Chapter 17: Playing Dumb
After a whole night of searching, finding nothing was a frustrating outcome. Even Old Deng had to sigh helplessly. “Ghosts and monsters appear and disappear unpredictably; trying to force them is futile.” “But the existence of the Red Gate is simply too dangerous.” Wang Wenqi also sounded quite melancholic. He lit a cigarette and said, “If it’s allowed to continue its rampage, who knows how many more people will die because of it.” “Worrying now won’t help much.” “Speaking of which, setting aside the Red Gate, the fierce ghost in that villa was clearly dealt with by someone. Who could have done that?” Hearing this question, Old Deng naturally thought of someone, and only that person could have handled the villa where people had died. But he couldn’t admit it, simply shaking his head and saying, “I don’t know, perhaps a ghost exorcist passing by.” “Is that so?” Wang Wenqi saw that even Old Deng said that, so he naturally didn’t press further. As someone from the National Security Bureau, his intelligence sources were vast. Yesterday, he had received information that a ghost exorcist from Jiangquan City had accepted a commission. The commission was to go to the villa and illegally transfer assets. The person who accepted the commission had some connection with Liu Haoyu. So who was it that dealt with the fierce ghost in the villa? Did he need to ask? However, he had to admit, Liu Haoyu’s strength was truly formidable. The Special Task Force had encountered the fierce ghost in the haunted house once, but they were completely unable to gain any advantage. They could only seal it up and wait for support from other districts. Before the support arrived, Liu Haoyu had already dealt with the villa. I really need to find a way to capture this Palu… Otherwise, in a few more days, I’ll be transferred from this place and won’t have another chance. As Wang Wenqi was thinking, Old Deng wearily closed his eyes. “I will continue to investigate the matter of the Red Gate.” “I’m troubling you again, Old Deng.” Qin Liu, hiding in a corner, overheard their conversation clearly. This little ghost didn’t know what happened last night. But from their conversation, Qin Liu’s expression was somewhat fearful. So Liu Haoyu confronted the Red Gate last night… No wonder he was so exhausted. However, Liu Haoyu managed to escape from the Red Gate. Looking at it this way, he was indeed terrifyingly strong. While thinking, Qin Liu’s gaze remained fixed on the two of them. She held her breath as much as possible to conceal her aura, lest she be discovered by Old Deng, a powerful ghost exorcist. “Beep beep beep…” At this moment, Wang Wenqi’s mobile phone rang. The police officer answered the call, and his expression immediately became very serious. “Okay, I’ll be there right away.” “What’s wrong?” Old Deng asked, seeing Wang Wenqi’s hurried manner. “Is something happening at the police station?” “Yes, something big,” Wang Wenqi said, taking a deep breath. “According to information from above, two drug dealers have fled into Jiangliu City. The anti-drug team is mobilizing a large force to surround and suppress them. They are armed with real weapons.” Hearing this, Old Deng frowned. “That serious?” “Yes,” Wang Wenqi nodded and said, “I’ll have to rely on you, Old Deng, for the Red Gate matter. If you find any trace of the Red Gate, please contact us immediately. The Special Task Forces from Jiangquan City and Beiming City will arrive in a few days, and now is not the time to act.” “I know.” Although Old Deng was old and his physical strength was not what it used to be, his experience was still quite rich. Therefore, he naturally knew not to act rashly. “The situation is urgent, I must leave first.” With that, Wang Wenqi walked out of the folk custom shop, started the police car, and roared away. Peace returned to the folk custom shop again. Old Deng’s cloudy eyes scanned the shop. In his perception, ever since he entered the room, he felt a cold gaze watching him from the shadows. While talking to Wang Wenqi, he used his peripheral vision to search for the source of this gaze. Soon, he locked his gaze on the corner. It seemed there was something there… Old Deng took a deep breath and, without changing his expression, pinched two fingers together, holding a lightning-summoning talisman from his Taoist robe. If he found anything amiss, he would immediately throw the talisman. He pretended to be going to get a broom but was actually slowly approaching the corner. One step, two steps, three steps… As he got closer, Old Deng felt the cold gaze becoming more apparent. What was