Chapter 14
Ye Jia expressionlessly opened the door.
Unsurprisingly, two familiar faces appeared at the door.
Zhao Guangcheng and……Cheng Cezhi.
The former looked surprised and the latter evasive. He clearly hadn’t recovered from the shock from a few days ago.
Seeing Ye Jia, Zhao Guangcheng quickly looked down at the form in his hand and raised his head back up in surprise, “Ah! It turns out to be you! I was just wondering why the name looked familiar….”
Cheng Cezhi smiled with some effort, “Brother Ye, g-good morning.”
The small black hand who had rushed over to check on the source of the commotion appeared behind Ye Jia and waved at him enthusiastically, “Hi!!!”
“…….” Cheng Cezhi looked like he was going to faint again.
“So,” Ye Jia asked, “why is it the two of you this time?”
Zhao Guangcheng laughed goofily and scratched his head, “Isn’t it because we don’t have enough staff……”
Okay, I understand now. No more explanation needed.
After a brief chat, Ye Jia could basically figure out the bureau’s investigation progress.
The person he had met yesterday was called Wang Shize. He lived two blocks away from here. The two had already been to the hospital and had a brief chat with the person involved.
“It didn’t seem like a nightmare.” Cheng Cezhi said.
“Yes, it’s too deliberate and too targeted.” Zhao Guangcheng nodded and concluded, “Seems more like a ghost causing trouble.”
Being trapped in a nightmare was generally quite random but it was completely different when ghosts cause trouble. They were ghosts with lingering obsessions, and they would look for the people who had something to do with their deaths.
Cheng Cezhi agreed, “I also think that. This Wang Shize seems to be hiding something from us.”
They quickly divided up the work.
Cheng Cezhi said, “I will go to the police station and look through their files to see if this Wang Shize is linked to any murder or disappearance.”
“Okay.” Zhao Guangcheng nodded, “Then Ye Jia and I will go to his house and see if we can get anything out from his family.”
Ye Jia who was inexplicably included in the task, “……..”
Dammit, why??
Zhao Guangcheng looked at Ye Jia and said with some embarrassment, “Heheh…….The main thing is that it is more efficient splitting up but I need someone who can operate the instruments when we get to the scene—”
He looked at Ye Jia’s cold face and patted his chest reassuringly, “And I’ll teat you today! Including milk tea! You can order whatever you want!”
Ye Jia was about to decline, “Still……”
At this moment, the bored small black hand came over and excitedly showed off, “Oh right, did you know that the golden beans could be recharged. I just bought a lot of golden beans….”
“Ding.”
The phone on the desk vibrated.
A text message popped up.
Ye Jia looked down at the remaining balance, “……..”
It’s hard. His fist was clenched hard.
He internally calculated the budget for his dinner tonight and then took a deep breath and looked up at Zhao Guangcheng who was looking at him with bright eyes. He revealed a reluctant smile, “……Deal.”
Twenty minutes later.
Ye Jia and Zhao Guangcheng arrived before a simple looking residential building.
The faded walls on the sides were mottled and clothes of various colours hung from inside anti-theft iron windows. Green plants which had not been trimmed stretched out of the windows, making it look very lifelike.
Ye Jia looked up at the building in front of him. He frowned slightly as if in thought and then soon withdrew his gaze.
The two walked in one behind the other.
There was no elevator in the building. Although it was still daytime, the corridor was still very dim and messy clutter were piled up along the sides, making it more difficult to walk through.
Zhao Guangcheng stopped in front of one of the doors.
He knocked on the door, “Hello, is this Mr. Wang Shize’s house?”
A woman’s voice sounded from the other side of the door, “We’re not buying anything!”
“We’re from the Special Affairs Investigation Department.” Zhao Guangcheng spoke politely. Can I borrow you for a few minutes?”
Footsteps approached from inside.
“Click.” “Click.”
The sound of metal colliding could be heard when the door latch was pulled open. Followed that was the sound of a chain lock and finally the door handle itself was unlocked.
In total, it took more than a minute.
Zhao Guangcheng and Ye Jia exchanged a look with each other.
Finally, the door opened.
A woman’s pale and fear-stricken face appeared from the small opening. She looked out and asked, “What are you looking for my husband for?”
Zhao Guangcheng showed her his credentials and continued, “It’s just a routine investigation. May I ask if there has been anything strange happening at home recently?”
