Kann nicht atmen

Kapitel 6

As Ke Liang removed his glasses, he said, "Catching ghosts is just my hobby; my real job is being a handsome guy."

Qin Jin thought to herself, "How can someone be so shameless?" She opened the refrigerator with annoyance and threw him a bottle of Coke. Then she sat cross-legged on one side of the sofa and told him everything that had happened in the past few days, from Tang Shishi's return and inviting everyone to play, bringing red satin to make clothes, to Lan Qi's death, Ying Qi's madness, and Tang Shishi's current possession by a ghost, and how she herself felt very dangerous.

Ke Liang was no sham; after hearing everything, he began to analyze. "When did you start to feel something was off?"

"I can't quite put my finger on it, but something felt off when Shishi came back this time. It seemed like everything that happened was strange."

"Actually, it's very simple, there's something wrong with that red satin."

Qin Jin thought to himself: Of course I know it's the red satin. Such a simple deduction can be made by anyone who has read a few volumes of "Detective Conan"!

When Qin Jin saw the silhouette of Tang Shishi in Hei Bao's eyes, she had already realized it was the problem with the red satin.

Think about how the old tailor's mother refused to cut his clothes, and then think about how everyone was wearing these clothes when the incident happened. The reason he escaped harm was probably because he hadn't yet worn the red satin! Now, the most urgent thing is how to help Tang Shishi and how to drive away that female ghost.

"I'm not stupid either. Don't think we're all idiots who can't figure this out. You're just pretending to have an epiphany!" Qin Jin retorted to Ke Liang.

Ke Liang wasn't annoyed. He simply said, "There's no use saying anything now. Let's go check on your friend first! She might be in danger!"

Qin Jin immediately picked up Hei Bao, and Ke Liang ran quickly, shouting as he ran, "Why did you bring the cat? I'm allergic to cats."

Qin Jin simply handed Hei Bao to him and said, "Take this with you. This cat is amazing; it has saved me many times."

Ke Liang had disappeared, but his voice came from downstairs: "I, I, I have allergies, you'll have to take it yourself!"

Ke Liang arrived in a very nice car.

Qin Jin, sitting in the back seat, asked, "Ke Liang, where did you steal this car from?"

Ke Liang said very seriously, "No, this is my own car."

Hmph, his car must be borrowed from a friend to show off. He doesn't actually own a car; a bicycle would be more like it.

The car drove very fast and soon arrived at Tang Shishi's door.

Qin Jin and Ke Liang quickly rang the doorbell. The maid calmly opened the door, her expression showing no abnormality. Qin Jin was relieved; at least Tang Shishi was alright, otherwise the maid wouldn't have been so calm. However, what the maid said next left both of them at a loss for words.

"Miss left half an hour ago. She received a phone call and went out immediately," the maid said earnestly.

"Phone call? What phone call?"

"It was an old man's voice. He asked me to find Miss. Miss answered the phone and left."

Qin Jin and Ke Liang sat in the large living room waiting for Tang Shishi, wondering why she had gone out. Suddenly, as if remembering something, Qin Jin asked, "What will Miss be wearing when she goes out?"

"That most beautiful red cheongsam! Miss seems reluctant to take it off."

Upon hearing this answer, Qin Jin's legs went weak and she slipped to the ground. If Shi Shi was still wearing her red cheongsam, she would definitely be in danger. She had to call the police.

When she called Lu Ziming, he was in his office looking at a pile of photos, trying to find some clues in Lan Qi's suicide case. When he heard Qin Jin's suppressed sobs, his heart immediately ached for her.

He also went to Tang Shishi's house.

As soon as Lu Ziming entered, Qin Jin went up to him and, together with Ke Liang, explained in detail that Tang Shishi was haunted by a ghost and was currently missing.

After hearing Qin Jin's words, Lu Ziming did not try to deduce anything about the red satin like Ke Liang did. Instead, he took her hand and walked outside.

"Where to?" Qin Jin asked.

"Go see a psychologist. You're under too much stress, and you're starting to hallucinate."

Qin Jin immediately realized that this man did not trust her.

He was a normal person, someone who had studied in school for so many years just like her, and a policeman at that. How could he possibly believe he had seen a ghost? Telling him would only bring her shame. Thinking this, she calmed herself down.

"You don't trust her?" Ke Liang asked on her behalf.

Lu Ziming then realized his lapse in composure. He shouldn't have said such things to a woman who trusted him at this moment. But it wasn't his fault; he was a very rational person and wouldn't be so easily blinded by emotions.

However, Qin Jin's expression was very unpleasant; her small lips were tightly pursed, and she blinked with hurt eyes.

Perhaps she is right, but this is just too amazing and unbelievable!

But no matter what, Lu Ziming would not give up, because he now believed that someone was deliberately creating a terrifying atmosphere, and that person might be the missing Tang Shishi.

Qin Jin insisted on going to find Tang Shishi, but the city was neither too big nor too small, and with so many people, where could he possibly find her?

