Ghosts Behind You

Chapter 8

Although it was just a very soft sound, it sounded like thunder to Li Hong. The sound indicated that the door lock had been opened! But she had just checked the lock and it was completely locked. Could it be that the door lock had no effect on the ghosts outside?

ghost!!

Li Hong's skin tensed all over, a chill she had never felt before rising from her feet to her forehead, and cold sweat poured out like a burst dam, soaking her pajamas. She stopped looking through the crack in the door and stared intently at the doorknob. She couldn't be sure if the doorknob had moved; perhaps her nervousness had made her hallucinate.

She slowly backed away again, feeling utterly alone. She wanted to scream for help, but her lips were cracked and her throat felt like it was on fire; she couldn't make a sound.

"Click...click..." The door clicked softly again, and this time, Li Hong clearly saw the doorknob move downwards, and the door was pushed open slightly, letting light shine in through the crack. There was indeed something outside trying to open the door.

Li Hong felt her hair standing on end. She rushed to the door and slammed it shut with a loud bang. The chair behind the door hit her leg hard, making her wince in pain.

She couldn't just sit and wait to die! The pain in her leg was so clear, but it only stimulated her nerves, making her mind work faster. She knew she had to think of a way quickly, otherwise what was at the door might break in, and then she would be doomed—Li Hong knew that the ghost at the door would definitely take her life.

What to do? What to do?! She was frantic, pacing back and forth. Using the very faint light streaming in from the window, Li Hong spotted the phone on the bed. Now, besides jumping out the window or calling for help, there was truly no other way. But if she jumped out, although she might escape the cloth shoes chasing her at the door, she might also fall into the witch's trap, because Zheng Zhihao had sternly warned her that she absolutely could not step out of the room at night.

In the flash of lightning, Li Hong suddenly understood why she had seen Li Li's dream in the room last night. It was entirely possible that it was a trick by the witch to lure her out, because she had indeed been almost lured out by the strange dark figure. What about the shoe? Could it be that the witch, seeing she hadn't fallen for it, sent this thing to scare her? It just hadn't expected there to be a talisman on the door, which is why it failed. And today, it's come back with a vengeance, clearly determined to succeed, which is why the talisman didn't work this time.

Large beads of sweat rolled down Li Hong's forehead. She looked towards the door again, but it remained closed. She wondered what Bu Xie would do outside. There was no time to think about it anymore. She had to call Zheng Zhihao one more time; he was her only lifeline now.

The call connected, and Li Hong waited anxiously, stamping her feet and saying repeatedly, "Hurry up and answer the phone, you bastard!"

Suddenly, Li Hong heard a cell phone ringing in the distance down the hallway. It kept ringing, and soon the sound grew closer, almost reaching her door. She looked towards the door in surprise. He was right there? Instinctively, Li Hong pressed the stop button, and the ringing stopped abruptly…

31. Walking shoes (2)

There was complete silence outside the door. There was no sound of footsteps or Zheng Zhihao's voice, leaving Li Hong momentarily at a loss. Her heart was still pounding. The terrifying thing had been just a door away; if she hadn't acted quickly and closed the door again, she didn't know what might have come in. But why was there no movement now?

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The door suddenly rang, startling Li Hong. Before she could react, Zheng Zhihao's deep voice came from outside: "Open the door, it's me!"

Li Hong slowly walked towards the door, asking as she went, "Who are you?"

"I am Zheng Zhihao. Open the door," the voice outside said.

She approached the door and checked the lock; it was still securely locked. She really didn't know how the cloth shoes had managed to open the door. "Was it really you?" Li Hong asked softly. "Where are the cloth shoes by the door? Did you see them?"

“I didn’t see the cloth shoes,” Zheng Zhihao said. “I ran over here but didn’t see anything. I only felt an evil aura. I don’t know where that thing is now. Let me in first.”

Li Hong moved the chair away and then carefully opened the door.

Zheng Zhihao slipped inside, then immediately leaned against the door, putting his index finger to his lips to signal Li Hong to be quiet. He had a very agitated expression, his brows furrowed. He glanced at Li Hong, gesturing for her not to stand in the doorway, his lips moving as if to speak silently: "Go to the windowsill..."

Because the room was very dark, it took Li Hong a while to understand what he meant, so she immediately turned around and ran to the windowsill.

Sure enough, before she even reached the windowsill, a chilling feeling washed over Li Hong. She stopped abruptly, looking around the bedroom, sensing something lurking in the darkness. It was so dark that only a sliver of light from the window illuminated the area around the windowsill, casting blurry outlines and long shadows on the objects within, making Li Hong even more uneasy and tense.

