"Xiao Chen is injured? Where are you! I'll be there in a minute!" Captain Yan's voice could be heard on the walkie-talkie.
"No, he's fine, but he probably went through some trauma. After all, when we received his distress call, both he and the four mental patients were on the 23rd floor. He probably went through something traumatic." Lee Zheng looked at Chen Ge, who sat frozen on the stairs, and he did not feel so good.
Initially, he had a bad impression of Chen Ge. Especially inside the interrogation room, he thought Chen Ge was being incredibly proud. However, when he heard Chen Ge cry for help earlier, he put aside all his prejudice and led his men to save Chen Ge, but he was still one step too late.
As the team leader for the investigation team at the city police station, Lee Zheng knew how rare it was for a victim of an attack to survive. The physical wound might heal over time, but the mental scars would probably remain forever.
"If only we got here sooner." He wanted to encourage Chen Ge, but he did not know what to say.
Chen Ge sat on the stairs between the 22nd and 23rd floors. He had been staring at his shadow for about ten minutes already, and he realized something scary.
His shadow was not changing back!
When the light hit him, he could see two shadows overlapping over one another.
Something has changed within Zhang Ya. Previously she was hiding inside my shadow, but now she wants to morph into my shadow!
Chen Ge thought back to the curious reaction that Zhang Ya had shown when she saw the wooden box.
The black blood stain inside the box must be really important to her. Black-colored blood? Red Specter? Is there a relationship between them? After absorbing that black blood, has her power broken through another limit?
The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. Chen Ge looked at his own shadow, and Zhang Ya's shadow was slowly replacing his. It looked like she was planning to follow him forever, until he no longer cast a shadow.
His finger touched the wooden box that was by his chest. Honestly, this was the first time a girl had given him a present. It was wrong on so many levels, but it also felt quite nice.
This is such a weird feeling.
No matter what happened to Zhang Ya in the future, one thing was for sure—he would never say anything negative about Zhang Ya ever again.
Temporarily, there should be no worry. After Zhang Ya swallowed the hospital president last time, she was asleep for several days, and I had to call her to wake up. This time, Zhang Ya has consumed two full Red Specters, two blood faces, one thin monster, and that mysterious black blood. She will probably will down for quite a while after such a feast.
Zhang Ya was Chen Ge's main fighting force. With Zhang Ya's presence, Chen Ge had managed to beat the ghost stories society; without Zhang Ya, Chen Ge would not have been able to deal with one Red Specter.
The man with the ruined face, the couple, and Manager Huang—after removing four of them, the society only has three members left.
Chen Ge's face was calm, his thoughts unreadable.
The remaining three include the chairperson, No. 10, and Wu Fei. Currently, I still cannot confirm their identities, but one thing's for sure—these three are extremely dangerous and cunning.
The society sent out a full party, and they failed to kill me, so temporarily, they won't be making any moves.
Zhang Ya was still asleep. Even though Chen Ge could not stop the 'love' from Zhang Ya, at the same time, it was undeniable that he had entered a period of weakness. If the society sent out another two Red Specters, it would flatten his Haunted House.
It was then that Chen Ge suddenly missed Zhang Ya. Without her, Chen Ge felt so unsafe. The number of visitors has been climbing recently, and the Haunted House has collected so many screams. Perhaps it's time to spin the wheel again.
Chen Ge did not want to use the Wheel of Misfortune, but he could not think of a better way to increase his power in a short amount of time. He needed more party members.
The black blood is something mysterious. When Zhang Ya awakens again, she might have morphed into a new stage already.
Something that was scarier than a Red Specter… Chen Ge shuddered just from the thought of it. Holding the railing, Chen Ge tried to stand up. His body was covered in dust, and his arms were scratched. He looked like he might fall any time soon.
"Be careful." Lee Zheng stayed by his side, so when he saw Chen Ge try to stand up, he immediately went to help.
"I'm fine. Please help me find Xiao Gu and Ol' Wong; I can look after myself." Chen Ge did not know why Lee Zheng's attitude toward him had changed so suddenly. He had a feeling Lee Zheng had misunderstood something, but he was in no mood to explain himself.
The two returned to 23rd floor. The monsters had all been consumed by Zhang Ya, so the members of the society were heavily damaged mentally and unconscious. The man who looked the scariest was lying in the middle of the corridor like a vegetable. His eyes were open, and they were soulless.
Lee Zheng looked at this with a frown. A weird thought bubbled up in his mind. How come these people look like the real victims?
No one knew what had really happened on the 23rd floor. The only witness claimed that he had tripped on the stairs and knocked his head. He could not remember anything except that he was being chased.
Pushing open Room 3239's door, Lee Zheng smelled something like blood. He rushed into the bathroom and saw a family of three lying unconscious in a pool of their own blood. Their wrists were cut open like it was a bloodletting ritual.
"There's still breathing! Come over and help, call the ambulance!"
Team 2 had already arrived. They hauled the real victims out of the room. Chen Ge could not be of much help. He stood in the corner of the room and quietly inspected the weird drawing on the wall.
The drawing that was painted in fresh blood looked like some sort of alphabet. When Chen Ge got near, the ghosts he was carrying shuddered.
Words that can make specters feel fear? Looks like the ghost stories society does have some power.
He was thankful that he did not walk into this room. After several minutes of inspection, he took out his phone to snap a picture of the drawing.
The drawing on the wall slowly faded without the contribution of fresh blood, losing its function.
Exiting Room 3239, Chen Ge and Lee Zheng entered the opposite room.
The décor in the room was startling. There were three hanging ropes swaying in the middle of the living room. The unconscious Ol' Wong and Xiao Gu were lying under the first two ropes while the third one seemed to have been prepared for Chen Ge.
Three nooses, a family of three, and three final members. They seem to like the number three a lot.