Chapter 394: Chapter 394: The Golden Cicada’s Escape

Chapter 394: The Golden Cicada’s Escape

“Floating object?”

Wang Dong furrowed his brows.

He knew his stuff—floating objects come in two types: those that float in liquids and those in gases.

To put it simply, many understand the principle behind balloons floating in air or people buoying in water.

Buoyancy is produced when an object is submerged in a fluid or gas,

due to the pressure difference acting upward or downward on the object.

Is it really that hard to craft a humanoid floatation device?

It really isn’t.

Assume it’s as simple as making a balloon.

Use a gas like hydrogen, which is lighter than air,

and with a bit of basic craftsmanship, you’re done…

Under dim lighting, the video failed to show the Red-Dressed Woman’s legs; all we could see was her face and a pair of bony hands.

Xiao Yu picked up the tablet and studied the surveillance footage. “Although her face and bony hands are genuine, they can be camouflaged. Everything else is hidden beneath the clothes. Also, Wang, haven’t you noticed two odd details? When the Red-Dressed Woman attacked one of the girls, the girl didn’t fight back at all—she was simply slashed?”

“That slash is peculiar—how could a 530 girl stand there and get injured? Then both the girl and the Red-Dressed Woman vanished into darkness…”

“And then there was the second victim, a young man. Did you see? He too was held motionless as the Red-Dressed Woman cradled his head…”

“What would any normal person do when a ghost comes to snatch them? Would they just stand still?”

“Come on, don’t say they were too terrified to move—if one person stays frozen, why wouldn’t two?”

“And the most important point…”

Xiao Yu pointed to details on the tablet. “In the process of killing, aside from the moment she floated in and swallowed an eyeball, and when she cradled the young man’s head, the Red-Dressed Woman’s body was always at the edge of the frame—only her front half was visible.”

“So is it possible that at that moment, someone was controlling her from behind?”

“Also, during the killings, the video only displayed one girl and one boy. What about the other four?”

“Lastly… all six victims died inside the room?”

“You saw how quickly the Red-Dressed Woman killed,” someone noted.

“Killing two people would have given the others plenty of time to escape far, far away. So how did their bodies end up back in the room?”

“But evidence from the scene shows they never left this room—the murders all took place here.”

“I just can’t wrap my head around it. Were the other four just waiting there for the Red-Dressed Woman to kill them? Isn’t that unscientific? Why wouldn’t they run?”

Listening to Xiao Yu’s analysis, Wang Dong’s expression turned increasingly strange.

At that moment, he and his team even entertained a startling thought.

Could it be that the Red-Dressed Woman was not the ghost they imagined?

Maybe she used some supernatural power to control others?

And that’s how she could pull off these seemingly impossible murders?

But after hearing Xiao Yu’s theory,

the list of suspicious details in the case seemed endless.

“All of this assumes that the Red-Dressed Woman is human,” he said.

Xiao Yu’s eyes began to shine like two flickering flames. “But what if she isn’t human at all—what if she’s just a floating figure?”

“Are you saying someone is controlling this floating object to kill?”

Wang Dong wasn’t surprised; his young teammate had already considered that possibility.

“Controlling it to kill?”

Xiao Yu snorted and shook his head. “No, it might not even be murder. Perhaps they were just acting out a scene?”

“Huh?” Wang Dong was utterly baffled.

“Acting?”

“No, what on earth is that idea coming from, my young friend?”

“First, there’s the Disc Spirit.”

Xiao Yu explained, “The proper way to summon a Disc Spirit involves four people—two men and two women. The most accurate time is at midnight. Turn off all the lights indoors, and those participating gather around the disc. With eyes closed, they use their minds to call out.”

“While summoning, you must silently repeat three times: ‘Disc Spirit, Disc Spirit, please come out.'”

“Before starting, everyone’s fingers must constantly stay in contact with the disc. They can’t let go.”

“Once a finger loses contact, there’s no way the disc would move by itself.”

“Yet when they first summoned the Disc Spirit, their fingers were already detached, and the disc moved on its own?”

“That mistake is glaring—they didn’t even know the proper way to summon a Disc Spirit!”

“The funniest part is that all six people let go of their fingers simultaneously. How did they all end up snapping them back at the same time?”

“Which suggests…”

Wang Dong suddenly understood. “All six of them didn’t actually know how to play the Disc Spirit game. One of them pretended to know and taught the others an incorrect method… I get it—you’re saying they all acted like pros together?”

“Exactly!”

Xiao Yu nodded. “They were nothing more than a bunch of amateurs pretending to be experts. Clearly, it was all an act—six of them performing together. That’s why there was that surveillance footage, right? Their aim was to record it… for others to see?!”

“So they were essentially directing their own ghost movie?”

Wang Dong, still disbelieving, said, “The female ghost—was that just a prop they prepared? The alleged ghost killings were all pre-rehearsed and staged. That’s why the first two victims appeared lifeless, as if killed by a ghost—while in reality, the person controlling the ghost was hidden in the video’s blind spot along with the others?”

“Something like that.”

Xiao Yu nodded. “This is the most plausible explanation.”

“But there’s one more issue.”

Wang Dong’s expression grew eerie. “If your theory is right, then they all died!”

“Who’s ever seen someone act out a scene until they kill themselves?”

“That point still baffles me as well.”

Xiao Yu frowned. “Unless one among the six intended to play the killer, it’s impossible for all six to die. Unless…”

“Unless what?” Wang Dong pressed.

“Unless there was a seventh person.”

Xiao Yu added meaningfully, “Or even an eighth person!”

“How is that even possible?”

Wang Dong exclaimed, “The video clearly shows only six people!”

“Why wouldn’t it be possible?”

Xiao Yu replied calmly, “What if the seventh—and even the eighth—were actually dead?”

“Ugh!”

Wang Dong’s face went pale. “What do you mean?”

“Originally, there were six people, but now there might be one or even two survivors.”

Xiao Yu enunciated slowly, “They used one or two corpses… the Golden Cicada’s Escape!”