Chapter 9: Existence Erased
Zhao Long’s words were a huge shock to Liu Haoyu.
He immediately turned back, only to find that Bai Anting, who was behind him, had disappeared.
This young girl had been following Qin Liu all along, so why did she suddenly vanish?
And since the call was on speakerphone, Qin Liu, who was beside him, naturally heard everything.
The young girl’s heart skipped a beat, and she immediately looked behind her, but there was no one there.
However, thinking of something, she quickly took out her lantern. As expected, the lantern was emitting a faint light.
This light was so weak in the daytime, but it was so glaring in Qin Liu’s eyes.
She knew very well that this lantern would only light up if there was a ghost nearby.
So…
Was Bai Anting dead?
A terrifying question surfaced in her mind.
Meanwhile, Liu Haoyu had calmed himself down and pretended that nothing had happened. He said to Zhao Long on the phone.
“I’m sorry, I might have misremembered.”
“It’s okay.”
The call was hung up. Qin Liu tugged at his clothes and motioned for him to follow.
After they arrived at an empty fire escape, Qin Liu said to Liu Haoyu.
“The lantern seems to know where Bai Anting is, but her… current situation might be worse than we imagined. Follow me.”
With the guidance of the lantern, Qin Liu led the way, and Liu Haoyu followed behind her.
The hospital corridor was bustling with people at this time, appearing very lively.
Qin Liu and Liu Haoyu arrived at the third floor, and the young girl pointed to the hospital room next to her and said.
“Bai Anting is in here.”
“Mhm.”
Liu Haoyu held his breath. He gently knocked on the door.
But there was no response from inside.
Then he slowly pushed open the door and walked in.
Unlike the lively corridor outside, the room was very quiet, and the atmosphere was a bit chilling and strange.
There were four beds in this room, and Bai Anting was on the one near the window. She was curled up in her blanket, burying her head inside.
Liu Haoyu was unsure if it was still Bai Anting, so he approached her very carefully and vigilantly.
Only after he lifted the blanket did he find that the sharp-haired young girl was hiding in the covers, her expression filled with pain and a trace of despair.
Even when she saw Liu Haoyu, she didn’t seem to react much.
“Are you Bao’an Ting?”
“My name is Bai Anting.”
At this moment, even her complaints were weak and lifeless.
Liu Haoyu looked at her and then said.
“You heard my conversation with Zhao Long just now, right?”
“Mhm…”
Bai Anting nodded blankly.
After entering the hospital, she had felt something calling her. When she heard the conversation between Liu Haoyu and Zhao Long, this calling was like hypnosis. By the time she reacted, she was already back in the hospital room.
Even though she was back in her body, strangely, no one could see her.
No matter how hard she tried, it was all in vain.
However, even so, she still had a small glimmer of hope in her heart.
After all, Liu Haoyu could still see her after she returned to her body.
Perhaps… her parents still knew her?
Thinking of this, Bai Anting said to Liu Haoyu.
“Can you call my parents? The number is 1xxx…”
“Okay.”
Liu Haoyu no longer held much hope for others’ perceptions.
But even if he didn’t make the call, Bai Anting actually knew the truth deep down.
The phone’s ringing echoed in the room. For Bai Anting, it was an extremely terrifying and long wait.
When the call was connected, Liu Haoyu asked.
“Hello, is this Bai Anting’s mother?”
There was silence on the other end of the line, followed by a confused reply.
“You must have dialed the wrong number.”
“…”
Liu Haoyu didn’t continue speaking. Even though he expected this, his expression was still a bit heavy.
The person on the other end continued.
“But my husband’s surname is Bai. Are you looking for my husband?”
“It’s okay, I must have dialed the wrong number.”
Liu Haoyu hung up the phone, and the atmosphere in the room became extremely eerily heavy.
This heavy atmosphere made Bai Anting feel suffocated.
The expression on her face turned very dim, as if she had lost all hope in life.
“This must be the influence of a supernatural event, right?”
