Ghost Detective Records

Chapter 31

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When I regained consciousness, I was in a hospital room. Fang Lei and the others stood beside me, looking very worried. Unfortunately, my older sister was nowhere to be seen. It turned out that I had been found by the shore of Heart Lake, and the person who dared to go there was Fang Lei. She said it was because of a telepathic connection; she vaguely felt that she would encounter someone there, someone who would make her worry.

Is that so? I smiled softly. Everything should be in the past now, right? As I held Fang Lei's warm and soft body in my arms, as I so truly felt that I was still alive, I thought to myself.

"Do you know what we found in the woods by Heart Lake later?" Fang Lei wiped away her tears and asked me.

What have I found? I'm just smiling faintly; it doesn't matter to me anymore, does it?

"We found a skeleton, it should belong to Lin Yuyan! Because there's an ID card next to it!" Li Yang revealed the secret when he saw that I didn't say anything.

Lin Yuyan, you've finally seen the light of day again! You've been waiting for this day for so long, haven't you? Looking back out the window, the sun is shining brightly, and the sky is a beautiful blue.

"Alright, now you should tell us what happened!" Li Hai waved his hand in front of my face and said, "Don't tell us you collapsed there from exhaustion after swimming in Heart Lake!"

"Hehe!" I chuckled and said, "This is going to be quite a long story! And I've always been a terrible storyteller, so I'm afraid you'll fall asleep while listening!"

"Listen to stories? I love it! Tell me, tell me!" Mischievous Abao plopped down next to me and said excitedly.

Want to hear the story? Perhaps this can only be told as a story—a story filled with questioning of humanity, an obsession with immortality, an understanding of hatred, remembrance of the dead, and a warning to the living. Regardless of how many people believe it or how many simply laugh it off, it is a true story.

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On the day I was discharged from the hospital, I heard two more shocking pieces of news: Vice Mayor Zhu Zhenhua suddenly died of a cerebral hemorrhage at home, and a fugitive, who was also a professional killer, was found dead in a garbage dump in the suburbs, with the cause of death unknown.

Is this karma? I looked at the clear sky and left the hospital. But those magical, jade-like hands were already deeply imprinted in my mind.

Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you, the flower on that strange black jade ring has started to glow red in the dark night, but it's just a single petal!

The story of Guanxin Lake has ended, but my story has only just begun!

Volume Two: The Devil's Left Eye, Chapter One: Abstract Art Exhibition

Volume Two: The Devil's Left Eye, Chapter One: Abstract Art Exhibition

The crowds at the train station were bustling and jostling, a vast, dark mass stretching as far as the eye could see. I couldn't help but start to suspect that our government might be lying about the population figures.

With difficulty, I pushed through the crowd and put Fang Lei's luggage down. Looking at Fang Lei in her denim outfit, she was youthful, healthy, and had a modern vibe. She didn't look like a Taoist nun at all.

"Call me when you get to Emei," I told Fang Lei as I handed her the luggage.

"I know, I will," Fang Lei replied gently, turning to look at Li Hai, who was also carrying luggage beside her.

"Hey, are you coming back?" Li Yang asked Li Hai, standing next to me.

"Don't call me 'Hey,' don't I have a name?" Li Hai rolled his eyes at Li Yang and said.

"Ha!" Li Yang glared back at Li Hai, then said nothing more. Although these two brothers cared about each other, they loved to bicker and argue, neither willing to give in.

“Lin Xiao,” Li Hai turned to me and said, “I will ask about your Lin family and the Soul Refining Technique when I get back. I will let you know as soon as I have any news. I’m entrusting Li Yang to your care.”

“I’m not a child, I don’t need anyone to take care of me,” Li Yang immediately retorted.

"Then I'll have to ask you to take care of Lin Xiao for me, okay?" Fang Lei looked at Li Yang with a smile. Sure enough, the power of a beautiful woman is great; she immediately got Li Yang to nod in agreement. Although I didn't want to be seen as a child, this was Fang Lei's way of showing concern for me, so I could only smile and indicate that I would follow the beautiful woman's instructions at all times.