Could something have already come in? She wondered to herself. She had been so focused on the situation at the door that she hadn't noticed the window at all. If something had slipped in, she certainly wouldn't have noticed.

She was still about a meter away from the windowsill, but the fear in her heart prevented her from moving. She was afraid that something might suddenly pounce on her from some corner, with a blue face and fangs, and she was also afraid that if she opened the curtains, she would see that long-haired ghost floating outside. However, the image of that ghost floating outside the window staring at her had already appeared in her mind. The ghost had also stretched out a hand like a withered twig, gently tapping on the glass of the window.

Helpless, she turned around, hoping Zheng Zhihao would help her, but Zheng Zhihao was standing motionless by the door, as if listening to the sounds outside.

"Damn it!" Li Hong cursed inwardly. "How did I get involved in something like this?! What am I going to do now?! Should I keep going?" She didn't answer herself, but had no choice but to grit her teeth and continue walking towards the windowsill. She had to guard both entrances to the room now; if anything unclean came in, she would be in the most danger.

The chilling feeling grew stronger; Li Hong felt like prey being watched, with the hunter lurking in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. She began to pray unconsciously, "God bless me, Buddha bless me, God bless me, Buddha bless me..."

It was eerily quiet all around. Li Hong could only hear her own heavy breathing; time seemed to have stood still. She was very close to the windowsill; she could easily reach out and pull back the curtains. But this was an action she had performed countless times before, and now she had absolutely no courage to do it. She was trembling with fear, and her hand simply wouldn't lift.

Suddenly, she felt her surroundings light up, as if someone had lit several paper lanterns around her. The light was dim, neither clear nor glaring, illuminating the items around her: the carpet, the curtains, and the pajamas she was wearing.

She was utterly astonished, for she discovered the light was emanating from herself, and she had no other source of light nearby; even her phone had been tossed aside. She looked down, trying to pinpoint the source of the light, and discovered that the marks on her calves were emitting a bluish glow through her thin summer pajamas. The light seemed eerie in the dark room, as if the marks were crawling with shimmering fireflies, constantly wriggling—all four marks emitted the same glow.

The mark didn't hurt or itch, and she didn't feel anything unusual. Li Hong squatted down, pulled up her trouser leg, and examined it carefully. She didn't understand what was going on or if it was dangerous for her. However, before she could even finish thinking about it, she felt a cold breath blowing on her head.

She remained crouched there, her heart suddenly pounding wildly for no apparent reason; she could feel the chill emanating from her. She slowly raised her head…

A person with long, flowing hair stood before her, his face obscured by his hair. He looked down at Li Hong, who was crouching there. A voice echoed in her mind: "Hehe, got you."

32. Amulet

"ah!"

Li Hong screamed in fright at the ghost that suddenly appeared in front of her. She sat down on the ground with a thud, kicking her legs frantically, trying to escape the chilling ghost. But before she could get far, the long-haired ghost floated silently toward her, extending a hand.

Instantly, Li Hong felt completely paralyzed. She felt like an infant being gently lifted from the ground, and what touched her skin was an icy breath, like slippery ice rapidly sliding over her body. She was enveloped by this breath, as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

"Stop!" A roar came from not far away. Li Hong saw Zheng Zhihao rushing in from the doorway. To her surprise, she also saw several glowing, ghostly faces appear around Zheng Zhihao. Only the facial features of those faces could be discerned, but their specific appearances were unclear. They rushed towards the long-haired ghost with Zheng Zhihao, like shooting stars with tails, leaving long trails behind.

Suddenly, Li Hong was thrown heavily to the ground again, feeling as if all the bones in her body were about to shatter. However, she ignored the pain and stared wide-eyed at the scene before her. She had completely stopped thinking and was watching everything unfold before her like a movie.

Zheng Zhihao was like a completely different person now. His hair stood on end, his eyes were wide with rage, and his facial features were all squeezed together from the force of his movements, making his face extremely terrifying. He stretched out his right arm, pointing at the long-haired ghost in front of him, holding a small black bottle in his palm. And all the ghostly faces around him pounced on him.

The long-haired ghost began to slowly retreat, its last glance at Li Hong filled with resentment. Its hand had now turned towards Zheng Zhihao, blocking the howling phantoms. The gusts of cold wind it generated ruffled its long hair, but Li Hong still couldn't see its face clearly; it was as if it had no face at all. The voice echoed in Li Hong's mind again, a voice filled with gritted teeth: "You can't escape!"

As the sound faded from his mind, the long-haired ghost retreated to the window, until it silently disappeared through the window. The ghostly faces followed it through the window and vanished as well.