A flicker of fear flashed across the woman’s face. She trembled and then quickly shook her head, “N-no.”
She wanted to close the door, but Zhao Guangcheng was able to block it with his quick reflexes, “Wait a minute. I believe you should already know what happened to your husband yesterday?”
The woman trembled even more noticeably.
“So what?”
“Madam, I hope you can take this more seriously.” Zhao Guangcheng frowned, and his attitude became serious, “Do you know that if this continues, you and your husband will probably not be able to live long….”
The woman’s expression faltered slightly.
During the stalemate between the two, Zhao Guangcheng’s phone suddenly rang.
After speaking briefly with the person on the phone, his expression changed slightly.
He hung up and asked slowly, “Your younger sister Zhao Xiake stumbled and drowned in a reservoir five years ago, right?”
“Wha…..!” The woman’s expression suddenly changed. With bloodshot eyes, her face distorted between fear and anger, making her look particularly treacherous, “Scram! Leave at once! Who gave you the authority to speak such nonsense here at my place?! This is my place, leave!”
Please read this from kk translates
She wanted to close the door, but Zhao Guangcheng refused to move.
The two were at stalemate and the situation was tense.
Ye Jia suddenly interjected, “I believe you should be well aware of your current circumstances.”
His voice was very calm and there was slight indifference contained within it as well.
“No one will believe what you say, and no one will be able to understand what you experienced.” Ye Jia took a step forward, raised his hand and gently pulled Zhao Guangcheng away from the door, preventing him from blocking it, “And we are the only people who can help you right now.”
He lowered his eyes and stared at the visibly shocked woman before him. His pair of light amber eyes shone with dim light and his voice still carried no fluctuations, “So, are you sure you want to lock us out?”
The woman’s hand holding the door trembled slightly. Her eyes showed signs of wavering.
After a long period of silence, as if all the strength in her body had drained away, her entire being wilted. She stepped back and her dull voice rang from the dark room inside, “…..Come in.”
.
“…..At the beginning, it was just a few phone calls.” Zhao Wanjun buried her face in her palms and said while trembling, “It would always happen in the middle of the night and no one spoke when it was answered. There was only the sound of water dripping.”
“Later, we heard that sound everywhere. On the road, at home, at work…..” She raised her pair of tortured eyes and the shadows under her eyes were quite shocking, “It’s not the kind….the kind you hear in normal life. It was a kind of dropping sound….a regular sound. Like a tap that wasn’t tightened firmly enough, but that sound continued to get closer and closer to us.”
“Five days ago, we invited an exorcist. W-we angered her…..and…..and then….”
Zhao Wanjun trembled uncontrollably. Her voice became hoarse and sharp from fear, “Since that day, she came to knock at our door every night! Every night!”
She yelled hysterically, “Her death was an accident! An accident!! It wasn’t my fault…..wasn’t my fault!!”
Zhao Guangcheng winked at Ye Jia and dragged him away. He lowered his voice and asked, “Do you believe what she said?”
Ye Jia asked back, “You don’t believe it?”
“Of course!” Zhao Guangcheng said firmly, “Ghost seeking revenge. They will always go and find the person directly or indirectly involved with their death. If it was really just an accident, the ghost wouldn’t be wandering around like a lost soul for this long.”
He continued, “Let’s report to the Combat Division to deal with the lost soul and then contact the police through the bureau to re-investigate the incident five years ago….”
Before Zhao Guangcheng could finish speaking, he was suddenly interrupted by Ye Jia, “Why did they wait five years?”
Please read this from kk translates
He was slightly taken aback, “What?”
Ye Jia looked down and repeated once again, “If it was a ghost seeking revenge, why did it wait five years before acting?”
Zhao Guangcheng had no answer to that, “That…..”
Ye Jia looked around at the chaotic furnishings in the room and narrowed his eyes slightly.
The air in here was filled with heavy yin energy which was a very standard sign of being involved with a ghost and, from Zhao Wanjun’s tone, that fear and guilt was something that couldn’t be faked.
But….something didn’t seem right.
Ye Jia patted Zhao Guangcheng on the shoulder, “Let’s do as you said, brother.”
.
Half an hour later.
A team from the Combat Division arrived very quickly and took the case from their hands.
Ye Jia stood downstairs, waiting for follow-up.
Cheng Cezhi ran down the stairs in a hurry.
“Brother Ye!” He was still panting but his eyes were bright, “Don’t worry, everything is sorted!”
