Ombre 380 000 Niveau 17, Ouragan de l’Esprit suspendu arrive

Chapitre 2

The train carriage was eerily quiet at midnight. I wondered if there was something wrong with my ears; why couldn't I even hear the train wheels rubbing against the rails? Oh well, I'll keep watch for the pretty girl. My eyes are enough. But I need to stay alert. Who knows what she might do in the middle of the night to embarrass me? Maybe she's a frivolous girl...

The car headlights swayed precariously as I leaned against the pillar beside my bed and drifted off to sleep. In my half-awake state, I sensed a waiter in white approaching from the corridor, pushing a food cart. I instinctively noticed his feet peeking out occasionally, and suddenly, his snow-white shoes triggered a panic. Those shoes were exactly the same as those of the mysterious manager of the Afang Hotel! He stared intently at me, getting closer and closer. The strange appearance of the food cart was also so familiar... it wasn't a food cart... it was a coffin!

I was so frightened that I desperately tried to back away, and I didn't even realize that the bed was empty. The strange girl who had been guarding me was gone. When did she leave? I had just touched her feet... Suddenly, a sliver of light from the window swept in, and there, in the spot where the girl had been lying, was a pair of embroidered chrysanthemum shoes! The sensory stimulation made me dizzy. I really wanted to jump out of the window, but I couldn't go anywhere in the cramped space. I could only cling tightly to the iron bars on the window.

In that moment of panic, I stared intently at the approaching waiter, but out of the corner of my eye, I saw half a smiling woman's face reflected in the glass. I whirled around! It was Ah Zhen, no, not her, not Sister Zhen this time. I was sure of it. The woman had small eyes, striking blush, and was glancing at me sideways. I ran frantically down the corridor, each time I passed a bed, I saw a pair of embroidered shoes, neatly arranged on the snow-white sheets.

I ran as fast as I could and bumped into someone without noticing. When I came to my senses and looked at him, I realized it was the person who pushed the food cart!

"Would you like to buy anything else?"

"Who are you? Get out of the way!"

I'll fight with all my might. He gave a bitter smile and reached out his hand to me:

"Please pay."

"I didn't buy your lunchbox!"

"But you've already eaten. Look, that empty box is yours!"

I lowered my head, but immediately closed my eyes. I didn't want to repeat the same mistake. I thought of the dining table at the Afang Hotel. That horrific scene terrified me. But through the slits of my eyelids, I could still see clearly that in the red dining cart, or rather, in the red coffin, lay three chubby white babies. One of the boxes was half empty, filled with bloody bones and filth.

I emptied my pockets, closed my eyes, and threw myself on the ground. Just then, the announcement seemed to be saying that a certain station had been reached, so I rushed out of the half-open train door, but there was no ladder.

"You haven't arrived at your stop yet!"

A female flight attendant glanced at me sideways, reminding me that her small eyes looked so familiar.

"You... are the woman outside the car window!"

I pointed at her, my shock making me hysterical. She smiled, her unusual blush making me dizzy.

"I don't mind seeing your ticket, I'm just reminding you!"

She suddenly pulled out what appeared to be a ticket and waved it in front of me. I knew it wasn't a train ticket. My eyes don't lie; it was half of an ancient painting: a section of the Qingming Scroll.

I jumped off the train and ran straight to the exit without looking back. But halfway there, my heart started pounding. This didn't feel like a station. Why wasn't there a single passenger getting off? Where were the trains and tracks? Where were the traffic lights...? In the darkness, I looked around, but everything was pitch black. I kept walking, then I started running, until I couldn't run anymore and finally squatted down to catch my breath.

"Little brother! I miss you!"

A mournful call came from not far in front of me. I was so frightened that I sat down on the ground. But the voice was too familiar and too alluring. It was a tender call, so plaintive that it pecked at my numb nerves. I tried to see everything in front of me, but there was nothing there.

"Sister Zhen, is that you?"

No one answered. The wind was howling. I stood up and shouted:

"Zhen, I'm not afraid. Let me see you. Where are you?!"

