The Mysterious Files 2 - The Bizarre and the Real

Chapter 9

"I was touched by Hui's sincerity and agreed to meet him. We agreed to meet in a McDonald's. That day, I specially wore my prettiest clothes and put on makeup. Actually, it was the first time I had ever worn makeup. I tried my best to make myself look as beautiful as possible, but standing in front of the mirror, I was still uneasy because no matter how I dressed up, I was still ugly."

"Although I was terrified of a 'disappointing relationship,' I really loved Hui and wanted to date him, so I mustered up all my courage and went to our agreed-upon place. I waited quietly for Hui at McDonald's, and soon I received a call from him. He knew I had arrived and said he would be there soon, but ten minutes passed, half an hour passed, an hour passed... and he still didn't show up. I kept reassuring myself that maybe he was late because of traffic. But two hours later, I finally couldn't resist calling his cell phone, but as soon as I dialed, he hung up immediately."

"Although I already understood what was going on, I still gave myself a last glimmer of hope and sent Hui a text message. My phone rang quickly, but I hesitated to check the message because I knew it was the end between Hui and me—and it was indeed the end."

"After that, Hui never answered my calls again, nor did he contact me on his own initiative. I wanted to send him a message on QQ, but he had already blocked me. I cried my heart out because of this, regretting that I agreed to meet him. Otherwise, we could still be friends, and I could still have a vague fantasy."

“I never smoked or drank before, but that night, I sat alone on a bench by the riverbank, smoking a cigarette that made me cough and drinking beer that made me vomit. I wanted to numb myself with depravity, and if I was going to degenerate, I could only do it alone, because I had no friends, or rather, no real friends.”

"I was so drunk that I just lay down on a bench and slept. You might think it's dangerous for a girl to sleep alone by the river late at night, but I didn't. I thought that apart from crazy men and drunken bastards, no one would dare to violate me. Even if someone did try to violate me, maybe I should thank them, because they would make me a real woman and let me experience the taste of depravity."

"However, what I encountered wasn't a lunatic or a drunkard, nor the patrolling security guards, but a strange young girl. She was a very peculiar girl, wearing a revealing tank top and shorts, but carrying a very old-fashioned bamboo basket filled with many bottles and jars. After shaking me awake, the girl asked me why I was sleeping there. I ignored her, took a can of beer from a plastic bag on the ground, tilted my head back, and gulped it down, but immediately vomited it up along with stomach acid and saliva."

"The girl probably sensed I was in a bad mood, so she took a can of beer out of a plastic bag and asked if I could buy her a drink. Sharing is worse than drinking alone, so I was happy to have someone to keep me company, and we drank together. I have a very low alcohol tolerance, and I threw up almost every time I took a sip. The girl rummaged through a bamboo basket and pulled out a small bottle, poured out a few small black pills for me, saying they would help me sober up. I was already quite drunk at the time, and without thinking much, I swallowed the pills."

"Not long after swallowing the pill, I started vomiting again, and this time I vomited particularly badly, almost throwing up my stomach. But after vomiting, the drunkenness completely disappeared, and I immediately became sober, marveling at the magic of the pill. Once I was a little clear-headed, I started chatting with the girl. She told me that she was a Miao person named A Cai, and that she made a living by selling Miao ethnic medicines. The bottles and jars in her bamboo basket were filled with all sorts of these medicines."

"Ah Cai asked me if I was having any troubles and if there was anything she could help me with. I told her that she couldn't help me because the source of my troubles was my appearance. She hesitated for a moment, then took out a delicate little box from the bamboo basket and handed it to me, saying that the box contained a 'beauty potion' that could make a person beautiful, but the user must remain a virgin, otherwise it would endanger their life."

Chapter 29 of "The Mysterious Files 2 - The Critical Point Between the Bizarre and the Real"

Chapter 29 of "The Mysterious Files 2 - The Critical Point Between the Bizarre and the Real"

"I opened the box with some skepticism, and inside was a dried-up little spider. There was a blurry human face pattern on its back, which looked quite frightening. These days, there are all sorts of people, and the idea that a dried spider could make someone beautiful is just too far-fetched. So I suspected Ah Cai was a fraud, and asked her how much she wanted. To my surprise, she raised her beer can and downed it in one gulp, then shook the empty can and said she'd already paid."