He took a break and then continued, “Moreover, the police and us have been cooperating for a long time. Once the ghost is dealt with, the police will resume investigating the case of Zhao Xieke’s disappearance.”
At this moment, there was a soft bang upstairs. The windows of Wang Shize’s house lit up for a moment.
Immediately afterwards, footsteps could be heard from the corridor.
Zhao Guangcheng walked out first. He gave Ye Jia and ‘okay’ gesture and smiled heartily, “All done! The task has been successfully completed!”
He rested his hands on Ye Jia and Cheng Cezhi’s shoulder, “Go, go, go. I’ll treat you two food…”
Ye Jia was dragged along. Before leaving, he turned and glanced back at the residential building behind him.
He suddenly noticed that a house on the left of the first floor still had their thick curtains drawn despite it being bright outside.
The curtain moved slightly. From inside the dark room, an old man’s pale face was revealed.
He peered out with a pare of bloodshot and murky eyes. His face had the exact same expression as Zhao Wanjun —- Exactly the same kind of fear, and exactly the same kind of guilt.
Ye Jia narrowed his eyes thoughtfuly.
Two in one building?
This wasn’t a case of ghost seeking revenge.
—- He now knew why he felt that familiar sensation earlier.
It wasn’t an evil spirit or a fierce ghost at play, but a monster.
It was a monster who had climbed out from the abyss of malice with hands covered in blood. Its body only contained endless greed and hunger and it would never be satisfied until it swallowed the entire block, the entire city and even the entire world.
The longer it is left, the stronger it would become and the harder it would be to eradicate it.
Ye Jia turned around and walked on together with Zhao Guangcheng and Cheng Cezhi.
A light sigh was scattered by the wind.
Looks like he would need to come back here again tonight.
…….
In the dark corners where the sun cannot reach, a face slowly emerged. Its scarlet lips rose to form an eerie smile and its pair of dark eyes stared at Ye Jia’s departing figure.
Just how many deeply buried unpleasant memories and how many dark secrets that cannot be told did this person possess to have such a rich scent?
This should be……a wonderful prey.
The author has something to say:
Small black hand/Hungry ghost/Sucker: “Yes, we also thought that at first.”
Chapter 14
Ye Jia expressionlessly opened the door.
Unsurprisingly, two familiar faces appeared at the door.
Zhao Guangcheng and……Cheng Cezhi.
The former looked surprised and the latter evasive. He clearly hadn’t recovered from the shock from a few days ago.
Seeing Ye Jia, Zhao Guangcheng quickly looked down at the form in his hand and raised his head back up in surprise, “Ah! It turns out to be you! I was just wondering why the name looked familiar….”
Cheng Cezhi smiled with some effort, “Brother Ye, g-good morning.”
The small black hand who had rushed over to check on the source of the commotion appeared behind Ye Jia and waved at him enthusiastically, “Hi!!!”
“…….” Cheng Cezhi looked like he was going to faint again.
“So,” Ye Jia asked, “why is it the two of you this time?”
Zhao Guangcheng laughed goofily and scratched his head, “Isn’t it because we don’t have enough staff……”
Okay, I understand now. No more explanation needed.
After a brief chat, Ye Jia could basically figure out the bureau’s investigation progress.
The person he had met yesterday was called Wang Shize. He lived two blocks away from here. The two had already been to the hospital and had a brief chat with the person involved.
“It didn’t seem like a nightmare.” Cheng Cezhi said.
“Yes, it’s too deliberate and too targeted.” Zhao Guangcheng nodded and concluded, “Seems more like a ghost causing trouble.”
Being trapped in a nightmare was generally quite random but it was completely different when ghosts cause trouble. They were ghosts with lingering obsessions, and they would look for the people who had something to do with their deaths.
Cheng Cezhi agreed, “I also think that. This Wang Shize seems to be hiding something from us.”
They quickly divided up the work.
Cheng Cezhi said, “I will go to the police station and look through their files to see if this Wang Shize is linked to any murder or disappearance.”
“Okay.” Zhao Guangcheng nodded, “Then Ye Jia and I will go to his house and see if we can get anything out from his family.”
Ye Jia who was inexplicably included in the task, “……..”
Dammit, why??
Zhao Guangcheng looked at Ye Jia and said with some embarrassment, “Heheh…….The main thing is that it is more efficient splitting up but I need someone who can operate the instruments when we get to the scene—”
He looked at Ye Jia’s cold face and patted his chest reassuringly, “And I’ll teat you today! Including milk tea! You can order whatever you want!”