Only a terrifying echo remained; the sound seemed to come from another world, leaving me pondering it endlessly. I then remembered I carried a lighter with me, something I kept for occasional smoking, and lit it. There was nothing around, so what were those reflective things in front of me? I ran over, crouched down, and examined them closely, only to be stunned. Those luminous objects were my photograph of Pang Zhen, which I always carried with me, originally tucked into my diary, but I'd forgotten on the train. How could they be here?

As I stroked Zhen's photo, my fear vanished. In my aimless search, I found the bag containing the letter of introduction and the diary scattered in the grass. I knew that perhaps Zhen had helped me in the unseen world.

I waited quietly on that land where fear had vanished, until the morning glow painted the sky. It turned out I had gotten off the train at a low, barren hill near the railway line outside the old city of Kaifeng, Henan. I didn't know why I was here. Could this getting lost be connected to the "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" scroll and Pang Zhen's disappearance? I sat on the rocky, overgrown hill, took out my diary, and wanted to record everything that had happened yesterday, hoping it could serve as meeting material for the search for Pang Zhen. That experience, though terrifying, must have some deeper meaning.

When I opened my diary, a page with red writing left me speechless! Someone had left a letter in the notebook. Who could it be? It must be Ah Zhen! The familiar words opened the river of memories, and I saw a scene from my childhood, playing in the wild with my cousin. She was carrying a brand-new schoolbag, with a colorful ribbon tied in her hair, like a lovely butterfly fluttering on the grass...

"Little brother, do you like your older sister?"

"I like you, but my mom says I can't like you, so we can't get married!"

"Do you like me writing you letters?"

"I love it! I even got a note from a female classmate today. They said I'm handsome!"

"I'll pass you notes from now on too. I never pass them on to anyone else. It's because they said I was the school beauty and even fought for me. From now on, you can pretend to be my husband, and they'll stop fighting..."

The past is vividly imprinted in my mind. My cousin is half a year younger than me, but I feel like she's younger than me. I fought for her and got beaten up too. The days of sorrow are over, and now we are separated by a great distance. Looking at Zhen Xiuqi's handwriting, my heart is filled with desolation.

Chapter Four: Hitchhikers

Pang Yuling, my younger brother

Seeing your innocent and adorable photos from your teenage years, I know you truly love my past, which is why you keep them with you. I understand the feeling of missing a lover; I've never been without it. But I have to tell you, the person I was back then wasn't your real cousin, Pang Zhen. She died two years ago in a car accident. Didn't you ever suspect that your cousin came home alone, unharmed, while her classmates who were in the car with her all died? Forget me. Don't torture yourself anymore. A love affair with something that's just a fleeting memory will never lead to anything.

I brought you here to tell you not to try to unravel the mystery of that ancient painting. It's an exceptionally dangerous world that will devour you and many others. And don't try to figure out who I am; the past is no longer important.

That mirror was something I left behind by accident. It became the bond connecting you and me. As long as it's with you, we will meet. However, all sorts of terrible things will also accompany you. I don't want terrible nightmares to haunt your life, so bury it, just like burying your lover. From now on, we will be separated forever.

A soul that dares not speak of love

"Former Ah Zhen"

"Liar!"

At that moment, I was completely bewildered. I couldn't believe it was written to me by her. My cousin's beautiful image flickered in my mind. Could that real, beautiful girl who had worked in a company and loved wearing red dresses really be my supernatural cousin? Did Sister Zhen really not survive that car accident? She was so natural and kind, so beautiful and radiant... No, I wouldn't believe this letter. Since my experiences on the train were so terrifying and miraculous, how could I believe this strange letter with red lettering?

I became recklessly carefree. Regardless of whether Ah Zhen was real or not, I loved her. Even though that tragic love story was like a novel, I couldn't bury that feeling. I tore the red letter from my diary, ripped it to shreds, and threw it into the grass in the mountains. Then I strode towards the desolate end of the mountain.

