Chapter 5

My mind exploded, and I instinctively dodged backward.

Zhang Xiao had previously said he was with Ah Gui and Wang Lei. At first, I thought he was joking, but now I understood that his "together" meant something like this.

So, if they didn't leave and were waiting for me, does that mean I can't escape this fate of death either?

Walking the road to the underworld together, are they planning to play mahjong with me?

My mind was a mess, but I finally confirmed the question I had been thinking about for days. I looked at the female police officer with a panicked face and said, "There must be ghosts! I'm telling you, we encountered a ghost at that dilapidated temple in Mangshan; yes, that guy in the black robe must have cursed us, hexed us. Everyone who didn't pay for protection is doomed—uh, they're all waiting for me down there..."

The female police officer saw my panicked and incoherent state and reached out, firmly pressing her hands on my shoulders.

Her bright eyes stared at me seriously and she said, "Wang Ming, relax, don't worry, everything is under control! I'll be here with you, don't worry!"

I had been given a small dose of a sedative and was already weakened by my illness, so I had no strength to resist. Besides, I hadn't been this close to a girl in a long time. Her face was almost touching mine, her soft breath brushing against me, and the scent of her shampoo or perfume made me feel completely relaxed.

Distracted by this, I was slightly less panicked and calmed down a bit. I said to her, "Can you check under my bed for me? Is there something there?"

The female police officer immediately bent down to look.

I lay on my side and glanced over, noticing that she had quite a figure. Just as I was feeling a bit flustered, the female police officer suddenly looked up with a strange expression and asked, "Has anyone crawled under the bed today?"

I shivered at her words and asked, "Is there really a bloodstain under the bed?"

The female police officer hesitated for a moment but then nodded. I felt utterly hopeless, as if the entire ceiling was collapsing on me.

Tears streamed down my face, and I almost cried as I said, "There really are ghosts here. Take me away, I'm still young, I haven't even found a wife..."

The female police officer rolled her eyes and said, "Don't be afraid. I'll stay with you tonight. If anything happens, I'll deal with it."

This girl had just graduated from school and didn't know much. How could I entrust my life to her? I hurriedly said, "No way. If something happens, you'll run away, and I'll be left here to die?"

The female police officer raised an eyebrow and said, "If it really is as you say, what good would moving do? Zhang Dou moved, but he still died, didn't he?"

Her words made me feel particularly hopeless. I lay back on the bed and didn't say a word for a long time.

Perhaps realizing that her words were too pessimistic and had created an awkward atmosphere, the female police officer pursed her lips and forced a smile. She said, "Don't be afraid. This might not be real. Someone might be playing a trick on you. If you're really scared, you'll fall for it..."

I lay in bed, feeling weak and helpless. I looked at her and asked, "May I ask your surname?"

The female police officer replied straightforwardly, "I'm Lin, my name is Lin Xue."

I extended my hand and said, "Officer Lin, can I borrow your phone?"

Officer Lin didn't ask any questions and handed me her phone. I took it and called home, talking to my father for a bit and then asking about my younger brother.

After a while, I couldn't control my emotions and sobbed, telling my father to take care of his health, not to smoke too much, and to find a new partner if he needed to...

My father noticed my emotional state and asked what was wrong. I shook my head and didn't say anything, quickly hanging up the phone.

After the call, I returned the phone to Officer Lin and asked her to bring me my backpack. I pulled out two bank cards and solemnly asked her, "Officer Lin, Lin Xue, can I trust you?"

Officer Lin was taken aback by my serious expression and stared at me for a while before nodding.

I handed her the two bank cards and said, "I have two bank cards. The one from the Industrial and Commercial Bank has 24,000 yuan, and the one from the Bank of Communications has 39,000 yuan. The password for both is ******. Please keep them for me. If I die, please give them to my father. He's unemployed, and my brother is still in high school, so they need the money..."

Officer Lin was scared and quickly waved her hands, saying, "Don't act like you're making a final request. Even if you were making a will, you shouldn't be telling me."

