Le 19e cercle de l'Enfer

Chapitre 21

Amidst the howling wind outside the window, Song Xiaomo struggled to fall asleep. Suddenly, he heard Li Zhengzhen's voice again: "There's a ghost... across the street..."

"No!" Song Xiaomo shouted, sitting up. It was still pitch black outside the window, and he could only hear the wind. He suddenly realized that his back was covered in sweat. He jumped out of bed, put on his coat, and left the room.

Where to go now? Song Xiaomo himself wasn't sure. His footsteps echoed in the empty corridor, producing strange sounds. The motion-activated lights in the corridor weren't on, so he groped his way to the dormitory building entrance like a blind man. Luckily, the door wasn't locked, and he crouched down and slipped outside.

The wind instantly tousled his hair, and his body trembled in the wind, as if he might be swept away at any moment. He had intended to sit under the bright streetlights for a while; there should be some people there who could help him pass the time. But he didn't. Instead, he turned towards another dormitory building, even though he knew that there was a strange room on the fifth floor of that building.

Why go there? He was somewhat bewildered. Although he had warned himself not to go there, it was as if his feet were no longer attached to his body, automatically leading him there. Song Xiaomo turned up his collar, shivering incessantly in the wind.

Strange, the dormitory door was open. Without thinking much of it, he headed straight upstairs…

Chapter 100: The Doll Murder Case (100)

Song Xiaomo silently ascended the stairs leading to the fifth floor. Without a sound, without a shadow, only her lifeless body moved.

Climbing the stairs, the fifth floor was completely dark, the end of the stairs like a vast, dark abyss. Song Xiaomo held onto the wall, groping forward, when suddenly his fingertips touched something, and the stairwell was instantly illuminated, making it difficult for his eyes, which had been accustomed to darkness, to adjust. He squinted, rubbed his eyes with both hands, and after a moment, he could see clearly.

The room that was supposed to be sealed was actually ajar.

Song Xiaomo cautiously approached, his heart pounding in his throat. His gaze pierced through the tiny gap; the air seemed to freeze for a moment. Song Xiaomo blinked, then blinked again, clenching his teeth, desperately trying to suppress his trembling…

—He saw a "person".

To be precise, it was a white shadow. The shadow drifted slowly, but he couldn't make out its features; it was just a blurry blob.

Is this the ghost that has been troubling Li Zhengzhen? Song Xiaomo immediately thought of that inexplicable phenomenon.

Suddenly, the shadow swayed and let out a startled cry, and at the same time, he heard someone fall heavily to the ground.

Song Xiaomo held his breath, recognizing the voice as human, and the shadow increasingly resembled a woman's back. Who was she? Could she have encountered some danger?

Song Xiaomo didn't have time to think about anything else. He took a deep breath and slipped inside.

The hallway lights suddenly went out. Song Xiaomo's heart tightened, and cold sweat broke out.

Just as he was feeling lost and confused, he felt something soft draped over his shoulder from behind. Song Xiaomo immediately turned around, his pupils dilating. Although the room was dimly lit, they could both see each other's eyes clearly. The instant their eyes met was like a replay of that night at the cemetery. Song Xiaomo was certain—it was her! Song Yun'er!

Now, gazing at her curves, he felt a surge of heat. Her slender waist, elegant face, and enigmatic eyes combined to create a girl who was both alluring and daunting. She clutched a ghost doll in her hand, her wet hair cascading down her back and shoulders. Could this be the girl he'd seen that night?

The mystery is getting deeper and deeper.

"You...you...are you a human or a ghost?" Song Xiaomo couldn't even speak properly.

"What do you think? Am I that scary?" She gave a playful smile.

"You almost scared me to death! What are you doing here? What's your connection to this room?"

"And what about you?" she countered.

"I...I..." Song Xiaomo didn't know how to explain for a moment, and asked again, "Can you tell me who you are?"

"You'll find out sooner or later, but I can't tell you now," she said seriously.

"Why, why can't you tell me now?"

“I swore an oath in my heart that I have a mission. I cannot say anything until I complete that mission.” Song Yoon-ah’s tone was unusually firm.

Chapter 101: The Doll Murder Case (101)

Song Xiaomo was shocked to hear the word "mission" suddenly come out of this beautiful girl's mouth; it was truly unbelievable. The heavy word "mission" seemed out of place coming from her lips. But seeing her serious expression, she didn't seem to be lying. After experiencing the cemetery and this incident, he was even more convinced that Song Yun'er had some intricate connection to these mysteries.

"So, who sent you on this mission?"

