Translator: CinderTL
What the man didn't notice was that the people in front of him all glanced simultaneously at the drawer. Wei Jinting's expression even changed slightly.
"And then?" Liu Guo asked in a hushed voice.
Waving his hand, the man signaled not to interrupt him. He took a deep breath and continued, "At that time, I was also a bit angry, so I told Maoshen to shut up or leave. It was already dark, probably around 9 or 10 p.m.," the man added.
"When he heard I was kicking him out, Maoshen immediately got scared and lowered his head, not saying a word."
"I pulled out a blanket from the wardrobe and told him to sleep on the sofa. Actually, my room is just upstairs from this office, just around the corner in the hallway, but Maoshen absolutely refused," the man explained.
"I felt sorry for him, so I got another blanket and stayed here to keep him company." He pointed to the sofa across from him and said, "At the time, I was lying right there."
"I must have been exhausted because I fell asleep not long after."
"In the middle of the night, I was woken up by a strange sound. When I opened my eyes, I found the entire room was pitch black, even though I had left the light on before going to sleep."
"I was instantly alert and instinctively reached out for Maoshen, but my hand found nothing." The man's expression changed slightly. "He wasn't on the sofa."
"I panicked but didn't dare call his name. The darkness here gave me an indescribable feeling."
"I slowly felt my way to the light switch and turned it on."
"That's when I realized Maoshen wasn't in the room, and the strange sound was coming from the wardrobe—a faint trembling noise."
"Summoning my courage, I yanked open the wardrobe door. Maoshen was hiding inside, his eyes bloodshot. He was curled up in the very back of the wardrobe, and it took a lot of effort to pull him out."
"He looked terrified, his body shaking like a sieve."
"Before I could ask him what was wrong, he cried and said, 'I was wrong, I shouldn't have done it. It's here. It's come for me!'"
"I told him not to overthink it. I had already contacted a psychologist for him and planned to take him there as soon as it was light."
"But he said it was no use. It had already marked him. Then he slowly pulled up his pant leg—" At this point, the man stiffly turned his neck, his expression as if he'd seen a ghost.
Liu Guo asked in a low voice, "What did you see?"
"A mark!" the man said in horror. "There were five bloody claw marks on his ankle, as if someone had dug into his skin with their nails!"
"Maoshen was right. That thing is here!"
In a small coffee shop.
Second floor.
Several smaller tables were pushed together, with over ten people sitting or standing around them, practically occupying the entire place.
Chen Yi put down her pen and looked at Liu Guo across the table. "Anything else?"
Liu Guo nodded. "Before Li Maoshen was killed by the ghost, he was doing live-streaming sales. But according to Manager Zhao from the warehouse, what really got him into trouble was his previous job."
"What job?"
Liu Guo exhaled and said in a deep voice, "Paranormal live-streaming."
"Li Maoshen entered the live-streaming industry quite late. The market was already saturated, making it difficult to gain followers, so he chose to take a risk," Wei Jinting explained. "He filmed paranormal videos to attract attention and build his audience."
"So, by filming these paranormal videos, he attracted something he shouldn't have?" Hua Luo furrowed his brows slightly. That made sense.
In foreign horror movies, there are often scenes where young people, seeking thrills, explore haunted houses where murders have occurred, only to end up being chased by ghosts, screaming for their lives.
It seems this scenario has now moved to China.
"Do we have the original videos he filmed?" Banana Wolf asked after a moment of thought.
He now carried his knife everywhere, even to the bathroom, tucked under his arm, so no one dared stand next to him while he relieved himself.
Liu Guo shook his head. "No. According to Manager Zhao, although Li Maoshen's videos gained a lot of attention, they were often reported for being too terrifying and were eventually taken down. Later, during a crackdown, they were permanently banned."
This wasn't good news for everyone. If they could see the original videos, they might at least figure out the ghost's origins and why it killed Li Maoshen.
"Alright," Chen Yi said, opening her notebook and looking up, all business. "Let's organize the clues we have so far."
"The ghost in Room 707, Building 1, is named Zhao Jiajia. Her method of attack is her hair," she said, glancing at Chu Jiu.
Chu Jiu nodded repeatedly. This was the information Chen Yi had gathered with her earlier, though due to time constraints, some details hadn't been fully investigated.
"The ghost in Room 404, Building 2, is named Song Xiaoyou. She was a college student who worked part-time at a nail art shop and a wig shop. She died in the underground storage room of Jiucheng Mall," Chen Yi said, reading from her notebook. "Yu Lan also died there."
"This ghost's method of attack is her long nails."
"That's probably it," Wan Yuanning interrupted. "But it's not entirely accurate."
Wan Yuanning didn't elaborate further, but everyone understood. These were all things Song Xiaoyou, who had disguised herself as the owner of the nail art shop, had said herself.
All ghost talk.
After making a note, Chen Yi didn't pause and continued to the last group. "The ghost in Room 503, Building 3, is named Li Maoshen. He was a live-streaming sales host. It's speculated that his paranormal live-streaming led to his death."
"The eyes that hide in the wardrobe, behind doors, and in cracks, peeking out, are probably his," Chen Yi spoke slowly but with authority, her tone easily convincing others.
This was likely due to her work experience.
Stirring the coffee in front of him with a small spoon, Jiang Cheng said, "If we follow this sequence, then the Nail Ghost in Building 2 was probably killed by the Long-Haired Ghost in Building 1, and the Peeping Ghost in Building 3 was killed by the Nail Ghost in Building 2."
"Is that it?" He turned to Liu Guo.
"That's probably it," Liu Guo recalled. "According to Manager Zhao, Li Maoshen's death was extremely gruesome. His entire body was almost torn apart, and his face was completely unrecognizable, with only one eye staring wide, as if he had seen something horrifying before he died."
"Where did he die?" Jiang Cheng asked again.
"He didn't say, only that it was in a very small cabinet, probably in a rented apartment or a hotel," Liu Guo analyzed. "It was the neighbors who called the police, saying there was a foul smell. By the time they found him, his body had already decomposed into the cabinet, with only one eye still pressed against the crack in the cabinet door, looking out."
(End of the Chapter)
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