Night Doll

Chapter 18

Xiao Nan grinned slyly, then said after a while, "The man in this painting is headless, just like in real life. What a coincidence! Could it be... could it be fate?"

"Stop with the sentimentality, let's head to Namwon Provincial Cemetery right away!"

"Okay, let's go tomb raiding!" Xiao Nan joked.

The two left the studio, got into the car, and hurriedly headed towards the cemetery.

An hour and a half later, they finally saw the gate of Namwon Provincial Cemetery. It was around 1 p.m., the sun was hidden by clouds, and a large flock of crows flew across the sky, as if welcoming their arrival.

Xiao Nan walked to the front of the management office building, took out her police ID, and said to a manager wearing reading glasses, "Uncle, did anyone come here around midnight last night?"

Upon seeing that it was a police officer, the security guard quickly perked up, touched his glasses, and said, "No! I've worked here for over 20 years and have never seen anyone go in at this time. Didn't the ancients say that this time of day is when ghosts roam?"

"Think again, did you see a girl in white and a man?"

"Absolutely not, there are two living people, I can definitely see them. Unless it's a ghost!" the administrator assured him firmly.

"Could it be that the Chinese man deceived us?" Xiao Nan turned to An Qiqi and asked.

"Maybe the administrator is just getting old and his eyesight is failing! We'll find out if we go in and take a look," An Qiqi said in a low voice.

Upon entering the cemetery, An Qiqi felt a chill, especially under her feet, which were icy cold. The hillside was uneven, with endless rows of graves. The gray-white tombstones stood there like people, giving off a vague sense of unease.

The two groped their way toward Kim In-hyun and Shin Mi-hyun's graves. The cemetery was deserted; no one had come to pay their respects. They searched intently for a long time, but found nothing.

"There must be at least a thousand tombstones in this place. When will we finally find it?" Xiao Nan plopped down on the ground.

Looking at the densely packed tombstones, An Qiqi felt somewhat helpless. After a moment of confusion, she said, "The management office should have records of them. Why don't you go and ask them?"

"Alright, you wait here, I'll go ask!" Xiao Nan got up and left.

An Qiqi nodded and found an open space to sit down. Just as he was about to catch his breath, he suddenly heard a strange sound coming from not far away. The sound was unusually sharp and piercing, almost tearing one's nerves apart.

He stood up fearfully and cautiously made his way towards the sound. After taking a dozen steps, the sound grew closer. Pushing aside a clump of weeds, he froze...

Before him lay a gigantic dog, larger than a wolf. He had never seen such a large dog in his life, and just as he noticed it, the dog spotted him too. It dropped what it was chewing, its bright red tongue lolling out, baring its teeth and glaring at him with a fierce look in its eyes!

Suddenly, his face turned ashen, and he instinctively touched the gun behind his back.

Chapter 87: The Ghost Doll Returns (87)

He then realized that the sound he had just heard was the dog tearing at something; it must be a starving dog that hadn't eaten for days! His professional instincts immediately told him the gravity of the situation. He knew he had no way out; if the large dog pounced, he would be torn to shreds by its sharp teeth. Therefore, he had to strike first and end the fight as quickly as possible.

In a split second, he drew his pistol.

However, the big dog seemed to have sensed An Qiqi's intentions, and it was completely enraged, howling as it charged forward.

"Bang—" A gunshot rang out, only one shot...

The afternoon breeze carried the mixed scents of gunpowder and bitter grass.

An Qiqi looked at the big dog lying on the ground and slowly put the gun into the holster behind her back.

The dog was still struggling slightly, and bright red blood was flowing from its eyes.

"Thank you for that shot!" An Qiqi said, turning around.

Xiao Nan calmly and gracefully loaded the gun and laughed, "I didn't expect that we would coordinate so well. The timing of our shots was almost the same. You hit the left eye, and I hit the right eye!"

"To be honest, I was quite unsure of myself just now! This is the biggest dog I've ever seen, much bigger than a police dog!"

"Of course, this is a Tibetan Mastiff from China, it's very precious."

"What a pity!" An Qiqi walked to the big dog's side, picked up a broken box from the ground, and looked at the tombstone behind her, saying, "We're too late. This dog has already dug open this box."

"Sigh, we can only look for the remaining evidence at the scene!" Xiao Nan said dejectedly.

"Then let's get moving!" An Qiqi put down the now empty box and began searching the surroundings.

A few minutes later, he found a layer of black powder on the grass at his feet. He touched it, looked inside the box, and exclaimed, "This powder must have come from here."

"Then... are these ashes?" Xiao Nan asked in surprise.

"Judging from the color, it shouldn't be. We'll send it to the forensic doctor for testing later!" After saying that, a cloud of doubt swept through An Qiqi's mind. If this wasn't the ashes Song Xiaomo mentioned, then what were these things? Did they have anything to do with the case?

The two wandered around the cemetery again, but didn't find anything significant. Before leaving, An Qiqi dug out a label-like half-piece from a pile of powder. It looked like a remnant from burning, and only one Arabic letter could be vaguely discerned: 4.

Without thinking too much, he casually stuffed it into his pocket.

(25)

He didn't know when, but Song Xiaomo was awakened by the wind blowing in from the window. He jumped out of bed and habitually went to the window. The sky was gray, and everything seemed unreal, almost ethereal. Suddenly, he felt a white shadow flash past his eyes, bringing with it a chilling aura that pierced his very bones.

He glanced outside with heightened awareness, and his eyes widened in surprise...

There seems to be a person sitting upright on the edge of the balcony!