“No, I’m not doing this for anyone else. I swore to myself that I must complete this mission. I won’t ask you, and please don’t ask me again, okay?” There was something hidden in her eyes that no one could see through.

"Okay, I won't ask anymore!" Song Xiaomo smiled knowingly, then changed the subject, "By the way, how did you fall down just now?"

"I don't know what happened? I just heard someone sighing behind me."

"Really? Could there be someone else here?" Song Xiaomo got goosebumps all over. He felt that the house was even more eerie and sinister, as if a pair of eyes were watching his every move.

"Don't talk nonsense, it might just be the sound of the wind!"

Let's hope so!

"Also, do you smell anything strange in this room?" Song Yoon-ah asked cautiously.

Song Xiaomo then began to notice the room; the stuffy air in the enclosed space made it difficult to breathe. He reached for the window and pulled back the curtains. Faint moonlight shone in, illuminating the indistinct outlines of the room.

The layout of the dormitory is not much different from other male dormitories. The living room is directly opposite, and the bathroom is to the left front. The kitchen is at the end of the hallway, and turning right leads to the bedroom and storage room.

The room was a chaotic mess, with coffee tables, sofas, and other furniture overturned in the corners. Song Xiaomo touched them and felt a thick layer of dust, guessing that they hadn't been touched in a long time. Looking up, she saw several "ghost dolls" swinging in mid-air, their mouths gaping wide as they stared at them, looking eerie and terrifying!

As Song Xiaomo entered the bedroom, his heart skipped a beat. He could clearly sense something unusual in Song Yun'er's eyes. What could it be? At the same time, he also faintly smelled a strange odor that made his chest feel tight, his head feel throbbing, and his stomach churn.

"There are corpses here!" Song Yoon-ah suddenly grabbed his arm.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here!" Song Xiaomo's whole body was tense, as if she had unconsciously accepted this view.

In the far corner of the bedroom stood a wardrobe, its door slightly ajar, next to a single bed. Beside the bed was an old-fashioned television and a lamp. A snow-white sheet lay open, a red pillow resting on top. Song Xiaomo examined the white sheet, noticing some bloodstains on it.

Immediately, Song Yoon-ah turned on the desk lamp.

Song Xiaomo's chest pounded as he slowly reached out to pull at the bed sheet. Under the lamplight, the bloodstains on the sheet appeared to be spreading. However, his hopes were dashed as he realized he hadn't seen a corpse.

But the stench grew stronger and stronger!

Chapter 102: The Doll Murder Case (102)

Just then, Song Yoon-ah suddenly widened her eyes and grabbed his arm with surprisingly strong force. She wanted to say something, but the sound was stuck in her throat, and she could only make some helpless whimpers.

For a moment, time stood still.

Following her gaze, Song Xiaomo couldn't help but gasp inwardly, taking a large step back, her lips trembling uncontrollably...

From the television set next to the lamp, a twisted corpse's head was visible—two sunken eye sockets were visible through the loose strands of black hair, maggots were writhing vigorously in the rotting flesh, and the decaying flesh, like damp clay, was trying to peel off the skull...

(28)

Ever since discovering the dead man's head, Song Xiaomo has been unable to calm down. She simply closed the door, grabbed Song Yun'er, and fled the room.

When they arrived at the dormitory building, Song Yun'er pushed Xiao Mo's hand away and asked, "Please tell me, is this a dream?"

"It's alright now, the nightmare is over."

When Song Xiaomo saw her face clearly, she realized that her eyes were so sad, as if covered by a transparent curtain of water, and some crystal tears had already overflowed from the corners of her eyes.

"Really? Is the nightmare really over?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm not lying to you. Why are you crying? Did something scare you just now?"

Song Yoon-ah shook her head.

"Don't be afraid, I won't let you get hurt."

Suddenly, her eyelids fluttered, and her eyes shot straight at Song Xiaomo like two beams of cold lightning. "No, this is just a sign... No one can stop it!"

Hearing her words, Song Xiaomo's heart sank. Her eyes sent chills down his spine. In those dark pupils, he could clearly read despair, sorrow, helplessness, and...hatred!

"What's on your mind? Can you tell me? Maybe I can help you."

"Thank you! It's getting late, I should go!"

"Where do you live? It's so late, let me take you home!"

"No need, goodbye!" Song Yoon-ah said coldly, then added, "We're destined to meet again!"

Gradually, the girl's white shadow, like a faint light in the darkness, drifted along the cement road in the middle of the night until it disappeared.

They come without a trace and go without a shadow.

