Ghost Detective Records

Chapter 32

It was very faint, yet so clear in the still of the night! It sounded like something rolling across the floor, coming from upstairs! A chill instantly ran through my body. My apartment is on the top floor, so what was that sound? Could it really be the sound of an eyeball rolling across the floor? Impossible! It must be a coincidence. That sound was probably from a mouse! Yes! It must be from a mouse! I reassured myself, rubbing my already icy hands, hesitating whether to continue reading.

Forget it! I should just go to sleep! This An Ran is probably just trying to attract attention again! I stiffly turned off the computer, collapsed onto the bed, closed my eyes, but my left eye was slightly sore, probably from looking at the computer too much! I turned over and tried my best to fall asleep.

**********

When I woke up the next day, I found myself drenched in sweat and struggling to breathe. It seemed like I had dreamt of something terrifying, but I had no memory of it whatsoever. I just felt incredibly cold, even my hands and feet were numb. Dizzy, I glanced at the clock—it was almost 11 a.m.! I never sleep in, so how could I have slept in so late?

My mouth was dry as I crawled out of bed and staggered into the bathroom. I turned on the tap, plunged my hands into the icy water, and then submerged my face, hoping the cold water would clear my foggy head. I glanced at my reflection in the mirror and was immediately startled. Was that person with the bloodshot left eye really me? I frantically pressed my face against the mirror and looked more closely. Thankfully, it was just my left eye filled with blood vessels; otherwise, it would have looked red! But why was only my left eye normal, while my right eye was fine? Touching my left eye, I had a strange feeling, as if it wasn't even my own. I closed my right eye and tried to see with only my left, and immediately a faint red haze appeared before my eyes. What was happening? Did I have conjunctivitis? A little worried, I closed my left eye again and tried to see with only my right eye; everything in my vision was normal.

After a quick wash, I was still worried about my left eye. Could it really be possessed by a demon's left eye? How could that be!? Last night was just An Ran's prank! I walked to the kitchen, pulled up a chair, and sat down, then froze in place.

"Hey, what are you spacing out for?" My older sister suddenly walked in from the living room and slapped me hard on the back.

"Ouch, that hurts!" I practically jumped off the chair, yelling in pain.

"Wow~~~!" I didn't expect my older sister's reaction to be even more intense than mine; she even pointed her finger at my nose.

"What are you doing?" I reached out and slapped my older sister's hand away, asking unhappily.

"You have conjunctivitis!" my older sister said, giving me a strange look.

"No, I'm just feeling a little unwell," I reassured my older sister.

"Really? Should we go to the hospital to get it checked out?" My older sister was clearly worried.

"I'm not going to the hospital!" I quickly replied, ever since what happened at Xinhu, I've had an inexplicable aversion to hospitals.

"Whatever you want!" My older sister shrugged and said, "Then you should get some rest."

"Thank you for your concern!" I sat back down in the chair, feeling weak and tired. I don't know why I felt so tired and listless this morning.

"What do you want for breakfast?" my older sister asked as she walked up to the refrigerator.

"What else can we eat?" I asked lazily, keeping my head down and not looking at her. "Bread!"

"Oh, here you go!" My older sister's voice came from over there, and I quickly looked up at her to my left.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment. My older sister's once pretty face suddenly turned ashen, her eyes became black and hollow, devoid of pupils and whites, and her lips were bluish-black. What made me tremble even more was that her skin and flesh seemed to have been drained of all moisture, shriveled up! The whole scene was distorted and shimmering, yet I saw no such abnormality within the field of vision of my right eye!

With a thud, something hit me, and I immediately felt a chill run down my spine. When I came to my senses and looked more closely, my older sister was still the same older sister, nothing had changed! The only difference was that there was a bag of bread next to my feet.

"What are you doing! You're staring at me like a madman?!" my older sister teased.

Still dazed, I picked up the bread. The scene from before still chilled me to the bone, as if I'd been doused in ice water. My left eye began to throb, the pain spreading so intensely that it affected the entire left side of my head. Despite the excruciating pain, I was trembling all over, my hands completely weak, and the bread fell back to the ground.

"What's wrong?" My older sister hurried over, picked up the bread, put it on the table, and asked me.

"It's nothing, I guess I just didn't get enough rest." I struggled to stand up from the chair and said, "I think I'll go back to bed and sleep for a while! I'm skipping breakfast!"

