Chapter 19
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After hearing about Lou Yan and Li Sanxin’s past, Lu Haoxiu felt like he understood these two people better. Even because of his own experience with the loss of both parents, he felt a strange sense of sympathy towards them… In any case, Lu Haoxiu thought, he seemed to have found new family members.
He made up his mind to protect Brother Lou and Brother Li well, and also to protect Brother Duan, who occasionally choked him but seemed to have a tragic past. But just as Lu Haoxiu quietly made up his mind in his heart, after dinner, Lou Yan said, “I plan to go to Liushu Village to resolve that anomaly.”
“?!” Lu Haoxiu was shocked. The fruit fell. Holy cr*p?
Li Sanxin scratched his ear calmly and asked, “What did you say? Where are you going? Solve what?”
Lou Yan couldn’t be bothered to repeat himself.
Li Sanxin rubbed his temples with a headache, “Why do you want to go?”
Lou Yan calmly said, “If I don’t go solve that anomaly, a very dangerous person will take advantage of it to become stronger. I can’t allow that to happen.”
“A very dangerous person…” Li Sanxin repeated, his eyes darkening. “I haven’t asked you yet what you and Duan Zege were doing today. Does what you did today have anything to do with this person?”
Duan Zege glanced at Lou Yan and said lightly, “It’s related. We’ve already offended this person, and this person has also set his sights on Lou Yan.”
Li Sanxin cursed under his breath, pacing back and forth. Suddenly, he walked up to Lou Yan, placed his hands on the chair behind him, and stared at Lou Yan intently. “Who is that person? What’s your relationship with him? Can this be resolved with money?”
Lou Yan remained unfazed, calmly responding, “Duan Zege once divined that a man named Fu Xuezhou would bring us death, even destroy the entire world. You know my innate ability is Crisis Perception. When I saw Fu Xuezhou, my instinct told me I had to kill him, or else I would die. Duan Zege and I met with him today. He’s strong, very strong. If we don’t stop him from merging with the anomalies, he’ll only grow stronger… When he reaches a certain level of strength, we’ll all die.”
Duan Zege glanced at him again, not refuting but instead nodding in agreement, “That’s right.”
Lu Haoxiu was stunned, “This is unbelievable…”
Li Sanxin’s expression changed several times before he took a deep breath, calming down. He stood up straight and said, “When are we going? I’ll go with you.”
Lu Haoxiu quickly raised his hand, “I’ll go too.”
Duan Zege added, “Count me in.”
While the others had no objections to accompanying Lou Yan, he directly refused Li Sanxin, “No, you can’t go.”
Li Sanxin’s temples throbbed as he asked with patience, “Why not?”
Lou Yan’s reply was cutting, “Duan Zege and Lu Haoxiu have both awakened talents and have experience dealing with anomalies. What about you?”
Li Sanxin felt a pang of regret. “…” D*mn, he felt a stab in his heart.
Struggling, Li Sanxin said, “But didn’t you say I would awaken a strong talent? What if I awaken it this time?”
“You can’t rely on ‘what ifs’,” Lou Yan’s tone was indifferent. “This anomaly seems very dangerous. You can’t gamble on the possibility of awakening talent. Just stay at home.”
Lou Yan’s firm refusal was also because in their past lives, neither he nor Li Sanxin had ever been to Liushu Village, and Li Sanxin’s talent awakening didn’t occur at this time.
An ordinary person with no powers encountering anomalies like Liushu Village would be walking into death.
Knowing Lou Yan’s temper, Li Sanxin knew his decision wouldn’t change. Frowning, he suppressed his impatience and worry, asking again, “When are you going?”
Lou Yan looked at Duan Zege and Lu Haoxiu, “We’ll tidy up tomorrow, then leave early the day after. Is that alright with you?”
Both nodded, indicating it was fine.
Early the next morning, the three began to busy themselves. Aside from preparing survival supplies and self-defense tools, they gathered as much information as possible about Liushu Village.
Lou Yan stared at the map of Liushu Village, contemplating how to enter the village despite the blockade.
Meanwhile, as Lu Haoxiu browsed forums, he stumbled upon a new post.
The post was from a user named “Furniture King,” discussing the situation in Liushu Village.
【Family, I am currently in Liushu Village, Dayan Town, Chengjiang City. Yes, it’s the Liushu Village mentioned in the news about chemical pollution. Actually, the situation inside Liushu Village is not as severe as reported in the news. I have relatives who sell furniture in Liushu Village, and they told me that ever since the incident in Liushu Village, everyone selling furniture and timber in the village has been wearing a gloomy expression. They rely on selling things to make a living, but if these things can’t be sold, what are they going to do? So, there has been a significant drop in prices for household items and timber saplings in Liushu Village! When I came here and saw it for myself, d*mn, a whole set of well-made wooden wardrobe is only 200 bucks! Family, who wouldn’t be tempted!】
Several photos taken by “Furniture King” were accompanied below, all showing brand new and glossy computer desks, vintage chairs, bedding, and some very aesthetically pleasing wooden furniture.
The prices were added to the pictures, and it seemed unbelievable that even the particularly expensive dressing tables and intricately carved tables were only one or two hundred yuan, and the most expensive wooden bed was only three hundred.