Song Xiaomo returned to his dormitory with trepidation. As soon as he entered his room, he dialed He Zhiying's cell phone. The call rang, but no one answered. Song Xiaomo dialed several more times, with the same result each time. He desperately wanted to confirm with He Zhiying whether the dead head placed inside the empty television set belonged to the female administrator.

He even considered calling the police, but then he thought, how could he explain all this to the police? The police would definitely suspect his strange behavior: why would a lone man and woman be in this eerie room in the middle of the night? After all, he wasn't acting openly and honestly in carrying out this bizarre adventure.

It was already past midnight. Song Xiaomo was both sleepy and terrified. Lying in bed, he had just begun to drift off when he saw those two deep-set eye sockets. He woke up in terror, sitting up in bed, too afraid to go back to sleep. At times like this, sleep is a dark tomb; the moment one closes their eyes, they are accompanied by ghosts. The human will is actually a very fragile thing. If the terror exceeds the limits that the nerves can bear, then reason and will will collapse and melt away like snow.

Chapters 103-106: The Doll Murder Case (103-106)

Finally, dawn broke, and Song Xiaomo dialed He Zhiying's number again, but there was still no answer. He thought to himself that perhaps He Zhiying was sleeping too soundly to hear the phone ring. In room 521, Park Eun-hee listened calmly as Song Xiaomo recounted his experiences the previous night, her refined and fair face showing no emotional fluctuation.

"It's that terrifying. I saw the missing human head." Song Xiaomo stared solemnly out the window and said, "Why was that head in that room? Why? Is it that ghosts kill people?"

Park Eun-hee sat across from him across the coffee table, a hint of a smile in her eyes: "Do you sleepwalk?"

"What?"

“Oh, I forgot, you can’t be aware of whether you’re sleepwalking.” Park Eun-hee tapped the table with two fingers. “The scene of Lee Jung-jin’s madness that you witnessed yesterday had a profound impact on you. Undoubtedly, Lee Jung-jin’s words put immense psychological pressure on you, and this pressure gradually transformed into a suggestion that you gradually accepted, making it your behavioral intention. So, you came to that dormitory building and entered that room… Remember how you said you entered that dormitory building? That was completely unconscious…”

"You...you're saying I was sleepwalking?" Song Xiaomo's face flushed red. "Never! I...I swear, my mind was perfectly clear at the time!"

“Yes, yes, yes.” Park Eun-hee interrupted him, “Sleepwalking is just a sudden subconscious instigation of your actions, and it is very likely to happen suddenly.”

"But how do you explain the dead man's head hidden in the TV? Why did Li Zhengzhen say that a ghost wanted to cut off his head?" Song Xiaomo frowned and asked again, "Do you think that everything that happened last night was really because some ghost was luring me there?"

"impossible!"

"Do you believe that residual spiritual energy exists after a person dies, capable of interfering with normal human thought?"

“Listen to me, the mind is just a chemical product of the human brain. When a person dies, it’s like a lamp going out. There are no ghosts in this world. Even if that’s true, how can you prove that a ghost killed someone? Isn’t it possible that it was murder? The murderer put the head here to avoid being seen by others. Besides, can you guarantee that what you saw at the time was definitely a dead head, and not a mask, a doll or something? Or maybe it was your own hallucination…” Park Eun-hee said seriously.

"No, I have witnesses!"

"Okay, tell me who it is? And what is their purpose?"

"I...I only know that her name is Song Yun'er, and I don't know anything else!"

Park Eun-hee paused, then chuckled, "Don't tell me you met the Korean version of Nie Xiaoqian. You know, the police are currently searching for that head with all their might, and they haven't found it after so long. You found it so easily, why didn't you call the police then?"

“Call the police…” Song Xiaomo muttered, frowning. Suddenly, an idea popped into his mind. “No, I have to go to the mental hospital to find Li Zhengzhen. He must know something. I need to find a reasonable explanation, otherwise, even if I have a million mouths, I won’t be able to explain myself!”

Mental hospital.

When Song Xiaomo saw Li Zhengzhen, he was kneeling on the floor of the courtyard, his chest exposed, staring at the sky as if no one else was there, and constantly rubbing his neck. Song Xiaomo always felt that living here was oppressive, even... eerie.

"Jeongjin, do you know what's hidden in the room across the street?" Song Xiaomo secretly came to his side.

"What are you hiding?" Lee Jung-jin's words were already slurred.

"The missing...head!"

"Oh, really?" His expression did not show the expected great shock.

"Didn't you tell me yesterday that there was a ghost on the other side?" Song Xiaomo asked anxiously.

"Who are you?"

Lee Jung-jin's words caught him off guard, and he was momentarily speechless: "Who am I? Don't you recognize me?"