Nightmare Apostle

Yang Xiao’s heart felt as if it had been gripped tightly; the sense of unease was awakened.

Not long ago, when he received the Ghost Script, he had a similar feeling, as if cold, lifeless Ghost Eyes were hidden in the shadows, staring intently at him.

I’m watching you...

"I’m watching you!"

For a moment, Yang Xiao even suspected the Ghost was hiding in the photograph, and through this opportunity, it had locked onto them, all of them.

Calming his mind, Yang Xiao forced himself to shift his focus away from the photo and looked again at Chief Zhou, speaking calmly, "You’ve only introduced this one case, what about the other two?"

"The second case happened a week ago, in our factory’s equipment department, involving Old Zhang."

"Old Zhang went back to his dormitory after work that day, but the next day he didn’t show up for work, so someone was sent over to check, but no one answered the door despite repeated knocking."

"The dormitory door was locked, and those familiar next door mentioned seeing him return last night and didn’t see him leave again."

"Concerned for his safety, they borrowed a spare key from the building manager to open his dormitory door, yet upon opening it, no one was inside."

"Old Zhang has been with the factory for a long time, he is married, and lives in the factory housing block. His wife works there too but recently took leave to care for her sick father at home."

"They called his wife still in the village to inquire, but she hadn’t any clue about his situation either."

"Finally, by that night, he... he was found."

Chief Zhou’s face grew increasingly grim as he continued, "That night, the movie theater in the main hall was showing a popular film, and every seat was filled. After the movie ended and the crowd left, the workers tasked with cleaning discovered someone in the inconspicuous corner in the northwest of the hall."

"That person sat hunched on a small stool, resting against the wall, curling up his body, his head lowered deeply, almost buried against his chest."

"Such occurrences are fairly common for the management staff. It’s probably someone who sneaked in without buying a ticket, but logically, he should have left with everyone after the screening."

"Since the nearby lights were broken, making the surroundings dim, the staff prompted him to stand and leave, granting leniency this time, warning not to repeat."

"But it was as if the person had fallen asleep and didn’t hear them. It wasn’t until the manager stepped forward and gave him a nudge that the person immediately toppled over."

"When his face was revealed, it nearly gave the person a fright; it was... resembling the photo, the skin of his face was stripped away, and upon arrival, we confirmed it was... it was the missing Old Zhang."

"Fearing chaos, the factory currently suppressed the incident, and no one else knows."

"Our official word is that Old Zhang went home to care for his father-in-law, and because he didn’t mention this to his wife beforehand, it led to a misunderstanding," Chief Zhou sighed.

Yang Xiao could fully understand Chief Zhou’s predicament; facing such malignant cases in quick succession was bound to leave people on edge.

Moreover, he was sure this wasn’t some capitalist enemy espies; they couldn’t pull off such a feat. It was the Ghost.

If the matter wasn’t thoroughly investigated, they all—a group of ten—would die here, falling victim to the Fierce Ghost’s massacre.

"What does Old Zhang do? I mean, what’s his specific job?" The short-haired woman asked quietly, "And before he disappeared, do you have his action trail for the day clear?"

Chief Zhou, naturally qualified for his position, replied immediately: "Old Zhang was mainly responsible for maintaining those delicate machines inside the Cultural Palace, including projectors, speakers, and such. He visited the Cultural Palace on the night he vanished and watched a film there."

"That’s his job; he had to ensure the projection equipment operated correctly, then he left after the screening. Many can testify to this."

"Someone also lives in the same factory block, residential block no.3. Old Zhang stayed on the 2nd floor, unit 19, and this person on the 4th floor, unit 31, and eyewitnesses confirm they returned together."

"Furthermore, Old Zhang’s next-door neighbor can testify he saw Old Zhang return at night, greeted each other, and Old Zhang turned to enter his room, closing the door." Chief Zhou provided a meticulous evidence chain.

"We investigated on the side, and it is verified these witnesses have good relations with Old Zhang, no conflicts or interest disputes, eliminating the possibility of collective false testimonies."

"Moreover, through our investigation and feedback from Old Zhang’s wife, the couple hadn’t offended anyone recently," Chief Zhou emphasized.

"Whether they offended someone is unclear, but surely angered the Ghost, or perhaps they just had poor luck, unwittingly satisfying the Ghost’s killing conditions," Yang Xiao thought to himself.

"So Old Zhang disappeared from his dorm in the residential block, with the door locked; this is a locked-room murder and body relocation case," the man with pale skin and freckles on his cheeks said after contemplating.

"Exactly, that’s essentially the idea. This group of enemy espies is particularly difficult to deal with; they are seasoned, their methods extremely cruel," Chief Zhou spoke gravely.

"A group?" someone paused for a moment.

Chief Zhou nodded solemnly, "Of course, we’ve repeatedly surmised this couldn’t possibly be executed by a single person."

"Achieving this requires meticulous planning, high execution ability, and a sufficiently professional team."

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