"The bus is about to leave, get on!" I glanced in the direction of the bus, and passengers had already begun to board.

"Okay." Fang Lei picked up her luggage, looked at me with tenderness and affection, and tightened her grip on my hand.

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of myself." I took a step forward, almost pressing my whole body against Fang Lei's. The faint fragrance emanating from her body made me feel refreshed.

"I'll be back as soon as I can after I've finished explaining things to my master," Fang Lei said softly. Her warm breath tickled my neck, making me feel all tingly.

"Okay. Be careful on the road!" After saying that, I quickly kissed Fang Lei on the cheek. It's a pity we're in a public place, otherwise I definitely wouldn't have let go of the beautiful Fang Lei's fragrant lips.

"Hey! Are you trying to provoke me?!" Li Yang next to me immediately nudged me with his elbow, looking at me with a strange smile.

"What! You have a problem with that?" I gave him a smug look, but unexpectedly, Fang Lei pinched me hard, making me almost cry out in pain. Looking at Fang Lei, her face was already flushed red with embarrassment, and her beautiful appearance made me really want to take a bite.

"Alright, you two shouldn't be being affectionate here!" Li Hai smiled and patted my shoulder, saying.

"Alright, alright, let's go!" Fang Lei stomped her foot, made a face at me with a shy expression, turned around and walked towards the train, with Li Hai immediately following behind.

"Goodbye!" Li Yang and I waved to Fang Lei and Li Hai. As the train pulled away, Fang Lei and Li Hai finally disappeared from my sight...

********

Fang Lei and Li Hai had been back at their respective mentors reporting on Xinhu's situation for several days. Work at the bureau remained the same day after day: autopsies, lab tests, reports—life was peaceful enough that occasional evening phone calls with Fang Lei helped pass the time. Li Yang, on the other hand, had returned to work, but always slipped away faster than anyone else after get off work. Apparently, he was chasing after that pretty girl from the library, saying things like he couldn't let me outshine her, and he had to try his best too! It was clearly just his annual urges, yet he always found a legitimate excuse. I shook my head with a smile, took off my white coat, and prepared to leave work.

I glanced at my watch; it was only six o'clock. I'd better find a place to eat first! Since my sister and I don't cook, we usually eat out for dinner, and occasionally we order takeout.

Walking through the city at night, I suddenly felt like I didn't know where to go. I'd been seeing Fang Lei and Li Yang almost every day for a while, and now being alone again felt a little awkward. Humans are, after all, social animals!

After eating at a random restaurant, I stood on the street for a while, hesitating. Should I go home? My sister definitely wouldn't be there! Should I look for Li Yang? That guy is probably busy with some girl right now and has no time for me! He really has no heart when it comes to girls! I'll just look for A Bao instead. Anyway, she's definitely at home online. With that thought, I immediately headed towards A Bao's house.

I didn't pay much attention when I visited Abao's house the last few times, but today I suddenly realized that Abao's house is quite remote! Although it was only a little past seven o'clock in the evening, there were very few pedestrians on the road. Only the streetlights were lit on both sides of the road, and the few fallen leaves on the ground made the whole street look desolate and bleak.

Because I was looking at the fallen leaves on the ground and not paying attention to what was in front of me, I was suddenly bumped into. Looking up, I saw a middle-aged man with a weathered face, his dark yellow skin covered in wrinkles, and his cloudy eyes staring at me blankly. Looking down again, I saw a book lying at the man's feet.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" I quickly bent down, picked up the book, and handed it to him.

"Oh!" The middle-aged man paused for a moment before taking the book back, his expression blank.

I glanced at the book; it looked like an art book, with a large, blue cover resembling an abstract painting. I gave the man in front of me a strange look and asked with some concern, "Are you alright?"

The man suddenly glared at me as if he had just come to his senses from a dream, then picked up his book without a word and walked past me, leaving me still confused.

