INSIDER Chapter 161

In the lounge above the pet shop, Lu Chu and four others sat down with Zhang Rui. Zhang Rui sat alone on one side of the square table, while the others sat opposite her, with Song Gui in the middle.

The atmosphere was very serious, and everyone had a solemn expression.

Song Gui removed his sunglasses with one hand and looked sternly at the woman hiding behind the five of them. “How did you end up like this?”

This was a personal matter, so the others adhered to the basic rules of being an observer and did not make any noise.

Zhang Rui seemed a little hesitant, unsure whether to speak. She glanced at Lu Chu and the others and pressed her lips together.

Song Gui leaned back, resting against the sofa, and said to Zhang Rui, “There’s nothing you can’t talk about when it comes to your own actions. Go ahead and tell us about the supernatural events happening to you. Only they can resolve them.”

Upon hearing the words “supernatural events,” Zhang Rui shuddered and looked at Lu Chu and the others.

Although she appeared much more haggard and older than usual, others would only assume that she was having a hard time in life and would not think beyond that. She had never mentioned anything about herself, let alone anything beyond the realm of science. So why were these people able to so easily mention the word “supernatural”?

Thinking of this, Zhang Rui grabbed onto this lifeline and spoke, “I…”

As soon as she started, Song Gui interrupted her, “I remember, you’re only twenty-three, right?”

So young, barely out of college, yet due to the influence of spirit babies, she appeared to be in her thirties to others.

“How old were you when you left with him?”

“Twenty-one…”

“It’s been two years. How do you feel about your life?”

Song Gui imitated Luo Qi’s sarcastic tone, clicked his tongue twice, and looked at Zhang Rui, “Left home at twenty-one, been wandering for two years, how does it feel?”

He finished and got a hard kick under the table from Luo Qi.

Zhang Rui, hearing this, hesitated to speak, her eyes reddening. After a while, she hoarsely said, “Cousin, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have run away from home…”

Yuan Kejie finally couldn’t hold back and asked softly, “Ran away from home?”

Song Gui turned his head slightly and said to Yuan Kejie, “Ask her yourself. If she wants to live, she will tell you.”

Hearing the words “want to live,” Zhang Rui bit her lip, preparing to reveal the truth, “I… I…”

“Let me tell you. Here’s the situation.” Song Gui interrupted her cleanly but didn’t continue speaking.

At this point, Lu Chu and the others realized that Song Gui was deliberately interrupting Zhang Rui repeatedly, showing that he didn’t seem to like his “cousin” very much.

He wasn’t in a hurry, but the listeners were anxious. Yuan Kejie kicked Song Gui and urged him in a low voice, “So what’s the story? Hurry up and tell us. You always leave us hanging, it’s so annoying…”

Song Gui smiled lightly, “The reason is simple. She was pursuing true love.”

Ignoring her parents and friends’ advice, she ran away with money.

Commonly known as—elopement.

Although Zhang Rui and Song Gui were cousins, their relationship wasn’t good.

Their families were well-off and often met when they were young.

Zhang Rui had been spoiled since childhood, getting whatever she wanted, growing up to be arrogant and domineering, always maintaining a noble demeanor. If it were just this, it could be tolerated, but she was too selfish, always putting herself first, as if the world revolved around her. When she was happy, everyone should be happy; when she was unhappy, the world was wrong.

Song Gui disliked this about her, feeling she was too immature, no longer a child, yet still completely self-centered, disregarding others’ feelings, and fundamentally selfish and arrogant.

Song Gui’s dislike intensified when he learned that after her parents questioned her boyfriend’s character and tried to advise her, she thought they disliked him for being poor. She took the family’s bank card and valuable items, ran away with him, and caused her parents to be hospitalized from the shock.

When she first ran away, they found her and told her that her parents were hospitalized because of her actions. They didn’t intend to completely stop her relationship but felt they were too young and not fully aware of each other. They asked her to go home and see them, expressing their willingness to accept Wang Deyuan.

Zhang Rui, however, only raised her voice, “Listen to yourselves. You make it sound so difficult and reluctant to accept Deyuan. Moreover, I know my own choice. I’m not a child anymore. I can decide my own life. You don’t need to interfere. Tell them that even if they accept him, I won’t go back because our love cannot bear such grievances!”

Then she turned and left without looking at her parents.

At that time, Zhang Rui was already twenty-one.

Having had her ID card for years, she acted like a fool, running off with someone after being sweet-talked and thinking her loving parents were meddling, deserving to be hospitalized.

Later, her parents lost heart and never looked for her again, though they didn’t freeze the bank card she took.

And so, two years passed.

.

Knowing the general situation, Lu Chu asked Zhang Rui, “Do you know what’s haunting you?”

Zhang Rui’s expression turned strange, “It’s… my child…”

Lu Chu nodded, “You’re right, but ‘they’ have another name, ‘spirit babies.’”