"After Ah Cai told me how to use the 'Beauty Gu,' she picked up the large bamboo basket that seemed out of place on her and prepared to leave. Before leaving, she repeatedly warned me that to use the 'Beauty Gu,' I had to remain a virgin and never have a relationship with a man in my entire life."

"After getting home, I stared blankly at the dried spider in the box, hesitating whether to believe A-Cai. Aside from drinking a can of beer from me, she hadn't gotten anything else from me, not even asking for my phone number, so she didn't seem like a con artist. Besides, she seemed very sincere, like a simple, honest mountain person who wouldn't lie. But could this so-called 'beauty curse' really make me beautiful?"

"Anyway, I'm already hopelessly ugly, so what's there to worry about? So I decided to use the 'Beauty Gu' as Cai suggested."

“Ah Cai said that the ‘Beauty Gu’ must absorb the pure Yin energy of a virgin in order to work, so it must be placed in the place with the heaviest Yin energy in the body—the lower genitals. I did as she said, first fasting for three days, then burning incense and bathing, and then stuffing the ‘Beauty Gu’, which is the dried spider from the box, into my lower genitals.”

"At first, I felt a foreign object in my lower body, which was uncomfortable. Then it felt more like a spider was crawling on my genitals and biting my body. Although these sensations were terrifying, I persevered. On the third day after the 'Beauty Gu' was inserted, I noticed that my appearance began to change. Not only my appearance, but also my body shape and body odor changed significantly. In the following month, I changed almost every day. Every morning when I stood in front of the mirror, I couldn't recognize myself."

"A month later, my appearance and physique began to stabilize, which is what you see now. Compared with before, it is completely different. Even my parents back home would not recognize me."

"I started to become more confident, no longer hiding at home all day, but going out to make friends and even finding a good job. I've always believed that a woman's appearance can determine her life, and now I'm even more convinced of that belief. The company that used to not even look at my resume when they saw me can now easily get me in. Guys are like bees, always swarming around me like flowers, showering me with attention, but I don't even glance at them, just like they used to look down on me. This gives me a sense of vengeful pleasure."

"Originally, I thought our happy life would continue forever, but fate arranged for us to meet again... or perhaps it should be called our first encounter. I met Hui. Although I had never met him in person, I had seen his picture, so I recognized him at a glance. He was a representative of another company, coming to our company to discuss some business matters, and I was responsible for receiving him."

"After meeting Hui, he immediately started pursuing me. Although he had hurt me before, I still liked him very much, and he was also very good at pleasing me. So, I agreed to date him, and at his repeated requests, I gave him my precious first time."

"After having sex with Hui, his attitude towards me became noticeably worse than before. He no longer put me first and considered my needs in every way, but we continued to be together until my belly started to swell. When I realized I might be pregnant, I told him and asked him to marry me. But... he actually wanted me to abort the child..."

"Although I really wanted to give birth to the child, Hui refused and insisted that I have an abortion. I couldn't persuade him otherwise, so I had to go to the hospital for the procedure. He didn't want to come with me at first, but after my desperate pleas, he reluctantly agreed. As I lay trembling on the delivery bed, my thoughts weren't on the poor child who couldn't be born, but on Hui outside the door, constantly exchanging text messages with someone else. Did he even care about me? Was being with him the right or wrong thing to do?"

"When the doctor roughly inserted the cold speculum into my genitals, I suddenly remembered what A-Cai had told me—to use the 'Beauty Gu,' I had to remain a virgin and never have a relationship with a man for the rest of my life. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my stomach and genitals, and at the same time, the doctor and nurses screamed in terror. Countless spiders crawled out of my genitals. They instantly covered my entire body and bit my flesh. I wanted to escape but was too weak to do so, so I covered my face with my hands and kept calling Hui's name."

"The doctors and nurses rushed outside in terror. As soon as the door opened, spiders swarmed out of my body like a tide, followed by Hui's screams—heart-wrenching screams..."