What happened? I just bumped into him by accident, didn't think much of it, and continued walking towards Abao's house.

As I walked, a small poster on the side of the street suddenly caught my attention, because it was the cover of the art book I had just seen—an abstract painting in blue graffiti. Looking closely at the bottom right corner, I saw a line of small print that read: "Exhibition of Abstract Artworks by Artist An Ran, Room 307, No. 77, ** Road."

Is it number 77 again? My heart suddenly started racing, a strange feeling washed over me, and my eyelids started twitching involuntarily.

"Interested?" A flat voice suddenly jumped out from behind me, startling me. I turned around abruptly and found a man standing behind me without my noticing.

Good heavens! Are you a cat? How come you walk without making a sound? I frowned and began to examine this clumsy fellow more closely. Yellowish complexion, small eyes, blank facial expression, and clothes that looked a bit dirty—basically, he was unpleasant to look at.

"Are you interested in seeing the art exhibition?" the man asked me again.

"Are you the painter An Ran?" I asked.

The man shook his head, indicating his denial.

"Oh, so what do you do?" I asked curiously.

“I collect admission fees,” the man replied calmly.

Haha! I almost burst out laughing on the spot. This guy was really frank; no wonder he kept asking me if I wanted to see the exhibition. Well, I didn't have anything else to do anyway, and judging from his expression, he probably really wanted someone to see the exhibition, so I figured I'd do a good deed for the day. With that thought, I nodded without hesitation.

"Then please come this way," the man said, pointing to a small alley next to the magazine.

"Oh, okay." I looked at the dark alley and started to regret it a little, but I couldn't take back what I had just said, so I had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow the man.

The alley was unusually dark, with only a sliver of starlight overhead faintly illuminating the path ahead. The walls on both sides were very tall, and the alley narrowed further and further until it was barely wide enough for one person to pass through. Walking behind the man, the surroundings suddenly became eerily quiet; no sound from the street reached me, only my own breathing and footsteps. Yes, only my own. The man must have been a cat reincarnated; he made absolutely no sound. Moreover, I suddenly realized that this man walked without moving his body at all. Normally, when a person walks, their body would sway, but he showed no sign of swaying at all. Looking down, I could clearly see his feet moving!

I touched my nose in confusion, and started to feel a little cold; goosebumps rose on the skin under my clothes. Had I lost my mind again today? How could I have agreed to come see an artwork that I knew absolutely nothing about? And this man in front of me was strange too! Should I just not come? Thinking this, I slowed my pace and looked back, but there was only darkness; the road had disappeared sometime earlier.

"We're here!" Just as I was about to leave, the man suddenly stopped and pointed to a staircase.

"Huh? We're here?" I scratched my head a little awkwardly. The stairwell was dark, which made me feel uneasy. But since I was already here, I figured I might as well go up and see what was going on!

With a helpless sigh, I followed the man up the stairs. I stumbled and staggered up three flights of stairs, almost in complete darkness, until I reached the third floor. A table stood outside the door of room 307, with a stack of picture books on it.

"Do you want money?" I asked, secretly hoping he would offer the highest price possible so I would have an excuse to leave. But my hopes were the opposite of reality.

"It's free!" The man's flat tone dispelled my idea. He chuckled and went into the room.

The room wasn't very bright, but almost every painting had a lamp shining directly above it, casting a hazy, dreamlike effect on the canvas. The exhibition was empty. I walked quietly through the room; every painting was an abstract work with cool tones—the kind of painting that was hard to decipher.

The room for the art exhibition was quite large, but there weren't many paintings, which gave it a spacious feel. This made me, who was already feeling cold, feel even colder, as if I had been placed in an incredibly large yet enclosed space, where oppression and loneliness coexisted.

Several large boards were placed in the room, displaying a few paintings. This prevented me from seeing the entire room at a glance, creating blind spots when I stood in front of one of the boards. Although I knew I was the only person at the exhibition, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone else was watching me from behind the boards.

