Himmlisches Buch Die große Leere

Kapitel 13

"Stop talking nonsense and come with us." The guy with the buzz cut had a fierce look in his eyes. The other two boys grabbed my arms on either side and dragged me away without saying a word.

"What are you doing? Who is your president?!" I shouted.

"Why are you shouting so loudly? Do you want a beating?" The short-haired guy pulled out his hand and slapped me on the head.

These four people kidnapped me and dragged me into the graduate student dormitory area, into Building 3. At the entrance of the building, I saw Maeda Reiko.

"Chairman Maeda, we've brought him here." The man with the crew cut spoke in an almost ambiguous tone.

Reiko Maeda nodded and said to me, "Come with me." Then she turned and went upstairs.

"What are you still standing there for?" The crew-cut guy glared at me fiercely.

"I'm going, why are you being so mean!" I had absolutely no liking for him, especially that ambiguous expression he gave me just now, it made me want to vomit.

PART 2.

I followed Reiko Maeda to her dormitory on the seventh floor. There was no one else in the room, which was quite different from what I had imagined—that there would be many annoying guys like the one with the buzz cut.

"Sit down," Maeda Reiko said coldly.

"If you want to find me, you don't need to do it this way." I expressed my dissatisfaction directly.

"Would I have been able to get you here without this method, Hayashihara-kun? I know you're very unhappy that I keep track of your every move, especially that I always try to stop you from being with Mengna." Maeda Reiko's tone was sarcastic.

"Looks like you've read my mind again." I said, sitting down on the sofa without any hesitation. "Are you going to tell me again why I shouldn't get close to Mengna?"

"No, I know you won't accept anything I say. Since it's useless, why waste time? I called you here today because another strange thing has happened on campus, and we need to investigate."

"Could it be that someone else has seen those unclean things again?" I became interested.

"Indeed, recently someone discovered unusual noises coming from the morgue."

"Could it be...?" I was a little surprised.

Have you ever heard of an ancient ritual?

"What ceremony?"

Two terrifying words burst from Reiko Maeda's mouth:

"spiritualism!"

"Summoning spirits? Does such a thing really exist? I don't really believe it."

"Yes, many people don't believe in ghosts, but have you forgotten that you've seen Nami Ikeda's ghost? Whether the dead have souls or not, nobody knows, because we can't communicate with the dead, but that doesn't deny the existence of souls."

"That sounds like it makes some sense."

Did you know that a person loses 27 grams of weight at the moment of death?

I glanced at her in surprise, immediately recalling Nami Ikeda's medical records that I had seen at the psychology research center not long ago. I shook my head, feigning ignorance.

"It is true that Nami Ikeda made such an observation before her death."

"However, I still think it's unlikely. Our consciousness is a combination of various organs, with the brain forming the center of this carrier. After a person dies, what will carry consciousness?" Intentionally or unintentionally, I seemed to accept the late Professor Liu's viewpoint.

Reiko Maeda nodded. "You're right. Nami Ikeda has been exploring this issue ever since she founded the Summoning Society."

"It seems that Professor Liu does indeed possess very profound professional knowledge, and Ikeda Nami has also been influenced by her," I thought to myself. Just as I was thinking this, I suddenly shivered and looked up at Maeda Reiko. Fortunately, she had already turned away and was looking out the window, not prying into my thoughts.

"How careless of me!" I've experienced Maeda Reiko's 'mind-reading' ability many times before; I almost revealed the information I saw today. To avoid arousing Maeda Reiko's suspicion, I continued the previous topic:

What are your thoughts on this issue?

"That might be a misconception about the soul," Reiko Maeda turned around. "From ancient times to the present, people have believed that after death, the soul goes to another world, retaining its human form and preserving its most precious human consciousness. Especially in Buddhism, the concept of reincarnation, to explain why, if people have this life and the next, they have no memory of their past lives and everything starts anew, has incorporated much imagination—and this imagination is often unfounded. For example, the Naihe Bridge and Meng Po soup in your Chinese legends."

"Hehe, you do have some understanding of Chinese ghost and spirit culture."

"Yes, I read *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio* when I have free time." Reiko Maeda smiled. "I agree with your point that consciousness must have a material carrier. However, this carrier doesn't necessarily have to exist in the brain. If you studied neuroscience, you would know that the brain releases electrical waves during the process of generating consciousness; in fact, electrical waves are also a form of matter."

I didn't speak; I wanted to listen carefully to what she had to say. I began to feel that she would offer a unique and convincing insight into the soul.

