double

Chapitre 23

I gently touched the door, and it opened. There were no lights inside, but the moonlight streaming in through the window clearly illuminated everything. I saw Dr. Yang lying face up in the center of the living room, the bright red blood on his chest standing out starkly against the otherwise black and white surroundings. His features were contorted, his mouth gaping wide, and his eyes bulging.

"Dr. Yang!" Fang Lei immediately tried to rush over, but I grabbed her.

"Wait!" My chest heaved with each breath. My mind was almost blank. I looked around and felt a sense of danger creeping into my body. It was an animal instinct, and even though humans have evolved into the most advanced animals on Earth, this instinct still exists.

Li Hai strode over, knelt down, touched Dr. Yang's chest, and then shook his head at us. My heart sank immediately. Damn it, why?

"Should we call the police?" Fang Lei asked.

"Not yet." Li Hai stood up, looked around the room, and said, "Let's look for clues first."

“Okay!” I immediately agreed to Li Hai’s suggestion. I didn’t want the police to take away anything that might be an important clue. I squeezed Fang Lei’s hand tightly. “I’ll search it myself. At least if someone moves the scene, it will be more helpful for solving the case in the future.”

As I spoke, I took off my shoes to avoid leaving footprints. I took a handkerchief from my pocket and wrapped it around my hands, hoping to avoid leaving any fingerprints. I carefully entered one of the rooms; the furniture was minimal, just a simple bed and a wardrobe, and everything seemed normal. Entering the bathroom, the white tiles gleamed coldly in the moonlight.

"Is there anything unusual?" Fang Lei called from the living room. I looked around; it was very tidy, or rather, too tidy. It was so tidy that it felt like no one had ever lived in the room. I had a strange feeling that something was off, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I shook my head, walked out, and shook my head at them, saying, "Nothing unusual."

"Should we call the police now?" Fang Lei looked at Li Hai, then at me, and asked.

I didn't speak, but turned to look at Li Hai. He was looking at me too, and I understood his meaning in his eyes, which was exactly what I meant. We nodded in unison. I walked over and pulled Fang Lei to the door, then tossed the handkerchief to Li Hai. Li Hai followed my example, taking off his shoes and backing out of the room, wiping away his footprints with the handkerchief as he did so. After reaching the door, Li Hai closed it and wiped the doorknob with the handkerchief.

"You..." Fang Lei looked at us suspiciously and said, "You're not planning to just leave like this, are you?"

"Don't talk, let's get out of here first." I pulled Fang Lei towards the elevator, but she shook me off.

“We have to call the police!” Fang Lei said seriously, looking me in the eyes.

“Call the police now, but not now,” I replied.

"When will that be?" Fang Lei pressed on relentlessly.

"Tomorrow." I winked at Li Hai behind me, and he wisely helped me grab Fang Lei and drag her into the elevator. Once inside, Fang Lei didn't say a word, just glared at us angrily, her eyes practically spitting fire. I sighed and explained, "We can't afford any more murders now. Tomorrow we can pretend we're worried about him breaking his promise and go to his house again. We'll ask his neighbors to open the door when they're there too, that'll be safer!"

“What are you afraid of? We didn’t kill him at all!” Fang Lei said.

"Yes, but will Chen Kai believe it? He'll definitely treat us as suspects too. We don't have the time or energy to deal with Chen Kai right now, do we?" I explained earnestly, never imagining that I would one day have to keep something I knew.

Fang Lei turned her head away, ignoring me.

“Lin Xiao is right!” Li Hai interrupted my argument with Fang Lei, saying, “Moreover, Yang Tianxing’s death was not simple.”

"Who do you think killed him?" As we spoke, we had already exited the elevator and walked to the car. I took out my car keys and asked.

"I don't know," Li Hai replied helplessly. The original clues had suddenly disappeared, giving him an ominous feeling. The pressure of death had come so directly for the first time, making even someone with magic like himself feel fear.

I got into the driver's seat, started the car, and the roar of the engine vibrated in my ears. When I looked up again, I suddenly saw a familiar face in the car opposite me, sneering at me. My brain went blank, and my heart seemed to stop beating. That pale-faced man was the one who had hit our car on Death Avenue last time.

"What's wrong?" Fang Lei asked, noticing my pale face.

"Damn it!" I cursed, and was about to get out of the car to grab him, but to my surprise, he started the car and sped away.