Ye Jia was about to decline, “Still……”
At this moment, the bored small black hand came over and excitedly showed off, “Oh right, did you know that the golden beans could be recharged. I just bought a lot of golden beans….”
“Ding.”
The phone on the desk vibrated.
A text message popped up.
Ye Jia looked down at the remaining balance, “……..”
It’s hard. His fist was clenched hard.
He internally calculated the budget for his dinner tonight and then took a deep breath and looked up at Zhao Guangcheng who was looking at him with bright eyes. He revealed a reluctant smile, “……Deal.”
Twenty minutes later.
Ye Jia and Zhao Guangcheng arrived before a simple looking residential building.
The faded walls on the sides were mottled and clothes of various colours hung from inside anti-theft iron windows. Green plants which had not been trimmed stretched out of the windows, making it look very lifelike.
Ye Jia looked up at the building in front of him. He frowned slightly as if in thought and then soon withdrew his gaze.
The two walked in one behind the other.
There was no elevator in the building. Although it was still daytime, the corridor was still very dim and messy clutter were piled up along the sides, making it more difficult to walk through.
Zhao Guangcheng stopped in front of one of the doors.
He knocked on the door, “Hello, is this Mr. Wang Shize’s house?”
A woman’s voice sounded from the other side of the door, “We’re not buying anything!”
“We’re from the Special Affairs Investigation Department.” Zhao Guangcheng spoke politely. Can I borrow you for a few minutes?”
Footsteps approached from inside.
“Click.” “Click.”
The sound of metal colliding could be heard when the door latch was pulled open. Followed that was the sound of a chain lock and finally the door handle itself was unlocked.
In total, it took more than a minute.
Zhao Guangcheng and Ye Jia exchanged a look with each other.
Finally, the door opened.
A woman’s pale and fear-stricken face appeared from the small opening. She looked out and asked, “What are you looking for my husband for?”
Zhao Guangcheng showed her his credentials and continued, “It’s just a routine investigation. May I ask if there has been anything strange happening at home recently?”
A flicker of fear flashed across the woman’s face. She trembled and then quickly shook her head, “N-no.”
She wanted to close the door, but Zhao Guangcheng was able to block it with his quick reflexes, “Wait a minute. I believe you should already know what happened to your husband yesterday?”
The woman trembled even more noticeably.
“So what?”
“Madam, I hope you can take this more seriously.” Zhao Guangcheng frowned, and his attitude became serious, “Do you know that if this continues, you and your husband will probably not be able to live long….”
The woman’s expression faltered slightly.
During the stalemate between the two, Zhao Guangcheng’s phone suddenly rang.
After speaking briefly with the person on the phone, his expression changed slightly.
He hung up and asked slowly, “Your younger sister Zhao Xiake stumbled and drowned in a reservoir five years ago, right?”
“Wha…..!” The woman’s expression suddenly changed. With bloodshot eyes, her face distorted between fear and anger, making her look particularly treacherous, “Scram! Leave at once! Who gave you the authority to speak such nonsense here at my place?! This is my place, leave!”
Please read this from kk translates
She wanted to close the door, but Zhao Guangcheng refused to move.
The two were at stalemate and the situation was tense.
Ye Jia suddenly interjected, “I believe you should be well aware of your current circumstances.”
His voice was very calm and there was slight indifference contained within it as well.
“No one will believe what you say, and no one will be able to understand what you experienced.” Ye Jia took a step forward, raised his hand and gently pulled Zhao Guangcheng away from the door, preventing him from blocking it, “And we are the only people who can help you right now.”
He lowered his eyes and stared at the visibly shocked woman before him. His pair of light amber eyes shone with dim light and his voice still carried no fluctuations, “So, are you sure you want to lock us out?”
The woman’s hand holding the door trembled slightly. Her eyes showed signs of wavering.
After a long period of silence, as if all the strength in her body had drained away, her entire being wilted. She stepped back and her dull voice rang from the dark room inside, “…..Come in.”
.
“…..At the beginning, it was just a few phone calls.” Zhao Wanjun buried her face in her palms and said while trembling, “It would always happen in the middle of the night and no one spoke when it was answered. There was only the sound of water dripping.”