After traversing the thorny hills, we finally arrived at a place with traffic and got onto a highway. Because our mission to Beijing had been delayed by the nightmarish train experience, we were extremely anxious. So we flagged down a white taxi that had been waiting for a long time, hoping to get a ride to the Kaifeng long-distance bus station.

The driver hesitated, then pulled his car in front of me. I was about to open the door when I saw two women inside. The driver seemed uncomfortable and didn't want to take my money, so he tried to refuse me. I got angry, pulled out my police academy student ID from my pocket, and explained my urgent mission. The honest-looking driver still glanced at me and let me in. Both women were very young. At first, I thought they were the driver's friends, but then I realized they didn't speak to anyone, just sat quietly, oblivious to everyone else. I sat awkwardly in the passenger seat. The driver next to me gave me a forced smile; I knew what he was thinking. The pleasure of traveling with beautiful women had been ruined by my abrupt interception.

The ancient city of Kaifeng was shrouded in lush greenery under the setting sun. As twilight deepened, the car turned onto a small road. The driver said that after passing the village ahead, we would be on the main road. However, the road was rugged and difficult to navigate. With the car headlights on, the evening countryside swayed before my eyes, making me feel a little dizzy. Just then, a figure appeared in front of the bright headlights—a fashionable woman, very eye-catching in the nighttime countryside.

She waved to the taxi. Although I couldn't see her features clearly, her flowing white dress, her wavy hair cascading over her shoulders, and her voluminous yet stylish charm were a beauty unacceptable in this desolate place. Seeing such a beautiful girl on the outskirts of Kaifeng was quite unexpected, and I couldn't help but glance at her a few more times. Indeed, her fashionable clothes and slender figure would make any boy swoon. Her appearance made the driver's eyes burn with desire, and before we could even comment, he slammed on the brakes and brought the car to a stop.

"Want a ride, miss?"

"Yes, it's too late, I really can't wait for another car."

"Come on in, but there are a few people already in the car, it's so late..."

"I'll go to Choulou Town ahead, and I'll give you double the money!"

The driver glanced at me, and I knew what he was thinking. Most drivers are like that; they want this woman sitting next to them because they're in a good position. So I got out of the car and squeezed into the back seat.

As night fell, the pretty young woman got into the car. The driver, no longer as listless as before, was now energetic, chatting with her in their hometown dialect as he drove. The woman didn't seem to mind my presence and the two women in the back seat. She rested her chin on her hand, striking a pose reminiscent of a sickly beauty, her eyes constantly glancing out the window. Following her gaze, my eyes involuntarily caught sight of the taxi's rearview mirror… It was broken, just like the one in my hand. When I looked a second time, the driver started chatting with the woman:

"I've never seen you before. You're not from around here, are you?"

"I'm not actually a local; I only came here two years ago." A pleasant voice floated into my ears.

"Is going to Choulou Town home?"

"Even so."

"You're brave to go out alone."

"I'm used to it, but this time it's me and two other younger sisters."

"Making money isn't easy!"

The driver, assuming she was a prostitute, spoke with a lewd tone and glanced at her obsequiously. The woman seemed unfazed, sighed, and then launched into a long, detailed account of her life. I tried to make out her face, her voice growing increasingly familiar. Suddenly, she stopped, turning her face away from the window. Her movement drew my attention like a magnet. I saw the rearview mirror again: a blurry image of an ancient painting flashed across the shattered surface! I strained my eyes, thinking it was just my imagination. Then, the woman seemed to be sobbing.

“I actually died back in 2004, right here, in the poplar grove where you just parked. We went to Kaifeng for a trip, and on the way back, we suddenly saw that the driver was gone, but the car was still moving forward. So we went up and stepped on the brakes, and the car overturned. My two female classmates didn’t survive either; they’re sitting right behind me now… I died so unjustly!”

"ah!"