Chapter 88: The Ghost Doll Returns (88)

He rubbed his eyes hard, finally confirming that he wasn't mistaken—it was indeed a person! A strange woman who had appeared out of nowhere! She wore a long white dress, her long hair flowing freely, and was staring blankly at him. Her hair obscured her face; he could only see a pair of lifeless eyes in the shadows. A pair of pale legs were swaying slightly in mid-air.

Although the woman was somewhat frightening, she wasn't terrifying enough to terrify Song Xiaomo. What truly terrified him was the thing she was clutching in her hand—a plump, white thing that resembled a stillborn infant.

—The ghost doll!

The ghost doll has appeared again! Next up is…

"Who...are you?" He felt the voice didn't seem to be coming from his own throat.

Then, the woman glanced at him sideways and asked, "Who do you think I am?"

Song Xiaomo was startled. He didn't see the woman's lips move! Moreover, the voice was mechanical and lifeless, eerie and cold, devoid of any emotion, as if it came from underground.

"I don't care who you are! Get down right now, it's dangerous sitting there!"

"Do you think I'm even human?" A sinister smile appeared on that expressionless face.

"What? You...who are you?" Song Xiaomo finally shouted in fear, "What do you want?"

"Looking for you!"

"Why...?"

"Come and get my things back!" the woman said matter-of-factly.

“You’re kidding, I don’t even know you, how could I owe you anything!” he retorted.

"Are you called Song Xiaomo?"

"yes!"

“That’s right. My son told me that a man named Song Xiaomo swallowed some of my ashes into his stomach… Tell me, was it delicious?” The woman stood up from the edge of the balcony, her glaring red high heels instantly stinging his eyes.

"Ghost...ghost..." Song Xiaomo groaned, his body uncontrollably retreating backward. Overwhelming fear swept over him, and he felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss, accompanied by an urge to vomit.

"Give it back to me! Give me back my ashes!" The woman stretched out her hand to him.

The balcony door was locked from the inside. The woman kept scratching at the door with her fingernails and banging on the two panes of glass. Cracks began to appear in the glass.

A violent shiver, like a raging wave, surged through Song Xiaomo's body, almost causing him to collapse.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you, please let me go!" he pleaded.

As soon as she finished speaking, the female ghost seemed less angry; the knocking noticeably decreased and eventually disappeared without a trace. The room returned to a deathly silence, so quiet that only Song Xiaomo's rapid breathing could be heard.

"Thank God I'm still alive!" He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and slowly slid down to the floor, leaning against the wall.

"Was that just a dream?" Song Xiaomo wondered, still shaken. His head was spinning, and he couldn't even be sure if what he had just experienced was real or a dream.

Chapter 89: The Ghost Doll Returns (89)

However, before he could react, he suddenly felt a cold, nauseating sensation travel up his leg. Good heavens, the woman in white had entered. Her pale hands were gripping his right leg tightly. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes almost bulging from their sockets, and her tongue protruded from her open, stiff mouth. Her face was as pale as dried alabaster…

He was terrified. He jerked his hand away from the woman as if electrocuted and stumbled into the kitchen. His heart was in his throat, because tonight, it wasn't a human who had come to find him, but a ghost.

"Sizzle..." The female ghost chuckled and pounced again...

"Don't come any closer! Don't come any closer! I have no grudge against you, why are you coming to find me?" he shouted as he slammed the kitchen door shut.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here to deliver a ghost doll to you! Open the door—"

"No...no! Don't give it to me! Anyone who receives a ghost doll will die!"

"Hahaha..." The female ghost burst into laughter.

"What should I do? What should I do?" Song Xiaomo's heart nearly leaped out of his mouth. Before he went mad, he instinctively grabbed a sharp kitchen knife. He thought, at this point, fear and dread were meaningless. Death might be a relief.

He was utterly despondent.

With a crash, the glass shattered. The female ghost quickly passed through the door and crawled in, baring her teeth and claws.

In that split second between life and death, Song Xiaomo mustered all her strength and slashed fiercely at the female ghost's neck...

The blade flashed.

A moment later, a sticky, hot liquid spurted from the female ghost's neck, splashing onto the floor of the room, as well as onto Song Xiaomo's face, hair, and clothes.

The head rolled off, revealing a pair of venomous eyes amidst the mangled flesh and blood.

—He killed someone.

For a few brief seconds, Song Xiaomo was terrified. His face turned deathly pale, his mouth trembled uncontrollably, and he couldn't utter a single word.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he vaguely heard a knocking sound, followed by a loud banging.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Could it be that the ghosts have come again?" he couldn't help but exclaim softly.

Finally, the door was kicked open.

The moment their eyes met, he finally saw who had come in—not a ghost, but Park Eun-hee from next door.

"Xiao Mo, what happened? Why are you sweating so much?" Park Eun-hee asked abruptly.

"I...I killed someone!" He shook his head frantically, grabbing his hair in agitation.

Park Eun-hee paused, an incredulous expression on her face, and asked in a low voice, "Xiao Mo, do you know what you're saying?"

"No...no...I didn't kill anyone, I didn't kill anyone, I only killed a ghost! I killed a female ghost!" he hurriedly changed his story.

"What the heck? You had another nightmare, didn't you? Calm down, let's talk about it slowly..."

"The kitchen...the kitchen! There are people in the kitchen!" Song Xiaomo said incoherently.

Chapter 90: The Ghost Doll Returns (90)

Park Eun-hee didn't say anything and quickly walked into the kitchen. Five minutes later, he came out again and said to Song Xiaomo, "There's nothing inside, it's spotless. Go see for yourself if you don't believe me!"