"But you look terrible, you should go to the hospital!" My older sister quickly walked up behind me and helped me up as I swayed.

I waved my hand, realizing I didn't even have the strength to speak. My older sister practically carried me into my room, and I immediately collapsed onto the bed. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I drifted off to sleep, and everything before my eyes began to blur.

"Hey, you haven't taken your clothes off yet!" I vaguely heard my older sister call out that, and then I couldn't remember anything. It was as if darkness was pressing down on me from above. The overwhelming darkness and exhaustion made me dizzy, and then everything went black before my eyes, and I fell into a deep sleep.

*********

I awoke with a start; silence!

The sky was dark, and I had no idea what time it was.

I pushed open the door, and everything in the room was shrouded in a hazy gray film. I tried to call out, but only a dry sound came from my throat. Sensing something was wrong, I quickly walked towards my older sister's room. The door was ajar, and it was pitch black inside. A chill spread from my neck.

"Sis!" I pushed open the door, and a figure was sitting in the room with her back to me, her long hair loose. But I knew it couldn't be my older sister, because her hair was straight, while my older sister's hair was curly.

"Who are you?" I gripped the door tightly, my fingernails almost digging into the door panel, but the pain did nothing to ease the fear and anxiety in my heart.

"Lin Xiao!" The woman sighed softly and slowly turned around.

My mind exploded, all the blood rushed out of my body, and I could barely breathe. I thought it was all a hallucination, but Yin Xue's face was so clearly displayed before my eyes. Her eyes, her eyebrows, her lips, and her body—so familiar yet so far away.

“Yin…Yin Xue?” I asked, panting.

"Lin Xiao, it's almost your turn!" Yin Xue smiled at me gently, and that smile made the world pale in comparison, as if the sunlight was gently falling on me.

"What's my turn?" I asked stupidly.

"It's almost your turn!" Yin Xue said again, but her tone suddenly turned icy cold, and I unconsciously took a step back.

"It's almost your turn!" Yin Xue smiled faintly, but her left eye gradually turned blood red.

"You...your...eyes!" I could feel my voice trembling uncontrollably. Yin Xue's left eye had turned blood red, and red blood was flowing from the eyeball.

"Yin Xue, eyes... eyes!" I screamed, fear pounced on me like a wild beast.

"Lin Xiao! Lin Xiao~~~~!" My older sister's voice suddenly rang in my ears, and I felt my body being shaken violently.

"Lin Xiao! Wake up!" My older sister's hand was already on my forehead. I shuddered and used all my strength to open my eyes. My older sister was looking at me anxiously.

It's so cold! My hands and feet are numb. Looking around, I realize I'm lying perfectly still on my bed, but I'm covered in sweat, and the sticky sweat has already soaked my clothes.

"Did you have a nightmare?" my older sister asked, wiping my forehead.

"Ah!" I nodded in a daze. Yin Xue's face was still so clearly swirling in my mind. Was it really just a dream?

"Let me get you a glass of water!" My older sister stood up and walked towards the living room.

Yin Xue? Left eye? Blood tears? I shook my head, trying to shake these thoughts out of my head, but the last image of Yin Xue's face with blood tears streaming from her left eye became increasingly realistic. The devil's left eye? I suddenly remembered the website from last night, and my body immediately sprang out of bed and lunged at the computer.

"Why are you online instead of resting?" My older sister came back from the living room, put the water next to me, and complained.

"I have something to investigate!" I waved to my older sister without turning my head.

"You can only stay for a short while!" my older sister said before walking away.

After going online, I quickly typed in the address and pressed enter. It showed the same blue abstract painting and large, blood-red text. I clicked on it immediately, but the beginning of the article that had appeared last night was gone, replaced by just one sentence:

You must not have been able to watch it last night, right? You turned it off! Before you went to sleep, did you feel a sudden soreness in your left eye?

I gasped, my back stiffened, and I finally mustered the courage to continue:

Did you know? I actually had the same experience as you, so don't be surprised, I'm just recounting my story to you. The very next day, I had a dream. I dreamt of the person I love most, my mother, and she just kept saying one sentence to me: "It's almost your turn!"

"It's almost your turn!" "Your turn for what?" My fingers, gripping the mouse tightly, throbbed with pain. My initial thought that An Ran was just playing a prank was slowly being eroded by suspicion, as if he possessed eyes that could see through everything, watching me intently.

Your turn is coming soon! The devil's left eye will eventually see the other side of the light!

