Nightmare Apostle

The art rehearsal room occasionally resonated with the tones of poetry recitation, men and women expressing emotion, praising labor, dedication, and the great landscapes of the motherland.

The night class classroom was divided into two rooms, one on the left and one on the right. A sign for basic culture class hung on the door of the left room.

The so-called basic culture class was commonly known as a literacy class, as the cultural level of frontline workers in this era was generally low, with many not having finished elementary school.

The literacy class mainly taught workers to read and write, so they could read newspapers, understand factory announcements, safety procedures, etc., and have time to write letters home.

Besides teaching literacy, the teacher also taught arithmetic, that is, the four basic operations, simple geometric knowledge, focusing on basic practicality indispensable to daily life and work.

The classroom on the right bore a sign for skill classes, prepared for technical workers and apprentices in production positions, mainly teaching mechanical drawing recognition, measuring tool usage, etc.

Yang Xiao didn’t find his teammates in the skill classroom; instead, he found Hu Weimin and Ma Jing lurking in the literacy class.

Peering through the door crack, others were listening intently to the lecture, while Hu Weimin and Ma Jing seemed absent-minded.

Their eyes darted everywhere, as if fearing a Fierce Ghost might appear anywhere.

After observing for half a minute and finding nothing amiss, Yang Xiao and Ye Zheng left, circling the entire third floor, no longer sensing the feeling of being "watched."

They were not without gain; the night’s encounter at least let Yang Xiao know their line of suspicion was correct, the issue indeed arose in this Cultural Palace.

The Ghost appearing in the Cultural Palace likely indicated a significant link between the Ghost and the Cultural Palace, possibly even that it died here.

However, this contradicted the clues he previously gathered. After all, there were only three fire-related death cases in the machinery factory, none occurring in the Cultural Palace.

There must be an issue somewhere within, yet he hadn’t grasped the root cause.

Though Yang Xiao was anxious, he knew well that such matters couldn’t be rushed; after all, this was just their first day in this world, and everything was just starting.

In the following time, apart from resting, Yang Xiao and Ye Zheng patrolled up and downstairs.

As the night deepened, the workers inside the Cultural Palace gradually dispersed, leaving in groups to return to their living quarters, and some, neatly dressed in work uniforms, went for the night shift.

Soon, Yang Xiao and his group met up in the third-floor storage room, their secret base and temporary contact point.

Seeing that everyone had returned, Yang Xiao took the opportunity of analyzing the case to have Ye Zheng covertly observe these people from under the table.

He worried about any strange things mingling in, though the possibility was small, it was a precaution one could not overlook.

Luckily, everything was normal, and the results of the inquiries matched Yang Xiao’s expectations; the night was safe and uneventful.

It was now 10:30 at night, and the Cultural Palace closed at 11 according to factory regulations.

After instructing everyone briefly, Yang Xiao arranged for them to leave, pulling back in groups, he and Ye Zheng being the last group.

The night canteen remained open, but only a small window was for night-shift workers, offering simple food like buns and steamed bread, ready to grab and eat, ensuring no time was wasted from work.

Yang Xiao and Ye Zheng sat at a table, gnawing on steamed bread together with some pickles, having skipped dinner and only eaten lunch.

The steamed bread wasn’t the usual white kind but yellow, coarser in texture but with a surprisingly pleasant taste, perhaps owing to hunger, Yang Xiao found it quite delicious.

In contrast, Ye Zheng’s appetite was not as good, swallowing with small bites, eyebrows slightly knitted, expressing concern.

"Are you worried the Ghost will find you tonight?" Yang Xiao cut to the chase.

Upon hearing this, Ye Zheng set down the half-eaten bread before Yang Xiao, gave a bitter smile, and said, "Why, shouldn’t I be worried?"

"Being worried is justified, but it’s useless." Yang Xiao picked up the bread Ye Zheng offered without hesitation, broke off a clean piece, stuffed it in his mouth and chewed, mumbling, "Don’t worry, I’ll accompany you tonight."

"Then thank you." Ye Zheng had always felt Yang Xiao coped well, eating and drinking without issue.

"Have you considered where to spend the night?" Yang Xiao asked.

Ye Zheng was slightly taken aback, "Isn’t it back to the housing complex? Or do you intend to stay overnight at the Security Division instead?"

Going to the Security Division would be a good option, certainly better than returning to the housing complex, given it has had disappearance precedents.

But this idea was impractical; after all, Chief Zhou assigned their mission to lie low, and he wouldn’t approve of them staying overnight at the Security Division.

Forcing it would instead cause unnecessary trouble.

Stuffing the last piece of bread into his mouth, Yang Xiao wiped the crumbs off his hands on his clothes carelessly, then said, "We’ll spend the night at the Cultural Palace."

Hearing "Cultural Palace," Ye Zheng was dumbfounded, only slowly speaking in a low voice after a while, "Cultural Palace? Are you crazy?!"

"You know yourself, tonight the probability of us being targeted is highest, no matter where we are, we can’t escape, so the death probability is about the same everywhere."

"Of the three murdered people, one disappeared on the way from the Cultural Palace, one in the night shift warehouse, and one in the housing complex dormitory; tell me, is there a place in this factory that’s definitely safe?"

"So far, there hasn’t been a precedent of the Ghost killing in the Cultural Palace; it merely discarded bodies there."

"I mean, none of the victims vanished in the Cultural Palace, so since we can’t evade it anywhere, why not go against the grain and take a gamble."

"If you’re unwilling to go, I won’t force you; just return to the housing complex dormitory, I’ll spend the night in the Cultural Palace alone, and we’ll see each other tomorrow morning." Yang Xiao left Ye Zheng with no opportunity to refuse.

Ye Zheng wasn’t intimidated by Yang Xiao; she had encountered many big figures and wouldn’t be scared by such tactics. But after considering, she decided to follow Yang Xiao’s plan, since his reasoning made sense.

His plan seemed highly risky, but under these circumstances, they seemingly had no better option.

Great riches come with danger, let’s do it!

Once Ye Zheng agreed, Yang Xiao’s lips curled into a satisfied smile; he liked smart people who could weigh pros and cons, seeing opportunities and benefits behind risks.

This was the mark of a seasoned player. If it were newcomers, despite the grand explanations, they still wouldn’t go.

They’d only run back to their place, shut the doors, huddle under covers, deceiving themselves.

"Staying overnight at the Cultural Palace should inform Chief Zhou, let him help give a heads-up." Ye Zheng reminded.

"Rest assured, I know what to do." Yang Xiao intended the same; besides, the Cultural Palace had someone on duty at night, so they weren’t completely isolated.

Putting on a red armband, Yang Xiao found the night canteen attendant, reporting to gain permission to use the only phone in the office behind the canteen to contact the Security Division.

Luckily, the call was answered immediately, and the one taking it was indeed Chief Zhou.

In following inquiries, Chief Zhou agreed to Yang Xiao’s request, instructing him to keep his identity hidden, claiming it was a routine factory inspection.

He would later call Old Sun on duty at the Cultural Palace to inform him.

"Thank you." After a few polite exchanges, Yang Xiao promptly ended the call.

After hanging up, Yang Xiao didn’t leave immediately but waited in place; about three minutes later, he picked up the receiver again, silently dialed the Security Division’s number again.

This time, it rang five times before someone answered.

"Hello, Factory Security Division, who are you looking for?" An unfamiliar woman’s tired voice answered.

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