‘F*ck. Isn’t she dead?! Why am I here?’

Lu Yibei looked calm, but his heart was full of despair. He thought of holding onto the statue of Acala, the Immovable, for comfort but found that he was holding onto air.

He left the bag on the bed in An Qing’s office!

Lu Yibei cursed himself for his carelessness, swearing to glue the statue right on his hip so that they wouldn’t be separated.

The only thing he could hear in that damp room was his own breathing. He closed his eyes, willing the scene before him to disappear.

One minute, two minutes, five minutes…

The crystal lamp could be heard creaking on the ceiling, along with the damp and musty smell of the room. Lu Yibei spent about ten minutes closing his eyes but was startled upon hearing a strange sound.

Squeak!

The closet door made a soft sound as if it had been pushed open by someone!

Hearing the closet door open made him tense up. He felt as if he was the only one left in this world—constantly sinking, absolute stillness, and he could only hear his heart beating.

Although he couldn’t see it, he could feel something sinister crawl out of that closet, and the temperature of the room was chilling.

The feeling of discomfort crept up his neck and wrapped around it, tightening it little by little.

The sounds of crawling and faint howling could be heard, and a figure could be discerned jumping around the room and knocking over furniture as well.

Hearing those sounds, he regretted keeping his eyes shut.

Clack!

A soft sound of something falling on the ground could be heard, and he felt that it was at his feet.

His eyes were still firmly shut, and he felt a cold aura like a hand stretched outwards towards him, grabbing his ankle.

His body trembled slightly, and beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

He mustered up the courage to open his eyes, and his heart sank upon seeing an empty and open closet, and the furniture in the room was in disarray as if a tornado had passed through the room.

Lu Yibei trembled and saw a pair of ordinary scissors by his feet, but they were stained with coagulated blood and flesh.

Crackle… crackle…

An old-fashioned tape recorder sounded in Yibei’s ears, followed by what Zhu Mou had said in the interview:

“A large hole was cut in her stomach, but we couldn’t find any weapons on the scene.”

The voice repeated and rang in his ears. Zhu Mou’s voice eventually morphed into a high-pitched female voice that screamed in his ears.

“Scissors! Scissors! Scissors!” The frantic scream in the voice conveyed the pain before death, and Lu Yibei couldn’t help but cover his ears. His eyes glanced at the floor-to-ceiling mirror in the room and found a pair of pale and slender arms resting on his shoulders.

“F*ck!”

He ran but found that he wasn’t running. Slippery liquid oozed from the dusty carpet, and his steps were slow and heavy.

‘None of this is real… none of this is real… none of this is real…’

He closed his eyes and continued running forward before bumping into something.

The delicate and smooth touch of a body, but there was no warmth to it. It was cold, like a…

…Corpse!

Meanwhile, in An Qing’s office

An Qing looked at Lu Yibei, who was clinging to her body. Her lips were raised, revealing a doting yet helpless smile.

“Oh dear, Yibei, the way you welcome me back is a little too enthusiastic, but I like it!”

Hearing An Qing’s voice, Lu Yibei hesitated for a moment before opening his eyes.

In an instant, the scene before him crumpled like paper, revealing An Qing standing in front of him. Before the scene fully disappeared, he saw a figure in a red dress.

Her swaying skirt was coloured a disturbing red—the closer it got to her abdomen, the darker the red was as if something had been cut open…

“Why are you sweating? You didn’t do something strange in my office, did you? I did store some spare underwear and stockings in this room, but you wouldn’t, right?”

An Qing teased him, and his vision finally returned to normal.

“No, no, no,” he mumbled, taking a few steps back in a panic. “Why? Why are you back so soon?”

‘She’s cold like a corpse. Her skin is like ice, too.’

An Qing raised her eyebrows and asked, “Soon? It’s been two hours.”

Lu Yibei was stunned and looked out the window. Before he picked up the file, it was bright and sunny, but now the sun was setting.

“By the way, I investigated the store that you mentioned, and there was no one in it. No psychic fluctuations, no strange fog, and no human flesh.”

“That can’t be true! I saw it all!”

“Yibei, that store has been closed for half a year ago. Are you sure you saw something?”

While Yibei was in a daze, An Qing stared at him and fell into a deep thought: ‘It seems that he’s able to see things I can’t, but that can’t be right. He has no spiritual ability at all, and yet he’s able to tolerate most things he has seen. I’m surprised he hasn’t gone insane yet.’

“B-but, what if…”

“But what if there are, in fact, strange stories looming at that store? Is that what you’re trying to say?”

Yibei nodded.

“It’s good to think that way. After all, how do you explain urban legends?” She twirled her hair. “I sent someone to watch over that store, and I’ll personally take a look when I’m free.”

“Then… what about my house?”

“There’s nothing unusual about it. If you’re afraid, you’re welcome to accompany me! It’s lonely in here.”

“You’re not gonna send anyone over to my house?”

“Nope!” she smiled sweetly.

“In that case, can I get your contact? In case something happens? I really think you should send someone to watch over my house!”

“You silly boy!” she laughed. “You’re the one who’s going to watch over your own house! Aren’t you an operator as well?”

“Right, so I won’t be in any danger, right?”

“Oh, I can’t guarantee that.”

“What if I die?”

“Then,” she paused, her smile getting eerily wider. “I’ll turn you into my finest specimen.”

I don’t get paid enough for this, Yibei thought.