The surroundings finally darkened again, and everything returned to calm.

Li Hong gasped for breath, looking incredulously out the window, then at Zheng Zhihao standing not far away. He was drenched in sweat, his chest heaving, his right arm still outstretched towards the window. He too was turning to look at Li Hong.

Suddenly, the room lights came on, the air conditioner started working with a hum, and the television opposite the bed turned on—the room's power was back to normal.

**********************

"Was that the witch's ghost just now?" After a moment of silence, Li Hong finally asked cautiously. She was still sitting on the ground, clearly not yet recovered from what had just happened.

"Why aren't you wearing a talisman?!" Zheng Zhihao suddenly shouted at Li Hong, "Do you want to die?!"

Li Hong was startled. She shrank back, opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a word. The amulet had been tossed aside; she hadn't taken it seriously at all, let alone worn it. Who knew it was so important?

"You almost died just now, you know?" Zheng Zhihao slowly walked over, squatted down, and looked at her. His tone was slightly calmer. "Why are you so disobedient?"

"...I really didn't expect that to be so important..." Li Hong said softly, as if she had made a big mistake. But in her heart, she thought, "That strange-looking thing, can it protect me?"

“If that thing were useless, I wouldn’t have given it to you in the first place.” Zheng Zhihao sat cross-legged on the ground, facing her. “That’s a relic of a high-ranking monk from the Tang Dynasty. It has very strong magical power. I should have put it around your neck myself.”

Why didn't you put it on me? Honestly... Li Hong was still grumbling to herself, "You didn't even tell me what kind of relic it is."

"Don't be so resentful." Zheng Zhihao sighed when he saw the displeasure on Li Hong's face. "Even if I beg you, will you?"

"I'm sorry," Li Hong said softly, almost inaudibly to herself. "I'll put it on right now." — She was actually apologizing to him. Li Hong was a little incredulous. But then she immediately thought of the time he saved her; it had indeed been quite dangerous, and thanking him was only right. This was the second time he had saved her.

Zheng Zhihao watched as Li Hong found the amulet on the bedside table, examined it for a long time, and finally put it on. He then let out a long sigh of relief. After a pause, he said, "Now that this matter is over, you have to give it back to me."

"Oh," Li Hong said. The little thing felt cool, like a small steel ball pressed against her chest. She didn't feel anything different after putting it on.

"Alright, things should be peaceful tonight." Zheng Zhihao stood up from the ground. "I'm going back to my room, you can continue sleeping."

“I can’t sleep anymore,” Li Hong said immediately. She felt a little cold; her clothes were soaked with cold sweat, and the air conditioning was blowing very cold air. She crawled into the covers and pointed to the bed next to her. “Sit down, I have some questions for you.” Actually, she didn’t want him to leave; she was worried she would be scared alone. A forensic doctor reduced to this state—she felt sorry for herself—if only she were a man, she certainly wouldn’t be afraid.

"What else do you want to ask?" Zheng Zhihao turned to her and asked, "That's the witch's ghost."

"What about the shoes by the door?" Li Hong asked.

“That’s the ghost the witch caught with the black cat!” Zheng Zhihao said. “This ghost doesn’t belong to Ma Guiping; it must have been caught by the cat long before that.”

"You mean, there were other victims before Ma Guiping?" Li Hong asked, sitting up in bed. She had never considered this question before; she had always thought Ma Guiping was the witch's first victim.

“It should be,” Zheng Zhihao said, “and it’s very likely that it was caught in 104 as well.”

Li Hong didn't speak again. She frowned, thinking about the problem. It was necessary to review all the cases of unnatural deaths at this hotel.

"Alright, you should get some sleep now." Zheng Zhihao said, putting the small bottle in his right hand into his pocket.

"What are you holding in your hand?" Li Hong asked immediately after seeing his movement.

"This..." Zheng Zhihao hesitated for a moment, "It's alright to tell you. This is a soul bottle, a magical artifact specifically used to collect ghosts."

"Huh?" Li Hong immediately became very interested. "This bottle can collect ghosts? Can I take a look?"

"No. This isn't an ordinary bottle," Zheng Zhihao said, sounding a little impatient.

“Fine, I won’t show you then.” Li Hong was a little disappointed. “Then when you pounced on the witch just now, were those faces floating around you the ghosts you caught before and put in that bottle?” Li Hong couldn’t help but ask, remembering the ghostly faces that had surrounded him earlier.

"You can see this too?" Zheng Zhihao looked at her with some surprise. "I thought you couldn't."

“I saw it,” Li Hong said with a hint of pride, “but I couldn’t see it very clearly.”

