Trouble

Translator: CinderTL

"What exactly did Yin Zhenliang mean by 'it'?" As Jiang Cheng pondered this, he suddenly heard Lin Wan'er ask, "And what Gate was he talking about? Where is this Gate?"

Jiang Cheng avoided the question, unwilling to involve Lin Wan'er any further.

He didn't want to lie to her, nor did he dare to do so lightly. "I'm not sure, but it sounds like Xiang Nan was possessed by a Ghost. The murders were committed under the Ghost's coercion."

"The Ghost was the true killer, and the feral dog was just a cover story," Jiang Cheng continued.

He recalled Huai Yi's description of the child's gruesome death, which was nearly identical to Du Feng's.

Both had been decapitated, the only difference being that Du Feng's head had been cradled in his own corpse's arms, while the child's head had vanished.

"So the Ghost we're facing isn't Xiang Nan at all, but rather the thing inside her..." Lin Wan'er hesitated, as if searching for the most appropriate term.

"But rather the thing inside her," she concluded, her gaze fixed on Jiang Cheng for confirmation.

Jiang Cheng nodded, glanced out the window, and after a long pause, finally spoke. "That's probably it."

"Now we need to figure out what this thing's purpose truly is," Jiang Cheng said. "I don't think it's as simple as just killing Director Qi."

In fact, when the recording crackled with interference, Jiang Cheng immediately thought of the scene in the office.

The woman named Hu Yan had also described a similar eerie electrical hum in her story.

As Jiang Cheng pondered the connection between these two events, the man's voice returned to the recording.

The recording hadn't ended.

"Things are getting worse. Xiang Nan's acting stranger and stranger."

"I took her to the hospital for tests, but every doctor said she's perfectly healthy."

"Physically and mentally."

"A psychologist I know well assured me privately that she's completely normal. She has no trouble communicating with others, she's just a bit timid."

"He comforted me, saying it wasn't a big deal and was common for women at this stage. He suggested it might be because I often socialized outside the home, making her insecure about my fidelity. He advised me to spend more time with her."

"Damn it, he has no idea what I'm going through!"

"After returning from the hospital, Xiang Nan gradually changed. I could sense in her eyes that she had definitely figured something out."

"Though I had tricked her into the checkup with a different excuse."

"Afterward, she started watching me—no, not in a normal way. It was a scrutinizing, a spying gaze!"

"While I ate, talked on the phone, even when I was sleeping, she was watching."

"At first, she stood far away, pretending to be busy with something nearby to conceal her surveillance. But later, she stopped even bothering to hide it."

"I felt increasingly estranged from her, as if she had become a different person."

"I began to dread facing her. At night, I could only sleep with my back to her. Staring at her kept me wide awake."

"I considered sleeping in separate rooms, but... but I still worried about her. I naively thought that as long as I stayed by her side, her condition would improve."

"You can't even imagine the night I suddenly woke up to find her squatting on the floor in front of me, her face inches from mine, staring at me with a death grip."

"Our faces were less than four inches apart!"

"Her eyes were wide open, and I could see a dense network of blood vessels in them."

"In that moment, I even felt like she was going to devour me!"

"I knew I couldn't delay any longer, so I contacted Director Zhang. While we weren't close, his reputation and character were excellent. I felt relatively safe entrusting Xiang Nan to his care."

"Who knew that even now, I'd still be worrying about Xiang Nan, fretting over whether she's doing well in the hospital, whether she's being bullied."

"Believe me, I love her. I truly love her!"

Another burst of static followed, making Jiang Cheng deeply uncomfortable.

Yin Zhenliang's voice returned.

Each extended period of static noise marked the passage of time in Yin Zhenliang's era.

He had recorded these segments one after another, likely to preserve evidence.

Zhang Zhaowei had kept these secrets for the same reason.

"Whew—"

"I finally got Xiang Nan to the hospital. I pleaded with Director Zhang. After listening to my story, he said he needed time to consider it. It was clear he didn't want to get involved."

"But I had a plan. I pressured him through someone he couldn't refuse."

"In the end, Director Zhang agreed to take good care of Xiang Nan."

"I only told him a portion of Xiang Nan's story, focusing on her mental state."

"Forgive me, but I couldn't—I didn't dare—tell him everything. If he knew the truth, he'd never have agreed."

"Besides, I worried he might secretly contact the police."

"After sending Xiang Nan away, I finally had the time and energy to consider my next move."

"I still remember that guy who was always hanging around Xiang Nan once mentioned that she was already seventy years old."

"Though I don't believe it. After all, I've lived with her for so long and even had a child with her. I thought I knew everything about her."

"I trust my own eyes and feelings."

"But after all that's happened, I still want to investigate Xiang Nan's background."

"We met at a bar and fell in love at first sight. We got married soon after. She told me her parents had died long ago and that she'd left her hometown to make her way in the world alone."

"Looking back now, I realize I must have been completely out of my mind back then. Out of sheer trust in her, I never even thought to visit her hometown with her."

"She was too beautiful. Every one of my friends said so. And it wasn't just simple beauty; it was a beauty full of charm and depth."

"One friend once whispered to me behind her back that her most captivating feature was her eyes."

"Her eyes held a lifetime of stories, far more than a woman her age should possess."

"At the time, I dismissed it as drunken banter, but now, thinking back, I feel a chill run down my spine."

"I've made my way in society and have more experience than most my age. Yet Xiang Nan, who is a full decade younger, often approaches problems with a maturity that surpasses my own."

"After much deliberation, I asked a well-connected friend to investigate."

"About three days later—no, to be precise, two and a half days—I was asleep when a phone call jolted me awake. It was already past 1 a.m."

"It was my friend. As soon as I answered, his trembling voice filled the line."

"Zhen Liang!" he stammered. "I... I need to tell you something. Please don't be afraid."

(End of the Chapter)

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