After recounting the whole story to me, Miss Feng developed a high fever that very night and passed away three days later. Her boyfriend, Hui, had already died when he was bitten by the spider, and his death was extremely gruesome. I asked the Heavenly Book about the 'Beauty Gu,' and she said, "It's a long-lost magical technique. The dried spider Miss Feng obtained was actually a parasitic spider raised using secret methods, currently in a dormant state. After entering a virgin's vagina, it awakens due to the influence of vaginal secretions, then crawls through the hymen into the uterus and makes its home there. It feeds on the host's blood and secretes magical hormones that change the appearance and body of the parasite, transforming it into an exceptionally beautiful woman. However, if the host has sexual intercourse with another person, the semen will stimulate the parasitic spider, causing it to lay eggs frantically. The spider eggs will develop into baby spiders in the uterus, causing the host's abdomen to swell, creating the illusion of pregnancy."

"When Ms. Feng underwent an abortion, her birth canal opened, and a large amount of air rushed in, causing these small spiders to become frenzied. They crawled out and bit and killed all the creatures nearby. However, if the person who had relations with the host was nearby, his scent would attract them, causing them to attack him frantically. The small spiders can only survive for a short time after leaving their host, and they will die soon afterward."

We tried to find the Miao girl A Cai that Ms. Feng mentioned, but we didn't get any news after searching for a long time. Moreover, according to Ms. Feng, A Cai repeatedly warned her that she must remain a virgin, so this Miao girl should not be a bad person, so we gave up the search for her.

[End of File 21]

Chapter 30 of "The Mysterious Files 2 - The Critical Point Between the Bizarre and the Real"

Chapter 30 of "The Mysterious Files 2 - The Critical Point Between the Bizarre and the Real"

File 22: Fiery Skull

Author: Seeking No Desire

First published on: Tianya Ghost Stories (Reposting should be done responsibly)

"When I found that skeleton, I was afraid of getting into trouble, so I didn't call the police. Who knew it would lead to even bigger trouble and almost cost me and Lao Wang our lives?" The speaker was an orchard owner surnamed Xu. He was in a terrible mess because of a skeleton of unknown origin. Not only was his orchard burned down, but he almost lost his life.

"I've done business in many places and in many different ways. Later, I opened an orchard here, and it's been running for several years now. Business is pretty good, so I wanted to rent the vacant land next door to expand the orchard. That vacant land has been idle since I first arrived, and it's always been overgrown with weeds. Renting it to me would at least allow me to collect some rent, which would benefit everyone. However, the villagers were very opposed to renting the land to me, saying it was some kind of auspicious feng shui spot. It took me a lot of effort to get those old men at the village committee to agree to rent the land to me."

"After settling the land rental, I hired a few more workers and immediately started working. First, we cleared the weeds from the open space, then loosened the soil, and then we dug tree pits to prepare for transplanting new fruit trees. That day, it was probably around four or five in the afternoon when all the workers suddenly ran over to me, saying that they had dug up a coffin while digging the pit. I immediately ran over to see, and there really was a coffin sticking out of a half-dug tree pit."

"The local villagers already had a lot of complaints about me renting this land. If they found out that a coffin had been unearthed, they would definitely make a big fuss. So, I told the workers not to spread the word and to get the coffin out first. The coffin seemed to have been buried for many years; the coffin wood was as thin as paper, and inside was a complete skeleton. The burial clothes were rotten beyond recognition. The other burial items were in no better condition; they were mostly unrecognizable. Only a jade bracelet was still intact, and it was a clear, bright green. Touching it felt like touching silk, smooth and slippery. I got greedy and took the bracelet out, washed it, and put it on my wrist."

"To keep the villagers from finding out, I didn't call the police. Instead, I had the workers bring a bunch of dry branches, poured gasoline on them, and burned the skeleton and coffin together. The coffin turned to ash in no time, but the skeleton inside wouldn't burn. The workers and I kept pouring gasoline and adding firewood, but the skeleton was like steel, getting redder the more it burned. We burned it for almost two hours, but it still hadn't turned to ash."

"Just as I was getting frustrated about why this old skeleton wouldn't burn properly after so long, I suddenly heard a muffled thud overhead. I looked up and saw dark clouds everywhere, as if it was about to rain. Sure enough, a torrential downpour began shortly afterward, and the workers all took shelter inside the buildings. Since we couldn't burn the skeleton that way, we had no choice but to leave it for now and make plans for tomorrow."