I couldn't understand the blue graffiti on the canvas at all; it just looked like strange faces, as if faces were emerging from behind each canvas. The dots on the canvas seemed more like eyes, staring intently at me. As I gazed at it, the oil paint on the canvas seemed to slowly rotate and move.

Looking at the painting, the canvas was covered in smears of blue and yellow, a chaotic yet inexplicable harmony. Could this be the true meaning of abstract art? The light shone on the canvas, causing the outer edges of the smears of oil paint to shimmer with iridescent colors. I blinked, and it seemed as if a dark shadow was projected onto the canvas.

I turned around, but there was nothing there.

My heart was inexplicably racing.

I could even hear my own heartbeat. After thinking for a moment, I quickly walked to the door, where the man was standing upright.

"I've finished looking at it," I told the man, hoping to get out of there quickly; I didn't want to see any more art exhibitions.

"Here, take this." The man handed me a picture book. My mind was only focused on getting out of there, so I didn't think twice and grabbed it, stuffing it into my briefcase. I turned and prepared to slip away immediately.

“Oh, right,” the man suddenly called out to me, “you can go to the website mentioned in the catalog. It will tell you the true meaning of these paintings.”

"Oh, I know." I gave a perfunctory reply, but my steps quickened.

I hurried out of the alley and returned to the street. Although there were still few pedestrians, I felt a sense of peace. I glanced at my watch and realized it was almost ten o'clock at night. Had I spent that much time at the art exhibition? I looked in the direction of A Bao's house, but suddenly lost the desire to go find him. Oh well, this inexplicable art exhibition had exhausted me; I should just go home. With that thought, I shrugged and walked towards my house.

It was past 11 p.m. when I got home and took a shower. Lying in bed, I tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. All I could see were those abstract paintings from the art exhibition, like a series of slides playing on repeat, constantly bothering my senses. My desire to know the true meaning of these paintings grew stronger and stronger, until I was practically screaming in my head: Go online and look it up! Go online and look it up!

"Damn it!" I cursed and jumped out of bed. Since I couldn't sleep anyway, and it was Saturday and I didn't have to work, I might as well go online.

I had to do it right away! I quickly turned on my computer, took out the picture book from my bag, and went online using the website address in the picture book.

Volume Two: The Devil's Left Eye, Chapter Two: The Mysterious Website

Volume Two: The Devil's Left Eye, Chapter Two: The Mysterious Website

Upon entering the website, the first thing you see is a familiar image: an abstract painting in blue graffiti. A light click on the image, and suddenly, a waterfall of blood cascades down from the top of the screen, filling the entire screen with a blood-red hue. Then the red gradually fades, revealing five large characters: The Devil's Left Eye.

The Demon's Left Eye? What does that mean? Just then, my left eye throbbed with pain. I rubbed it and clicked on the large text again. Immediately, an interface similar to a Word document opened. However, the background was black, while the text was blood red. Is this the true meaning of the image? Curious, I began to read the words:

Did you feel a sharp pain in your left eye when you clicked on those words?

I frowned immediately. Who wrote this article? How did they know my left eye had just twitched? My heart skipped a beat, and I felt a tightness in my chest. I took a deep breath and decided to continue reading:

That's because the demon's left eye has possessed you; everyone has an eye that can see the demon.

What nonsense! I angrily tapped the computer. Who's so bored? Could it be that painter An Ran? Why isn't she focusing on her art instead of creating this random stuff? A voice inside me was urging me to shut down the computer and go to bed, but an even stronger voice compelled me to keep watching. With a helpless sigh, my curiosity finally won out.

Do not doubt it, I am the painter An Ran. Right now, I am calling you from hell. Do you believe it? While you are reading this, I am suffering torment from demons in the blood pool of purgatory, because I once took their left eye, and they demand its return! Listen! Can you hear the sound of an eyeball rolling across the ground?

Ha! Another prankster! I glanced at the computer screen with disdain, and just then, the night, which should have been quiet, suddenly emitted strange noises.

Glug~~~~~!