Chapter 10: A Desperate Gamble

"I need to find something in this residential complex. Do you have any way to help?" Shen Lin asked.

The actual size of Anhe Residential Complex was immense, like a city within a city. His ghost domain could only cover one-third of it, and it remained unclear whether the "matron ghost" possessed the ability to bypass his domain. Searching like this was no different from looking for a needle in a haystack.

"Are you looking for that woman from the Republic era?" Song Wan's face turned pale with terror, as if a memory had been triggered.

Shen Lin was surprised. He began to size up Song Wan again, trying to discern something from her.

"You've seen that thing?"

The matron ghost was exceptionally bizarre, differing from typical supernatural entities. Unless it chose to reveal itself or was drawn out by specific conditions, it was almost impossible to see.

"It was very blurry, but I could barely make out what she looked like," Song Wan tried to recall, only to be interrupted by Shen Lin.

"I can keep you alive for now, but only on the condition that you don't court death. Do not try to recall anything about that Republic-era woman," Shen Lin said with a grim expression.

He had previously confirmed through Ren Qiang that the killing pattern revolved around childhood memories, but he hadn't yet determined the full range of memories the matron ghost could influence. If it were only childhood memories, it would be manageable, but if it extended to other time periods, it would be far more troublesome.

Shen Lin had no room for trial and error now, nor did he have the conditions to experiment.

"Okay," Song Wan nodded, compliant with every one of Shen Lin's demands.

"I think we could check the surveillance room. Anhe Residential Complex has five surveillance rooms—southeast, southwest, east, west, and central—covering every area. We should be able to find some clues."

Surveillance? Shen Lin recalled the tracking devices that still functioned within the thick fog.

"We can try."

No sooner had he spoken than a flash of gray radiance appeared, and they were instantly transported into the southeast surveillance room. Compared to the streets filled with ghostly figures, this place seemed much cleaner.

"Do you know how to operate this?" Shen Lin asked.

"Yes, give me some time."

"How long?"

"Fifteen minutes."

Shen Lin pondered. He could afford fifteen minutes. The time did not drag on. Both pairs of eyes stared at the screens, their expressions turning strange.

"There's nothing wrong. The monitors even show people living their normal lives."

Song Wan found this incredible; for a moment, she suspected she was dreaming or had gone insane.

"Something is wrong. Let's go!"

Gray radiance flickered on Shen Lin, but unlike the smooth glow from before, he acted like an old 1980s black-and-white television. After intermittent static, the two of them found themselves still inside the surveillance room.

Something had gone wrong! Damn it!

Shen Lin had anticipated that this wouldn't be a one-man show, but he hadn't expected the ghost to act so swiftly.

"Riiing~"

As if in response to Shen Lin's foul mood, a telephone began to ring all around them—crisp and eerie, like the sound of a dial-pad phone from decades ago.

"Mr. Shen, the screen, the screen!!!" Song Wan backed away several steps, her right hand trembling as she pointed at the screens in front of them.

The peaceful, mundane scenes on the monitors had vanished. Starting from the center screen, a bizarre black telephone appeared, its ringing resonating throughout the room as if coming from every direction at once.

A ghost call!

It never rains but it pours; he had actually encountered this cursed thing again.

"Go! Get out of here!"

His ghost domain was restricted; he had to use the most brute-force method.

The two bolted out the door, running toward the outside at top speed, but the sound of the phone ringing in their minds never ceased.

Looking back, the lights of the surveillance room, which had been bright, flickered a few times before plunging into total darkness. The eerie black telephone on the screen shook incessantly, and if one listened closely, there seemed to be a chilling, faint laughter.

"Split up! I'll find a way to get you to another surveillance room. Find a gold coffin. There are three people inside. I don't care what method you use, bring that gold coffin to the neighborhood committee office!"

Shen Lin roared, his body accelerating with explosive force. The matron ghost had detected the power of the "Ghost Image" and begun to suppress it. His current ghost domain could only act upon himself to ensure he didn't lose his way, unless...

Shen Lin cast his gaze toward the Ghost Image on his chest, his expression turning ruthless.

He muttered to his surroundings like a madman.

"If you won't let me live, then nobody is going to live!"

With that, he smashed a nearby window, grabbed the largest shard of glass, and plunged it deep into his own chest.

As the wound opened and blood spurted out, the Ghost Image's glowing eyes became increasingly vibrant, like a soul-reaper from the depths of the underworld.

The moment the wound healed, his suppressed ghost domain exploded, spreading like a corrosive force and instantly covering most of the residential complex.

This was a battle of logic that defied understanding. If one had to describe it, it was like two protective shields fighting for territory, suppressing and devouring one another.

This was a tug-of-war!

...

Run. Song Wan was running. She didn't dare look back, nor did she dare make any moves. She didn't even have a direction; she could only run recklessly along the path, her once-sturdy psyche already fractured by wave after wave of terror. She wanted to scream; she was on the verge of a breakdown!

Thump!

She fell to the ground. Only then did Song Wan feel the utter weakness in her body. A gasp was caught in her throat; she began to retch violently, though nothing would come out.