"I won't let you get away!" I quickly shifted gears, not caring whether I could turn around here, and stepped on the gas to follow. The screeching sound of the car turning seemed to pierce my heart, and goosebumps immediately rose on my skin.

"What are you doing?" Li Hai shouted.

"The man in that car ahead is the driver who caused our accident last time!" I replied while keeping a close eye on the car in front of me.

"What? Are you sure?" Fang Lei asked.

"I'd recognize him even if he were burned to ashes!" I retorted fiercely, slamming on the accelerator. The car roared through the night, scattering fallen leaves. The car ahead looked so eerie in the darkness; I suddenly felt it was a death machine from hell, leading us step by step into its abyss. My eyelids twitched incessantly, making me want to slam on the brakes, but my actions and thoughts were completely separate; my right foot remained firmly on the accelerator, unmoving.

Chapter Fifty: Trap

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"Lin Xiao, don't you think this is a trap?" Li Hai, sitting behind me, couldn't help but ask.

"How so?" Fang Lei turned to look at him and asked.

“Think about it,” Li Hai said, his worried face clearly visible in the rearview mirror. “We just arranged to meet Dr. Yang when he was killed. If that driver was the murderer, why do you think he didn’t escape quickly after the murder but instead let us find him and follow him?” I’m not stupid. This blatant attempt to lead us astray must have some ulterior motive. This person is a professional killer, and professional killers don’t make the mistakes Li Hai mentioned. But now, we have no other way to find out the truth except by following him. Dr. Yang is dead, and we can’t find any evidence against the deputy mayor. All the clues have become a dead end. I really can’t think of a better way than following this killer.

“I know,” I sighed, “but do you have a better way? Besides, I’m tired. I don’t want to keep searching for clues for this case. If this is a trap, I’ll jump in. I’ll fight to the death!”

After hearing my resolve, Li Hai and Fang Lei didn't say anything more. I knew they didn't have a better solution to the situation. What worried me was Fang Lei; after losing Yin Xue, I really didn't want to lose her too. Fang Lei seemed to see the worry in my eyes and reached out to pat my hand gripping the gearshift. The warm touch made me feel much better. I knew Fang Lei wouldn't let me risk it all alone. If we really had to die, let's do it together!

As I drove, I suddenly lost sight of the car in front of me, as if it had vanished into thin air. I anxiously looked around. Just when I thought I had lost it, the car suddenly reappeared in my sight, now quietly parked by the side of the street.

"Let's get out and take a look." I stopped the car, jumped out, and Fang Lei and Li Hai followed behind.

“Nobody’s here!” I said, looking at the empty car.

"Where is this?" Li Hai looked around and asked. His question made me realize that I had followed the car to the entrance of a residential complex. This complex was very familiar to me; it was the same one Lin Yuyan had taken me to at No. 77 Guhuai Street last time. Tall trees blocked the moonlight, and branches extending from the courtyards of the villas swayed in the breeze. The villas were close together, making the road narrow and dark.

"This is the same residential area we entered last time at No. 77 Guhuai Street." I reached out and grabbed Fang Lei's hand, feeling her trembling uncontrollably. Li Hai glanced at me and said, "I didn't bring my sword today."

"It's alright, I brought it." Fang Lei touched the hairpin in her hair and smiled, trying to appear relaxed.

"Let's go in!" I pulled Fang Lei towards a small path ahead. Just then, my phone in my pocket suddenly vibrated, startling me.

"Hello, who is it?" I asked, hoping it wasn't Xiao Ren, as I really didn't have time to deal with him right now.

"It's me, Cao Ying." Cao Ying's clear voice came from the phone.

"What's up? Did you find out something?" I asked.

“We’ve found a clue that should be very helpful,” Cao Ying paused, then said, “Lin Yuyan is actually Lin Junxian’s niece.”

"What?!" I shouted. This news was indeed very useful to us, but it was also too shocking. I was afraid my heart couldn't take it. My shout made Fang Lei and Li Hai look at me with concern. I knew they must be eager to know what had happened.

"Are you sure?" I asked doubtfully.

“Yes, that’s for sure. This is what she told me after I found her best friend from back then. Apparently, Lin Yuyan told her this herself. She even said something about going back to find her only remaining relative,” Cao Ying replied.

"Is that so?" I murmured for a moment. I knew Cao Ying had no reason to lie. If that were the case, then my suspicions about the bandaged ghost's identity would only deepen.