"The rain was heavy and lasted all night. The next morning, the workers woke me up early and told me that something was wrong and that I should go out and check it out. I quickly went out of the house and walked to the place where we had burned the skull the day before. All I saw on the ground was a pile of firewood that hadn't been burned yet, and the ashes had been washed away by the rain. The skull that we had been burning for half a day was nowhere to be seen."

"I'm a bit of a wanderer myself, and I've heard rumors about corpses exploding, but can a skeleton without a single piece of flesh really explode? Or rather, does this even count as an explosion? I don't know, and neither do my workers."

"The newly hired workers were terrified. They didn't even ask for their wages and immediately packed their bags, fleeing like refugees. The original workers also resigned under various pretexts. Although I was very angry at their behavior of abandoning each other in the face of disaster, I couldn't blame them. After all, nothing is more important than life."

"Almost all the workers left, only Old Wang was willing to stay. Although Old Wang receives a salary from me every month, he has followed me all over the country for more than ten years, and we have a very good relationship, like brothers. So when this strange thing happened, he not only didn't leave me, but stayed to support me. He persuaded me to call the police, but I thought that if I called the police, this matter would reach the highest levels, and there would definitely be villagers jumping out and clamoring to take back the place I just rented. Maybe the rent could be refunded, but the money spent on those old men in the village committee would definitely be gone, and I also ordered a batch of fruit trees. All these losses add up to a lot!"

"I told Lao Wang that we didn't know what the situation was. Maybe the skeleton had already burned when it rained and the ashes were washed away by the rain. Actually, Lao Wang and I both knew that this was just wishful thinking, but at least nothing serious had happened yet, so we decided to wait a few days and see how things went before making any further plans. But, unexpectedly, something happened that very night."

"That night, Lao Wang and I were drinking in the house and talking about hiring workers. I planned to hire some workers in two or three days if nothing special happened. The people living near the orchard are all locals, and they would disdain doing dirty and hard work in the orchard, so hiring workers would take some effort."

"We talked until very late. Although we had roughly settled the matter of recruiting workers, we still chatted endlessly, showing no sign of going to sleep. The reason we stayed up so long was because we were afraid something might go wrong in the middle of the night. Sure enough, our fears came true."

"Because of its remote location and the dark clouds obscuring the moon, it was pitch black outside the window, with only blurry tree shadows that looked like a group of menacing monsters. Around one o'clock in the morning, a red light suddenly appeared outside the window, and Lao Wang and I immediately grabbed hoes and shovels and rushed out of the house to see what had happened."

"We were stunned when we came out because many fruit trees were on fire, and the fire was spreading rapidly, threatening to engulf the entire orchard soon. While I was at a loss, Old Wang suddenly shouted and pointed into the distance, speechless."

"I looked in the direction Old Wang pointed and saw a monster covered in flames, using its flames to set the fruit trees on fire. Old Wang's shouts seemed to have attracted the monster's attention, causing it to walk towards us. I was so frightened that my feet felt like they were rooted to the spot, and I couldn't move an inch."

Chapter 31 of "The Mysterious Files 2 - The Critical Point Between the Bizarre and the Real"

Chapter 31 of "The Mysterious Files 2 - The Critical Point Between the Bizarre and the Real"

"When the monster got closer, I could see clearly that it was a skeleton engulfed in flames. Old Wang screamed and threw the shovel he was holding at the monster. Without caring whether he hit it or not, he pulled me back into the house and locked the door. We leaned against the tin door, our hearts pounding like drums. Old Wang closed his eyes, put his hands together, and kept chanting 'Namo Amitabha Buddha.' My mind was in turmoil, and I didn't know what to do, so I chanted along with him."

Suddenly, I felt the iron gate behind me getting hotter and hotter, almost burning my skin off. Old Wang probably felt the same way, and we were both thrown forward almost at the same time. Looking back, I saw a red dot in the middle of the iron gate, which gradually spread. Soon the entire iron gate turned red, and it looked like it would melt away soon.

"I wanted to call for help, but Lao Wang said it was too late and the only thing they could do when they arrived was collect our bodies. As he spoke, he moved furniture to block the doorway, and I helped him move everything we could to the door. Sweat poured down like raindrops, and I couldn't tell if it was from exercise or from the cold sweat that broke out from the shock."