I waited at home all day, and only Ke Liang was there excitedly looking around. One moment he was being chased around by the cat on the sofa, and the next he took out his big bag, which turned out to contain a laptop.

"You're really good at using high technology to catch ghosts!" Qin Jin said sarcastically as he watched him take out his computer and start playing games.

"I'm practicing my agility for catching ghosts," Ke Liang said confidently.

Hmph, that's strange. So playing CS is also a way to practice catching ghosts? I wonder what kind of twisted logic that is.

As darkness fell, Lu Ziming took out his phone to notify his men to search for Tang Shishi. This was already a violation of regulations, even though the time limit for her disappearance had not yet expired. However, he was becoming increasingly anxious. Sitting in that room, he felt that the room was eerie and there was a slight breath on the back of his head, as if someone was breathing on his neck.

We've made all the necessary phone calls and mobilized all the necessary personnel to search for her, but Shishi is still nowhere to be found.

Qin Jin was so tired that she fell asleep on the sofa. Ke Liang ate dinner and then collapsed onto another sofa, acting as if nothing had happened.

Lu Ziming looked at the two people sleeping on the sofa. The strangest thing was that as soon as Qin Jin fell asleep, Hei Bao ran to her legs, which felt very warm. Lu Ziming couldn't stay awake any longer and collapsed onto the sofa, falling asleep as well.

I was asleep when the phone rang in the middle of the night.

Qin Jin reached out from the sofa and picked up the phone from the coffee table, only to hear laughter coming from the other end.

That kind of laughter sounded particularly crisp in the middle of the night, and it was also chilling.

It was the laughter of several people, very gentle, without the screams of a horror phone call in a movie or the old-fashioned scene of a hanged ghost shouting "Give me back my life!" But that laughter made Qin Jin feel real fear.

Qin Jin was all too familiar with that hoarse laugh; it was Tang Shishi's favorite laugh. She would use that laugh to express her joy whenever Qin Jin made a fool of herself.

And that low laugh must have been Yingqi's. She always covered her mouth with her hand and laughed softly, no matter how happy she was. She never raised her voice.

That clear and cheerful laughter was Lan Qi's voice. Yes, that's right, it was Lan Qi's. Only Lan Qi could have such a happy laugh. Once she started laughing, she wouldn't stop. Qin Jin often said that it was like a hen that had just laid an egg and was laughing like an idiot.

However, the silly laughter startled her. It was Lan Qi, and the three of them were laughing happily—two living people and one dead person.

Suddenly, she heard a voice she had never heard before softly calling her name: "Qin... Jin..." In her extreme shock, she lost all sense of reason, and the voice felt so familiar and pleasant.

Her vision blurred, and the scenery around her began to change. She picked up the phone and stood up. She saw that she was surrounded by a forest. Strangely, Ke Liang and Lu Ziming were nowhere to be seen, and the voice was not far ahead. She must have been here before. She found the path without any effort. Yes, the voice was above the path. All she had to do was follow the path uphill.

Step by step, Qin Jin walked toward the sound. As she got closer, the voice was so gentle and melodious, and when it called her name, it was so enchanting and moving.

It was getting closer and closer. Listen carefully, and you can hear a woman's voice calling softly, "Qin... Jin... come here quickly..." Qin Jin walked straight over and saw a big tree in front of him. The leaves were rustling, and the moonlight was so white that it was a little frightening.

Just as Qin Jin was about to go in, a sharp meow came from beside her ear, and she felt a pain in her eyes and squatted down.

When she opened her eyes again, the scenery around her had changed to Tang Shishi's home, with Ke Liang and Lu Ziming beside her. She had actually walked to the edge of the rooftop, below which was a dark platform. What she could see was the tip of an unfinished fence, which was flashing white light, like a group of fanged animals waiting for Qin Jin to fall and then devour her.

After regaining her composure, Qin Jin noticed Hei Bao watching her from the side. Her face was in great pain, and upon closer inspection, it was bleeding.

Ke Liang was busy there, drawing talismans and chanting incantations. He didn't say anything, but she could feel that he was comforting her.

"What exactly happened?" Lu Ziming asked Qin Jin, who was sitting there silently, too afraid to fall asleep.

A deathly silence followed. After a long while, Qin Jin, trembling slightly, said, word by word, "I heard Tang Shishi and Ying Qi laughing. They are with Lan Qi now."

Ke Liang, who had entered from the rooftop, rushed in and asked, "Lan Qi, is she the one who's already dead?"

“Yes.” Lu Ziming didn’t have much of a liking for Ke Liang. The man’s strange intuition told him that this pretentious guy had an unknown background.

Ke Liang had this one skill—he could ignore the expressions on the faces of those around him. He still asked Qin Jin very seriously, "You heard a ghost's laughter on the phone? That's so interesting! But we didn't hear the phone ring!"

Qin Jin looked into Ke Liang's big eyes and felt a sudden panic.