“Later, we heard that sound everywhere. On the road, at home, at work…..” She raised her pair of tortured eyes and the shadows under her eyes were quite shocking, “It’s not the kind….the kind you hear in normal life. It was a kind of dropping sound….a regular sound. Like a tap that wasn’t tightened firmly enough, but that sound continued to get closer and closer to us.”
“Five days ago, we invited an exorcist. W-we angered her…..and…..and then….”
Zhao Wanjun trembled uncontrollably. Her voice became hoarse and sharp from fear, “Since that day, she came to knock at our door every night! Every night!”
She yelled hysterically, “Her death was an accident! An accident!! It wasn’t my fault…..wasn’t my fault!!”
Zhao Guangcheng winked at Ye Jia and dragged him away. He lowered his voice and asked, “Do you believe what she said?”
Ye Jia asked back, “You don’t believe it?”
“Of course!” Zhao Guangcheng said firmly, “Ghost seeking revenge. They will always go and find the person directly or indirectly involved with their death. If it was really just an accident, the ghost wouldn’t be wandering around like a lost soul for this long.”
He continued, “Let’s report to the Combat Division to deal with the lost soul and then contact the police through the bureau to re-investigate the incident five years ago….”
Before Zhao Guangcheng could finish speaking, he was suddenly interrupted by Ye Jia, “Why did they wait five years?”
Please read this from kk translates
He was slightly taken aback, “What?”
Ye Jia looked down and repeated once again, “If it was a ghost seeking revenge, why did it wait five years before acting?”
Zhao Guangcheng had no answer to that, “That…..”
Ye Jia looked around at the chaotic furnishings in the room and narrowed his eyes slightly.
The air in here was filled with heavy yin energy which was a very standard sign of being involved with a ghost and, from Zhao Wanjun’s tone, that fear and guilt was something that couldn’t be faked.
But….something didn’t seem right.
Ye Jia patted Zhao Guangcheng on the shoulder, “Let’s do as you said, brother.”
.
Half an hour later.
A team from the Combat Division arrived very quickly and took the case from their hands.
Ye Jia stood downstairs, waiting for follow-up.
Cheng Cezhi ran down the stairs in a hurry.
“Brother Ye!” He was still panting but his eyes were bright, “Don’t worry, everything is sorted!”
He took a break and then continued, “Moreover, the police and us have been cooperating for a long time. Once the ghost is dealt with, the police will resume investigating the case of Zhao Xieke’s disappearance.”
At this moment, there was a soft bang upstairs. The windows of Wang Shize’s house lit up for a moment.
Immediately afterwards, footsteps could be heard from the corridor.
Zhao Guangcheng walked out first. He gave Ye Jia and ‘okay’ gesture and smiled heartily, “All done! The task has been successfully completed!”
He rested his hands on Ye Jia and Cheng Cezhi’s shoulder, “Go, go, go. I’ll treat you two food…”
Ye Jia was dragged along. Before leaving, he turned and glanced back at the residential building behind him.
He suddenly noticed that a house on the left of the first floor still had their thick curtains drawn despite it being bright outside.
The curtain moved slightly. From inside the dark room, an old man’s pale face was revealed.
He peered out with a pare of bloodshot and murky eyes. His face had the exact same expression as Zhao Wanjun —- Exactly the same kind of fear, and exactly the same kind of guilt.
Ye Jia narrowed his eyes thoughtfuly.
Two in one building?
This wasn’t a case of ghost seeking revenge.
—- He now knew why he felt that familiar sensation earlier.
It wasn’t an evil spirit or a fierce ghost at play, but a monster.
It was a monster who had climbed out from the abyss of malice with hands covered in blood. Its body only contained endless greed and hunger and it would never be satisfied until it swallowed the entire block, the entire city and even the entire world.
The longer it is left, the stronger it would become and the harder it would be to eradicate it.
Ye Jia turned around and walked on together with Zhao Guangcheng and Cheng Cezhi.
A light sigh was scattered by the wind.
Looks like he would need to come back here again tonight.
…….
In the dark corners where the sun cannot reach, a face slowly emerged. Its scarlet lips rose to form an eerie smile and its pair of dark eyes stared at Ye Jia’s departing figure.
Just how many deeply buried unpleasant memories and how many dark secrets that cannot be told did this person possess to have such a rich scent?
This should be……a wonderful prey.
The author has something to say:
Small black hand/Hungry ghost/Sucker: “Yes, we also thought that at first.”