"Just as we were blocking the doorway with furniture, we suddenly heard the sound of strong winds rattling the windows, and a terrible thought popped into our minds—all the windows were open and there were no security bars, so the monster could climb in through the windows."

"We rushed to the different windows like madmen and closed them one by one. Luckily, the monster didn't seem to have noticed the windows yet. But as soon as we closed the windows, we immediately heard knocking on them, and not just one, but almost every window was making a sound."

"We were terrified, the two grown men huddled together, trembling. Suddenly, a bright light appeared outside the window, followed by a deafening clap of thunder. Only then did we realize that what was pounding on the window wasn't a monster outside, but rain. Even so, our fear didn't lessen at all, and we continued to huddle together, trembling."

"I don't know if it was because of the rain, but the house, which was like an oven, suddenly became cold. But this made us feel a chill, even though there was no wind inside. Apart from the sound of the wind and rain, there seemed to be no other noise outside the door. Old Wang, who was the braver one, moved the furniture blocking the doorway and found that the iron gate had returned to its original color. We mustered our courage and opened the door, only to find that the monster had disappeared, and the raging fire on the fruit tree had been extinguished by the heavy rain."

Old Wang slapped his foot and said with a sudden realization, "That monster is afraid of water and runs away as soon as it rains. Because we were afraid that the monster would reappear after the rain stopped, we braved the heavy rain and rode our motorcycles towards the village, hoping that the villagers could help us."

"Because it was already late at night, most of the villagers had already gone to sleep. Only the security team's lights were still on, but there was no one inside. Although staying in the security team's room wasn't necessarily safe, it was still better than the orchard where we couldn't call for help. So we stayed there for the night."

“After daybreak, security team members came to work one after another, and we told them what happened last night. At first, they didn’t believe us, but when we took them to the orchard and saw the burn marks on the fruit trees, they made excuses, saying that it was not something they could handle. Some of the more timid security team members even sneaked away.”

"I realized that the security team was unreliable, so I went to the village committee director who had taken a lot of bribes from me. But he also made excuses, saying he was powerless and that I should find a solution myself. I pestered him for a long time before he finally called the municipal government to contact his superiors. But because of the remote location, the police station could not arrive until the next day at the earliest."

"The person who can save your life won't arrive until the second day. What if you're attacked by monsters again at night? The director told me there's a fairly large lake near the orchard, with an artificial island in the middle. It was created when a resort was developed, and there used to be a small bungalow on the island. Later, the developer went bankrupt, and the resort project was shelved, so the bungalow has been vacant ever since. He said since monsters are afraid of water, you can just hide there for the night."

"We couldn't think of any other way, so we had to follow the director's advice. We each grabbed a shovel as a weapon, along with some food and daily necessities, and headed towards the lake he had mentioned. There were a few dilapidated small boats on the lakeshore, and we chose the one that was relatively intact, so we rowed towards the artificial island in the middle of the lake. Although the small bungalows on the artificial island had been idle for a long time, they were still in relatively good condition and could keep out the wind and rain. However, there was no running water or electricity. Spending one night there wouldn't be a big deal, but living there for a long time would really be a kind of torture. But, in order to survive, even if we had to live there for the rest of our lives, we had no choice but to accept our fate."

"At night, Lao Wang and I lit a few candles and sat in the empty bungalow, occasionally going outside to see if the monster would appear. It seemed like God was playing a trick on us, as it rained for several days in a row, but tonight there wasn't a single dark cloud, and the moon hung high in the sky as if it were waiting to watch a good show."

Time ticked by, and as we drew closer to the time the monster had appeared the night before, our hearts pounded faster. Suddenly, a red light appeared on the opposite bank, quickly approaching the lake. The monster was finally here. Old Wang and I prayed that it would fall into the lake and never appear before us again. But instead of walking into the water as we expected, it boarded a small boat on the lake and rowed towards us.

"This really terrified us. Just as we were about to board the small boat and escape, we discovered that the flames on the monster's body had set the small boat on fire. We were immediately energized and started cursing at it, wishing it would lie at the bottom of the lake forever. However, the monster rowed faster and faster, and it seemed that it could row to the artificial island before the small boat sank."

"At this point, it was probably too late to escape, so we rushed back to the small house and each grabbed a shovel, ready to fight the monster to the death. With the determination to fight to the death, we were no longer afraid. We thought that even if we were to die, we would smash this monster to pieces first."