“From the looks of it, it’s very likely.”
Bai Anting’s existence had been completely erased. The traces she left in this world were completely gone.
What was even more troublesome was that Liu Haoyu still didn’t know what had happened.
“Ah…”
Bai Anting wanted to say something else.
But when the words reached her lips, she couldn’t say anything.
The most cruel and painful thing in this world is to fall from hope into despair instantly.
This was exactly what Bai Anting was experiencing now.
“It’s okay,” Qin Liu said, patting her shoulder. “Don’t we still have you and Liu Haoyu?”
Unfortunately, at this moment, Qin Liu’s small consolation couldn’t help much.
Liu Haoyu looked at Bai Anting, who seemed lost and disheartened, as if he were contemplating something.
Seeing that her comfort had no effect, Qin Liu shifted her gaze to Liu Haoyu.
Just as Qin Liu thought that this man would lighten the mood in the room with some silly remark, he said seriously.
“You’re probably not dead yet, but your existence seems to have been stolen by some fierce ghost.”
“Oh, right!”
Qin Liu suddenly realized and said.
“I saw three water ghosts peeking at Bai Anting’s phone from behind her! It must be those three ghosts who did this…”
“Huh?”
Bai Anting was startled at first, and then said with great joy.
“So, as long as we kill those three ghosts, everything will be fine?”
As an experienced ghost exorcist, Liu Haoyu knew that erasing someone’s existence was definitely not something ordinary wandering spirits could do.
But one needs a goal to have the motivation to live on, so Liu Haoyu didn’t refute it. He even agreed with Qin Liu’s statement.
“Yes, as long as we find those three water ghosts, you should be able to return to normal.”
“Great!”
Bai Anting got up from the hospital bed and said.
“Let’s go immediately, no time to waste!”
With that, she took off her hospital gown without saying another word. Then, she suddenly remembered something and slowly shifted her gaze to Liu Haoyu.
“Hey… I need to change clothes.”
“What’s wrong?”
Bai Anting’s words confused Liu Haoyu a little.
“When a girl changes clothes, you have to go out!”
Thus, this man was pushed out of the room by the two girls.
After being pushed out, Liu Haoyu didn’t say anything, just shrugged and said.
“We’re all good brothers, what’s there to be afraid of?”
While they talked and joked, serious matters couldn’t be neglected.
After Bai Anting had recovered a bit of her spirit, Liu Haoyu began to seriously think about what had happened to her.
Last night, her soul had stayed with him and Qin Liu. After arriving at the hospital, she had successfully returned to her own body.
But the problem now was that almost everyone couldn’t feel her existence.
Including her parents.
So why could he and Qin Liu see her…
Thinking of this, Liu Haoyu took out the Black Book.
This all-knowing and all-powerful book should be able to give him the correct answer.
“Your existence lies on the boundary between life and death.”
“Qin Liu is an extremely terrifying guide.”
“It’s not strange at all that you two can see Bai Anting.”
Looking at the blood-red text that appeared on the Black Book, Liu Haoyu continued to ask.
“What is Bai Anting’s current situation?”
“Hehe…”
The Black Book put on a mysterious air and continued to write.
“Her existence has been replaced.”
“You might as well check the death list from the 514 bus incident back then.”
“There, you will find the answer you are looking for.”
Upon reading this, Liu Haoyu suddenly understood. He finally figured it out.
He immediately took out his phone and called Zhao Long again.
“Hello, Xiao Liu, is there anything else?”
Hearing Zhao Long’s voice, Liu Haoyu organized his thoughts and asked.
“Officer Zhao, what happened to the two foreigners who robbed the bank last night?”
“What foreign robbers?” Zhao Long on the other end was also a bit confused by Liu Haoyu. “Are you drunk?”
At this moment, Liu Haoyu finally understood.
“I did drink a little, I’m a bit disoriented.”
“That’s good, but you should drink less. Last night, when my colleagues and I went for barbecue, I heard someone at the next table shouting about going to rob a bank… Was that person you?”
