon feathers in the drawer.
How could such a small drawer possibly hold so many pigeons?
Moreover, how could there be no sound at all if there were a group of live animals in the drawer?
Like the moment a drawer is opened, pigeons appear out of thin air and fly out.
Downstairs, amidst the sound of pigeons flapping their wings, a gasp rang out, and footsteps approached from the second floor.
The neighbor across the hall called out a name in a youthful and energetic voice, as if looking for someone.
A note from the author:
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