The three of them were lost in their own thoughts, too afraid to sleep, lest they receive another terrible phone call that would take away Qin Jin's life, which, though worthless, was still very precious.

The night has passed, and although it was a cloudy day, a little light always makes people feel more at ease.

Chapter Nine: Laughter (1)

Morning arrived, but there was no point in sitting there waiting. Lu Ziming had to go back to the police station to check on Tang Shishi's whereabouts, while Ke Liang and Qin Jin decided to go to the mental hospital to see how Yingqi was doing.

Ke Liang and Qin Jin soon arrived at the city's largest mental hospital.

After explaining their purpose at the registration desk, they quickly received a sign and were led forward by a staff member. The nurse in front of them was very cute; she seemed to have just been assigned to the mental hospital, as she didn't have the typical mental illness aura that often lingers on people who have worked in mental hospitals for a long time.

The corridor is lined with clean white rooms housing all sorts of patients, whose activities can be observed through the small windows.

Ke Liang walked over, eliciting screams from the female patients. One particularly unattractive female patient clenched her fists and shouted at Ke Liang, "Handsome guy, I love you! I've fallen deeply in love with you!" This made the nurse and Qin Jin burst out laughing.

The nurse said, "This patient is like that; anyone would shout this."

Ke Liang seemed to enjoy the patients' gazes. The three of them walked forward, chatting and laughing. They opened the iron gate, which led to another corridor. They stopped at the door of the innermost room.

The nurse seemed a little scared and said to Qin Jin, "You'd better look at her through this small window. This patient is very aggressive and has injured many doctors. Moreover, she tries to gouge out her own eyes when she's let go. We really have no choice but to tie her up."

Through the small window, one could vaguely see a figure half-lying on the bed. The person had already sat up, but their hands were tied to the iron post at the head of the bed, so they could not get out of bed.

Is this Yingqi? Thank goodness, she's still alive.

However, they were too far away to see clearly, so Qin Jin asked the nurse to let her in. The nurse reluctantly agreed, but only Qin Jin could go in because Ying Qi would go crazy if she saw a man.

Qin Jin put down the cat basket, took out Hei Bao from it, carefully turned the doorknob, and hugged Hei Bao even tighter.

She called Yingqi's name as she slowly walked towards the bed. Yingqi was staring blankly at the top of the bed, and when she followed her gaze, she saw nothing.

Yingqi was engrossed in looking up, showing no interest in Qin Jin's arrival, not even glancing at her, remaining blankly still like a toy doll. Qin Jin's tears streamed down her face, her sorrow indescribable. Hei Bao, ever restless, peeked out from Qin Jin's arms again, its eyes fixed on Yingqi.

Qin Jin began to feel uneasy and backed away, unwilling to stay in that room any longer. However, Ying Qi actually spoke.

She said, "Lan Qi is in the toilet."

Qin Jin was shocked. She saw that the toilet door was half-open, but she didn't have the courage to go forward and take a look.

She turned to leave, and in that instant, she inadvertently caught a glimpse of the bathroom door reflected in Hei Bao's pink eyes. A pale hand was caught in the crack of the door, its nails strangely pointed, fingers spread wide. Only Lan Qi possessed such pointed nails; she was a fashion icon whose nail shapes were always unique.

Qin Jin dared not turn around, nor dared she scream. She could only slowly turn the doorknob with one hand. The dim light swirled in countless circles before her eyes, like countless eyes staring at her back. But as she turned around, she still saw Ying Qi's reflection on the bed in Hei Bao's eyes.

There was a person standing on her head.

A long-haired woman, covered in blood, filled the room with a strong stench of blood. The female ghost was sitting on Yingqi's head, and in the bathroom, there was Lanqi's hand.

She flung open the door. The first thing she saw was Ke Liang's mischievous smile; her heart pounded, and she felt like she was about to faint.

Seeing her expression, Ke Liang knew something was wrong and immediately pulled Qin Jin, who was almost collapsing, out of the room. The young nurse sat there, bewildered. As Qin Jin ran, she looked into Hei Bao's eyes, who was turning back to look down the corridor. The young nurse's shadow appeared in her pupils, and in the dim light of the long corridor, there were clearly three figures behind her. The three figures were waving at her, floating in mid-air—it was Lan Qi and the others.

After leaving the mental hospital, they ran for quite a while. Only after getting into Ke Liang's car did Hei Bao lower its guard and crawl back into its cat basket.

Qin Jin felt the blood in his body begin to flow again, and then he sighed and said, "Lan Qi and Ying Qi are there, as well as that female ghost, but Tang Shishi is not there."

A flicker of panic crossed Ke Liang's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. He asked, "Where are we going now?" Just then, the car door was suddenly flung open, and several men in black appeared, glaring menacingly at Ke Liang. Ke Liang punched one of the men in black in the face, shoved Qin Jin out of the car, jumped out himself, grabbed the cat carrier, and began to run. The men in black chased after him frantically. Ke Liang weaved and twisted his way through the crowd, proving his skill in evading them was considerable.