"Okay, I'm not talking to you anymore. I'll be back as soon as possible."

"Okay. Goodbye." I hung up the phone, but my mind was still processing the news Cao Ying had brought. For a moment, my brain went blank, and it wasn't until Fang Lei nudged me that I came back to my senses.

"What's wrong? Who called?" Fang Lei asked.

“Cao Ying’s.” I put my phone back in my pocket and said, “She found out that Lin Yuyan is actually Lin Junxian’s niece.”

"Huh?!" Fang Lei and Li Hai exclaimed in unison, clearly I wasn't the only one stunned by this news. However, they quickly regained their composure, though their expressions became grave. The previously identified culprit had been overturned, so who was the real mastermind?

“Let’s not just stand there,” I waved my hand and said. “If we don’t hurry, that guy might escape.” With that, I took the lead and walked into the alley, with Fang Lei and Li Yang following behind. But what we didn’t expect was that the alley suddenly disappeared after we all entered, turning into the wall of a villa next door. That all the alley, the alley leading to No. 77 Guhuai Street, was gone.

※ ※ ※

Walking along narrow paths has never been my hobby, yet I keep finding myself in them—it's incredibly unlucky. I paused, reaching out to touch the wall. The icy touch sent a jolt through my weary body. The wall, which should have been solid, now felt... well, I couldn't think of words to describe it: cold, damp. It felt a bit like... the skin of a dead person. The thought made me quickly withdraw my hand. Although I touch things almost every day, feeling this way against a wall only filled me with fear. I turned to look at Fang Lei and Li Hai; their images were constantly distorting and warping, as if I were looking at them through a curtain of water.

"What's wrong with you?" Fang Lei's voice came. When I looked again, everything was back to normal. Touching the wall again, the strange feeling from before was gone. It all felt like I was dreaming.

"It's nothing." I shook my head, then glanced strangely at the wall and said, "I wonder where that guy is hiding. Maybe he's already run away."

"So don't delay!" Li Hai waved to us, urging us to hurry. I quickened my pace, but the wall from earlier still bothered me. Silently following behind Fang Lei and Li Hai, I lost track of time; time seemed to stand still. We wandered around like we were in a maze, my head spinning. The scenery flashed by, like an old-fashioned movie playing in a blur. I subconsciously touched the jade pendant on my chest.

"Look!" Li Hai suddenly pointed ahead and shouted. I could feel the excitement, fear, and worry mixed in his voice. Looking in the direction he was pointing, I gasped. Right there, No. 77 Guhuai Street stood silently in front of us, waiting for visitors to fall into its enigma.

Li Hai was the first to walk to the iron gate. He reached out and touched it, but immediately withdrew as if he had touched a branding iron. His hand even emitted a black light. He was probably in pain, as his facial features were contorted.

"What's wrong?" Fang Lei stepped forward and took her hand. After examining it closely, her expression changed drastically. She immediately pulled out the hairpin from her hair and stabbed it into Li Hai's palm. Black, viscous blood flowed from her skin, accompanied by a pungent stench.

"Good luck!" Fang Lei instructed Li Hai, while continuing to draw a talisman on his palm with the hairpin. The sharp hairpin cut through the skin, and black blood immediately covered his entire palm, making it look as if Li Hai's entire hand had been dipped in ink. Drops of black blood fell to the ground, and the surroundings were eerily quiet. I could hear Li Hai's breathing and the dripping of blood. Gradually, the black blood turned dark red, then a deep crimson, and finally a bright red like normal blood. Only then did Li Hai exhale a long breath.

"This corpse poison is really potent!" Li Hai said, panting heavily.

"Is there poison on the iron gate?" I looked at the iron gate next to me and said, "No way, I've touched it before!"

"That's because the Ten-Thousand-Year Ghost Jade on your body can ward off corpse poison," Li Hai replied somewhat weakly.

"Really?" I didn't expect this jade to have such an effect. I touched it with delight, but then I thought about it again and realized something was wrong. So I asked, "Don't you also have immortal jade? Is it useless?"

Li Hai was taken aback by my question. Yes, although Lin Xiao had the Ten-Thousand-Year Ghost Jade protecting him, he also had the Ten-Thousand-Year Immortal Jade. Why didn't he have the same effect? Li Hai tilted his head and thought for a while, but he probably couldn't figure it out for the time being. He could only shrug helplessly at me.