"Do you remember when I told you at the coffee shop that the soul is a kind of energy?" Reiko Maeda asked.

The Fourth Campus: Séance (2)

I nodded silently.

"When a person is highly focused, they release strong brainwaves. When this energy reaches a certain level, it can directly influence the surrounding environment. I don't need to elaborate on examples of special abilities, do I?"

"Yes, I also know of many cases where people control the movement of objects directly with their thoughts."

"This is what I want to explain first: consciousness generates energy during its formation. Next, I will tell you a deeper level of understanding, which is the relationship between the senses and this energy."

At this point, I gradually fell into a state of confusion. This was not because I did not understand, but because I understood it too well and thought it made a lot of sense.

Reiko Maeda ignored me and continued to expound her theory: "Human consciousness originates from the objective reflection of external things, and usually, humans perceive external things through the five senses..."

"Sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch?" I asked.

"Yes, these five senses allow us to form our own understanding and perceptions of the outside world, giving rise to consciousness. However, my main point is the sixth and seventh senses."

"The sixth sense should be perception, right? The seventh sense seems to be a Buddhist concept."

"Heh, you know about the seventh sense too?"

"Yes, the first time we met in the reading room, I was reading an article called 'Alaya-vijnana.' But I didn't finish it, nor did I understand it."

"The first five senses are the source of consciousness, but the energy that forms consciousness comes more from the latter two senses. Sometimes we suddenly realize what's going to happen around us, and it eventually happens—that's perception. However, everyone's sixth sense is different, and it's related to the environment. People who live in dangerous environments for a long time become alert to danger. Criminals often smell the police and escape in advance, while our ancestors could sense whether there was a natural disaster and take precautions. However, this sense alone is not enough to generate the enormous energy to change the surrounding environment; only the seventh sense can do that."

"Do humans really have a seventh sense besides perception? I can't feel it at all?"

"The seventh sense is generally only activated in the final moments before death. This is similar to the Buddhist concept of the Alaya consciousness. A final burst of energy before death is a common manifestation of the seventh sense. In the instant before death, the body's energy begins to surge outwards, leaving the body. On a loose mound of soil where many fresh corpses have gathered, we can see the soil moving—that's what's called 'corpse energy.' Regarding the records of corpse energy, I want to apologize first. I deeply regret what our ancestors did in Nanjing decades ago. There are reports that when corpses were buried in Nanjing, corpse energy caused the soil to move. Anyway, I've digressed. I was just explaining the energy within the human body—it's a bit complicated. Now let's get back to our topic. In the instant before death, a person accumulates a great deal of energy. If, at the time of death, the spirit has a strong desire for something, this energy will remain in the world. However, this energy has no consciousness of its own; it merely reflects a phenomenon."

"I'm a little confused. What phenomenon does this reflect?"

"For example, we might see images of the deceased before their death, but these are formed from residual substances and are not actually present. Therefore, summoning a spirit is simply collecting that energy, recombineing it, and creating an image."

"Oh, I see." I suddenly realized.

Reiko Maeda's expression turned serious. "Therefore, regarding the unusual sounds in the morgue, I suspect someone is collecting this energy to summon spirits, using the images of the deceased to create trouble. I'm very worried. Furthermore, my intuition tells me that this incident is likely related to the various rumors about forbidden areas on campus and other events."

"So you called me here to join the investigation?"

Reiko Maeda nodded. "Yes, we've already formed an action team. We'll start by monitoring the morgue. Tomorrow you'll be in a team with Lin Musen, and I'll go personally tonight."

"Okay, I'll carry out this mission well. Perhaps this time we can finally unveil the mystery that has shrouded the campus for so many years."

"Go back and get some rest. Lin Musen will come to see you tomorrow night."

PART 3.

After dinner, I stayed in the dormitory alone. Zhao Jun hadn't returned yet, and Lin Duyu and Xu Zhifei had gone to the arcade to play games again. That was fine, as I could sort out the various information I had received today on my own.

First, starting with Nami Ikeda's medical records, she suffered from severe paranoia, and the establishment of this séance was largely due to her paranoia; therefore, the goal of the séance was to unravel the mystery of the "ghost" she saw. The "ghost" she saw stemmed from her paranoia, and the séance represented illusion and unreality. Zhao Jun also believed this.

What did Reiko Maeda say to me today? Logically speaking, it was indeed impeccable. Although it was a bit profound, it was not without reason, especially her view on the relationship between the soul and energy, which is different from our common understanding of "ghosts" and has a certain scientific basis.

