Xia Chi glanced at Bai Lixin and nodded, “Yes, what’s the matter?”
“Oh, nothing much, just routine procedures, registration to record your identity information,” the female police officer flipped a page in her notebook and muttered under her breath, “Two scammers.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
Xia Chi: “…”
‘We are not scammers! My brother can really catch ghosts! You deal with the earthly matters; we handle the otherworldly affairs.’
————————–
In the live broadcast room
[Tell a joke- Bai Lixin, the scammer.]
[The policewoman is so cool, I like her.]
[The young man is smart. I thought he would say exactly what happened and probably end up going to the psychiatric department instead of the police station.]
[Then here’s the question, Bai Lixin and the others are all players. In this copy, aren’t they all considered illegal residents?]
[Uh, didn’t see that coming.]
————————–
In Bai Lixin’s mind, the voice of the escape system rang out: [Master Bai Lixin, in this copy world, your name is ‘Bai Lixin,’ and your ID number is: hg902********. You are 24 years old, your occupation is a haunted house sleep tester.”
Bai Lixin: [Thank you, Sister System. That was timely, your business ability has always been amazing.]
Escape system: [Oh, come on, I don’t deserve such praise, it’s just my duty.]
Bai Lixin: [It’s your duty, but it’s enough to make a certain system feel ashamed.]
S419M: […]
Unwarranted victim, feeling wronged.jpg.
Bai Lixin informed the female police officer about the identity information he just obtained from the system. Upon hearing “haunted house sleep tester,” the police woman’s pen paused again, “A haunted house sleep tester? Is there such a profession?”
“I had the same reaction when I first time heard about it!” the girl exclaimed excitedly, “Isn’t it amazing? Let me tell you, others might be scammers, but he really isn’t. He really can see…ouch!”
The young man gently pinched the girl’s arm, interrupting what she was about to say.
The female officer curiously looked at the girl, “What can he really see?”
She suddenly smiled, “Are you saying he can really see ghosts?”
The young man pulled the girl closer and explained, “Sorry, my girlfriend was startled by the corpse earlier, so she’s not speaking coherently now.”
The girl looked at the young man in confusion, then glanced at Bai Lixin and suddenly understanding something. She followed suit and lowered her head, “Sorry, I was just talking nonsense. Please don’t take it seriously.”
The female officer scrutinized the group with sharp eyes. Just as the silence settled, footsteps were heard from above.
After the three policemen collected evidence and carried the body along with the woven bag outside, Captain Luo said, “Estimated time of death is 40 years ago, but the exact time needs to be determined by the forensic pathologist.”
“The deceased has clear marks of a broken neck and multiple bruises on the body. The cause of death should be suffocation from the neck being strangled.”
“Take the body back,” Captain Luo looked at Bai Lixin and the others, “and the four of you, please come to the police station with us for detailed statements.”
————————–
When Bai Lixin and Xia Chi came out of the police station, it was already 5 PM, two hours away from the task’s release time.
They hailed a taxi and left.
Watching their departing figures, the female police officer pointed at Bai Lixin, “Boss, that person feels a bit strange.”
Zhao Fei, called by others as Officer Chong, made a cup of wolfberry water, “A haunted house sleep tester, it’s definitely different from ordinary professions. Xiaoya, have you discovered anything else?”
The female officer named Song Xiaoya looked through the records and frowned, “Based on the conversation I had with them, I feel they haven’t disclosed all the information they know to us; there are hidden truths and alterations. But I don’t know what they are hiding exactly.”
Zhao Fei said, “Sometimes that happens; people tend to unconsciously reveal information favorable to themselves while concealing unfavorable ones, as long as it doesn’t affect the outcome of the case, we don’t need to worry about it too much.”
Song Xiaoya nodded hesitantly, “Okay, Brother Zhao.”
Captain Luo glanced at Song Xiaoya, “You seem to want to say something, so speak up.”
Song Xiaoya said, “Well, the girl just now said the sleep tester can see ghosts.”
“See ghosts?” Zhao Fei widened his eyes and burst into laughter, “Hahaha, alright, alright, stop messing around. I need to get back to work.”
Song Xiaoya blushed, feeling a bit embarrassed. “Sorry, I studied psychology, and I felt the girl wasn’t lying, so I mentioned it.”
“It’s alright,” Captain Luo took out a file from a pile of thick materials, “Any progress in the missing person case?”
Song Xiaoya shook her head regretfully, “No, I checked the surveillance around the girl’s house on the day she disappeared, but there was no footage of her leaving.”
