Li Jiapeng weakly responded, “Please, no…”
Lu Chu smiled, “Actually, if we really knew what ‘it’ looked like, where it was, or whether it was there at all, it wouldn’t be that scary, don’t you think?”
Li Jiapeng shook his head vigorously. “I can’t feel anything right now, and I don’t want to feel anything either.”
Hearing this, Lu Chu lowered his voice and said, “Li Jiapeng… behind you…”
Li Jiapeng jumped up and ran behind He Mingde, shouting, “Ah! What?! What?! What is it?!”
Lu Chu chuckled softly, “There’s nothing there.”
“……”
Lu Chu turned serious, “What’s truly scary isn’t the existence of ghosts, but the uncertainty of their existence.”
“…… You’re always right,” Li Jiapeng mumbled, still shaken from the scare.
Song Gui laughed smugly, “Oh, Lu Xiaochu, you’ve turned bad.”
“Alright,” Qi Li interjected, “Let’s call it a day. We have a lot to do tomorrow.”
“Yeah,” Song Gui stretched, “Let’s wash up and get some sleep.”
After washing up and taking quick showers, they prepared to sleep, still all crammed into one room. To avoid involving Grandma Lu too much, Lu Chu declined her offer to accompany them.
The next day.
They woke up early. Li Jiapeng and Song Gui went to check if Wei Rong planned to visit Aunt Wang, while Lu Chu, Qi Li, and He Mingde prepared some tools. If Wei Rong left for Aunt Wang’s place, they would head to her house to thoroughly search the storeroom; otherwise, they would drive to the city to find Liu Cuihe.
Lu Chu, Qi Li, and He Mingde packed two backpacks with everything they might need, including items Grandma Lu had obtained from Aunt Wang and a distant village shaman, supposedly to ward off spirits. He Mingde joked that they looked like well-prepared exorcists, and Lu Chu laughed, saying at least they were exorcists with real skills.
Hopefully.
Just as they finished their preparations, Song Gui called.
He Mingde quickly answered.
“Hello.”
Li Jiapeng’s rapid voice came through, “Wei Rong left, muttering to herself, heading to another street. Looks like she’s going to Aunt Wang’s. She probably won’t be back for a while. Get over here quickly!”
“Okay.”
Hanging up, He Mingde looked at Lu Chu and Qi Li. “Wei Rong’s gone.”
Lu Chu nodded, slinging a backpack over his shoulder. “Let’s go.”
He Mingde and Qi Li grabbed some small shovels and followed him.
Because of the recent string of murders, the village was nearly deserted, with those who could leave having already left, and those who couldn’t staying indoors even during the day. This allowed Lu Chu and the others to move without attracting attention.
They quickly reached Wei Rong’s house and met up with Song Gui and Li Jiapeng.
Lu Chu asked, “How is it?”
Song Gui grabbed his tools and replied, “She’s been gone for a while. Let’s get started. Lu Xiaochu, you feel around. Where the scent is strongest or looks the most suspicious, we’ll dig.”
Lu Chu nodded, “Let’s get to it.”
The storeroom wasn’t large, so having all five of them there was inefficient. They decided that Lu Chu would identify the areas to search, with two people staying to dig and the remaining three keeping watch and checking the north main room they hadn’t had time to inspect previously.
Li Jiapeng joked, “There aren’t many people left in the village. If Wei Rong comes back, she’s just a madwoman. We five men should be able to handle her head-on!”
Lu Chu replied without looking up, “Then it’s on you.”
Li Jiapeng quickly shook his head. “No need, no need. You’re overestimating me. Facing her head-on would give me nightmares…”
Sometimes, a mad person can be scarier than a ghost.
Li Jiapeng wasn’t entirely wrong. As long as Wei Rong wasn’t possessed by something strange, there was no need for them to fear a mentally unstable woman in broad daylight. However, it’s better to avoid unnecessary trouble, given Wei Rong’s unpredictable behavior.
In the end, they decided Lu Chu and Qi Li would check the north main room, while Song Gui and He Mingde would search the storeroom. Li Jiapeng, though timid, was detailed and had good eyesight, making him the best candidate to keep watch.
After dividing the tasks, Lu Chu followed his sense to the storeroom. The increasingly strong smell made him momentarily uncomfortable. He shook his head and asked, “Do you smell anything?”
The others were puzzled. “What?”
Lu Chu said, “The smell in the storeroom is definitely stronger.”
Song Gui questioned, “Are you sure it’s not just the nearby toilet?”
“It’s different,” Lu Chu shook his head. “I can distinguish between a banana and an apple, although they smell much better.”
“Or maybe,” He Mingde frowned, “the ghost is closer to us?”
Lu Chu thought about it and then shook his head. “It’s a different feeling. I can’t explain it.”
Song Gui laughed, “I think you should become an exorcist after this is over.”
Lu Chu said, “Sure, it’s a way to make a living.” Then he pointed to the southeast corner of the storeroom, “Dig here.”
“What?” He Mingde asked.
Lu Chu rubbed his temples. “Just a feeling.”
Song Gui decided, “Let’s dig.”
Song Gui and He Mingde began digging in the storeroom’s southeast corner, while Lu Chu and Qi Li went to the north main room.
In their previous visits to the north main room, they had focused on questioning Wei Rong and hadn’t paid much attention to their surroundings, which left a strong impression of dirt and disorder. This time, they planned a thorough search. After a while, they found nothing unusual, and Lu Chu didn’t sense anything strange either.
As Lu Chu suggested they split up, Qi Li suddenly said, “Next ‘game,’ you take a solo mission.”
“Huh?” Lu Chu was surprised, looking up at him.
If Lu Chu remembered correctly, he hadn’t had a chance to tell Qi Li that Song Gui was temporarily his partner, meaning Qi Li shouldn’t know that Song Gui was also a chosen participant and that this was a two-player mission. But Qi Li’s tone suggested he knew a lot about the “games.”
Qi Li saw Lu Chu’s confusion but knew it wasn’t the right time to explain. Many things were too old and unclear, like how Qi Li had forgotten his own name. As he prepared to give a brief explanation, they were interrupted by Song Gui calling for Lu Chu outside.
They had to postpone their conversation and hurried out.
Arriving at the storeroom, Lu Chu saw a skull in the dug-up southeast corner.
Seeing the skull, Lu Chu felt dizzy, his vision flooded with fleeting images. After a moment, the dizziness passed, and he instinctively walked to a spot behind the north side, digging up an arm bone. Not far away in the field, they found several leg bones.
When Lu Chu regained his composure, he frowned and said to the others, “It seems the body was dismembered.”
Song Gui stared at Lu Chu thoughtfully.