The other side of light? What is that? Darkness? I frowned in confusion, but the lower part of the text was just a red blob, completely illegible, like a blood-written letter blurred by water. I pressed the refresh button several times, but the text below the screen still wouldn't reveal itself. What to do? I slammed my fist on the table in frustration.

That's it! Isn't Abao there? She's so good with computers, she'll definitely have a way. Maybe she can even find out what's going on with this mysterious website! Thinking of this, I immediately became as excited as if I had found a lifeline! I jumped up from the chair, threw on a few clothes haphazardly, and rushed out the door.

"Where are you going?" my older sister called out to me from the living room.

"I'm going to a friend's house, I have something to do!" I practically burst out the door, yelling as I put on my shoes to answer my sister's question.

Ah Bao, Ah Bao! I hope you won't let me down!

Volume Two: The Devil's Left Eye, Chapter Three: An Unfinished Project

Volume Two: The Devil's Left Eye, Chapter Three: An Unfinished Project

"Abao, please help me!" Before Abao could even fully open the door, I had already pushed it open and rushed in.

"What are you doing! In such a hurry!" Abao complained as he followed behind me, rubbing his eyes. He was wearing a cute set of pajamas with a Pikachu pattern, so it seemed that this little darling was still asleep.

"Why are you sleeping now?" I looked at my watch; it was a little after four in the afternoon.

"Taking a nap!" Abao answered me matter-of-factly.

"Then don't sleep now, help me look up some information!" I forced Abao to sit in front of the computer and said.

"Okay, okay, I got it!" Abao pouted and asked, "What do you want to find out?"

"First, help me find someone. Her name is An Ran. She should be a painter!" I said, pulling up a chair and sitting down next to A Bao.

Ah Bao turned and gave me a strange look, saying, "Why do you always ask me to help you find people?"

"Oh dear!" I said anxiously, "I'll explain it to you later!"

"Hey? What happened to your left eye?" Abao asked curiously, pointing to my bloodshot left eye.

"It's nothing, just some dust accidentally got in," I said dismissively. "You can check it for me first!"

"Okay, okay!" Abao chuckled and turned on the computer.

When An Ran's name finally appeared on the computer screen, my heart tightened, and I immediately leaned forward to carefully browse the relevant information: An Ran, painter, 28 years old, graduated from the Fine Arts Academy of ** University, proficient in figure and landscape oil painting, once won the gold medal in the 3rd National Youth Oil Painters Competition, and has published two albums of paintings.

Strange! How can he be proficient in figure and landscape painting? Isn't it abstract painting? Or is abstract painting just another of his specialties? Also, why is all this information from five years ago?

"Do you have any recent information?" I asked Abao.

"No more!" Abao shook his head.

"Check again! It's all information from five years ago. Could he have just disappeared like that?" I asked, unwilling to give up.

"Hey! You're right!" Abao raised his head confidently and said, "If I can't find his information in my super invincible, universe-number one all-powerful machine, then there are only two possibilities: either he's dead, or he's disappeared as you said!"

"Impossible!" I immediately refuted Abao's statement, saying, "I even went to his art exhibition yesterday!"

“An art exhibition? Impossible! I can’t find any relevant information!” Abao said decisively.

“Maybe this art exhibition is so small that you can’t find it online?” I raised my objection again.

"Impossible!" Abao still firmly believed that his computer could search everything. "Even the smallest piece of information should be recorded online! We live in the information age!"

"Okay, okay!" I shrugged helplessly and said, "Then can you check this website for me now? It's about that art exhibition!"

"Oh?" Abao's eyes lit up with excitement. "Give it to me, give it to me!"

"Don't rush!" I picked up the keyboard and typed in the website address.

Press Enter. But what awaited Abao and me was... "This page cannot be displayed!"

Oh my god! How could this happen? And A Bao's mouth was wide open, big enough to fit an egg!

"How is this possible?!" Abao yelled, suddenly standing up and slamming his hand on the computer. Then he turned to me fiercely and asked, "You! Did you type the wrong address?"

"Impossible!" I yelled back. I would never misspell this address, not even if you killed me!

"How could this happen?" Abao pointed at the computer and yelled at me.

"Miss!" I replied somewhat helplessly, "This computer is yours! Besides, aren't you an expert on computers? Why are you asking me instead of asking yourself?"

"Impossible!" Abao stomped his foot and said, "My machine is so powerful, how could it not connect to the internet?"