Captain Luo pondered, “Then continue to visit the residents in the building. A living person doesn’t just disappear for no reason at home; there must be some clues we missed. Continue the investigation.”
“Yes, boss!”
“Didn’t a witness say they saw a man in black clothes around the girl’s house on the day of her disappearance? Have you found any leads on this person?”
“Well, about that. We checked the surveillance based on the witness’s description, but we didn’t see such a person in the footage.”
Captain Luo furrowed his brows, “Didn’t see him? Are you sure the images were not tampered with?”
“We had our information technology colleagues verify it; there was no problem with the surveillance video.”
“Umm,” Captain Luo rubbed his chin and fell into contemplation, “it is strange.”
Song Xiaoya bit her lips, “…”
‘Could it really be a haunting?!’
————————-
In the speeding taxi, Bai Lixin looked out of the window at the bustling traffic.
It was 5 pm, the rush hour, and the roads were congested with cars coming and going.
Gazing outside nostalgically, Xia Chi sighed, “Brother, this parallel world is so similar to our original one, probably from the same era of civilization.”
Bai Lixin remained silent. Strictly speaking, he and Xia Chi were not from the same world, but he had never revealed his true identity to them, and they all assumed they were from the same world.
The radio in the car played music, and the driver was quite friendly, occasionally striking up a conversation with the two.
“I can tell from your accents that you’re not locals.”
Bai Lixin replied, “Indeed, we are not.”
The driver grinned, “Hehe, let me guess where you’re from. I’ve traveled all over the place, and I guess you’re from M Province.”
Bai Lixin smoothly played along, “Wow, big brother, you’re amazing. We haven’t even spoken in our dialect but you still figured it out!”
“Hehe, it’s nothing. I know a lot. Not only can I identify where people are from, but I also know everything happening in this city,” the driver chuckled.
Bai Lixin and Xia Chi exchanged glances, and Bai Lixin continued, “You’re really impressive, like a walking encyclopedia. Truly remarkable!”
“Hahaha, it’s not as impressive as you make it sound. It’s just my professional advantage. I can chat with anyone I pick up and learn everything about them,” the driver laughed heartily. “So, what brings you two to this city? Work or tourism?”
Xia Chi: “We’re here working, big brother. We’re trying to earn money to get married.”
“You young people with your enthusiasm. It’s great,” the driver complimented.
Bai Li Xin then asked, “Since you know about the recent happenings in this city, can you tell us if there’s anything fresh going on? We’re quite curious.”
“I can see you two are real gossips. Well, there’s nothing much that’s particularly fresh. People die one day, and they’re gone the next. But recently, there was a strange incident. A girl went missing around Binhai Road. She suddenly disappeared from her home without a trace, and the police still haven’t found her,” the driver said thoughtfully.
Xia Chi wondered, “How could someone disappear from their own home? The police couldn’t find any clues? What about the surveillance?”
“Unfortunately, this girl lived alone. Her parents couldn’t reach her on the phone, and she didn’t go to work, so people only discovered she was missing later,” the driver explained.
“She lived alone and was afraid of danger, so she installed surveillance at her front door. But after the investigation, they found that the girl never came out of her room since she entered it,” he added.
Bai Li Xin asked, “Brother Driver, how long ago did this happen?”
“Not too long ago, about a week ago, I guess. How can someone disappear into thin air? It’s unbelievable; would you call this a supernatural event?” the driver questioned.
Xia Chi replied, “Absolutely, it must be. Are there any other supernatural events?”
“Still interested? Let me think,” the driver pondered for a moment. “Oh, I remembered one. Yesterday, I drove for a TV station, and they said strange things have been happening there lately.”
Xia Chi asked, “What kind of strange things?”
“The screws tightened one day suddenly loosened the next day. A stable structure fell from the ceiling, almost hitting someone. The TV station is currently recording a popular variety show where celebrities date each other. You know those dating shows, right? They pay male and female celebrities to date each other. These actors are making a fortune without much effort,” the driver marveled.
“We have to work our hearts out to make money, but these actors just have to go on a date, and they earn a fortune.”
As they approached a traffic light, the driver slowed down and turned to look at Bai Li Xin and Xia Chi, “You two are very good-looking. If you became celebrities, you would definitely become popular! Why not switch careers?”
Xia Chi blushed, “Ah, no, I have camera phobia. I get nervous when someone takes my photo.”
“Ah, big brother, this topic has gone too far off track. Continue telling us what happened with that film crew. Did something fall and hit someone?” Bai Li Xin redirected the conversation.
