Chapter 100 Reality
“Hiss~”
When Liu Haoyu woke up, he painfully clutched his aching head.
Along with the tearing pain, there was also an indescribable nausea and vomiting sensation that made Liu Haoyu unable to speak.
It was as if he had been thrown into a washing machine and spun for ten minutes.
After the splitting headache subsided a bit, Liu Haoyu found that his palm was buried in the ground, as if something had pulled his hand in.
On either side of his arm were porcelain bowls broken in half.
Liu Haoyu pulled his hand out of the dirt, shook off the mud, and began to look around.
At this time, he was still by the lotus pond and had not returned to the haunted house.
This feeling was like dreaming that he had already woken up to brush his teeth in the morning, but in reality, he was still in bed.
However, upon seeing the bright moonlight, Liu Haoyu breathed a sigh of relief.
He checked the time, it was 9:20 PM.
“It seems I’ve escaped…”
While sighing, Liu Haoyu seemed to hear the incessant vibration from his backpack.
Buzz buzz buzz… Buzz buzz buzz…
It was as if someone had called him.
But the problem was, Liu Haoyu remembered that he had set his phone to airplane mode on the way here, so it was impossible to receive texts or calls.
So, he opened his backpack and found that it wasn’t his phone that was vibrating.
It was the Black Book.
Skipping the unbearable content of the Black Book, Liu Haoyu turned directly to its blank page.
A line of bloody text appeared on this blank page.
“You are really f**king awesome.”
“You flatter me.”
“I’m not praising you!”
Liu Haoyu’s almost unbelievable operation almost scared the Black Book to death.
After all, if Liu Haoyu was pulled into the Red Gate, it would definitely not escape.
It didn’t want to die, it still wanted to live.
“But aren’t we both alive and well?”
“Don’t show off with your stainless steel resilience.”
The Black Book was clearly stunned.
Even Liu Haoyu could feel its helpless frustration and the powerlessness to change reality.
“I take back what I said earlier, you are indeed a cautious and bold madman. I’ve never seen anyone dare to knock on that damn Red Gate. Even if you were in a hurry to reincarnate, you wouldn’t be so reckless.
Undoubtedly, those Red Embroidered Shoes saved your life, but no one knows when your good luck will run out.”
As the Black Book said this, Liu Haoyu subconsciously rummaged through his backpack.
As expected, the pair of Red Embroidered Shoes had disappeared without a trace.
A faint scent lingered in the backpack.
It also made Liu Haoyu feel a bit regretful…
“The Red Gate might still be lurking around. I advise you to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible.
A horrific murder occurred on Panwang Mountain, thirty kilometers outside Jiangliu City.
The police in Jiangliu City are not incompetent; they have already taken action.
Investigate along this clue; this is what you must do now.
Seize this opportunity. If you miss it, you will never find them again.”
After reading the Black Book’s words, Liu Haoyu couldn’t help but frown.
The “them” the Black Book was referring to were naturally the escaped fierce ghosts.
Although he had expected something like this to happen, he didn’t expect them to act so quickly.
Liu Haoyu rubbed his temples.
The female ghost exorcist who couldn’t be freed, Bai Anting who was targeted by fierce ghosts, and more potential victims.
Even himself, who was targeted by the Red Gate…
He couldn’t drag this out any longer.
“Let’s go see Old Deng first.”
Liu Haoyu didn’t rush back to the haunted house. He chose to stay at Old Deng’s place for the night.
Tomorrow, he would also get some Hong Yu from Old Deng.
This way, he could bring Qin Liu along for the next mission.
Sometimes, strength isn’t just about being able to destroy everything.
Someone like Qin Liu, who could scare away the Red Gate with just a pair of shoes, was also a manifestation of strength.
“Heh heh…” The Black Book inexplicably wrote: “You’re quite good at relying on others for influence, but I advise you not to be completely devoured by the tiger.”
Facing the Black Book’s mockery, Liu Haoyu shrugged and said.
“Devoured? As the saying goes, to die under a peony is a romantic spirit even as a ghost.”
“…”
The Black Book fell into complete silence.
It had never met such a shameless person.
———-
Meanwhile, at the folk custom shop in the old city district.
Old Deng and two police officers were sitting face to face.
“Are you sure the seal of the Red Gate has a problem?”
The old man, in his sixties, had a very serious expression and his face was extremely gloomy.
Wang Wenqi nodded affirmatively and said sadly.
“It’s absolutely true… According to the investigation by our Special Task Force, the recently resigned police officer Li Rongjun died by its hand.”
Wang Wenqi felt immense guilt and self-reproach for Li Rongjun’s death.
He had anticipated the terror of the Red Gate, but he didn’t know it would be so perilous.
If… Li Rongjun hadn’t been fired by him and was still a police officer…
Would the outcome be different?
Wang Wenqi looked extremely regretful, even unconsciously lowering his head.
Old Deng, who had experienced much, naturally saw through Wang Wenqi’s guilt at a glance.
“Even if that police officer hadn’t resigned, he wouldn’t have been able to escape. It was only a matter of time. Once you are targeted, you will eventually die.”
Old Deng took a puff of his cigarette.
He had long since come to terms with life and death, but precisely because he had seen too many partings, he didn’t want anyone around him to have any problems.
“Old Deng, may I ask a question?”
“Go ahead.”
After receiving Old Deng’s permission, Wang Wenqi took a deep breath and said.
“Regarding the increasingly frequent supernatural events, the Special Task Force is really struggling to cope. We need more manpower, so can I ask if Liu Haoyu, the orphan you adopted, is a ghost exorcist?”
Looking at Wang Wenqi’s humble and sincere appearance, Old Deng extinguished his cigarette butt.
Then he shook his head and said.
“No, he is not.”
“Old Deng…”
Wang Wenqi wanted to say something more, but Old Deng interrupted him and asked back.
“Do you know? The four of you facing that Red Gate would undoubtedly be a dead end.”
“Of course I know.”
Old Deng sighed. “Knowing that you would die, you still chose to investigate without hesitation?”
“Because there is no turning back from this. Behind us are the country and the people. If we don’t go, no one else will dare to.”
“Yes…”
Looking at Wang Wenqi’s righteous and firm demeanor, Old Deng’s weathered face showed a hint of struggle.
He also knew the mission Wang Wenqi was talking about and understood that everyone should contribute to the country.
But as an elder, he hoped that Liu Haoyu would have a way out.
Compared to being a hero, being able to live peacefully with the people around him was what this old man yearned for in his heart.
“He is not a ghost exorcist, nor will I let him be one. This Red Gate… let me investigate it with you.”