The driver screamed, terrified, and slammed on the brakes. The world before me turned upside down. My scalp tingled, and I struggled to maintain my balance, trying not to look at the woman. Just as the car overturned, my eyes met hers as she turned to look back. Her face was completely changed; it wasn't as defined as before, but instead studded with shards of glass, blood streaming from her eyes. Yet, I could still recognize her familiar features… It was Pang Zhen! The real Sister Pang Zhen! …Then I was thrown from the car and lost consciousness.

The sky was still pitch black. I woke up in agony, moved my head, and although I could move my neck, it was still throbbing with pain. This taxi of death terrified me, but when the fear subsided, my heart turned as cold as if I had entered an icy abyss. I knew that I had been having good luck with ghosts these past few days, and no matter where I went, I would be in danger. The shadow of death would accompany me at any time.

I quickly looked for the driver, but to my utter surprise, there was no broken taxi on the busy highway, not even a scratch or tire mark from the hit-and-run. It all felt like a dream. Why? What happened to the conversation, the woman beside me, the driver's lecherous gaze, and my cousin Zhen's pitiful expression...?

Chapter Five: The Cry from the Forbidden City Walls

I silently gathered my belongings scattered on the road and walked along the still sparsely populated highway. This time, I was determined; even if they carried me into a taxi, I wouldn't get in. If there was no accident, why was my head spinning, and why was there blood on my forehead? The scene before the rollover kept replaying in my mind. Did I just happen to run into my cousin, Zhen, or did I just happen to catch a strange, ghostly car? Clearly, she hadn't seen me beforehand. Was it a replay of her final moments, or some kind of supernatural event? What did those two women look like? No matter how hard I tried to recall, I couldn't piece together their images.

I opened my backpack to check the letter of introduction from the school to the receiving unit in Beijing again. Thankfully, it was intact. But as I checked the other items, I touched the diary, followed by several photos that felt sticky. I was stunned once more. I quickly took out my lighter, lit it, and held the flame to my hand. In the dim light of the photos of Pang Zhen, a strange phenomenon occurred again: out of the five photos of Sister Zhen in her youth, three had lost her image and turned into a scene from the Qingming Scroll! I panicked, grabbed the other photo, and was relieved to find it was the only one without problems. But when I examined it closely in the light of the lighter, I realized something was wrong. Ah Zhen was smiling eerily in the photo—not a smile, but a terrifying one, completely different from her usual innocent and radiant smile. Behind her, several other figures were lurking, blurry yet with discernible outlines. It was the faceless face of a man whose deformed chest was ripped open, barely recognizable as a complete body. Upon closer inspection, I could vaguely make out the shadows of two women behind him… I was certain that the man was the driver who had given me the ride! The two women were the mysterious woman sitting next to me. My hands trembled violently. A gust of wind blew by, and the lighter went out at my most terrifying moment.

An irresistible force compelled me to turn around. I knew that if I did, a pale face might appear in the darkness. I wouldn't let that desire prevail, so I mustered all my strength and painstakingly picked up Sister Zhen's last photograph. I dared not imagine it, yet I couldn't resist looking at it. My beloved photograph was down to its last one; I hoped she was still a sweet young girl… I made up my mind and lit the lighter again…

The innocent and radiant photos of Ah Zhen's teenage years are now gone. In the photos, three bloodied female corpses lie supine on the road, next to the charred wreckage of a car! Their faces are large and completely distorted; her cousin's face is covered in shards of glass, exaggeratedly swollen, and utterly horrifying! ...I can't look at it anymore. I place the photo on a lighter flame, close my eyes, and light it. The color photograph makes a hissing sound...

"ah!"

Who is it?

I heard a terrifying scream coming from all around, but there was nothing on the dark road. Suddenly, I saw red flames appear on the burning photograph on the lighter, followed by blood flowing from the flames. I felt as if someone's shadow was attacking me from behind, and it felt like three sharp fingernails were gripping my neck! Why three? And why didn't I feel hands? I screamed in pain and quickly put out the fire. Everything returned to calm. At that moment, I still had half of the photograph with the image of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" left in my hand. I dared not continue burning it and stuffed it into my diary.

