Chapter 124: Resentment Room, Haunted House, Yin Building
The computer’s cold light shone on Ding Yuan’s face. The investigators in the headmaster’s office moved around to isolate Ding Yuan and his assistant. Li Biao only used his eyes to initiate the plan. The former partners silently reached for the knives hidden under their clothes.
The sharp knives were raised in the dark. Li Biao smiled as he looked at Ding Yuan’s exposed neck. “Ol Ding, it’s time for you to change your temper.”
Before the blades fell, the door of the office was flung open. A shadow flashed by.
“Someone’s outside!” Ding Yuan’s assistant shouted. He squeezed through the other investigators, dragged Ding Yuan out, and ran.
“Is the office building invaded by ghosts too?”
“Go out and check!”
The investigators ran out of the headmaster’s office. The shadow stood at the corner of the corridor, as if waiting for them.
“Chase!” The investigators spread in the office building. Ding Yuan gave chase until he was alone. Ding Yuan was experienced. He sensed something and stopped moving. “The changes have started. Stop hiding. I know you’re there.”
“You’re sensitive about ghosts but insensitive about humans.” Gao MIng walked out of the shadows. Ding Yuan’s focus was on the big dog, so he didn’t even notice Gao Ming was there.
“A student? No…” Ding Yuan touched the black band. “You are a citizen roped into this anomaly, but you don’t act like one.”
“I assimilate to situations quickly.” Gao Ming reached out his hand. “I’m Gao Ming, Li San Centre’s intern investigator.”
After some hesitation, Ding Yuan shook Gao Ming’s hand, “East City Investigation Centre, Huan Men District’s Captain, Ding Yuan.”
“Don’t you suspect me?” Gao Ming could see that Ding Yuan bore him no hostility, just confusion and suspicion.
“In the headmaster’s office, I already saw Li Biao’s knife. However, it was already too late. I purposely argued with Situ An to create an opening for my assistant to escape, but in the end, you saved both of us.” Ding Yuan let go of his hand. “I’m sensitive about ghosts and humans too. This anomaly is spiralling. We need to escape as soon as possible and spread the news. We need to seal off this area. We have to stop the headquarters from sending more investigators here!”
“What happened here?” Gao Ming hadn’t interacted with Ding Yuan before. He was always killed by Li Biao.
“The east city’s temporary chief, Situ An, is suspicious. This anomaly is not natural but humanmade!” Ding Yuan was certain. “I received the order two days ago to enter Han De Private School. Back then, only the students in one class suffered from illusions. They said that a person was hanged in the seats of every table in Class 13. There were 51 seats for 51 dead people.”
“Every seat has a hanging person above it?”
“That’s right. With our investigation, we realised that the files at the school didn’t match the student numbers. We even found a lot of elders deep inside the lab buildings. Situ An said that they were people from the old folks home. They came to the school to experience their youth as a treatment method. But we found the shocking truth.” Ding Yuan said seriously, “The elders were once students here. They were orphans adopted by Situ An.”
“Han De Private School has been established in less than 20 years. In other words, young kids rapidly aged up into elders in just years.” Gao Ming hadn’t been to the lab building.
“Situ An has been conducting some strange experiments here. If not for this anomaly, his secret wouldn’t be discovered. The man has too good of a disguise. The whole Han Hai thinks he’s a great philanthropist.” Ding Yuan wanted to investigate Situ An, and that was why he was targeted. “How many investigators were sent in by your centre? Are all of them students?”
“I’m the only one.” Gao Ming told him about the reunion. When Ding Yuan heard the invitation was sent by Zuo Jun, his face darkened.
“Queens Investigation Centre was wiped out not too long ago. The new captain, Situ An assigned, was Zuo Jun. The kid looks honest but is extremely wicked.” Ding Yuan suddenly remembered something. “You said you were in Class 13 during high school?”
“Yes. But some of my classmates have been taken over by ghosts. It’s not looking good.”
“This is not the place to talk. Come with me.” Ding Yuan led Gao Ming to the office of Year 3.
Ding Yuan didn’t switch on the lights. He had memorised everything’s location. He avoided the furniture and reached the cabinets at the back. He took out a light. The weak light chased away the darkness. The cabinets were filled with documents. The most conspicuous was a map of the school. The school had nine buildings. With the math building as the centre, it was like a Baguo built on the ground. Each building was marked with different numbers and colours. Many numbers were edited.
“Can you understand this?” Ding Yuan pointed at the numbers.
“The colours are the danger rating, and the numbers are the numbers of ghosts?”
“Clever. Your captain is lucky.” Ding Yuan explained. “A level 3 anomaly is when a ghost appears. But do you know what makes a level 4 anomaly?”
“The number of ghosts?” Gao Ming guessed.
“To be more accurate, it’s the density of ghosts. If the ghosts are gathered in one room and there are less than three ghosts, such buildings are called Resentment Rooms. The danger rating is between levels 3 and 4. If a whole unit or isolated house is filled with ghosts, it’s called a haunted house; If several units in a neighbourhood or a whole skyscraper are affected, it’s called a Yin Building. And the situation we’re in is…” Ding Yuan circled the entire school compound, “called a Death Realm.”
“Death Realm is also known as despair realm. The place has its own rules. You can only survive by following its rules. That was why I followed Situ An’s arrangement and led my subordinates to be the teachers here, but then I realised the problem!” Ding Yuan said angrily, “This death realm is created by Situ An!”
“I don’t understand.” When Gao Ming met Situ An last time, Situ An fought for the control of the God of Flesh and Blood at Si Sui Apartments. After he consumed God, Situ An made a new thing.
“Situ An encountered something when he was young. That was when his fate changed. He slowly helped that thing grow. He used decades and raised it from an unknown to a ghost. Then, using the ghost as the core, he raised the resentment room into a death realm!” When Ding Yuan said these, his pupils jumped. “The madman plans to unite himself with this death realm. He plans to use us so that he can become the rule-makers of this death realm.”
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