Chapter 24

"Hello, is this 110? I need to report a robbery happening in Xingwang Community, at Unit 206, Building 3, Zone 3."

After making the call, Zhao Zhu took out the SIM card, snapped it in half, and casually threw it into the flower bed beside him. The SIM card he used to make the call was one given to him by Xiong Zhiqi, registered under a random person. Zhao Zhu's previous number had been canceled by the telecom company due to the deletion of his identity information. He had quite a few of these so-called 'black cards' on hand.

The reason he didn't want the police to know he was the one who reported the incident was that if anything really happened in that house, he, as the informant, would definitely be included in the police investigation, which would cause him a lot of trouble.

After replacing the SIM card in his phone, Zhao Zhu sat in the flower bed. The police arrived quite quickly; soon, two police cars drove into the community without sirens or lights. About seven or eight police officers got out, probably from the local police station, leading the way. More backup would likely follow if everything went as expected.

The seven or eight police officers didn't hesitate and ran directly towards the target. Zhao Zhu hid himself among the plants in the flower bed, watching the police disappear into the darkness. Then, he shook his slightly numb legs, stood up, and walked out of the flower bed, heading in the same direction.

Yes, Zhao Zhu had backed down. He didn't go to that house himself, didn't knock on the door, and didn't break it down. When he saw the black aura and confirmed that Zhu Jianping might be in trouble, he silently went downstairs, silently came to the community gate, silently made the call to the police, and silently waited for them to arrive.

The reason... was very simple...

Other people's lives were not as important as his own.

Even though Zhao Zhu knew that something supernatural must have happened in that house, and even though the seven or eight police officers were armed, they were still in great danger, as they were just ordinary people.

However, this was not something Zhao Zhu would care about. Abroad, he had swung his fists at the rapist of a Chinese female student, and in the hospital, he had beaten a man who was causing trouble and hitting a nurse. He seemed to be a righteous and good person, but that was only under certain conditions. Zhao Zhu knew that even if he beat the foreign teacher or the troublemaker, his family's connections could easily smooth things over. Therefore, when his life was at risk and his family's influence could no longer handle the situation, Zhao Zhu's decision to back down was understandable.

The police arrived quickly. When Zhao Zhu reached the entrance of the building, the police were already knocking on the door. Then... the door opened.

A woman in a nightgown opened the door, looking surprised at the police outside.

"What's going on?"

The police were also taken aback because the scene didn't look like a robbery was happening.

However, only Zhao Zhu, standing at the entrance of the building, could clearly see that the woman's feet were not fully on the ground; her heels were slightly raised, and she was standing on her toes. This was only noticeable from Zhao Zhu's perspective. The police officers standing above probably didn't pay attention to this detail, as not every police officer has the observational skills of Sherlock Holmes, and it was late at night, a time when people are most relaxed and the lighting is the worst.

"Someone reported a robbery here. Please step aside, we need to check inside. This is my police ID," the leading officer showed his ID to the woman.

"Who's playing a joke? There's no robbery. Fine, come in and check," the woman stepped aside.

The seven police officers entered together, and then Zhao Zhu, standing below, saw the door slowly close.

"Click"

The sound of the door closing was crisp, and Zhao Zhu's heart trembled. He seemed to catch a faint whiff of blood.

The police officers had only gone in to scout the area, to check for Zhao Zhu, but it seemed they hadn't done a good job, and they might have been caught as well.

Zhao Zhu didn't go upstairs but retreated back to the flower bed near the community gate. If everything went as expected, more police support would arrive soon, possibly even the armed police, as the situation would cause a significant stir if the police who went in didn't come out.

Therefore, Zhao Zhu decided to continue waiting. He opened his phone and entered the "Horror Web Novel" reader group. A few people were chatting about Mozart, making the group seem rather quiet.

"I have a problem. Something strange is happening in a house. I called the police, and they opened the door. The person who opened the door was standing on her toes."

Zhao Zhu was seeking help in the group, hoping for a miracle, as he knew there weren't many helpful people in the group.

At this moment, someone with the ID "Huo Xiaomiao" replied:

"If your first statement is true, and something strange is happening in that house, then the woman who opened the door is probably already dead. She might be controlled by some special force, like a puppet. By the way, you look new. Are you a new member?"

"Yes, I'm new. I just completed my first task."

"Oh, then you should run away as far as possible. Whatever is in that house is still there because it can't get out yet. Once it can, it will cause a lot of trouble, and the people nearby will suffer."

"Um... does this happen often?"

"Not often, but it happens a few times a year. These incidents are usually covered up, and most are reported as murders," Huo Xiaomiao replied.

"But I have a friend in there," Zhao Zhu replied.

"Oh, so you're a saint," Huo Xiaomiao added a yawning emoji, clearly not fond of the term "saint."

"Um... I'm not a saint. My friend is also a member of the group."

"Is he still in the group?"

"Yes," Zhao Zhu confirmed that Zhu Jianping's QQ number was still in the group.

"Go to the group owner and exchange for holy water or talismans. Since it's still hiding in the house, it must have created a barrier. Try using the holy water and talismans. If you can break the barrier, your friend might have a chance to escape. As for the points, you can ask your friend for them after you save him, since you're saving his life."

"Okay, I'll try."

"Good luck. I'm going to sleep. Good night, everyone," Huo Xiaomiao said goodnight and stopped messaging.

Zhao Zhu opened the private chat with the group owner: "YY, I want to exchange for holy water and exorcism talismans."

YY replied quickly: "Please specify the quantity. Holy water (low grade) costs 300 points per bottle, and exorcism talismans (low grade) cost 50 points each."

Zhao Zhu had a little over a thousand points. He gritted his teeth and said, "One bottle of holy water and four talismans."

YY: "Exchange complete."

The next moment, Zhao Zhu felt a weight on his wrist and saw a black plastic bag hanging there. He opened the bag and found a glass bottle, which seemed to contain a liquid, and four talismans with a very special texture.

This was Zhao Zhu's first time exchanging for items, and he couldn't help but mutter:

"Damn, if the group owner didn't become a group owner and instead started a delivery company, would there even be room for companies like Shentong, Shunfeng, and Yunda?"

Page AD starts

Page AD ends