"Sure enough, the monster climbed onto the artificial island before the small boat sank. Old Wang and I roared and charged at it. The flames emanating from the monster were extremely hot; I felt my hair singed as soon as I got close. Old Wang was big and bold, and he didn't care about the burns. He raised his shovel and chopped down, breaking off the monster's right hand bone. But the monster ignored him and instead pounced on me."

"Old Wang patted the monster a few times from behind, but the monster continued to chase me. When I raised my shovel to fight back, I suddenly noticed the jade bracelet on my wrist and realized why the monster was only chasing me. It wanted to take back what belonged to it. So I quickly threw away the shovel, took off the bracelet, and threw it into the lake with all my might."

"Just as I expected, the monster stopped fighting me and rushed towards the bracelet, plunging straight into the lake. As soon as the monster entered the water, the flames on its body immediately turned the surrounding lake water into mist, but when it was completely submerged, the mist instantly diminished and returned to calm after a moment, as if nothing had happened."

After understanding the situation, we requested our superiors to send three divers to assist in searching the lakebed Mr. Xu mentioned. However, we found no human remains, not even the jade bracelet he mentioned. The hand bone that Old Wang knocked off also disappeared after our arrival, but some powder resembling bone ash was left behind. The Heavenly Book believes that the skeleton Mr. Xu found may have been buried in a place where spiritual energy gathered, and through the spiritual jade bracelet, it absorbed the earth's spiritual energy, transforming into a monster like the White Bone Demon. When burned by the raging fire, it absorbed a large amount of heat, changing its own attributes. The subsequent heavy rain caused it, now based on fire attributes, to instinctively flee. However, after escaping, it couldn't forget the jade bracelet that Mr. Xu had taken, so it returned in the middle of the night to set fire to the orchard, both for revenge and to reclaim the bracelet. However, fate was unkind; at the most critical moment, another heavy rain fell, allowing Mr. Xu and Old Wang to escape.

Judging from the fact that the skeleton monster ultimately gave up attacking Mr. Xu in order to retrieve the bracelet, its nature wasn't inherently evil. If it weren't for Mr. Xu's momentary greed, it might have found a secluded place to hide after escaping the rain, instead of returning to the orchard. As for its final fate, perhaps it would be like the Buddha's saying, "Put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot," evolving to another level, or perhaps everything would return to nothingness, turning to dust. Regardless of its fate, I think if no one finds the jade bracelet, it probably won't reappear before anyone.

[End of File 22]

Chapter 32 of "The Mysterious Files 2 - The Critical Point Between the Bizarre and the Real"

Chapter 32 of "The Mysterious Files 2 - The Critical Point Between the Bizarre and the Real"

Archive 23 Oil Cone

Author: Seeking No Desire

First published on: Tianya Ghost Stories (Reposting should be done responsibly)

"We work in the insurance industry, and the work pressure is very high, so I took my friend's advice and went fishing to relieve stress. I never expected that such a terrible thing would happen after my first fishing trip." The speaker was an insurance broker surnamed Liang. On his first fishing trip, he caught three strange fish that looked like eels. After eating them at home, he and his parents were plagued by nightmares every night, and they also suffered from severe abdominal pain after waking up.

There's a famous saying in the insurance industry: "Monday to Sunday—the more you work, the more you earn." This saying tells you that we insurance brokers practically have no holidays; to make money, we have to work year-round without a break. Although I've been in this industry for several years and have some experience, I still have to be very careful. The competition among peers and even colleagues is fierce. Someone who's all smiles next to you might stab you in the back the moment you turn your back.

"In this environment, every nerve is constantly on edge, like a taut bowstring. At the company, I have to wear a mask and chat and laugh with subordinates who are always trying to bring me down. Outside, I have to flatter every client or potential client. At the end of each month, I worry about the month's performance. If I haven't met the target, I have to frantically flip through the phone book, looking for any number that might get me to sign an insurance contract. Even if the month's performance is good, I worry that others will do better than me."

"Under immense pressure, I always feel exhausted—not physically, but mentally. As soon as I get home and take off my mask, I feel like a deflated balloon, utterly powerless. When I go to bed, work-related thoughts constantly float through my mind, making it difficult for me to fall asleep."