“Fortunately, nothing hit anyone,” the driver honked the horn to urge the cars ahead to move, “Apart from things falling, there have been strange occurrences during the outdoor shoots of that dating show. For example, there are constant knocking sounds. ”
“At first, everyone thought it was a prank by the crew. They all went to confront the crew, but the crew swore they had nothing to do with it.”
“The knocking incident may not be significant, but it’s also not trivial. Just yesterday, someone was so scared that they left the crew.”
“Money is important, but what’s the point of earning more if it costs you your life? Do you guys agree with me?”
Xia Chi nodded, “Exactly, you’re absolutely right.”
“There’s another thing,” the driver opened up, “about the Gold Sea Luxury Apartment you’re going to. You know that a top student committed suicide there, right?”
Xia Chi replied, “Oh, we know about that. Tell us something else.”
“I wasn’t going to talk about him, but about his girlfriend.”
Bai Li Xin shifted his gaze back from the window, “What happened to his girlfriend?”
“That girl is from a wealthy family, and after the top student’s suicide, she hasn’t been doing well. They say she suffered from a mental breakdown and attempted suicide too. It’s a pity,” the driver sighed, “they were both exceptional kids. You know, in this society, who can’t survive without whom? Life goes by in the blink of an eye. Why can’t the girl see that?”
“If I were her parents, I would be heartbroken. Of course, I also feel sorry for the top student as well.”
As the driver spoke, he slowed down the car, “Alright, we’ve arrived at Gold Sea Luxury Apartment. Let’s pause our conversation here for today.”
Financial-Manager-Xia Chi paid the fare, and they watched the driver leave. Xia Chi looked at the direction the taxi went with admiration, “Wow, this Driver Brother is indeed amazing. He’s like a legendary figure from the rivers and lakes. So impressive.”
A notification from a group chat rang out. Bai Li Xin opened the chat and saw that the man in the suit had sent a message: [Are you there? It’s time to exchange information. Everyone, please share your findings.]
The group chat had a total of 9 people, and Sun Ning, who had left earlier, wasn’t in the chat. They didn’t know where Sun Ning had gone.
One day and one night had passed, and the number of survivors remained at 10. It seemed like everyone was cautious on the first day.
After the man in the suit sent his message, others started responding one after another.
Baby Face: [Ah, I’m so exhausted today. Being a nanny is no joke. I wake up at 6 a.m. to cook, and after both parents leave for work, I have to take care of a child and an elderly person, in addition to cleaning, doing laundry, and cooking. I haven’t stopped since morning, and I’m almost dead tired. There’s no clue here.]
Checkered Shirt: [Same here… I’ve been coding all day today, and just when I thought the work was almost done, I found a bug. According to what the bosses at the company said, I have to work overtime tonight until I fix it. Damn, I’m so pissed off. I’ve never felt so frustrated in my life.]
Mohawk: [I’m a delivery man. Although I’m exhausted from running around all day and facing wind and sun, that’s not the real problem. The issue is the excessive number of deliveries I have to make each day, and they demand that I complete them all. Initially, I used to keep records of the delivery locations, but later, the workload became so overwhelming that I barely had time to catch my breath.]
Twin Ponytails: [I’m a nurse at the hospital. Today, I took some time to investigate the ophthalmology department, but I couldn’t find the patient registration book. Moreover, while I was investigating, the on-duty doctor saw me, but he just criticized me for wandering around during work hours and let me go.]
Bangs: [I’m a kindergarten teacher. Today was a day of intellectual combat with the little demons, but I didn’t find anything.]
All the players appeared very tired, and Bai Li Xin briefly talked about his work from last night until today. However, he didn’t mention anything about the secret pouches and talismans.
After everyone finished speaking, the suit-wearing man summarized, [Alright, sorry, I didn’t discover anything today either. How about we chat again at the same time tomorrow and see if there’s any progress?]
Mohawk replied, [Okay, it’s only the first day, and we are all unfamiliar with our roles. Maybe we’ll do better once we get more familiar with them tomorrow.]
After a few more minutes of communication, the group chat fell silent.
At 7 o’clock in the evening, the system’s voice came as expected.
[Ding! Dear player, it’s a pleasure to see you again. I’m here to announce your task for today.]
[Please arrive at the TV station’s outdoor location by 8 o’clock, 50 meters south from the intersection of Guanhai Road and Xingfu Street. The people there need your help tonight.]
[Your work time for this session remains from 8 in the evening until 8 in the morning.]
[Looking forward to your excellent performance. See you tomorrow morning.]
