Chapter 103: Enter the Water
Zhang Ding remembered everything. He was in more pain than others, but he also saw things the clearest.
“Have you been helping us since we entered the supermarket?” Gao Ming kept his gaze underground. There were a few humans among the endless dead.
Zhang Ding pointed at the hole in the ground, “This opening is the vent in your nightmare. The whole supermarket is enveloped by resentment. Everyone who comes in will fall into the nightmare. If you can’t escape in time, you’ll become a part of the nightmare.”
“Is that why there’s a countdown timer?” Gao Ming understood everything. Min Long Supermarket had a basement that hid the resentful ghosts that died in the flood. Zhang Ding and a few neighbours who were not affected by resentment tried to keep everything at a balance to slowly ground down the hatred in the water ghosts’ hearts.
The outsiders would be dragged by the water ghosts into the nightmare. Zhang Ding would enter the nightmare to try to save them. The flood Gao Ming saw was made from water ghosts. Zhang Ding was impressed by Gao Ming because Gao Ming fulfilled his wishes ten years ago.
“I have another question.” Gao Ming took out the picture he found. “These two kids should be the survivors of the flood. Why would their pictures be in the locker? And why would the work table ask us to deal with their corpses?”
“Le Jia and Le Ren are kids of a regular. The flood happened so suddenly. The customers worked together and only managed to get the two kids to the roof.” Zhang Ding didn’t want to look at the picture. “They are the only survivors, but they live with such pain.”
“How do you know?”
“Because they left their most important things in the flood.” Zhang Ding waved for Gao Ming to look down. Deep inside the flood, there were two children’s bodies. One was filled with self-blame, and the other was filled with fear.
“The frightened kid is Le Ren. The older kid is Le Jia. After I sent them to the roof, Le Jia hung astound the vent and reached his hands towards my son.
“I tried to send Zhang Fendou over, but Le Jia failed to grab him. He saw his best friend fall into the water. He saw their favourite neighbour swallowed by the flood.” Zhang Ding paused in pain. “The two kids’ parents also died in the flood. But they didn’t die at Li San. They were at Da Zai and met an accident there.”
The two kids looked so normal among the ghosts.
“Decades have passed, but Le Jia and Le Ren still dream about the flood and return to this nightmare. The floating bodies represent their guilt and fear. As long as the two bodies are here, they will never have a normal life.” Zhang Ding told Gao Ming the truth. “Thank you for seeing the work table, but it’s too difficult to bring them out of the nightmare.”
Zhang Ding’s explanation gave Gao Ming a new understanding of the connection between the two worlds. He took out the death portrait of his birthday and compared it to the words on the back. “The two worlds have an indelible connection. If I bring the two kids’ bodies back to real life, what will happen?” A brave thought appeared in his mind. Gao Ming stared at the bodies of the two kids. “Boss, I want to bring the two kids out to settle their guilt and fear.”
“How?” Zhang Ding wanted to hear Gao Ming’s opinion.
“Make the opening bigger. I want to jump down.”
“What?”
Zhang Ding shook his head. The heated confrontation was finally over. Bai Xiao and the three investigators were brought to Zhang Ding. The regulars were all disgustingly ugly, but they didn’t harm Bai Xiao’s team. They only limited their movements.
Bai Xiao saw Zhang Ding and Gao Ming. His gaze shifted. “A living person? Why is a living human with a dead person?”
“Hello, Captain Bai.” Gao Ming wanted to say they met again, “This anomaly is different from others. I hope you can calm down and listen to me.”
Bai Xiao had experienced many anomalies. He was the best investigator at Li San, but what was happening before him shattered his worldview.
Starting from the flood ten years ago, Gao Ming told the story until the present. He admired Bai Xiao and wanted to get him to be an ally.
The investigators were shocked to hear the reality. They looked underground. Endless ghosts were swimming about. They had formed the new ‘flood’.
If Zhang Ding hadn’t been there to stabilise them, once the supermarket went out of control, the whole Min Long Street would have been covered with anomalies.
Bai Xiao and the others shivered, thinking about the consequences.
“So, it was a ghost who has been protecting Min Long Street?!”
The truth was more ridiculous than the lie, but that was the truth.
The opposing parties actually had the same goal. Bai Xiao and the other investigators looked at each other. Gao Ming stood firmly with Zhang Ding.
In his past lives, he once became the chief of the Li San Investigation Centre. He reached a consensus with Zhang Ding. Therefore, there was no level 3 anomaly in Li San District. However, he was killed by some mysterious force later.
Han Hai was not as simple as it appeared. Many forces fought for it. Once they realised Gao Ming had the power to shatter the balance, they would tear him apart.
“We should discuss this,” Bai Xiao was released by the customers and climbed up. “If our departure will cause the tragedy to happen, we’ll stay. The existence of the investigation centre is to protect the citizens. We will not do anything against that.”
Gao Ming was not surprised Bai Xiao was such a person.
“I also need a favour.” Bai Xiao walked to the opening. “I wish to enter the nightmare again to save my little sister and the other agents. They are trapped because of my mistake. I have the responsibility to bring them out.”
Zhang Ding’s eyes wandered between Bai Xiao and Gao Ming. Boss Zhang met two crazy people that day. They wanted to go somewhere even ghosts wouldn’t go.
“What’s wrong with being alive? It’s better than suicide.” Zhang Ding wanted to persuade them but he was cut off by Gao Ming. “Let me go.” Gao Ming rolled up his sleeves. He tied Xia Yang’s portrait to his arm. If nothing worked, he would have to use that picture. Gao Ming approached the opening, “I’ll try to bring the two kids out. Then, I’ll try to the save the other agents.”
Gao Ming needed Bai Xiao in the future so he didn’t want him to take this risk.
“Are you sure?” Zhang Ding asked again. He opened the gap further.
The unwillingness and resentment almost lifted the roof.
The water ghosts’ pale faces glared at Gao Ming.
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