"I knew I was under a lot of work pressure, so I met up with a few close friends for drinks and a chat. When we talked about my situation, they suggested I go fishing, saying it could help me adjust my mindset and relieve stress. I grew up in the city and had never tried fishing before. In my mind, fishing was a waste of time, which was completely opposite to my job where I had to be in a rush all the time."

"I took my friend's advice and bought fishing rods and other fishing gear. I drove to a secluded bay around four or five in the morning. I chose this time when most people are still asleep because I know that clients might call me at any time during the day. I also chose a remote fishing spot because it was my first time fishing and I was afraid of being seen in my awkward state."

"The sea breeze in the early morning felt very comfortable, allowing one to leave all worries behind, but the secluded environment gave me a vague sense of unease. I had looked up some information about fishing online beforehand, so although it was my first time, I didn't panic. After setting up my fishing gear, I chose a spot to watch the sunrise and sat down."

"One of the reasons I come fishing so early is to see the sunrise. Living in a big city, surrounded by reinforced concrete all day long, seeing the sunrise is almost a pipe dream, but in a quiet bay, you can easily see it, as long as you are willing to spend a little time for it."

"As I cast my fishing rod, a strange thought suddenly popped into my head: this place is so secluded that even if I were to commit murder and hide the body, no one would find out. With this thought in mind, I couldn't help but feel a chill and shiver. I looked around to make sure there was nothing that could threaten my safety before I could finally enjoy the peace and tranquility of the moment."

"I don't know how much time passed before the fishing rod finally made a move. I excitedly pulled up the rod, putting all my strength into trying to reel in my prey. However, all my efforts resulted in a disastrous outcome—the fishing line couldn't withstand the strain and snapped."

I lay on the uneven ground, rubbing my aching head, and couldn't help but laugh. My purpose in fishing was to relieve stress, but when a fish took the bait, I unconsciously became impatient. I closed my eyes and slowly recalled fishing tips I'd read online: fishing can't be rushed; haste makes waste…

"I brought a lot of spare fishing rods and lines, so this fishing trip didn't end hastily because of my impatience. When I cast my line again, the thought that there might be danger here came to mind again, so I couldn't help but look around. It was very quiet around me, there was no one else, not even a stray dog."

"I ignored this strange thought and continued to focus on fishing. After a while, the fishing rod moved again. This time, I did not pull up the fishing rod suddenly. Instead, I followed the advice I had read online and let the fish struggle underwater for a while, like flying a kite, pulling it up and letting it go at the same time. I only pulled it up when it was exhausted."

"After all, it was my first time fishing. Although I tried my best to control the fishing rod according to other people's experience, I still broke the fishing line in the end. The difference was that no one fell over this time, so it can be considered an improvement. When I cast the line for the third time, an unsettling thought appeared in my mind again, and this time I even felt like I was losing my balance, as if I would fall into the sea at any moment."

"After experiencing strange feelings repeatedly, they stopped being strange, so I didn't pay much attention and continued to immerse myself in the joy of fishing. This time, I quickly got a bite, and with my previous experience, I finally caught the fish. By the time I put the fish in the bucket, I was covered in sweat, not from exercise, but from tension, excitement, and other emotions."

"When I saw the sea fish in the bucket that looked a bit like an eel, I had an urge to shout. I wanted everyone to know that I had succeeded, that I had finally caught my first fish. But in the end, I didn't shout like an idiot. Instead, I continued fishing for the next fish. I began to understand why fishing can relieve stress. The contrast between the long wait and the excitement of successfully catching a fish is so great that it can make you forget all your troubles."

"Before sunrise, I caught three fish, all of the same kind, which looked a bit like eels. I don't know much about fish species and characteristics, but I thought that there must be a lot of these fish in this area! After watching the vibrant sunrise, I felt like I had a great catch. I felt relaxed and my dinner for tonight was also taken care of."

"While packing my things, I accidentally found a few strands of hair in the bucket of fish. I touched my own hair and thought to myself that my hair shouldn't fall out so soon, and a bald head wouldn't look good. As I picked up the bucket and walked towards the car, I suddenly felt like someone was calling me from behind, but when I turned around, I couldn't see anything."

Chapter 33 of "The Mysterious Files 2 - The Critical Point Between the Bizarre and the Real"