Hum~

As if sunlight were sweeping across the area, a radiance spread. As the sky turned a pale gray, Song Wan vanished.

When she reappeared, she was in a similar surveillance room. Scattered around were several security guards lying dead on the floor. With no one to handle the bodies for dozens of hours, the confined space of the room had begun to reek of a strange decay.

The lights in the surveillance room were gone; only three screens remained functional.

Calm down! Calm down! Calm down!

Song Wan slapped herself hard a few times, forcing herself to be calm.

Summoning her courage, she pushed the corpse out of the chair and, with tears in her eyes, began to operate the equipment.

"You can do this, Song Wan! You can do it! You can!"

The screens no longer showed a peaceful scene; they began to reveal a vision of a living hell.

Was it because of Shen Lin? Surveillance had returned to normal!

Song Wan didn't dare delay. She began to switch between area feeds frantically, searching for the gold coffin.

There were five surveillance zones in Anhe Residential Complex. They could only monitor this one. Judging by Shen Lin's current situation, he was likely too overextended to help her.

Song Wan understood well that this was a gamble, and she was the key to it.

She had to find that gold coffin!

"Not here... not here... not here..."

Screen after screen flashed by. Song Wan couldn't even find any area with a color resembling gold.

Despair permeated the air. Song Wan constantly consoled herself that there was still a chance, there had to be a chance!

"Creak~"

In the silent surveillance room, the sound of the heavy door slowly opening echoed.

It was very quiet, but in this environment, it sounded like a thunderclap.

Song Wan turned around in terror, only to find the previously closed surveillance room door wide open, revealing a pitch-black wall outside.

She stared at the door for a long time, as if trying to confirm something. Her heart was in her throat, and she prepared herself to flee at any moment.

Thirty seconds, one minute, two minutes.

Song Wan let out a sigh of relief. There was nothing wrong; perhaps the door hadn't been closed tightly and had been blown open by the wind. Under such extreme pressure, she was becoming paranoid.

She turned back to continue her search, the dim light illuminating the room.

As she turned, in the faint light, a withered hand... appeared!

Her neck felt icy, as if a cold wind were blowing incessantly. Song Wan tried to shake her neck and reached back with one hand.

At the same time, the previously stable surveillance footage began to show waves of static.

"Thump-thump, thump-thump."

Song Wan could hear her own heartbeat.

She felt a pair of hands as withered as dried apples. The entity was caressing her as if it were fondling a child.

Thump-thump, thump-thump.

Deathly silence. Neither side made a further move. Song Wan didn't even dare to make the slightest sound; she even slowed her breathing.

Help! Help! Help!

"Dong~"

Song Wan spun around 180 degrees with lightning speed and threw the chair she had been holding, but in front of her—where her back had just been—there was nothing.

The caress from behind continued, the bone-chilling cold threatening to drive her insane.

Song Wan turned again. Still, nothing.

She hardened her heart and grabbed backward with both hands, trying to touch something.

But there was nothing.

She even began to morbidly stroke the area where she felt the caress, yet she could feel the sensation of being squeezed from both sides.

This was beyond her understanding.

Fear was driving her mad!

Enduring it all, Song Wan watched the monitors again. The sensation of the caress from behind grew heavier and heavier, eventually pressing her neck down onto the table, unable to move.

As her consciousness faded, in the corner of one monitor, Song Wan caught a glimpse of gold.

And... a person!!

Hum~

Like a broken connection, Shen Lin, who was still running, felt it.

Song Wan had fallen. Shen Lin's expression turned manic.

If the gold coffin couldn't be found, he couldn't do much against the entity even if he risked his life.

Then, he would use the most extreme method—fight that damned thing to the death!

He looked toward the neighborhood committee office, his face chillingly cold.

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"48 hours have passed. Notify Jiang Shangbai; I hope he wasn't just boasting."

Zhao Jianguo's internal cursing could almost be heard by the outside world. An opportunist, he would surely meet a bad end sooner or later.

Supernatural disasters were erupting all over Daxia City. There was still no news from Dachang City; the Seventh Middle School had completely fallen. Since yesterday, there hadn't been a single piece of good news.

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In a corner of Daxia City, at a high-end hotel.

A satisfied smirk played on Jiang Shangbai's lips. The headquarters' stubbornness was as amusing as ever.

Once this job was done, Boss Fang would help him tame a second ghost. By then, he would leap to become a top-tier power, not just in the Circle of Friends, but in the entire headquarters.

He, Jiang Shangbai, was like a dragon lurking in the abyss; he would soar one day.

As for now?

Jiang Shangbai smiled as he looked in the direction of Anhe Residential Complex.

A suspected Grade A incident? Only a fool would wade into those muddy waters. He would only strike at the appropriate time to give the Circle of Friends a reason to challenge the headquarters. Solve the incident?

You'd have to be brain-dead to think a Grade A incident could be solved by a single person. There are probably fewer than five such people in the entire world.

Anyway, since it's already fallen for so long, let it fall for a little longer. No rush.