I didn't sleep a wink all night, walking all the way to downtown Kaifeng. At dawn, I finally saw the bustling streets and breathed a sigh of relief. That morning, I used my position to find the Municipal Public Security Bureau and asked them to escort me to Beijing. Although I've never believed in superstitions in the police profession, my sudden arrival in Kaifeng was indeed the complete opposite of the usual route to Beijing. They knew I was in inexplicable trouble, and coincidentally, a bureau chief needed a police car to go to a meeting in Beijing. So, I got a ride in a truly risk-free police car.

I finally registered at the Palace Museum in Beijing. Although I was three days late, I managed to show up amidst a storm of frantic phone calls from the principal and my family. At the Palace Museum's security department, I met Captain Ji Yunsheng, the head of the security team. He had a somber expression and gave me a security uniform, a baton, a duty log, and a miniature videotape.

"Your classmate is in there. Qi Silong, an outstanding intern from last year, accidentally captured some strange images with an infrared DV camera while inspecting the Qingming Scroll, and then disappeared. There's a recorder in the dormitory. Go back and take a look. You're familiar with his life, so you might be able to find clues in the case. Since we haven't seen the body, we can't release the news of his death in the line of duty yet."

"Yes, Captain. Does Xiao Qi have any other items? Like a diary or something?"

"No, that's all. Oh, maybe this duty log can provide some clues. I've looked at it, and I didn't find anything unusual. Take another look. Be careful, the duty log is stored in a confidential file. The files are kept intact every year; they are highly confidential internal documents. The Palace Museum is a popular tourist destination, receiving tens of thousands of domestic and foreign tourists every day. We can't let criminals know about our surveillance facilities, and the security information must not be leaked to the outside world..."

"I'll keep it safe, Captain!"

"Alright, tonight, you and I will patrol a few places together. We're going to retrace the route Qi Silong disappeared on patrol that night. Do you have the guts?"

"No problem, Captain, I'm not afraid of ghosts!"

"Shh! Who said the Forbidden City is haunted? Don't talk nonsense anymore, understand?"

The team leader winked at me mysteriously. I knew it was a job requirement. Tourists might say the Forbidden City is haunted and not be afraid, but if it came from us, things would get complicated.

"I understand, this is top secret, and I will absolutely obey the leader's instructions!"

"You're smarter than that guy from the previous class."

In the afternoon, I was alone in my dormitory, with the door closed, to complete the task assigned by the team leader: reviewing Qi Silong's DV footage.

Filmed at night using an infrared camera, the video is quite clear. The video is less than half an hour long and begins with a conversation between Xiao Qi and her teammates:

"In a few days, it will be the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Palace Museum. The boss said that we should take the 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival' scroll out for an exhibition!"

"Is that so? That won't do. Ancient paintings are most susceptible to damage from light and air. Perhaps those few fakes will be exhibited."

"It seems like they're serious this time."

"Seriously, are you crazy? What if it gets damaged or stolen?"

"It's nothing serious. That painting is amazing. From the Northern Song Dynasty to the present, countless people have died for it, but it is still the same. I heard that many universities even made a vacuum case for this exhibition. How could the treasure of the Academy of Arrays have any problems? ... Let's go to the palace to take a look."

Below are the faint footsteps of two people, the scene depicting palace walls and trees. Although it is very quiet, one can faintly hear the chirping of insects... No, that's definitely not the chirping of insects! My ears are renowned in the police academy, no less sensitive than those of police dogs, so I quickly reversed the tape partly and listened carefully again, once, twice. Slowly, I finally discerned the pattern: it was the sound of ancient bells and chimes, accompanied by the sound of a woman crying.

I amplified the recording, and sure enough, it was crying. Why was there crying? I couldn't help but glance out the window. Suddenly, I remembered Qi Silong's shift diary, so I picked it up. It was a thick volume, a record of all the security personnel's shifts over the past year. I flipped through it haphazardly, separating the monotonous entries and finding the passages specifically describing strange incidents, which I then read carefully.