Third, if Ikeda Nami's constant seeing of the deceased girl was a hallucination caused by guilt, then what about the Ikeda Nami I saw? Was that also a hallucination? The first time was in the reading room with Maeda Reiko, the second time was that night in the corridor of the Youth League office, and then in my dreams. Dreams seem somewhat explainable, but how do you explain those two firsthand encounters? If it was truly a hallucination, why did Maeda Reiko also see it? Why did Hu Xiaoli faint? Why did Lingmin suddenly lose her composure? Also, Maeda Reiko explicitly told me at the coffee shop that the Ikeda Nami wasn't a ghost.

Okay, let me analyze this based on the information Zhao Jun provided. The first time I saw Nami Ikeda was through Reiko Maeda's eyes; it was blurry, just a silhouette. At the time, I didn't know it was Nami Ikeda. Later, Reiko Maeda started contacting me, and my curiosity drew me into this bizarre situation. I began to learn about Nami Ikeda, and then I realized that the figure Reiko Maeda saw was her. Then, she appeared before me, and in my dreams. Others who had seen Nami Ikeda were also more or less involved in the incident in the forbidden area of the school. Therefore, what we saw might all be the result of psychological suggestion.

The Fourth Campus: Séance (3)

Thinking about this, I wrote these words on the paper:

Suggestion -- Anxiety -- Mental tension -- Hallucinations -- Paranoia

Let's look at the information Maeda Reiko gave me. She first emphasized that Ikeda Nami wasn't a ghost; according to her theory, it wasn't a simple image, but an organic life entity. Meng Li's suicide note about someone exactly like herself seems to support this. Furthermore, that night in the corridor of the Youth League office, I not only saw Ikeda Nami, but also heard her singing and footsteps. If a soul is an image, then it can only be perceived visually. The current situation suggests two possibilities, and I wrote a few more lines:

1. A life form – of unknown origin – possessing independent consciousness;

2. The living entity—the person—is not dead.

In conclusion: It is real, not an illusion.

Which conclusion should I follow in my search for the answer? When I wrote down the words "not dead," even I felt a chill. I would prefer the first conclusion, but the second conclusion is more mysterious and intriguing.

Therefore, between the Psychological Research Society and the Séance Society, I chose the Séance Society.

I stretched and looked out the window. It was already dark, but the area around the dormitory building was still noisy. I was about to go downstairs for a walk when fate seemed to have other plans. Just as I reached the stairwell, someone I didn't want to see appeared—Officer Chen Yiming.

"What's wrong? You look at me like I've seen a ghost, your face looks so pale," he said.

I stood there, speechless.

"Going out?" Chen Yiming asked.

"Yes, I'm planning to go out for a walk."

"If you don't mind, I'll come with you?" he said, taking off his police cap and patting it on his hand.

"Okay." I knew I had no other choice.

PART 4.

Walking along the tree-lined avenue leading to the campus gate, students frequently passed by. Chen Yiming broke the silence, saying, "Sometimes, a noisy environment is more relaxing than a quiet one, and this kind of environment is perfect for you right now."

"You didn't come to me just to say these things, did you?" I still didn't have a good impression of him.

"Haha, of course not. My job is a police officer, not a psychologist."

"Just get straight to the point."

"Okay, this matter concerns you. You don't want to be wrongly accused, right? Although we haven't taken any action against you, inviting you there that time caused you a lot of trouble. At the very least, you've been removed from your student council position."

"This is all thanks to you," I said coldly.

Chen Yiming maintained his calm smile. "I was just performing my duties; those are all necessary procedures. Aren't you doing well now? Actually, writing the report for me isn't easy either."

"What's so hard about writing? Just write what it is. I don't need you to try to 'cover up' things I didn't do."

"Easy to write? How do I write it? About seeing ghosts?"

Hearing this, my heart skipped a beat, and I immediately stopped in my tracks. "You know everything that happened here?"

Chen Yiming smiled. "Don't look at me like that, like I'm a monster. Of course I know. I started investigating when the first suicide happened on this campus over three years ago. Of course I know all about it."

I continued walking forward. "So you also think what we saw was a ghost?"

"No, of course I don't think so. I'm a police officer. A police officer can't just attribute a murder or suicide case to ghosts or monsters, right? That would make being a detective too easy."

"So what exactly did I see? A hallucination?"

"I used to think so too, but as more and more people died and more and more similar testimonies were collected during the investigation, I began to doubt this hallucination. Hallucinations don't just appear out of nowhere; how could so many people experience them in the same place in such a short time?"

"I have the same doubts." I thought of what happened in the Youth League Committee office.