I pointed at myself and smiled bitterly, "Since you said you can be trusted, please keep them for me. As for me, I can't move. Who knows what will happen tonight? I won't be able to run away."

Officer Lin wanted to comfort me but didn't know what to say. I pointed to the bed where Zhang Xiao had just moved and said, "Officer Lin, can you check if there's a bloodstain under Zhang Xiao's bed too?"

Reminded by me, Officer Lin took the bank cards, put them in her pocket, and bent down to look.

Sure enough, there was one.

A death warrant!

Officer Lin's mouth twitched, unsure whether to cry or laugh. As for me, I had already settled my affairs and lay back on the bed, no longer thinking about it.

At this moment, the security guard found a charger and came over to charge my phone. When I turned it on, I found the screen was completely scratched, and I couldn't see anything. I wanted to know if anyone had called me and who it was, but I would have to get it repaired to find out.

After what had just happened, Officer Lin didn't dare to stay alone and asked two hospital security guards to stay in the room. She also called for backup.

While waiting, Officer Lin tried to chat with me, asking if my logical thinking was clear because I must have studied it before.

If a beautiful girl had tried to chat with me under normal circumstances, I would have eagerly joined in. But now, I wasn't in the mood. We chatted a bit, but the girl was quite talkative and chattered away, making my head spin.

Unconsciously, I suddenly noticed a black-spotted green venomous snake hanging from Officer Lin's neck.

The snake was entirely green with black spots, about a meter long, with a triangular head raised high. Its red eyes stared at me intently, and its tongue flicked out, cold and icy...

Seeing this, I don't know where I got the courage, but I instinctively raised my hands and grabbed the snake...

Squeeze it, squeeze it!

Kill it!

My mind was filled with these thoughts, but I forgot that I had always been afraid of snakes. Moreover, the green snake didn't seem to resist, just struggling in my grip without biting me.

I don't know why, but my arms had never been so strong.

Just as I was about to strangle the green snake, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my head, and everything went black.

When I woke up again, I saw Officer Lin, who had been chatting with me warmly, looking at me with a defensive expression. The two security guards were glaring at me like bodyguards.

My head hurt, and it felt like there was a cut on the back of my head. I tried to touch it but found my hands were tied.

Not only my hands, but my entire body was securely tied to the bed, and I couldn't even turn over.

The sudden situation left me bewildered. I struggled a bit, but it was no use. I frowned and asked, "What's going on? What do you want to do?"

Officer Lin frowned and didn't speak, but one of the security guards said angrily, "You weren't even calm after the sedative. Do you have the nerve to ask what we want to do? If it weren't for us, you would have almost strangled Officer Lin to death!"

I... strangled Officer Lin?

I instinctively looked at Officer Lin and saw red marks on her smooth neck. Recalling what had just happened, I felt a cold sweat break out on my back and said with a bitter smile, "Oh no, oh no, I knew I couldn't escape, and it really happened..."

Officer Lin, who had been silent, stared at me for a long time before finally speaking, "You mean you were possessed just now?"

I smiled bitterly and said, "Isn't that obvious? Why would I strangle you for no reason? Besides, I had just been given a sedative. If I wasn't possessed, where would I get the strength to strangle you?"

One of the security guards sneered, "Who knows? Maybe you saw how pretty Officer Lin is and got carried away?"

I glanced at the lecherous security guard, too lazy to argue, and instead stared into Officer Lin's eyes, saying, "Officer Lin, don't forget the task I entrusted to you. My family is poor, but my brother is a good student and will definitely get into college. That money is for his education."

Officer Lin licked her lips and comforted me, "Don't be so pessimistic..."

I closed my eyes, no longer listening to any comforting words.

Time passed slowly. Two more of Officer Lin's colleagues arrived and stayed in the ward. I gave up hope and closed my eyes, waiting to die. But nothing happened all night. When the first ray of sunlight entered the room in the morning, I felt a sense of renewed happiness.

Did I really escape this time?

I was overjoyed, but a phone call from Officer Lin shattered all my hopes.

Someone else had died.

The page turns, and the advertisement begins.

The page turns, and the advertisement ends.