The comments below went crazy:
【D*mn, is this price for real? I’m so tempted!】
【Help, I’ve seen the price of this table before, it’s at least two thousand or more. Now you’re telling me it’s only two hundred???】
【I love this chair so much, the carving is so exquisite, I want to buy one for the elderly…】
【OP, can you guarantee that these prices are real and not deceiving? If you dare to guarantee that they are real, I’ll drive over right now to buy in bulk!】
“Furniture King” replied to the last comment: 【Really, really, I can guarantee that it’s real. If you come and can’t buy furniture at this price, I’ll directly compensate you with a set of furniture at the original price.】
This post gradually heated up, with many people inquiring eagerly if “Furniture King” had other furniture. Apart from that, some people were hesitating about whether Liushu Village was dangerous or not.
“Furniture King” then posted another twenty-odd photos of the environment inside Liushu Village. In the photos, the village was shrouded in mist, nestled amidst a cluster of tender willow trees, looking incredibly beautiful, serene, and peaceful.
“Furniture King” said: 【These are pictures of the environment inside Liushu Village. I personally confirm that the environmental pollution is not as serious as reported. The polluted construction site is actually far from the center of the village, and it really doesn’t affect the residents.】
After that, “Furniture King” detailed how to avoid the blockade of relevant departments and sneak into Liushu Village quietly. He even took a picture of the path, the content of which was quite simple and easy to understand, suitable even for a seven-year-old.
After writing all of this, “Furniture King” disappeared as if he never existed, and never replied to any further comments.
The people in the comments didn’t notice this and were enthusiastically discussing whether to go or not, and then making arrangements to go together.
However, Lu Haoxiu felt something was off. He saved this post, took screenshots of the method to enter Liushu Village, and then shared the post with Lou Yan and Duan Zegeng.
“Brothers, take a look at this post,” Lu Haoxiu said, “There’s a method to enter Liushu Village in it, but I always feel that the OP’s comments are somewhat strange.”
Lou Yan opened the post and his expression gradually became serious. “This ‘Furniture King’ is deliberately luring people into Liushu Village.”
Having seen numerous cunning tricks of anomalies, Lou Yan could tell immediately that “Furniture King” had malicious intentions.
He read through all of “Furniture King’s” posts again, firmly convinced that this “Furniture King” was definitely not human. Even if they once were, they weren’t anymore.
The anomalies in Liushu Village were not simple!
Lou Yan confirmed this fact once again.
With a serious expression, he reached for his cigarette case to take out a cigarette, but found it empty.
Seeing Lou Yan stand up, Lu Haoxiu asked, “Brother Lou, where are you going?”
“To buy some cigarettes,” Lou Yan replied casually. “Do you want to come?”
“Sure,” Lu Haoxiu stood up as well, smiling. “I think we don’t have enough food prepared. I want to buy some more spicy strips and vacuum-packed chicken legs.”
“Sounds good, let’s go,” Lou Yan raised an eyebrow.
The two left Duan Zege to watch over the house and headed straight to the nearby supermarket. It was around three in the afternoon on a weekday, so the supermarket wasn’t crowded. Lou Yan and Lu Haoxiu each picked up items they needed, and Lu Haoxiu pushed a small cart, unconsciously heading towards the household goods section.
“Do we need to buy a tent? In case we need to stay overnight in Liushu Village… But the tent seems too big and inconvenient to carry,” Lu Haoxiu muttered to himself. “Let’s get new toothpaste and toothbrushes, and towels too… Although it seems like Brother Li has already sorted these out.”
Lu Haoxiu scratched his head and finally picked up a bottle of cologne. Just as he was about to leave the area, he saw a cool-looking teenager in a black outfit and a duckbill cap hastily walking in. Their eyes met.
Lu Haoxiu was taken aback, and the teenager on the other side also seemed surprised. The teenager furrowed his brows slightly. “Lu Haoxiu?”
“Ke Buyan?”
Lu Haoxiu was puzzled. He hadn’t expected to encounter a classmate here, especially one he wasn’t very familiar with. He awkwardly attempted to chat, “Why aren’t you at school? Isn’t today Thursday?”
Ke Buyan’s brow furrowed even deeper. He didn’t respond to Lu Haoxiu’s question but instead swiftly walked to the shelf and grabbed something. Lu Haoxiu stood awkwardly for a moment. Seeing Ke Buyan busy with his own affairs, he politely bid farewell, “I’ll let you get back to what you were doing then. I’m leaving.”
“I’m on leave,” Ke Buyan said coldly. Then, taking a few steps back from Lu Haoxiu, he became more guarded and cautious. “As a classmate, I’ll give you a friendly reminder to leave Chengjiang City as soon as possible. It’s not safe here.”
After saying that, he didn’t care about Lu Haoxiu’s reaction, turned around, and prepared to leave.
“Wait,” Lu Haoxiu grabbed him, tentatively asking, “Ke Buyan, did something happen to you?”
Ke Buyan pushed his hand away, took a few steps back, and looked wary. “It’s none of your business.”