“Yes, those are indeed ghosts I caught before,” Zheng Zhihao admitted. “They have been subdued by me and are now serving me.”

How do you control them?

"These are none of your business!" Zheng Zhihao finally became irritated. "What time is it? You still have to investigate the case tomorrow. I don't even know if anyone heard you yelling just now. I have to go now, or things will get complicated."

"Thank you," Li Hong said suddenly, her face flushed.

"N-nothing." Zheng Zhihao waved his hand, not even glancing at her, and hurriedly left the room.

33. Check-in Registration Book (1)

Li Hong didn't get up until 8 o'clock, and as soon as she got up, she felt pain all over her body. It seemed that she had fallen badly last night, especially her buttocks, which looked like they had bruises and a large blue patch.

There was no time to think about anything else; she needed to investigate the previous occupancy history of room 104 as soon as possible. Li Hong thought to herself as she washed up that once she found out who the witch was, she could hand the rest over to Zheng Zhihao. She didn't spend time on dressing up; her work as a forensic pathologist had instilled in her a habit of rarely wearing makeup (because makeup could contaminate the samples being tested). After glancing in the mirror, she hurriedly left, but didn't forget to tear off the talisman pasted on the door and carefully tuck it into her notebook.

There was no one at the first-floor reception desk; she didn't know where the receptionist had gone. She went directly to the reception desk and found the registration book. Li Hong eagerly flipped through the book to look it up. The registration records were relatively clear, noting the check-in time, room number, and guests' personal information in chronological order. However, the handwriting was difficult to decipher, suggesting that the staff's education level was quite low.

After figuring out that the registration order was progressively later, Li Hong flipped directly to the first page of the register. To her disappointment, the earliest registered check-in date was January 2007. If Zheng Zhihao's estimate of about 10 months for the burial was true, then the witch must have buried the black cat sometime between June and September 2006. Clearly, the witch's name wouldn't be on this register.

Li Hong continued searching the records; she needed to find all the guests who had stayed in room 104, hoping to find other clues among them. However, to her surprise, the entire logbook only listed two guests: Zhang Tianhai/Niu Benxin on May 18, 2007, and Ma Guiping/Li Li on June 15, 2007. No one else had stayed in room 104. Zhang Tianhai and Niu Benxin had only stayed for one morning before checking out.

As Li Hong recorded the information of these people, she pondered this strange phenomenon. Although the hotel's occupancy rate was not high, only four people had stayed in room 104 in six months, which seemed too few. Moreover, room 104 was conveniently located on the first floor, and the hotel should have prioritized arranging for guests to stay there—in short, this phenomenon was worth investigating.

Where could the earlier logbooks be? Li Hong straightened up from the front desk and looked around for the waitresses. Around 8 a.m. was probably when the staff were taking a break, since early risers had already finished breakfast and left to explore, while late risers usually didn't get up until after 9 a.m., giving the staff a rest period. Besides, the hotel only cleaned the rooms after guests checked out, so the staff were nowhere to be seen at this time.

Li Hong decided to look through the service desk drawers again, because she desperately wanted to find out about the witch immediately.

Just as she was about to open all the drawers, a waitress appeared. She looked at Li Hong with a puzzled expression and asked, "What are you looking for?"

Upon seeing his savior, Li Hongxiang immediately showed his police ID and explained his demands.

The waiter looked troubled: "I'm sorry, the earlier registration books may have been disposed of by the boss, so you can't find them now."

"What?!" Li Hong felt her head explode. If the entire register was disposed of, who would remember who stayed in room 104? Then this most important and direct clue might be lost.

"Where is your boss?" Li Hong asked impatiently.

“He’s not at the hotel every morning; I don’t know where he goes.”

"So how do you arrange rooms for your guests?" Li Hong wanted to know from the staff why there were so few guests in room 104, but she didn't want to ask directly.

"Just arrange it like that." The waitress looked confused, unsure why the policeman was asking this. "We usually ask the guests what their requests are first. If there are no requests, then we arrange them according to room order."

"Why were only four people staying in room 104 over the past six months?" Li Hong asked, flipping through the registration book.

"Because room 104 has a 4 in it, we skipped it whenever possible when assigning rooms," the waiter said. "The boss told us that since there are plenty of empty rooms, we should avoid assigning room 104 if possible."

“Oh…” Li Hong nodded. Indeed, some guests are superstitious about these things and are unwilling to stay in rooms with the number 4 in them, such as 104. However, since there were many people from Ma Guiping’s unit this time, they needed more rooms, so room 104 was arranged for someone to stay there.

“Alright then, let me know if the boss comes back,” Li Hong said. “I need to see him. I live in room 202.”