"What do we do now?" Fang Lei asked worriedly, looking at the closed iron gate. "We can't exactly climb over it, can we?"

"Let me see if I can open it," I said, pushing the iron gate. With a creak, the gate opened slowly to both sides. I had only used a very small amount of force to test it; the iron gate looked extremely heavy, and theoretically, it shouldn't be possible to open it. Yet now, the gate moved slowly, as if an invisible hand had opened this door for us, revealing a pebbly path that wound its way towards a building deep in the dense forest. I involuntarily took a step back. I truly didn't know whether what awaited us inside was a near-death experience or the terror of entering hell.

Chapter Fifty-One Anatomy

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We were now standing in the hall of this old-fashioned Western-style house, surrounded by complete darkness, with only Li Hai's lighter illuminating a small area. The red glow of the lighter reflected on Li Hai's face had an indescribable eeriness; the whites of his eyes were illuminated by the light, making them look like a pair of red eyes staring at you.

"Should we split up and search separately?" Li Hai hesitated for a moment before asking.

"No, together!" I quickly rejected his suggestion. It's better to stick together in this godforsaken place; there will be more people around.

“Okay!” Li Hai nodded and walked up the stairs. Fang Lei and I followed behind, hand in hand. The stairs were wooden, and perhaps due to years of disrepair, they creaked and groaned underfoot!

Generally speaking, people have a sixth sense. Just like now, I feel that someone is following behind us, and their footsteps are in sync with ours.

I turned around, but there was nothing there.

Li Hai walked ahead, the light from his lighter slightly obscured, and Fang Lei and I were practically walking in complete darkness, only able to vaguely make out each other's silhouettes.

In the blink of an eye, I saw a small figure pass between me and Fang Lei, and a cool breeze brushed against my skin.

At the top of the stairs, Li Hai extinguished the lighter. Leaving it lit for too long would make it extremely hot to the touch. In that instant of darkness, Fang Lei's body nestled into my arms, and I could smell a fresh fragrance completely different from the rotten smell in the house.

The sparks that appeared before the lighter was lit again danced in my eyes, followed by a faint light. Li Hai stretched his hand forward, showing us a long corridor and doors on both sides.

Without saying a word, Li Hai strode out, walked towards the nearest door at the end of the corridor, and reached out to push it open.

"Wait a minute." My voice was so low that I couldn't even hear it myself as I took his hand.

“If you don’t go and see for yourself, you’ll never know what’s inside.” Li Hai looked at me, and I knew I couldn’t change his mind, so I lowered my hand.

Just then, the door opened by itself.

Li Hai and I exchanged a glance. The room was pitch black, and the faint light from the lighter couldn't penetrate it at all. But I could feel countless shadowy figures lurking around, filled with darkness and resentment.

"How about you treat me to dinner tomorrow?" Li Hai asked, his eyes fixed on the room.

"Okay, I'll treat you to Sichuan food," I replied without thinking.

Li Hai nodded, a faint smile playing on his lips, and went inside first. His figure immediately disappeared into the darkness, as if swallowed by it. I was worried and pulled Fang Lei along, wanting to follow, but just as I took a step, the door closed. Darkness enveloped us.

"Li Hai!" Fang Lei and I exclaimed at the same time; I think fear was written all over our faces.

Fang Lei pushed the door, but didn't move. I couldn't see her face in the darkness, so I just gripped her hand and pulled her into my arms. The delicate body in my arms trembled violently, and I rested my chin on her hair, holding her tightly.

"Don't worry, see if you can open other doors?" I gently comforted Fang Lei, trying my best to remain calm, but my trembling voice betrayed my inner fear.

I hooked Fang Lei into my arms with my left arm, and reached for the wall with my right, thinking that if I followed the wall forward, I would eventually find the next door. I touched the wall; unlike the hard texture of a normal wall, it was soft. But this wasn't a soft, elastic, or warm one; it felt stiff, damp, and cold, like the skin of a dead person, a chill creeping into my fingers. I didn't pull my hand away, because I didn't want Fang Lei to worry any more. Suppressing my disgust and fear, I groped my way forward, laboriously leading Fang Lei step by step.

A door! It was a door! I never imagined that touching a door could excite me so much. I felt Fang Lei in my arms move excitedly as well. I gently pushed the door open, and there was only darkness.