“I don’t mean any harm,” Lu Haoxiu sighed. Seeing that Ke Buyan was about to leave, he quickly recited a string of numbers, “This is my phone number. If you need help, give me a call. I know your memory is good enough to remember it!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Ke Buyan’s figure had disappeared from the household goods area.
“He should have heard it,” Lu Haoxiu shook his head, sighing. “Oh well, let’s leave it to fate.”
The group continued to be busy until nearly six o’clock in the evening when Lou Yan received a call from Li Sanxin.
Chewing on his mint gum, Lou Yan looked at the computer screen casually as he asked, “When are you coming back?”
Li Sanxin’s breath sounded somewhat urgent. He tried to steady his voice and said, “Yanzi, I seem to have encountered something strange.”
With a loud bang, Lou Yan suddenly stood up, causing his chair to fall to the ground. His face turned incredibly ugly. “What happened?”
Li Sanxin quickly and succinctly recounted what had just happened.
It was a little after five in the afternoon, approaching the end of the workday at the pet hospital, and there were no more “little guests” needing medical attention. Li Sanxin wanted to continue browsing the internet for news, hoping to discover more anomalies. As he opened the local forum as usual, he came across a freshly posted anomaly tale.
The story was very short but terrifying, leaving Li Sanxin sweating profusely and feeling extremely scared after reading it.
It was about a private clinic and the protagonist was a doctor. The story told of how, just before closing time, a woman wearing a black raincoat dripping with water suddenly appeared in the hospital. The woman asked the doctor to treat her, and when the doctor asked her to remove her raincoat, she revealed a body without skin or facial features!
Terrified, the doctor tried to escape, but the office was locked. Just as the doctor was about to be killed by the female ghost, a nurse from the hospital opened the door and rescued the doctor. Overjoyed, the doctor grabbed the nurse and rushed to the elevator, wanting to leave the hospital quickly.
However, when the elevator doors opened, they were greeted not by the hospital lobby but by the cold morgue, which shouldn’t have been in the clinic. The nurse revealed a sinister smile and dragged the doctor into the morgue. It was then that the doctor remembered the nurse from his clinic had taken a day off and hadn’t come in today. How could there be a nurse here!
The story ended with the doctor being gruesomely skinned alive in his own clinic.
“F*ck,” Li Sanxin wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his heart pounding rapidly. “This must be a professional writer. They managed to make such a simple ghost story so terrifying.”
Especially since the protagonist and his profession were related, and encountering ghosts in their own hospital made Li Sanxin feel extremely immersed in the story.
He couldn’t help but glance out the window. Outside, the sky was blue, the sun was shining, and there was no sign of rain.
Li Sanxin let out a relieved sigh, realizing his own psychological state. He chuckled at himself, “Li Sanxin, you’re really too cowardly. You’re scared by just reading a ghost story.”
Glancing at the clock on the wall, it was almost ten to six, time to pack up and leave work.
Li Sanxin put away the documents on his desk, placed his wallet and car keys aside, and was about to take off his white coat when Nurse Xiao An walked in. “Doctor, there’s a visitor. They say there’s an animal that needs urgent care.”
Li Sanxin put on his white coat again and said, “Let the person in. I’ll take a look at the pets.”
Xiao An acknowledged and went out. Within a minute, she returned with a guest. Li Sanxin casually looked up and his body stiffened, pupils dilating as he froze in place.
The newcomer was a woman wearing a black raincoat. Despite the sunny weather outside, she looked as if she had just emerged from heavy rain, her coat dripping water, leaving a trail on the floor.
Li Sanxin felt his breath become heavy, his heart suddenly tightening. The woman in the black raincoat walked straight to Li Sanxin’s desk and sat down without saying a word. The large brim of her raincoat concealed her face, revealing no skin beneath the raincoat.
Nurse Xiao An skillfully closed the office door. Before Li Sanxin could react, he found himself alone in a closed space with the woman in the raincoat.
Just like in the ghost story…
Li Sanxin’s throat felt dry, goosebumps rising all over his body. He glanced out the window again, but there was no rain, just a dry scene outside.
“Haha,” Li Sanxin laughed dryly, testing the waters, “It’s not raining outside. Ma’am, why are you wearing a wet raincoat?”
The woman in the raincoat replied, “I’m afraid of the sun. This black raincoat is the most sun-proof thing I have at home. I happened to pass by a car wash on the way and got accidentally soaked. Fortunately, I was wearing this raincoat, so I didn’t get wet.”
“Is that so?” Li Sanxin didn’t know if it was true or false, but the reason seemed plausible. Maybe this woman was just an ordinary person?
But he still felt uneasy. Li Sanxin believed that as long as he didn’t let the woman take off her raincoat, everything should be fine. After all, he was here to treat pets, not people. He should be able to avoid the horrifying aspect seen in the ghost stories.
He glanced behind the woman. “By the way, where is your pet?”
The woman in the raincoat said, “In my arms, under the raincoat. Would you like to take a look?”
Li Sanxin froze.
Water continued to drip from the woman’s raincoat, flowing down her body. She asked again, “Do you want me to take off the raincoat and show you the pet?”
Author’s note:
Li Sanxin: Help!
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