The person before her casually mentioned “they,” indicating he knew it was more than one child haunting her. He also used the term “spirit babies”…

Instantly, Zhang Rui trusted Lu Chu more. She looked at him with teary eyes, her voice trembling, “Please… please save me…”

Lu Chu didn’t respond directly but asked, “Do you know how spirit babies form?”

Even after experiencing supernatural events, Zhang Rui was still unsure about her situation, so she shook her head.

Lu Chu then repeated the explanation about spirit babies he had given before.

Zhang Rui listened, her fingers trembling slightly, uneasily pressing her lips together.

Song Gui frowned, “How many times?” referring to the number of abortions.

“I… I…” Zhang Rui stammered for a long time before whispering, “Twice…”

“Twice.” Lu Chu murmured, thoughtful.

Yuan Kejie looked at Lu Chu, “Lu Xiaochu, do you want to see if you can identify any issues now?”

It was also an opportunity to test the abilities they brought back from the “Bureau,” to see how extraordinary they had become. Too bad the expert wasn’t there; otherwise, he’d join in pretending to be a shaman.

Among the group, aside from Zhang Rui, who was haunted by spirit babies, only Lu Chu could truly sense their presence. The others, though lacking supernatural abilities, had enough experience to handle such matters. Sometimes, blind action could be a form of skill.

Lu Chu switched places with Song Gui and sat across from Zhang Rui.

He sensed the dark aura spreading from her abdomen and said succinctly, “Do as I say.”

Zhang Rui nodded.

After observing the dark aura’s path for a moment, Lu Chu said, “Close your eyes and think about your children.”

Zhang Rui obediently closed her eyes.

She was terrified and subconsciously resisted those images, but she couldn’t help envisioning red, bloody lumps—her children, abandoned before they could form.

The normally calm spirit babies became agitated, the dark aura spreading through the room. Everyone felt a chill rising from their feet, while Radish and the two black cats, who had followed Lu Chu upstairs, had glowing eyes, tracking the aura’s path.

Zhang Rui’s face turned pale, sweat forming on her forehead. She wanted to open her eyes to escape the horrifying images but heard Lu Chu’s gentle voice, “Don’t be afraid.”

Lu Chu’s voice was soothing and clear, seemingly able to calm her heart, reaching deep inside.

Instantly, Zhang Rui felt her heart calm down. Though still scared, she felt a sense of support.

“Don’t be afraid,” Lu Chu repeated softly, “It’s okay, just a test.”

Once Zhang Rui calmed down, Lu Chu extended his hand, hovering it in front of her, attempting to connect with the spirit babies.

Invisible to most, the dark aura entwined his fingers, slowly gathering into a ball.

Radish growled low in its throat.

The two black cats lightly jumped onto the table, swatting away a cluster of dark aura, meowing eerily.

They were helping Lu Chu establish a connection.

Next, the intense crying of the babies echoed in his ears, filled with deep resentment, anger, and pain, bombarding Lu Chu’s mind.

Lu Chu closed his eyes, his vision flooded with two colors.

Fiery red and cold black.

Amidst the intertwining blood-red and ink-black, Lu Chu saw a child. The child’s dark eyes were clear, glancing at him before quickly running away and disappearing. Then, three identical children appeared where the first had been. Their gender was indiscernible, their eyes horrifyingly blood-red without whites, staring straight at Lu Chu, grinning grotesquely.

Suddenly, Lu Chu felt a sharp pain in his temples. He immediately severed the connection, shuddering, sweat dotting his forehead.

After a while, Lu Chu opened his eyes and looked at Zhang Rui, “It’s triplets.”

Hearing this, Zhang Rui collapsed, clutching her head and wailing, “What do I do… What do I do… Deyuan is dead… What do I do…”

.

After Zhang Rui finished crying, Song Gui asked, “Zhang Rui, when did you first see these spirit babies?”

Wiping her tears, Zhang Rui looked at Song Gui and replied, “Last year.”

Song Gui frowned, “If he died last year, why didn’t you return home?”

Zhang Rui hesitated before answering, “When… When Deyuan was alive, we…”

Her voice trailed off, and Yuan Kejie, having heard a rough outline from Song Gui, pieced things together, “When he was alive, the two of you were always running around. After he died, you couldn’t go back because you took your family’s bank card?”

Zhang Rui looked up sharply, her eyes filled with hatred, but she couldn’t refute it. After a long time, she whispered, “How can I face them?”

Song Gui said, “We can deal with the spirit babies for you, but you need to promise that you’ll go home, see your parents, and tell them everything. Then, close your eyes and apologize.”

This was Zhang Rui’s own matter.

If she didn’t sincerely repent, the spirit babies wouldn’t truly leave, and she might end up in an even worse situation in the future.

Zhang Rui lowered her head, tears falling drop by drop.

.

After Zhang Rui left, Lu Chu looked at the door and said, “The triplets she’s haunted by may not have been her biological children, which complicates things.”

They had yet to find a way to calm these triplets.