even more terrifying was that he could already feel the presence of resentment. Resentment is born with ghosts. So, the presence of resentment meant… there was a ghost here. Just as Old Deng was about to take out the lightning-summoning talisman, the door to the inner room opened. “Grandpa?” Deng Xiaolin came out of the inner room. The young girl, after watching half of a horror movie, realized that Qin Liu, who was beside her, was missing, so she came out to look for her. She didn’t expect to see her grandfather back in the folk custom shop. And for some reason, Deng Xiaolin clearly saw a red shadow squatting on the trash can in the dark corner. What was Qin Liu doing? The corner of Deng Xiaolin’s mouth twitched, but to prevent Old Deng from discovering Qin Liu’s presence, she spoke out. “Grandpa, breakfast is ready. Let’s go eat, otherwise, it will get cold.” “Mm…” Old Deng nodded. In just the time it took him to turn his head, he found that the cold presence in the corner had disappeared. It seemed it wasn’t aggressive… Could it be just an ordinary little ghost that liked the dark? Old Deng wasn’t sure, because if it were just a little ghost, he couldn’t explain the inexplicable unease he felt. “Grandpa? Don’t just stand there!” “Coming.” Old Deng walked into the inner room. As for Qin Liu, she had already passed through the wall and returned to the guest room. She sat on the bed and slowly breathed a sigh of relief. As expected of a ghost exorcist with an ethereal demeanor, he could still find her. “The elder is still the elder…” Qin Liu muttered, then dived into the Hong Yu. —- Liu Haoyu woke up at six in the evening. He had slept for a full twelve hours, but even so, his body was still extremely fatigued. What was even more terrifying was that this dream was even more chilling. In the dream, he sat quietly on the ground. That damned Red Gate stood in front of him, and it was open. The distance between him and the gate was less than two meters. Liu Haoyu could clearly see that the world inside the gate was filled with countless ferocious ghosts. And the female ghost he had killed last night was also inside the gate. Covered in blood, she lay on the ground, with numerous axe wounds all over her body. She raised her head. Although her eyes were sewn shut, Liu Haoyu could clearly feel her staring at him outside the gate with a gaze filled with immense malice. At the same time, she began to crawl towards Liu Haoyu. Her hands, which had been chopped to pieces, struggled to support her mangled body. Little by little, little by little… Behind her, a trail of blood like a red carpet was left on the floor. Finally, she crawled out, and her blood-stained hands tightly grasped Liu Haoyu’s calf, as if to drag him into the Red Gate with her. The dream ended there, and Liu Haoyu woke up. This time, he clearly felt the breath of death. The mental pressure made him a little anxious, and his expression turned extremely gloomy. Just dreaming was enough to drive a normal person mad. If Liu Haoyu’s mental resilience wasn’t strong enough, he might have chosen to commit suicide like Old Deng’s companion back then. However, in that situation, it was hard to tell whether it was suicide or being killed by a ghost. “Whoa…” Hearing the sound, Liu Haoyu saw a girl in a light green JK uniform sitting beside him, holding his mobile phone. It seemed she was watching a video? That’s strange… People from the 1970s and 1980s shouldn’t have seen mobile phones. Or is Qin Liu’s learning ability very strong? However, when Qin Liu noticed Liu Haoyu waking up, she quickly turned off the phone screen and put it back on the table. This book is compiled by [Lingmeng]. The copyright of the novel belongs to the original author. The text is for personal learning and trial reading only. 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If you want to extract anything, please message the group owner privately. acting as if nothing had happened, she said, “You’re awake?” The girl seemed to be playing dumb. But Liu Haoyu simply picked up his mobile phone in silence, intending to see what Qin Liu had been watching just now. “Uh…” Qin Liu hesitated, seemingly wanting to say something but unable to find the words, leaving her awkwardly stunned. Liu Haoyu had already opened his phone, but no matter how he searched, he couldn’t find Qin Liu’s browsing history. It seemed she had deleted it. So what was she watching just now? Liu Haoyu scratched his head and looked up at Qin Liu. As a result, the little ghost’s slightly reddened face turned away directly. It was clear that she was guilty. “Oh right,” said Qin