Chapter 392: Secrets of the Haunted Case
by xennovelChapter 392: Fifty Percent Not a Ghost
Xiao Yu’s face contorted in astonishment as he fixed his gaze on the red figure in the surveillance footage.
It floated in from beyond the camera’s view!
Holy crap… Even after snapping out of it, Xiao Yu didn’t need a mirror to see his disheveled expression.
He could tell his face was a mess—disrupted, collapsing, and utterly jaw-dropping.
That move was downright wild!
Staring at the red figure ‘floating in,’ Xiao Yu got a spine-chilling horror movie vibe.
For some reason, a bizarre joke flashed through his mind.
Why does a bitch keep howling all night?
Why does that sixty-year-old Taoist always lie like a corpse?
Why do village cats all end up pregnant?
Is it a perversion of humanity, or a complete moral collapse?
His lips twitched as Xiao Yu fixed his stare on the red figure.
He had only recently seen this ‘image’ in three photos.
No face at all—a pair of bony hands instead.
Gazing at the head with its clinging, damp black hair, shredded flesh, and eyes glowing a fierce red…
It truly sent chills racing down the spine.
A prickling unease crept into Xiao Yu’s heart.
But just as quickly, the feeling faded.
No way… Xiao Yu shook his head firmly.
No matter how many spooky elements the Red-Dressed Woman might possess,
he still doubted she was a ghost.
Only by questioning everything can humanity truly progress.
When you start doubting, you begin to hunt for flaws.
And when you find them, you edge closer to the truth.
For instance, Xiao Yu’s first thought:
A ghost wielding a disc and a knife to kill?
Doesn’t that sound ridiculously low?
Yet, this ghost showed up brandishing weapons.
A single thrust saw a knife plunge into a young woman’s neck.
As the woman stepped into a darkened corner,
the Red-Dressed Woman later reappeared, biting a blood-soaked eyeball and chewing it!
Immediately afterward,
the Red-Dressed Woman floated in front of a young man.
A pair of bony hands grasped his head.
She bent down and began feasting on his face…
It was at this point that Xiao Yu sensed something off.
The first woman attacked by the Red-Dressed Woman and the young man who followed
were exactly the two ‘cheating’ youngsters.
Why did the Red-Dressed Woman target these two the moment she appeared?
Unfortunately, the video was too short to tell.
In the footage, the final two candles were snuffed out.
Darkness swallowed the room.
Nothing could be seen… and then the video ended!
Xiao Yu set down the tablet and exhaled deeply.
He had to admit,
if this were a ghost film, the director would earn a nod of approval.
For a moment, Xiao Yu’s heart had raced uncontrollably.
“Found anything?”
Wang Dong handed him a cigarette.
“Loads of anomalies,” he replied.
Taking the cigarette, Xiao Yu waited as his friend lit it before taking a drag, then remarked, “Fifty percent isn’t a ghost!”
Wang Dong: …
Aren’t you just saying nothing at all?
After all, isn’t the other fifty still not ghost?
“Many of these supernatural elements can be staged,” Wang Dong added.
After a moment’s thought, Xiao Yu said, “We’ll have to check out the crime scene to get the full story.”
The case files and surveillance footage
are only supplementary tools in the investigation.
Cracking the case still relies on being there in person…
…
On the outskirts of City J, in a modest residential district,
the area resembled a shantytown.
It was a forgotten patch of the city.
A vast, old courtyard; a large, dilapidated bungalow.
“Five years ago, a murder occurred here, turning the place into a haunted house,” a local explained.
“After someone died here, many neighbors moved away.”
“Very few locals dare to come near.”
“There’s even a legend that this yard and house are constantly haunted…”
“The case was discovered six days ago. The caller, drunk and lost, wandered into the courtyard, entered the house, found a corpse, and then called the police.”
“Police arrived promptly and secured the scene.”
“Preliminary findings suggest that the victims, lured by rumors of heavy negative energy, came here to play a Disc Spirit game… and all met a gruesome end.”
“The surveillance equipment, brought by the victims, carried fingerprints and recorded the entire Disc Spirit session.”
“Other than the six brutally murdered victims, only traces of a few people were found. However, supernatural signs were the most plentiful.”
“Some of the crime methods, after extensive comparison and tests, proved nearly impossible to replicate.”
Entering the courtyard, Wang Dong glanced at Xiao Yu and said, “That’s why I called you—to see if you can figure out what really happened.”
“Just a tool person, right? I get it…” Xiao Yu scoffed, his eyes scanning the yard.
Finding nothing amiss, he headed toward the bungalow.
After putting on Shoe Covers, Xiao Yu and Wang Dong stepped into the house.
Six days had passed.
Xiao Yu’s ‘Wangdie’s Nose’ could still detect a strong stench of blood.
Frowning, he stepped into the dust-laden interior.
Spider webs clung to the corners, and a lone table stood in the room.
Four candles lay on the floor, and on the table was a Disc Spirit diagram.
The disc itself was missing!
Bloodstains marked the floor and walls, accompanied by numerous bloody handprints.
Wrinkling his nose, Xiao Yu noted that the scent of 720 living individuals who had passed through left an overwhelming trail.
For now, nothing definitive could be discerned.
He took a broad look around the room.
Deciding to pause further investigation,
Xiao Yu determined he needed to examine the corpses of the six victims.
Only by studying the bodies could he piece together the truth.
Aren’t photos of the corpses included in the case files?
They’re useless. Some murder techniques only reveal themselves on the body…
…
In the Morgue at City J’s Cold Storage, a special mortuary,
Xiao Yu scrutinized six autopsy tables, each displaying a stark, bare corpse.
Four men and two women—all young adults.
Without any autopsy reports yet, four forensic experts stood ready by.
Xiao Yu’s gaze first lingered on the first female corpse.
A large knife scar marred her neck, the blade having sliced deep to leave a gaping wound.
He then shifted his attention to her face.
Most of it remained intact.
However, her left eye area had turned into a pitch-black void, missing both eyelid and eyeball.
Stepping closer, Xiao Yu bent down to inspect the empty socket.
The loss of the eyeball wasn’t from mere tearing.
It’s impossible to bite someone’s eye out with one’s mouth.
Finally, Xiao Yu confirmed that the victim’s left eye area
had been brutally torn away—skin and eyeball removed in one savage pull!