Liu, sweating, trying to change the subject. “I overheard Old Deng talking with two police officers this morning. It seems they said that two drug dealers fled to Jiangliu City, and the anti-drug team is pursuing them.” As a workaholic, Liu Haoyu didn’t pursue the matter of the phone further upon hearing Qin Liu’s words. However, catching drug dealers had little to do with him, a ghost exorcist. So Liu Haoyu didn’t think much of it. He planned to find Deng Shuyuan first and see how he was doing. He hadn’t forgotten the black book’s warning. “The dead and those who are about to die are targets of the Red Gate. Once locked onto, it’s like having your name written in King Yama’s Book of Life and Death, with no possibility of escape…” He wasn’t sure if Deng Shuyuan had been locked onto by the Red Gate. But when they parted, Liu Haoyu clearly saw that his complexion was no longer dark, so perhaps he had escaped a calamity? Liu Haoyu got on his motorcycle and headed towards the hotel where Deng Shuyuan was staying. In the underground parking lot of the Binjiang Hotel, Liu Haoyu parked his motorcycle and prepared to take the elevator. Just as he rounded a corner, he saw three suspicious-looking individuals. Liu Haoyu quickly hid his figure and observed from the shadows. In the blind spot not covered by the cameras, three men were talking. More importantly, they had guns in their hands… Seeing this, Liu Haoyu couldn’t help but gasp. He had to admit that when it came to dealing with people, guns were much more useful than talismans. “Where’s the stuff?” “Still talking about the stuff?” one of the masked men grumbled, “Our whereabouts have been discovered by the cops. Hurry up and find a way to get us out of here.” “Give me the stuff first, and I’ll show you the way.” “Li Feng, you brat, don’t be ungrateful!” The drug dealer was very anxious. His companion stopped him and handed a handgun and a bag of white powder to Li Feng: “Hurry up and show us the way.” “I don’t want this…” Li Feng wanted to return the handgun, but the other party chuckled. “Take it if I give it to you.” “…You guys find a way to get to Panwang Mountain. The terrain there is complex and the environment is treacherous, but if you follow the mountain road over this mountain, someone will meet you.” “Let’s go!” After getting the answer, the two men with guns fled the scene as quickly as possible. But at this moment, in the quiet underground parking lot, there was a sudden “gulp”. A short and stout man, startled by the situation, stumbled and fell onto the ground after tripping over a railing while trying to retreat behind a pillar. Seeing that there was an outsider, Li Feng was alarmed and instinctively reached for his handgun. “Bang!!” The piercing sound of the gunshot echoed in the enclosed underground parking lot. However, there was no one else in the parking lot, and there was a silencer. So, apart from Liu Haoyu, no one else discovered that someone had died here. Li Feng was stunned when he saw that he had killed someone. He had just fired instinctively, but by the time he came to his senses, he already regretted it. “It’s over, it’s over…” He rushed forward, looking at the corpse on the ground, completely at a loss. However, when he reached the pillar, he also saw Liu Haoyu on the other side. Seeing that there was another person, Li Feng’s heart surged. He raised his handgun, about to pull the trigger, when he heard Liu Haoyu, hiding behind the wall, speak in a calm and cold voice. “Don’t be impulsive. I can tell you how to fake the scene and escape.” Hearing Liu Haoyu’s words, Li Feng then saw a man wearing a gas mask and holding a blood-stained fire axe in front of him. Li Feng, who had just killed someone, was stunned by Liu Haoyu’s appearance. What kind of outfit was this? Coupled with the calm and cold voice just now… Was he the murderer rumored to be in Jiangliu City recently? At this moment, Liu Haoyu maintained his strong psychological composure. He knew that the other party was armed, so he did not choose to confront him directly. After weighing the pros and cons, Liu Haoyu chose to outsmart him. Ghost exorcists habitually carried recording equipment. Because of this, Liu Haoyu had long ago activated the camera on the gas mask before the three of them started their transaction. Now that his life was being threatened by the other party, most of his actions could be considered self-defense. Therefore, Liu Haoyu calmly said to the man holding the gun in front of him, “Hurry up and plug the hole in this person’s head. Do you want the blood to flow everywhere and be clearly seen by the police?”
